Monday 28 January 2013

Arsene's coded messages


Arsene Wenger has been playing down Arsenal's chances of signing anyone in the January transfer window. Last week he said:
I don’t worry [about the market], what I worry about is getting the players who have been injured back fit, to get the players who play for this club to perform at full potential. If we perform at full potential we cannot expect any miracle from outside, we want to make things happen inside.
If someone else can strengthen our squad, we will do it, of course. But we have the resources inside to do well.
I live in the real world and the only question I wonder is not how we look to the outside, but it is how good we are when we are on the football pitch, can we pass the ball together? Therefore it is not to buy just because we look like we want to buy. We buy a player if we think he is good enough to play for us.
We have been linked with David Villa, like Chelsea, but there’s nothing concrete there. We are not on the case.
I can’t imagine Dortmund selling [Hummels] in the middle of the season and we have not made any approach there.
Belhanda? No. We are not on any French case, so you can cut all the French players out. You should go to Newcastle!

I can see where he's coming from. Aside from the normal thing of not wanting to sound too desperate to sign a player lest the selling club should sense weakness and push the price up, he does not want to damage the fragile first shoots of confidence that seem to be growing in the team by effectively saying: 'I don't think you're good enough, so I'm going to sign someone else.

Now, if Arsene were to sign some unknown from Bratislava and stick him up front to compete for a place with Giroud, I can image that he and the friends he has made at the club over the last few months would rightly be upset. Hence, I think, the quotes about 'top, top quality'

But imagine if we signed someone of the quality and stature of David Villa (apparently not now likely) or someone like him. Imagine what a buzz that would create at the club. You know all that nervousness, anxiety and negativity in the crowd at home matches? That would be gone and replaced by a hushed expectation and excitement.

Would Giroud be upset? Possibly, but he came to the club knowing that he may have toplay second fiddle to van Persie, so he could hardly complain. Competition for places is good for the team.

And what of the players who Giroud has befriended over that last few months? Will they be upset? Well, loyalty doesn't mean much in football. Just ask Robin van Persnatcher!

I personally don't think there is anything particularly wrong with Giroud as a striker. It's just that we need more numbers up front. I also think Wenger underestimates the impact that a big signing can have in terms of a 'feel good' factor. Or, he thinks that the 'shot in the arm' that a big signing can bring to a club is short-lived and not in the long-term interests of the club.

Anyway, we shall see.

No comment

Now, on a different topic, I don't want to blow my own trumpet, but a lot of people read this blog. If you do a search on Google for 'Eden Hazard humour', you will see that I come out top. It's been that way since last Wednesday when I did a short post about him asking for humorous comments to be sent to his blog. And I'm competing with national newspapers, football websites and both Arsenal and general football blogs.

But still no one posts anything in the comments section. Honestly, it's all take, take, take with you lot!

Do you have any Micky Eden Hazard jokes you want to share? Do you think I'm too soft on Arsene Wenger? Post a comment.

Do you think I should stop writing endless twaddle about Arsenal? Let me know. It would be great to get some feedback from time-to-time.

And finally, a thank you

I'd like to say a big 'thank you' to everyone who does take the time to read my blog, especially those who have agreed to write a guest post. I look forward to receiving your articles shortly.

If you like my blog, why not follow me on Twitter?


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Wednesday 23 January 2013

Eden Hazard has a sense of humour


I read this on Eden Hazard's website:
Eden does have a good sense of humor, and besides cheers and praise, footballers also get criticism and are made fun of. 
Well, that’s pretty normal of being a football player, and if it’s funny, hell, it’s funny.
Feel free to submit funny pics/links to twitters, etc… via the Submit News button on the top right of the website.
Cheers!
Do you think we should put that to the test? Go on, you know you want to. It's too good to resist!

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Ar5ena1 v West Ham highlights

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Monday 21 January 2013

ArseOnline blog - Guest posters wanted



Would you like to write for this blog, either as a one-off or, preferably, on a more regular basis?

Most posts attract hundreds of views, with the most popular ever reaching 3000 views. In future, I'm planning to sign up to NewsNow, so I expect the number of views per article to increase substantially. However, to achieve that I need to have posts appearing more regularly.

As you can see, I'm pretty bad at updating the blog, which is why I'm hoping to recruit some like-minded fans who'd like to reach an audience. You will be credited on any articles you write, and if you become a regular contributor, I will add your details to the blog homepage.

If you are interested, please email me at the address below.

Mark Wellington
mdwellington@googlemail.com


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