(The not-so-temporary quite-official) Gooner Thread (Part 1)

Great, and less great news:

https://news.arseblog.com/2012/12/exclusive-wilshere-and-ramsey-close-to-new-arsenal-deals/

Good piece from g.neville yet again. Who knew someone could be such a Twit but such a good pundit. 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2248779/Arsene-Wenger-stay-Arsenal-Gary-Neville.html

Team for reading?

                       Szy

Sagna Mertseacker Vermalen Gibbs

                Arteta Wilshire

  Walcott         Cazorla          Podolski

                        Giroud

walcott might be a bit short for this one brummers, touch and go apparently. It's a hammy too so probably best be careful  and have him on the bench given the xmas fixtures coming up?

I'd like to see rosicky start, not sure where though, perhaps wide, but if him and poldi both start we wouldn't have much width, need sagna/gibbs to get up and down. 

Looks like it's Oxlaide Chamberlain and Walcott wide of Podolski. Something I've been very interested in seeing.

It will probably also mean all 3 constantly interchanging the winger and striker positions, which I'm a big fan of. It'd be a nightmare to mark.

As an aside here's a Gif of Fellaini vs Shawcross. I think he'd be BFF's with Ramsey!

Better.

Still the usual defensive wobbles but a step in the right direction! 

COYG!

 5 goals

10 with Arsh

0 with Gerv

dammit i wish we'd keep arsh, why the cold shoulder arsene? Give him a crack... he's looked sharp in the minimal minutes he's been given this season

He hasnt gone yet brummers but the writing is on the wall. He's not making the bench a lot of the time now, and he's not been injected at any important points in games lately when he is on the bench. I think arsene's been trying to sell him since last season. 

If you look at how his arsenal career has trended it looks to me like the fans have forced him out - wenger was always a fan and arsh's stats always stacked up, even when he was supposedly playing poorly. His assists/goals total averaged over his playing minutes would probably be the second best in the time he's been here after RVP (sorry I cant back that up but I'm fairly certain).

His stop-start running style, poor defensive technique (not for lack of effort, despite what people say) and general aloofness make him appear that he's not trying when he really is, and the fans got on his back for that, to the point where it's come to this. I think he'd be great off the bench as a real impact player for us. I wish we'd keep him.

Gary Neville with some good analysis of our play;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAsYAB-kD6w

He really is very astute.

Good result against Reading, need to build on that over the festive period.

Champions League draw tomorrow though! In terms of preference I'd go for:

1. Malaga
2. PSG
3. Dortmund
4. Juve
5. Munich
6. Barca

Blatantly going to be drawn against Barca though. 

Also worth mentioning our crisis club with our worst start to a season under Wenger is currently fifth on the table, two points off third. 

Doesn't that make you wonder what could have been though?

Granted, we are in a decent position in the League but we're out of the League Cup, wont win the League and probably wont win the FA Cup. We may go deep in the Champions League if we get a favourable draw.

I'm a glass half full kind of guy but the glass half empty people will say (with alarming accuracy) that our hunt for trophies is probably over and it isn't even Xmas? Unless you count finishing in the CL spots as a trophy.

Gibbs, Jenkinson, The Ox, Wilshere and Ramsey all sign new long-term deals.

Add Walcott to that and one or two decent signings in January and that will be very positive.

Theo will definitely be on his way. He would have been involved in the 'mass British player signing' yesterday otherwise. 

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DRAW SOOOOON.

Bayern Munich

:/

ManU got Real Madrid

ManU got Real Madrid

Yeah I laughed at that.

Apparently the draw was exactly the same as the practice draw yesterday. Pretty creepy. 

I fancy:

• Schalke 04

• Juventus

• Arsenal 

• Borussia Dortmund

• Barcelona

• Real Madrid 

• Paris Saint Germain

• Malaga

Also should add that it's very good news that the five guys extended their contracts yesterday. Although I don't really understand the thinking that they will have more loyalty to the club because they are British. United, City and Chelsea have all raided us in the past few years.

Not sure of the british thing but I do agree they are more likely to stay than some who have left in the past.

Jenkinson is a lifelong gooner, had a season ticket the year before he signed.

Wilshere has played for us since he was 9.

Oxlade-Chamberlain and Ramsey both originally signed for us despite having offers on the table from Man United among other clubs. 

I'd say they're better reasons to stay than any reasons Hleb, Flamini, Fabregas, Nasri, Van Persire, Adebayor  etc etc might have had.

I think Brittish players are more passionate because it's there home league. They're not cocking around as an overseas guest, they're trying to get a job done for their club. Guys like Becks, Gerrard, Lampard have made one of their big 4 their home, stuck with it, and are likely to either retire there, or head overseas before playing for someone else in the EPL.

Unless you're Cashley, and you're a bit of a knob.

Also I really like that we're getting a core of young brittish players, we could have a starting 11 made up on Jenkinson, Gibbs, Ramsey, Wilshire, Oxlaide Chamberlain, and Walcott and it'd be close to our best 11. We're no longer the French 11 we used to be.

I think it can only be good... and most importantly from a playing perspective, they'll give us a solid core moving forward.

Where did that wank-speak come from?

Yip these guys will be the core of our team. We've still got a bunch of experienced guys 27+ to carry them through to maturity as well (vermaelen, koscielny, mertesacker, poldi, cazorla, arteta etc).

Perhaps the days of the adebayor/hleb/flamini/nasri types are gone.

Szczesny seems pretty passionate for the cause too, and it's rare for a keeper of his age to get the backing he gets from arsene (just look at de gea for example).

Been a few things said by wenger/gazidis that suggest we're no longer hamstrung by the stadium debt when it comes to wages. Getting Squillaci, Chamakh and Arshavin's wages off the bill should free up some decent cash on top of that as well, they're all reportedly in the region of 60k per week (!).

Still think walcott will re-sign too.

 Hleb was a good player, pity he left. I used to want him to shoot a bit more. 

If we need a striker Obafemi Martins piling up impressive stats in La Liga. Lets face it, his career is one success after another. 

2 players I've think stepped up this year are Lukaka WBA(Chelsea) and Kone Wigan

 Bayern, probably not the worst draw we have had but still a major ask to get by

a 1 off game would suit us better

I see the WHU match has been postponed.

Wigan today, need to back up from Monday night with another big statement of intent. Same starting xi.

I'm off to the Newcastle game on the 29th, amped for that. Looked into flights to go to Munich for Champs League but were pretty expendy.

 3 points and a clean sheet

Walcott is not a better #9 than Giroud. Hopefully Rosicky is back soon, and Arshavin gets some game time. Still incredulious that Gerv and Walcott are ahead of him in the pecking order.

Walcott deserves to be ahead of Arshavin, don't forget his assist and goal stats last season. Gervinho has REALLY gone downhill after what was actually a promising start to the year and doesn't deserve any game time at this point.