Judgement Week

Morning all,

I could come up with many a metaphor for how low we are feeling yet I am just too hung over to try. It is far easier to say dread continues to fill the heart of many a Gooner. However it is important to note that yesterday's performance has not given us anything new to think about and therefore shouldn’t make us any more fearful for the upcoming season (not that that's much consilation).

A 2-1 defeat to a decent side in a pre-season friendly, on the face of it, is not a crisis, under normal circumstances. When we dig deeper though, it is clear that with the apparent losses of Fabregas and Nasri, we have no real penetration or impetus to start attacks. Of course this wasn’t helped by the loss of Wilshire as well, but it does make me think that this may be too heavy a weight on the shoulders of Ramsey and Wilshire for the season. You have to realise there will be a lot more pressure on the two without one of these other players next to them and I know it was one performance but Ramsey didn't look overly comfortable in this role.

It is from this performance that you understand Wenger’s hesitance to accept good money from City for Nasri if Cesc leaves as well. I have said for the past few days that it is clear to me that both their exits will only have one replacement. Maybe with this in mind it is worth the £35m it will cost to keep him another season.

I felt Gibbs played very well and provided a much better final product then his predecessor. This was promising as was his general performance. I am aware he looked culpable for their first goal but I just feel it was some good work from the player that got him past as much as it was defensive naivety from Gibbs. This can happen at times but it was certainly poor defending from the Verminator who found himself the wrong side at a crucial moment. The second goal was equally poor defending from a person I fear may have his days numbered at the club, not because he is as awful as he is but the fact that he is the new target for Arsenal fans this season. With apparently no Eboue, Nicklas or Denilson he is going to get some real stick this season.

The only other positive was the reminder of RVP’s goal threat. He was out of the game for long periods but he just oozed class with every little touch. He is in my opinion one of the best in the world and I just hope he can demonstrate that this season if he can remain fit.

It is another night to forget but again just a friendly. Let’s hope this can act as a stimulus for Wenger/Ivan to get some much needed signings to strengthen the team immediately. We cannot realistically expect the squad players of last year to step up and suddenly be considered world beaters. They will have a more important role to play but if they weren’t good enough in a season where we imploded how can they be considered good enough to win the league now. I dread to think how the season will unfold if outgoing players aren’t replaced.

At this stage all we are asking for is the replacement of outgoing talent to be replaced with real talent. That would take us to a situation where it is like for like. That is still not good enough to win the league. That will just take us on par with last season.

If Cesc/Nasri leave we need another four signings this week. It is safe to say this will NOT happen. We need two creative players to replace them, another defender and ideally a great striker to compete with RVP/fill in for his inevitable injury. I am sure that these players are not forthcoming and at a best can only see Mata and maybe a defender. That would leave us very short and certainly a step backwards. I understand it is hard to fill the shoes of Cesc and to find the right players to bring in but hearing Wenger speak on the issue does make me cringe. He talks of it like mission impossible, failing to realise other clubs have been very active in the market and have been able to get their business done in a timely manner.

I hate to sound like a broken record and sound as negative as I have the past few days but there is little choice. I haven’t got faith in us adequately replacing the potential outgoing players never mind actually strengthening the team.

Hopefully Monday will bring some good news for us.

Until then!

Goonerverse

A summer of problems and no solutions!

Another fine morning it is, but if only all was fine in the Goonerverse.

In fact it is almost the complete opposite. It seems turmoil surrounds us everywhere we look right now whether it is the transfer debacle of Nasri & Cesc or if we look at the other end of the scale where there are no imminent arrivals; nothing seems right in the Goonerverse.

I am heartedly disappointed with a number of things going on at the moment and the way things have been handled. As such it seems that today’s post is going to mainly consist of me bitching and moaning with very little good news. In fact I’d go as far as to say that this may be an anti-management post. Please don’t get me wrong I am not one for hating on Wenger for no reason and as I have previously mentioned would count myself to be in the Wenger loyalist/overly optimistic camps but there have been a series of grossly mismanaged situations which have reared their ugly heads to make this the worst summer for a long time. Please also do not think this is directed just at Mr Wenger as it is equally directed at the board including KSE and our man with the master plan; Ivan.

So here are breakdowns of some of the situations that have plagued our summer which in my opinion could have been avoided.

1. Nasri situation – In my opinion easily the most avoidable. How on earth has our beautiful club let one of our top players run into the final year of their contract? It is a question I have asked myself but unfortunately this is not the first time which makes this one so much worse. We did the same with Edu and Flamini which begs the question, why is it happening again. Alright, I know the situations were slightly different, particularly with Flamini. He didn’t really perform until his final season. However I just do not understand the logic of letting someone leave for free. If Nasri now stays he will cost the club in the region of £35million. That is just for one season. A break down of the figure is: £3.1m on wages, £22m in potential transfer fees we would miss out on and a very conservative estimate of £10m to replace him next summer. £35MILLION for one season! It is absurd for Arsenal fans to think we would spend anywhere near that on a new addition, but to keep a player who wants to leave it apparently makes footballing sense according to Wenger and the board. If we let him go this season for the oft mentioned fee of £22m and a replacement was bought in for even £20m we would still be in the green. I don’t understand how we can be so frugal for new acquisitions because we don’t have “oil money” but he can afford to be so careless regarding a player in his last year.

Solution: Pay him the extra money to sign which he doesn’t deserve or sell him NOW!

2. Cesc situation part 1: Barcelona’s shameless pursuit – No human can deny that Barcelona have revealed themselves to be heartless, classless and truly disgusting, vile creatures all the way from the hierarchy to the players. They have relentlessly tried to unsettle a player whilst not actually doing anything to buy him aside from ridiculous offers only designed to lower the asking price. Worst of all this has been allowed to happen and has seemingly worked. It looks like we are not risking injury to Cesc at the moment to not scupper the deal. I feel something may happen this week. Could this have been avoided? An unequivocal YES! A strong management team would have clearly said, “Meet the asking price by August 1st or do not bother”. But we do not set such deadlines for we like to be bent over and raped with our pants on. We should have told them to swivel and told Cesc to get on with it. Surely, if he knew he was staying in August we would not have seen the disgusting behaviour that has ensued. Taking me on nicely to…

3. Cesc situation part 2: Sulky McSulkison – To say that Cesc has played a game this summer is stating the obvious. He has not spoken of his desire to leave publically and has shown up for the photo opportunities such as members’ day like a good little boy. However behind closed doors it is becoming apparent that he has sulked, moaned and bitched (a little like this post) his way out of the managers plans for pre season. He has managed to disgrace himself when he was previously untouchable. Not playing in the Emirates cup, leaving at half time on day one and looking about as happy as a kid that has just found out Father Christmas is not real.

He has managed to make it almost impossible to keep him and to be honest even if does stay it will be interesting to not only see how he responds but how we respond. I am not one for booing my own team but would not be surprised to hear some boos come his way. Who would have thought it even a month ago?!

Solution: Sell him for the right money or make him play and strip him of his captaincy.

4. Not investing in the club – The man, Ivan, who always says the right things promised a busy transfer window. He assured us of tireless work to ensure we sign the greatest talent across the globe to improve our beloved Arsenal. Wenger always remained more cautious. Even whilst declaring a busy summer of new arrivals he only mentioned “two quality signings”. That is really not that busy Mr Wenger. To be fair to him we did already sign Jenkinson at that point so he may have been referring to 3?! Hmm. This is even more worrying considering the apparent imminent departures of two of our creative lynchpins. Now not only will we have to sign TWO players to replace them but also another “super quality player or two” to improve from last season. Let’s face it, even if these two players were happy and were both staying, at the start of the season we were still looking for significant investment in the form of 3 or 4 players. If we now sell them we are looking at 5 to 6 players arriving and I think we all know that is not going to happen.

Even if we do reinvest the money that we get for selling Cesc and Nasri, even if it is a significant portion of it on great players, we will still not be any further forward when compared to last season. We will have (I am assuming) even less experience and will be back at the stage we were at the beginning of the summer plus Gervinho & Jenkinson, still in dire need of strengthening. I fear though, and am even willing to go as far as to say that I can guarantee that, even if we sell both Nasri and Cesc we will only buy one player to replace them. Maybe, just maybe, if we are really lucky we will get a defender as well but I wouldn’t hold your breath.  This is just made worse by Wenger’s assertion that we have real quality that can challenge for the league. Yet at the end last season Ivan declared that we needed to strengthen. It is all very bizarre and something that could have been avoided. Had the club said clearly we will look at only bringing in 2 or 3 players and there will be no major overhaul at least our expectations would be in line with what has happened. I know PR is not our strong point but with the phrase “busy summer” brandished and in turn taking off in the media, the inevitable link to almost anyone with a pulse and a professional contract made our lack of activity harder to take. There is still time but it is getting past the stage where it is likely so we shall see.

Solution: Sell them as soon as possible and replace them adequately and quickly. Then buy two more quality players to add to the squad in time for the start of the season. Unlikely now, eh?

Now if we were a bit more proactive and sorted out some of these situations a lot earlier, it wouldn’t seem as if all is lost. We would be looking at one of the most exciting Augusts’ in memory. We have a month which includes a visit to Newcastle, hosting Liverpool and Udinese (Champions League), then travelling to Old Trafford and finally continuing our travels into Italy for the return leg. Had we sorted out our squad it would be an august which would have all Gooners licking their lips however I fear it has instead left many a Gunner filled with doubt and yet more trepidation about the coming season.

On that gloomy note, I bid you farewell.

Tune in tomorrow.

Goonerverse

Slow News Day - Liverpool Preview

Morning all,

Welcome to another rendition of my blog also known as my daily foul mouthed rant. I got some feedback from yesterday and as such am going to try to tone down the use of the word cunt. So with that in mind, this is a no c-bomb zone and as such would request that all in the Goonerverse refrain from using the word c u n t. Let’s see how long this lasts.

We’ll start today off with the usual round up of any transfer news at the moment. There is nothing to note in particular with regards to the Cesc saga or debacle depending on which way you look at it (no I do not think another pathetic bid is worth noting). However his body language, presentation and general demeanour further added to the fuel with everyone under the sun becoming psychologists. There was a series of pictures taken yesterday of the players showed Cesc to be completely unshaven and quite frankly looking a mess. Not exactly the look of a captain ready for the upcoming season to me. We avoided a potentially tricky situation with the team photo due to the weather.

Bartley has signed an agreement to join Rangers on loan for the coming season. This should be a good move. I am glad he is going out on loan as long as it for regular football. I would have preferred a premiership team but he seems to be liked over there so that is a positive. One negative as Arseblog pointed out to me was their propensity to play him in the centre of the park. Let’s hope they play him in his preferred position.

The draw for the Champions League qualifier takes place this morning. The potential opponents are: Odense, Twente, Rubin Kazan, Udinese or FC Zurich. This is happening any minute so will Tweet the opponent.

Aside from that, news has been light and as such will continue my mini series about our rivals and their threat levels to our chances. It is important to note I was going to stop but for the intense pressure from one of my friends to write this. I genuinely do not believe there are any other than the three I have mentioned already that threaten our pursuit of the Premiership but here goes nothing! So today we shall discuss Liverpool’s chances and specifically the threat they pose to Arsenal’s ambition to win the league.

Last Season: In what can only be described (quite aptly by the cheesy cliché) as “A game of two halves” was the shambles that was Liverpool. From being a complete joke in the first half of the season, to going on an unbelievable run in the second half of the season, it is fair to say that Liverpool shared as mixed fortunes as a team can have without having the name Arsenal. I felt sorry for Hodgson for his entire reign at Liverpool certain that the team’s shortcomings were not down to his inadequacies as a manager but down to the shortcomings of his predecessor. I will admit that I may have been slightly wrong, though not completely. He clearly didn’t help with signings such as that of Paul Konchesky and was unbelievably inept at coming to terms with the club, understanding its culture and most importantly being able to motivate the players. This was a recipe for disaster and with the Liverpool fans’ unhealthy passion in supporting someone equally disastrous in Rafael Benitez this put pressure on Hodgson that he could not comprehend in his wildest dreams. He clearly couldn’t handle this pressure as the more that came, the more calamitous decisions he made.

But then came the benefit brigade’s I mean KOP’s knight in shining armour. Mr Dalglish came in and turned things around. I daresay this turnaround was more down to the high regard people within the club held him and how much they hated Hodgson, than his actual management skills. Could be wrong but I doubt it. This meant an almost instant impact and a sense of urgency that was missing from the club since the start of the season and they finished the season very well. In my opinion, looking at their squad and their best XI, I’d say by season end they over achieved, especially with the sale of their superstar and the injury problems to their best player.

Playing Squad: They had an awful squad at the beginning of last season and it didn’t improve in the slightest with any of Hodgson’s transfers. They lost Torres in the winter window which now seems like a great move but added the unproven Andy Carrol alongside Suarez. While the jury’s still out on Andy Carrol, Luis Suarez on the other hand has been a revelation.

It is clear that Liverpool have invested heavily this transfer window. Not only has the investment been substantial, it has been very early in the window, which is imperative to ensure a smooth transition into the squad for any new players. They have added (so far): Stewart Downing, Alexander Doni, Charlie Adam and Jordan Henderson.

Now whilst I would think it a disaster if Mr Wenger invested in any of these players I do feel that this has strengthened the Liverpool squad to some extent. Downing is not even close to being a footballer and I was wholeheartedly relieved when they secured the signature of that guy with a left foot. In fact they are all players I would not want but they will create competition for places. I think that only Charlie Adam’s signing is one that will improve the starting XI but I think their real strengthening happened last January. With a full pre-season and the time to settle into the Liverpool squad Carrol will definitely get goals as well as having Suarez from the start of the season is where they have really improved.

It almost seemed as though Liverpool’s policy for the summer was one of securing the signature of anyone with a pulse as long as they are British. They seemed to have calmed down but now have their eyes set on Cahill. He is someone I would like to see at Arsenal so hope that this does not happen, but if we are their competition there is surely only one winner: Liverpool. .

Threat: Medium. They will be closer to the top four this year but I cannot see them breaking it. People are saying we will drop out and Liverpool will replace us but I just don’t see this happening. There lack of a European gives them a distraction but it is also a reminder that they are not good enough to be with the European elite.

Verdict: They have strengthened their squad in many ways but I am not convinced as to their ability to break into the top four. Maybe I just can’t see past how far off they were at this stage last season and that I refuse to believe that any of those players added this season will really help. So although they have improved and will close the gap I don’t think they have exceeded us or any around us. This is sure to anger the millions of Liverpool fans in London and Birmingham that are sure it is their year. Ha!

Until tomorrow Gooners!

Members’ Day & General News

Morning all and it feels like normal business is resumed. Perhaps because of the weather it seems like everything is back to normal. The incessant trash talk from Barcelona is back and worse than ever. I find the newest talk to be the most infuriating of the lot because it is just a slap in the face of all involved with the club. After all the shit talk that has leaked out of the mouths of everyone at the club from the toilet cleaner to the cunt of a president to do with our captain, we are now told by Barcelona’s Director of football, Zubizarreta that;

"We won't comment on the negotiations for Fabregas. We will have time for that. We must be respectful of the club Cesc belongs to. You just have to let things happen without being optimistic or pessimistic."

Wise words and would have been much appreciated two months ago. At this time however they feel like a cheese grater to the testes, especially when that little twat Xavi cannot keep from following these rules set by their Director of Football. He has already declared that;

"Cesc is a footballer who would come to add [quality] to this squad. Our strength is in the midfield and we need many players for this area, Fabregas is a player that, if he comes, will help us play in different ways. He has the final pass on him and he can score too.”

All very true but he is not your player so he offers you nothing and until that is the case shut the fuck up about him. It is highly unprofessional and has had the effect of unsettling one of our most important players. I look forward to hearing how he has been punished following this outburst but will surely be waiting an eternity as there has been a clear strategic push at destabilising our captain and so far it has worked. I said a few days ago it is looking more and more likely that he will leave and I am sure this is the case. It is depressing to see and I still do not understand how we have let ourselves be in this position. WE hold all the cards and can do as we please. It would be nice to see someone with a bit of back bone to just say no. We do not need to sell and KSE could easily step in and refuse to sanction the sale. That would be a more than welcome intervention.

Today is Members’ Day and this further adds to the speculation. I am like a giddy school kid today as I usually am on occasions like this but those of a more sceptical disposition have focussed more on the team photo and who will appear in it. I am not going to focus on this and will hopefully be able to enjoy the day without worrying about these issues for an afternoon.

In other news, it has been announced that Kyle Bartley has signed a new contract which I think is great news. He looks a real talent and would be a great squad player. I feel he would benefit from another season out on loan ideally to a team in the Premiership but he clearly does not agree.

"If I'm honest, I don't think I was anywhere near the level to play for Arsenal last season but I've come back, I feel really strong and I feel that I am ready now.”

A bit of an old quote but it is his assertion that a loan deal is not necessary this season and he can really do a job for us already.

In the only bit of real transfer news it seems Arsenal are ready to take another talented Spanish teen and offer him a professional contract. Unfortunately we are not taking one of Barca’s players this time it is in fact their rivals over in Madrid. Read Madrid striker Jose Rodriguez seems to be on course for a transfer switch to Arsenal. According to the London Evening Standard, Arsene has already spoken to his parents and apparently Fabregas is involved in convincing him to sign professional terms at The Arsenal.

I will be honest I do not know an awful lot about him aside from that he was Player of the Tournament at the recent Under-17 World Club Championship in Spain. He is said to be very good and this like the potential signing of Campbell, represents one for the future so does not really effect the coming season.

Anyway, running a little late now so better depart.

Enjoy the day!

Slow News Day - Manchester City Preview

Morning all and what a beautiful one it is,

Seems as though there is no promising news on any transfers especially the one I refuse to discuss. I really, really hope it does not happen! (Argh)

It seems as though the promise to us of a busy summer has been grossly exaggerated but I for one am not overly surprised. Most of the talk came from our man Ivan upstairs and when le professor spoke of a busy summer he specifically only mentioned “one or two quality signings”. It was never a matter of going out and buying 4 or 5 players, at least not in Mr Wenger’s mind. I for one think we are going to make another signing at the most. I am not counting any replacements for the imminent departures. I seriously do not understand how we let ourselves be bullied by other clubs or the players but it is what it is and I just hope Mata doesn’t replace both of the departing players (if both do indeed leave).

Also the signing of Campbell seems to be back on despite it seeming like he tried to whore himself to anyone he thought may be able to sign with. Seems like a signing we really do not need and it seems pointless as it certainly will not help strengthen for the coming season. I think we have had enough of these signings especially when they are in the majority.

In other news it seems as though Wilshire’s injury is not too serious which is good and bad news. He is available to play for England now which seems to be a curse for every single arsenal player so lets just hope it is for as little time as possible and he remains fit for the start of the season.

In continuation of the little mini series we move on to the, even more annoying then Chelsea; Man City.

Last Season: This is interesting. They were good at times, okay for the most part and awful for the rest of it. Especially against us. They seemed incapable of having a go against any of the big teams which didn’t suggest that they were ready to fight for the championship. They were trailing us the entire season and were in fact battling with some small club from down the road for most of the season to secure champions league football. It is with that in mind that I really cannot understand how on earth they managed to finish above us. These instances really highlight how major our downfall was at the close of the season. It was truly shambolic.

Playing Squad: They have a fantastic squad which many other clubs would envy for but on the plus side for us, it is full of money grabbing, disloyal arse holes. This may explain some of the poorer performances. A team full of individuals many of whom have sulked their entire career leading them to City. They have added Aguerro who in my opinion is one of the finest footballers on the planet. Some of his finishes are out of this world. How will he fit in? Probably quite easily but I feel with the number of discontented players there that will surely have some form of impact particularly with Tevez. In addition, with the news that another bid for Nasri has been made I can’t see us keeping him if logic prevails. Unless he commits and signs a new contract he really has to be sold. The other signings though fairly modest in comparison, have helped strengthen the squad, particularly that of Clichy in a very problematic position for them.

Threat to Arsenal: High, mostly due to the volume of talent available to Scarfcini. I do however think that it is possible it will not be all plain sailing for the FFP cheats with all the attitudes especially with the overly cautious Mancini. So despite them being a clear threat to our chances I may be foolishly optimistic about our chances to finish above them. We shall see.

Verdict: They have certainly strengthened, perhaps more so than any other of our rivals with some of it at our expense. This could be repeated and whilst when they gave good money for previous departures they were ones that didn’t make us any weaker yet this season is quite different. I was talking to friends at the bar last night regarding a potential Nasri transfer and they couldn’t understand where he’d fit in and questioned whether he would ever play. I disagree and think he would boost their chances whilst hurting ours.

Am off to Bournemouth to enjoy the sun so will be off and come back brown ;).

Good day to all in the Goonerverse.

Slow News Day - Chelsea Preview

Afternoon all,

Today seems to be another day where all is quiet in the Goonerverse. There is very little speculation in the papers this morning aside from a few bits surrounding Mata and us being the favourites to sign the biggest cock to ever grace the premiership since its inception. I refuse to believe this is true and will no longer acknowledge any transfer news regarding the redneck looking, 70’s porn star moustache having cunt. Joey Barton. That’s the last time his name will be mentioned here unless hell freezes over.

Very strange and conflicting news circulating regarding Valencia’s Mata potentially joining us, but it being off and on again but much more expensive and then back off. Certainly bizarre news but if the papers are too believed then it’s not the news that will lift us out of our deep hole of self loathing surrounded by bad news of our best players leaving and shit defending.

Following on from yesterdays preview about Man United’s threat to the Arsenal this coming season I will shift my focus to Chelsea today that are in many ways far simpler to analyse.

Last season: As touched on yesterday Chelsea came out swinging. They raced to the top of the league and by November it seemed that they were invincible. They were clearly far from it. Some key injuries as well as a number of awful performances saw them slip so far away it is truly amazing that they managed to come second. It also highlights how shocking we were to allow them back into it.

Playing Squad: They have a great first XI and added Torres and Luiz in the winter window but have made no new additions so far this transfer window. So what can we expect of them? It is quite tricky to be honest. Villas-Boas has guaranteed an attractive playing style so this will certainly be a departure to the lump it tactics employed by “The Annoying One” (Mourhinio) and pretty much continued since. There were certainly more goals under Ancelotti but the style was not much better. This leads me nicely to their biggest problem; team selection. It all depends on who plays up front and the formation they play. Chelsea could just continue with a more of the same approach and easily contend for the league through sheer effectiveness of Drogba combining with “Fat Frank”.

If they are to change style do they have the right personnel to play the passing game or will they have to accommodate Torres into the team and play less direct? It is very interesting as they have had a winning formula that, for the most part has worked. The introduction of Torres seemed a genuine threat to Drogba at the time and would have been had it not been for erectile dysfunction he developed last season. Apparently he has taken a lot of Viagra and claims he will start banging them in this season. It is going to be interesting to see. I for one do not think the manager will radically change the style of play and judging from the pre-season friendlies he seems to prefer Drogba. I confess I know very little about the ins and outs at Chelsea and whether that is the case but that’s just how it seems on the outside. I personally am not inclined to find out about a club whose history started when they were taken over by a Russian.

Either way are they going to be more or less effective then last year as a unit? At the moment, probably not in my opinion. They haven’t got that one midfielder that can create magic in the middle and open a team up. This will hamper the team’s attempts to change direction and actually start playing football. This could easily change as I expect they could sign Modric in the near future. This will help the team play in that way but could well take the team time to get used to the style.

Threat to Arsenal: Very High. They in my opinion have a better team then Manchester United’s and as such will comfortably win a lot of games. I think they are not as good as a couple of seasons ago but that could well change if the blue pill kicks in and the Torres of old returns. He could cause some serious damage in full form seeing as he managed to do so playing for the Benefit Brigade.

Verdict: At the moment perhaps not any better off then last season but that’s not too comforting because, and I am assuming here, that they will not have another spell so awful with this set of players. If they add Modric or someone of that mould which I am sure they will they will have improved their biggest weakness which is not good for us.

Anyway I need to get a pint in before I play some football.

Till tomorrow Gooners.

Slow News Day - Manchester United Preview

Aside from a bunch of negative press surrounding our inability to win our own competition, (a true benchmark of league chances) there is not much in the way of actual news surrounding our beloved Arsenal. Nothing specifically regarding any imminent transfers which I’m sure is going to further frustrate the fans.

However, according to the El Mundo Deportivo, a new offer to finally seal the signing of Cesc will be delivered which equates to around £36m but I am sceptical. They are also suggesting that the transfer of Mata is crucial as Arsenal will not sign a deal until his signature is secured. Well given Arsenals reputation for swiftly wrapping up transfer deals this should be done at the speed of light and deals will be announced this evening. Hmmm.

Aside from that nothing else to report on in terms of news aside from in my opinion the pathetic booing of the team. I touched on this yesterday and whilst I appreciate it is frustrating, after a pre-season friendly is neither the time nor the place. Wenger seems to be growing impatient with the fans impatience. Though he says he understands the frustrations he at the same time as disregards it as petulant. Which in this case it was.

I just hope we get behind the team when it matters and cut the nonsense out until we can actually make a proper judgement. Not seeing us boo when we misplace our first pass or when the inevitable Kocienly and Szczesny miscommunication surfaces regardless of whether we concede or not. Let’s just hope despite the frustration we do our jobs as supporters and support them on the field. This is not to say shut up, on the contrary, lets put pressure by voicing our opinions but in a timely manner.

And with that out of the way I thought I would use any slow news days to look at our main rivals for the league (yes I still think we will challenge for the league).  I’d like to talk about how our rivals have strengthened from last year and what that means for their chances.

Today we shall look at the champions Manchester United:

Last season: This has been well discussed; this was a team that wasn’t expected to win the league at the start of the season but the “winning mentality” and the “Ferguson Factor” saw them over the finish line to win the League.

I personally think that their success was in more ways then one down to other team’s form/shortcomings. Chelsea’s mid-season blip was huge! They were perfectly poised to win the league and even at such an early stage looked like they would easily win the league. For a number of reasons that one can only speculate about they imploded and went on a horrendous run (including a defeat to arsenal) which left them out of the running for the league and Arsenal considered second favourites. With Arsenal as Man United’s only major threat they were able to maintain their lead due to regular dropped points from us. Had Chelsea regained momentum even a week earlier the league may well have different champions.

I personally believe winning the league with the team he had at his disposal was SAF’s greatest achievement. I would go as far to say it is on par with winning the treble and Mourinhio’s success at Porto. Controversial maybe but just my honest opinion and if you look at it realistically. How many of that midfield would we be happy to have in our team? Any? I personally don’t think any one of their midfielders is anywhere near good enough. We would as arsenal fans throw fits if we had their midfield with our expectations as fans. Again controversial but I really do believe it. So Ferguson really has performed a miracle by getting this team to win the league he really has.

Playing Squad: Last seasons success seems to have shrouded the minds of the entire press, fans and country as a whole. Everyone was saying they were not good enough to win and needed strengthening at the start of last season with the midfield cited in particular. Yet now they are regarded as early favourites despite not addressing the issues of last season despite some heavy investment. It is safe to say that whilst there has been strengthening of the United squad, I would argue that it is not entirely solving the problems they had never mind some of the new ones such as  losing Scholes and Van De Sar.

With the exception of the excellent De Gea replacing Van De Sar there problems are largely unanswered. And excellent though he is, he is still unproven at this level and may struggle. He will certainly take time to find his feet so for all intents and purposes United will probably be weaker in the goalkeeping departing next season, even if it is for just this season. Phil Jones has come in and we are yet to see what sort of impact he will have but it is safe to assume he will be one for the future as opposed to be needed to have an impact this season which in my mind makes his a transfer that shouldn’t really be considered when discussing league chances. Which leaves Ashley Young, talented though he is I do not believe he solves any of the problems United have instead creating competition for a position which is not their weakest. I am not saying that is a bad thing and I am sure he will be a good signing but am not convinced how this makes a marked improvement on last season. There is of course time remaining and they could still take Nasri, Sneider or someone of that mould which would add the creativity they are missing and change things altogether.

Threat to Arsenal: HIGH. Despite all my perceived negativities of Manchester United playing squad one thing which I have often done throughout my life is write off their chances and it always comes back to bite me in the arse. Despite everything, Ferguson manages to get even an average united team winning. I still do not think they are the best team in the league by any stretch of the imagination but they will always be a threat regardless.

Verdict: Better than last season but with the same shortcomings. For now.

As a last thought; I know our needs are completely different but would any gooner be happy with the acquisition of any of these players for the price paid? I certainly wouldn’t. Let me know what you think.

Until tomorrow when we hopefully have some good news at long last!