Kai has scored more goals than any Utd player this season
Kai has scored more goals than any Utd player this season
Just out of interest, he has scored more goals than quite a few of the 'elite' strikers we have been linked with.... 14 in 30 games. Nobody else has managed a better strike rate as a centre forward under Arteta.Quote:
Originally Posted by Luis Anaconda
For now, I think we need an extra body, not a replacement.
I agree, p (shocked you now), even if we sign another player I would play Kai at 9 (sorry, red)Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
I quite like Sesko - possibly because signing him would give me something else to talk to my stunning Slovenian colleague about.
On a related note - you'd be surprised about how popular Allo Allo was in Slovenia
Sounds as though you already have plenty to talk about with her- Good Moaning :hehe:Quote:
Originally Posted by Luis Anaconda
I know Only Fools and Horses is the most popular programme in Serbia. They named a street after Boycie.....
I like Sesko. From what I have seen he is a better technical fit for us than some of the others. We don't want some great big lump who runs around starting fights (sorry red).
Can't see any of the top ones being available now and I would rather we saved the money to get the guy we actually want in the summer.
No, I pretty much agree.Quote:
Originally Posted by Luis Anaconda
I love Kai as, for occult reasons of my own, I love all our German players.
I should probably stop offering opinions on anything. I'm currently listening to ELO- intentionally :hehe:Quote:
Originally Posted by redgunamo
I was going to say, I'm not really sure United fans are in any position to take the piss out of anyone currently, certainly not strikers!Quote:
Originally Posted by Luis Anaconda
Agreed. Having young Ethan is a Godsend.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
We were never gonna be able to sign a top drawer player who would have been happy to be Saka's understudy. Yeah, we might have been lucky enough to find a Leo-like player - 28, with experience, fell out with his club so needs to move and is cheap - but he knew he could try to take Gabby M's place.
No-one is gonna take B's. But Ethan at 18 will be happy to cover for B and Odin, he'll get minutes every game, pretty much, and can develop.
Leo/Gabby on RW. Dec and MnM for inside right. Also think, if we need a goal, Kai could play there with Leo up top, and them all interchanging.
But yes, we do need another body, and someone who could play alongside Kai, with Kai either formally at inside right or in a more 4-4-2 with Kai at no.10 and the extra body as his strike partner.
If we play in that manner, the extra body doesn't have to be the big target man like Kai, and that Valuvic or whatever his name is or Sesko who are all big.
Could get a small poacher like Wrighty with pace, skill and deadly finishing ability. Pity that young striker we brought on in the last minute didn't get to touch the ball as he's looked good in the reserves. {Deviant alert.}
Trossard is a rare example of a January signing actually coming in and making an immediate impact in a significant way. Doesn't happen that often. I think we just need someone to help a bit and fill in.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult
Summer is the crucial window. Some big decisions to make.
I keep reading that they?re salivating at the prospect of taking another of our academy jewels away. Small victories when you?re staring down a relegation battle.Quote:
Originally Posted by PSRB
I?m backing Fulham to stuff them at the weekend.
I always love that Boycie was an Arsenal fan and Trigger a Spurs supporter - one successful but hated, the other lovable but ****.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
Personally, as far as up top goes, I'm quite happy with a couple of little ones as long as the end product is good.
I am no longer sure whether I am talking about football or women there tbf
The problem with having two big lumps up top is it makes it harder to keep things tight at the back :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by Luis Anaconda
You've got to hold or give but do it at the right timeQuote:
Originally Posted by Peter
Odin, Auba, Monreal, AA23, Abou and Ade. Anyone I've forgotten? Anelka and Kanu?Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
Hmmm. I will give you Kanu, Aubamayang, and Arshavin. I suppose Odegaard. I dont think Diaby or Adebayor's impact was immediate and particularly significant. Anelka didn't feature in the first team until the following season.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult
Two of those were donkeys years ago and Odegaard's impact wasn't immediate. Was a couple of months before he really showed what he could do.
Kanu is the most appropriate example because he joined a good side and improved it.
He forced his way into the starting XI, ESR moved wide taking Gabby M's role on the wing and Odin was player of the month in March.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
He also had an article in the paper saying he was the master of the pre-assist - that he could see and play the ball to whoever could then assist.
I'd say it was an immediate impact.
Monreal was to cover Gibbs who'd just got injured and we'd seen Santos couldn't defend. He made the place his own and never looked back.
Ade and Auba both played over a dozen PL games in that half season, and Abou got injured by that northern monkey at the start of May. I'd happily sign either of those this window. But given we need a striker, Kanu or the Togonator would be perfect.
I had completely forgotten who Monreal even was!Quote:
Originally Posted by Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult
Diaby and adebayor were both fantastic players who should have become world class and didn't. One through injury, one through, well, being a bit of a ****er
Agree with that but how could you forget Nacho? Best AW LB since Cashley. Could play CH too. Good defender who scored and assisted to boot. Shouldn't have signed Kolasinac - he was a back 5 wing back, not an AW back 4 attacking FB. I loved Nacho.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
I guess that sums up the latter AW years. We had a decent back 4 with Nacho-Kos-Per-HB, we had decent MFs with Arteta, JW, Rambo, plus Santi and Ozil. Had Alexis, Feo and Olly then Auba.
But while each of the three parts were good, they didn't all fit together like the team does now.
AW was 4-4-2 at heart. The only time his 4-3-3 looked like working was when we had Cesc at no.10. He could score and assist like an old skool no.10 but also do the MF donkey work. Ozil was a beautiful player, but couldn't do the MD defending and pressing like Cesc or Odin and he also didn't score as many as he should have done like Bergy.
Ozil was a bit of a throwback to the old school 'free man'. In the modern game that guy needs to be able to press and be part of a system. Ozil was better when he was allowed to roam.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult
One of the problem of the players you mention up there was that too many of them were injury prone. Ramsey, Jack, Santi, Theo- they'd all go missing for months at a time. Same with Rosicky- what a beautiful footballer he was. Injury half killed him :-(
Message reported to JorgeQuote:
Originally Posted by Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult
Although I kind of know what you mean, I think Mesut was hugely misunderstood. His movement, his running should have been a good a good fit in any era/system. I think his downturn at Arsenal was more due to personal matters. The abuse he got in Germany was sheer racism. I still ****ing love himQuote:
Originally Posted by Peter
He was ****e at pressing. Even when he did it, he'd commit or miss the tackle. It's fair enough, he grew up in a game where it wasn't an issue. Odegaard is the modern style of that player and exactly what Arteta wants.Quote:
Originally Posted by Luis Anaconda
I felt sorry for Ozil, certainly at the end. He deserved better than that.
Beauty sacrificed for functionality - this is the modern game. We are lucky to have our captainQuote:
Originally Posted by Peter
Said at the time that ?30m for him was an utter steal!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Luis Anaconda
He took great delight in saying 'Trust the process :wink:' after a few losses post departure. So I dislike him.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
There is a certain beauty within functionality.Quote:
Originally Posted by Luis Anaconda
****ing horrible to watch though :-)
But creating and stopping chances is not the issue, so even Gabriel could be our "kitchen sink".Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
Not at all; form follows function. The thing that works the best always looks the best.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
Think of a Ferrari 308 or a Mossberg 500. Or even Thierry Henry.
If you don't love Rosicky, you don't love football. {AW}Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
If he could have stayed fit, he could have been an all time great. Chippy, Rocky, Bobby P, Saka as great no.7s. Alexis only had 3.5 seasons and was no.17 at the start. But if he'd had over 5 years as a no.7, he'd be on the list. And if TR7 had stayed fit, he'd definitely be in there. We had him for 10 seasons, but he had under 20 league appearances in half of those and the most was 28.
170 league appearances. If we ignore B's breakthrough season with one EL start and a sub appearance in that and the PL, since then he's had 186 appearances in the next 5.5 seasons. 26 in the first and then 32-38 every other season.
Imagine we could have got over 300 league appearances out of Tommy.
Ganpati willing, B will stay with us for his entire career, win us shedloads and be known as our greatest ever no.7.
I love Mesut. It was amusing watching the German version of the "Scottish when he loses" thing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Luis Anaconda
Ozil was at his best providing for Cristiano Ronaldo :-\Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
Jose Antonio RIP.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult
Nothing wrong with that. Not really. Wouldn't admit to it myself, mind, but there's nothing actually wrong with it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
I don't really do guilty pleasures. If I like something I'm not ashamed of it. This is right on the very border though :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by redgunamo
I heard Saxon on the radio earlier. ****ing terrible :hehe:
We don't talk about him much these days but the young Fabregas was a phenomenal footballer. Almost perfect technically.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult
Shouldn't have gone to Barcelona. Moved to the only club in the world that didn't need him and had better players. Shame.
Yeah, same here. De gustibus non est disputandum, as they say.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
However I'm actually going to see Saxon in a few weeks time and admit to being deeply ashamed of my wife for buying the tickets :-|
Don't trust goalscoring midfielders, I'm afraid. It goes to their heads and they forget their place and begin to neglect their midfield duties.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
Terrific player though, all the same. The only one in his team with brazen-faced bottle and bite, like a street footballer.
Or Dennis Wise :-\
Agreed. And losing him in the same summer we lost Nasri to those cheating Manc scum was basically what started the end of the Wenger years.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
If we could have kept those two, got a world class DM, and over the next couple of years improved the defence gradually and added a new and plan B striker, we could have kicked on.
I don't think I'll ever forgive Abramovich and then City for trying to buy football and ending the game as we knew it.
In the old days, you wanted to get a good manager {GG/AW/MA}, make some signings who turned out to be really good value {Bould/Dixon, PV4, Gabby M}, have some yoof team players come through {TA6/Rocky/Merse, Cashley, B/Ethan/MLS} and maybe make some great big money signings who became completely world class {IWWW/DB10/TH14/Dec} and that would win you things if you got 3 or 4 of those.
{TBC - same applies to Clough's Forest, Villa, Scousers, Everton and Mancs in my life. Robson's Ipswich.}
So that's what people dreamt of.
Now people just want billionaire owners.
In my limited time Arshevin was the most impactful January signing, and he had the added hurdle of learning about salad!Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter