Closed for new posts
tradition and history
1.5K
·
9.9K
·
almost 17 years
brumbys wrote:

As much as I like to give Leggy a hard time I do rely on the Google for many kick off times and this appears to be the first time it's wrong.

Farking fire up lads, cup finals time!

I got the same info as gooner did from google. 

A typical response from numpty but I was only trying to be helpful.

11pm is a fu--ing stupid time to play a game. All the players will have to change their whole lifestyle for days before  to adjust to this.

WeeNix
90
·
670
·
almost 17 years

Great result given the pain from football over the last few days. Have looked at flights from Aussie, you're looking at $2,200 return plus everything else so will pass on this one but hoping to get across for next season's NLD at the new sh*thole.

A win in the final and all of a sudden the season is a success which can be leveraged in the off-season when we have a clean out of the rubbish we have in our squad. That 6,000 allocation for fans of each team is horrendous, what a location to have a European Cup final in too.

Woof Woof
2.7K
·
19K
·
over 16 years
Leggy wrote:
brumbys wrote:

As much as I like to give Leggy a hard time I do rely on the Google for many kick off times and this appears to be the first time it's wrong.

Farking fire up lads, cup finals time!

I got the same info as gooner did from google. 

A typical response from numpty but I was only trying to be helpful.

11pm is a fu--ing stupid time to play a game. All the players will have to change their whole lifestyle for days before  to adjust to this.

The time difference between UK and Azerbeijan is three hours, so it should really feel like an 8pm kickoff (assuming the teams don't get there more than a couple of days in advance).

Remember a La Liga game kicking off at midnight a few years back, that would've been super-strange.

valeo
·
Legend
4.6K
·
18K
·
almost 17 years
brumbys wrote:
Buffon II wrote:
valeo wrote:

Also, fudge UEFA for hosting this in bloody Baku and then allocating only 6,000 tickets to Arsenal fans. 

68,000 capacity stadium and each team only get 6,000 tickets each. Absolutely pathetic from UEFA.

Plus the lack of flights available, 900 GBP minimum in cost for flights, and the 9 hours in travel from UK to Baku.

Yeah, to be honest, more than 6000 fans probably can't even afford to go. Fudge UEFA.

Wonder if Mkhi will travel?

Legend
3.6K
·
15K
·
almost 17 years
Leggy wrote:

A typical response from numpty but I was only trying to be helpful.

Have a cry

Legend
3.6K
·
15K
·
almost 17 years

From my brother via email

"Each of Chelsea and Arsenal have a 6,000 ticket allocation and there are no direct flights to Baku from outside of Russia…there will be some epic road trips that’s for sure.

Stadium seats just under 69,000. 18% of tickets available for fans. Madness.

Interesting article on Arseblog about logistics of actually getting to the final. UK passport holders need a visa to enter – how will the Azerbaijan consulate in London deal with more than 12,000 visa apps?! Hope that online site is stable!!"

LG
Legend
5.5K
·
23K
·
over 16 years

UEFA freeloaders and Corporate never attend any games unless it's a freebie types get 82% of the tickets? And chances are, half of the aforementioned probably wont show but scalp their tickets via Moneyagonegone.

tradition and history
1.5K
·
9.9K
·
almost 17 years
paulm wrote:
Leggy wrote:

A typical response from numpty but I was only trying to be helpful.

Have a cry

The only time I would have a cry is if you were to win the Champions League. It won't be in your lifetime. 

Starting XI
2.1K
·
4.3K
·
over 11 years

Great performance and at least a chance to end a dreadful couple of months on a high. Wonder what odds you would have got on all 4 European finalists being from the same league. I expect they'll try and change the rules to stop or happening again by allowing you to be on the same group or whatever. Would be fudgeing sweet to beat Chelsea in a final again.

LG
Legend
5.5K
·
23K
·
over 16 years

I can guarantee you that both trophies will reside in England next season!

Surge
·
Can I have some lungs please miss
1.1K
·
7.5K
·
over 16 years

If you're looking for somewhere to watch the final, it's on at Four Kings (well, Jack Hackett's to be specific)... may see a few of you there #COYG

Starting XI
2.1K
·
4.3K
·
over 11 years

Yeah I'll probably go to Four Kings.

Marquee
1.7K
·
8.1K
·
over 16 years

Arseblog's pod cast was talking about the fact Chelsea have a friendly scheduled in the USA for charity 3 days before the final!

The Mhiki situation is just crap. I can't believe it's not just about 'can he get a visa' but 'will he be safe'. I suppose if FIFA were happy to select Qatar for a WC then why should we expect Baku to not be chosen for a UEFA cup final?!

Marquee
1.7K
·
8.1K
·
over 16 years

I'm really pleased with this mornings effort. We went away to a physical team and ran out 3-1 winners without playing our strongest 11. Nice to see minutes for Willock, Nketiah, and Mavropanos.

It's also good to know Aubamayang got the golden boot, albeit tied, and that by finishing 5th we avoid the extra qualification BS which may hit 6th place.

Phoenix Academy
190
·
370
·
over 10 years
brumbys wrote:

Arseblog's pod cast was talking about the fact Chelsea have a friendly scheduled in the USA for charity 3 days before the final!

The Mhiki situation is just crap. I can't believe it's not just about 'can he get a visa' but 'will he be safe'. I suppose if FIFA were happy to select Qatar for a WC then why should we expect Baku to not be chosen for a UEFA cup final?!

It's actually 14 days before the final. Still silly, mind, post-season friendlies are the new pre-season friendlies.

Starting XI
2.1K
·
4.3K
·
over 11 years

But silly but surely they won't take anyone who'll play in the final. 

Really emphasises how extreme our collapse was that even with all the results of the last couple of months it was still just the last minute penalty at Spurs that ended up being the difference.

Marquee
1.7K
·
8.1K
·
over 16 years
ajc28 wrote:

But silly but surely they won't take anyone who'll play in the final. 

Really emphasises how extreme our collapse was that even with all the results of the last couple of months it was still just the last minute penalty at Spurs that ended up being the difference.

I think it was more the hatrick of losses to Crystal Palace at home, and Wolves/Leicster away that decided our fate.

valeo
·
Legend
4.6K
·
18K
·
almost 17 years

That loss at home to Crystal Palace...fudge me

Wolves/Leicester away I could stomach; both are pretty good sides.

Marquee
1.7K
·
8.1K
·
over 16 years

Yup, that was atrocious really. 

Marquee
1.5K
·
5.2K
·
over 16 years
valeo wrote:

That loss at home to Crystal Palace...fudge me

Wolves/Leicester away I could stomach; both are pretty good sides.

Combined with the draw at home to Brighton

valeo
·
Legend
4.6K
·
18K
·
almost 17 years
valeo wrote:

That loss at home to Crystal Palace...fudge me

Wolves/Leicester away I could stomach; both are pretty good sides.

Combined with the draw at home to Brighton

Another Xhaka masterclass.

Starting XI
99
·
3.7K
·
over 14 years
ajc28 wrote:

But silly but surely they won't take anyone who'll play in the final. 

Really emphasises how extreme our collapse was that even with all the results of the last couple of months it was still just the last minute penalty at Spurs that ended up being the difference.

I imagine there would be some contractual agreement in place regarding a certain number of first team players being involved. Hazard, Loftus-Cheek, Kovacic, Pedro, Willian, Higuian, Giroud, Jorginho are among those who travelled

valeo
·
Legend
4.6K
·
18K
·
almost 17 years

Arsenal did something similar when we went to Dubai mid season.

Legend
3.6K
·
15K
·
almost 17 years

Everyone seen this Man City news and UEFA potentially banning them from next season's champions league? I haven't read all about it properly, but saw some claims that if it occurs, 5th place in the PL would get their Champs League spot?

valeo
·
Legend
4.6K
·
18K
·
almost 17 years

Doubt they'll get punished that harshly; they have far too much bribe money to throw around.

In similar goings on at PSG a few years back, they received; a fine, a spending cap and were only allowed to register 21 players for the Champions League for a season.

Marquee
3.1K
·
6.7K
·
over 16 years

they will get a harsh sanction and then appeal it, have it reduced and then go out in the quarters. 

Marquee
1.7K
·
8.1K
·
over 16 years
valeo wrote:

Doubt they'll get punished that harshly; they have far too much bribe money to throw around.

In similar goings on at PSG a few years back, they received; a fine, a spending cap and were only allowed to register 21 players for the Champions League for a season.

I think the difference is that PSG was busted through usual auditing, whereas Man City has come courteous of a data leak?

If they're serious about cracking down you'd expect the FA to get involved too, breaching these rules didn't just impact their qualification to ECL, it's impacted their ability to win the title.

Starting XI
2.1K
·
4.3K
·
over 11 years

Meh, they'll just pay the "fine" and continue on their way.

Marquee
1.7K
·
8.1K
·
over 16 years

This $40M amount being banded about is concerning. I'm hoping that it's like the break downs previously where by that $40M should go a long way given we can amoritize the signing costs across the life of the contract. So a $60M signing over 5 years is actually only a 12m + wages cost out of that 40m.

I've found further interesting reading from Swiss Ramble too, with some decent analysis of finances:

https://twitter.com/SwissRamble

Essentially the difference in prize money between winning or not is 4m euros. It's not a deal breaker for us in that sense, but the gap between what we can earn in the two is huge. 

Our last 2 seasons in champions league netted us 53m and 65m accordingly.

valeo
·
Legend
4.6K
·
18K
·
almost 17 years

For me, we need to sell one of Auba or Laca for crazy money (i.e. 100m) and invest appropriately. It's the only way out.

The problem is that even if we do that, I'm not sure I trust our hierachy to choose the best players as replacements - made more difficult by not having a manager with a clear philosophy.

I could see Atletico coming back in for Laca again now they're rich from the Griezmann sale

Starting XI
2.1K
·
4.3K
·
over 11 years

For the first time in years we have two genuine goal scorers in the team and they seem to have a fantastic chemistry and relationship. You make them the first two names on the team sheet and build the team around them. They've pretty much carried us this season. Imagine where we'd have finished if it had been one of them injured and Welbeck leading the line instead.

valeo
·
Legend
4.6K
·
18K
·
almost 17 years

They've been pulling us through because the rest of our team does not function.

We do not have a controlling or dominant CM

We do not have a commanding CB

We do not have a productive winger

We need all of these things if we are to compete. To do this, with our meagre funds, we need to sell; and we need to sell big. That is the reality of the situation. Arsenal fans seem to struggle with this even though every other club does it.

Also, they've both only really *just* looked like they know how to play with each other. I still think it's square pegs in round holes; they're pulling through because they're very good players, not because they fit any sort of system.

All of the best teams in world football value systems over individuals - look at Liverpool, still performing with Origi and Shaqiri. Our level drops completely when one player gets injured. That is a huge issue.

Legend
3.6K
·
15K
·
almost 17 years

Yea I'm on the fence. I think the preference is to keep both and build around them with players in the 20 - 24 age bracket, which are cheaper, but to be fair that is risky, high chance of failure with the player identification obviously.

Having said that, lets look at who has come in since Wenger went... 

Sokratis

Leno

Torreira

Guendouzi

Lichtsteiner

Suarez (loan)

I think it's fair to say the first 4 have been successes. Probably better than we could've hoped in all 4 cases. 

Lichtsteiner is not up to it, but even then I feel he added some value on the training pitch. In the mid-part of the season particularly, we looked like we had a bit of mongrel about us which we desperately needed, and I think Lichtsteiner and Sokratis have bought that attitude to the team. Pity Lichtsteiner couldn't back it up with any ability, perhaps age was a factor.

Suarez basically got a few niggles and added nothing. 

So on that basis I think we've done fairly well with limited funds.

If we went down the path of a sale to make some coin, my preference would be Aubameyang, just because Lacazette is younger and has more of an all round game. 

Would be blimmin sad though, I love these guys. 

Marquee
3.1K
·
6.7K
·
over 16 years

Not gonna sell either of them surely, and I'd be pissed off if we did. 

Have seen us linked with Zaha and Wan Bissaka this morning. They would both be very handy to have.

Legend
3.6K
·
15K
·
almost 17 years
valeo wrote:

That is the reality of the situation. Arsenal fans seem to struggle with this even though every other club does it.

To be fair I think everyone would struggle with it, not just Arsenal.

You look at Liverpool, they did so well with the Coutinho sale, and have come out better off, but remember when he was leaving? So much angst. So much. 

I don't think anyone would ever handle this sort of thing very well. 

valeo
·
Legend
4.6K
·
18K
·
almost 17 years
paulm wrote:

Yea I'm on the fence. I think the preference is to keep both and build around them with players in the 20 - 24 age bracket, which are cheaper, but to be fair that is risky, high chance of failure with the player identification obviously.

Having said that, lets look at who has come in since Wenger went... 

Sokratis

Leno

Torreira

Guendouzi

Lichtsteiner

Suarez (loan)

I think it's fair to say the first 4 have been successes. Probably better than we could've hoped in all 4 cases. 

Lichtsteiner is not up to it, but even then I feel he added some value on the training pitch. In the mid-part of the season particularly, we looked like we had a bit of mongrel about us which we desperately needed, and I think Lichtsteiner and Sokratis have bought that attitude to the team. Pity Lichtsteiner couldn't back it up with any ability, perhaps age was a factor.

Suarez basically got a few niggles and added nothing. 

So on that basis I think we've done fairly well with limited funds.

If we went down the path of a sale to make some coin, my preference would be Aubameyang, just because Lacazette is younger and has more of an all round game. 

Would be blimmin sad though, I love these guys. 

Agree that Auba is the better one to sell, but Laca was previously an Atletico target before he came to us.

It sucks to sell your best players - but if that results in us being a better team, I really don't care. I support Arsenal, not individual players. We should've sold Ozil, Ramsey and Welbeck too.

re: successful transfers - I would agree; the unfortunate thing is that the guy who facilitated all of those deals has departed and we have a clusterfudge of a back room, shown by Sanllehi's first go at it wasting a month on Denis Suarez.

Marquee
1.7K
·
8.1K
·
over 16 years

I think if we lose the final that makes the difference because the impact to our revenue streams is significant.

If we did sell one of them Laca's the one that'll generate the most cash. As epic as Auba is he's only got 2-3 seasons at the top left given he's so dependant on his speed. As you say Paul, Laca's all round game is incredible. 19ish goals and 17ish assists from memory, he's just what you need in a side trying to spread the goals around.

The key to this window for me is shifting both Mkhi and Ozil. They're on roughly 200 and 350 a week, which is a whopping $28.6m a year on our wage bill. Even if they both left of free transfers we'd have more room to work under FFP and it would probably enable us to keep Auba and Laca together.

The other dimension to all this is how that $40m figure is worked out. Is it based on player sales too, or just simply what powder we've kept dry from January? 

Great points Valeo about the Liverpool sale of Coutinho. I think Arsenal fans are super anti it because we've watched it happen time and time again where we get ourselves a world class player only to sell them and re-invest in average players. Liverpool have done it better as they've managed to get bargains on guys like Firmino, Mane, and Salah as they'd never made it at the top tier. We've done the same and landed players like Sanogo, Perez, and Joel Campbell.

Starting XI
2.1K
·
4.3K
·
over 11 years
Downey26 wrote:
ajc28 wrote:

But silly but surely they won't take anyone who'll play in the final. 

Really emphasises how extreme our collapse was that even with all the results of the last couple of months it was still just the last minute penalty at Spurs that ended up being the difference.

I imagine there would be some contractual agreement in place regarding a certain number of first team players being involved. Hazard, Loftus-Cheek, Kovacic, Pedro, Willian, Higuian, Giroud, Jorginho are among those who travelled

And to emphasise the ridiculousness of it, Loftus-Cheek ruptured his achilles and now faces up to a year out.

Starting XI
99
·
3.7K
·
over 14 years
ajc28 wrote:
Downey26 wrote:
ajc28 wrote:

But silly but surely they won't take anyone who'll play in the final. 

Really emphasises how extreme our collapse was that even with all the results of the last couple of months it was still just the last minute penalty at Spurs that ended up being the difference.

I imagine there would be some contractual agreement in place regarding a certain number of first team players being involved. Hazard, Loftus-Cheek, Kovacic, Pedro, Willian, Higuian, Giroud, Jorginho are among those who travelled

And to emphasise the ridiculousness of it, Loftus-Cheek ruptured his achilles and now faces up to a year out.

Came in here to say this. Absolutely gutted for him. The pitch was a complete shambles. He's been our most consistent performer over the last month of the campaign. 

Kante a doubt too. We certainly miss a lot of physicality without Rudiger and RLC

valeo
·
Legend
4.6K
·
18K
·
almost 17 years
brumbys wrote:

I think if we lose the final that makes the difference because the impact to our revenue streams is significant.

If we did sell one of them Laca's the one that'll generate the most cash. As epic as Auba is he's only got 2-3 seasons at the top left given he's so dependant on his speed. As you say Paul, Laca's all round game is incredible. 19ish goals and 17ish assists from memory, he's just what you need in a side trying to spread the goals around.

The key to this window for me is shifting both Mkhi and Ozil. They're on roughly 200 and 350 a week, which is a whopping $28.6m a year on our wage bill. Even if they both left of free transfers we'd have more room to work under FFP and it would probably enable us to keep Auba and Laca together.

The other dimension to all this is how that $40m figure is worked out. Is it based on player sales too, or just simply what powder we've kept dry from January? 

Great points Valeo about the Liverpool sale of Coutinho. I think Arsenal fans are super anti it because we've watched it happen time and time again where we get ourselves a world class player only to sell them and re-invest in average players. Liverpool have done it better as they've managed to get bargains on guys like Firmino, Mane, and Salah as they'd never made it at the top tier. We've done the same and landed players like Sanogo, Perez, and Joel Campbell.

I don't think anyone knows exactly how much we have to spend yet; I would safely assume it's 'not a lot' considering the stories that came out about cost cutting a few months ago.

The difference between selling now and when we sold the likes of Cesc/Nasri etc is that we were selling to survive before. We now have solid foundations and not a whole lot of debt (comparatively) so we're now selling to buy - which puts us in a better position. Still reliant on a bit of luck and good work from whoever does the recruiting - but that's football.

Re; Ozil/Mkhi - Ozil won't go. We know that already. We've made our bed there and will need to lie in it until his contract runs out.

Mkhi is a possibility, but I don't think he'll go either.

The way I see it is there were 3 steps when Emery took over;

1. Consolidation (you could say we've probably done that with this season)

2. Rebuilding (this is the stage we're in now - this is a huge job)

.

.

.

3. Compete for the title

To rebuild, you need to sell. Selling players that aren't desirable to other clubs is difficult - everyone wants to just sell the crap for big money and then get good players in, but it doesn't usually work like that.

The only players we currently have that other teams would buy and pay big money for (imo) are:

- Laca

- Auba

- Torreira

- Guendouzi and Xhaka (maybe)

I just don't know how we can successfully rebuild and fill the multitude of gaps without selling at least one of these players. Laca or Auba make the most sense because they both play the same position.

Laca/Auba are very good and basically create goals by themselves - but the problem this season has been that basically no one else has contributed except Ramsey, and he's going. A top team can't rely on two players for an entire season if they want to challenge. You need a functioning team, not a mess with two superstars.

Things to do for the rebuild;

Replace;

Kos and Monreal who could both be gone next season

Mustafi who is a calamity

Ramsey

Xhaka who will never be up to the speed of the prem (imo we need some more mobile and more suited to the modern EPL)

Sign/decide who will be our back-up GK now Cech is retiring

Sign a winger (or two..) or promote one internally (Nelson, Sako?)

Sign a backup striker to replace Welbeck or promote one (Nketiah's time? I don't think so personally)

That leaves a sharkload to do.

Closed for new posts