Arsenal thread

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I agree with you Butatista - but I still think EVERY starting 11 should include at least 3 players from that club`s respective country. Otherwise we will lose the game to foreigners - thats the beauty of getting into the Champions League. We dont want our domestic leagues becoming "The Champions League Part 2".
 
Those of you who have been taken in by the crap that has been written in the tabloids since we had the audacity to field (not through choice I might add) a squad comprising 16 overseas players would do well to read this article.


Roy Collins of the Daily Telegraph has summed up the situation far more eloquently than I ever could, therefore I make no apologies for reproducing his article in full here:

Wenger right to pick the best

By Roy Collins

Since having the audacity to field a complete team of foreigners capable of beating Crystal Palace by only a pitifully inadequate 5-1 in Monday's Premiership game, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has all but been accused of being the Herod of English football, indiscriminately slaughtering indigenous young talent.

Hilariously, one of the first to cry foul was former Arsenal player Paul Merson, as English as a barrel of beer, who was given more chances of going straight than the bloke who robbed farmer Tony Martin before eventually being sold off because football got in the way of his addictions to booze, cocaine and gambling.

It was Merson, never the sharpest knife in the box, who memorably observed that Dennis Bergkamp, a dreadful foreign mercenary who has spent only 10 years mesmerising Arsenal fans, was the most technically gifted player at Highbury, yet insisted on staying on the training field after all his team-mates had decamped to the pub. One can only imagine what Wenger was thinking when he snapped off the hands of Middlesbrough eight years ago to accept an offer of £4.5 million for Merson.

And, instead of being put off English players by his Merson experience, 18 months later Wenger wrote a cheque for £2million to make Jermaine Pennant the most expensive teenager in the history of British football; the same Pennant who is facing jail after two drink-driving convictions in less than 12 months.

What on earth does Wenger see in men like Bergkamp and Thierry Henry? The former, in fact, was due to be pensioned off this summer but may now sign for another season while Englishman David Bentley, the man being groomed to succeed him, learns to adopt a few foreign ways. During his brief loan spell at Norwich, where he is meant to be proving his Premiership skills, Bentley has already suffered one suspension by manager Nigel Worthington for not taking training seriously.

Given these experiences, Wenger could be excused for washing his hands of English players altogether. But he gave a first-team debut to Bentley last season and, this term, has introduced both Justin Hoyte and Ryan Smith, who are expected to develop into first-team regulars. And the highest earner at Highbury until recently was England centre-half Sol Campbell.

No one can accuse Wenger of ignoring English-born players. In a mad Anglophile moment, he even splashed £10 million on Francis Jeffers, who was touted as Arsenal's fox in the box, until it became obvious this referred only to the fact he went to ground so early. Even home-town Everton did not want him back and having, like Merson, been given umpteen chances, Jeffers is currently moaning about his lack of first-team opportunities at Charlton.


Wenger, clearly not the world's best judge of a goalkeeper, also paid £6 million for Richard Wright from Ipswich, who infamously gave away two penalties on his England debut. He is now playing second fiddle at Everton to 38-year-old Nigel Martyn.

As he has built one of Arsenal's most successful teams, Wenger has been forced to accept that some of the English talent he inherited was not quite up to it. But none of those he sold has exactly confounded his judgment; central defender Matthew Upson has probably fared the best, though no one would claim that helping Birmingham City to avoid relegation compares to Arsenal's Champions League encounter against Bayern Munich on Tuesday.

The singling out of Arsenal is ridiculous when even Kidderminster Harriers, fighting to stay in the league, have players from Senegal, France and Spain.
What next? Should the Gunners be limited to using players born within shouting distance of Islington's Granita restaurant, where Tony Blair and Gordon Brown were said to have made their pact about sharing the post of Prime Minister?

Chelsea were the first team to field a foreign starting X1 under Gianluca Vialli and, despite Gary Neville's claims that Manchester United always field local youngsters, Wes Brown apart, how many can he name in recent years? And it was 19 years ago that Liverpool fielded an FA Cup final team without a single Englishman.

As for Arsenal, how would their fans fancy this line-up, of former players rejected by Wenger, against Bayern in midweek:

Richard Wright (Everton); John Halls (Stoke), Matthew Rose (QPR), Matthew Upson (Birmingham), Jason Crowe (Grismby); Julian Gray (Birmingham), Stephen Sidwell (Reading), Stephen Hughes (Coventry), Paolo Vernazza (Rotherham); Francis Jeffers (Charlton), Jay Boothroyd (Blackburn). Subs: Paul Merson (Walsall), Lee Harper (Northampton), Tommy Black (Crystal Palace), Isaiah Rankin (Brentford).
 
Bolton away then if we can get passed Sheff Utd, its ok. Its about time we did something at the Reebok, at least to see the look on big sam's face when we wipe the floor with them.
 
Butatista said:
Richard Wright (Everton); John Halls (Stoke), Matthew Rose (QPR), Matthew Upson (Birmingham), Jason Crowe (Grismby); Julian Gray (Birmingham), Stephen Sidwell (Reading), Stephen Hughes (Coventry), Paolo Vernazza (Rotherham); Francis Jeffers (Charlton), Jay Boothroyd (Blackburn). Subs: Paul Merson (Walsall), Lee Harper (Northampton), Tommy Black (Crystal Palace), Isaiah Rankin (Brentford).
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Maybe Upson could have still done a job for you lot
 
Whats scary is that Bayern's morale is very high after a 5-0 victory over the weekend. Its not Ballack that seems scary as they have replacements such as Hargreaves.... its Roy Makaay that is scary.
 
Only problem is Big Sol not playing (a big problem) but I think we will get a win. I want us to show Europe what Arsenal can do! Come on you Gooners!
 
Milanista said:
Whats scary is that Bayern's morale is very high after a 5-0 victory over the weekend. Its not Ballack that seems scary as they have replacements such as Hargreaves.... its Roy Makaay that is scary.
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yeah compared to the arse's home draw against Sheffield United (who had a perfectly good goal disallowed) the germans should be flying.

arsenal havent got the best home form in europe so Bayern could be winners pretty comfortably, you never know which arse team will up in europe.
 
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Well if you think 2 wins and draw at home this season in Europe is not the best....

I am not worried about the home leg, its tonight that will be our biggest test. Lets see if we can pass with flying colours tonight.
 
Butatista said:
Thats the beauty of fottball though, there is always hope for the future!!
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Of course, dont get me wrong you never know whats gonna happen, now the league is out of your hands and your playing for third, you should be able to concentrate on Europe.

Do you not think though, that with your current team past its peak that the chance has gone?
 
Toures goal gives hope.
Was poor performance, and we definately missed Bergkamp. Why couldnt he of just taken a train. Was strange beacuse Bayern didnt even play well, and they could have won it 4-0.
Everybody was expectin Cygan to be the one to make the blunder, but it was the reliable Toure.
 
julien said:
by the way: what a terrible foul by lauren in the second half
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first it was fabregas against sheffield utd, now lauren against bayern. 2 awful challenges and no red card for either.

all this talk about 'rooney' but your players could have broken opposing players legs.
 
Kenny M said:
first it was fabregas against sheffield utd, now lauren against bayern. 2 awful challenges and no red card for either.

all this talk about 'rooney' but your players could have broken opposing players legs.
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All what talk about "rooney"? The fact he pays to shag grannys?

It was a shocking tackle though, can't really defend him there.
 
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