Up the Arse! Goons thread. :)

[giantroo]

Just watched the interview with wenger and he said denilson is fine. Didnot elaborate but said it will take 2-3 days to recover.

Mentioned that fabregas will stay and fullfill his contract. Wenger was asked if he will stay on and he replied " when the right time comes he will leave".



Baptista has returned to madrid, reyes will be going to spain. One reason he doesnt want to come to england is because of the weather. Just lame. Freddie will be staying at the club.


He was also asked if he was going to bring anyone else into the team, he said " he feels that the club has a strong team at the moment and doesnt need to add anymore".


13 players were left out of the game and wenger said that they will return on the 25th of july. So they wont be playing on the 19th.

That's it from the interview.

 

[moomba]

Saw the tackle (shocking) and interview with Arsene.

Was talking about Reyes not liking the weather, when they asked if he was going to renew his contract just said that the weather doesn't bother him.

Adebayor was a good goal, the Dutch kid was just hit and hope and rubbish keeping. Will be interested to see how Eduardo goes, I get the feeling some gooners think he is the man to replace Henry, yet a year or two ago Bosko Balaban was keeping him out of the Croat side. Go figure.

 

[giantroo]

Saw the tackle (shocking) and interview with Arsene.

Was talking about Reyes not liking the weather, when they asked if he was going to renew his contract just said that the weather doesn't bother him.

Adebayor was a good goal, the Dutch kid was just hit and hope and rubbish keeping. Will be interested to see how Eduardo goes, I get the feeling some gooners think he is the man to replace Henry, yet a year or two ago Bosko Balaban was keeping him out of the Croat side. Go figure.

You can do anything in 2 years moomba. It can change.



The point where wenger dissapointed me the most was when he said he wont be bringing anyone else in.

 

[moomba]

You can do anything in 2 years moomba. It can change.

True, but I think relying on anyone to come into a new league (especially the EPL) and replace a club legend is a very risky approach. If Eduardo was bought as well as a big name (and I hate that term) signing I think most would be saying what a great deal. But as it is if Eduardo doesn't work out, you're looking at Van Persie and Adebayor carrying the front line until January at least (admittedly not the worst problem anyone has ever faced, but if you are still aiming for a title it;s a very risky approach).

The point where wenger dissapointed me the most was when he said he wont be bringing anyone else in.

You wonder how much he is hamstrung by finances, but I would have thought it's fairly worrying times for gooners at the moment. By all accounts Arsenal wanted Babel (eventually) and Babel wanted to go to Arsenal, but another side beat them to the punch. Whether you agree with the fact that Babel would have been a good signing for Arsenal or not that must be a concern.

 

[giantroo]

True, but I think relying on anyone to come into a new league (especially the EPL) and replace a club legend is a very risky approach. If Eduardo was bought as well as a big name (and I hate that term) signing I think most would be saying what a great deal. But as it is if Eduardo doesn't work out, you're looking at Van Persie and Adebayor carrying the front line until January at least (admittedly not the worst problem anyone has ever faced, but if you are still aiming for a title it;s a very risky approach).



You wonder how much he is hamstrung by finances, but I would have thought it's fairly worrying times for gooners at the moment. By all accounts Arsenal wanted Babel (eventually) and Babel wanted to go to Arsenal, but another side beat them to the punch. Whether you agree with the fact that Babel would have been a good signing for Arsenal or not that must be a concern.

It's all worth the risk. But i would love 1 more striker to accompany those 3. Yeh babel said he'll come to us. What happens: he moves to liverpool. So bloody frustrating.

 

[DonMania#5]

[youtube]zH6NCBn8J0I[/youtube]

Adebayor's goal

 

[Benno_900]

Highlights and interviews:

http://www.dailymotion.com/related/4262029/video/x2jehj_ssn-report-arsenal-vs-barnet/1

 

[beatlesmith]

You wonder how much he is hamstrung by finances

Apparently he had 30Mil for transfers (not sure if that included Henry's transfer) and me thinks he has only spent about 17 so far (8 for da silva, 6 for sagna, 2 for fabianski and 1 for nordveit) so he would have plenty of space to buy someone like martins or robinho.

WHY ARE WE KEEPING FREDDIE?
we have plenty of superior mids and players like walcott and merida who are improving rapidly. Lose the dead weight and the big salary.

WENGERS LOST THE PLOT

 

[dogs...]

theres some sneaky little rumours out of argentina that we're in for rodrigo palacio... would be very very very happy with this one, he is all class apart from his dirty ratty

 

[Arsene Wenger]

did u make that up dogs... Palacio is ok but i doubt hed come to england

 

[dogs...]

did u make that up dogs... Palacio is ok but i doubt hed come to england

nah i didnt make it up but i think its fairly likely that someone else did, if u goto the arsenal page on the news now website theres a bit about it. apparently talks had stalled between him and barca and we have sealed him for 15m pounds or something like that... probably bullshit but it'd be awesome if it was true.

theres also now a thread about it in the rumours section of the arsenal mania forum if u wanna check it out.

i did say it was a sneaky little rumour though

 

[dogs...]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2002390000-2007320774,00.html

and there it is...
from the most unreliable source ever, the sun. lets just hope its true

 

[Arsene Wenger]

Yeah you are right - not a great source and highly unlikely..I still think we have one more signing in us tho

 

[DB10]

That's just like Arsene though. All the papers report about Martins and he goes and gets Palacio, a player who hadn't been on anyones radar at all. Palacio is very good at any rate though and like Henry is a bit of a mixed winger-forward. He's been the best striker in South America for a few years now.

I can see why Wenger wants another striker. We may have four but Bendtner is still 18 and unproven at this level and giving Eduardo the sole task of replacing Thierry Henry is slightly unfair. That's a lot of pressure for one man, but two men? That's another story. Palacio is like Sagna though, he's not going to come here to sit on the bench. He's an established international coming from the best club in South America and one of the best national teams going around, and he'll want first-team football.

 

[dogs...]

That's just like Arsene though. All the papers report about Martins and he goes and gets Palacio, a player who hadn't been on anyones radar at all. Palacio is very good at any rate though and like Henry is a bit of a mixed winger-forward. He's been the best striker in South America for a few years now.

I can see why Wenger wants another striker. We may have four but Bendtner is still 18 and unproven at this level and giving Eduardo the sole task of replacing Thierry Henry is slightly unfair. That's a lot of pressure for one man, but two men? That's another story. Palacio is like Sagna though, he's not going to come here to sit on the bench. He's an established international coming from the best club in South America and one of the best national teams going around, and he'll want first-team football.

so do u reckon theres a bit of fact in this rumour? if we snag him we'll probs end up playing with 3 up front probably rvp, eduardo, palacio with ade,walcott and bendtner as replacements, im pretty happy with that... we could be seeing a lot of goals!

 

[Jeffers]

For someone that doesn't watch the Argentinian league, what kind of striker is Palacio? Is he in the vain of Tevez? Hard Physical tenacious goal scorer?

 

[DB10]

so do u reckon theres a bit of fact in this rumour? if we snag him we'll probs end up playing with 3 up front probably rvp, eduardo, palacio with ade,walcott and bendtner as replacements, im pretty happy with that... we could be seeing a lot of goals!

Yup, I do.

I think it makes a lot of sense to sign two strikers instead of one to replace Henry. Also, The Sun haven't been wrong about our transfers this summer (they said we'd get Sagna weeks ago, they published Eduardo first, and they said Henry was going before the others did) and they weren't one of the papers that were so adamant in saying we'd get Martins. In fact, I'm pretty sure they didn't say a peep about him coming to the Arsenal. I've oddly confident about this one.

For someone that doesn't watch the Argentinian league, what kind of striker is Palacio? Is he in the vain of Tevez? Hard Physical tenacious goal scorer?

He's a goal scorer.

39 in 79 Argentine Primera games for Boca is a pretty good record considering he's not Boca's main striker (Martin Palermo is). He plays further up front than Tevez does though but he scores all sorts of goals, like Eduardo, and is two-footed. He also creates plenty. If it were me I'd definitely sign him.

[youtube]amKD-u-d8MQ[/youtube]

Check the goal out at 1:06 - very nice finish.

 

[giantroo]

Yeh i heard about it also. Apparently he will be talking the Famous No. 14 formely owned by Henry. Wouldn't be a bad signing but i can't see wenger signing anyone after his comments yesterday.

 

[giantroo]

Yup, I do.

I think it makes a lot of sense to sign two strikers instead of one to replace Henry. Also, The Sun haven't been wrong about our transfers this summer (they said we'd get Sagna weeks ago, they published Eduardo first, and they said Henry was going before the others did) and they weren't one of the papers that were so adamant in saying we'd get Martins. In fact, I'm pretty sure they didn't say a peep about him coming to the Arsenal. I've oddly confident about this one.



He's a goal scorer.

39 in 79 Argentine Primera games for Boca is a pretty good record considering he's not Boca's main striker (Martin Palermo is). He plays further up front than Tevez does though but he scores all sorts of goals, like Eduardo, and is two-footed. He also creates plenty. If it were me I'd definitely sign him.

[youtube]amKD-u-d8MQ[/youtube]

Check the goal out at 1:06 - very nice finish.

Looks like a gun. Another unknown that wenger pulls out from his arse. Not bad!!

 

[lion_gooner]

heres a match review from a gooner who went to the barnet game




Manuel Almunia - 6 - Despite doing his reputation as a bit of an oddball no favours with a dubious bleached hairdo (he's got rid of the tight trackie bottoms at least!), he had a relatively assured performance, and made one smart save at the feet of an onrushing Barnet striker about 20 minutes in. Had just one shaky moment all match - although I must confess, I wasn't watching when it happened! Though he's probably not first-team material in the long term, he really improved a lot last season, and looks to be a dependable backup, capable of flashes of brilliance (as well as the odd calamity). The competition between he, Fabianski and Lehmann should be intriguing this year.

Gael Clichy - 8 - Some really exciting running down the left hand side, and some great covering challenges in defence. Was let down on the odd occasion by his final ball, but played one or two excellent passes as well, which set up a couple of scoring opportunities. Showed real commitment to charge down the keeper, but was unlucky when the ball ricocheted out of play - on another day, that might have led to a goal.

Kolo Toure - 6 - One or two early wobbles, nothing major, but did look decidedly rusty for the first quarter of an hour. Had an OK game, but didn't really do enough to take leadership of the defence, which allowed Barnet to catch us through the middle on occasion.

Alex Song - 4 - This guy has become an absolute tank in stature, he's enormously built, and looks incredibly strong. His lack of concentration, though, has always led some to doubt that he'll ever make it at Arsenal in any position, and nothing he did yesterday would have given any reassurance. Lost his man a few times, and missed a couple of important headers, giving Barnet their chances. He also sold Kolo very short with a pass across the back, which against better opposition would probably have led to us conceding. He looks, physically, like an exceptional athlete, but mentally he just doesn't seem to have what it takes - a move back to midfield might make more sense.

Kerrea Gilbert - 6 - His place at the club must surely be under threat now, with 3 more right-backs ahead of him in the pecking order, which is a shame because he's never looked out of his depth with an Arsenal shirt on. This was another solid performance from the young right-back, but he didn't really show anything that would indicate he'll be making Arsene think that money spent on Bacary Sagna is wasted. Possibly just an opportunity for Arsene to put him in the shop window.





Mark Randall - 8 - A really superb performance, one that caught me a little by surprise. I know Randall's quite highly thought of at the club, but the glimpses I've seen of him in youth tournaments and in the Carling Cup haven't been enough to really impress me yet. Until yesterday that is. I'm not sure what his regular position is (I thought he played centrally), but on the left against Barnet he showed an incredibly composed, accomplished performance, and some absolutely exquisite passing. I don't know if he's ready to make the step up and maybe sit on the bench for the first team (with our lack of wingers, you never know), but it was certainly encouraging for the future.

Mathieu Flamini - 7.5 - The very definition of an all-action midfielder, played a very good game tackling, running for his team-mates, and covering a lot of ground. He gave the ball away foolishly a few times, but his engine and work ethic pays massive dividends in games of this type. It's not enough for me to pencil him into the first team for next season though - Flam was one of our best players in this match last season, and never showed signs of repeating this form against better opposition. But a good performance.

Denilson - 6 - Motored around the pitch fairly well, but his passing was not as polished as it has been. I'm expecting big things from the Brazilian this season, and I still do, but he wasn't as influential yesterday as I had been hoping. Flamini was the better of the midfield pairing. Went off injured after 60-odd minutes, and I must say, the tackle on him was absolutely appalling. Hope he'll get back to fitness and back into his groove soon.

Theo Walcott - 8 - Had an assist in the first half, with a nice ball across the box for Adebayor to tuck away, though was quite quiet for the opening 45 minutes. He really came into his own in the second half though, and absolutely terrorised Barnet up the right flank. He showed great pace and aggression - though on one occasion he showed a classical Arsenal hesitance pulling the trigger in front of goal, his final ball was excellent, and he created several other opportunities for his team-mates.

Robin van Persie - 7 - He fluffed one or two chances that he might have done better with, but I was impressed with his mobility and willingness to get involved in the game yesterday. Often, when partnering Henry in the last year or two, he's looked content to play second fiddle, sometimes drifting too far away from the play to receive the ball. Yesterday though he showed a great willingness to come and collect possession, and also the fitness and pace to drive into the box.

Emmanuel Adebayor - 7 - A smart finish from Theo's assist, and was also willing to make aggressive runs. Fluffed possession a few times, however, and wasn't quite as effective on the ball as we know he can be. He'll be satisfied with his goal though, and the more he can get in pre-season the better if you ask me, as he'll need to have his confidence up when the season starts if he's going to shoulder the burden we'll be expecting him to carry.






2nd Half Substitutes

Lukas Fabianski - 8 - Looked very exciting when he came on, showing a touch of Lehmann's tendency to charge out of goal. Controlled his area nicely, claiming some high balls, and stopping the shots (mostly straight at him) with no fuss at all. One or two exciting moments, diving at the feet of opposition forwards, and once came out of his area to clear a ball played towards him, only to find himself having to dribble around the Barnet forward. I get the feeling that watching Fabianski could be a lot of fun.

Paul Rodgers - 5 - Having recently signed professional terms at Arsenal, I was keen to get another look at the young defender - though unfortunately, he looked a little out of his depth yesterday. His passing was not composed, and he seemed to struggle against the Barnet midfielders. Time is on his side, however, so we'll see how he gets on.

Havard Nordtveit - 8 - An extremely impressive friendly debut for the new Danish teenager, he looked very composed on the ball, knew where he needed to be to make his challenges, and his timing looked excellent. Not too bad a passer either, which was nice to see. One lapse, towards the end, allowing Barnet a half-chance, but overall a very encouraging display.

Gavin Hoyte - 6 - Starting initially as a right-back, until Paul Rodgers came on for Toure, when he switched to the middle. A very solid performance, overall, looked comfortable in both positions, and quite similar to his older brother in many ways. Didn't quite do enough to really excite, but he looks like a good all-rounder, who could possibly make the step up in the next two or three years.

Armand Traore - 8 - As with most of his team-mates, he looked a little rusty at times, but his size and pace should serve him well in the future. He looked excellent going forward, and also made one or two decent tackles defensively. A nice all-round performance, and tested the Barnet keeper with a tidy shot towards the end. A positive performance, one that might encourage Wenger to keep him at Arsenal for a season, rather than loan him out.




Kieran Gibbs - 6 - Kieran isn't a player who's ever been on my radar as someone who'll be making waves in the first team eventually, but that may be more my fault than his. Yesterday he spent most of his time on the opposite side of the pitch from me, so getting a good impression of just how well he performed was difficult - though he looked tidy enough, and was involved in at least one dangerous move.

Henri Lansbury - 8 - Came on for the injured Denilson, and really, really impressed both me, and my two friends at the game too (one of whom was a Chelsea fan). Like Randall, I know he's highly rated, but have never seen enough of him to get too excited. But against Barnet, he looked incredibly comfortable slotting into midfield, and played some absolutely exquisite passes to Barazite and Simpson. A very tidy technique, and obviously a very gifted player - another one to look out for in the future.

Fran Merida - 6 - I've seen Merida play in person a handful of times now, and despite the immense hype that surrounds him, I've yet to see him produce anything that would justify pencilling him in as the long-term future of Arsenal's midfield. I know that 4 or 5 games isn't enough to categorically judge a player, especially one this young, but I am beginning to wonder whether or not this hype is based on anything more than a snazzy Youtube clip. Barnet was a solid performance, but also thoroughly unspectacular - Randall and Lansbury certainly had him in the shade, in terms of their midfield performances.

Rui Fonte - 5 - Again, a very hyped youngster, but really struggled to get into the game after coming on for Theo Walcott in the second half. I understand that he's more normally played through the middle, but despite one or two nice runs, his dribbling and passing looked a little sloppy. He's just signed a long-term deal with the club, and I've heard good things about him otherwise, but the Barnet game will be a learning experience for him.

Nacer Barazite - 8 - Considering that we still haven't really seen the best of Van Persie can deliver the club over an entire season, it would be perhaps a little too soon to call Barazite the new Robin. But I can't really think of a better way of describing him - he's tall, and exceptionally strong for a young kid (he's only just 17), and he has a very similar technique on the ball, with a smooth, languid style. He plays in almost identical areas of the pitch to Van Persie, and his goal practically had 'RVP' tattooed on it, collecting the ball on the right, dribbling 20 yards forward, showing exceptional strength to dump a Barnet defender on his arse, and then slamming the ball into the net from the edge of the area. Barazite is a player who's impressed me before, and I feel very confident that this guy has a big future at Arsenal.

Jay Simpson - 6 - I really like Simpson as a player, his style is very, very different to anything we have at the club at the moment. He'll be 19 this December, which by Arsenal's standards means he needs to be pushing for the first team, but his pace, strength and movement really set him apart from every other forward we have at the club right now. He's incredibly direct and combative up front, but he really has superb pace too, and is always willing to harry defenders. He didn't really get many opportunities against Barnet, but his performance was a decent one, making a real nuisance of himself. He needs to step up over the next 12 months to prove that he'll have a career at Arsenal, but I'm really hoping he does it, as I'm a big fan of the way he plays.

 

[DonMania#5]

Palacio would be a good signing. I would rather Martins but Oh Well.

 

[lion_gooner]

looks like palacio is going for a medical on tuesday



Rodrigo Sebastián Palacio (born 1982-02-05 in Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires) is an Argentine footballer currently playing for Boca Juniors. He plays as a striker. While a boy, Palacio started playing in local Bella Vista and then moved to Huracán de Tres Arroyos in 2002,

Click here
but he would debut professionally shortly thereafter with Banfield (by that time in first division) in mid 2003.

Then he transferred to Argentine giant Boca Juniors. In Boca he got the attention of Argentine national coach José Pekerman and was called up for the March 2005 friendly match against Mexico.

Barcelona were keen to take the striker to the Nou Camp but the player has categorically stated that he wants to join Arsenal following discussions with Arsene Wenger.

Arsenal appears to be his destination following recent outbursts by Boca president against Barca.

In a statement released by Boca Juniors, the president said "those cheap a** pussies at the Nou Camp can f*** to h***" as they seek to cause divsion amongst Boca and Hurcan - the other club with the players rights in order to land the coveted striker on the cheap.

"Arsenal have tabled a bid and we have accepted it. The player will have a medical with them soon"
With Boca Juniors, Rodrigo Palacio has won the 2006 and 2005 Recopa Sudamericana, the 2005 Copa Sudamericana, 2005 Apertura and 2006 Clausura Argentine league.

On May 15, 2006 he was named as a definite squad member for the 2006 World Cup by coach José Pekerman and on June 10, 2006 he came on as a substitute in Argentina's 2-1 win against the Ivory Coast for his first ever appearance in a World Cup. He played for Argentina in Copa América 2007.

On July 15 2007 it was announced that Arsenal FC had put in an offer for the player which has been accepted.

A medical test is expected in London on Tuesday.

 

[Benno_900]

In a statement released by Boca Juniors, the president said "those cheap a** pussies at the Nou Camp can f*** to h***" as they seek to cause divsion amongst Boca and Hurcan - the other club with the players rights in order to land the coveted striker on the cheap.

BWAHAHAH. That article, or whatever it is, has already lost all credibility. I doubt that they'd release that in a statement.

BTW, I'm not totally against this buy, but I doubt we'd break our transfer record on such a player.

I haven't seen much of him but some have criticised him of wasting a lot of chances with Boca (exactly what we dont want). I'm only going by some various opinions of Arsenal fans floating around some forums though. Also, would a work permit be a problem?

Anyway, if we do sign him, we should not allow him to play until he gets rid of that shocking rat tail.

 

[DB10]

http://bocajnews.blogspot.com/

Boca fans are so desperate not to lose Rodrigo that they have been on radio and television telling the club not to sell for any price.Some fans have threaten to boycott home games if Rodrigo is sold.

But a large number of Boca fans will be seeing the player off tomorrow when he gets his flight to London.

I'm not sure where the blog author is from, but if he's Argentine and saying this then, well ...

 

[lion_gooner]

yeah that bit about him swearing and bagging barca was a bit weord but none the less