Arsenal Lobby

Alisher Usmanov says Arsenal are starting a new era 'where we win trophies'

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/11012135/Alisher-Usmanov-says-Arsenal-are-starting-a-new-era-where-we-win-trophies.html

  

I'm sure he's livid at the thought. He'd have nothing to complain about

MJ wrote:I'm sure he's livid at the thought. He'd have nothing to complain about

It was actually a good read, although it shows him in a very positive light - which I find

Written by Jeremy Wilson btw

Uhm... The prediction game. I ended it last season so I'll take full ownership as of now. I know it's sort of a tradition we do around here every season.
But I must point out that I was a bit concerned over the number of users that participated at the end of last season.
Some users posted their predictions only for a part of the season and then didn't post during the climax of the season, while others only posted once or twice. I get that we're all just real life people, with real lives and with real life responsibilities, but I don't think it's that much out of our ways if each and every one of us just make it a routine to post the prediction before every match.
REMEMBER: Goal-Legacy can also be accessed via mobile phones with internet access.
It would certainly make the whole experience of the prediction game a whole lot more fun if we can get about 10 users who post regularly throughout the season. I just don't want this tradition to die out.
So, that is my plea to you guys.

It will be up as of this coming Monday for the league opener against Crystal Palace which is on August 16, so we won't be predicting for the Community Shield game.
Pls look out for a few clarifications on one or two rules which I'll post in the OP.

Brentford have announced that Shaun O’Connor, their Head of Academy Recruitment, has left the club to ‘take up a role’ at Arsenal.
O’Connor was previously employed by the club but left under a cloud some years ago. However, with the installation of new youth supremo, Andries Jonker, and the departure of David Court and Liam Brady, he’s been tempted back.
It is believed that he will head up the club’s academy set up at Hale End, which develops youngsters aged from Under-9 to Under-16 levels.
Brentford’s Academy head, Ose Aibangee, said, “He has set up a recruitment network that is the envy of many clubs and we have a lot of talented youngsters at Brentford due to the work of Shaun and the scouts that worked under him.
“He leaves our recruitment department in very good shape and I hope the fruits of his labour will be seen in the next few years with the progression of Academy players to the First Team.”
O’Connor’s return is part of the redevelopment of Arsenal’s youth system under Dutchman Jonker, and as far back as 2012 the club announced plans to upgrade the facilities at Hale End – work which is, reportedly, underway.

http://news.arseblog.com/2014/08/shaun-oconnor-returns-to-arsenal/

Arsenal doctor at forefront of new concussion rules

http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20140805/pl-announces-new-rules-for-head-injuries

http://news.arseblog.com/2014/08/arsenal-doctor-at-forefront-of-new-concussion-rules/

Draw for CL qualifiers is this Friday then
Limassol have lowest coeff pts but could eliminate Zenit

AVBelive

I hope they do so Bilbao can be seeded lol.

MOAR! MOAR! MOAR! MOAR!

Arsenal Football Club today welcomes South African Breweries’ Hansa Pilsener as its Official Beer Partner.

Vinai Venkatesham, Sales and Marketing Director for Arsenal Football Club said of the partnership: "We are delighted to welcome Hansa Pilsener to the club as an official partner. We are always looking to engage with our supporters and fans of the game globally, and through this partnership we will be able to offer exclusive access to the club while giving Hansa Pilsener the opportunity to reach our millions of supporters in South Africa through creative digital media campaigns.”

"Hansa is a beer brewed for dreamers; it’s a brand that represents pulling out all the stops until you reach your goal. For fans and players alike, football and particularly Arsenal represents that effort. There is no doubt that Arsenal’s 2014 FA Cup victory touched and inspired many a fan in South Africa who will be following closely as the team prepares to repeat this success.
"As official beer partner of Arsenal in South Africa, Hansa Pilsener is looking forward to what is bound to be a spectacular season,” said Khensani Nobanda, General Manager of Hansa Pilsner.

http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20140806/hansa-pilsener-become-official-partner

Good.
We have a lot of die-hard fans in Southern Africa.

"With my favorite footballer! Thierry Heny, my idol!"

It's kind of awesome how when Thierry Henry was at his peak, Lewa was young who admired him and looked up to him. It's like they age differently than we do haha!

Tomas Rosicky. I love this man. I hope he retires here.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/tomas-rosicky-interview-i-still-owe-so-much-to-arsenal-9658051.html

Community Shield preview will be online within the next 2 hours.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/soccer/liam-brady-interview-the-kid-that-had-it-all-278965.html

Good interview from Brady, strangely enough he praises Pennant for having a decent career. He also has a word or two to say regarding the attitude of young players at the moment.

Great read.

Lol at having to google Rakitic

RealGunner wrote:Great read.

Lol at having to google Rakitic

I burst out laughing at that bit, he also chose not to sign Sterling   

We have had let go a lot of players who have now made it big tbf. It sometimes work and sometimes you regret.

Szczesny deactivated his twitter right after Brady told him about Zoff and Jennings

This is a strong quote

"You scout every corner of the globe. You have to. Because if there’s a great 16-year-old in Argentina, you can bet your life Manchester City also know about him.”

Brady: "And then I was watching the World Cup final and I thought, this Messi fellow is quite good. Who's he play for?"

The last four captains to lift the FA Cup for Arsenal left without playing again for the club (Adams 02, Seaman 03, Vieira 05, Vermaelen 14)

That's some esteemed company.

The armband is becoming as cursed as the no. 9. Vermaelen, van Persie, Fabregas and Gallas were our last four captains. Arteta could be the next, and he's on the last year of his deal...

Fitness ace may be Arsène Wenger’s and Arsenal’s best new signing

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/aug/09/arsene-wenger-arsenal-new-fitness-coach-shad-forsythe-germany-world-cup?CMP=twt_gu

Jack Wilshere faces crunch time at Arsenal, as Arsène Wenger challenges midfielder to show consistency

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/11023612/Jack-Wilshere-faces-crunch-time-at-Arsenal-as-Arsene-Wenger-challenges-midfielder-to-show-consistency.html

that's the exact type of encouragement he needs: "this could be his year"

not Tony making outlandish claims in the Sun like: "Mesut Özil's signing is a personal insult to Wilshere."

He's showing that he wants to put in work by showing up early, fair enough. Now let him apply himself on the pitch.

Hi folks, been enjoying some interesting discussions on the forum for a while. finally thought to make an account and chip in!

on the tony adams bit; does anyone think since we got the cash last year, our transfer dealings have been underwhelming and a bit misguided. surely a quality central striker and dm  must have been the priority last and this summer? but we went about mending stuff that need not be fixed. ozil was a panic luxury buy to pay for the blunderous pursuit of suarez and higuain. in the 2nd half of 11-12 we finally hit the right balance by moving cazorla to left and wilshere in the middle, which coincided with the unbeaten run. the age of no10's seems to be gone, now every top team has 3 dynamic midfielders in the middle, and we were close to having that until it was broken up for ozil.

and this year too, we are splashing money on albeit quality players the system needs to fit with rather than ready fit for the system.  and now there is talk of dm cum cd.

we had always been 1 or 2 players short during the handbrake years, and it seems reckless to not address those eternal 1 or 2 missing players now above all else, and splash on non-crucial luxury signings that we could do without.

The only part of that post I agree on is the 1-2 signings short part.

You don't spend 80m to buy one player who will fit your system; you buy what's best available and tinker with your system to maximize the results - that is always how AW has functioned!

And I do not agree that we have not addressed key issues. We needed a starting RB and another GK - we got them. We needed pace down the flanks - what we struggled with when we were forced to play 5 midfielders. We brought back a seemingly improved Campbell and splurged on a high quality Sanchez.

While it may seem that we have messed up by not signing a DM or a CF, remember that Chambers seems to have been signed with a DM role in the future for Arsenal as well as England. Signing a Khedira on super high wages wouldn't solve that. There have been other names thrown around, but I haven't regretted the DMs we haven't signed in the past few summers. Every year people talk about the next big DM, and yet fewer top clubs have been relying on one deep midfielder to do all the dirty work.

The game has evolved. It evolves every year. Tactics and formations come and go. It's not about finding the players for a fixed system, it's about getting the players who suit your playing style and give you the versatility to cause havoc by allowing the team to switch tactics best suited to the time and the opponent. In that sense, I would rate our summer a decent 7 on 10.


Anywhoo, welcome to the forums and hope to see you around more often!

well, debuchy and ospina are exactly the kind of transfers that we should be doing at first. we replaced sagna and fab swiftly with equal or better quality. all we need to do 1st is push giroud and arteta to 2nd choice, thats our 1st 11 complete and then go for whoever might be available to improve squad quality. there were quality DMs available all summer for slightly above what we paid for chambers, there is no excuse for going for a CD cum DM now, a compromise. just like quality strikers were available last summer.