Cornballer
Member
For those of you still in it: Who do you want to play and who do you want to avoid?Mama Smurf said:
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Official Football Thread 2006/2007 (Soccer)
- Thread starter hadareud
- Start date
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Mama Smurf
My penis is still intact.
I think the Premiership teams will want to avoid each other, I don't see much to fear from the rest.
Cornballer
Member
Overall, it seems pretty balanced to me. There are lot of teams that could win it at this point - just need to play well and have a bit of luck.Mama Smurf said:
Mama Smurf
My penis is still intact.
Well any team can win the Champions League once we're into the knock out stages, look at the Porto - Monaco final or Liverpool winning it or Arsenal almost getting there last year when having such a poor season domestically.
But if you had the choice, I look at the other teams and:
PSV - They've done well, but if Arsenal could just hit the back of the freaking net they wouldn't be here. Arsenal didn't, but will another team over 2 legs?
AC Milan - No one would deny they have good players, but they're having a poor season.
Roma - Having a good season, did great to knock out Lyon, but I still don't think they carry the threat Italian teams have in previous years.
Valencia - I actually think these guys could be the most dangerous side to draw, but I also think that the English sides could take them, if they're at their best.
Bayern Munich - Same as AC Milan.
There's no easy game, whatever the draw, but I think waving goodbye to Inter, Lyon and Barcelona has left the Premiership teams with probably their best chance ever at this stage of the competition. So long as they avoid each other anyway, as I honestly wouldn't have a clue who would come through games between any two of those three.
But if you had the choice, I look at the other teams and:
PSV - They've done well, but if Arsenal could just hit the back of the freaking net they wouldn't be here. Arsenal didn't, but will another team over 2 legs?
AC Milan - No one would deny they have good players, but they're having a poor season.
Roma - Having a good season, did great to knock out Lyon, but I still don't think they carry the threat Italian teams have in previous years.
Valencia - I actually think these guys could be the most dangerous side to draw, but I also think that the English sides could take them, if they're at their best.
Bayern Munich - Same as AC Milan.
There's no easy game, whatever the draw, but I think waving goodbye to Inter, Lyon and Barcelona has left the Premiership teams with probably their best chance ever at this stage of the competition. So long as they avoid each other anyway, as I honestly wouldn't have a clue who would come through games between any two of those three.
At this point I don't really care who PSV draw against. We have a chance against any of the remaining teams.
Although I wouldn't like to draw against Liverpool.
AC Milan would be kind of hilarious, we've become their angstgegner over the last couple of years. :lol
I still can't we believe what an incredible game Alex had. I mean, he's usually the best defender on the pitch, but his play today was beyond that. Man of the Match, without a doubt.
Have to give my compliments to Csaba Feher also. Guys practically never plays (this was his 3rd match of the season) but defensively, he was very solid. Didn't expect him to do so well.
Good see that sore loser Wenger out the game. :lol
Although I wouldn't like to draw against Liverpool.
AC Milan would be kind of hilarious, we've become their angstgegner over the last couple of years. :lol
I still can't we believe what an incredible game Alex had. I mean, he's usually the best defender on the pitch, but his play today was beyond that. Man of the Match, without a doubt.
Have to give my compliments to Csaba Feher also. Guys practically never plays (this was his 3rd match of the season) but defensively, he was very solid. Didn't expect him to do so well.
Good see that sore loser Wenger out the game. :lol
I think Man Utd are screwed, we're playing horrendous football and now we have lost 3 top strikers and our remaining striker Rooney looks like the worst player in the premiership right now. he cant control a thing, nevermind hope to turn and beat players.
Hopefuly alan smith can come along and bail us out of jail like he did when he joined, our hopes rest on him sadly. either that or a return to the 4-3-3 where we looked like the most dangerous side in Europe.
I wouldn't fancy Utd beating anyone in this form, it would take serious luck to avoid defeat against even the most average opponents. I hate when the team plays like this, its as if we had Ruud back.
Hopefuly alan smith can come along and bail us out of jail like he did when he joined, our hopes rest on him sadly. either that or a return to the 4-3-3 where we looked like the most dangerous side in Europe.
I wouldn't fancy Utd beating anyone in this form, it would take serious luck to avoid defeat against even the most average opponents. I hate when the team plays like this, its as if we had Ruud back.
Mama Smurf
My penis is still intact.
A return to 4-3-3?! Are you insane? United were awful in 4-3-3, which Fergsuon refused to change for ages because he wanted to play like Chelsea, the minute he caved and went back to 4-4-2 United started playing well again.
Having said that, United are in poor form and somehow winning all their games by one goal margins still, but I predict the slump will be over by the next CL games (which Solskjaer should be fit for, even Saha might make the second leg).
Having said that, United are in poor form and somehow winning all their games by one goal margins still, but I predict the slump will be over by the next CL games (which Solskjaer should be fit for, even Saha might make the second leg).
Mama Smurf
My penis is still intact.
Cornballer
Member
I'm all for freezing Henry in carbonite a la Han Solo until he's healed.
A post game interview with my favorite sore loser.
on the end of another Cup competition...
"We are very disappointed. I don't feel that in the Carling Cup we failed. But in the FA Cup we went out and that was a disappointment. The FA Cup is a minor disappointment compared to what happened tonight and the two games against Eindhoven. "
on missed chances...
"We feel it's a cruel night for us because we had the chances to score a second goal, and there was room not to make a mistake. They were only dangerous on counter-attacking or on set-pieces and there was enough room not to make the free-kick. On the other hand we could not take our chances. We had in the first half one or two good headers. We had in the second half two good chances. It was a little bit a repetition of the first leg, but as well you see that the games have caught up with us because we were less sharp for two or three weeks physically, and you could see that again today. We lack a little bit of sharpness, and of course I feel as well we lacked a bit of quality in the final third to get them more out of position and to be more dangerous with the final ball."
on PSV...
"You have to congratulate the other team but sometimes it is cruel. They have done very well, defended very well."
on PSV's Alex...
"I feel that he won them the tie alone tonight - not alone, that is a bit exaggerated but he kept their defence very tight and saved them every time. He made the difference at the set-piece and he dominated our players in the air - easy."
on Thierry Henry...
"My thinking was - as you could see - he was not ready to start the game because he got injured. Again now he is out for a few weeks. It is a different injury, his stomach muscle and his groin. His groin - we will scan it tomorrow. I thought it was when he crossed the ball, I don't know. It is a very difficult season for him, yes."
on the rest of Arsenal's season...
"Well, we have to secure a place in the Champions League and that's far from done because we have responsibilities to finish as high as we can. We can overtake Liverpool, you know? There are still eight teams in the Champions League but seven will be disappointed, and they have to finish the season as well. Only one can win it."
on the positives and negatives...
"I feel there are lots of positives but of course at the moment we are more focused on the negatives because in the last two weeks it has been horrendous for us. But that's what the season is in a big club."
A post game interview with my favorite sore loser.
on the end of another Cup competition...
"We are very disappointed. I don't feel that in the Carling Cup we failed. But in the FA Cup we went out and that was a disappointment. The FA Cup is a minor disappointment compared to what happened tonight and the two games against Eindhoven. "
on missed chances...
"We feel it's a cruel night for us because we had the chances to score a second goal, and there was room not to make a mistake. They were only dangerous on counter-attacking or on set-pieces and there was enough room not to make the free-kick. On the other hand we could not take our chances. We had in the first half one or two good headers. We had in the second half two good chances. It was a little bit a repetition of the first leg, but as well you see that the games have caught up with us because we were less sharp for two or three weeks physically, and you could see that again today. We lack a little bit of sharpness, and of course I feel as well we lacked a bit of quality in the final third to get them more out of position and to be more dangerous with the final ball."
on PSV...
"You have to congratulate the other team but sometimes it is cruel. They have done very well, defended very well."
on PSV's Alex...
"I feel that he won them the tie alone tonight - not alone, that is a bit exaggerated but he kept their defence very tight and saved them every time. He made the difference at the set-piece and he dominated our players in the air - easy."
on Thierry Henry...
"My thinking was - as you could see - he was not ready to start the game because he got injured. Again now he is out for a few weeks. It is a different injury, his stomach muscle and his groin. His groin - we will scan it tomorrow. I thought it was when he crossed the ball, I don't know. It is a very difficult season for him, yes."
on the rest of Arsenal's season...
"Well, we have to secure a place in the Champions League and that's far from done because we have responsibilities to finish as high as we can. We can overtake Liverpool, you know? There are still eight teams in the Champions League but seven will be disappointed, and they have to finish the season as well. Only one can win it."
on the positives and negatives...
"I feel there are lots of positives but of course at the moment we are more focused on the negatives because in the last two weeks it has been horrendous for us. But that's what the season is in a big club."
MrPing1000
Member
MrPing1000 said:
wtf was I doing picking Inter against Valencia. I can only conclude I but my bold tags in the wrong place :/ 5/8 not too bad.
Mama Smurf said:
um....When we were forced to play 4-3-3 with Giggs, Rooney and Ronaldo as a fluid front 3 - we were the best team in Europe. We would've beat AC Milan but for Ruud rushing his comeback and reverting us back to boring slow 4-4-1 (with Ruud being the invisiable man). I genuinely believed we would have won the champions league had we kept it at 4-3-3, still even with 4-4-1 we could have beat Milan.
And I maintain it was the best football I have seen played by a Utd side since 1999. even better than this season.
Mama Smurf
My penis is still intact.
Oh, that must be a different time, I meant that long period where Van Nistelrooy was up front with Rooney and someone else on the attacking wings.
I think I remember when you mean, was that when Rooney scored 2 great goals against Newcastle?
I think I remember when you mean, was that when Rooney scored 2 great goals against Newcastle?
Yeah your thinking of last year and the 4-3-3 that had Ronaldo Rooney on the wings with Rudd by himself. He's talking about two years ago when we first got Rooney and he was by himself up front with Giggs and Ronaldo on either side. I believe we lost to Ac Milan that time.Mama Smurf said:
just got home from the game.
I had a bit of a nightmare, it was incredible. Thanks to British Rail, whose rail service is second only to Pakistan and every other country on the planet it took me 4 1/2 hours to get to the Emirates - a trip that should usually take an hour and a half on a bad day. So I missed the first 25 minutes of the game. I actually only made it there because 2 gooners (complete strangers) felt sorry for me and gave me a ride on their car from Reading to London. Quite why they did it is beyond me, but thanks.
Then the game, what can you even say. Arsenal played well, PSV did what they do and scored from a standard. Surprise surprise. We just seem unable to put away our chances at the moment, it's unbelievable. Unfortunately our injuries caught up with us at the wrong time of the season, Henry being out for another few weeks is just the icing on the cake. If I hear Mourinho complain about Chelsea's sensational spirit only spoiled by horrendously bad luck with injuries ever again I will throw a fit. 2 to 3 injured key players at any one time, boo-****ing-hoo.
The worst part about the game was when PSV scored their goal half the crowd got up and left the stadium immediately - with 10 minutes to go and everything to play for (or at least a miracle to hope for). ****ing wankers. I hope you enjoyed your stay at the stadium, the seats are quite comfy, being all cushioned and stuff. ****s sake.
To add insult to injury I have not had a chance to have a beer all day. Well until I got home now, after a speedy 4 hour return trip.
I had a bit of a nightmare, it was incredible. Thanks to British Rail, whose rail service is second only to Pakistan and every other country on the planet it took me 4 1/2 hours to get to the Emirates - a trip that should usually take an hour and a half on a bad day. So I missed the first 25 minutes of the game. I actually only made it there because 2 gooners (complete strangers) felt sorry for me and gave me a ride on their car from Reading to London. Quite why they did it is beyond me, but thanks.
Then the game, what can you even say. Arsenal played well, PSV did what they do and scored from a standard. Surprise surprise. We just seem unable to put away our chances at the moment, it's unbelievable. Unfortunately our injuries caught up with us at the wrong time of the season, Henry being out for another few weeks is just the icing on the cake. If I hear Mourinho complain about Chelsea's sensational spirit only spoiled by horrendously bad luck with injuries ever again I will throw a fit. 2 to 3 injured key players at any one time, boo-****ing-hoo.
The worst part about the game was when PSV scored their goal half the crowd got up and left the stadium immediately - with 10 minutes to go and everything to play for (or at least a miracle to hope for). ****ing wankers. I hope you enjoyed your stay at the stadium, the seats are quite comfy, being all cushioned and stuff. ****s sake.
To add insult to injury I have not had a chance to have a beer all day. Well until I got home now, after a speedy 4 hour return trip.
jamesinclair
Banned
In more local news,
Atletico Paranaense is beating FC Dallas 3-1 in Curitiba.
Game can be watched LIVE right now
http://ww2.mlsnet.com/media/player/...tve&w_id=6445&catCode=event&type=v_free&_mp=1
Atletico Paranaense is beating FC Dallas 3-1 in Curitiba.
Game can be watched LIVE right now
http://ww2.mlsnet.com/media/player/...tve&w_id=6445&catCode=event&type=v_free&_mp=1
jamesinclair
Banned
Ryck said:
Game over. Atletico wins 3-1.
The stream is now highly viewable, in case anyone ever wanted to watch brasilian news, you can do it now with the MLS!
Apparently, too many people tried to watch the game and the bandwidth was cut.
I was watching for the audio.
But Ive never see a free online game before (legally)
well, there are only two teams in europe that I REALLY root for. Those are Arsenal and Bayern Munich...
So I'll be rooting for Bayern to make a crazy good run to the final!
If arsenal had Rosicky and Van persie... tottally different story, which is dissapointing. Next year boys!
and Makaay is my hero. I mean... 10 seconds? ridiculous.
So I'll be rooting for Bayern to make a crazy good run to the final!
If arsenal had Rosicky and Van persie... tottally different story, which is dissapointing. Next year boys!
and Makaay is my hero. I mean... 10 seconds? ridiculous.
Liverpool vs Valencia would be an interesting match, although one I would like to see in semifinals or in the final. The pairings I'd like to see:
Valencia vs Bayern Munich
AC Milan vs Man U
Liverpool vs Roma
Chelsea vs PSV
I'll be rooting for Valencia for now, as it is the last Spanish club still standing. Hopefully the repercussions of Navarro going Rocky on Burdisso will not affect the club's run for the cup.
Valencia vs Bayern Munich
AC Milan vs Man U
Liverpool vs Roma
Chelsea vs PSV
I'll be rooting for Valencia for now, as it is the last Spanish club still standing. Hopefully the repercussions of Navarro going Rocky on Burdisso will not affect the club's run for the cup.
wtf is this shit. out of the ±90mins psv maybe had about 10mins in which they could actually play some football, while creating a couple of chances. the rest of those 80 mins were dominated by arsenal but yet again, they failed to score any goals (own goal doesn't count). adebayor and fabregas had a couple of good chances and hleb...SHOOT THE GODDAMN BALL.
so basically i was already gearing up for extra time but psv, who imo, played an awful match, win by scoring a header out of a free-kick. AND THEN IT'S ALL OVER
no more arsenal and no more barca
((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((
so basically i was already gearing up for extra time but psv, who imo, played an awful match, win by scoring a header out of a free-kick. AND THEN IT'S ALL OVER
no more arsenal and no more barca
((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((
Mama Smurf
My penis is still intact.
Sorry, I said the draw was today, but that's because I had it in my head that yesterday was Thursday for some reason. The draw is actually tomorrow, at 11am GMT.
We shouldn't be too harsh on Arsenal, not that that's going to stop the press. Yes, their season has fallen apart, but it could have been so different.
They lost the League Cup to Chelsea, but played at least as well as their opposition and with what was largely a youth/reserve team. They could just have easily walked away with that cup as Chelsea.
They went out of the FA Cup to Blackburn, but even I can admit we were lucky. In the first leg we did the job we went there to do, and restricted Arsenal's chances, but in the second leg we really were outplayed. Barely had a strike aside from the one which took us through. Worst of all, for Arsenal, the first leg had a definite penalty not given and the second a quite possible penalty not given. If the referee had had a brain in his ****ing nut, Arsenal would be facing Man City this weekend instead.
In the Champions League, over the two legs they outplayed PSV. Plenty of chances, and if things had just swung slightly in their favour, they'd be through no problem. They could have easily scored 3 last night, and while they weren't brilliant away I think they could have picked up an away goal with those chances.
So you know...yeah, their season has fallen apart, but that's not from poor form. They've been playing well, and most of the time teams who have more of the balance of play will win their games. Arsenal are just unlucky enough to get a bunch of games in a row where the opposite happens at exactly the wrong time. It wouldn't have taken much for them to be sitting there with the league cup, an FA Cup quarter-final and a Champions League quarter-final ahead of them, and everyone full of praise.
I mean, look at United. They're like the opposite of Arsenal right now. Arsenal good form, somehow losing; Man Utd terrible form, somehow winning. What if United had drawn with Fulham and Liverpool, letting Chelsea catch them? What if Reading had completed that comeback against them in the FA Cup, which they almost did, and knocked them out? What if Lille had taken advantage of the chances they created? None of these things happened, so United can forget about them and look forward, but they almost all did and you could say should have. It'd be a trainwreck!
Anyway, there you go. Sometimes you just have a few games where you can't put the ball in the back of the net, and you have to hope that doesn't happen in the important fixtures. Unfortunately for Arsenal, it did.
We shouldn't be too harsh on Arsenal, not that that's going to stop the press. Yes, their season has fallen apart, but it could have been so different.
They lost the League Cup to Chelsea, but played at least as well as their opposition and with what was largely a youth/reserve team. They could just have easily walked away with that cup as Chelsea.
They went out of the FA Cup to Blackburn, but even I can admit we were lucky. In the first leg we did the job we went there to do, and restricted Arsenal's chances, but in the second leg we really were outplayed. Barely had a strike aside from the one which took us through. Worst of all, for Arsenal, the first leg had a definite penalty not given and the second a quite possible penalty not given. If the referee had had a brain in his ****ing nut, Arsenal would be facing Man City this weekend instead.
In the Champions League, over the two legs they outplayed PSV. Plenty of chances, and if things had just swung slightly in their favour, they'd be through no problem. They could have easily scored 3 last night, and while they weren't brilliant away I think they could have picked up an away goal with those chances.
So you know...yeah, their season has fallen apart, but that's not from poor form. They've been playing well, and most of the time teams who have more of the balance of play will win their games. Arsenal are just unlucky enough to get a bunch of games in a row where the opposite happens at exactly the wrong time. It wouldn't have taken much for them to be sitting there with the league cup, an FA Cup quarter-final and a Champions League quarter-final ahead of them, and everyone full of praise.
I mean, look at United. They're like the opposite of Arsenal right now. Arsenal good form, somehow losing; Man Utd terrible form, somehow winning. What if United had drawn with Fulham and Liverpool, letting Chelsea catch them? What if Reading had completed that comeback against them in the FA Cup, which they almost did, and knocked them out? What if Lille had taken advantage of the chances they created? None of these things happened, so United can forget about them and look forward, but they almost all did and you could say should have. It'd be a trainwreck!
Anyway, there you go. Sometimes you just have a few games where you can't put the ball in the back of the net, and you have to hope that doesn't happen in the important fixtures. Unfortunately for Arsenal, it did.
very true.
The problem is that it happened in a matter of a week and a half, and that's very difficult to take. 11 days ago we were going for 3 titles - and we have nothing to show for it. The fact that we should have won all 3 games because we were the better side does not make it any easier really. It feels like our season is over and it's only early March.
Well, we still have to make 3rd place in the Premiership, so that should be interesting. I still haven't quite given up hope for actually getting 2nd either. If we turn Chelsea over at home and they don't win against Man Utd we are only 2 points behind. But at the moment I can't really get excited about that.
The problem is that it happened in a matter of a week and a half, and that's very difficult to take. 11 days ago we were going for 3 titles - and we have nothing to show for it. The fact that we should have won all 3 games because we were the better side does not make it any easier really. It feels like our season is over and it's only early March.
Well, we still have to make 3rd place in the Premiership, so that should be interesting. I still haven't quite given up hope for actually getting 2nd either. If we turn Chelsea over at home and they don't win against Man Utd we are only 2 points behind. But at the moment I can't really get excited about that.
Mama Smurf
My penis is still intact.
BTW, when is Arsenal's money going to kick in? The money from the new stadium I mean. You're getting an extra 21,500 ticket sales a game over what you did at Highbury, is the money from that going to be available this season? Or is it all bring used to actually pay off the stadium for a while?
I mean, I would never want Wenger to stop buying the best youth players, but a bit of experience is sometimes necessary too. Now I'm not saying Wenger doesn't buy players like that anyway, he picked up Gallas last summer, but with more money comes the possibility of bringing in more of the very best.
There've been quite a few rumours about possible Arsenal targets recently, some of which are more interesting than others. Abidal has said he's like to go to Barcelona or Arsenal, but to be honest I wasn't all that impressed with him during the WC. Lots of players who I know are good had a bad world cup though, so maybe he's another one. You might need another left back, but I would have thought cover for Clichy rather than making Clichy cover for someone else. And I think that Traore guy is decent cover.
I think only one place has said this, so it might be bullshit, but Woodgate has been linked. I think he'd be a great buy. I like Eboue, but frankly he's a better winger than he is a defender. He's a decent defender, but much better going forward. Some teams like to play that way, but I've always felt that, first and foremost, defenders should be best at defending. So if you buy Woodgate, you can put Gallas (which would be my choice) or Toure (apparently Wenger's choice) at right back and pair the other one with Woodgate in the middle.
Eto'o has spoken about his admiration of Wenger and how he wouldn't mind playing for Arsenal. There's two big questions though...would Barcelona let him go, and if they're willing could Arsenal afford him? You know Chelsea and possibly Liverpool would be sniffing around, that's some tough competition. Still, if you could somehow get him...Henry, Eto'o, Van Persie, Adebayor? Freaking awesome.
This isn't a rumour, still just something I think would be sensible. Hargreaves. Denilson impresses me a lot, but the fact of the matter is he's barely turned 19. In his position he probably has at least a 15 year career ahead of him, I'd say it would be sensible to let him share his duties with someone more experienced who's at the height of their game NOW for 3 or 4 years until he's the best player he can be. And Hargreaves is the perfect guy for that. Whether he'll be available or not is interesting. Bayern have lost midfielders, but they have already brought in a couple of others for the summer, including Hamit Altıntop, who can play Hargreaves role (and I believe has been doing, for Schalke). So he might be, particularly if you offer Gilberto Silva in part exchange, but even then you'll have to fight off competition from United at the least.
Of course, I'm not sure you could afford all of those even if the money from the stadium is readily available. Hargreaves and Woodgate would set you back close to £30m and Eto'o must be at least the same amount alone.
Though...there is a lot of...well, I don't want to say deadweight, but Arsenal have quite a large squad and I think certain players could leave without hurting the squad, especially with such a strong youth system to bring in players if there's an extreme injury crisis. So there are funds to be raised, in addition to whatever money's available anyway. I would sell:
Senderos
Ljungberg
Reyes (actually sell him, don't keep Baptista in exchange)
Flamini
Gilberto Silva
Aliadiere
Hoyte (Justin)
Gilbert
Bendtner
Lupoli's already going to Fiorentina on a free transfer of course. Now these are just my estimates, you may disagree, but here's what I reckon you could get for each of them:
Senderos - £2.5m
Ljungberg - £3m
Reyes - £10m
Flamini - £4m
Gilberto Silva - £5m
Aliadiere - £2m
Hoyte - £1.5m
Gilbert - £1m
Bendtner - £3m
I have reasons for most of those, if you want to dispute them I'll explain my reasoning.
That's a nice £32m there. That would leave the squad like this:
GK
Lehman
Almunia
Poom
LB
Clichy
Traore
RB
Gallas
Eboue
CB
Toure
Djourou
Connolly
LM
Rosicky
Merida
RM
Hleb
Walcott
CM
Fabregas
Denilson
Diaby
Song
Randall
FW
Henry
Van Persie
Adebayor
Vela*
*well, as soon as he can get a work permit anyway, might not be next season
Obviously that's a little short in some areas, but the point is they'll then use the money they've gained to buy players. Plus a lot of those listed can play in multiple positions: Gallas, can play left back or centre back if needed, Toure can play right back, Rosicky and Merida can play central midfield, Walcott can play left wing or up front, Diaby can play left wing, Song can play centre back, Van Persie can play left wing.
Now they have a nice streamlined squad and can use their money to buy experience. I reckon they'd have at least £50m with the money that'd have anyway, plus the money from the sales, so they can buy Woodgate and Hargreaves, plus a striker. Ideally Eto'o, but that might be a pipe dream. I actually forgot the rumour linking them with Ryan Babel before, so if they can't buy a big name, get him. Definitely affordable at least.
Then the squad would look like this:
GK
Lehman
Almunia
Poom
LB
Clichy
Traore
RB
Gallas
Eboue
CB
Toure
Woodgate
Djourou
Connolly
LM
Rosicky
Merida
RM
Hleb
Walcott
CM
Fabregas
Hargreaves
Denilson
Diaby
Song
Randall
FW
Henry
Eto'o/Babel
Van Persie
Adebayor
Vela*
What do you think?
I mean, I would never want Wenger to stop buying the best youth players, but a bit of experience is sometimes necessary too. Now I'm not saying Wenger doesn't buy players like that anyway, he picked up Gallas last summer, but with more money comes the possibility of bringing in more of the very best.
There've been quite a few rumours about possible Arsenal targets recently, some of which are more interesting than others. Abidal has said he's like to go to Barcelona or Arsenal, but to be honest I wasn't all that impressed with him during the WC. Lots of players who I know are good had a bad world cup though, so maybe he's another one. You might need another left back, but I would have thought cover for Clichy rather than making Clichy cover for someone else. And I think that Traore guy is decent cover.
I think only one place has said this, so it might be bullshit, but Woodgate has been linked. I think he'd be a great buy. I like Eboue, but frankly he's a better winger than he is a defender. He's a decent defender, but much better going forward. Some teams like to play that way, but I've always felt that, first and foremost, defenders should be best at defending. So if you buy Woodgate, you can put Gallas (which would be my choice) or Toure (apparently Wenger's choice) at right back and pair the other one with Woodgate in the middle.
Eto'o has spoken about his admiration of Wenger and how he wouldn't mind playing for Arsenal. There's two big questions though...would Barcelona let him go, and if they're willing could Arsenal afford him? You know Chelsea and possibly Liverpool would be sniffing around, that's some tough competition. Still, if you could somehow get him...Henry, Eto'o, Van Persie, Adebayor? Freaking awesome.
This isn't a rumour, still just something I think would be sensible. Hargreaves. Denilson impresses me a lot, but the fact of the matter is he's barely turned 19. In his position he probably has at least a 15 year career ahead of him, I'd say it would be sensible to let him share his duties with someone more experienced who's at the height of their game NOW for 3 or 4 years until he's the best player he can be. And Hargreaves is the perfect guy for that. Whether he'll be available or not is interesting. Bayern have lost midfielders, but they have already brought in a couple of others for the summer, including Hamit Altıntop, who can play Hargreaves role (and I believe has been doing, for Schalke). So he might be, particularly if you offer Gilberto Silva in part exchange, but even then you'll have to fight off competition from United at the least.
Of course, I'm not sure you could afford all of those even if the money from the stadium is readily available. Hargreaves and Woodgate would set you back close to £30m and Eto'o must be at least the same amount alone.
Though...there is a lot of...well, I don't want to say deadweight, but Arsenal have quite a large squad and I think certain players could leave without hurting the squad, especially with such a strong youth system to bring in players if there's an extreme injury crisis. So there are funds to be raised, in addition to whatever money's available anyway. I would sell:
Senderos
Ljungberg
Reyes (actually sell him, don't keep Baptista in exchange)
Flamini
Gilberto Silva
Aliadiere
Hoyte (Justin)
Gilbert
Bendtner
Lupoli's already going to Fiorentina on a free transfer of course. Now these are just my estimates, you may disagree, but here's what I reckon you could get for each of them:
Senderos - £2.5m
Ljungberg - £3m
Reyes - £10m
Flamini - £4m
Gilberto Silva - £5m
Aliadiere - £2m
Hoyte - £1.5m
Gilbert - £1m
Bendtner - £3m
I have reasons for most of those, if you want to dispute them I'll explain my reasoning.
That's a nice £32m there. That would leave the squad like this:
GK
Lehman
Almunia
Poom
LB
Clichy
Traore
RB
Gallas
Eboue
CB
Toure
Djourou
Connolly
LM
Rosicky
Merida
RM
Hleb
Walcott
CM
Fabregas
Denilson
Diaby
Song
Randall
FW
Henry
Van Persie
Adebayor
Vela*
*well, as soon as he can get a work permit anyway, might not be next season
Obviously that's a little short in some areas, but the point is they'll then use the money they've gained to buy players. Plus a lot of those listed can play in multiple positions: Gallas, can play left back or centre back if needed, Toure can play right back, Rosicky and Merida can play central midfield, Walcott can play left wing or up front, Diaby can play left wing, Song can play centre back, Van Persie can play left wing.
Now they have a nice streamlined squad and can use their money to buy experience. I reckon they'd have at least £50m with the money that'd have anyway, plus the money from the sales, so they can buy Woodgate and Hargreaves, plus a striker. Ideally Eto'o, but that might be a pipe dream. I actually forgot the rumour linking them with Ryan Babel before, so if they can't buy a big name, get him. Definitely affordable at least.
Then the squad would look like this:
GK
Lehman
Almunia
Poom
LB
Clichy
Traore
RB
Gallas
Eboue
CB
Toure
Woodgate
Djourou
Connolly
LM
Rosicky
Merida
RM
Hleb
Walcott
CM
Fabregas
Hargreaves
Denilson
Diaby
Song
Randall
FW
Henry
Eto'o/Babel
Van Persie
Adebayor
Vela*
What do you think?
Cornballer
Member
Nice post, MamaSmurf. I'll weigh in with my thoughts here...
Ljungberg - I <3 Freddie, but his time may have come. The injuries this season have really hampered his abilities.
Reyes - I'd like to get rid of him. Hopefully we can get some good cash for him, but with his injuries, that may be a problem.
Flamini - I think he's useful in a few different positions, plays hard, and scores the odd goal. If he's ok with only making occasional appearances, I'd keep him around.
Gilberto Silva - One of our most important players this season. We need him around for leadership and versatility.
Aliadiere - Bye bye. He's sort of like Baptista in that there are flashes of brilliance followed by some very forgettable moments.
Hoyte (Justin) - His play has improved considerably over the course of the season. I'd wait a bit longer to see how he's coming along. I'm not ready to give up on him yet.
Gilbert - Not sure - I've never seen him play.
Bendtner - Sounds like a great prospect and is scoring lots of goals at Birmingham. Because his style and size (back to the goal, plus scores with his head), I think he'd be a valuable addition to our current strikers. I'd give him a run next season to see if he's up for it.
For the rest of the season, I think we'll learn a lot about the 'bubble' players that may or may not be out the door. Certainly guys like Aliadiere and Baptista will get lots of minutes, so they can decide their own fate. We have about 10 games left, so let's see what they're made of.
I've gotten the impression that we have a few more years with tighter purse strings before we're out of the woods. Not sure how long that'll be. The board and Wenger consistently note that there is a transfer kitty, but Wenger has been reluctant to use it.
Agreed. I think that some of the problems that we have (poor finishing and sloppy defending towards the end of matches) can be chalked up to youthful inexperience.
I think we're ok here. Traore is learning fast and Gallas can slot in if need be.
An experienced central defender would be a good thing. I think that Senderos is still a ways from being where he should be (and long term questions about his pace and passing ability limiting him from doing well in current Arsenal setup keep floating around), and Gallas has had injury problems. I'd prefer someone other than Gilberto playing CM when the injuries rack up and we don't have proper centerbacks.
I don't think we have to cash to bring Eto'o over. Most of what I've read suggests that Barca would only let him go to us in a swap deal for Henry + cash.
I think Gilberto has a few years left in him, so this isn't a total crisis yet. But yeah, someone like Hargreaves would be extremely useful. That being said, I think the money issue comes up again here - he's just too expensive.
Senderos - I'd give him more time to settle in. He's still very young.
Ljungberg - I <3 Freddie, but his time may have come. The injuries this season have really hampered his abilities.
Reyes - I'd like to get rid of him. Hopefully we can get some good cash for him, but with his injuries, that may be a problem.
Flamini - I think he's useful in a few different positions, plays hard, and scores the odd goal. If he's ok with only making occasional appearances, I'd keep him around.
Gilberto Silva - One of our most important players this season. We need him around for leadership and versatility.
Aliadiere - Bye bye. He's sort of like Baptista in that there are flashes of brilliance followed by some very forgettable moments.
Hoyte (Justin) - His play has improved considerably over the course of the season. I'd wait a bit longer to see how he's coming along. I'm not ready to give up on him yet.
Gilbert - Not sure - I've never seen him play.
Bendtner - Sounds like a great prospect and is scoring lots of goals at Birmingham. Because his style and size (back to the goal, plus scores with his head), I think he'd be a valuable addition to our current strikers. I'd give him a run next season to see if he's up for it.
For the rest of the season, I think we'll learn a lot about the 'bubble' players that may or may not be out the door. Certainly guys like Aliadiere and Baptista will get lots of minutes, so they can decide their own fate. We have about 10 games left, so let's see what they're made of.
Mama Smurf
My penis is still intact.
You have so many players in some of those positions though, many of whom are about as good as each other. I mean, Flamini, Song, Randall? They're not only competing with each other, they have Silva, Denilson and Diaby ahead of them for sure. Why not sell one or two who'll get you the most money?
Cornballer
Member
One more quick note. Good to hear that Alex is actually a Chelsea player. *cries*
Also, he really got up there for the goal he scored. Wowsers.
Also, he really got up there for the goal he scored. Wowsers.
excellent post Mama. The money is slowly but surely starting to kick in just about now I think - Arsenal are getting in an additional 2 million pounds per game in the new stadium IIRC, and with the debt being handled intelligently there will be cash available this summer.
I don't think it will be a huge amount compared to the other top clubs, but decent. Probably around 20 million or so. So I think big signings like Eto'o are not going to happen, at least I would be surprised. Personally I think Lehmann is going to quit Arsenal in the summer, so we will need a keeper. Carrson has been rumoured a few weeks ago - but I would prefer Shay Given to be honest. Buffon was rumoured a while back too, but I think he's going to stay at Juventus. I'd be quite sad to see Mad Jens go, we'll see agrees to the offered contract after all.
In defence I would like to at least loan Senderos out, preferably sell him and get a decent back up centreback in. Of course I would like to see a quality player like Woodgate coming in, especially since he's English and it would shut a few people up. I am still unsure if he wants to leave Middlesbrough though, but we shall see. Keep Hoyte, as he can play both left and right back and he has impressed me a lot this season. I think he could be a regular starter in the best line up in 2 - 3 years time. He's already been out on loan at Sunderland for a year.
In midfield I wouldn't really change too much to be honest. The only reason when we should get active would be if Freddy decides to leave, or if Wenger decides it's time for him to leave. However, with Babel likely to join that shouldn't be too much of a blow. He can play on the left wing and is right footed, so I'm sure he could play right as well if required. He can also play upfront which is a nice back up to have I'd say.
Central midfield is probably our strongest position at the moment. Gilberto is unlikely to leave the club any time soon, and we have Denilson and Diaby that can play in the same position. I am especially expecting a lot of good things from Diaby next season, it will be the first time he will have a proper preparation for a season with Arsenal. Denilson is a great talent, but only 18 as you say. I think Wenger will give him the necessary time to develop once everybody is fit I would say. Both of them can also play when Fabregas doesn't start - and there's still Rosicky that can play in the centre too. Hleb could too if absolutely required I suppose. Song has been doing well on loan at Charlton btw and will be back at the end of the season - he will be an option too.
Now upfront is definitely a tricky one. Will we keep Baptista and Aliadiere? Will Henry be back to his best after all the injuries he's had? I think we should rest him for the rest of the season to be honest, or for however long is possible at least. It's clear that he was at no point in this season anywhere near to being fully fit - that needs to change for next year.
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need to leave work now and will finish my post soon ...
I don't think it will be a huge amount compared to the other top clubs, but decent. Probably around 20 million or so. So I think big signings like Eto'o are not going to happen, at least I would be surprised. Personally I think Lehmann is going to quit Arsenal in the summer, so we will need a keeper. Carrson has been rumoured a few weeks ago - but I would prefer Shay Given to be honest. Buffon was rumoured a while back too, but I think he's going to stay at Juventus. I'd be quite sad to see Mad Jens go, we'll see agrees to the offered contract after all.
In defence I would like to at least loan Senderos out, preferably sell him and get a decent back up centreback in. Of course I would like to see a quality player like Woodgate coming in, especially since he's English and it would shut a few people up. I am still unsure if he wants to leave Middlesbrough though, but we shall see. Keep Hoyte, as he can play both left and right back and he has impressed me a lot this season. I think he could be a regular starter in the best line up in 2 - 3 years time. He's already been out on loan at Sunderland for a year.
In midfield I wouldn't really change too much to be honest. The only reason when we should get active would be if Freddy decides to leave, or if Wenger decides it's time for him to leave. However, with Babel likely to join that shouldn't be too much of a blow. He can play on the left wing and is right footed, so I'm sure he could play right as well if required. He can also play upfront which is a nice back up to have I'd say.
Central midfield is probably our strongest position at the moment. Gilberto is unlikely to leave the club any time soon, and we have Denilson and Diaby that can play in the same position. I am especially expecting a lot of good things from Diaby next season, it will be the first time he will have a proper preparation for a season with Arsenal. Denilson is a great talent, but only 18 as you say. I think Wenger will give him the necessary time to develop once everybody is fit I would say. Both of them can also play when Fabregas doesn't start - and there's still Rosicky that can play in the centre too. Hleb could too if absolutely required I suppose. Song has been doing well on loan at Charlton btw and will be back at the end of the season - he will be an option too.
Now upfront is definitely a tricky one. Will we keep Baptista and Aliadiere? Will Henry be back to his best after all the injuries he's had? I think we should rest him for the rest of the season to be honest, or for however long is possible at least. It's clear that he was at no point in this season anywhere near to being fully fit - that needs to change for next year.
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need to leave work now and will finish my post soon ...
Mama Smurf
My penis is still intact.
There's zero chance of Newcastle letting Given go, and he only signed a contract at the start of this seaosn for the next 5 years. He's going to be mid-30s before you have any chance, well after Lehman is gone. Go for Carson, though I think Lehman will stick it out another year.
Cornballer
Member
There was also a rumor that we were going after PSV's keeper Gomes, but their deal with Chelsea may not let that happen.Mama Smurf said:
Looking at the CM position, we have Fabregas, Silva, Denilson, Diaby, Flamini, Song, and Randall. I get the impression that Randall isn't ready yet, and Song may need some more loan-time as well. That leaves five players for two spots, which I'm fine with. Unless we have the opportunity to bring in quality, experienced replacements, I don't see a need to let any of them go quite yet.
Mama Smurf
My penis is still intact.
Almost all of them are defensive midfielders though, at least primarily.
It's the UEFA Cup tonight, not that anyone cares.
Braga v Tottenham, 21:35
Celta Vigo v Werder Bremen, 19:45
Lens v Bayer Leverkusen, 18:00
Maccabi Haifa v Espanyol, 18:45
Newcastle v AZ, 19:30
PSG v Benfica, 19:45
Rangers v Osasuna, 20:05
Sevilla v Shakhtar Donetsk, 19:45
Not very appealing fixtures. I'll keep half an eye on the Premiership teams though.
Hopefully these teams will go through and things might get interesting:
Tottenham
Werder Bremen
Lens
Espanyol
Newcastle
Benfica
Rangers
Sevilla
It's the UEFA Cup tonight, not that anyone cares.
Braga v Tottenham, 21:35
Celta Vigo v Werder Bremen, 19:45
Lens v Bayer Leverkusen, 18:00
Maccabi Haifa v Espanyol, 18:45
Newcastle v AZ, 19:30
PSG v Benfica, 19:45
Rangers v Osasuna, 20:05
Sevilla v Shakhtar Donetsk, 19:45
Not very appealing fixtures. I'll keep half an eye on the Premiership teams though.
Hopefully these teams will go through and things might get interesting:
Tottenham
Werder Bremen
Lens
Espanyol
Newcastle
Benfica
Rangers
Sevilla
Cornballer
Member
True. We might be able to offload at least one of them. I think I'm just gun shy about losing depth after all the injury problems Arsenal have had this season.Mama Smurf said:
hadareud said:
Having Ljunberg replaced by Babel won't do you any good, believe me. I see him play every week, and he is probably the most overrated player in the Dutch competition. In fact, he's not rated very highly in The Netherlands, he's just been hyped in English media as far as I can tell. Newcastle would want to sign him too, and quite frankly, I don't think he's good enough for them, let alone Arsenal. His first touch is atrocious, he isn't very technically gifted, doesn't have a lot of insight in the game and basically only has one 'attacking move' which most defender can easily adept to. He is good at shooting from outside the box though, but that hardly makes up for all the basic qualities he doesn't have. On top of that, when he plays he's the left striker in a 4-3-3 formation, which is quite different from what Arsenal plays. I don't think he fits Arsenal, at all. Also, he almost never ever plays on the right side of the pitch.
Hadareud said:
Chelsea has nothing to do with Gomes. Currently, the only two PSV players that have a connection with Chelsea are the Brazilians Alex and Alcides (both on loan). That's it (atleast for the moment, rumours have it Chelsea is willing to loan out Kalou to PSV).
Mama Smurf said:
I care.
Most fixtures are quite appealing actually, to me atleast. Still some nice teams in the running. I'll be watching the Newcastle - AZ match, should be interesting. I actually expect AZ to win, they've been doing pretty great under Van Gaal (and Adriaanse previously), though there main weakness is their defense (it is shockingly bad I must say). Also, Dutch teams generally play well against English teams (PSV anyone
), so I'm quite optimistic about AZ's chances of progressing.I'm also looking forward to seeing Sevilla take Donetsk apart.
Mama Smurf
My penis is still intact.
23 minutes gone, 3-0 to Newcastle.
Mama Smurf
My penis is still intact.
3-1.
So this is what happens when two teams who can't defend play each other.
EDIT: 4-1
So this is what happens when two teams who can't defend play each other.
EDIT: 4-1
Mama Smurf
My penis is still intact.
The game finished 4-2. Tottenham are away to Braga now, but it's strangely subdued. Maybe the teams feel the way I do, that it's bloody bizarre to kick off a game at 9.35pm, makes me feel tired for some reason. Most of them are just coasting round, barely moving.
I'm spending more time trying to see the stadium, which appears to have been built in a quarry.
EDIT: :lol I was joking, but I just looked it up and:
I'm spending more time trying to see the stadium, which appears to have been built in a quarry.
EDIT: :lol I was joking, but I just looked it up and:
Haha Mama Smurf, I told you AZ's defense was bad. 
That Jaliens bloke in particular, what a disgrace to European Football he is. AZ should be lucky it only ended in 4-2. A 2-0 win at home isn't impossible, but AZ knowing they'll probably concede 2 goals before they start scoring goals themselves.:lol
Disappointing 2-2 at the Sevilla match. Benfica losing to PSG.
That Jaliens bloke in particular, what a disgrace to European Football he is. AZ should be lucky it only ended in 4-2. A 2-0 win at home isn't impossible, but AZ knowing they'll probably concede 2 goals before they start scoring goals themselves.:lol Disappointing 2-2 at the Sevilla match. Benfica losing to PSG.
Cornballer
Member
Crazy.
Estádio Municipal de Braga Stadium was created on the mountainside by levelling down a pit of the mountain Monte Castro and served as a hosting venue for the Euro 2004 tournament.
One tribune has been literally inserted and placed against the hill, while the other tribune stands free along the mountain's declivity. On the other side, the rocks have been excavated and there are no tribunes that hide the beautiful scenery of the valley. Accordingly, the stadium becomes part of the mountain.
In order to have the project executed with great precision, granite rock was removed through a series of small explosions. The space that was successively created supports the tribune that consists of two levels of tiers. On the other hand, the opposite tribune is supported by 16 centrings of reinforced concrete - it is particularly characterized by three circular galleries through which horizontal walk ways were inserted.
The entrances to the tribunes reflect heterogeneity: while one tribune is accessible at the bottom, the other one (that is placed against the hill) is accessible at the top. The height difference between the two tribunes equals 40 meters (131 feet).
The tiers are covered by a structure of steel cables which are tightened between the two tribunes. They go across the entire playing field and resemble the ancient and rusticated bridges that were constructed by the Incas.
The stadium offers an unusual and innovative frame. First, it was built in harmony into a natural environment characterized by granite walls on one side and an open space on the other, offering a natural scenery in proximity to the playing field. Second, the stadium is not conventional because it does not have stands behind the goals, which is an architectural choice that greatly deviates from the traditional European method. Architect Eduardo Souto de Moura counter-argued with a statement of large stature; moving his hand from left to right and vice versa, he said: "According to me football (soccer) is watched like this!".
Estádio Municipal de Braga Stadium was created on the mountainside by levelling down a pit of the mountain Monte Castro and served as a hosting venue for the Euro 2004 tournament.
One tribune has been literally inserted and placed against the hill, while the other tribune stands free along the mountain's declivity. On the other side, the rocks have been excavated and there are no tribunes that hide the beautiful scenery of the valley. Accordingly, the stadium becomes part of the mountain.
In order to have the project executed with great precision, granite rock was removed through a series of small explosions. The space that was successively created supports the tribune that consists of two levels of tiers. On the other hand, the opposite tribune is supported by 16 centrings of reinforced concrete - it is particularly characterized by three circular galleries through which horizontal walk ways were inserted.
The entrances to the tribunes reflect heterogeneity: while one tribune is accessible at the bottom, the other one (that is placed against the hill) is accessible at the top. The height difference between the two tribunes equals 40 meters (131 feet).
The tiers are covered by a structure of steel cables which are tightened between the two tribunes. They go across the entire playing field and resemble the ancient and rusticated bridges that were constructed by the Incas.
The stadium offers an unusual and innovative frame. First, it was built in harmony into a natural environment characterized by granite walls on one side and an open space on the other, offering a natural scenery in proximity to the playing field. Second, the stadium is not conventional because it does not have stands behind the goals, which is an architectural choice that greatly deviates from the traditional European method. Architect Eduardo Souto de Moura counter-argued with a statement of large stature; moving his hand from left to right and vice versa, he said: "According to me football (soccer) is watched like this!".
Mama Smurf
My penis is still intact.
Tottenham are cruising through this, Braga are no good. Two away goals basically ends the tie.
Oh wait, it's a penalty to Braga. Maybe it's not completely over just yet...but Braga suck so Spurs will still go through.
EDIT: I'm a curse, it's 2-2.
...they still suck.
Oh wait, it's a penalty to Braga. Maybe it's not completely over just yet...but Braga suck so Spurs will still go through.
EDIT: I'm a curse, it's 2-2.
...they still suck.
Squirrel Killer
Member
3-2 now Mama.Mama Smurf said:
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