***The Official Arsenal Gunners" Thread***

[ImTellinTim]

Re: ***The Official Arsenal "Gunners" Thread***

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/934217/xavi-appeals-for-cesc-fabregas'-arsenal-suffering-to-end?cc=5901

Xavi has now said: "I spoke to Cesc in Ibiza and he said he was suffering because he wanted to come.
"It's more like he did everything he could to come and wants to leave Arsenal - although he made it clear that now everything depends on the selling club.''

Here we go again.

[NaturalSelected]

Re: ***The Official Arsenal "Gunners" Thread***

"It's more like he did everything he could to come and wants to leave Arsenal - although he made it clear that now everything depends on the selling club.''

Here we go again.

The "selling club" part of it is so hilarious, because Barca has loads of cash right now to buy players with.

[Whitesox]

Re: ***The Official Arsenal "Gunners" Thread***

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/934217/xavi-appeals-for-cesc-fabregas'-arsenal-suffering-to-end?cc=5901



Here we go again.

I think they would do this till he retires if they had to.

[Mo]

Re: ***The Official Arsenal "Gunners" Thread***

Well they should just sell him to them, duh.

Ends all the drama.

[NaturalSelected]

Re: ***The Official Arsenal "Gunners" Thread***

I miss Cesc Favregas.

[Krebstar]

Re: ***The Official Arsenal "Gunners" Thread***

The "selling club" part of it is so hilarious, because Barca has loads of cash right now to buy players with.

Eh, they have some serious debt that they're trying to take care of. Which is hilarious to watch, as if they wouldn't have tossed around money carelessly, they could've had Cesc by now.

As for Xavi, can someone PLEASE tell UEFA that this **** has to stop. It's not as bad as last year, but it's still there. It should not be allowed, period. However, it's thee mighty Barca, so they can do whatever the **** they want as long as they're winning.

[ZM Punk]

Re: ***The Official Arsenal "Gunners" Thread***

Gotta love the timing of this. As soon as they have came to terms with Sanchez and have no money they begin the campaign to try and force Cesc into handing in transfer request.

They are utter scum.

[~LiverpoolRed~]

Re: ***The Official Arsenal "Gunners" Thread***

From the BBC:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/14088970.stm

Wenger says he would rather lose Nasri next year for free than sell him now.

[Krebstar]

Re: ***The Official Arsenal "Gunners" Thread***

From the BBC:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/14088970.stm

Wenger says he would rather lose Nasri next year for free than sell him now.

Unless he can guarantee we can win a trophy, that is just mind-boggling. I know we don't just want to cave in, but while we look like the hard and tough club now, in a year we look like a damn fool. In the end, we paid £15 million for some flashes of brilliance here and there and one year with a bad attitude.

[barryf1fan]

Re: ***The Official Arsenal "Gunners" Thread***

Unless he can guarantee we can win a trophy, that is just mind-boggling. I know we don't just want to cave in, but while we look like the hard and tough club now, in a year we look like a damn fool. In the end, we paid £15 million for some flashes of brilliance here and there and one year with a bad attitude.

QFT.
I would rather he go now.

[NaturalSelected]

Re: ***The Official Arsenal "Gunners" Thread***

QFT.
I would rather he go now.

It's funny, the team seems so paralyzed when it comes to the transfer market. Granted not everyone makes good moves (see the price for Downing), but is it crazy to sell Nasri and use the funds to buy another player?

No, of course not. We simply don't act when it's needed.

If Nasri will not sign, we are making a one-year gamble. And worse, think about the team composition at the moment. We are taking a one-year gamble on a mentally fragile squad that has shown to crack under intense pressure.

Sorry, Gervinho and Jenkinson, but those guys will not form a new backbone to the squad. Nasri pouts, we underperform, and at the end of next season, we're down 15-20 million.

Shameful.

[NaturalSelected]

Re: ***The Official Arsenal "Gunners" Thread***

Guess who said this?

"I don’t think we are weak defensively but we are an offensive team," he said. "Sometimes that exposes our defenders a bit more than other teams."

I couldn't disagree more.

[misterbroom12]

Re: ***The Official Arsenal "Gunners" Thread***

Guess who said this?

I couldn't disagree more.

I agree with it to an extent. There are definitely weaknesses though that should be solidified if we want to win any trophies. Our attack does expose the back a bit but never in a way that shouldn't be dealt with easily. We need a Makelele type player that will almost refuse to go forward and will pride himself on solely winning balls back for us. Song works to do this, but gets caught forward with our possession too much and has to chase a lot.

[barryf1fan]

Re: ***The Official Arsenal "Gunners" Thread***

It's funny, the team seems so paralyzed when it comes to the transfer market. Granted not everyone makes good moves (see the price for Downing), but is it crazy to sell Nasri and use the funds to buy another player?

No, of course not. We simply don't act when it's needed.

If Nasri will not sign, we are making a one-year gamble. And worse, think about the team composition at the moment. We are taking a one-year gamble on a mentally fragile squad that has shown to crack under intense pressure.

Sorry, Gervinho and Jenkinson, but those guys will not form a new backbone to the squad. Nasri pouts, we underperform, and at the end of next season, we're down 15-20 million.

Shameful.

I agree with you 100%, and although I don't post a whole lot in here I do have opinions (albeit probably wrong) about this team - as everyone seems to know better than the coaching staff.

bottom line to me, if Nasri wants to go, he needs to be gone. Look how under-achieving Cesc has been. Not that he isn't a great player, because he is, but he has under performed the last season or so. I also disagree that we just have an attacking team. Arsenal is not an "attacking" team... ManU, the blues, among others are quote/un-qote attacking teams. We are a possession team - pure and simple. From my under-educated eyes, we want to possess the ball and play the ball into the box. Always have under Wenger [why else would he NOT put the tallest player we have (Bendtner) in the box.]

I think the root of our problem begins a bit further up the pitch than the back 4. The mid-field. Who, besides Song (and now to a degree Wilshere) is a solid defensive mid?? We constantly get beat by world-class players because our mid field is to lackadaisical. Song will work his *** off in the middle third - but that one time he expects Arshavin, Rosicky, -fill in the blank midfielder - to step to the ball, the other team gets an opportunity. I've said this whole '10/'11 season that the ROOT of our defensive problem is our mid-field. Sure, we don't have the sheer quality of players in the back four that say other teams have, but we have talented speedy players back there.

when I'm coaching my team, I try and get them to understand that the middle of the field is off limits for an attacking player and that the help they need is the sideline. Very basic stuff I know, but Arsenal just doesn't play "team" defense like other teams. And no, not like Rooney being back on the touch line defending - but that is a sight to see - but the fact that if Arshavin gets beat and clichy steps to cover, Arshavin is suppose to re-cover! Not spectate the left back doing his job. Too often Arshavin will apply pressure from the wrong side and makes it easy for the attacker to beat Clichy leaving the entire side of the pitch to the 18 open. What happens next? SS, or Eboue, or DJ step and it leaves us exposed.

We are a great team, remember, we were the only team that beat FCB in their entire UEFA title run, and it wasn't an accident. Sure, Messi and Villa were unfortunate not to get two goals early, but we crowded the 18 and "tried" to keep the play wide... too often that didn't happen (even against mighty Barca) and other teams took advantage of our inability to properly cover and recover defensively.

Song is not the most talented player we have, but good lord, the man works his butt off - give me an entire mid-field of Songs. Stick baby-Bendtner in the middle of the f'ing 18 and let RVP cross the ball to his dome. RVP will still get his goals, and now we have a threat in the air...

/rant

[Krebstar]

Re: ***The Official Arsenal "Gunners" Thread***

Did you guys ever see this gem?

<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/DgzrhMw_sRI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>