edoyad:

@debosky proven himself to be a true Nigerian, answering with a question

I wear that badge with pride.  

Well my answer is depends:
i . edoyad after a few bottles of beer and a plate of fish pepper soup would be 100% certain we would qualify .

ii. This edoyad, in my present frame of mind would say, 57% . But then again i'd give Westbrom 55% against Udinese too

Now for my answer.

Frankly, I don't know if you can get any calibre of player to 'ensure' qualification, you can get players to improve your chances, but that's about it.  Moving on from that, I'd like to consider each aspect of the team with respect to whether they are sufficient to qualify for the UCL:

1. Defence: Without the bizarre injuries we seem to be picking up, I'd say the defence is more than good enough to ensure qualification. My main reservation is that we should have signed a LB to replace Clichy.

2. Attack: An attack able to choose from RVP, Walcott, Arshavin, Gervinho and Chamakh should be more than sufficient to beat Udinese. Of course it could be improved, but with regards to qualification, no issues IMO.

3. Midfield: This is where we have clear issues, but again, if we didn't have Wilshere injured, I'd be fully confident in the midfield being able to deliver. His absence creates a bit of concern, but nothing more.

As for why we haven't brought in these players you believe will 'ensure' qualification, I can't give you an answer - no one can outside the club. Unlike people here who have 'goat insight' , I won't claim to know the deep inner workings of other people's minds.

I can hazard a few guesses though:

1. We have lost out on a few transfers because the players had a stronger affinity for other clubs or were offered better terms elsewhere. This suggests the club has been very active but ultimately unsuccessful in a number of high profile cases.
2. The club cannot fully compete on wages & transfer fees with some of the heavy hitters and may need to allow them to be done with their business before proceeding.
3. There are signs of some internal friction between the board and Arsene and if true, this will definitely have affected the transfer process.
4. The very fact that our best players are in such high demand indicates that there isn't as much quality out there as one would imagine.

To conclude, I don't think we needed to buy ahead of the CL game (but we clearly did try to do so), the squad is more than adequate in my view to qualify.

However, I do believe we should have signed more than we have done, although that is tempered by the loss of the likes of Mata, Jones and Alvarez to rivals able to offer better sporting/financial/historical attraction.

duduspace:

Even I have lowered my expectation as well and I dare say Debo too. What we are not agreed upon is who (if anyone) is to blame for the current situation or if its just a difficult period to navigate again as we did with the stadium move.

As far as I know, there is only Arsenal FC having issues with the hotheads in the fanbase.   When Arsene FC is inaugurated please let me know. I won't be a fan but I'd like to buy shares there. And while you are planning to chase us out if we don't make top 4, should we also be planning to chase you out if we do?  

If we don't recruit between now and September 1, please chase me out of Arsenal if we finish in top 4 position.

Il galdly return to my first love - Enyimba of Aba

edoyad:

Dudu who the hell is Hazard to demand UCl footie ? What history does he have there ? This excuse of players not wanting to come because of UCL footie is utter rubbish. Pay the right price and they'll come, period. Besides it's not like we're already out of it.

My personal view, not 'goat insight', is that this is less about players making demands, and more about the inherent cautious nature at Arsenal FC.

The board would rather NOT make that expenditure (right now) and wait a couple of days to secure the extra £25m of CL footie before doing so. This is not a bad position from a financial perspective, as you would hate to have to sell players in order to balance the books due to the loss of CL income.

I am of the view that the club has made significant efforts to sign players, within its means, but has been gazumped either financially or otherwise in more than 3 cases. I think it would be foolish to continue to chase targets in the same manner after failing three times - it may involve changing tactics in the market and that [i]may [/i]be what the club is doing.

uefa sucking up to arsenal again. . .

wenger will be on the bench tomorrow as he won his appeal for the stay of execution.
what's the brouhaha for in the first place when he could always appeal?

debosky:

My personal view, not 'goat insight', is that this is less about players making demands, and more about the inherent cautious nature at Arsenal FC.

The board would rather NOT make that expenditure (right now) and wait a couple of days to secure the extra £25m of CL footie before doing so. This is not a bad position from a financial perspective, as you would hate to have to sell players in order to balance the books due to the loss of CL income.

I am of the view that the club has made significant efforts to sign players, within its means, but has been gazumped either financially or otherwise in more than 3 cases. I think it would be foolish to continue to chase targets in the same manner after failing three times - it may involve changing tactics in the market and that [i]may [/i]be what the club is doing.

And by that inaction(by the board ofcourse), we're now not only at risk of missing out on this year's £25m UCL splash but next year's as well. Because as things stand at the moment 4th place this season(yes it's still august) is looking like a long shot to me.

proudly9ja:

If we don't recruit between now and September 1, please chase me out of Arsenal if we finish in top 4 position.

Il galdly return to my first love - Enyimba of Aba

Oniro ni e, yu'll come running back once results improve.  
its not the best of periods for Arsenal but too much is being made of Arsenal's situation.
Arsene will sort it out, so far he always has and kept us in the top 4, if he fails at that this season, some serious explanation would be required.
At present, I have no need for one as I can evaluate the situation by myself.  

coogar:

uefa sucking up to arsenal again. . .
wenger will be on the bench tomorrow as he won his appeal for the stay of execution.
what's the brouhaha for in the first place when he could always appeal?

Some people sha like to live in a mirror.

edoyad:

And by that inaction(by the board ofcourse), we're now not only at risk of missing out on this year's £25m UCL splash but next year's as well. Because as things stand at the moment 4th place this season(yes it's still august) is looking like a long shot to me.

Seriously Ed, who do you think wants that 25m more? you or the board who have their money tied into the club?

coogar:

uefa sucking up to arsenal again. . .

wenger will be on the bench tomorrow as he won his appeal for the stay of execution.
what's the brouhaha for in the first place when he could always appeal?

This is no sucking up, its a basic rule of law that if there are suitable grounds for an appeal a stay of execution is granted. UEFA governs the game and can always apply the punishment if the appeal fails.
We should rather be asking why the spineless English FA didn't have the balls to charge Fergie when he brought his 18th century phone to the stands while under a similar ban.

My eyes hurt. . . . epistle upon epistle.

Long story short,if we fail to qualify for UCL,this may be a long and tortuous season.

If the logic of waiting till after qualification before we can sign "super quality" players is true,does that mean we may have to do with "dregs" if we fail to qualify?Here in lies my dilemma,if the worst happens and we fail to qualify and thus unable to make this "super quality: signings,do we have enough in our armoury to bounce back and get the last UCL qualification spot?Bearing in mind that even when we had the core of the team,all we could afford was the 4th position  

I fear for tommorow night really,as i do not know where the creativity is going to come from.I will like to see RVP dropped into that hole while Gervinho or Walcott is played upfront.

duduspace:

Oniro ni e, yu'll come running back once results improve.  
its not the best of periods for Arsenal but too much is being made of Arsenal's situation.

Seriously, if Arsene doesn't add to the team and we finish in top 4, honeslty, Il never ever ever doubt him again

Arsene will sort it out, so far he always has and kept us in the top 4, if he fails at that this season, some serious explanation would be required.

At present, I have no need for one as I can evaluate the situation by myself.

 

sepe iwo na ni 'insight'?   lool

Like I said to @mukina, if there's anyone who can handle the team as it is without splashing money, its Arsene. The only thing is, while in seasons past, Ild have been confident that we would make the top 4 with this team, the truth is other midtable teams have stepped up their game while we have not only weakened our first team, injuries, suspensions and too much faith players who should be in our reserves, have also ensured that we have no reliable back ups.
Make we dey see sha. Im expecting Arsene's 'Super signings' within the next 1 week.

duduspace:

This is no sucking up, its a basic rule of law that if there are suitable grounds for an appeal a stay of execution is granted. UEFA governs the game and can always apply the punishment if the appeal fails.
We should rather be asking why the spineless English FA didn't have the balls to charge Fergie when he brought his 18th century phone to the stands while under a similar ban.  

the fa laws are different to uefa laws. . . . .fergie read the rule-book. wenger assumed!
wenger is an idi[i]o[/i]t as usual. . . . .when jose mourinho was banned years ago, he wasn't on the stands.
wenger knew uefa rules are tougher and yet he sat down where he could be seen and giving instructions to mr. pat rice via a 3rd party.

stay of execution is granted but the case is still going to be decided. if wenger is not found guilty, life goes on as usual but if he's found guilty then he will still miss those 2 games in the group stage. but i like the fact he's been allowed to stay on the bench.
when udinese tears him a new rectum tomorrow, the excuses of wenger's absence would not surface from the teeth-gnashing gaynners tomorrow.

For some strange reason, hearing that Wenger will be on the bench tomorrow has just boosted my confidence exponentially. Seems most of us just can't stop having that undeserved confidence in Arsene . In fact i know we've qualified already.

And oh Frimpong is just as reckless as he is on the pitch with his tweets.Hardly has the news on Nasri's deal hit the net that the little geezer tweeted:

Money is the root of all evil

Only he doesn't know money isn't,but the love if it.And i dare say,the lack of it.

Later when Wilshere congratuled Nasri on twitter and said he will be missed,Frimpong called Wilshere out and tweeted:

Pffffffff!Come on now Jack.

A sarcastic way of telling Jack,dude wouldn't be missed and shouldn't be eulogised.

edoyad:

And by that inaction(by the board ofcourse), we're now not only at risk of missing out on this year's £25m UCL splash but next year's as well. Because as things stand at the moment 4th place this season(yes it's still august) is looking like a long shot to me.

I disagree - the board has not been inactive, they have tried to sign players but have failed (for various reasons). Would you prefer a scattergun approach in order to simply sign players to placate fans or a rethinking of approach to ensure that further targets are not stolen away from underneath our noses like the others?

Secondly, I don't believe anyone (apart from maybe Messi ) signed in the past week or so (which is when we knew the Mata deal was off for example, and that the Lucho Gonzales deal failed) would improve our chances of qualification. Furthermore, if they hadn't been signed prior to the first leg, they wouldn't be able to play and I have already explained how we failed to make identified signings beyond that date.

In all this talk, it seems that signing of Gervinho has received zero credit.

kay_pumpin:

And oh Frimpong is just as reckless as he is on the pitch with his tweets.Hardly has the news on Nasri's deal hit the net that the little geezer tweeted:
Only he doesn't know money isn't,but the love if it.And i dare say,the lack of it.

Later when Wilshere congratuled Nasri on twitter and said he will be missed,Frimpong called Wilshere out and tweeted:
A sarcastic way of telling Jack,dude wouldn't be missed and shouldn't be eulogised.

well, i don't blame frimpong.

less than 12 months ago nasri said this. . . .
"I think we have more merit as a club than those who have built their teams with millions of pounds."

@Kay I really don't think he should be doing that myself. However it seems he has somehow assumed hero status with that his tweet. Arseblog actually called him legend. Goonerholic just went DEEEEEENCH!!!

Omode lo n se, but at least gradually we know those who are for us and those against us DEEEENCH!!!

coogar:

well, i don't blame frimpong.

less than 12 months ago nasri said this. . . .
"I think we have more merit as a club than those who have built their teams with millions of pounds."

Gael Clichy when Ade moved

"I really believe if you are a player who thinks only about money then you could end up at Manchester City."

"You have to think if you want to play for a big club and have your image or if you want to play for a good club and earn big money."

"When you ask someone to move for something like £300,000 a week it is just crazy."

coogar:

well, i don't blame frimpong.

less than 12 months ago nasri said this. . . .
"I think we have more merit as a club than those who have built their teams with millions of pounds."

When you factor in Clichy inferred same and eventually left for Citeh,i make bold to say,loyalty in football's gone to the dogs.

slimshay:

@Kay I really don't think he should be doing that myself. However it seems he has somehow assumed hero status with that his tweet. Arseblog actually called him legend. Goonerholic just went DEEEEEENCH!!!

Omode lo n se, but at least gradually we know those who are for us and those against us DEEEENCH!!!

Were omo kekere ni omo yen.He even had a tiff with Piers on Sunday.He's very reckless and should be curbed.

“Samir’s situation is clear for me,” Wenger said. “He stays. We are in a [financial] position where we can say ‘No’ and we will, in the case of Samir. It is in the interests of the club. Imagine the worst situation, that we lose Fábregas and Nasri; you cannot convince people that you are ambitious after that.”  


Wenger has some serious convincing to do.

montelik:

“Samir’s situation is clear for me,” Wenger said. “He stays. We are in a [financial] position where we can say ‘No’ and we will, in the case of Samir. It is in the interests of the club. Imagine the worst situation, that we lose Fábregas and Nasri; you cannot convince people that you are ambitious after that.”  


Wenger has some serious convincing to do.

I agree 100% - ultimately, that convincing will come not in terms of player signings, but in terms of performances.

debosky:

I agree 100% - ultimately, that convincing will come not in terms of player signings, but in terms of performances.

we have seen the performances. . . .
arsenal have not won a league game this season. . . .
and i read some appalling statistics about arsenal winning only 8 of their last 27 outings.

coogar:

we have seen the performances. . . .
arsenal have not won a league game this season. . . .
and i read some appalling statistics about arsenal winning only 8 of their last 27 outings.

There is no disgrace in losing to Liverpool, and the most important game of the three thus far has been won. Regardless of the signings made, this stretch was always going to be difficult.

As long as we qualify tomorrow, the worst will be past.

debosky:

There is no disgrace in losing to Liverpool, and the most important game of the three thus far has been won. Regardless of the signings made, this stretch was always going to be difficult.

As long as we qualify tomorrow, the worst will be past.

there is a disgrace. . . .
what you fail to acknowledged is this rot didn't start now because arsenal's fixtures were against liverpool and newcastle.
how many games did arsenal win in the pre-season? you failed to win the emirates cup. . . .
furthermore, how many games did arsenal win last season after the carling cup final? do the ratio and tell me the signs are not ominous.

coogar:

there is a disgrace. . . .
what you fail to acknowledged is this rot didn't start now because arsenal's fixtures were against liverpool and newcastle.
how many games did arsenal win in the pre-season? you failed to win the emirates cup. . . .
furthermore, how many games did arsenal win last season after the carling cup final? do the ratio and tell me the signs are not ominous.

Last season is over (in case you didn't know that)

I don't really care about the 'signs' - we have one leg in the CL group stages. If we succeed tomorrow, we have achieved the most important requirement for August.

Our initial fixtures are tough and could have gone better, there is no doubt about that. But teams have started the season poorly and gone on to have great successes.

Fuji House of Commotion

Nearly 100 pages from June till August. . . .this is truly a prolific thread.

God help us tomorrow

debosky:

Nearly 100 pages from June till August. . . .this is truly a prolific thread.

Cos everyone comes to shiite on this thread

debosky:

Last season is over (in case you didn't know that)

it's part of the stats. . . . . .league games are league games.

I don't really care about the 'signs' - we have one leg in the CL group stages. If we succeed tomorrow, we have achieved the most important requirement for August.

which leg? 1-0 going to italy isn't a leg.
what you have is a toe in the cl group stages, not one leg.

Our initial fixtures are tough and could have gone better, there is no doubt about that. But teams have started the season poorly and gone on to have great successes.

find me one example where arsenal started the season so poorly and gone on to have great success!!!

coogar:

which leg? 1-0 going to italy isn't a leg.
what you have is a toe in the cl group stages, not one leg.

A toe is better than nothing.

find me one example where arsenal started the season so poorly and gone on to have great success!!!

We look forward not backwards.

Okay we are about to make a lotta people annoyed. . . .hehehe. Considering Nasri and Fabregas where part and parcel of these horrible run of games, what exactly have we lost. . .yeeeeeh, I joke I joke, I kid I kid!