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The Great History of Arsenal Competition – complete with prizes and now with hints
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Editorial note: With Phil Gregory now entering the real world of work (its a bugger isn’t it Phil) we now have a new matchday previewer in Miles, who has been covering the pre-season games.
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So, off we go…
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Arsenal v Sunderland
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By Miles Rackham
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Every Arsenal fan knows what I am going to start this preview with. Van Persie. The Manchester United player. After a long and horrible saga, he has departed from the team that made him. Stuck with him through seven injury plagued years. Thanks for repaying us, good riddance. He will crash and burn, he proved that in the Euros.
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Apart from Van P€r$i€ (who wanted over £250,000 a week I hear), we have seemingly admitted to defeat in keeping Song. Do we need him? Maybe. I personally can’t see him going. Again a player we made showing no loyalty.
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We have also been told that Vermaelen will be our new captain, with Arteta the vice captain. Verm has been a major assets to the squad and deserves the captaincy, he did before Van Persie got it. Arteta is also a worthy captain.
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Wilshere has also been handed the number 10 shirt. If anyone deserves it, it is Jacky. He was amazing in the 2009/2010 season, playing over 40 games for us at the age of 19. He was injured badly in the Emirates cup last season and didn’t play a game, a major loss to us, I can not wait until he is back. We need more midfielders right now. Also a player who I was excited to join the first team, Kyle Bartley, has unfortunately gone to Swansea. Good luck to him.
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So our last game, our last pre-season game against Koln. An easy four nil win. Vermaelen the captain, scoring for us. A penalty and also a slick move meant Podolski scores twice against his old club. Gervinho with a great run scored a fantastic goal from the left. Cazorla had a great début as well.
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Podolski wore number 9, and he now has that as his number, taking it off Park, a player who hasn’t had the best time at Arsenal. He (Podolski) played well against his old club, something that is difficult to do. He didn’t celebrate; much to his credit.
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Podolski is one of the certain starters against Sunderland. Arteta wasn’t played against Cologne due to an injury scare, but he is fit according the reports. Koscielny is injured apparently, so the defence may have a different look from that which we expected.
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Sunderland have a new look team as well though. They have added Saha to their ranks, and may have Fletcher from Wolves soon after having three bids rejected, we know what it is like when a player is being followed by a team and that player wants to leave. They have played six pre-season games, losing four, while they won one and drew another one.
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Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma was their first pre-season game, and they lost 1 nil to them. They then played Groningen and won 3-2. After these two games they went on to play Hartlepool, who beat them 1-0, then Helsingborg beat them 2-0. They drew with Derby with McClean scoring and then finally losing to Leicester City again 1-0. A poor pre-season, I’d say.
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They will be looking to win immediately this time around, after not having the best start last season, and they may even be looking for a Europa League place, which O’Neil got with Aston Villa almost, could he do it with Sunderland? They beat us last year at the Stadium of Light and they were the first team to beat Man City after they steam-rolled over almost every team early on.
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So maybe they could do it, although they are going to have to buy more strikers, with Bendtner returning to us (although if he was still on loan to them he couldn’t play against us anyway) and Gyan leaving after having a strange time at Sunderland. I can’t see a new arrival playing against Arsenal so we don’t need to worry.
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Sunderland look like they are going to be playing a 4-5-1 system, which may be tough for the Arsenal team. We may be playing a 4-2-1-2-1, with Podolski moving up with Giroud upfront to make a more 4-2-1-1-2 formation, leaving who ever is next to Podolski behind Giroud, Walcott, and Gervinho (with the Ox being out injured). Arteta and Song (if he is still an Arsenal player) will have to dominate the midfield and try and slot Podolski and Giroud in. I think we could win this one, we certainly should do it.
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So the first match preview of the Premier League 2012 / 2013 Season. The team have some injuries so the starting line up may look like this -
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Szczesny
Jenkinson Mertesaker Vermaelen Gibbs
Arteta Song
Cazorla
Walcott Podolski
Giroud
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Jenkinson wouldn’t play at right back if Koscielny was fit, but Djourou and Mertesaker aren’t versatile enough to play at right back. The only other option would be Coquelin, who played at right back during periods last season. Maybe Gibbs or Santos could play on the right? You never know.
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Cazorla is going to have to track back during the games (although he’s been to Puerto Rico with Spain, so maybe he might have jet lag so maybe Diaby might get a game with Cazorla coming on later) while Mertesacker is going to have to step up his performance to try and fight for a place in the first team.
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I really hope we can win this. The preseason game against Koln was great, and Wenger must be happy with his starting line up, even though Van Persie has gone. I predict a 3-1 win, hopefully one of the new boys gets a goal or two.
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For Podolski, Giroud and Cazorla, it is going to be a first taste of life in the English Premier League, the best league in the world. Lets not judge if we can challenge for the title on the performance tomorrow though, the players may not all be fit and may need to mix together as a unit more. Good luck to the team though, lets do it for the fans Arsenal, we will all be huddled around our little computer screens if we aren’t lucky to have a ticket for the match.
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Forever a gooner…
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This weekend’s top games previewed.
- The First Help from the “Friends”
- Ref Review for 2011/12 – Neil Swarbrick
- 16 August 1925 - Arsenal buy Highbury
- RVP – it’s just that Nic Anelka thing all over again.
- Van Persie has gone to Man U; can Arsenal expect to push past them this season?
- The Anti-Arsenal vision for the coming season
Stroller,
Whether its Dein or those who learn his approach (but do NOT have his current connections!), when left to run its own course, the upshot of the Dein Effect will continue to be to reduce and/or reinforce each League to/as a de facto 2 team “race”. La Liga (his client being Barca) has two; just as EPL (his clients, the Manchesters) has two. To continue to asset strip and force sales to the highest bidders – are AW alludes in today’s press conference – is taking the oxygen out of football – that would be fans’ dreams of a competitive chance. This globalizing uber-agent (as one of several such functionaries) is killing the game whilst making a killing off its steady destruction as an actual competition.
sorry, meant to write: ” – as AW alludes in today’s press conference – “
The Sport Entertainment & Media Group Ltd
98 Cockfosters Road BARNET, HERTFORDSHIRE EN4 0DP
Base Soccer Agency Ltd.
3rd Floor – 33 Great Portland Street LONDON W1W 8QF
Key Sports Management Ltd. 6th Floor – 35 Soho Square
LONDON W1D 3QX
Just finished watching the sky highlights. From what I saw we played at times some super football and could easily have scored several goals. For a first run out with many changes of a slightly undercooked team it was not a bad performance. Hopefully, with a further week of training and working together behind us we will be sharper next time.
Sorry should have stated the above have or did have dealings with Arsenal recently.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has gone with a French registered agent?
who if my sources are correct also has some other huge names in the game. Which include Isco of Malaga (sorry thats just me living in hope).
But Szczesny has the same agent as Ashley Cole so finding links between Players leaving Arsenal under bad circumstances and Dein being involved seems to be quite hard, Szczesny seems happy at Arsenal but when you think how Cole left Arsenal and the tapping up it is surprising that AFC allow other players to continue to use them?
bob,
Not disagreeing with you, but my point was that trying to divest our club of all Dein clients could turn out to be effective only in the very short term. Others will inevitably get to follow his approach because the rich teams you refer to will make sure that they recreate the means to carry on doing what they do now.
So we know what the problem is, but what is the answer?
Stroller,
One part of the answer is to have a salary cap or FFC without loopholes. The biggest sides don’t want it and do all they can to circumvent it with tiny airline subsides (Citeh) and the rest of what they can “legally” pull off whilst, in practice, strangling the intent of the rules. In the Midas myth, everything he valued had turned to gold and brought him to the edge of suicide before he implored the gods to make it stop. In this case, with UEFA and FIFA and whoever in the position of the gods, there seems near zero chance that anyone can stop the monopolizers but themselves. To be honest, it has put me at the edge of finding another sports passion – like lacrosse, the creator’s game.
wrong. every year all the players leave. only the recluse wenget keeps paying idiots like bartender and shisha boy hideous salaries. about time this clown took a pay cut or be booted out. thought this club hastened a corner but no. usual rubbish. feeder club we are. fact.
marin,
In my opinion, your wish to remove AW is just that; and it wouldn’t stop AFC from being the feeder club that you say it is (and suggest it will be forever). How are you so sure that the AW is totally on board with this policy as opposed to being pushed or instructed to sell (and reach a zero balance)? What’s your actual evidence that he personally wanted to sell Cesc and Nasri and RVP and Song? Would you be able to spend thousands of hours to develop such a group and then welcome if not cunningly arrange their sale? How do you know he is so cold-blooded? Since we don’t have the absolute proof of this, why do you choose to make AW the all-powerful betrayer of AFC’s legacy, chances and fans? I know you are convinced, but can you spell this out in some detail so that anyone who is interested can understand the case you make and try to figure out what is going on?
Marin if every year all the players left. How have we managed to put a team out at all? Keep the faith Brother.
@marin – do you know Goona Gal?
@Bob, Im starting to lean towards the possibility that Dein is a definite escape route out of Arsenal. He could well be the ultimate boat rocker, If a player wants to force a move, for what ever reason, they only have to employ his services to work along side their contracted and registered agent. Is this what you have been trying to state.
Hi Bob,
You may recall some time back when I mentioned an interview with Allardyce where he spoke of instant video replay technology used in the Bolton dug out.
Well I haven’t founnd the interview but have some refrence to it. It’s mentioned in paragraph 5 here,
http://www.sportstec.com/Gamebreaker_-_Bolton_Wanderers
@Adam, Dein Jr. might aswell be manipulating the transfers himself. Seeing as he has the connections, he could just bump into which ever player and start a convo and at the end of it try to sell.
Could be the “a player of your stature deserves a way better compensation/salary/different media exposure”, or “You know that refs are against you right? Why do you put up with it? I tell you players at barcelona are treated like kings”, or ofc the “Wenger is getting old, he’s lost the plot, is only buying mediocre players (what does that say about the player anyway if he was picked by Wenger and Wenger has lost it?).
Sadly enough most people are susceptible to mindgames and just don’t have a clue when theyre being played. The grass aín’t allways greener on the other side is a phrase that comes to mind.
Adam,
Yes, basically. The title never mattered to me. It never mattered whether Dein was literally “the” agent or, more importantly, the fixer/broker/deal-maker. Basically, as you put it, he is/was/stands ready to be the way out. Whether as the instigator, or as the go-to person for another agent/player combination, he winds up – as agent/representative/advisor, whatever the title doesn’t matter – making it happen. And, in making it happen, he makes a meal of the transfer – especially of our Captains – 3 of the last 4 (Thierry, Cesc, RVP).
The matchmakers in Victorian society were very powerful figures in society, right? Dein is a modern-day matchmaker. It is his function; his bread and butter. And through the Dad, he has had access into and around AFC from an early age; and, imo, has used that access, and the Dad’s rep stature and reputation, as a point of entry into AFC and to its players. And in being able to pry them loose he has proven valuable to Citeh, Barfa of Qatar, and now Manure. He can deliver and does. And he does not deal with low hanging fruit – only the top players to and among the top clubs for the biggest payoff and impact.
My great fear is that he is ready, able and willing to do the same for our latest, Tommy V. I have no evidence for this; but I have no doubt that Darren Damien Dein would make this his next scalp. Whether he serves larger interests and purposes in paying the rent is, of course, open to further analysis and hypotheses.
In any case, this is how I’ve been looking at the picture. And I feel that the latest double whammy – Song and RVP – is a two front war that I think he’s won. Tony and others think that we’ve done swimmingly and are pushing Barfa and Manure further down the unsustainable road toward eventual (inevitable) bankruptcy. I disagree and think that those two teams are too big to fail because their failure would have national implications and would take down their respective leagues. So, there it stands. Ego-wise and evidence-wise I truly hope that I’m completely wrong; but it’s how I’ve come to see it.
Eric,
Yes. Those are the types of words which at the right time and in this climate of magical mega-bucks are so persuasive. The head-turner’s arsenal (so to speak).
Stuart, (Walter/Dogface),
Yes, I do remember! That’s a great find, your link. It shows a working model of video replay for purposes of analysis having been developed by Sportstec and utilized at some substantial level by Fat Sam when at Bolton. I looked at Wikipedia which has him as their manager at two times: 1973-1980 and 1985-1986. If this is right, it suggests the capability for this video replay technology – hard to know if it’s total coverage of the pitch and how many angles, etc. – for at least 25 years. Does that seem about right? It would be great to see if that interview ever surfaces and to date it. Really intriguing stuff.
Further info here about how there were different systems in use all at once. Can’t find a total number of cameras though however it does mention they have a live feed from the TV cameras at their disposal and later on about having cameras behind the goals.
http://www.sportstec.com/Newsletter_Feb_2009
I agree with a lot of what you say Bob but the issue at Arsenal seems to be that the stadium debt aong with long term poorly arranged sponsorship deals are hindering everything we want to do.
Not only do we need to balance the books each year and also rely on youth players comming through. But Arsenals also had to change a system were we rely on more midfielders than forwards. chelsea city utd all play with 2 upfront as much as possible. we cant afford that look at price RVP was sold for. Wenger used to play 442 all his best teams played that system. we changed to try and survive and compete with the rich clubs until the deals can be renewed and ffp comes in.
Until then we will have a real battle to stay in the champs league each year. dont expect trophys just be happy for now with what we have.
What’s your sense of when this was (first) being used by Fat Sam?
Red Gooner,
Your analysis of our formations in terms of affordability and cost-effectiveness is really interesting and would appear to explain a lot. I want to digest that point and see how it plays out in my feeble brain. Cheers
Stuart,
Sorry, my 1:40 was meant for your thoughts.
My initial thought was ‘football meets call centre manager’.
I still remember parts of the footage and it showed actual clips of Sam giving hand signals to the video / analysis team to provide instant replay of something (whilst frantically chewing gum)
RedGooner,
Honest question (and please don’t laugh!). Apart from the prestige of a top stadium, was the move from Highbury truly essential in your view? Could AFC have survived economically in today’s football from a Highbury base? I’d be grateful for your analysis.
one positive highlight from last night game is santi cazorla and gervinho performance..
RedGooner,
Are you saying, then, that the winning 442′s were affordable at Highbury but that the cost of the second striker became unaffordable due to the costs involved in building/moving to the Emirates?
Also, would you say it’s not possible for a return to the 442 as an option with our new squad?
Linking formation with the financial reality of the stadium move? I’m not so sure about that. Didn’t we play 4-4-2 till 2008? The midfielder is the new king in football. Which true traditional striker do we hear talked about as the greatest in the world now? Messi, Ronaldo, Iniesta, these are the new stars and none of them are out and out strikers. Football has evolved in the past few years and 4-4-2 is essentially dead.
As for your question bob, there is no way we could have been better off if we’d stayed at Highbury. You only need to look at Liverpool and Spurs to know that. They aren’t anywhere near where we are, despite them being fed money by their owners. The stadium also brings us opportunity for bigger, better sponsorship deals. The corporate boxes in the stadium raise the most money for us. As for the long term deals signed, I’m not denying we could have done better (rumour has it Edelman was sacked for his failure to do that), but when those deals were announced, they were universally thought of as very good indeed. (In fact, the terms of the loan agreement at a fixed 5% are exceptional. No bank would give those rates today as Liverpool found out) What changed is that just as we planned the move, and signed those deals, the oil money poured in and raised the base level of everything. Our deals weren’t poor. The billionaires (and the media) make it appear so.