Nasri, Adebayor, Clichy and Toure: what a waste of talent!

TotalArsenal
Hey Arsene, how many of those you flogged to Man City have become flops?
Hey Arsene, how many of those you flogged to Man City have become flops?

Almost anybody who is developed under Wenger’s tutelage is likely to reach their full potential: as in getting the very best out of themselves. A lot can be said about Arsene, but most will agree that he is brilliant at developing individual players to a very high standard. It does not always work out and there are plenty of players who do not make the grade, but this is to be expected at a top club. However, even if they have to leave Arsenal, they will know that they have had a first class football education, and that in the end they really were not good enough to make it at Arsenal.

Polishing raw diamonds into top class gems is a painstaking process, and many top clubs don’t bother with it but rather buy ready-made, experienced players who can be slotted into the first team straightaway. The only way to compete with those who can afford to make massive losses in order to ‘win’ silverware, is to develop your own top players and then hold on to them.

Ajax have developed so many fine talents over the years, but just  cannot keep hold of them; and as a result they have suffered in Europe, and even domestically. Barcelona are able to keep hold of their youth development gems and nobody can be in doubt how powerful and successful their strategy has made them.

Arsenal are in danger of becoming more like Ajax and less and less like Barcelona, and as per previous posts, the most important thing is for Arsenal to hold on to their best players from now on. This has to be priority nr.1 for the foreseeable future.

During and after the building of the new stadium, Arsene had no other choice than buy cheap but talented raw diamonds with the hope that he could turn them into good-to-great players for Arsenal. It is not a cheap system, as talents will have to be offered good contracts, both in terms of length and wages; and there will always be a significant number of players who do not make it into the first team.

Selling players to make space for new talent, and to fund the expensive youth/raw talent development programmes is by itself not a bad thing to do, but key is not to sell your very best players. Dortmund appear to have found the right balance in that respect.

Letting Adebayor and Toure go for a lot of money to MC did not hurt us too much. Adebayor was decent but not great and Toure did also not leave a huge gap behind. Letting Nasri, Clichy and Fabregas go simultaneously in 2011, however, hurt us a lot more, and this summer’s departure of Song and Van Judas has also hurt us significantly.

Tomorrow, we face Manchester City; the club that made huge losses every season since the arrival of the oil sheikhs. Arsenal cashed in significantly on player exchanges with the Northern Oilers over the last few years.

All four players involved were missed at some point, though. We could have done with Clichy last season, when all our left backs were injured for a long period. Toure could have helped us on numerous ocassions when we were low on quality CB-cover during the last few seasons. We also missed Nasri when both Jack and Diaby were out for the season, and we could have done with Adebayor as back up striker to Van Judas during the last two seasons.

All four players went for money and, to a certain extent, for glory. Clichy, Toure and Nasri have a PL winners medal and their pockets are full of gold coins. Adebayor’s career, once looking so promising, has gone totally cold. He is now at the Spuds and that says it all really.

Clichy has played 53 games in one and half season, and it is fair to say he made the best of his switch to MC. However, his recent form has not been brilliant and I would not be surprised if he will become a regular bench warmer anytime soon. At 27 years old that would be a real shame.

Toure has been a bench warmer for quite a while now, as both Lescott and the formidable Kompany are Mancini’s preferred CB-pair. Kolo has played only 29 times in all competitions over the last 1.5 seasons, and those last two years have been his prime years, as he will become 32 in March this year.

And then there is Nasri; not so long ago a promising talent, but with 9 goals in 61 appearances for MC, and regularly not in the starting eleven this season, it looks like his career is also fizzing out rapidly at the moment.  Once he was being compared with the great French players Zidane and our own Pires, but now pundits and fans question his drive and general attitude.

Leaving Arsenal for bags full of cash very often comes with a price to pay, and that is slowly but steadily disappearing into obscurity: from a first eleven player; to a bench warmer; to a fringe player; to going out on loan; and eventually to being paid off and dumped to a secondary club.

Of course things can still change again for Nasri, Toure, Adebayor and Clichy but to me it looks like four once talented players – chosen and developed to very high standards by Wenger – are all going on a downward spiral; one more rapidly than the other, but down they go. What a waste of talent.

Written by: Total Arsenal.

172 thoughts on “Nasri, Adebayor, Clichy and Toure: what a waste of talent!”

  • The greatest contribution Kolo Toure (despite having a good first season with them) had for City was to help convince his brother Yaya to sign with the light blues and not Chelsea or Arsenal. When Toure was still with Arsenal Yaya said in a interview he would love to come to London and play for Arsenal. So selling Toure may very well have cost more then just losing a good CB.

  • Hi Mike,

    I believe Wenger had a chance to sign Yaya before he joined Barcelona. But, I have no doubt he went to Man City for the money as much as playing with his brother, and Arsenal would not have been willing to meet or improve MC’s wages for Yaya T.

    A real shame of course, as he is a massive player and always gives his all.

  • Arsenal could not afford to pay Yaya 200k per week. So, it does not matter whether Kolo is with City or not. Even Wenger does not dispute the astronomical wages top players being paid today. Yes, he talked about a level playing field among the clubs, but he had never ever mentioned footballers being over-paid.

  • I strongly dispute some of your opinions Total:

    a)Arsenal are in danger of becoming more like Ajax? How do you figure that out? Which youth or home-grown players have we ¨lost¨that are so ¨precious¨to our cause in 5 years? NOT one! If a youth player doesn’t make it at AFC, they generally don’t make it elsewhere.

    b)Dortmund appear to have found the right balance in that respect? Really? So selling Kagawa, Sahin and Eisfeld is not like Arsenal selling Nasri, Clichy and Adebayor?

    c) Leaving Arsenal for bags full of cash very often comes with a price to pay – this price is paid not by Arsenal but by players like Hleb, Flamini, Nasri,Adebayor, Toure, Gallas, whose careers have fallen faster than a whore’s panties in a brothel.

    i agree with your latter comments and appreciate that Wenger, overall, has mastered the fine art of balancing transfers out and in with minimal disturbance to the Arsenal.

  • Mike @23:40 I saw Yaya play for Arsenal (in an Arsenal shirt) long before he went to Barca.
    He trained with the 1st team at London Colney and played for us against Barnet pre-season. He looked good and most of the Arsenal staff thought we’d sign him, but we had an absolute wealth of midfield talent back then, and I must admit that looking at the 2 very similar types of players Yaya & Diaby that were both on offer, I too (like Arsene) would’ve picked Diaby. Even now a fit Abou with a few games under his belt can boss a midfield like few others including YT. Of course with the benefit of hindsight I would’ve signed the hardly ever injuried Yaya. Both Toure brothers came to what at that time was called our feeder club Baveren, Arsenal was investigated for using the Belgium club as our clearing house to bring foreign talent into Europe. Of course both Arsene & Arsenal were cleared of any illegal activitys, but the brothers Toure were ours 1st.

  • What this could mean is that these were over rated at arsenal and the real reason why we have been fighting for the 4th place trophy for the last few years. ‘cept rvp, the rest have largely struggled at their new clubs. Away from the protected environs of highbury and in the big bad world, they’ve shown that they’re not upto par. What it implies that many over rated and under performing talents were and are being tolerated at arsenal. Time to crack the whip.

  • It really is bitter sweet when players like Nasri and Adebayor mouth off constantly and it comes back to bite them in the arse. Adebayor was the biggest shocker of them all. It was laughable how he and his manager pimped himself out to anyone who would listen. Now spurs fans are sick of his shenanigans.

    @ PPP

    hope you’ve had a good one, i also enjoy the during games banter with you (no one can use explanation points quite like you can 🙂 )
    A trip to the Emirates is definitely on the cards…I hear you can fly to dodgy countries and sell your kidney for $60 000! Should be enough for a trip and the mrs engagement ring. Sounds risk free to me haha, yeck I’ll get GLIC to perform the operation. Or VCC I hear he knits a mean sweater so he’d be good with a needle and thread!

    @ Richie

    cheers for the insight, i’ve always wondered about how that whole thing went down!

  • Well Weedonald you never disappoint, do you?! 🙂

    We lost so many youth development and raw diamonds who came good or were coming good in the past five years: Song, Fabregas, Adebayor, Hleb, Flamini, Nasri and van Judas. They do not all have to come from Arsenal’s youth system of course: it is about holding on to those that Arsenal make into good to great footballers.

    Dortmund let only one player go at a time, and usually they are replaceable within the squad. It hurts them a bit but does not set them back as badly as the double/treble departures have done to Arsenal recently.

  • Shiv, Arsenal players become so good because a) they are talented, b) Arsene gets the best out of them and c) they play in a Wengerball system in which they gradually flourish.

    Often when players leave us they have to miss out on b and c, and if on top of that they do not have the right attitude, they will start to struggle sooner or later. Many of them do not know how good they have it working under Wenger, but money talks often louder than common sense.

  • Oz 🙂

    How’s life treating you at the moment?

    I am convinced Adebayor ruined his career by moving so early, and Nasri is going down the same path pretty fast. Had they stayed another two or three years under Wenger’s supervision they would have become fully developed players: technically, tactically and in terms of maturity and professionalism.

  • Things are good TA, just sorting out a mine shit to go to for my project. Was supposed to leave for Queensland (opposite side of oz) on tues but it got delayed.
    Hows life in Norfolk?

    couldn’t agree more. I really think Ade could have been something special at Arsenal. If he hung around he could have been thought of in the same light as Kanu, if not better! As for nasri, isn’t it amazing how our opinions can change of a person in such a short period of time. His tussle with Gallas left me hating gallas, but then he showed his real colours and now i wish gallas decked him.

    Looking forward to tonight, should be a great game!!!!

  • I love the way you combine serious science with real working life. During my studies I did a lot of work around self-managing teams and socio-technical redesign of organisations. The theory is one but to go to factories and try to implement it is totally different thing. I loved it though and I am looking forward to hearing your stories about and from the miners!

    Agreed on the Gallas/Nasri. Looking forward to the game too: let’s hope the good guys win!

  • Morning BKers.

    KO time is approaching fast. The butterfly belly is kicking in. I hope my optimism don’t let me down. I’m going for a 3-1 win to the good guys.

    I wonder whether Terry has lent his scope to GLiC so he can watch from behind the sofa.

    😉

    Walcotts blistering pace will upset their back line.

    COYG

  • Morning Hairy Doughnuts 😆

    Whats that Oz doing on here without writing a spectacular pre-match !. ;evil:

    The players I miss, Nasri, Cesc and Rancid Vagina Penetrator. It`s possible that AW thought that a few of the players who left were not quite upto it or bad influences and we had players capable of being better coming through and with the added bonus that City were going to give us loads of dosh to take them was maybe an opportunity not to be missed !.

    I accept Cesc was a one-off circumstance and that Nasri was just a greedy ungratefull clunge, I know I have said this before ,but Rancid was a massive mistake ( and I wont listen to any other opinion that says it wasn`t, I will not budge, I am a rock !. hahaha ) and just about the money. I`m sure if AW would have said, ” give us one more season Rancid and you can go on a free “, he would have been a true professional and stayed harmoniously and given it his all !. Lets face it , it`s not exactly an horrible place to work for a year, great club, training facilities, best Stadium in EPL and amongst friends, The Arsenal. I think he would have been fine about it !.

  • I dont watch from behind the sofa Vics, I hide behind it !. There will be a 2 hour Arsenal media lock-down in my house at kick off time, I`m not joking either, you must have noticed that I dont comment in game time !. Am I sad or what !. hahaha

  • I think they should make a programme called, CSI Oz, BKers can be the team !, then again, they may not let Vicky, Stretch and me in the country, 200 years go, no problem, we would even have got a free cruise there !. hahaha

  • Morning Numb Nuts, how are we? 😀

    I feel like ive been hit by a bus. Is anybody super dooper confident today?

  • Prince……yep me……..cant answer why, but ive a feeling we will come out on top today.

    Our boys will/should be up for it, and with the added bonus of Aguero, YaYa and fat lardy boy not playing will be beneficial to us.

    GLiC, I miss Cesc but not Fat arse Nasri. And as for that Rather Vile Person I can,t bear to look at him. Its almost as bad as having to look at you in the Tavern. 😉

  • Hi Guys,
    As we slowly approach game time, i cant help but feel good about today. I’m hoping that the ego’s at ManShitty will implode from within. Thus getting back to TA’s post.
    These guys could have been complete players instead of chasing the money.You cannot blame these guys chasing a bigger pay packet when oil money can double your salary overnight. There is no way we can compete. There is no loyalty in football. The only loyalty comes from the fans themselves.
    Na$ri could have been a pivotal player for us instead of being a player who is not a regular player. Moneybayor well what can you say? Promising player who perhaps should have developed further with us but his attitude would not allow that as the oilers and now the spuds have found out. Clichy will continue to fade and the oil money will soon replace him with someone else. Lucky for them they have their money but none will ever be considered a legend or a cult hero in any of their clubs.

    COYG

  • TA,

    Everyday I read your Posts and am flabbergasted by the brilliance of your work!

    I also noticed your response to Oz’s typo!! How rude! 😀

    It seems to have been forgotten that Yaya Toure was slated to be an Arsenal youth player and actually did appear in a couple of Arsenal pre-season games, before becoming impatient with the delay in processing his documents and buggering off to Russia.

    Another one that got away! 😀

  • So, Glic, you took my UMF league leaders position and put me into relegation problems in one go!! 😀

    I want to know who is ‘guesting’ my selections next week? Hopeless Rocky, I suppose! 😛

  • I had to laugh yesterday when Prince said Terry`s middle name was infectious………………on the other hand there`s 47 ladies at the Bounds Green STD clinic who also think he is infectious and are not laughing !. hahaha

  • Sorry Redders 🙂

    It was best to get my crap ones out of the way first, it can only be uphill from now !. hahaha

  • Hi Alex,
    Sorry my bad. For some reason i thought you were Sydney based.
    I like Melbourne, i lived in Geelong for a couple of years and then got bored of it. I’m always back for the Grand prix though. Its a fantastic weekend….the bits that i can remember anyway 😉

  • Well said over on ‘AA’, Redders, and despite what they say, they don’t always practice what they preach. Undoubtedly it is one of the best Arsenal blogs out there, but they still have the odd idiot on there who can’t help putting their foot in their mouth, and I don’t just mean Spec.

  • Hi Vicky, im quietly confident, just like yourself. I think that Yaya is a huge loss, bigger than Aguerro and the dyke. I have a feeling that Rosicky will play a huge part in the final minutes..

    Up the Arse!

  • Hi Herb,
    I’ve read back on comments from yesterday and so thank you for accepting my apology and for the birthday wishes. I also remember that day that you mention but to be honest i prefer not to get involved in feuds, especially when they are not mine. Hope you understand, but in saying that, since that day i have taken mental notes and like anything in life, all true colours are revealed..

    Are you feeling confident today Herbert?

  • Please PPP, Herb will do fine.
    It’s ok, it wasn’t your argument, so that’s fine. I’m convinced even though they add little value to what is effectively football debate, some bloggers have to be part of the ‘in-crowd’, and comment just so they can see their gravatar, because their life is so empty.
    We have a great home record against MC, so that’s definitely in our favour, and after our performance at the Etihad, we have no reason not to think we can get 3pts today. And we need to close the gap on Tottenham, that should be incentive enough.

  • Hi PPP,
    Where are you based now since you are no longer in Geelong. Grand Prix weekend always promises to be a good time

  • The Prince,

    If it is OK with VCC, I would be honoured for you to stand in for me and have a crack at my predictions, please!! 😀

  • Hi Herb 🙂

    You can always go on AA under a pseudonyn like me ! hahaha
    Although even under pseudonym`s I get binned as the moderators dont care much for my sense of humour even when I was sticking up for AA !. Great site, Great bloggers, shame it can be too puritanical at times imo. I never abused anyone and only ever wanted to have fun !.

  • Hi Herb, 🙂

    How’s that iPad of your working?

    Oddly enough, I am pretty relaxed about the outcome of the game today, as I suppose I have accepted we will lose today (sorry Terry, 🙂 ) and if we win it will be even tastier!! 😀

    A win, win position!

  • Hi Redders 🙂

    No, not as glic, but have on numerous occasions as someone else, Banana etc !
    In my biased eye`s I dont say anything too bad or abusive, just idiotic !. hahaha

  • Alex, im based back in Sydney now. Are you going to the Grand prix this year?

  • Spank you Redders, it would be my honour to represent you. I cant possibly do as bad as Glic………………………. or can i ? 👿

  • No snow yet – but it is just above freezing.

    Weather forecasting for such a tiny island sandwiched between the huge Atlantic and the European land mass is a lottery, I think.

    When they say it will snow — it usually doesn’t – when they say nothing – it snows! 🙂

  • Prince
    The most Redders can pick up this weekend is, 1 point, if Manure win !. Even with the more dodgy picks for myself I get more than that !. Probably proves that you should take anything I say with a pinch of salt !. hahaha

  • Probably having splinters painfully removed from his rectum. I told him to have that enormous clog sanded and french polished !.

  • If weather forecasters were football managers, they would be sacked quicker than a Chelsea manager winning the CL and FA Cup !. I can get a 10 day forecast for my postcode area, an area sandwiched between two of the countries wettest moors. I could be more accurate if I stuck my Hampton out of the window and spat on it !. hahaha

  • Red Arse…Nice to see you around today. Hope your feeling fine Amigo.

    Prince, I have pencilled you in to represent Red Arse this coming week end in the UMF 1. As you say, surely you cannot do worse than that senile Caaaarnwallite GLiC.

    Attention****** did you guys see my post after the results came in yesterday??

    I won the award for being top tipster and was whisked away for an all expenses trip. Fantastic time I had. Shame for Redders, as he would have gone if it were not for that stand in predictor he had acting on his behalf this week. Lets hope things take a turn for the best with Prince acting on behalf of Red Arse.

    2 hrs 15 minutes and counting.

    COYG

  • Selling Cesc for dirt cheap with 4 yrs left on his contract when people like Darren Bent and Milner were going for 25mil and also selling Van Judas to our rivals were and are the two biggest mistakes Arsenal have made in my time supporting them 👿

    We moved to the Emirates so we could compete with Manure in particular. Then we go and sell them EPL (30 goals a season) player of the year. Some answers please STAN

  • Even though I accept Cesc going, I agree it was too cheap and should have been a minimum of what Torres went to Chavs for !.
    I still cant get my head around letting Vangina Persie going !.
    I say we torture Stan`s Syrup !.

  • Prince
    I remember back to the 70`s and 80`s when we would have wanted Manure to win !.
    The only true constant through time is in wanting the spuds to lose !. hahaha

  • Hi ya, VCC, 🙂

    It is galling to see Rip van Persie scoring so regularly. What a brilliant buy for £24m. He will win the league for them and probably the European Cup, and they will make another £45m in prize money. What a return on investment.

    I am still a bit miffed AW/Arsenal did not go out and immediately invest that £24m + in attracting a goal scoring CF in that category. Giroud is not bad, but he is not in that category. The ‘Pool bought Suarez for less than that.

  • Just caught site of some Sikh`s in the crowd at Old Toilet with some suspiciously large looking turbans !, I`m sure I saw movement in one of them and some handing of food up to it !.

  • Prince,

    The ‘Pool pinched Sahin off us in August, on loan, but that did not work out too well for them! Cannot think of anyone else.

  • Has he got a Syrup ?. If he hasn`t , I`ve been wasting my time writing a post about it ( work still in progress ! ) !. hahaha

  • They took Michael Thomas !, but I think that was so they could get their own back on him and torture him by parading him naked through a Bindippers Councill estate, shouting, ” It`s up for grabs now ” !.

  • Afternoon fine fellow Gooners

    Watching the Pool game, and there is nothing worse to see than a team being intimidated by the Manc crowd. Liverpool’s passing and movement has been rubbish and Manure have hardly had to work for their lead. Unfortunately, Arsenal have done just the same in recent seasons and that’s why the Manc away game has become by far my least favourite game of the season.

    See, the European clubs are not as intimidated by the atmosphere usually, and wack the average Mancs + exceptional traitor round the unwashed ears with a lot more ease. Now, we will see what Rodgers is made off tactically and motivationally: they have to start playing midfield footie and start dominating them. Not easy, but I am going to say the game will finish in a draw.

  • Redders,
    Sahin has gone back to Borussia Dortmund on loan. I dont think Jose likes him that much.

    Glic, We have a suburb called Liverpool, its about 25min too close to me

  • Hi Total,
    Downing is a sorry excuse for a player. Arshavin was an energizer bunny compared to Downing. Surely he must come off and play Sturridge there instead. Sturridge can make Evra look very ordinary.

    Michael Thomas…forgot about that move

  • 😀 Glic

    Oz, come out come out where ever you are. I demand you show yourself

  • All agreed triple P

    You can see that Pool are struggling even more than us at time with keeping their shape and focus, and ability to gel as a team. Their transition has a long way to go….

  • i wonder if Victorious has a poster of twitchy in his man cave ?

    No doubt, great result yesterday…….it gave me 3 points 😉

  • Total,

    Nice to see you. We don’t mind that you prefer your little dog to us. We have looked after the blogsite for you!! 😀

  • Total,
    I agree they have a very long way to go. I believe chopping and changing managers has hurt them alot, not to mention all the stupid ‘buys’ that those managers have made. Lets forget Hodgsons buys for a second (did poulson get a game), King Kenny has brought in more deadwood in 1 season than Arsene has in his whole time at the Arse

  • Hi RA 🙂

    Well thank you for that, Sir! 🙂

    When Henry lies on me he covers my right arm, which means I have to type with one finger and from an angle, which commenting not easy.

    Come on Pool, fight for it now! And wipe that smirk off van Judas’ super self-adoring face!!!! 😈

  • Assuming manure win at home, does this effect the way Shitty approach their game against us? They(shitty) are usually defensive when they are on the road, but 10 points gap….

  • That bugs me.

    I have always hoped AW would buy Sturridge since he was unhappy at City!

    He just does not listen to me!! 🙂

  • Prince, I’ve told you before about GLiC. Don’t encourage him. If you ignore him, he’ll go away. 😉

    Where’s syrup today? I miss him

  • 2 strikers signed in the Jan TW in Baaa and Sturridge for under 10mil, and both are producing. Too bad they are not exceptional, or super quality

  • I miss cesc and that’s it. The thought of he and BSR together is very tasty but I really really can’t stand BSR. I nearly threw a controller threw my tv yesterday when i was playing fifa and BSR scored after pick-pocketing Vermaelen. It was too soon!!!!!!

    @ TA

    I’m glad you enjoyed it, but unlike me you probably good all the intellectual stuff. I on the other hand am stuffed when it comes to the serious science.
    “hey oz whats the chemical equation for this and this?”
    “…ummmmmm….ah-bluh”
    “I see! How did you get this far?”
    “I’m still scratching my head”

    Should be fun though, will be a real baptism of fire, 16days straight, 12+ hour days, in temperatures that hover around 40/50 degrees. I’m a student, I’ll need a year to recover haha.

    @ RA

    I read over it once I sent it, dear oh dear. 🙂

    @ PPP

    I too am very confident about this one. I hope mario and tevez start instead of dzeko. Something about him that creates a big threat. He is strong and great in the air but also has a very underrated shot! I’d love to see him at Arsenal

  • Hi GlIC, I’ll respond to your suggestion later.
    Hi Total and everyone else.
    Good to see everyone full of positive energy. Good karma everyone 🙂
    Hopefully Arsenal can warm our spirits on this wintry afternoon.

  • PPP (if that is your real name!)

    I’m a lover not a duelist. Do you possess the audacity to challenge the great Arse Red?

  • hahahahahahaha Arse Red. That is great! What is that equation?

    Agreed TA, i feel he is too slight for the PL.
    Ba would have been perfect as a backup striker for us, it’s a real shame. Too bad we have a second great striker…oh…

  • What are the latest rumours on Theo. Has he signed?

    Oz, i would have made a cheeky bid for Dzeko before opting for Giroo. The guy is underrated.

    With Chamack gone, Bendtner injured, Giroo finding his feet and Theo in limbo, we could see Arshavin up front. Ok stop laughing, he saved our season once before when he was asked to play as a lone striker…..ok now im laughing……hehehehe….like Henry

  • I honestly do not know what AA has done PPP?! He must be taking the piss at training or something because at the start of the season the cup game he played in the hole was really good. As was his second half against Reading. Whilst Rosicky was injured he would have been the perfect replacement for Santi when a rest was needed.

    As for the 1-3 million offers, I think he still has a fair bit to offer. If i had that floating around I’d buy him for my football team.

    AA > Downing
    AA > Milner
    AA > Sinclair
    AA > Henderson

  • Oz,
    If he is solely used to attack and not depended on to track back (cue a DM ) he can still unlock any defence in the premiership. The least he could do whilst collecting a wage is teach our fullbacks how to cross a ball. Giroo’s signing baffles me a bit, is he our plan A or B.

  • Quick ciggie.. nerves are a good thing for me before a game (good omen)…Brb

  • Great line up indeed and I feel partly vindicated with my predicted line-up (read Diaby for Rosicky) :)Team in full: Szczesny, Sagna, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Diaby, Cazorla, Wilshere, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Walcott, Podolski.

    Subs: Mannone, Jenkinson, Santos, Mertesacker, Ramsey, Coquelin, Giroud.

  • Seeing as my Arse cant take it, I shall do 45 mins on the treadmill for 1st half and some weights for the 2nd half !. Be lucky you brave Gooners !.

  • If thats the way you want it Total.

    Different strokes for different blokes 😆

  • the question is where do we go from here? We need to somehow keep pressing and not give up

  • Giroud for Theo, TR for Diaby, Jack DM, and 3 at the back. But we have been rubbish all over the pitch, and only a miracle can turn this round. Glic is the smartest!

  • sounds good to me TA.

    As much as i despise Tottenham they went about it the right way in the 2nd half against us. 3 down back is def the way Arsene should have set up. Giroud for the set piece danger. Without him it’s hit and hope to Verm

  • It means Up The Arsenal, Total.
    Is football fixed? It’s about time we had a root and branch shake-up of our so-called ‘professional’ referees. The standard of officiating in the EPL is an embarrassment, referrees blantly favour certain clubs over others and until this is eradicated we’ll never have a level playing-field.

  • couldn’t agree more Herb. A governing body needs to be in place reviewing decisions and implementing punishments. At the moment they seem very untouchable. A week or 2 wake up call in the championship would do wonders

  • If they are found to be corrupt, Oz, forget being relegated to the Championship, they should be imprisoned and never be allowed near a football match again.
    They earn good money, they’re getting more exposure which allows them ‘celebrity’ status, and yet managers lose their jobs as a consequence of their horrendous decision-making.

  • Not to mention clubs losing money, players or a drop in division. eg blackpool had a clear penalty against manure= not given. =relegated

  • definitely herb. In Aussie Rules the head of umpiring goes through the decisions from the weekend and gives his verdict to the public. He is very honest and stern. If the stuff up is major they are punished accordingly. An overhaul is definitely needs

  • Exactly right, PPP, clubs being relegated on the back of referee’s dodgy decisions, losing £millions in revenue as a result.
    Dean has completely killed this game as a spectacle, and a competitive game. He’s hardly given us a decision all game, as well as allowing them to kick Wilshere all over the park.
    Kompany off. Game on, maybe?

  • we are def pressing Herb so i hope so.

    The amount Jack gets clobbered in games I’m surprised he gets on the park in the next fixture

  • I see my biggest gripe about the rules of football has ruined a potential exciting game. I think I`ve said this before, If I was in charge of football, every game would always be 11 vs 11. A player sent off would be replaced by another. I hate unequal contests. I hate City having an unfair advantage in the spending department, let alone an extra player advantage. Alas my revolutionary Idea will never happen !.
    At least ( in my head ) there`s nothing to moan about regarding Arsenal, not a level playing field, unless you count Kompany being sent off, but by then the damage had been done.
    A sending off and a penalty, two sentences for one crime !.

    UTA

  • I must laugh, reading back through the comments, for nearly an hour, looking at the avatars anyone would have thought we had the worlds first talking dogs site !. hahaha

  • Now, that was a complete joke (correct me if Im wrong) Mr.Dean done his best to become man of the match.

    Im not sure I agree with GLiC about sendings off. If you commit am offence bad enough you need to vacate the pitch.

    I will be watching Mr.Deans decisions very closely during the next few weeks, cos if that was a red card from Kos , then what ive seen lately he will have to send a player off EVERY single game.

    What do you think fellow Gooners? Will we, yet again fall fowl to officialdom, or will we see an even field ober the whole premiership.

    Im so incensed about this decision , I think Arsenal and Arsene Wenger should persue this through the FA and ask questions

    Can you ever see this being a sending off at Old Toilet……….No you F—— wont.

    .

  • Hear hear Vicky ! . It`s not the 75,000 at the toilet that would sway him, it would take just one look from you know who, to make Dean shit his kaks !.

  • Under glic rules Vicky, in the 2006 CL Final, our goalie would have been replaced by another goalie and Pires would have stayed on the pitch !.

  • GLiC ,I’m aware of the idea of fairness. I would have been gutted if I paid £55 today, only to be gutted with an inept refereeing decision. Looking forward to a game, as I was, so much and after 10 minutes the official sees fit to want to be in the limelight and go for motm, NOT for me matey.

    I have no problem about the referee awarding a penalty, but to award a red card was a total ?;:_$££££££££&&*** disgrace.

    Would this decision be made at the Old Toilet? NEVER in a million years.

    Lets watch ALL games from now on and see this action EVERY SINGLE GAME. You don’t even get a penalty, let alone a red card.

    i’m fuming. Arsene and Arsenal should take this further.

  • Arsene Wenger and AFC. Please ask the FA if all referees will be taking this action in future? That’s all you have to say.

    If the same decision is made in the future, we will get one man sent off every single game.

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