Can?t wait for our top 4 - cup final on the last day of the season.
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Can?t wait for our top 4 - cup final on the last day of the season.
Pat come on bud you're being harsh we're the owner of the "Beaten Real Madrid Comfortably" trophy! Amazing season.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pat Vegas
Dreadful is a bit harsh. Disappointing is probably closer. Maybe very disappointingQuote:
Originally Posted by Pat Vegas
Definitely a dreadful season and we still could finish 5th!
Dreadful, were that to be the case, which I?m sure it won?t be. Disappointing, in the context that we?ve failed to convert anything from this recent purple patch into a trophy.Quote:
Originally Posted by John Bunnell
If we can hold onto key players and add better ones over the summer, no reason why we won?t continue to improve.
I would take finishing 5th. Who gives a ****? As long as we are in the champions league, the rest is vanity.Quote:
Originally Posted by John Bunnell
For me it is simple. We have not performed anywhere near as well as we can, and that is disappointing. If we weren't very good, I'd be delighted with top four and semi finals. But we are far better than this, and we know it.Quote:
Originally Posted by 7sisters
Arteta has a job here. Next season is big for him because we are going to finish 15 points behind our total of last season. That isn't good. If we stumble through next season in this manner, he is in trouble.
If you look at the cull list, that squard depth is awful. Beyond the first 15 players on the squard list, it is all untesteds.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
That's why we end up playing Partey at right back despite having more than a handful of fullbacks in the squard.
Injuries have certainly taken their toll, this season.
True. We knew we were short in attacking areas this year, and that is before we knew Sterling was utter ****e. Two injuries and we are basically at bare bones, with a midfielder and a 17 year old as our only additional options. That was always a gamble, and it backfired.Quote:
Originally Posted by IUFG
I think the rest of the squad depth is fine. We have too many defenders at the moment (10) but that will resolve itself this summer with Tierney and probably Zinchenko leaving. But we need more options for the front four positions.
We could do with 2x strikers, Gyokeres and Sesko. Never going to happen thoughQuote:
Originally Posted by Peter
What about Havertz? :-(Quote:
Originally Posted by PSRB
Oh, keep him but add 2 more. We had x4 under AW. Ferguson also had x4Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
True, but we played with two strikers then. Now we only field one (if that!)Quote:
Originally Posted by PSRB
When fit, I'd start Havertz over Odegaard (on current form), those two, with Nwaneri, could become interchangeable.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
Havertz as emergency striker cover for whoever we buy. Jesus simply isn't good enough or required any more imo #sicknote
Agree re Jesus. I am going to annoy some people here but I think the chances of us signing a striker who is substantially better than Havertz is pretty slim...... better, maybe. But better by a mile? That would be some player.... and some fee.Quote:
Originally Posted by IUFG
but, we need to pay it to get a 1st class striker.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
would you pay ?100m to defintely get Isak? Probably.
I think the point there is that 100 million wouldn't get him.... it would be 120-150, and that is probably our entire budget, maybe over.Quote:
Originally Posted by IUFG
Well, whatever the number is, you pay it to get a proven PL striker.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
Or, you find the next Isak. Which is a gamble and still blows a third of your budget.
Our recent yoof projects haven't been a sparking success - Nketiah, Balogun, etc.
Obi Martin and Biereth might prove to be an exception.
Jhon Duran anyone?
Nketiah and Balogun were a huge success. We got around 60 million for the pair :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by IUFG
That paid for Havertz :-)
by that method - Iwobi is the greatest player to come out of The Arsenal :bow:Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
:-D
Sesko and Delap... happy with that?Quote:
Originally Posted by PSRB
We can afford him as the fee would be amortized over the length of this contract (so call it 30m a season for the next 5 years). Issue is that we need a left winger, probably a backup striker, a backup keeper and one or two central midfielders.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
To be fair, he has had a decent PL career. And yes, we got a great fee for him :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by IUFG
Precisely.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich
But saying that... Isak can play off the left....Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
No!! That is a top class centre forward. You don't play him anywhere else.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich
Anyway, Newcastle would blow up the Tyne Bridge before they sell him to us. Forget it.
exactly. Specialist positions and playing to strengths.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
Goalkeepers are rarely played in a different position. And there is a reason for that.
Yes. Because they are mad. Well, the good ones are :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by IUFG
YepQuote:
Originally Posted by Peter
https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a7d07...none&crop=none
versus
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009...35_468x737.jpg
TBF, if Sterling had done what Ethan had done {while Ethan stayed in the U21s and LC} we'd have all said we got a right touch getting Sterling for free and only paying 1/3 of what he was on at Chelsea.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
Just like Partey at RB rather ignores the fact that BW, JT and Tomi all being out isn't the sort of thing you can plan for, esp. when funds are tight.
In our first title challenge, Gabby M scored 15 - same as Bobby P - in our second Leo scored 17, same as Limpar and Overmars, all in title winning years.
But we don't have a world class striker.
Sterling.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult
Not just dreadful, but a catastrophe of a signing.
He turned out to be absolute dog**** and offered nothing of value to the team or squard, imo.
If anyone wanted to sack Arteta, they'd be justified on that signing alone.
Right, but Sterling didn't. He's been awful. And we knew that was a risk. Letting ESR and Vieira go put us at risk if Odegaard got injured. That happened immediately. Bad luck, but still a risk.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult
I know you cant be 3 deep in every position, and I felt we were a little overstocked in the forward areas last season, to the extent that Eddie, ESR and Vieira hardly played.
Nwaneri's load next season complicates the thinking, and if we bring in a striker we will have three as we can't sell Jesus in the summer.
No! It was a gamble, brought about by financial restriction. It went horribly wrong but I don't think you can blame him too much for it.Quote:
Originally Posted by IUFG
It is the coaching he needs to look at. For some reason, our players are not playing with the freedom and the rhythm they should. That is down to him to change.
He was our Nelson replacement. Should have gone better but hasn't.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
Max Dowman will be part of the squad next season too. Seems that he is really a once in a generation talent. 15 years old.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
Never heard that about a 15 year old coming through the ranks at Arsenal before... :rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich
Once in a generation is a ridiculous label. I wouldn't even call Saka that.....Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich
Saliba, maybe.....