Hello and welcome to this week’s round-up.
First up this week is the tragic end to a season we were all just getting into. We saw the introduction of a new attacking front in the shape of Santi, Giroud and Podolski and while there were teething problems, the team found its stride and finished the season on an impressive run of results, by any measure. In brief, we started the season in a very uptight and defence-focused fashion. It was working from a defensive point of view but the balance was wrong. Despite many good performances, our forwards were in at the deep end and struggling to find each other. In these tougher times, Theo Walcott can take a lot of credit for turning up with some vital goals. We climbed the table but were still off the pace with our rivals. It took the week of weeks to turn our season around and, despite only winning one of three huge games, it seemed to be the slap in the chops that the players needed. We lost to Bayern at home, we lost to them, and we went and beat Bayern in Munich. We were out of the Champions League but we took from it the confidence to believe. Sixteen unbeaten games later and we’re dining at the top table for another season.
37 games in and we were just a point above the spuds and and two behind the chavs. We had to go to Newcastle and the game was as tense as any of the scoreless draws from early in the season. The passing and movement were restricted by fear of failure and creativity was the ultimate casualty. Mikel Arteta had started the game but didn’t see out the first half due to injury. For a moment, if you forgot the crushing weight of history supporting the contrary, you might have thought that Champions League football would be beyond us. Thoughts like these, of course, will pass and be proven as nothing more than irrational nonsense. When Laurent Koscielny decides it’s time to qualify, we qualify. Kos scored with an audacious volley which managed to make the keeper look a bit of a tit on his last day in the job. Then came a deluge of fuel for the fire that is Tottnum’s never-ending embarrassment. Word went out across White Hart Lane that we had conceded and Michael Dawson was on his knees. Daniel Levy had tears in his eyes. These are moments to savour. You grandchildren will one day turn to you and say ‘Tell us the one about the time Newcastle equalised on the last day’. As expected by most, all three contenders for the two qualification spots won their games. So, by a point, we have achieved the goal which may have once been the minimum requirement but became an apparently insurmountable task. The players who had been labelled as flops did what they could to directly answer their critics by celebrating in the tiniest of pants. This is not something of which we approve, over here at the Round-Up HQ. Certain staff members have spoken of feelings of inadequacy.
Several players have been speaking about their ambitions for next season. Olivier Giroud’s desire to progress further in Europe, coupled with Theo’s desire to push for domestic success, are just harmonies over a symphony of positivity and ambition coming out of the club. Even the most pessimistic fan can only find disgruntlement in which of the world’s best strikers we may sign. Again, I don’t like to speculate on baseless rumours but I couldn’t resist this one. There is talk that this will be the first transfer in which we don’t hear that Arsene Wenger is a “long-time-admirer” of Solomon Kalou. We haven’t won a trophy since those lies were published this potential non-link should be seen as the clearest sign yet that Arsenal are ready to push for glory next season.
Arsene Wenger spoke this week about Santi Cazorla’s season and was very clear in his views that he should have been selected in the Premier League team of the season. Wenger’s innocence on the matter is, while endearing, extremely naive. If Santi was to be selected, then Mikel Arteta and other Arsenal players would also expect to be considered. Santi represents the thin end of the wedge. You let one in, before you know it, the Premier League XI are wearing red with white sleeves for convenience.
And finally, the enigmatic little genius that is Andrei Arshavin has bid farewell to the club. As a free agent, the Russian will be free sign for any club lucky enough to catch his eye. Not everybody liked Arshavin, but then not everybody likes The Beatles or Fruit Pastilles. Some players work hard while others work smart and Andrei spent the majority of his career in column B. From his four goal thriller in Anfield to his delicate cross to set up Thierry’s goal against Leeds, Arshavin entertained and will always have a place in the hearts of many Arsenal fans. Good luck, little dude.
That’s all for this week, thanks for reading.
Up the Arsenal!
Positively Arsenal 
Goodmorning B7. Amusing writeup. Gets better week after week. Have we signed any 40 million strikers yet.?? Come on.
Go Arsene
Go Ivan.
Go Stan. just do it. Piss it away. We are in the money…. ( smiley)
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I want to see Aw, Ivan and Stan chicken legs in those shorts. In fact I would pay to see that.
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good job no.7
i have not been here for some time. going back to read some of those i have missed.
morning everyone.
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wtf ? williams to arsenal?
why oh why? what happens to vermaelen now..I hate the silly season.
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playing Vermaelen in the mid is one solution probably..but we have so many good midfielders who will he replace..
why take out an already settled in player (who happens to be the captain) and replace him with a new one. just because his form dipped over half a season? really? and vermaelen is a very young player one should remember.
we should make sure we are getting a lot of money for him and he goes to a club where he plays regularly.
not another summer with our captain gone eh?
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wonderful posts like this are not enough to curtail all the madness this silly season brings..i need matches!!
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You have a skip and a shimmy in your step B7 – it is Spring
If we were new born lambs we would be gamboling in the field, our sweet little faces peering up at the sun, playful, safe, nibbling at the fresh shoots and sustained by mother’s milk
All is well with the Arsenal world
However B7 I have never, ever met anyone who does not like fruit pastilles
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Lovely number 7, Arshavin? I just wanna see him smiling again as long as its not playing in the PL against us, that book that Arsene said he’s going to write one day will have a chapter dedicated to the little genius, whatever went on, the player & manager are to blame-what percentage and to which individual,without the facts is impossible to nail really, just sad.
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Yup great Stuff B7.
I concur about Arshavin. I was inordinantly fond of the little fella, not just ‘cos he was a special, special footballer, but he seemed a fairly modest chap despite his gifts. Shame it never worked out in the long run. Mind you that’s Arsene’s fault as well of course. Some bloke said so on a blog not so long ago. It must be true.
The transfer window!! has it even opened yet? god knows t’s been breathless excitement so farzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
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When the expert say we never buy star players of spend money,I ask,WTF do you think Andrey was?
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B7 – Lovely stuff especially your tickling George’s tits at the end (Insert banned smiley).
Fun and joke aside, we will miss the best of the little Russian. So sad it came to such a rocky end.
I am so happy you ignored the temptation to bite at the transfer tittle-tattle in your piece. A blogger, whom we both follow Twitter, made the observation yesterday that by simply putting Jovetic in the headline he had five (5) times more traffic than a post doing a season round-up. At PA we will have a hell of a time countering the inevitable nonsense and negativity as Wenger and the club ignore the demands of the media and our brainwashed fans to “send a message” by “spending some freakin money.”
Over to you George. You will have to be at your ninja best.
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Thanks guys for your typically generous comments.
Arsh23- I think Arteta, Busquets and Javi Martinez are top players in that position because if their intelligence and vision. I believe these are the two qualities on which Vermaelen falls down. Not a midfielder, in my opinion.
Shotta- Jovetic? I have never heard of Jovetic, little bit.
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Nice one, bradyesque
“The players who had been labelled as flops did what they could to directly answer their critics by celebrating in the tiniest of pants.”
Damn. I missed that. Anyone got pictures?
@ goonerkam May 24, 2013 at 8:50 am
“I want to see Aw, Ivan and Stan chicken legs in those shorts. In fact I would pay to see that.”
ha ha ha! That’s a tough look to rock. Maybe Ivan could pull it off.
@ AA23
It’s just transfer chatter, the aim is to generate clicks, it means nothing. (But I can’t see TV as a midfielder either.)
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And bad luck Frimpong. Poor guy.
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Has Frimpong been released or something?
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He’s having another operation for a knee injury.
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Out for a couple of months it says – should be Ok for the start of the next campaign (wherever that is)
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if Denilson and Frimpong come back and Aneke is promoted, do we really need additions to the midfield?
If Ryo and Campbell come back, do we really need additions to the attack? And Afobe is promoted
If Miquel is promoted with Yanneris and Sagnaand TV stay, do we really need additions to the defence?
If all our keepers stay put, do we really need additions to the Keepers?
Just wondering…
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Good roundup, B7.
“The players who had been labelled as flops did what they could to directly answer their critics by celebrating in the tiniest of pants.” For your American readers, that’s the British definition of “pants” (smiley)
Pictures, FG? Hell, yes, I’ve got pictures. Courtesy of one Olivier Giroud. (Please let this link work, or it’s going to ruin the joke.)
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Nice one Br7, I too am sad that the season is over. But every time i miss the football i can remember the ghost goal and appreciate the poetry to the ending of the second season of 5pur2. The gift that keeps on giving. Where will the next chapter take us? Who knows but at least there won’t be ghost written statements on a fake website to us ‘guys’ this summer.
–
Good questions TS. I don’t know the answers but I do know (and so does everyone else!) that Campbell and Ryo are quick. With Chambo possibly playing somewhere in CM more and more there may be room for either or both Campbell and Ryo to spend the season in N5. I’m guessing that Gnabry might go on loan before he gets a mini run here or there.
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In moderation,huh? I knew I shouldn’t have linked that photo. Damn you, Olivier.
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what are they holding is there a trophy fir 4th after all?
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arshavin23, i dont believe buying williams will spell the for tv5 with us. rather i feel wenger want a compatible partner for our captain. its almost impossible to play kos and tv togethr as both of them are too similar in syle. if we end up buying william, i see us rotating between kosacker and vermilliams.
it afford them the chance to form a strong chemisty on and off the pitch. we can decide on any partnership depending on the opposition. or maybe one during the week and another on saturday.
i want tv to stay as he is a top top top quality. i still fondly remember his first season with us.
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the only thing i have against willians is that he looks rather heavy to me.
and………….. he took the band from my boy.
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We wont sign Williams.
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I guess it’s more than filling “positions” for Wenger with factors along the lines of chemistry, synergy, big game mentality, special or unusual qualities, lock-picking ability, speed, passing and ball skills, physical attributes, plus character. Not all upcoming players that have been relieved of contract have been short of skill, maybe just didn’t fit the game-plan at the time. So it is for Denilson, Aneke, Campbell, Ryo, Afobe, Yennaris, Miquel, Bellerin, Eisfeld, Frimpong, Gnabry and others. Some will go or continue on loan, a few will be drafted in for specific reasons, some will be sold. I expect 2 purchases, maybe 3. For us, its complete guesswork, no doubt every player also has a file of personal stats that reveal a lot, aside from observation of progress.
That said, reading others more knowledgeable the front runners seem to be Eisfeld (attacking mid), Miquel (whom I really like the look of, as a centre-back), Frimps (midfield, specific qualities, but will find it hard to break in), Campbell (striker or right wing it seems) and maybe Ryo (left, and fast). Gnabry depends. Yennaris probably on loan, but looked hugely impressive when used, so maybe not, but its a position well served. I’m quite sure by now that Wenger has deliberately kept Denilson on the books to see how he progresses in Brazil, as an option. Could go either way. I would guess Coq will stick around for another season, but thereafter maybe not if he can’t break in.
Ryo, improbably fast, seems to have comparable shortcomings to early Theo, more speed than smart football, OK at lower levels but not quite ready; but maybe as a stopgap and lesser cups. But he had an injured season I thought. Frimps might have problems with this injury, and would presumably compete with Coq, but maybe not, he does have special qualities. Campbell appears a certainty to me, and might be developed in much the same way as Ox. Eisfeld also seems about ready, potentially Tomas understudy (?) in a way. He looked very composed the one time I saw him.
Which all goes to show …. I really don’t know!
On which note, Ox as a future centre striker?
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what are the players in the pix holding?
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Koscielny’s’ MotM award, I think, TS?
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@layksite, that’s a stumbling block for me on Williams, too. Although Aaron seems to get on well with him anyway. I’m the one that’s bitter..
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They’re holding a photo of Dawson crying with joy when “Arsenal conceded” against Newcastle.
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george knows then.
coreman is a cunt. they are getting along well because ramsey is class and great person
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what is this thing about EL winner qualifying for CL. isnt it right for winner to defend their title?
chavs should be made to defend the title they won.
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@ alabamagooner May 24, 2013 at 1:25 pm
Thank you , thank you, thank you!
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@ Team Spirit
They’re holding one of Kos’s balls of steel.
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Off topic.
If your child went missing, would you want the whole World to stop and look for them?
Tomorrow 25th of May is Missing children’s day and I politely ask that you follow the link and donate if you can, this is a global event and charities dedicated to finding our missing children need you support.
https://www.missingpeople.org.uk/missing-people/young-people/international-missing-childrens-day
Thankyou.
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ok then… i get it. truly well done to kos
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I’m taking a different tack this summer, I’m not going to read anything Arsenal related until the pre-season.
By the way, the best thing to have happened this season was the emergence of a little blog called Positively Arsenal. I love our little corner of the Internet and its lovely cast of characters. Thank you all for making following Arsenal that much of a pleasure.
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Good work B7 – in fact all the posts this week have been top notch, especially Stew’s piece yesterday, which is first class.
So transfer silly season is well upon us all. Deep joy.
Deep, deep breath.
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B7
I disagree. TV has all the right tools to be a fantastic DMF or a classic boxtobox. I have been thinking and saying that for a year and half now. Not saying he is not a good CB ,MIND. NOR LB.. but he does have what it takes to play in front of defenders..
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Hear hear G69…POSITIVELY ARSENAL rocks!
I feel so much @ peace here.
Goodbye Andrey Arshavin
It was great having you in the red & white
Thanks for the wonderful memories & best of luck to you….Czar.
I can’t imagine us getting rid of TV5.
He’s still got most of what it takes to be one of our 1st choice CBs.
Once he learns how to manage his intensity better, his positioning/decision making will improve.
I agree with Brady7 that he’s really not a CM, and with the idea that a new partner might unlock the greatness within. He might be better off as vice-captain to Arteta too just to reduce the intensity.
ZP, I’m eager to see who makes it too among our young guns. Always had a soft spot for Nico. His composure is probably his strongest suit.
I’m tipping Campbell, Ryo, Yennaris, Miquel, Eisfeld, Frimpong & Gnabry to break into the 1st team btw 2013-15 seasons.
Who we add to the mix this summer is up to those that can. I’m going to try to keep some distance too like Gains.
There’s enough going on elsewhere in the EPL
Feels like a new era
Bet the trolls will still enjoy themselves…
RASERS.
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Oh & the same goes for Gervinho.
Too unique to quit on yet.
2013-14 would be his first full season with us.
Needs to stabilize his finishing
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OLIVIER
You efing legend. The ladies must be having a mini heat attack.
Thank you BAMA…..
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@FUNGUNNER 429
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. THE BEST. always
I think you of all people are going to frame that photo to display in your ” game room ” . Next to the foosball table. Excellent..
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@goonerkam @6:22
Always ready to help when I can. No one should comment, of course, on how quickly I was able to locate that photo on my phone.
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Hahahaha. More power to you young lady…
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“When Laurent Koscielny decides it’s time to qualify, we qualify.”
Great post to round off the week. You had me laughing out loud!
“The players who had been labelled as flops did what they could to directly answer their critics by celebrating in the tiniest of pants.”
“Damn. I missed that. Anyone got pictures?”
FG, I was so close to posting it as ‘something for the ladies’ when I first saw it, but I resisted. Thankfully good old alabamagooner had it saved to her favourites!
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Passenal, I particularly wanted to post the twitter link so everyone could see that it was Olivier himself who first tweeted that picture out. And people think he doesn’t run his own twitter account. Man, you gotta love the French. They’re not a shy bunch…
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TV will never be a holding MF as long as the has a hole in his arse.
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George – you have mail.
Brady – you have written another great and entertaining post.
George – how the hell do you know whether TV will make a great midfielder or not? Having never seen him play there I mean. Henry was a winger. Arteta not a defensive midfielder, Petit was a centre back. Don’t discount the possibility.
Alabama – stop posting your soft porn you strumpet.
Andrew – Ta
Etc
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Great stuff B7.
Steww, brilliant yesteday.
I agree with G69, this has blog has been one of the best things to happen to Arsenal this season. The support is 2nd to none, the writing likewise and you don’t have to scroll by a bunch of comments (kinda messes with the eyes), many of the comments could be one of the daily write ups.
By the way, is Darius still around?
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