The Arsenal FC thread

[Chaplin]

There would be no shortage or irony, but damn, do Arsenal need a guy like Rooney. It's a no-brainer if they have the opportunity for him.

 

[Mulli]

There would be no shortage or irony, but damn, do Arsenal need a guy like Rooney. It's a no-brainer if they have the opportunity for him.

Seriously, and the story lines involving RVP and Rooney etc could get very nice.

 

[Mathew81]

4th place it is. Hell of a run to end the season. Now we need a summer of improvements rather than replacements.

 

[Stout]

I watched the game in a pub with a friend who's an Arsenal fan. We played well and I felt no pressure, so I enjoyed the game a lot. She was clenched, shaking, and white knuckled the whole time. It didn't help her that her other friend, a Liverpool fan, kept pretending Tottenham scored on the TV behind her. She almost lost it when Spurs did score, and all the Spurs fans joined with us Magpies fans to cheer us on in extra time, but the equalizer wasn't meant to be.

Congrats, Arsenal. I don't like the side, clearly, but they aren't one of the hated few at least.

 

[Mulli]

Typical Spurs.

Good job Gooners.

 

[Mathew81]

Arteta out 4-6 weeks with a thigh injury. I honestly don't know who's going to fill out the bench on Saturday. Look at our 1st team: http://www.arsenal.com/first-team/players

GK: Szczensy & Fabianski (for Saturday that's fine but we need a 3rd at some point).

RB: Sagna is injured, probably out a couple weeks. So we only have Jenkinson.
CB: Koscienly & Mertesacker are fit. Vermaelen is out maybe another month.
LB: Gibbs is fit. Monreal is injured.

So there are 4 fit, 1st-team defenders right now. We only have 3 CB in the 1st team and only 2 are fit. How can we go into a season so thin there? There are no backups defenders other than youth players.

MF: Arteta is out 4-6 weeks. Diaby is Diaby so he's out at least a couple of months. Wilshere is coming off of an injury but can play. Ramsey, Rosicky & Cazorla I believe are all fit. Frimpong and Miaychi are as well but they are barely 1st team players.

Forward: Walcott is now doubtful for Saturday & Sanogo is out with a hamstring problem. Giroud, Poldoski and Chamberlain are fit. Bendtner and Park are listed on there but only because they are technically still with Arsenal. We've been trying to get rid of both of them for over a year, neither has played in the preseason and I doubt either play for the club again.

So 2 GK, 4 defenders, 6 MF and 3 Forwards (maybe 4 with Walcott). That's 15 (maybe 16) players. We need 18 for Saturday.

EDIT: I forgot Ramsey didn't play for Wales this week because of a calf injury. I'm hoping that it was just one of those "injuries" that clubs announce to keep their players out of friendlies but it may be a real thing. So he may or may not be playing either. Miyachi also has a rib injury and is out. So it's 13 fit players (maybe 15 with Walcott and Ramsey).

 

[Gaddabout]

Gustavo to Wolfsburg for €20M?

Another whiff for the Arsenal.

 

[Gaddabout]

God bless the British. People are upset the Suarez deal isn't done. There's so much symmetry there.

 

[Mulli]

Holy crap, those blockbuster yellow and blue uni's are terrible. Arsenine, really.

 

[Mulli]

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/71706/loving-arsenal-away-from-the-numbers

There’s an Arsenal fan song, sung when the team plays Chelsea, that says “Chelsea, Chelsea, money can’t buy history.” The accuracy of that statement is arguable, but it certainly can buy you a present and a future. Arsenal do have a fine history, though. Here, let me show you some YouTube videos.

 

[Gaddabout]

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/71706/loving-arsenal-away-from-the-numbers

There’s an Arsenal fan song, sung when the team plays Chelsea, that says “Chelsea, Chelsea, money can’t buy history.” The accuracy of that statement is arguable, but it certainly can buy you a present and a future. Arsenal do have a fine history, though. Here, let me show you some YouTube videos.

Excellent history lesson. Thank you very much.

 

[Mathew81]

Looks like Sagna is going to be in the squad, not sure if he starts though.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

 

[Chaplin]

Looks like Sagna is going to be in the squad, not sure if he starts though.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

Doesn't matter.

 

[Mathew81]

What a terrible way to start the season. It's about the worst case scenario. The fans were already upset over the inactivity this summer and then we lose to freaking Villa at home. The ref was terrible but we played like crap. Add to that more injuries and Koscielny suspended for the Fulham game.

Wenger is in the last year of his contract. Unless there are some drastic changes, he shouldn't get an extension.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

 

[Chaplin]

And Wenger's response? "Well, you all got what you wanted."

What a defeatist and awful attitude. I'm done with him.

 

[Mathew81]

And Wenger's response? "Well, you all got what you wanted."

What a defeatist and awful attitude. I'm done with him.

I just really want to know what their plan is. We have nearly as much money in the bank as the rest of the PL clubs combined. Yet we've only brought in one player who was a free agent from League 2 in France. I don't get it.

There's also a rumor going around online that Chamberlain is out for 3 months.

 

[Stout]

Ouch. Very ouch.

 

[Gaddabout]

Yep.

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[Mulli]

Start out poor. Finish 4th. Same old gunners.

 

[Chaplin]

Start out poor. Finish 4th. Same old gunners.

If this is the team through the whole year, there's no way we're finishing top 4.

 

[Gaddabout]

In London, it's reaching national tragedy status. Apparently.

http://www.infinitelooper.com/?v=u06qhRBWcLE&p=n#/247;319

What is Dick Law doing?! Who is Dick Law ?! Is Dick Law just a myth?!

 

[Gaddabout]

 

[Gaddabout]

The angst, the fury, the devastation, the incredulity of management, the sensation of being so close yet so far away ... It's so familiar. I'm really feeling connected to this team. I may have found a home. Hmmmm.

 

[Mathew81]

Ox could be out until February.

Sunday tests confirmed damage to the left knee of the 20-year-old England midfielder, who went off injured in the Gunners' shock season-opening home loss to Aston Villa.

He will have a further scan on Monday, when his worst fears could be confirmed.

It leaves Arsenal desperately short of players ahead of their Champions League qualifier at Fenerbahce on Wednesday.

Bacary Sagna is also almost certainly out, while Aaron Ramsey and Tomas Rocisky are doubts.

Thomas Vermaelen, Mikel Arteta and Nacho Monreal are already missing from the trip to Istanbul for the first leg of a tie to decide who will advance to the Champions League's group stage.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/arsenal-star-oxlade-chamberlains-knee-injury-2183784

 

[Mulli]

So it will be like last season when Arsene didn't play ox?