‘Let’s win it next year’ + Cesc competition 7 May, 2008
Posted by lasagnechef in Arsenal News.trackback
Does anyone else feel like the season has finished already? With this great weather and nothing left to play for I keep forgetting we’ve actually got a game this weekend. There’s absolutely no build up to Sunday’s game against Sunderland yet, so news is quite limited.
The big news is Flamini leaving, but I spoke about that last night and we just need to move on from it now. I’m not that upset about it really; the fact that it hasn’t happened suddenly has sort of softened the blow. With the recent departures of Henry and Vieira, I was really upset, but when you look back on it we sold them at the right time. So I’m not going to fuss about this one. Not that I’m saying Flamini is on par with Vieira and Henry…
Wenger had a Q&A yesterday with the shareholders, so there’s a few stories coming off of that: He wants us to bounce back and win trophies next year:
“We were close this year but we did not win and what I expect from my team is that, if you are a winner, you say ‘let’s come back next year and win’. If our players are not capable of doing that and just want to walk out for bigger contracts, for me that would be the biggest disappointment.
If you are a winner you say ‘you beat me now in a game but give me a chance to come back and beat you’. That’s what I expect of a team. If they cannot do that then it means I was wrong completely in my whole judgement of this team.”
Notice the little dig to Flamini in there? If think this side does have a really good passion and winning spirit in the core. Gallas, Toure, Fabregas, Flamini, Adebayor, van Persie etc, they are all winners and will be big players when it counts. I’m pretty confident about next year but I’ll talk about that in the summer…
I like what Arsene’s saying though, if this side can come back after this season’s disappointments, right their wrongs and go all the way, it will show an enormous amount of character and I think for once we’ll be admired for something by the other clubs and media. Next year, we will still be a relatively young side, so if we could do it, it would be amazing.
This side has to stay together though. Flamini was a really important member of the first 11, so we cannot afford to lose anyone else. That’s why Wenger has said he’ll do everything he can to keep Alex Hleb at the club. It would be great if he stayed, but I’m not too keen on him now that he’s so publicly made us aware he’s not fully focussed on Arsenal. If he goes, meh, not the end of the world. But if he stays he needs to put this summer’s activity behind him and get on with playing.
The other day I told you about a competition to win tickets for the Cesc Fabregas Show. Click that link to see the question. If you haven’t entered already, THEN DO IT. I’m telling you now that a few people have got this one wrong so if you’re feeling lucky (and knowledgeable) then enter the competition. You have to be available next Tuesday evening the 13th May though. It’s being filmed in London, and I know not everyone on here can make that so I haven’t particularly been bombarded with entrants. So if you can make that night, then enter, because the odds are good.
Right, this London sun has worn me out, so I’m off. I will hopefully speak to you tomorrow to announce the winner(s) of the competition but thinking now, I don’t know when I’m going to get the chance. I dunno, I’ll have to try and find some time. I’ll see you when I see you.
first ginga
Sam as a good mate of yours yeah you make some good points like trying too keep the squad together. But Flam was a big player in my eyes and the Board/wenger gave him a shite deal. Wenger needs too spend this summer if he dosen’t then well fall behing simply
good point del boy, saying wenger needs to spend this summer is one thing, wenger needed to spend NOW to keep the squad together! Selling diarra was a mistake, letting flamini go is another. I look forward to hearing about the new summer buys but i wont be surprised if, yet again, they are young and for the future! Still next year should be good! Lets hope no-one gets injured in the euros (cept ronaldo)
55,000 a week isnt good money? damn!!! give me 5 outta dat per week!
Its good for him to leave. Its a loss that someone else will fill quite well. Arsenal for the PL next season!!!
“lets win it next year” is always the case, de ja vous, visit http://www.arsenalheat.blogspot.com to discuss just why the likes of hleb and fabregas are pondering their futures.
Wake up boys and smell the roses while we still can.
As I have mentioned previously in some of my blogs, Manu and Liverpool have been in a fiscal crisis for the past few years due to their operating losses and inability to infuse new cash to cover these losses.
Chelsea has their benefactor in Abramovich, City now has theirs in Shinawatra, Ashley may infuse some of his millions in Newcastle as with Aston Villa and Maybe Levy with Spurs. However, these clubs are all running at varying degrees of losses and are being subsidized by their benefactors or by the sale of shares.
Apart from Chelsea who can survive as long as Abranovich does not get bored and City, If Shinawatra can get his assets unfrozen, the other clubs are in peril of being bankrupt in the near future. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your views, with the EPL being recognized as the most attractive league in the world and the enormous upsurge in share values there will always be some billionaire person or corporation willing to part with their funds for the prestige and notoriety associated with the purchase of an EPL club.
If clubs do not rein in their spending in the not too distant future, the EPL will have few if any British owners.
Arsenal on the other hand should be commended for taking a logical and financially sound stance while still providing great entertainment on the pitch and being contenders year in and year out.
I sometimes get very irate when all the fair weather fans repeatedly lambaste Arsene and the Board, and want us to spend, spend, spend and win now at any cost without looking at the “BIG” picture.
U just reminded me of van persie,
man, if that guy can stay fit wel walk away with the league
bit of a long shot tho
Aargh
flamini had a good season.doesn’t make him irreplaceable. he;’s gonna def regret it.
i dont think flamini thats great anyway..he wouldnt be quite a loss…there are replacements at the club an abroad as well…he was not good in the air,not strong physically…i hope diego comes from werder bremen
To stop being a feeder club, we need to have a nice balance of older, experienced pros who have been there and done that i.e. actually won things and the young ones that we have now. Two of these winners will be gone next season: Lehmann and Gilberto. Gallas is likely to go too not much later. Skills are great up to a certain level but in the end when the chips are down you also need strong people mentally. At the top level in any sport everyone has talent but what differentiates the winners from the losers is a mentality. Manure and Chelski had loads of players with this and that is why they beat out our more skillful players and are contesting for the top prizes this season. In my estimation through attrition, we have lost these types of players: Bergkamp, Adams, Ljungberg, Cole, Lehmann, Vieira - skillful players with even more skillful minds! It will take ages to develop this quality with kids and it’s also an impossibility because just when you think they are getting there, young players naturally will lose patience and leave. Although we didn’t intend it, we end up being the feeder club to the big clubs and as in the case of Flamini, as players wise up, we will also lose compensation in the form of transfer fees to add insult to injury. So what do we need to do? Spend big and find over time, perhaps by adding 2 players per season, mentally strong/skillful experienced players. Yes, they cost more but to be penny wise pound foolish is not the way to move forward. Otherwise, expect many, many more seasons of mediocrity and rebuilding every year.
Peter,
Dude I didnt know you was a pirate.
Arrrrghhhhh !!!!!!!!!!!
We are 4 points behind the leaders not 40 points so I can’t see what all the bleating is about. The odd goal here or there, or better defending when we were in the lead and we could be celebrating. We suffered a devasting loss of one too many creative players when we lost Eduardo. That cannot possibly happen every season and like Wenger says, if we want to prove that we are winners, we will be back.
WAKE UP ARSENE !!
Lets face it, we are a feeder club for the big boys in europe and always will be whilst we depend on youth, arsene has lost the plot, it was ok getting kids in three or four years ago and they were then “ones for the future”, this policy hasnt worked and for how much longer is our club going to used as some kind of experiment that so far has delivered nothing in three years. There isnt a club in europe that has or ever will be the dominant one when it has depended so much on kids. Can you blame any of these foreign players using arsenal as a stepping stone, they have no passion or desire to succeed at arsenal, as soon as the team hit a sticky patch around about christmas the players gave up, apart from our win at man city we have been poor in the league since december. The players have absolutely no passion and that was bourne out in the most prestigious cup competition in the world, we was a disgrace in the league cup and its impossible for a youngster from africa, easton europe or for that matter anywhere in the world to feel the pain i do as a life long arsenal fan when we lose. Ive seen people on this site shouted down for claiming that arsenal need to change their policy on transfer fees and its wage structure and its the inability of you “trust in arsene” mob to appreciate that we need to change that is contributing to arsenals woes. Being promised Jam tomorrow is now an outdated and ill advised concept that just hasnt worked and anyone that thinks this crop of talent at arsenal can change our fortunes over the next three years are deluded, especially without fabregas, hleb and to a lesser extent flamini.
Passenal,
If things are so rosey why do our players up sticks and clear off as soon as they get the chance? Too many arsenal fans are wandering around like you with rose tinted glasses on because its a show of defiance against manchester united and chelsea but face facts, we are destined for a future mediocrety unless our policies change and how long before it starts to affect gates at the emirates?
Wenger is no demi-god and as far as i am concerned he is reaching his sell by date, maybe frank should be snapped up as he would inject a new hunger into the team and perhaps convince a few of our crown jewels to stay.
Next season when we do not finish in the top four it will be too late to change our direction as we rely heavily on our champions league income and without it we will not attract any big name players.
And by the way, we was told that we had to move stadium so we could compete with the best in europe when it comes to transfers….
well, why hasnt that materialised? We have all been conned, the fans have been told “next year we will be stronger” too often and now i realise what a lousy line we have been spun!