The Arsenal Exodus

[Harbinger of Hope]

Flamini gone to Milan, Hleb looking to leave, offers in for Adebayor. Mad german keeper going cheap.

Arsenal's squad is small by top 4 standards, causing them to run out of steam in the second half of the season. But will there be anyone left for next year? Have Arsenal spent all their money on the stadium and have no money left at all for players?

[EIM]

The Arsenal Exodus

Wenger is growing the next generation of Arsenal players in a petri dish in a warm corner of his office.

[Harbinger of Hope]

The Arsenal Exodus

I thought he just kidnapped promising young boys from schools in France, like a beady eyed peado.

[EIM]

The Arsenal Exodus

He can't even be arsed to do that any more. He just buys them from another club who spent all the money developing them.

[Gerontophile]

The Arsenal Exodus

you pair of hateful bitches.

Arsenal may be about to lose a couple of decent players (Adebayor wont go until next year, Gilberto and Lehmann can piss off), but we shall look forward to mid table mediocrity nest year. 3rd (still better than Liverpool)... if Fabregas stays, which isnt certain.

We have Rosicky, Eduardo, Sagna and A N Other (who's name escapes me for the moment) coming back, and ok we dont have depth, but we will still play the best football ever.

So, bollocks.

[evilC]

The Arsenal Exodus

Btw - what is the long-term prognosis for Eduardo's leg/recovery? I haven't been keeping up with that.

[Gerontophile]

The Arsenal Exodus

its very sore (no idea)

[Guest]

The Arsenal Exodus

They need to keep Fabregas ( especially ),Adebeyor & Flamini, and hope that Eduardo recovers quickly : they are today what Henry, Vieira etc. were ten years ago, i.e. the building blocks of the next successful team. Get rid of them and their top-four status isn't assured.

[loose cannon]

The Arsenal Exodus

This exodus is kind of depressing - this time it doesn't look like they're being let go because Wenger judges the players have peaked.

When you look at MU and the continuity of the team that has been there for like 50 years, Arsenal lack that. Wenger has pulled prize rabbits out of his hat but usually only every second year at best.

This year is disappointing because the team played so well until the Eduardo injury when the momentum went. They have been by far the most attractive side to touch a ball but have got no reward.

Top four status is in doubt next season. Expect difficult times ahead. I'm even reduced to inserting an unsmiley thing.

: (

[ursus arctos]

The Arsenal Exodus

Keeping Flamini will be difficult, given that he has already signed with Milan.

[NHH]

The Arsenal Exodus

He was speaking to shareholders the other day and said he wanted winners; he defined a winner as someone who tastes defeat and comes back determined to never feel that way again. His view was that if Hleb and Flamini wanted out, then they weren't the kind of people he judged to be winners.

[G-Man]

The Arsenal Exodus

its very sore (no idea)

I'd have applauded you for that, geronto, but seeing as you called me serial killer I'll be coming to assassinate you instead.

This year is disappointing because the team played so well until the Eduardo injury when the momentum went.

Nah, the turning point was losing 4-0 at Old Trafford and having Nani performing party tricks to them.

[Hofzinser]

The Arsenal Exodus

The Man Utd game was irrelevant, I'd say. It was in a competition that was some way down their priority list and if memory serves they put out a weakened team.

I think the loss of Eduardo was vastly more significant.

[JtS]

The Arsenal Exodus

I feel the humbling in the semi final of the League cup was the turning point.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

The Arsenal Exodus

Arsenal's squad is small by top 4 standards, causing them to run out of steam in the second half of the season.

FFS, where's ant259 or whatever he's called these days to come and stick two fingers up to you for a statement that, like he does to me whenever I comment on Liverpool?

[Sixmartletsandaseagull]

The Arsenal Exodus

Nathan Helena Handcart wrote:

He was speaking to shareholders the other day and said he wanted winners; he defined a winner as someone who tastes defeat and comes back determined to never feel that way again. His view was that if Hleb and Flamini wanted out, then they weren't the kind of people he judged to be winners.

I think Wenger has a strong point, on Flamini at least. Hleb too if he goes to Inter or wherever. Getting adequate replacements is another matter.

[Mighty Mudhsuden]

The Arsenal Exodus

harbinger of hope wrote:

I thought he just kidnapped promising young boys from schools in France, like a beady eyed peado.

Post of the day there. Oh no, what's that phrase that sounds like 'post of the day'? That's it. 'Cunt of the day'.

[Ray de Galles]

The Arsenal Exodus

You've reminded me, where we all so shockingly out of form that there was no 'Post of the Day' for May 7th?

Oh, and pretty pathetic post, Harbinger.

[Harbinger of Hope]

The Arsenal Exodus

Mr Blatter regurgitating the old idea of minimum number of englishmen in the first team must be bringing Wenger out in cold sweats.

Man Utd and Chelsea have a half decent number of English player, but with Arsenal having Walcott and er er Hoyte and er er, yeah anyway, he must look to start bringing through english players. It was nice to see him say he regretted letting Bentley go too soon. Some honesty there.

Why is this post pathetic then Harry? Is Arsenal's squad going through major change not a topic for discussion?

[EIM]

The Arsenal Exodus

Post of the day there. Oh no, what's that phrase that sounds like 'post of the day'? That's it. 'Cunt of the day'.

I dunno. There's some competition for that.

[Ray de Galles]

The Arsenal Exodus

harbinger of hope wrote:

Why is this post pathetic then Harry? Is Arsenal's squad going through major change not a topic for discussion?

I thought he just kidnapped promising young boys from schools in France, like a beady eyed peado.

[EIM]

The Arsenal Exodus

I mean, if you're genuinely offended by stuff like that, MM, why not go on the Inappropriate Championship manager thread and call Wingco a cunt?

(It's not like the Harbinger even called Wenger a paedo. Just that he acted like one by rounding up school kids)

But whatever. Steaming in and calling someone a cunt like that is pretty shit. I mean, I know the guy. I was his best man. If anyone on here gets to call him a cunt, it's me. You, MM, you can just fuck off.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

The Arsenal Exodus

The probelm that Arsenal are having with keeping some of their players just comes down to one root. They are too fucking mean. They paid 9 million for hleb, had him as a corner stone of the team and were paying him £30,000 a week.

There was an interesting article about flamini about three weeks ago in the guardian saying that the major thing about him was that he was very focussed on getting the most possible out of his career. He was focussed on improving his value as a footballer, and getting every penny that was due to him.

This was why he managed to wriggle out of the Marseilles contract and join arsenal. Arsenal benefitted at that stage, but this time around he watched his contract run down, looked at the situation and said that Arsenal will need to spend £15-20 million to get a midfielder exactly as good as him to replace him in midfield. So he wanted that money in his contract. At the last minute Arsenal offered to double his wages to £50,000 a week, but he just told them to fuck off.

They were well prepared to let him wait until they had to stop paying him £25,000 and assumed that he would stay.

I read part of the hilarious Ashley Cole book and there is an interesting part in it about how David Dein and Arsenal went about contract negotiations.

Basically Cole broke into the arsenal team and quickly became an england international. he was the first choice left back for England, and he was on a £15,000 a week contract at Arsenal. After three years as an england international, he was looking for a new contract. Part of this was motivated by the desire for more money, but then you had David Dein saying "Ashley cole is a world class defender and he's worth every penny of £25 million."

So at the end of the season where Arsenal win the league and go undefeated he asks Dein for a new contract. Dein comes back to him just before Euro 2004 where he is playing pretty well and says "you won't believe how well I've done for you Ashley, I've got you a deal for £30,000. You'd better sign it as quickly as possible because I don't know how I can keep the rest of the board from trying to row back on it.

Cole then hears from the rest of the players how much money England internationals are on and demands £60,000 as week Which is still £40,000 less than sol campbell is on, or rio ferdinand at the time. and all the players are asking "why is david dein trying to fuck you. He's prepared to say you are worth £25 million but only offer you two thirds of what Phil Neville is earning."

After much toing and froing, arsenal eventually agree to pay him £60,000 a week but at the last minute, cut it back to £55,000 just before negotiations. That is when he "nearly crashes his car."

Now far be it from me to sympathise with Ashley Cole. The man is a poisonous little toad, and any sympathy that anyone might have had for him was completely blown away by his decision to go and talk to chelsea, two days before his team had to play man utd. But his story does shed a lot of light on the way that Arsenal operate, and how the board of Arsenal seem to view it as a privilege to play for the club, much in the same way that Man utd did up until december 1999.

It makes you wonder about arsenals insistence on paying Thierry Henry £10,000,000 to stay for the 2006-7 season

[Mighty Mudhsuden]

The Arsenal Exodus

EIM wrote:

I mean, if you're genuinely offended by stuff like that, MM, why not go on the Inappropriate Championship manager thread and call Wingco a cunt?

(It's not like the Harbinger even called Wenger a paedo. Just that he acted like one by rounding up school kids)

But whatever. Steaming in and calling someone a cunt like that is pretty shit. I mean, I know the guy. I was his best man. If anyone on here gets to call him a cunt, it's me. You, MM, you can just fuck off.

Hope you got a 'peado' joke into the speech.

[Gangster Octopus]

The Arsenal Exodus

In Lincolnshire it's compulsory...