Arsene Wenger prepares to face Schalke straight off the back of one of the most disappointing reverses of recent times in the loss to lowly Norwich, and although he is aware that some Arsenal supporters will put this new setback down to the clubs policy of selling their best players every year.
Their are expected to be the usual protests and difficult questions posed at the annual meeting from the Black Scarfs and Red Action, but Wenger would still prefer to concentrate on the positives, like the healthy bank balance!
So, over the coming weeks and months, rumors are certain to be speculating how Arsenal will be in the market for a striker. One name has already popped up-that being Adrian Lopez, with some reports saying that Wenger tried to buy the Atletico Madrid striker ahead of Giroud's arrival in the summer.
So, over the coming weeks and months, rumors will begin to grow speculating how Arsenal will be in the market for a striker. One name has already popped up-that being Adrian Lopez.
The Spanish striker has already been linked with a move to the Gunners in January but simply put, Arsenal doesn't need a striker.
Speaking just for myself and not Arsenal supporters in general, if the rumours are true that
Cesc Fabregas wants to come back to the Gunners, I have a couple of choice words for him and
they're not too kind. The way Fabregas left the team was one of the most annoying and distasteful
situations in recent memory for me.
The night before Arsenal faced Liverpool at Anfield this weekend, it seems that a London scaffolder
called Stuart Smith was in Liverpool City Centre with a local girl when he was brutally attacked by
a bunch of Arsenal supporters outside the Chameleon club in Back Colquitt Street. The victim was
taken to the Royal Hospital [.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has been tight-lipped about the prospect of signing another
midfielder to replace Alex Song but it seems that he can steal a massive bargain in the form of
Chelsea star Michael Essien.
Essien, who was once considered one of the Premier League's strongest defensive midfielders, has
struggled for a consistent place in the Blues' startling line-up since returning from a serious
injury last season and finds himself significantly down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge in
this campaign.
We All Contracted Premature Speculation!!! by Nashy Over on my blog on LadyArse a few weeks back I
alerted the Arsenal faithful to a horrible disease that sweeps through the ranks during the
transfer windows. This disease, is Premature Speculation. A definition in the Arsenal Supporters
Medical Handbook defines it as so: Premature Speculation [.
Wage War by TS Over the past weeks, I've noticed that a lot of arsenal supporters don't fully
understand why we have lost key players over the years. Some say its because Arsenal haven't won
anything-to some extent that's true- but most would agree that money was the main influencing
factor. So I've written this [.
The captain's armband at Arsenal is fast turning into the golden ticket to a move away from the
Emirates Stadium.
A year after Cesc Fabregas stuck a dagger into all Gunners hearts, Robin Van Persie has now
decided to jump ship and join fierce rivals Manchester United for £24 Million pounds.
There is an interesting battle going on at Real Madrid over Nuri Sahin. The 23-year-old, former
Bundesliga Player of the Year has been told by Jose Mourinho that he needs to go out on loan this
season, in order to get some much needed playing time.
Sahin wants to play in the Premier League and that is where the problem lies.
Arsenal's new signing Santi Cazorla, the talented midfielder, has sat down for his first interview.
In the interview, the new Gunner claims he wants to help the club end its wait for a trophy. I'm
sure many Arsenal supporters and ...
This is a content summary. Visit http://www.epltalk.com to read the entire article
GCR Books (http://www.gcrbooks.co.uk) republishes classic books from the past that might
otherwise have slipped into obscurity. The latest in their Arsenal series was originally published
in 1953, almost 50 years ago.
I am quite surprised to still find Arsenal supporters who actually believe that van Persie was
serious when he wrote that he was not going to renew his contract because he wanted to go to a club
where he would win trophies.
Although, I am not 100% convinced that he personally wrote or even endorsed the piece that
everyone refers to on the web site that bares his name; I do think on balance that we have to
believe it because, quite simply, he has never denied it.
I am quite surprised to still find Arsenal supporters who actually believe that van Persie was
serious when he wrote that he was not going to renew his contract because he wanted to go to a club
where he would win trophies.
Although, I am not 100% convinced that he personally wrote or even endorsed the piece that
everyone refers to on the web site that bares his name; I do think on balance that we have to
believe it because, quite simply, he has never denied it.
I am quite surprised to still find Arsenal supporters who actually believe that van Persie was
serious when he wrote that he was not going to renew his contract because he wanted to go to a club
where he would win trophies.
Although, I am not 100% convinced that he personally wrote or even endorsed the piece that
everyone refers to on the web site that bares his name; I do think on balance that we have to
believe it because, quite simply, he has never denied it.
Hello and good afternoon to you all. The pre season friendlies can't come soon enough as it
gives us something new to talk about. As it stands, the Robin van Persie issue is still unresolved
and to prove just how out of the blue the statement was, Aaron Ramsey wasn't pretending he knew too
much about it.
Just what are we to make of the various statements that have appeared in the press
lately?
First came the not so very surprising one from the want-away van Persie, the full text of which
can be found on the player's website. After spending most of his eight years at the club being
nurtured by Arsene Wenger and nursed by the medical staff he had a really good season and suddenly
discovered that he disagreed with the direction the management was taking.
There are a lot of Arsenal supporters upset over Robin van Persie's statement, which revealed he
wasn't going to sign a contract extension with the club. There were a few shareholders who weren't
very happy either, especially Alisher Usmanov and Farhad Moshiri.
Usmanov and Moshiri, who are the club's second-largest shareholders with a combined 30 per cent,
said they have deep reservations about Stan Kroenke, the majority shareholder, and the direction
the club is going.
There is a strong current of opinion among some Arsenal supporters that our seven year winless
streak is a disgrace.
The argument goes like this: "Arsenal are a big club. Big clubs win things. We haven't won
anything for seven years. Therefore... our manager isn't good enough; our Board of Directors lack
ambition; they're only interested in money.
Watching Italy against Croatia on Thursday, I could only admire the silky skills of Pirlo, the
Italian Playmaker. Especially in the first half, Pirlo gave a demonstration of what the Conductor
role is all about. He always makes himself available by cleverly, and constantly, finding space. As
soon as he gets the ball, he already knows what he wants to do next.
There were some interesting things that came out of Ivan Gazidis's meeting with the Arsenal
Supporters Trust earlier this week. Two good write-ups on the meeting are here and here.
While Gazidis has a knack of talking a lot and saying nothing, the fact that he was willing to
meet with Arsenal supporters last night and stayed around afterwards to answer more questions is
really something.
If you are here for the first time, welcome. This is a blog about all aspects of football,
written primarily by and for Arsenal supporters but with a significant non-Arsenal readership, and
occasional non-Arsenal writers too.
The thought today is: "Do you ever feel unhappy about a ref after a game?
Ivan Gazidis, the Arsenal chief executive, spoke to Arsenal Media on Tuesday, a day ahead of his
meeting with the Arsenal Supporters' Trust on Wednesday, to appease fans with positive, prepared
answers on a wide variety of topics.
While it would be possible to take excerpts from Gazidis' statements, and put this into an
article format, with added comments and opinions, Arsenal fans will likely simply want to read all
of Gazidis' comments to see if anything can be gleaned by reading between the lines.
Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis is due to meet with around 300 Arsenal Supporters' Trust
(AST) members at Emirates Stadium this week and it looks like from the questions submitted by AST
members, that Gazidis will be on the hot seat.
According to the AST web site, Arsenal and Gazidis have agreed to cover the following
topics:
The club's footballing expectations for this coming season, 2012/2013, and whether qualifying
for the Champions League is the extent of the club's ambitions
 The new Elite Player Performance Plans being introduced and what this will mean for youth
development at Arsenal
 The future of the Arsenal Fanshare scheme and club support to promote continued plurality in
the ownership through supporter shareholders
 What progress Ivan Gazidis feels has been made in his first three years at the club and an
update on the club's five year strategic plan
What lessons have been learned from last summer's transfer window to make sure things go more
smoothly and successfully this year, and the position regarding Robin van Persie
How the club will drive commercial income aggressively in the short term given the long-terms
tie-ins on stadium naming, kit rights and shirt sponsorship and the need for more tertiary and
overseas deals
The club's view of Financial Fair Play regulations and what plans we have should they have
little impact
Given that Arsenal now has two billionaire investors owning over 96% of the club, is there a
case for them investing funds to put us on a competitive footing before FFP starts to bite?
AST Meeting With Ivan Gazidis – By JG Oh joy, the Arsenal Supporters Trust will be having their
annual Q&A with Ivan Gazidis and the board this coming Wednesday at the Emirates at 7:00pm. Last
years meeting turned up to be a load of nonsense, the questions Gazidis was asked were for the most
part [.
ARSENAL shareholder Alisher Usmanov has splashed some of his considerable cash on a new luxury
yacht...no doubt tempting Gooners to dream about the money he could fork out on players.
Usmanov has, it is being reported, handed over some £65million on the craft, which includes a
swimming pool, a helicopter pad, a gym, a luxury dining room and cabins for 20 guests.
350 members of various Arsenal supporters' organisations and shareholders will attend a Q&A
evening with the club's CEO Ivan Gazidis in the north end of the stadium's Club Level next
Wednesday evening, after Coldplay have packed up and moved on to their next venue. At this time of
year, since before the move to the new stadium, such an event has been organised by the Arsenal
Supporters Trust for their members.
Lieutenant-Colonel Richard DidIt DSO and Bar, otherwise known as My Great Uncle Dick DidIt, was
far from the hero his gongs would imply. The reality is that the man was simply a massive Con
Artist, or what we refer to these days as a Salesman. History is littered with such rogues. Stan
Flashman, Gerald Ratner and Harry Redknapp all spring to mind.
Lieutenant-Colonel Richard DidIt DSO and Bar, otherwise known as My Great Uncle Dick DidIt, was
far from the hero his gongs would imply. The reality is that the man was simply a massive Con
Artist, or what we refer to these days as a Salesman. History is littered with such rogues. Stan
Flashman, Gerald Ratner and Harry Redknapp all spring to mind.
With the Mayoral elections over, concerns have switched to the next big polls. This week,
Arsenalinsider has been placed alongside some of the most popular blogs out there, as epltalk.comÂ
nominates the site for best club blog award during the 2011/12 season. By Just skimming over the
other nominations, it's apparent that Arsenal FC blogs dominate the list, evidence that Insider is
able to mix it in a competative circle.
While most Arsenal supporters are focused on the Robin van Persie saga, the pre-season, and new
possible signings, let's not forget the Arsenal Ladies. There are six of them making the club and
nation proud with their performances during the Olympic Games. Britain has won all three of their
matches in the group stage against New Zealand, Cameroon, and Brazil and faces a tough opponent in
Canada on Fri.
It seems to some Arsenal supporters that the club is stuck in some sort of time warp and the year
is still 2005. Or perhaps it's more similar to the Hollywood film "Groundhog Day" where the same
thing keeps happening day after day. But with the Gunners it's the same thing year after year. They
fail to win any silverware, but consistently finish in the top four and make the Champions League,
where they ultimately get knocked out at various stages of the tournament.
Good morning and welcome to Thursday. See how I know it's Thursday? Because it was Wednesday
yesterday, and it's Friday tomorrow. I'm nobody's fool, me.
Last night saw Ivan Gazidis speak to the Arsenal Supporters Trust, and while I was far, far
away, it seems there was a lot of talk about Financial Fair Play, and interestingly, the wage
structure at the club.
With slightly less than a month to go until the start of the 2012 European Championships, it's
time for us to kick off our previews of the sixteen nations that will be competing at this summer's
tournament in Poland and Ukraine. We're doing this in order of the groups drawn, so we'll start
with everything you probably don't need to know about one of this summer's co-hosts, Poland.
