Monthly Archives: August 2011

Arseblog, the arsenal blog
August 11, 2011 posted by arseblog

Where we are and where we could be

Morning all,

I was out last night for a few beers with Mrs Blogs and some of her colleagues and I have to tell you it was nice to be able to switch off and not think about Arsenal for a few hours. Then I came home, decided to have just one more drink, and I started thinking about Arsenal again, in the light of all the stories flying around the ether about Cesc, and I have to say I wasn’t particularly encouraged by any of it.

Two days away from the start of the season it looks like we’re selling our captain and our best player, for a price which in no way is commensurate with his talent or, just as importantly, the length of time he’s got left on his contract. As I feared over the last week or so, we’ve been worn down by the relentless cuntery of the whole situation and despite holding a strong hand throughout we’ve buckled.

I just listened to the BBC’s Dan Roan on 5Live and he said he spoke to an Arsenal board member last night (IG, I imagine) who said it would all be done by the weekend. That could be tomorrow, it could happen today, and while Cesc was never going to play this weekend against Newcastle what does it say about us at the moment that on the eve of the new season we lose him? What does it say about the way we’ve managed the situation that it’s happening now when we should be focusing on getting off to a good start ahead of a very difficult month?

It’s not just us, of course, there’s Barcelona, there’s Cesc’s desire to go there, but I look at this sorry mess and it’s hard to think we’ve dealt with it as well as we should have. On every level. From this summer, to the way we’ve failed to invest properly in our team which has resulted in two of best players wanting out, and doubts over others not too far in the distance. Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott will reach next summer and only have one year left on their contracts. I would suggest that right now there’s little chance of them signing new deals.

The players we have – with the exception of one or two – clearly aren’t stupid and they’ll be looking closely at what’s going on. It was Arsene Wenger himself who said that you cannot be considered a big club if you sell your best players. Well, we’re about to sell one of them – and maybe Nasri too (although I think the Frenchman could stay simply because AW won’t let both him and Cesc go) – and from a purely footballing point of view it’s not good for Arsenal.

You can be glad this saga is finally over, I think most people will be happy to move on one way or the other, and you can be fed up to the back teeth with Barcelona, or the modern footballer or agents, but it is very, very tough to look at us this morning and be encouraged about the season ahead. We’ve bought three players. Two of them came from League 1 with less than 40 first team games of football between them. One of them is just 17. Only Gervinho is older than 20. Yes, there’s still some time to before the transfer window closes but the closer we get to August 31st the more it looks like we’re going to repeat the mistakes of summers past and the more it looks like we’re just flying by the seat of our pants with no real plan.

If there’s a morsel of encouragement it’s from the BBC article above where the Arsenal board member says that all the funds from the transfer of Cesc will be reinvested in new players. Part of me wonders if we’d invested properly over the last couple of seasons if we’d be in this kind of mess now but that is a whole other debate. It is absolutely critical that the club act with far more decisiveness and ambition than they have thus far. When Cesc goes that gives the manager an estimated transfer fund of around £65m.

We know there’s around £30m available as it stands, the Cesc money and maybe the £20m for Nasri, added to that gives him the kind of available cash that only the Sugar Daddy clubs have. People might say it’ll make life difficult for us because clubs know we have money but if that becomes an impediment to us buying players then you’d have to seriously question how we operate. The situation across Europe is that many clubs are struggling financially and we are in a position to make them offers they can’t refuse for players we want to buy. If we have to pay a little over the odds for one or two then that, I’m afraid, is a consequence of the way we’ve dealt with things this summer.

What is obvious though, is that to ensure this team is capable of mounting a title challenge this season, to ensure that players like van Persie and Walcott (to a lesser extent) see Arsenal as a club where they can win things in the future, the money has to be invested in experience and quality. I’m glad we signed AOC and that Miyaichi got his work permit but with hand on heart does anyone expect either of them to be that influential this season? They’re still learning the game. That we have such high hopes for them is almost damaging in a way because those expectation levels result in loss of patience in players who need and deserve it as they develop.

The board need to make it abundantly clear to Arsene Wenger that the money be spent, not on potential and youth, but on good players who can come in and do a job now. If he doesn’t, and results suffer because of that, his position surely becomes untenable.

And while all this might sound miserable and doomy, there is an upside. Arsene’s got the chance to make a real statement of intent. To take £60m (maybe £80m) if Nasri goes, and rebuild this Arsenal team. Because it needs it. Badly. It’s not like we’re losing Cesc and wondering how we’re going cope or having to use the money to service debts and loans. It’s not as if we’re on the precipice of financial ruin with no prospects of bringing in new players. Losing Cesc is a huge blow on many levels but Arsene has the means at his disposal to make silk purse out this sow’s ear. He can go into a depressed market with plenty of money to get the players he wants.

There are now 20 days until the close of the transfer window. Arguably they’re the most important 20 days of Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal career. He has no choice but to spend the money. Not for his own sake or the sake of keeping his job but for the sake of his team and for the club. Add three or four players of experience and quality – nobody’s expecting superstars, just good players – and we’re in much better shape. Without those purchases I genuinely fear for us, not least because of the message it sends.

So, over to you Arsene, over to you Ivan, it’s time to get this show on the road.

Columnists
August 10, 2011 posted by Tim Stillman

It’s back!

Tim Stillman Column

Greetings from the billowing rubble that is now my home city. The new season is but an inswinging corner kick away. The bowels are clenching, the skin on my knuckles tightening and the teeth grinding as the anticipation of that first Newcastle set piece begins to dawn. For the last three months, I have been something approaching a pleasant, available and accessible individual for my friends and family.

But now the fingernails are getting longer and thicker, the hair on my ears denser. My nerves are excited and the sight of the moon leaves me with an inexplicable desire to howl like a banshee. Relaxed, socially acceptable Tim is about to go back into hibernation for 9 months. His replacement is a pod person that will skip your funeral for Wigan away. He will spend large segments of conversation ignoring what you’re saying, staring into middle distance ruminating on what happened to van Persie’s free kicks.

The new season is here and I simply cannot fricking wait. “But Tim, Tim, how can you be excited? It’s all to shit. It’s the end of the world as we know it, so how can you feel fine?” To the naval gazing naysayers my riposte would be: ‘if you’re not excited about the prospect of a brand, spanking new season, wrapped as it is in pristine cellophane, then it’s time to consider why you persist with the sport’.

Yes, yes I get it. People are unhappy that we haven’t signed an atomic super mutant of a centre half as yet. People are aghast that we’re wanking our bank account dry on 12 year old wide forwards. Yes David Dein should come back and cast a hex on the billionaires in West London and Manchester whilst simultaneously purging the world of all sin. But living life in anticipation of a worst case scenario that may arrive at some undetermined point is a miserable way to treat an exciting pastime.

I’m looking forward to strapping myself in and enjoying the ride, whatever it brings. That’s the fun isn’t it? Finding out how things do work out? With regards to the 2011-12 season, we are at the cusp of sweet, unknowing ignorance. Tis blissful and exciting if embraced in the correct way. Frankly, I don’t spend the final moments before getting on the rollercoaster dreading the inevitability of it careering out of control and tossing me to my death. We may well go to hell in a hand cart. We might get relegated and liquidated in one fell tidal wave of grimness. But you know what? I spend about 25% of my annual salary watching football, so I think it makes sense to enjoy it.

Thomas Vermaelen - LANSBesides which, things are looking up on the additions front. Arsenal were this week able to unveil another “like a new signing” as Ryo Miyachi’s work permit was approved. With Vermaelen, Traore, Vela and Fabianski, that brings our LANS accrual up to five this summer. See, we have been busy! Can’t you see that extra bulkiness flexing from the bicep of the Arsenal squad? The last time Arsene tossed the old “like a new signing” chestnut from the grill, I accused him of lacking self awareness. But now it’s clear he’s doing it intentionally. I imagine the playing staff are all joining us in a game of Arsene Bingo. Who else shouted “House!” when he added Ryo to the LANS roster?

And if that wasn’t enough to make your gusset damp with expectation, Arsenal even went and added a bona fide, genu-wine, no givesys backsys new signing. One that we paid money for and everything! Just think, when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain recovers from the inevitable six month injury lay off; he can be a LANS too! In all seriousness, I’ve not seen an awful lot of him, but I gather he has good technical ability and he looks to be quite the physical specimen.

I realise a 17 year old playmaker isn’t our priority, but it strikes me that we left this deal when it hit a snag earlier in the summer, but followed up again due to rival clubs sniffing around. Had we lost him to United or Liverpool, no doubt the minority complaining over his signing would be pissing their knickers if we had missed out on him. Anyway, I join the majority of Gooners in welcoming a big talent to the club. I’m still very confident a defender at least will join him.

Despite the protestations of some more reactionary supporters, I’m pretty certain it’s possible to have more than one deal “in tray” at any one time. Or possibly people were expecting the club to wrap up the signing of Chamberlain, only to snatch the pen from his grasp upon the contract signing? “Ooh, sorry Alex. D’yer mind sitting tight for a bit until we sign a centre back? No offence, but it’ll be bad PR to unveil your whiskery chops until we can reveal the signing of Jimmy McSledgehammer at centre half. Ta.”

Of course last weekend saw the team conclude their pre season with a 2-1 defeat at Benfica. The first half showed some very promising signs, with the link up play between van Persie and Gervinho particularly intriguing. A half time lead of 1-0 looked to be scant reward for a good half. However, the second period was a different story altogether, with defensive mishaps from Gibbs, Vermaelen and Squillaci in turn seeing us succumb to a 2-1 reverse.

The team that began the game looked to be the guts of the side that will start the game at St. James’ Park on Saturday. I think I’d have liked to have seen that XI get a good 70 minutes together. As it was, we made a raft of substitutions at half time which appeared to disjoint our rhythm. A large slab of the second half saw us field a back five of Fabianski, Jenkinson, Miquel, Squillaci and Traore. That surely can’t be a priority seven days before the season starts? I realise that Gibbs and Vermaelen went off injured, but there were changes in other areas of the team very early on too and I question how much Arsenal actually gained from the second 45 minutes.

The draw for the Champions League Qualifying Round has of course been made since last we spoke too. Udinese was not quite the doomsday scenario of Kazan, but it hardly represented the kindest draw we could have had. Especially as the second leg will be away from home, on the Wednesday before we travel to Old Trafford. I realise Udinese lost some key players this summer, but with Nasri and van Persie suspended and Fabregas unlikely to play, we’re hardly going to be in prime condition ourselves. Nevertheless, my flights and tickets are booked in the hopes that Arsenal’s good record in Italy continues.

Before I leave you, I’d draw your attention to the fact that the Arsenal Ladies play a crucial Superleague encounter with Doncaster Belles at Borehamwood on Sunday, whilst the Arsenal Reserves kick off their campaign with a home game against Manchester United at Underhill on Monday evening. Do try and get along and lend the teams your voices if you can. But I’m sure the recent additions to the arseblog news roster- Jeorge Bird and LadyArse- will be able to keep you posted on developments there. Until then, I hope to see some of you at Newcastle on Saturday. Up the Arse. LD.

Follow me on twitter @LittleDutchVA

Arseblog, the arsenal blog
August 10, 2011 posted by arseblog

Work permits, cones, Chamakh and Rambo

Right then,

yesterday we had an actual new signing, yesterday we had, in Arsene’s words, news about a player who becomes “almost like a new signing”. ALANS. Isn’t that ironic?

Ryo Miyachi was granted a work permit under the ‘exceptional talent’ clause yesterday, causing much happiness for the manager as he gets to add to his collection of young, but exceptionally speedy, wide forwards. The youngster did impress during pre-season but it would be wise to be a little cautious when it comes to what he might produce for us in the short term. This time 12 months ago he was playing school football in Japan, expecting him to set the Premier League alight this early in his development is probably unrealistic.

But, as the season goes on, you would hope that some Carling Cup experience and the odd substitute appearance will see him grow as a player. And I think ‘holic is right when he points out there’s a key ingredient in the signings/acquisitions of Gervinho, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Miyaichi, and that’s lightning pace. We have missed that in recent seasons, only Theo Walcott has the turbo boost to really scare defences, so it does look a quite deliberate ploy on the manager’s part. And while we wait for Ryo to make his mark we can be thankful that yesterday’s news provided us with this fantastic exchange over on Arseblog News.

Ryo Miyaichi - Cones

It’s been quite the start to the week, in fairness. A signing, ALANS, what could happen today? Two signings? The annoucement of the crippling of one of our players made simply so we can say less than 24 hours later that the medical staff have fixed him and he’s a real LANS? Or, perhaps, a departure? Yesterday, Marouane Chamakh appeared on a football show on L’Equipe TV and was asked about the futures of Cesc and Samir Nasri and his expectation is that both will leave. He said:

I think both of them are likely leaving the club. It’s a difficult situation for the manager. I think he (Wenger) is looking for their successors and he hasn’t found them. I think before letting them go he wants to find the players to replace them. That’s my opinion about the situation.

The problem is the season starts this weekend, and it’s even more difficult for us.

I don’t think he’s saying anything most of us aren’t thinking and while I did read some criticism of Chamakh for the forthright nature of the comments, I don’t really see any problem with them. If only he was this up front … erm … up front. We’ve pussied about far too long this summer over both these situations and Chamakh is right to make the the point it makes life difficult for us with the season almost upon us. What is the point of head in the sand/’everything is under control’ stuff when the world knows different?

Despite the fact Nasri and Cesc were included in the squad for the Champions League play-off round, it doesn’t mean much. Nasri is suspended for the first leg anyway and Cesc is unlikely to play due his lack of overall fitness. We still have a situation where two of our best players want to leave the club. We know about Cesc and Barcelona and yesterday France manager Laurent Blanc said of Nasri:

I just know that he is in talks with his club. Not to extend his contract because he said he would not, but to change clubs.

So there you go. Also interesting is what he said about its effect on the France squad:

If all this could end quite rapidly, it would be better for us.

I think that could rather apply to us as well. If Blanc feels it’s somehow distracting for the international squad, where a player’s affiliation doesn’t really matter, what must it be like for the club? And isn’t it interesting that Nasri is away on international duty despite not playing for us against Benfica because of ‘injury’?

Again the Man City rumours resurface, so the AOC/Miyaichi options, plus the potential signing of Joel Campbell, could mean Wenger is more open to cashing in Na$ri, but the whole thing is still a great big mess at this moment in time. I think the player has probably made it quite clear he wants to go, hence the change in Wenger’s mindset from ‘definitely keeping him’ to ‘only if committed’, so if there’s a serious offer from Manchester City, what are we waiting for?

Some closure, one way or the other, to both these situations would be more than welcome now. And although Marouane Chamakh says it makes like more difficult, it’s good to see the players who are fully involved can put it to one side and get on with things. Aaron Ramsey is focused on the new season, saying:

I’ve had a full pre-season, which is a massive advantage, and I just want to kick on from last season. Before my injury, I was starting to play regularly and then everything came to a stop – it was as if someone had pressed the pause button on my career.

Now I feel I am ready to carry on and, hopefully, improve.

I always got the feeling Ramsey’s arrival was meant as a transitional one, in that we always knew Cesc would go back to Barcelona at some stage and the young Welshman could fill the gap. Circumstances have made that a bit more difficult, obviously. I don’t think Arsene wanted Cesc to go this early and Ramsey’s development was halted by that shuddering oaf at Stoke, but sometimes timing is a key ingredient in a player’s career. Look at Ashley Cole, on the verge of a permanent move to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2001, then they discovered Silvinho’s passport was made with an inkjet and some double-sided sticky tape, and hey presto, welcome to the big time.

I’m not sure he’s ready to take on the creative burden of Cesc but it wouldn’t surprise me if he was one of the players who really made progress in the season ahead. With the current spate of injuries/absences in midfield he’s likely to start this weekend at Newcastle so let’s hope he comes out of the blocks flying.

There are some internationals tonight – although England v Holland has been called off due to the events in London over the last few days – so fingers crossed we don’t suffer any bumps and bruises ahead of Saturday.

And that’s about that. There’s no news on a new defender just yet but I’m sure Ivan has been up all night, burning the midnight oil, striving his head off, toiling, all hands on deck, to get it done. I’m sure.

Mostly.

Arseblog, the arsenal blog
August 9, 2011 posted by arseblog

Oxlade-Chamberlain signs, Gazidis says defenders coming

Morning all, do you ever wonder about the routines that certain people have when they get up in the morning? Toilet, coffee, breakfast, shave, get dressed, slap on some aftershave, makes sure you have bus fare, prepare toys to be thrown out of pram at any stage during the day.

Arsenal made a signing yesterday and it was greeted in some quarters as a personal affront, another reason to trot out the tired hackneyed acronyms and slogans. I mean, I get that it’s somewhat hard to get your head around spending £10m+ on a 17 year old winger when we all know that Arsenal’s defence needs strengthening more than anything else, but signing a 17 year old winger doesn’t mean we won’t be buying defenders. If anything it makes me more convinced that we will.

Simply from the point of view that Arsene Wenger, whatever you might think of him, is not a stupid man. Nor is Ivan Gazidis. That they’re unaware of a) the need and b) the clamour for defensive reinforcements is unthinkable to me. They must know that without strengthening, any defensive errors that cost us points will thin the ice even further for the manager. If we spend £10m+ on a 17 year old winger and don’t buy a defender, there will be little or no tolerance for excuses or justification that might be made. And rightly so.

I don’t think any fan I’ve spoken to has disputed the fact we need a centre-half, and maybe a left-back, this summer. Not one. Yet you can be of that opinion and still be happy that we signed Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain yesterday. Of course you can question why we need another wide player, another relatively inexperienced one at that, but to use it as an excuse for petty minded vitriol is another thing entirely and says a lot about where sections of our fanbase are at the moment. They’re like Alexander O’Neal’s ex-girlfiend.

So, while I continue to be of the opinion that defensive recruitment should be at the very top of our priority list, I’m happy to welcome AOC to the Arsenal. He scored 9 in 27 for Southampton last season, which is quite a record for a player that young, and it was telling that the announcement on the official site yesterday confirmed he’d go straight into our first team squad. Arsene Wenger said:

He is an exciting young player who will provide us with creativity and offensive quality. Alex is a versatile player who can play in a number of positions. He can play as an attacking centre midfielder, or wide left and right.

While Alex said:

I’m so excited to be joining Arsenal. It’s a fantastic club and I’m really looking forward to the opportunity of playing football at the highest level.

Beyond what we’ve read I know little about him but clearly Arsene sees enough talent and potential to bring him in, for a serious chunk of money, to be part of things from the off this season. Spending £10m on him now probably means we don’t get bombed out of the race for him in a year’s time when his value would be even higher, so I guess it’s a strategic gamble in a way. He also provides the team with another injection of pace which, beyond Walcott, we’ve been missing at times.

I asked a Southampton blogger for a little more info about our new signing. Ben from Go Marching In, said:

It’s easy to sit here and compare Alex Chamberlain with Theo Walcott because they are similar players and both chose Arsenal as the club to further their careers. But if you were to ask me who was better when they broke through to the Southampton first team, I would have to say Alex Chamberlain.

His all-round game is better, he’s physically stronger and has a composure on the ball that belies his young age. A direct runner and crowd pleaser, he literally tore League One defences apart last season.

Of course there’s a big step-up from League 1 to Premier League so it remains to be seen just how ready he is, but it’s interesting how we’re beginning to put together a core of British young players. Walcott, Wilshere, Ramsey, Gibbs and now AOC. Add another League 1 stepper-upper in Carl Jenkinson to the mix and it’s hardly a coincidence. For a team which was often criticised for having few, if any, truly ‘home grown’ players there’s been a definite shift in focus.

So, what of defenders? At last night’s AISA meeting Ivan Gazidis was asked why we we’re not after ‘a couple of centre-halves’. His response, “How do you know we not?” He went on to say:

Arsene recognises we need to have additions and addition or additions in our defence. He recognises there has been an issue there. And he will take steps to do that.

I have not had an evening off – and I’m leaving here to do some more work – we are working extremely hard on this but it’s not a supermarket where you go in and pick good players off the shelf. That’s not the way it works. I’m sorry but it’s much much more complex than that.

Now, we know Ivan is a good politician and at meetings like that, where I’m sure pitchforks and ‘Down with that sort of thing’ banners are ready to go at any time, he’s particularly good at telling people what they need to hear. Yet there can’t be much in way of misinterpretation here. Arsene knows we need additions to our defence and he will take steps to do that. That means we’re going to sign at least one defender.

Ideally we’d have done that business before now, and yeah, we should have bought a centre-half before some kid to add to our ever increasing collection of wingers (Grrrrrrr!, *launches toys*), but there you go. Let’s hope that Ivan’s work last night was fruitful and that the squad goes into the first game of the season improved. It’s now time for actions to speak louder than words, however comforting or reassuring those words might be.

In other news The Sun are reporting that Arsenal will sell Nasri to Man City for £22m, provided the Middle Eastlanders pay the whole fee up front. Small change to them, isn’t it? The signing of Oxlade-Chamberlain is interesting, not least because of his potential, but because of where he plays. There are also reports that the fee for Joel Campbell has been agreed and he’ll join too, so you just wonder if those two arrivals might open the door to Nasri’s departure.

Also on the way out, Nick Bendtner, the greatest striker that ever lived, but he’s not saying where he’s going. Hopefully not Stoke. That would bother me a great deal, what with Lennie, the scuttery little goblin king on the sidelines, and their fans being a pack of self-fingering window lickers.

And that’s about that. It’s shaping up to be a fairly active week if yesterday was anything to go by, let’s hope for a bit more of the same. Except the Alexander O’Neal stuff.