YOM - what are your views on the Walcott situation?

[Ashberto]

ie - TJ and the Ultimatum.

[Peter]

[Ashberto]

[Yesterday Once More]

Not sure who you mean by TJ?

My understanding is that Walcott wants an extortionate amount of money and that he wants to be promised that he can play centre-foward.

Here we have a player who is not by any stretch of the imagination world-class expecting world class wages because (a) he sees extremely mediocre performers like Squilachi getting virtually what he is already on; and (b) he has seen a succession of top players allowed to leave and realises he is suddenly one of the most vaulable assets remaining and therefore can hold the club to ransom.

There is no easy way out - the mistakes have already been made. If we don't pay him what he is asking then he will demand a transfer and he will know he will be allowed to leave.

[sodd]

[Peter]

That is more or less gone now. Now the choice is to either offer him big money or lose him for nothing. Either way the club lose money.

I would guess that the effect that a big contract would have on the rest of the squad will steer them away from offering it and theo will walk in the summer.

It might be best for us all. We dont want him as a striker and we certainly dont want the manager being told where to play people. Obviously losing him for nothing after seven years of waiting for him to come good will look awful but there you go.

[o2be a gooner]

Isn't he just asking what an English internwtion should get? He's got about 50 caps, is our top scorer. Had great assists last season, will only improve as is young , we need to keep him

How much will we spend on a replacement????

[Yesterday Once More]

[Peter]

Replacement?

We wont spend anything on a replacement, it is Ox.

[o2be a gooner]

Interest to keep him, financially as well as footbllistically

[Peter]

[Yesterday Once More]

He has 30 caps. And being an England international these days doesn't make you Bobby Moore.

[sodd]

It has been suggested on here that you're a Liverpool fan in reality.

[Ashberto]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61ruUv8hEWL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

[Billy Goat Sverige]

[Yesterday Once More]

[Peter]

I dont believe that this is really about playing as a striker. He has played twice in a row as a centre forward, so where is the contract?

If it is about money, why didnt the club pay what was needed in the summer? What has changed? I imagine they have gone as far as they are willing to go and wont shift now. I also imagine that theo knows exactly what he is going to get offered next summer.

For me it is done and dusted, theo is as good as gone. I would be amazed if it changed now.

United, if i had to bet, by the way

[sodd]

[Peter]

[Billy Goat Sverige]

Arsenal since he was 16. There's not much more improving for him to do imo.

What you see now is what you'll get until he loses his pace.

[Peter]

[Billy Goat Sverige]

still looks very raw. Similar to Chamberlain.

[Peter]

Surely we could get someone pretty good for that kind of money?

[sodd]

Knowing you, you'll pull a fast one and show us an autograph book contaning the signatures of Michael Thomas, Yossi Benayon and Ray Kennedy.

[Yesterday Once More]

Monday 10 May 1971, two days after we beat who in the FA Cup Final to clinch the double????

[Mad Frankie Staplegun]

thing from a team mate.

sign him up. ship him out.

[sodd]

I was likening it to being a bit of basic knowledge that most Arsenal fans would know of.
For all we know, Stevie G's got a colouring book range out, but as we're not Reds we wouldn't know.
Capiche?

[Bergkamp's Brain]

why would he demand a transfer when he can walk away on a free in the summer?

[Nicosia Gooner]

[Mc Gooner]

[Bergkamp's Brain]

[Peter]

And that i should know this? http://www.awimb.com/images/smiley_icons/smile.gif

f**king hell, if true it is preciselt the sort of thing i am happy not knowing about

[Yesterday Once More]

Sorry to ruin what might otherwise have been quite a decent repost.

[sodd]

Seriously, I might have that somewhere (think there's a pic of the team on the bus on the front page)
Knowing my luck it'll be the Evening News.

[Yesterday Once More]

[Classic Jorge]

Did you constantly drone on making the same dull, inelegant point over and over again back then too?

[Mc Gooner]

[Peter]

Only joking http://www.awimb.com/images/smiley_icons/smile.gif

[sodd]

http://cache1.bdcdn.net/assets/images/book/large/9781/7804/9781780484075.jpg
My favourite of that range is "TJ and the One Good Game In Five"

[Yesterday Once More]

[Ashberto]

Odd that you compared him to Squillaci, rather than our good players like Jack, Santi, Arteta, Ser Ches, Sagna, Kosh and Per who would all be seeing Mr Inconsistent getting more than them.

But surely you want him to go because you think he is not good enough for Arsenal. You said to me before when I asked you about him, that you considered him to be a poor player.

It shows, though, that Wenger cannot win. He will be slaughtered if Theo leaves for letting another effective player go, and if he capitulates risks breaking the wage structure and upsetting many players who are better than him, but whose job doesn't include the scoring and making of so many goals.

Having said that, I don't believe the wages offered are actually Arsene's decision in this case.

[71 Guns - channeling the spirit of Mr Hat]

Probably because I wasn't there.

[Peter]

Now i know why he wants to play up front. He has obviously been reading 'striker' for years.

[Classic Jorge]

[Peter]

You decide how much you are willing to pay based largely on how good you think the player is, or how much you need to keep him. Arsene simply has to play a part in this decision.

His role is probably slightly shadowy to keep things easier in the dressing room but how can the club make these decisions without him? That would be silly, and would quickly cause a problem.

[Mc Gooner]

Marwood and Overmars left. http://www.awimb.com/images/smiley_icons/rubchin.gif

Maybe yesterday wasn't so bad after all http://www.awimb.com/images/smiley_icons/hehe.gif

[Classic Jorge]

[Peter]

His worst is unspeakably bad.

To be honest, that is good enough for a side aiming to finish fourth. It isnt good enough for a united or a city.

[Ashberto]

http://www.awimb.com/fudforum/index.php?t=tree&goto=3582 620&rid=2804&S=3328584df3d5efefd080b9b46d26fe66 (http://www.awimb.com/fudforum/index.php?t=tree&goto=3582620&rid=2804&S=3328584df3d5efefd080b9b46d26fe66)

[Mc Gooner]

[sodd]

(Back in 5 minutes)

[Bergkamp's Brain]

Watching him in his last 2 games, he has displayed all the things you'd expect from Theo, both good and bad. He makes some excellent runs and looks very dangerous in and around the box, running on to things. Unfortunately his lack of technique means he struggles with the some of the simple things, like receiving the ball. Some of the time he was too isolated so keeping it was always going to be hard, other times it was poor technique.

We also found it hard to clear our lines and use him as an outlet when we came under any pressure. There is a lot of work that he needs to put in if he is going to be the one up top player.

[Peter]

Us. A top team cant carry a player like that.

Him up front in our system isnt going to work. No matter how much better at it he gets there will always be the feeling that we could buy a better striker than him.

On the right of a three is his perfect position. I honestly cant see why he doesnt see that.

[Bergkamp's Brain]

I actually think he might be better on the left of 3. He can't go past half decent left backs and struggles to get good balls in, down the right. I reckon he might be better cutting in from the left

[Peter]

The forward line. He is too selfish to make runs to make space for others and yes, he doesnt read the game very well.

If he is your only striker your only option is to try and play him in behind the back four. If the other side defend deep he is a waste of space. And if you are looking to play him in behind he can do tht just as easily from the right hand channel, if not more easily.

You can see why wenger gve him a go away from home. Lets see him do it at home.

I just hate the whole thing. Little tosser has been there 7 years and not exactly grown into a world beater, now he wants to pick the team.

[Bergkamp's Brain]

I do think it is all about money, unfortunately. This whole scenario is ****e. If he hadn't signed by August 31st why was he not sold? If he gave the indication that he wanted to sign, then why hasn't he signed? Either way the club are wholly responsible, but Walcott will come out of this as a snivelling little toe rag.

All of Wenger's comments indicate that he will not be sold in January, therefore I expect him to go and a replacement to come in at the end of the season. Either way it is woeful from the club.

[Ashberto]

Needs assurances on the direction of the club, or something. (Thanks for the idea there, Robin)

I am beginning to dislike him.

[Peter]

Stay or this is just about money.

Either way he is a c**t.

[Peter]

And he then spoke to wenger and said 'whats all this, i dont want to leave, the contract will get done etc...' then he is a lying little c**t.

With every other player the club have sold them. Why is theo different? Something obviously happened.

If theo did say that, and has subsequently refused to discuss a deal, and that is effectively what the press are claiming has happened, then the club are only to blame for believing that theo was different to the rest. Clearly he isnt.

He has obviously stitched us ip, and wenger in particular. It isnt going to look good, and it is going to cost us a lot of money. Selling a player to united is bad enough, losing him for nothing is a disaster.

God, imagine if he goes to spurs http://www.awimb.com/images/smiley_icons/yikes.gif

[Bergkamp's Brain]

as a wise man once said, who's the bigger fool, the fool or the fool who follows?

I understand your point about Wenger and his supposed agreement with Walcott, but the club are the only losers, so they need to keep their own interests at the forefront at all times.

If he goes to ManU or Chelsea, I'll be amazed as I don't think he is good enough. If he goes to Spurs then it says a lot about how far we have fallen. If he goes to Liverpool, I will laugh

[Peter]

Last summer none f the big clubs came in for him so he decided he need to wangle his way to the end of his deal. Next summer, once he is a free agent, united will take him i am sure of it. Chelsea would as well. They dont have to start him every week and he is a useful impact sub.

Yes, the club are stupid for believing him but that doesnt make him less of a c**t . It is a difficult position for them. Thy had already sold song without apparently needing to. How would it look if they then seemed to e selling walcott against his will?

Theo and his aagent hve played it beautifully. I suppose the club are just as naive as the rest of us if they expected better.

[Bergkamp's Brain]

[Peter]

He probbly wouldnt care as much about money with them.