This is stolen from the comments section and was written by Double Canister . it is short and sweet, but oh so important.
Does anyone know the costs of the investment in new physical infrastructure at Colney and Hale End? or the costs of little hardly visible improvements at Emirates – like the new floodlights? What about the investment in personnel infrastructure like new coaching and scouting staff?
Arsenal are spending the ‘fackin’ money. And are still investing in youth – on players who may only blossom at the highest level when Arsene and Stan are in a nursing home.
Arsenal have built up a decent war chest for new players – and can go toe-to-toe with nearly any other club for the services of some of the world’s best players – and keeping the ones we have. There is a Euro 16 tournament this summer, many players and their agents will want to be seen in the shop window and Arsenal have a genuine need to find long term replacements for a couple of our best players who have reached the age where they will no longer be able to tog out with the first team.
It chokes me up to even type it, but Arsenal will have to look at finding alternatives for Tomas Rosicky and Mikel Arteta of comparable quality. Perhaps the players who can fill those boots are already in the club, but if Arsene feels the need to shop around – he will have the funding to support his decisions.
Positively Arsenal 
DC, I think many supporters don’t actually take an interest in anything about the club outside of the games and transfers. If they actually read some of the articles or watched videos on Arsenal.com (which are free) they would understand the clubs strategic plans better. They don’t, so they are unaware of all the investments that are being made to ensure the long term future of the club. With the Chinese now in the market willing to pay huge transfer fees and wages, it will be even harder to compete for ready made players. By investing in youngsters, they are more likely to build a bond with the club and want to stay. I think Alex Iwobi is the first of many who will be coming through to the first team. Jon Toral has been playing very well for Birmingham in the Championship and I would not be surprised to see him join the first team next season. Then there is Hayden and Akpom at Hull and Zelalem at Rangers. I can’t wait for the wob meltdown when Arsene uses them to replace outgoing players rather than throwing millions around in the transfer market.
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An important subject and one that troubles me.
Will we, and the vast majority of major football clubs, ever get off the treadmill of buying talent ( or what apses for talent each transfer window in many cases) , and have the patience and the confidence to bring through the young players whey have brought up from seedlings in the academy greenhouse ?
We are, I must say, better than most in brining players through and giving them the stage to perform on but the lack of playing opportunity between the stage of being a bright young talent at 18/19 and and an established first team squad member at 22/23 remains a huge gulf.
Thee is no easy answer. A few seasons back our second string, including half a dozen of our youngest players would go out in the League Cup and tear Championship clubs apart and give most PL clubs a very good game.
Who remembers Arsenal 6 Sheffield United 0 ? Arsene Wenger picked a starting line-up with an average age of only 19 and then was able to sit back and watch them shred their Championship opponents.16 year old Jack, 17 year old Aaron, 19 year old Vela, Fran Merida, Bendy, Johan Djourou etc.
The team that night;
Arsenal: Fabianski, Hoyte, Djourou, Song Billong (Lansbury 70), Gibbs, Randall, Ramsey, Merida (Coquelin 71), Wilshere, Bendtner (Simpson 71), Vela.
Subs Not Used: Mannone, Emmanuel-Thomas, Ogogo, Frimpong.
Goals: Bendtner 31, 42, Vela 44, 50, Wilshere 57, Vela 87.
56,000 there that night.
AND LOOK HOW MANY OF THOSE PLAYERS HAVE COME GOOD 7-8YEARS ON ?
Compare that with the game at Hillsborough in the Autumn – and the side we put out – our youngsters overpowered by Wednesday, dreadfully disappointing but a deserved beating – not even the referee could be blamed.
On the fateful evening;
Arsenal: Cech, Debuchy, Chambers, Mertesacker, Gibbs, Flamini, Kamara, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Iwobi, Campbell, Giroud.
Subs: Gabriel, Walcott, Monreal, Macey, Bielik, Bennacer, Sheaf.
I think we may need to go back to the future, back to the 16-17 and 19 year old crop and chuck em in.
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To save you looking it up 23rd September 2008
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I wasn’t going to look it up.
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You probably did not need to
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And PG claims he is not grumpy…….
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Pass is right, most openly admit they don’t care about anything apart from the first 11. Even when you show excitement about a youth win they just grunt.
I still don’t think we can quite yet go toe to toe on wages with the clubs with unlimited funds even if we can match initial fees and aspirations.
Most of the figures of expenditure are released at the same forums ( AGM, yearly accounts) that the AAA use to get their ammunition to support whatever attack they are on at the time. The fact they ignore the long term funding of the “club they love” only goes to prove they have an agenda and it is wrong.
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TEAM NEWS: KOSCIELNY, GABRIEL AND ELNENY
Arsène Wenger has revealed the latest team news ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup fifth-round tie against Hull City:
on Laurent Koscielny…
Koscielny is doing well. He has a test this morning and he looks positive.
on Gabriel…
He is running outside. He is out for Saturday.
on rotating the squad…
I will, as always, play a team who has a good chance to qualify. The normal squad is involved on Saturday. It is a normal squad and we’ll play a usual strong team.
on if Elneny could play…
Elneny is fit. He is one of the players who could get a run [out] there. He’s mobile, he’s a very good player. He’s adapting at the moment and I think he’s there now. We’ll certainly see him against Hull. He has a chance to start.
Copyright 2016 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to http://www.arsenal.com as the source
Read more at http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20160218/team-news-koscielny-gabriel-and-elneny?#E6MC8YdWRFpC5Y3W.99
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ARSENAL LADIES SIGN JOSEPHINE HENNING
Arsenal Ladies have completed the signing of Germany international Josephine Henning.
The 26 year-old defender has spent the past two seasons with Paris Saint-Germain, reaching the Champions League final with the club last year.
Before her spell in France, Henning enjoyed success with FFC Turbine Potsdam and then Wolfsburg in the Frauen-Bundesliga. She won three Champions League trophies and four Frauen-Bundesliga titles during her time with the two clubs.
Henning has also tasted success at international level, and is a Euro 2013 winner with Germany.
Ladies manager Pedro Martinez Losa said: “Josie has enjoyed a fantastic career and brings with her the experience of succeeding at the very highest level for both club and country.
“She has all the attributes of a top defender and we are very pleased to welcome her to Arsenal.”
Copyright 2016 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to http://www.arsenal.com as the source
Read more at http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20160216/josephine-henning-signs-for-ladies#UIWGB7Fbd1OuPvlY.99
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it seems Akpom and Hayden will not be part of the Hull squad for Saturday’s FA Cup tie with Arsenal, looks like the FA rules do not allow loan players to play against their parent club.
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Phew! I like both of those players at Hull.
In addition to Hayden and Toral mentioned above there’s Maitland-Niles who’ll be a contender for those three spots in the squad. At least, that was my list that I posted here last summer.
I’ve ignored the TR7 story, it’s the best way to cope with the sad news. But I also expected this to be his last season with the first team. A real shame because one or two of the younger midfielders in the current squad could’ve done with a season of training and occasionally playing alongside this favoured respected and admired player.
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I think it is a shame that players on loan can’t play against their original clubs – for se of then who never made the grade it may be almost their only chance to experience a unique day and the excitement of playing in the Ems or Trafford Park or Wembley wherever.
I remember I thought Arry Redknapp was a tosser when he refused the on-loan at Portsmouth player Jamie O’Hara the chance to play against Spuds at Wembley in the FA Cup semi final in 2010. O’Hara had played all through their Cup run. It was, on paper at least, the player’s only chance ever to play at Wembley. But the media darling Arry said “no”.
What a shame Spuds got whacked by Pompey 2-0 in the game and O’Hara had his day at Wembley after all in the Final – served Arry right.
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Arsene has always said he doesn’t mind players on loan playing against us in whatever competition.
Unfortunately it would be easy for the more unscrupulous to take advantage of the situation. Imagine the likes of Maureen and Roman and their legions of loanees around the world, they could give up spiking the refs.
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It was unfortunate that the Reserve Leagues were scrapped. In the past times, those games gave the learners, the trainees, the roughing up required to cope with first team football.
The Championship sides are now a challenge for most of the premiership sides. That is why the Vardys, the Austins, can make a fist of stepping up to the EPL?
What is required is a promotion and relegation system, for the “stiffs”. These matches could be played as a curtain raiser for the main attraction. With a crowd, hell bent on receiving value for money!.
At present, the gulf in skill level is not being honed by street-wise cunning. The Neville brothers against Reyes, is a case to point too. As Herbert Chapman, wrote so many years ago, only 1 in 12 can make it to the first XI.
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Cazorla
Giroud
(Podolski)
Monreal
Ozil
Sanchez
AFC’s spending is opportunistic. Wise. I wouldn’t argue with that big bird Arsene Vulture. Not with that RECENT record.
It was the experts who told Joel Campbell to get out whilst he still could. He chose not to. However, there was a player who got out whilst he still could: Danny Welbeck. Save he was leaving the wrong club for the wrong club in the AAAA expert opinion.
Well played Danny boy.
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anyone else find it odd that Leicester city have been awarded 10 penalties in their 26 BPL games so far this season, 8 of which have been as the away team.
they have double the amount of the next most – Spurs, Swansea and Watford, all with 5.
Arsenal have been awarded 2, which is the same amount as LCFC have had awarded against them.
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The youth leagues still have promotion and relegation and some senior players can play as over aged players.
The system along with the loan system (for all its faults) is better than the reserve system at producing a larger number of young technically gifted players.
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no media outcry over this disgraceful act, but we must remember he plays for spurs and media don’t do outrage at them.
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A Man United player make a far nastier tackle last night.
I mean Diaby level nasty.
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He really is a bit of a knob is DelliAli
That will cost him, and my guess soon
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Excellent observations by D_C and very sensible comments. I have meant to say this for a long time but now I will: PA may not be the biggest or most popular Arsenal blog, far from it to be fair, but it is by some distance the posters are most sensible.
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Media announces that DeleAlli will face no further action in relation to his kicking the Fiorentina player in the ribs while he was lieing on the ground.
Assuming Mr Tomhawk starts the game at the Lane next week I’d bet that announcement is wrong.
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TEAM NEWS: KOSCIELNY, GABRIEL AND ELNENY
Arsène Wenger has revealed the latest team news ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup fifth-round tie against Hull City:
on Laurent Koscielny…
Koscielny will be available. He has a test today but it will be positive.
Watch highlights from the FA Cup Final 2014 and much more
Watch now for free
on Gabriel…
He is running outside. He is out for Saturday. I believe one more week. He started running yesterday but one more week [is needed].
on Jack Wilshere…
I think three or four weeks [before he can play again].
on rotating the squad…
I will, as always, play a team who has a good chance to qualify. The normal squad is involved on Saturday. It is a normal squad and we’ll play a usual strong team.
on if Welbeck will play…
I might start him. I haven’t completely decided yet. It crosses my mind to start him.
on whether he will rest Cech…
Petr Cech it is possible yes, because Ospina plays in the FA Cup and [Cech] will not be involved.
on if Elneny could play…
Elneny is fit. He is one of the players who could get a run [out] there. He’s mobile, he’s a very good player. He’s adapting at the moment and I think he’s there now. We’ll certainly see him against Hull. He has a chance to start.
Copyright 2016 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to http://www.arsenal.com as the source
Read more at http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20160218/team-news-koscielny-gabriel-and-elneny#rdxbqjATb1tKxOl8.99
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the Arsenal ladies squad for the coming season
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Arsenal have offered a pro contract to Savvas Mourgos, the Greek midfielder has really stepped up his performances for the U18’s this season, he now takes games by the scruff of the neck and tries to make things happen. He was a member of the Arsenal satellite Academy in Greece, before successfully completing a short trial with the club. He had a tough time settling in last season, but has adapted well this season.
Marc Bola and Ilias Chatzitheodoridis are the only second year scholars who have yet to be offered pro deals by the club.
20 year old goalkeeper Deyan Iliev has undergone knee surgery and will be out for a few months, he has had his season ruined by injury, and has not played so far this campaign.
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I think my team for the weekend would be,
Ossssspina, Moore, Per, Callum, Gibbo, Flamster, Elneny, Campell, Theo, Iwobi, Welbeck.
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it is comments like this that demonstrate why Charlie Nicholas is head and shoulders above the other ex AFC players who are now pundits
Charlie Nicholas: “I’d sacrifice the four-and-a-half years I had at Arsenal for one year or even just six months with Arsène.”
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ian I think Moore is not fully fit, so likely to be Chambers at right back and either Koscielny or one of Pleguezuelo or Bielik at CB
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Ed, I was trying to get an update on jeorge bird to see exactly who trained today to get an idea what were the possibles. Flamini could play at right back with Callum at CB. Bielik shouldn’t be anywhere near the first team at CB, although I do think he is caperble in midfield, Peggy is also way in front of him. I was trying to look at the training pics and who was in white bibs, going by this shot in the dark it will be Per and Kos.
I also couldn’t see Iwobi but there were only a few pics.
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a_o_b, no youths trained with the first team today, of the fringe players Iwobi and Gnabry both trained. It looks like it will be a very strong squad and subs bench for the Hull game. Maybe something like
Ospina
Chambers Mertesacker Koscielny Gibbs
Flamini Elneny
Campbell Iwobi Walcott
Welbeck
subs Macey, Monreal, Bellerin, Arteta, Coquelin, Alexis, Giroud
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Marc Bola who has been the regular left back for the U21’s this season, and plays CB for the youths when needed, has been offered a pro contract by the club.
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Ospina on Welbeck: “We are fortunate to have him back in the squad. He will make a massive impact from now until the end of the season.”
Ospina on Elneny: “He’s quick, very intelligent and has a good shot from long range. He can make a huge contribution and help us reach our target”
Ospina on Iwobi: “He has all the attributes to become a fantastic player. He has the personality and marvelous technique too.”
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Has Serge played in the cup or is he available, if he is surely he’ll be on the bench.
Your team looks much more realistic than mine.
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where’s the new post, I pay my fukin money and have supported this blog all its life. Its now nearly eight O’clock on match day and no fukin post. sack the board
do you think people get to needy when they get to much of a good thing.
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