It appears the transfer window is going to close with Arsenal making just the one signing, that of Petr Cech.
The disappointment of the majority of fans is clear. They wanted more.
They see what they think are weaknesses and can’t understand why these weaknesses have not be addressed. Which is fair enough really because every fan wants to see the team getting stronger and more competitive. Every fan, all of us. To dismiss this feeling of being let down is stupidity. It exists and as such it can’t be ignored.
I read things like this all the time:
“You are not telling me with £70 million we can’t buy someone better than Flamini.”
Well actually no one is telling them that – because we could.
Then you get:
“If you can’t get world class, you strengthen the squad.”
Now this is when it gets tricky, because this is logic that is undeniable.
It’s a fact that if you replace any player in the squad with a better player, then the chances of winning are increased. The only possible argument against this is that squad harmony could be upset and the famous “cohesion” might be weakened. But that’s a very flimsy argument to say the least. So why not give ourselves the best possible chance of winning?
It’s simple right?
Unfortunately, it’s anything but simple. It never is.
Let’s run with the £70 million figure that seems to be doing the rounds.
If we had used that to buy – let’s say Benzema – that might have given us a 25% (ok, I know I’m pulling figures out of thin air, but bear with me) better chance of winning the league. That’s decent value and money that might be well spent. However, we couldn’t get him. Or Lewandowski or Cavani or Aguero. In fact no one who would increase the chances of winning by that sort of margin.
So let’s say instead we bought Schneiderlin, he is better than Flamini.
Right?
But he is not a DM and so would he be better than Coquelin?
So would he play? Yes he would have been cover, but he might have increased our chances of winning by 1% or 2%. So the outlay must be compared to how much of a better chance it gives us.
Whether we like it or not, football is a business and has to adhere to the basic rules of business and ‘value for money’ is one of those rules.
Someone, be that Arsene, Stan, Ivan or anyone, has to decide how the money is best used.
With transfer inflation it might just be that we can only buy one world class player every other year.
The only thing I know for sure is that I don’t know all the facts and so I can’t really draw any worthwhle conclusions as to why we have not spent more in this particular window.
It looks like we were willing to, but couldn’t find the player or players that would meaningfully increase our chances.
We march on as we are.
Positively Arsenal 
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Right I am on Hornsey Road, pitchfork and flaming torch in hand, rope knotted ….
And I am on my own ffs !
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I am annoyed we didn’t sign Bale, and disappointed that Pogba slipped through our fingers. On the plus side I still can’t believe we signed Cech and have a sneaky feeling that Joel Campbell may prove far more valuable than many choose to imagine. On balance I think I am more than happy.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-B5vCLAoqw
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If only we were still at the level of our former rivals Spurs.
Because then we could probably have found players in every position, twice over, to strengthen the squad.
Unfortunately, the closer to the top a club gets (and we’re not there yet, quite), the number of players available that would strengthen us diminish, pretty much exponentially. Arguably most of the top players that might improve us, almost by definition, are already settled in nicely at the top clubs.
Yup, disappointing but I draw more than mere crumbs of comfort from the fact that Arsenal are not spraying valuable funds around like confetti.
With our powder dry for another day, I cast an eye over the comedy side of Manchester and see LvG has bet, if not the family silver, the remnants of his reputation and credibility on a mega £30+ million purchase of a largely untested and untried 19 year old. At that cost he needs to hit the ground running but not only is he as green as the day is long, but he’s new to one of the most competitive leagues on the planet.
Good luck young fella, LvG is gonna need it.
I draw comfort and encouragement also from the stability of our squad, the absence of the lurid Chelsea-style headlines that threaten to sink the final vestiges of the club’s veneer-thin dignity beneath Jose’s waves of blame and retribution.
Not waving, but blaming, indeed.
Finally I draw comfort from our acquisition of a proven world class goalkeeper, a purchase that appears to have, at least in part, and by way of a delightful cost-free bonus, triggered Jose’s ongoing Blues meltdown.
It all could be an awful lot worse.
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Gunnervision @Gunner_vision 16m16 minutes ago
Biggest loser in the transfer window is Giroud. He gives his all and is far better than people give him credit for. He’ll be a scapegoat
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Thank you Arsene for steering well clear of the madness. Now let the football begin.
Thank you George for the post and to all the denizens of PA, keep the fire burning.
Ps: bellends, I think you’re in the wrong ward.
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Ah! I see he’s already been shown the door!! Bravo PG!
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This is comedy gold. One thing is for sure this is either going to end really nice or really bad. Kudos to Arsene for having the balls to do that in these times of consumerism and largesse. He has trolled the trolls and if the gods have any decency they will bless him for that. It feels strangely invigorating and I can’t imagine how fired up the squad is. They will have point to prove no doubt
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well I will say that I’m extremely disappointed with our lack of signings, but despite what the AAA/WOB would have us believe, saying Benzema, Cavani, Reus, or any other world class player was available, does not make it true, when the window closes the only thing that can be confirmed, is that any player who did actually transfer was available,
so with so many people saying all Arsenal needed to be BPL champions was a quality DM and top class Striker, I ask myself who of those that moved this window should Arsenal have been in for, and I can’t at this moment think of either a DM or ST that moved that I would have gone wow, he is just what we needed.
Many say Schneiderlin was the DM we needed, but all the times I seen him play for Southampton he was never a DM, Wanyama was and is still their DM, MS is a box to box midfielder, and for me is not a patch on Ramsey in that role. Can any of you tell me of the other DM’s of quality moved this summer.
Strikers, Benteke, hell no, not a patch on Welbeck, let alone Giroud. I would not have minded Dzeko, but would city have sold to us, doubtful. Again I ask what real quality striker moved this summer, let alone what World Class one.
Now don’t get me wrong, if it was up to me, Arsenal would have gone in for one of Draxler or Pedro, not cos we really needed them, we have Alexis, OX and Theo in their positions, but cos I really rate them and for me you can’t have too many good ones. I would have gone in for Cabaye too, again I rate him well ahead of Flamini, and with some doubts over Arteta, I think he would have been worth it.
to finish I will say, that for all I know we did go in for some if not all of these and many more, Draxler may not have wanted to leave Germany(why should he), Cabaye may have wanted to join a club he would be certain to be a starter, after all he spent the last two years as a back up at a big club. So despite the latest nonsensical soundbite from the AAA/WOB – “don’t tell me that there is not a player anywhere in the world that would improve AFC” – I say that those pedaling that line, know argument is built on a completely false premise, and when the reality of a transfer window where Benteke cost £35M, Martial(who) cost £36M rising to £54M and WBA turn down bids of £25M for Beharino, then you get a clearer picture of the shortage of strikers of real quality out there. Also when Everton are able to refuse £40M for Stones, then you know quality players are not freely available.
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I would just like to explain my first two posts
1. the list of ins and outs, — this is in response to AAA/WOB across web world, like that cunt Piers Morgan who are putting up the very same list, apart from the fact that in the ins only Cech is listed, they are happy to include all the youths sold or loaned out, but none of the youths bought in, very odd that, after all they seem such an even handed and fair minded group of people.
2. I taut I taw a puddy cat – I thought I seen a post by a real pussy, I did I did.
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the knobs at AST have spoken
AST Spokesman: “We urge the board to now open a full review into its arrangements for scouting and purchasing players.”
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for fucks sake this is all we have, what ever will we do
GOALKEEPERS
13 David Ospina, 33 Petr Cech
DEFENDERS
RB) 2 Mathieu Debuchy, 24 Hector Bellerin
LB) 18 Nacho Monreal, 3 Kieran Gibbs
CB) 4 Per Mertesacker, 5 Gabriel, 6 Laurent Koscielny, 21 Calum Chambers
MIDFIELDERS
DM), 34 Francis Coquelin, 8 Mikel Arteta, 20 Mathieu Flamini
CM) 16 Aaron Ramsey, 19 Santi Cazorla, 10 Jack Wilshere,
CAM) 11 Mesut Ozil. 7 Tomas Rosicky
FORWARDS
CF) 12 Olivier Giroud, 23 Danny Welbeck
WR) 14 Theo Walcott, 15 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
WL) 17 Alexis, 28 Joel Campbell
Read more at http://www.arsenal.com/home#mELp7JjmsFoGEUM2.99
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Culann Davies @CulannDavies 2h2 hours ago
‘HOW CAN YOU STILL DEFEND ARSENAL?’ The back to back fa cup wins and signing Sanchez, Ozil and Cech in past three years help not gonna lie
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It’s not wise to believe what you read in the funny papers.
Utd have just gone through what AFC went through with the F Word and at the end of the day they are going to get zero cash and no equivalent of a Hector Bellerin in exchange.
The AAAA campaign against AFC can be seen for the gibberish that it is.
Eddy has annoyed some with some constant copy and pasting but he did it in order to present the argument that these trolls have been building up this attack all summer long and it’s hard to argue against his observations. Anyone who chose to believe that Madrid would flog their only 9 (with no others available to replace him AFC might have enquires but always a long shot) have either been lying or are just very very, very, stupid.
In light of Utd getting stitched up and Madrid getting a free keeper the Ozil deal looks even better then the best and funniest transfer in the history of transfers (please refer to Levy), Madrid really must’ve needed that cold hard AFC cash as opposed to a chain or loop that led through various tax havens.
If people are going to refuse to understand the difference between credit and debt then they won’t understand the transfer market. Simples.
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so how is the protest going at the Emirates this evening, must be in full revolt by now, it was due to start at 7 (if they were allowed stay up past their bed time)
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I’m so relieved the window is now closed although sadly it won’t stop the moaning. Briefly today I was worried that AW might just buy someone to shut the angry mob up and free the squad from the pall of negativity that is probably contributing to the hesitant start to the season. But that man has nerves of steel to resist the temptation to buy for the sake of buying. I respect his willingness to put his reputation on the line and extract that extra few percent from the players he already has rather than throw money at the situation by wasting £50 plus millions on some of the dross that has moved this summer.
On the other hand, I’ve lost a lot of respect for TH, whose desire for the 30 pieces of silver has caused him to throw OG to the mob. OG was on fire for a long period last season. He had one dodgy game and TH stuck the knife in. OG has never hit those heights since. I just hope for the sake of the team that he is mentally strong and listens to his manager rather than the spineless egotist.
P.S. didn’t we have a rather successful season last time we only bought 1 goal keeper during a transfer window?
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The atmosphere at the Stoke game will be toxic until AFC score, the AAA/WOB will see to that, we seen in the west ham game that even when it was 0-0 there was a lot of moaning over every misplaced pass, the LFC game was different atmosphere cos it was a much higher tempo from both sides, and as a big game the crowd less expectant, but Stoke is like West Ham to many of our fans, they expect an easy win (we have beaten them every time we played them at Emirates), so again I see a lot of our fans at the game going expecting an easy win, and they will moan and gripe till we score, and soon after will start again if we don’t add to it. And now with a moronic section of them wanting us to fail, they will push their agenda. Its the next step in their campaign to oust Wenger.
they are the sort who this very evening are coming out with things like “I hope we lose every game till January”, so Wenger is made suffer for his failings, or “I hope we finish mid-table” so Wenger is forced out.
You will not see them say “I hope AFC win all our games till January” so Wenger is proved right, or “I hope we win the title” so Wenger can have the glory end to his career he deserves for being so loyal to AFC.
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passenal I’m glad you brought up TH, for me what he did to Giroud is inexcusable, and by the comments of Giroud, TH, despite being a very regular visitor(said to be basically full time youth coach now) at Colney, he has never had a discussion with OG about his views. and to think some what him as our manager, not for me, don’t want someone who will stab Arsenal players in the back they way he has.
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That would be jens Lehman if i recall… we did have a very successful season!
this team also has the cohesion of a few years together which arsenal teams always need to succeed… welbeck a striker is actually due back… am also glad AW did not buy for the sake of buying.
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I admit, I know I should not, that I have a look at our original root ACLf.
I admit, I know I shouldn’t, I have had a look a little while ago.
I admit, and I have no difficulty in admitting it with a degree of pleasure, it was a good Arsenal supporting blog.
I would never cuss, I would never point. For those of you who were regular contributors then you may be interested to take a view today.
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We have two good players at every position. Can’t ask for more really. Like Eduardo I could maybe have seen a Cabaye type player come but that leaves Arteta out and as he has shown he has a part to play. He looks fresh and I’m backing him to do Rosicky. Flamini is Flamini and brings the same stuff he brought his whole career. He’s going to get the lads fired up will get a goal or two and can still put a player on his arse quite easily when needed. All this depends on Coq going down which these idiots assume is a given. We also have Wilshere there and a huge signing there would of surely spelled the end for him. Not signing a striker tells me Welbeck is close and Arsene likes what he sees. Definitely not the end of the world and we are certainly in better shape than everyone but City
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I had to have a pop over there too, anicoll. Absolute madness. I hope that lot aren’t that hopeless in real life. Poor Damon seems to be in full on meltdown mode. Seems Dukey is the only voice of reason there nowadays. Truly a sad state of affairs. How football does that to a grown adult is absolutely terrifying
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Andrew . I would rather stick hot needles in my peepers.
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Fair comment G
There are, in life, forks in the road
We took one, for one reason or another.
Others took the different road.
The distance between the different tracks is significant, though at the fork it was just a degree or word of importance
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Admittedly I am still full of shite but you know
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I do find it very funny how so far overboard the AAA/WOB go, how indignant they are towards every error they say AFC makes, how outraged they claim to be, how AFC is a disgrace, how they are ripping everyone off, etc etc etc, and how so many of demand that the fans protest, some even call for a riot, and I would bet my last euro that very few of them, if any, have ever gone on a protest march against the actual things that are of real importance in normal life, such as the living wage, civil liberties, discrimination, crooked governments, big business controlling governments etc etc etc. So they can save me their fake outrage and little hissy fits. Peter Pan, every last one of them.
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a protest over what? i don’t understand
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I couldn’t be bothered to look at anything, so having come here, I’m joyful at the responses I’ve read.
**** all of the naysayers.
Forward Arsenal. Forward PA.
(Not a new forward centre midfield back). We have a team.
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team spirit, they seem to go by the old adage “what you got”
but it seems that AFC’s failure to force wealthier clubs to sell us their World Class strikers is the main bone of contention. And its so easy on Football Manager.
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they will do well to channel their energies on refs bad decisions to allow the likes of wilshere and welbeck to be out for so long! We have a team – it is better to build a team!
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I done been round thur already Andrew and the place is as it has always been. Poor souls.
Lol, George. That bad, huh?
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Heres a question.
Do any of you really believe that Arsenal and Wenger are a big enough of a pull to bring in a 50m+ striker to accept less than the going rate of 200k/w for him?
We are in a position where we are not good enough to attract the worlds best strikers (an extremely limited market in comparions to midfielders/wingers)
But its been well noted that wenger has been chasing one for 3 years. He doesnt want Giroud to spearhead his last chances of a title before retirement.
Thats why he also seems unwilling to invest in young potential top strikers ( and no not Martial)
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Thank Dog that’s all over (until January anyway, when the whole bloody charade starts again). It’s a blessing to come in here when the likes of Piers M are throwing all their toys out of the pram again. If ever there was a Peter Pan, it’s him. And well said passenal about TH – he can do one. Not even the Dutch boy did that.
I’m not disappointed as it was clear that the chances of getting anyone who would match AW’s criteria were very slim, so I had zero expectation.
I’m full of positivity about the squad and the rest of the season. I’ve just been away to a 4-day folk/blues festival (yes, it rained – but not much). I worked out that the last festival I went to was Weeley in August 1971. I take that as a good omen – we all know what else happened in 1971, don’t we? Especially at WHL and Wembley – happy days.
Off to Crete at the weekend to top up on vitamin D – forecast is for temperatures around 35°C – a bit OTT for me, but I guess I’ll manage. Means I’ll miss Stoke but what the hell. Back home on the 16th in time for D.Zagreb.
Enjoy the break all – let’s hope the squad is intact afterwards.
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JS I don’t think there is a problem with AFC being attractive enough for a World Class striker, the problem is firstly those with them don’t have to sell them and don’t want to sell them and so don’t sell them, and secondly if they did put one up for sale then there are some slightly more attractive clubs out there than AFC,
Man utd need a WC striker, and despite spending over £250M in 14 months they could not get one, so why should we be able to, CFC do not have one either, and second tier strikers like Benteke went for £35M. The only world class striker in the BPL is Aguero.
whingers are tonight saying Wenger will come out with his usual “WC strikers just cost too much for us”, when the fact is Wenger has for a couple of years now – since we actually had money – said “we have the money, are willing to spend it, but the quality is not available”
I see the AAA/WOB all over the place tonight coming out claptrap like “we need a world class striker, and there is no excuse for not buying one”, then come out with stuff like “if we could not get Cavani we should have signed Charlie Austin”, oh and of course “no excuses”, which by the way anyone using that little soundbite has been a clear sign all summer of those involved in and promoting the whole ITK scam, purely designed to have a go at Arsene and Arsenal.
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Henry Interview from sky
Arsenal tried to buy and team still needs players says Thierry Henry
Last Updated: 01/09/15 9:36pm
Thierry Henry believes Arsene Wenger tried to buy players this summer, but Arsenal may have ended up short of what they need to fight for the title.
The Arsenal boss did not buy anyone on deadline day, with the only new arrival at the Emirates in the close season being Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech, meaning Arsenal were the only side in any of Europe’s top-five leagues not to have signed an outfield player this summer.
That has led to some questioning why the Frenchman did not bring in a new striker before the window closed on Tuesday night.
Persuading the likes of either Real Madrid frontman Karim Benzema or Paris Saint-Germain forward Edinson Cavani to move to north London is no easy task, Henry believes.
“I do not know if the boss wanted Benzema or not, but the player must also want to come,” he said.
“What are you going to offer to the guy who is playing for one of the best teams in the world, knowing that he is playing there week in, week out, and performing well?
Thierry Henry thinks Arsenal would be serious title contenders if they signed Real’s Karim Benzema
“So I do not think that Arsene did not want to bring any other players – that would have been another story if he had really said: ‘I do not want to bring in any other players.’ But he said that if it can be done, then I will try to bring someone.
“But how do you get Benzema from Real Madrid when he plays there and Cavani also from Paris Saint-Germain – he scored again at the weekend? It is a difficult one.
“I do not think he did not want to bring in anyone, he wanted to bring players as we know, but it did not happen. ”
It does not look right now like they are going to win the league like this.
Thierry Henry
However, Henry thinks that Arsenal’s first-team squad is now not strong enough to win this season’s Premier League title, especially given Manchester City’s impressive start to the campaign.
“Right now they are already five points behind City, still have not won at home, won two games by an own goal, which is actually their best goal scorer at the moment,” the former Gunners captain said.
“Ideally it does not look right now like they are going to win the league like this. But I think Arsene believes he can win the league with that team and that team is good enough. And that is his prerogative.
“I think he should have tried to bring players and I think he did try, it could not happen, but I still think that team needed some players.”
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That is a brilliant question js
I would say yes, and no.
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Although you need to define “big”
“Big” ? What is big ? The Universe is big.
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Tbh I am disappointed we didn’t sign anyone as deep down I think most people, most of all, Arsene will be.
However sometimes you have to be realistic and realize you don’t always get what you want.
I’ve been on twitter and although I hate trolls some ppl just want the bait, they lye around with their mouth wide open.
Still the wobs go on about GG as if the man never failed or ended a season mid table.I just don’t see it, under GG I used to follow ARSENAL all over the place and yes their were absolutely great times but there was dome Shit as well and I think these ppl either forget this or never watched us during that time.
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now the AAA/WOB are saying that when fans whinge and moan and boo our players when we’re nil nil at half time, or a goal down, its not those idiot fans fault, it will be all Wenger’s fault, cos his failure to buy a new shiny player or two, means that self entitled fans have every right to make the Emirates Stadium toxic.
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well said a_o_b, I have been a supporter since the Bertie Mee days, and many a long year in the mid 70’s to mid 80’s I’d have given anything for what we have now. It was for a lot of the time, not a turgid game or two, but a turgid season or two, with only one or two real quality players to be seen most of the time. I recall more than one season where the Arsenal board had to plea for fans to attend games as we needed 22,000 to cover costs and we were not getting that through the gates, Highbury held 60,000 at that time – oh what AFC would have done for 330,000 tourists coming each match, say what true loyal local fans,
As for Geroge Graham being idolized by the crack pots, says it all when someone found guilty of taking bribes is their idol, while the demonize a man like Wenger.
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I can see that it’s possible for people
::to not understand the flimsiness of their argument,
::to not comprehend that spending all money today might not leave enough when needed tomorrow,
:: to not realise (using George’s £70m) that we need to have profit – not turnover – greater than 70m to improve again next year based on their own argument (as bollockly stupid as it is)
:: to not comprehend that a player must want to come and his team be willing to let him
:: to not realise the detrimental effect it might (would) have on the team should any player receive massively exaggerated wages (relatively)
:: to not consider that it’s possible a new player – at any cost – might actually NOT improve us but actually detract from what we have and decrease our chances
:: to believe some of the twaddle that is printed and spoken by hacks, bloggers, general knobheads
:: to join the hive mind of poorly judged opinion
Yes indeed, I can understand The above as much as I can understand why flies bump their heads against windows whilst I choose not to do so myself.
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according to the Mirror this was the scenes at the wenger out protest at the Emirates this evening at 7
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Chelsea bought a 23 year old from Reading today, and loaned him back to them, making it 32 players out on loan so far this season by them.
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The transfer window is an entirely artificial and arbitrary construct.
Inter-club transfer is a continuous process. Its constituent procedures go on throughout the year. Only the final step is restricted by the window. In a well run club, there’s a consistent underlying plan which is constantly adapted to fit the constraints of need, finance, availability, timing, team dynamics, form, injuries etc etc.
There’s nothing wrong with disappointment, or elation, or any other emotion at the end of a window. (I’m told some people feel disappointed on 1 February if they haven’t managed to murder a pheasant during the four month window of legalised carnage.)
But to maintain that success or failure in the coming season is determined by what business is concluded during a particular transfer window is plainly absurd.
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Thank Christ for this place on days like today. Nice one George.
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What Mel said.
this blog is a delight to have on a day like today.
not bad on sunny days either!
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I am with my old mucker Mel. double canister is a very smart man.
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Shout to all the Positively Arsenal family worldwide. The rest can do one
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I am so fucking glad we didn’t get Benzema. He would have just gotten in the way of Joel Campbell in all honesty.
AAA favorite and specialist in getting ran off from every country he has ever coached at is in a fucking free for all at the moment. Selling Cuadrado (23m) after buying him the other day, sending Salah (11m) backpacking across the continent without getting a proper go in the team and Felipe Luis (16m) going back home after one season despite them being short a proper fullback. That’s 50 million pounds just farted away. Then they got rid of Cech, even though Courtois is not as good as was once thought. Playing for the Spanish Stoke hid a lot of his deficiencies. And if that’s not bad enough, a player he discarded just signed for his closest rival.
As far as the Dutch idiot who ruined my world cup last summer, he’s doing exactly what I thought he would do in England. He needed a central defender and that player ended up going to Man City because his mate told him how awful it was to play for him. Then, to console himself, he went out and bought a French U-21 player for 36 million. Dude has thrown away more money than Spurs and Liverpool put together.
Me? I’m happy that I have a stingy manager who doesn’t splash the cash like a rich cunt at a disco.
Good day.
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