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

Haha.hahaha.hahaha.ha

no Ozil

Very bad

Iwobi, Welbeck, Lacazette front 3 just isn't working. AMN not getting forward enough down the left. Seem to be defending OK, although a few shots on acute angles from Chelsea. Xhaka's set pieces need a bit of work too.

JW10 off for Elneny, hopefully not a major injury. Lacazette off for Sanchez seems an absolute waste when Welbeck has been so woeful. Just holding on, can't recall any of the 2nd half in their half of the pitch!

could of been worse

Hope Jack ok

At least we're still in the tie but our home form against top four teams has been woeful. If away goals applies then we're stuffed.

Yeah they do count unfortunately, will be fascinating to see how much Wenger throws at it in a few weeks. Given it's down to this and Europa league this season, and with the final for this likely to be Man City I'm guessing we'll be going large on it.

Coquellin to Valencia seems to be all but done. With JW10 going down injured, Elneny and Xhaka our fittest midfield pairing we need help ASAP.

ype, Le Coq is gone. Sad to see him go in a few ways as he had a stella half season when he returned from loan and looked like he would cement his spot in the long term, but it never eventuated and his form waxed and waned from then on. 

Leaves us a few bodies short in the engine room now. Hope that new head scout brings in some quality

Head scouts got a small win already, the young greek defender we signed was going straight out on loan but has impressed Wenger enough to stick around the rest of the season - even made the bench last night!

Was never as good without Cazorla beside him.

Was never as good without Cazorla beside him.

Was never as good without Cazorla beside him.

Was never as good without Cazorla beside him.

Was never as good without Cazorla beside him.

8 new posts

5 from V, lol

Goodbye FCoq was wrapt when you came back from the loan stints. As Valeo alludes Carzola was critical to your perceived usefulness but don't feel bad about that it applies to nearly everyone. 

Carlo Ancelotti on a 4 year deal - thoughts?

I'd take him to be honest, but only if he's given the mandate to overhaul the squad and spend large.

Have never been a fan of Ancelotti, personally.

Rumours of Walcott to either Everton or Southampton and also that Man United are now interested in Sanchez. Not sure if that's his agent trying to increase the fee or Mourinho trying to wind up Pep. One rumour was that United may offer cash and Mkhitaryan and that City won't offer anymore than 20mill as they are confident that Sanchez only wants to play for Pep so will get him at the end of the season for nothing.

If we get 20m for Walcott it makes it easier to keep Sanchez and lose him in the summer, than rush the sale now. 30m + 200K pw in wages from Walcott and Le Coq should go some way to making a good January purchase.

May as well keep Sanchez. 20, 25m isn't going to make a difference to our transfers. No way will we get a player as good as Sanchez as a replacement.

I'd swap him for Mikhitaryan. Apparently we really wanted him last window. Mourinho has wasted him like he wastes so many others, we could rejuvenate him. 

If that can't be done, then I'd forego the cash and keep him until the end of the season, when we can find a proper replacement.

Re-sign Ozil and Wilshere asap. 

Promising news with the new young CB. 

Would rather him than Wenger at the moment. That isn't saying a lot though.

Yea not sure Ancelotti is what we want either. But what we have right now is quite stale and not going anywhere. There looks to be a big squad change up/clear out at the end of this year so I'm hoping that the rebuild is done with a new manager. 

this forken Sanchez saga has just ramped up a gear. Right when I thought it was finally resolved. So over this

I'd also take martial in a swap...

I wonder if the new guy we got from dortmund can fill us in on mikhitaryan

oh come on, this is getting ridiculous... 

Liverpool paying the rest of the fee for Ox today...

We get a player going from strength to strength, Arsenal get to keep the Invincibles tag to themselves.

Mutually beneficial.

In a season where Wenger is giving us all new records it's nice the Invincibles get to live on another season and that's not getting taken away from us yet too. Seemed genuinely under threat this time. Only other season I can remember it looking in danger was about a decade ago when Chelsea looked like doing it and eventually lost to United. Punching the air for a Darren Fletcher goal for them stands out as a particular low point in my life.

Oh sh*t that had me in stitches

Heh. Had a lot more fire in me as an Arsenal fan back then and keeping that record really mattered to me. I'm pretty numb to it all these days but reckon giving our best player to United again would finish me with regards to football. 

Wenger is at the point where he doesn't deserve to go on his terms, nor should it be nice. One way or another he needs to get out of the club now, it won't be the end of our problems but it will be an almighty start. If Sanchez goes to United or City we reach (somehow) another level of embarrassment.

Should have just stayed at Highbury.

Wenger is going to leave the next manager with a mid-table club without Sanchez and Ozil. Fantastic.

That assumes he is going to leave at some point though.

I couldn't give a fudge about the invincibles which happened 14 years ago now, nor could I give a fudge about a teams supposed chance to repeat it coming to an end.

What I give a fudge about is the current state of the club. From the board, to the manager, to his players and coaching staff. That's what I care about. At the moment there is nothing to celebrate. There is no joy.  There is little good feeling, if any. The mood around the club is dreadful.

Be careful what you wish for they said.

Numb is the word ajc. It is just numbing these days. 

Wenger surely cannot see out the 2nd year of this contract, the way things are panning out. Just feels like wasted time now, he's done all he can for us.

We are in a good position financially, and also in terms of the playing squad. Sanchez will be gone but I think most of us are sick to death of him now anyway. I'm tired of his antics and individuality, always giving it away, always looking separate from the actual team. 

Ozil will re-sign I think. And it sounds like we will be getting this Malcom, and/or Aubameyang. Both would be nice, for the fans if nothing else. 

The rest of our squad is very very deep. A good modern manager should be able to get plenty out of them. And there is cash to spend.

Wenger should have won the title in 2015/16, that was a total failure, it feels like we've been wasting time ever since, we can't carry on doing it for another season, surely. 

I really struggle believing that continually losing your best players (assuming Sanchez and Ozil do go) can be entirely pinned on Arsene.

Definetly feels like there's a whole bunch more going on than meets the eye.

It's got to be driven at board level - and it seems circular. Won't invest the funds needed to build a world class team, thus world class players we do get all move on. While this seemed logical on a tight budget post Highbury there hasn't been the big shift we've expected to see. I'm still a huge Wenger fan but his time surely has to be up, although if the board doesn't change I don't know of many other managers who could make the situation workable TBF.

I genuinely wouldn't care if any of our board dropped dead tomorrow. Fudge the lot of them. They're hardly sympathetic figures either are they? Fudgeing pricks.