by Gooner Girl » Fri Jan 09, 2009 6:55 pm
thebish wrote:Gooner Girl wrote:
Oi oi! I'M sitting in the away fans with my hubby - we're both gooners! You can't set fire to us!
there's gratitude for you!! ok - burn thebish, but not me and my hubby!!
by Cheese » Fri Jan 09, 2009 10:15 pm
by Libertine » Sat Jan 10, 2009 12:13 am
Good_Eye_Sniper wrote:God, if the Emirates catches fire
by arseman » Sat Jan 10, 2009 6:43 am
Kolo Touré will feel the benefit of injuries and shrewd man-management from Arsène Wenger tomorrow when he captains Arsenal against Bolton less than a fortnight after handing in a transfer request.
The Ivory Coast defender is no longer a first choice and is selected only because of injuries to William Gallas and Mikaël Silvestre. He becomes the fifth player to captain Arsenal this season after Gallas, the absent Cesc Fábregas, the goalkeeper Manuel Almunia and Robin van Persie.
"Our vice-captain is Kolo Touré and he will play tomorrow," Wenger said. "When Kolo plays he is captain." Asked whether Touré's presence would be a boost for the player and club, in light of the transfer demand, Wenger attempted to defuse any concern. "That again is transfer rumours. You come in to work and watch him every day, and he works like mad with his commitment."
So what made Touré withdraw the request? "What made him withdraw it? I don't know," Wenger said, a little disingenuously. Did he have to talk to Touré? "Not especially."
Wenger, publicly, is maintaining he would hate to see Touré go – in this transfer window, at least. "Because of his quality. We all have to go one day but Kolo is 28. He is very honest, a great person. I rate him, I like him. Apart from not playing him sometimes I never have any problem with him but that's part of being a manager – you can only play 11 not 22."
His reasons for choosing 21-year-old Switzerland defender Johan Djourou to partner Gallas have been, he has said, about height. Yet during the victory over Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup last Saturday, that pairing were troubled against the high ball, with the visiting team's goal deriving from an aerial free-kick.
Lukasz Fabianski, who played in that game in place of the rested Almunia, dropped that and Wenger will hope the Spanish goalkeeper's reinstatement can restore authority against a Bolton team expected to seek out any Arsenal weaknesses in the air.
"Overall we have improved in the [parts] where we were less convincing – that means in the air, at set pieces – and we feel much stronger than we did three months ago," the manager said.
Wenger is also trying to improve his squad and was cute on the subject of Andrei Arshavin, confirming little while also dissuading no one that he has an interest in the Zenit St Petersburg playmaker. Whether Arshavin, valued at about £20m by Zenit and thought to earn at least £50,000 a week, will arrive depends, as always, on finance. "They pay very well," Wenger said. "But any player we buy has to fit with our wages, there's no exception there. We pay them all well – between regulars and the top paid, world-class players, there is not a massive difference.
. It's not incorrect to speak about the transfer [of Arshavin], but even if you're interested in a player and he's not signed, it's like putting people in front of a big table and saying dinner is not for you.
"If I say now how great a player is and do not bring him here, people will think that is stupid."
Wenger still firmly believes the transfer window "doesn't work in January. Either you keep it open the whole year as it was before in England or you keep it closed. But in-between is not good because the players get destabilised." And although he confirmed his admiration for West Ham's Matthew Upson, Wenger stated he was not looking to buy "on the defensive side". Yet he would surely consider a top-class holding midfielder to fill a position severely weakened by Mathieu Flamini's departure in the summer. Wenger balked then at the ¤21m (£18.5m) Villarreal demanded for the 32-year-old Marcos Senna.
by rogerthornhill » Sat Jan 10, 2009 12:51 pm
by SE13 » Sat Jan 10, 2009 2:25 pm
by Git » Sat Jan 10, 2009 2:29 pm
by SE13 » Sat Jan 10, 2009 2:40 pm
by Bristol_Gunner » Sat Jan 10, 2009 2:41 pm
by left right left » Sat Jan 10, 2009 2:42 pm
SE13 wrote:Starting Eleven
Almunia
Sagna
Toure
Djourou
Clichy
Eboue
Diaby
Denilson
Nasri
Adebayor
Van Persie
On the bench
Fabianski
Vela
Ramsey
Wilshere
Bischoff
Bendtner
Gibbs
by essexgunner » Sat Jan 10, 2009 2:44 pm
by Good_Eye_Sniper » Sat Jan 10, 2009 2:45 pm
left right left wrote:SE13 wrote:Starting Eleven
Almunia
Sagna
Toure
Djourou
Clichy
Eboue
Diaby
Denilson
Nasri
Adebayor
Van Persie
On the bench
Fabianski
Vela
Ramsey
Wilshere
Bischoff
Bendtner
Gibbs
very good to see diaby in the midd, i think this is wer he is at his best, not that happy about denilson, but we dont have any opps on that do we!!!... can wilshere play there????
by Git » Sat Jan 10, 2009 2:57 pm
by Good_Eye_Sniper » Sat Jan 10, 2009 3:00 pm
by waisman » Sat Jan 10, 2009 3:04 pm
