debosky:

What does Ronaldo have to do with anything

Didn't we win the league in 2004 with Ronaldo around?

Our winning is down to Arsenal FC sorting itself out and getting the right personnel into the club and developing the mental strength of yore to run the marathon till the end.

With a visionary like Gazidis at the helm, I feel we will achieve our goals in the coming season.

No2Atheism:

Hence Manutd becomes weaker with the sale of ronaldo and thus this current weak arsenal side becomes better placed to beat manutd.

No2Atheism:

Since there is no gaurantee that wenger would change anything other than sell people that earn much and replace them wit midgets.

allboyz:

any news on Rozzi and dudu?

did anyone know if Hangeland had signed for Fulham again?

dayokanu:

Debo quit disgracing yourself.

How can you compare a team of Vieira, Henry, Campbell, Ljungberd, Cole, Pires to a team of Adebayor, Vpersie, Fanregas, Walcot, Clichy and Sagna

Even the much maligned Wiltord would be a star in this arsenal team.

Man Utd of 2004 was very weak and Arsenal were stronger

dayokanu:

Debo quit disgracing yourself.

How can you compare a team of Vieira, Henry, Campbell, Ljungberd, Cole, Pires to a team of Adebayor, Vpersie, Fanregas, Walcot, Clichy and Sagna

Even the much maligned Wiltord would be a star in this arsenal team.

Man Utd of 2004 was very weak and Arsenal were stronger

Is that why you cant type FABREGAS correctly

debosky:

Secondly an established DM who can give Cesc the freedom to go forward knowing there's someone backing him fully - positionally aware and pacy. Our three current pretenders have either of these qualities but not both. Denilson is pacy, but not positionally aware. Song is positionally aware, but lacks pace.

debosky:

The dyslexic Arrow couldn't spell Ljunberg correctly either. Illiterate!

Ibime:

Nonsense! How much pace does a DM need? Alex Song hasn't got pace? Well he's faster than most DMs I know. How much pace do Makelele, Deschamps, Mikel etc have? I never read such tosh in my life.

If Song is positionally aware, and faster than most DM's, what is your point exactly?

Song covers acres of ground. Another DM is needed to challenge him or put him on the bench but not for the reasons you have stated. Most DMs at Arsenal would get exposed. You need to focus closely on Arsenal's pressing in midfield. Thats where half the problem lies. Alex Hleb was a silky motherphocker, but could he press like an animal. I cannot say the same about the current crop.

debosky:

Ibime before you go foaming at the mouth, does Song lack pace? Yes. I personally think Mikel is faster than Song, but that is debatable.
Let's compare like with like looking at previous Arsenal DM's is Song slow? Song is slower than Flamini, Gilberto, Edu and Petit (let's leave Vieira out because it is debatable whether he was more defensive or attacking)

debosky:

Positional awareness alone is not good enough. Go watch the CL semi-final against UTD - the pace of the breakaway could have been remedied if we had a slightly faster DM a la Flamini.

debosky:

Pressing ability is linked with pace though not the sole determining factor. Flamini was all over the pitch, moving fast and pressing hard all over the place. His high tempo, high energy style is obviously what is most suited to the Arsenal side as currently set up.

Ibime:

Song is fast enough. Even when playing centre-back, he has never been done for pace.

Nonsense - no DM would have kept up with that counter attack. Only Mascherano would even come close. You cant open up like an Amsterdam LovePeddler and expect your DM to plug gaps for you.

I can see the problem. . . .you are following Flamini's blue print, but Song is not that kind of DM. Flamini is a high-pressing DM, whilst Song is a half-pressing DM (ie the DM who only presses when you enter his half). Besides, with Fabregas feeling like a King and Nasri the weakling prancing around like a prima-donna - Is pressing only the job of a DM?. At least you had Hleb doing his thing last year. This year, Song is totally exposed.

eyonigger:

Muki, sad news, Fabregas is heading to Barca. How una wan cope now? Wallcot has been downcasted to UNder 21.

eyonigger:

Debola take ur time. I thought u were more matured than this. I never expected that from you at all, with what I speculated (FACT) Even Sauron would not have spitted what u spat, that " BE" A forum THUG, so what would u be classified as now?

Emperoh:

HNIC
That was how Ronaldo's started!!

Thomas Hitzlsperger is 27 and available for £5 million.

He has one year left on his contract with VfB Stuttgart, where he has played for four years and is captain. He previously played for Aston Villa for four years and speaks good English.

Hitzlsperger has something that is missing from the Arsenal midfield : the ability to score from distance. His left foot is a hammer. He hits thunderbolts from 25 and 30 yards. He scored 13 goals for Villa and has scored 6 goals in 45 for Germany, mostly against San Marino, Cyprus and Lichtenstein.

Since 1996, Wenger has never had a midfielder who could score regularly from distance. His teams have only scored that type of goal once in a blue moon. Vieira, Flamini and Gilberto could not score from outside the box. Yes, Fabregas got one at the San Siro and Parlour smacked in his famous cannonball against Valencia to make it 2-1.

Most of Arsenal's goals from distance were by Henry or Bergkamp. Some were curled into the top corner, like the Robbie Pires goal at Lazio.

So there you have it : Thomas Hitzlsperger would be a useful acquisition.

A safe signing, not a risky one. He fits the bill : experienced, cheap, won't talk back to the manager

debosky:

Na wa o - what do you have against Hitzlsberger?

Since you claim to have encyclopedic knowledge of footie, kindly identify the player's shortcomings.

I would actually appreciate DK giving his opinion on the player, since he is the resident Bundesliga expert.

Ibime:

You seem to forget that Hitzlsberger used to play at Villa Park which is my defacto home ground. I went to a couple of Villa matches back then and I never rated Der Hammer. Apart from an ability to bulala shots, his passing game leaves a lot to be desired. Very un-Arsenal like.

Emperoh:

HNIC
That was how Ronaldo's started!!

Ibime:

Hitzlsberger abi Shitzlsberger?

Myles P is an idiot.

If Arsenal wanna regress into a Europa League team, they can go for Shitzlsberger. Na only bullet we go chop, what about quality?

khanye:

Arsenal’s Bacary Sagna: I Couldn’t Say No To Real Madrid

debosky:

So you be brummie masquerading as West londoner?

Hitzlsperger played his early days at Villa, remember that was FOUR years ago. He's gone on to win a Bundesliga title and now captains his side. Do you know much about his current performances?

Ibime:

nah, I grew up in those areas. I've probably been to Villa Park more times than Stamford Bridge.

I dont know much about his current performance except what I see with German National team. He doesn't have the speed of thought or quickness of passing to blend with Arsenal. BTW, what position are you looking for for him? I hope not DM?