Arsenal 1st Team
Arsenal Football Club
Highbury House
75 Drayton Park
LONDON N5 1BU
Dear Fellow Gooner,
I write to you as one minor member of the worldwide legion of Arsenal supporters whom you represent week-after-week on the football fields of England and Europe. You may be aware, according to the most recent research (2011), there were 113 million Arsenal fans worldwide, the fourth highest number for any football club on earth. Six years later those numbers could easily have doubled. In other words you are carrying the hopes and dreams of nearly 200 million people worldwide. I am certain you would agree it is an awesome responsibility.
But this letter is not to burden you with the weight of fan expectation. We know there is a minority who expect you will win every match, day-in, day-out. The majority of us know such results are unrealistic. While you may try to win every game, we know that Arsenal Football Club is competing against wealthier clubs with just as many if not more fantastic players, whom they can acquire by paying much larger transfer fees and wages. There are times when results go against us because our best players are unavailable due to injury. Sometimes, as in the real world, there are days when despite doing your best as a professional, events do not favor the team, whether due to human error on our part or by the officials. As the boss correctly says, (and he is hardly ever wrong) it takes enormous “mental strength” to consistently compete at the top-level as every Arsenal 1st team has done for the past 20 years.
So now that we are midway the 2016-17 season, what are the realistic expectations of you the 1st team? Arsenal is lying in 5th place in the league, 8 points behind the leader, Chelsea, who just completed a 13-game win streak. In the last 20 years of the premier league, no team with a 13-game streak has failed to win the title. In the last 13 years of the premier league, the league winner has either been 1st or 2nd at the half-way point. Surely Arsenal stands no chance?
But records were meant to be broken. In 2013-14, Liverpool was the first team to go on an 11-game unbeaten streak and fail to win the title. Last year, Leicester was the first team in the history of the English top-flight to go from last place to being champions in 13 months. In January 2016 BREXIT was dead and buried in the polls, so was Donald Trump months later. In one year, contrary to conventional thinking, despite the “expert” pundits in the mainstream media , the army of negative nellies on twitter and social media, the underdog made the impossible possible.
Why can’t this Arsenal 1st Team make history? It is not as if it wasn’t done before. In the history of the premier league Arsenal is the only club who have come from as far back as 6th place midway the season to grab title and win the FA cup as well, Arsene Wenger’s first ever double. According to this source it was a season:
“…one which few would have dared dream about, particularly during the dark months of November and December when a midseason slump led to rumours of dressing room disharmony and a seemingly unbridgeable gap to league leaders Manchester United.”
Haven’t you the 1st Team have mid-season slump last December with back-to-back losses to Everton and Manchester City followed by a draw with Bournemouth?
That 97/98 Arsenal team did not recover their mojo until February 1998 after the legendary in-house meeting. According to Arseweb:
“…. the team and Wenger had a “thrash it out” meeting during which Adams demanded that the defence receive more protection from the midfield. The response from the central midfield pairing of Vieira and Petit was magnificent, and aided by better on and off field communication due to the Frenchmen’s improving English, Arsenal embarked on an unbeaten run which would eventually carry them all the way to the league title.”
This 1st team already had a 14-game unbeaten run between August and November. Surely if the weaknesses evident at Bournemouth and Preston North End , are “thrashed-out”, couldn’t this team sustain another run and put the current league leaders under serious pressure?
As we lesser mortals, who have no hope of ever being professional footballers, can attest, it is easy to wallow in doubt and fear, after a string of bad results. Frankly for this Arsenal 1st team, there is no reason to be fearful. This is the deepest and best squad the professor has put together since the barren years while paying for the new stadium. According to transfermkt over the past five years AFC has spent £210.70m to gradually improve the squad.
You the Arsenal 1st Team may be missing Santi Cazorla, the technical leader, but in return you can welcome Aaron Ramsey who is the beating heart of the British core, the player who Arsene Wenger most trust to do what is necessary for the team to win. In 97-98, midway the season the club lost to suspension, the magical Dennis Berkgamp, and after his return took a while to find its groove. Similarly this 1st team is about to welcome back from illness a future midfield legend by way of Mesut Özil, a player who earlier this week demonstrated in no uncertain fashion his commitment to Arsenal and Arsene Wenger. In 97/98, it was not because the players in the squad were the best in the premier league; Alex Manninger was certainly not. Seemingly more critical, as one looks back, they had the commitment and mental strength.
Will you, the Arsenal 1st team, seize the spirit of 97-98 and make the impossible possible. To paraphrase the words of the great bard, Shakespeare:
Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;
Or close the wall up with our Gooner dead.
In peace there’s nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility:
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger;
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,
Disguise fair nature with hard-favour’d rage;
Then lend the eye a terrible aspect;
Respectfully yours,
@Shotta_Gooner, The Contrarian
Positively Arsenal 
Andy. the existing contract can be extended by a year should the club decide to take up the option. Eddy is right. Rosicky wanted to leave but he couldn’t as we took up the option.
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one other thing anicol, the clause may be two sided, like the club has the option to enforce the extra year if they want, and on the players side, if he plays x number of games they club have to give him the extra year if he wants. With Per and Santi both our injured for so long, they might be unable to reach any set number of games to put the power in their hands to enforce an extension, and so it becomes Arsenal’s choice solely.
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Sniper @clockendsniper 47m47 minutes ago
Liverpool’s last 3 games
Sunderland away 2-2
Plymouth home 0-0
Southampton away 0-1
there will still be no crisis headlines, no journos questioning Klopp, no articles written telling him who to sign and what tactics to use.
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Eduardo
I’m guessing those Liverpool games coincide with Henderson’s absence. He’s been very good for them this year.
Just backs up the idea all teams tend to struggle when a key player, especially a central midfielder, is absent.
Interestingly, they coped ok without Coutinho, a top quality player, but not as influential or irreplaceable for them as Henderson seemed and as results so far suggest.
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ARSENAL’S ISMAEL BENNACER CALLED UP BY ALGERIA FOR AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS
Arsenal midfielder Ismael Bennacer has recieved a late call up to the Algeria squad for the Africa Cup of Nations.
The youngster, who regularly plays for Arsenal’s U23 side, made his senior debut for Algeria against Lesotho in September.
Bennacer’s absence means that he is set to miss several U23 games for Arsenal, including the fixtures away to Southampton and at home to Chelsea.
Via ArsenalAlgeria
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http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20170112/french-trio-sign-new-long-term-contracts
great start to the day, congratulations to Kos, Coq and OG.
Perhaps, just perhaps an indicator the man himself may stay…but who knows?
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Va va voom!
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I’m doing it again;
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Henderson is not the poorest footballer in the league. Scored a goal with a high amount of skill in N5 and for me that stands out when compared to the diving and clogging shitehorses fertilising the marshes of Middlesex and humiliating English football in front of the watching world at international tournaments.
Yet Henderson is just a pale shadow of a player when compared to Aaron Ramsey.
When was the last time a British Midfielder earned such plaudits after a tournament?
Sol Campbell earned the praise, in more then one tournament, but he was a CB.
Euro ’96? Not that i can recall (Gazza was playing with more freedom then Ramsey at 10 for Wales?).
The record puts the bleating of the malcontents into context.
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FRENCH TRIO SIGN NEW LONG-TERM CONTRACTS
We’re delighted to announce that three of our first-team stars have committed their futures to the club by signing new long-term contracts.
Francis Coquelin, Olivier Giroud and Laurent Koscielny have all extended their stays in north London by agreeing new deals.
Francis has become a key figure in our midfield in recent seasons and has now made 131 senior appearances for the club.
Olivier was our top scorer in 2015/16 with 24 goals in all competitions, before helping France reach the final of Euro 2016 last summer. He has continued his fine form this season with nine goals so far.
Fellow France international Laurent has established himself as one of Europe’s finest defenders since his arrival in 2010. He has made 273 appearances and netted 22 times – including decisive goals on the final day of the 2011/12 and 2012/13 seasons to secure Champions League qualification, and the equaliser against Hull City in the 2014 FA Cup final.
Arsène Wenger said: “We are very pleased that three important members of our team have committed to us for the long term. Francis has made tremendous technical strides over the past few years because he’s so focused every day.
“Olivier has big experience in the game now and has become a more and more complete player since joining us. Laurent is of course a key part of our squad and I believe one of the best defenders in the world today. So overall, this is great news for us.”
We would like to congratulate Francis, Olivier and Laurent on their new contracts.
Read more at http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20170112/french-trio-sign-new-long-term-contracts#UIafSrP7tJGXIolS.99
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already seen so called Arsenal supporters complain that Coquelin and especially Giroud have got new contracts. It seems some people are so afraid of losing face they will not change their views on players they have scapegoated, these players must remain shit, regardless of much evidence to the contrary
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Ryan @RyanTomes 5h5 hours ago
You’ll probably find there’s a direct correlation between those who hate the banner, disagree with signing Cohen, and wanting Wenger out.
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so payet who has been dog shit in most games this season wants out of west ham, it seems his one good season and a good performance in one game for France in the summer has turned his head.
can’t wait for all the WOB to demand we sign him, and when we don’t whinge on and on about lack of ambition etc etc
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so with Koscielny, Coquelin and Giroud signing new deals, and Wenger saying Arsenal almost certain to extend Cazorla and Mertesacker’s contracts, all of a sudden that list of 10 players the media said would leave Arsenal this summer, has been halved. Just Ozil, Alexis, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Wilshere and Szczesny contract extensions to be sorted now. And with Ozil saying he wants to stay, its not been a good week for the malcontents.
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With first world problems , to complain or show frustration ,you can come across as a bit of a snowflake.
But what is the point of Martin Hayes,giving colour commentary on Arsenal player?
He offers neither player or team insight no real tactical ,player analysis or psychological observations.
Having re watched the Bournemouth game,he reminded me how bad he is at it.
He offers a reconstituted, misinformed, English cliche ridden barstadising language remix with a banal delivery.
This is coming from someone who instantly recognises that Martin Hayes has scored a couple of the most instrumental goals of Arsenal history , so like Charlie George he needs to be around the place. But colour commentary, this is not his quality.
The difference between him and Adrian Clarke is just too wide, I would say almost polar opposites.
I feel Arsenal owe it to themselves and football, that the football they are trying to play is explained in clear language,with accurate information.
Every little helps.
Banned smiley face.
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wwwb another awful pundit on arsenal player is David Hillier, very negative and full of pre prepared soundbites etc.
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reports on Irish radio suggest that just like Fonte of Southampton, who is in a stand off over wanting a transfer, Payet who now is refusing to play for West Ham, have had their heads turned by Liverpool and Klopp, not good if this is true, its a bad way for a club and for the players to act.
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The shenanigans of Payet and Fonte, and before them no end of players including those who have had the good fortune to wear the Red and white, gets on my nerves.
I appreciate you want to move. I appreciate that you want to earn a bigger wedge and have a slightly better chance of winning silverware.
What I do not understand is the “I’m going on strike until I get my own way” ( Pokes our bottom lip and folds arms) attitude.
FFS you are a part of THIS club, now. Your enhanced reputation, and the chance you have for a bigger wedge etc, comes from what you and your team mates have achieved here, supported by and paid for by the fans.
Act like a professional, act like a grown up – and play fucking football.
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Graham Taylor – that’s a turn up – so to speak. 72……..
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Bloody hell, I hadn’t heard this Andy.
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A suspected heart attack. I remember when I used to think 72 was old! ( banned terror stricken face)
Not noticed him this season on the radio, although that may be down to my deaf ear rather than his lack of air time. Nice chap, always calm. Got perpetual minnows Watford into the top flight, gave Villa a stab at he title for the first time since ……? (I have no idea). His time in charge of England was no great success but he came after Bobby Robson and the 1990 World Cup sob in, so it was a hard act to follow.
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Vive La France Mes Amis!
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Arsenal Twitter 8.86m (including some proper imbeciles in the mix)
Man Utd Twitter 9.79m (must have a few million Zlatan fans added)
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its only last janurary that payet signed an improved contract at west ham, for a reproted £125K a week.
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Positively Arsenal @Blackburngeorge 3h3 hours ago
Payet eh? We should be in for him ! He’s just the sort of inconsistent disruptive mercenary we need?
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Positively Arsenal @Blackburngeorge 4h4 hours ago
Watch the same sports writers that destroyed Graham Taylor, write what a decent chap he was.
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Jon Toral has joined Rangers on loan till the end of the season.
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Adrian Clarke @adrianjclarke 6h6 hours ago
Amazed so many people are defending Payet & blaming WHU. The club revived his career & upped his wages several times.
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Dave Seager @goonerdave66 53m53 minutes ago
Hearing that Santi had another operation today after first one not a totally successful 😩
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Anicoll,
— “The shenanigans of Payet and Fonte, and before them no end of players including those who have had the good fortune to wear the Red and white, gets on my nerves.”
Could not agree more!
Payet has been letting it be known via his agent that he would find Arsenal an acceptable receptacle for his skills. I bet he would.
AW would never want such a shallow, disloyal player, so Payet can f**k off to the sort of shabby classless club who would turn a blind eye to his ‘shenanigans”.
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I thought Jon Toral only had six months left on his contract, and this latest loan move to Rangers was the slow goodbye.
He has said though that he has a year left on his contract, and because Rangers’ manager Warburton plays a similar style to Arsenal’s that he is hopeful that it will kick-start his Gunners’ career — good stuff — and I thought he was sadly on the way out.
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I think Toral signed an extension last summer before he went on loan to Granada
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it seems that maybe the media have distorted the payet story a little bit, and that, yes he has put in a transfer request, but unlike earlier reports, he is not refusing to play, but Billic is refusing to play him, as he will not select a player who does not want to play for WHU. If this is true, then its a bit odd Billic saying they will not sell him. are they just going to leave him out, till they break him.
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Oh jolly good – any time Payet, his agent and the Dagenham Girl Pipers manage to get their convenient dominoes into straight lines I hope they might give anyone at Trafford Park a clue
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Not enough on here today from the Scarfists and the whiners Eddy – low volume
Have they been quiet ?
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they are busy complaining about the banners for alexis dogs, even thought its one of their own(redaction), or at least he was last season for the a4 protest, who is organizing the banner
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Fair play E – good to know where the cloud of nonsense is
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And Mr Scarfist himself is furious that fans think King Kos is a legend.
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Özil with Josh Kroenke
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george what reason does he use to claim kos is not an arsenal legend
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It only dumb “modern fans” that could think it, apparently.
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but that is not a reason, no criteria involved in that at all. they probably don’t want to admit that he can’t be a legend for them cos when we signed him they did not know who he was, wrote him off as a ligue 2 nobody, who only cost £10M.
Its like the ones who say he can’t be legend cos he has not won the league, but if you say
a. that means chris wreh, stuart taylor, richard wright and luis boa morte and the like are legends
b. liam brady who only won 1 FA Cup at AFC can not be a legend, despite fans voting him 8th in our list of all time greats.
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Don’t forget Charlie Nicholas. Another over-rated pampered new age footballer who was never loved in N.London.
Modern football: pfffft who needs it certainly not a scarfist tweeting about his machine made, printed, unravelling thread of polyester
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I think the banner is a brilliant idea. As a piece of tongue in cheek mockery of modern day fandom it is hard to beat. And should anybody below a certain age think it genuine then that is rather sweet too.
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WENGER ON OZIL AND ALEXIS FUTURES
Once again, the subject of new contracts was high on the agenda at Arsène Wenger’s pre-match press conference.
Questions were asked about Mesut Ozil, Alexis and the manager himself. Here’s how the boss responded:
on whether Mesut has put pressure on Wenger to decide on his own future…
No, not necessarily. I think he has been a bit misinterpreted. He would like to know what happens on the managerial front of course, but I don’t think that’s the main part of his decision. I think it’s part of it but it’s not the only thing. There are many other ingredients in every negotiation. Hopefully we will find a conclusion with him very quickly.
on whether they’ve spoken about it…
We always speak. I speak more with his agent on that front, about contracts, than I do with him.
on whether he’s confident it will be resolved…
We do not master that situation alone. Let’s not forget that all these players have 18 months to go. That’s a very long time in football.
on whether he’s relaxed about the situation…
Very relaxed.
on whether he’s any closer to making a decision on his own future…
No, I have nothing to add to that at the moment. I am completely focused on us getting back to the top and to work very hard in every single game and prepare well.
on whether Ozil and Alexis will have to lower their wage demands…
I do not want to go too much into detail on that, because that can quickly be interpreted in the wrong way. We have to keep that as quiet as possible and try to find an agreement and, at the end of the day, as well, respect our line of conduct that we always have.
Read more at http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20170113/wenger-on-ozil-and-alexis-futures#DSHiu8rabKcrXwwc.99
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WENGER ON BELOTTI, MORATA, JENKINSON
The January transfer window is open, but how much business will involve us?
Arsène Wenger was probed on reported comings and goings in his pre-match media briefing on Friday. Here’s what he said:
on links to Andrea Belotti…
That’s what you call today ‘fake news’.
on if there was a bid for Belotti…
No.
on if Arsenal have interest in Alvaro Morata…
We have Welbeck coming back, we have Giroud, we have Alexis, we have Walcott, we have Lucas, who is doing very well now as well. We have Chuba Akpom coming back as well, we have Sanogo – we have a high number of strikers.
on Carl Jenkinson’s future…
It’s a possibility that he will move in the next two or three days. It’s a possibility.
on whether he will go to Crystal Palace…
You sound well-informed.
on whether it’s just a matter of time…
It’s possible, yes. I cannot tell you much more because we have not come to any conclusion yet.
on whether he will look around for a replacement right back…
We still have Mathieu Debuchy who is injured and Gabriel who plays there as well. We have Bellerin, so we are not short in this position which is why we’ve allowed one of the players to go out because they have less opportunity to play.
on whether Carl Jenkinson’s possible move means Mathieu Debuchy will stay…
The door is not definitely closed, but it depends on the quality of the opportunities he will have.
Read more at http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20170113/wenger-on-belotti-morata-jenkinson#E0iwwB0HlUBBsOT3.99
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TEAM NEWS: WHO’S BACK TO FACE SWANSEA?
Alexis, Mesut Ozil, Laurent Koscielny and Petr Cech sat out our Emirates FA Cup victory at Preston last weekend, but are they back in the squad to face Swansea City?
Read on for Arsène Wenger’s latest team news update:
on the team news…
Basically we have the same players available as last week, plus Koscielny is coming back, Petr Cech is back in the squad, Mesut Ozil and Alexis as well.
on Coquelin and Bellerin…
Hector Bellerin is still out, Francis Coquelin is still out – they could make next week, they are not far.
on Theo Walcott…
Walcott is still out. He is one of the players who doesn’t come back. But he was not rested last week, he was injured. He is now out for three-and-a-half weeks, and I think he will not be available for Burnley. He will need another week, two more weeks.
on whether he is worried that Walcott has been out longer than expected…
Not concerned, because it was at the start a little calf problem, but he was not comfortable when he started to train again and we had to pull him out again.
Read more at http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20170113/team-news-who-s-back-to-face-swansea-#o6YjEpgA3HA2qsms.99
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