₦airaland Forum

I would have called for another intense session of prayer but time is short and some peeps are of the opinion that God is averse to the cheap popularity we've given him so far.
How exactly do we get his attention then? a session of cursing anyone?

Have some faith in the lads Gooner, I believe like Karbasiyoon that we can do this.

[quote author=~Borat~ link=topic=400313.msg5834669#msg5834669 date=1270485621]Gaynners pray for more injuries so you have a rock-solid excuse for crashing out!!
Nonsense  [/quote]abeg go siddon, does anyone need an excuse for crashing out? when you crash out, then you are out simple. We don't owe you any apologies for either success or failure.

slimshay:
Debo, pray what exactly do you mean by Wenger didnt manmage his squad well? It is precisely the depth of our squad that ensures we can still field a team to go to Barca and we are not yet debating how many they will beat us by. Infact there is a belief that it is winnable. IMO Wenger has manged this injury thing very well. Hell he's had to deal with it eevry single week of the season.

True word, I don't know what Debo is on about in that post, you could make up another full strength team with the players we have out at present.

Song's absence is some serious bad news, Diaby shld prepare to work extra hard tomorrow as Denilson is dire when teams counter attack against us.

It is not easy to support Arsenal if your heart is weak.

slimshay:
Meanwhile i think what Duduspace meant was how he sees both of them turning out eventually. Although comparing a 21 year old to a 16 year old especially football development-wise is way off base to me.

Exactly, Lukaku is a massive talent and might turn out to be like another Rooney scenario for Arsenal where we were basically priced out of buying the player, I know we are still keeping tabs on him and if for any reason he slips under the radar and the attention wears off, we might still get him. I'm not sure he is much faster than B52 to be honest and he has still got some way to go particularly on the technical side of things but he is definitely Drogba's heir apparent.
He might be better than B52 in the long run but even then it wouldn't be by much as they are in the same mould and B52 is definitely not getting enough credit for what he is doing right now (mostly from we the Arsenal fans as we just take delight in bashing our own players for whatever reason) since his return, he's been getting goals and assists and we've not lost, the advancement our players make just gets lost in the media's Arsenal have not won anything in ages rantings.

I just want these boys to win something and then they can start getting credit for their abilities.

[quote author=~Sauron~ link=topic=400313.msg5814111#msg5814111 date=1270156920]Where is Duduspace(GAYnners' youth players correspondent)?

Romelu Lukaku has just copped the golden boot in the Belgian league. . .
He is only 16. Are you sure Arsene won't sell Eduardo, Bendtner, Vela and Walcott to buy this dude.
Currently, Lukaku and Edin Hazard are the most exciting young players in Europe.

https://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Football/Clubs/Club_Home/2010/4/1/1270132788612/Romelu-Lukaku-001.jpg[/quote]I've mentioned him previously, Christian Karembeu has been monitoring him for us awhile since he was 15 even before he broke into the Anderlecht 1st team, unfortunately his father says he can't leave Anderlectht until he clocks 18, monster of a player and definitely the prince in waiting to take Drogba's crown of the physically imposing striker. Now that everyone knows him, its gonna be a bidding war and Arsenal don't usually get involved in that, news on the vine is that he'll go to chelsea.
He still needs to work on the technical side of his play though, cos there isn't much more physical development left for him (6 ft 3 at 16 years of age, if he wasn't born in belgium people would have doubted that was his true age).
No worries though, we've got Galindo and Wellington Silva, and I don't see Lukaku being much or any better than Bendtner in the long run anyway.

follypimpi:
Arsenal is not a one-man TEAM is a chance for Nasri + Rosicky + Diaby + Merida to step their respective Game UP.

I second you folly, if anything atimes we are too loaded with playmakers, taking Cesc out gives the others the opportunity to step up. I believe Nasri can play that role very well, if anything he brings a little more dynamism to it, our game will definitely not suffer with Cesc out, infact I felt it was unnecessary for him to run himself aground this way but he has almost cemented his legacy in the hearts of gooners, it would be a great sight to see him lift the league shield at the end of the season.

Bad news, Cesc out for the rest of the domestic season from the arsenal site
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/injured-fabregas-ruled-out-for-the-season

davidylan:
Anyone think we can win at the Nou camp?

I believe we can David, this team seems to always conceed the initiative and then fight like wounded lions when their back is to the wall (not necessarily a good strategy TBH). I believe they can actually go to the Nou Camp and hammer Barcelona. We were never really good at defending anyway but if Diaby and Nas can raise their game on the day, anything can happen and it might just be another goal feast. They have a large pitch and Theo's pace can be used to devastating effect on the day.
All we can pray for is for Diaby and Nasri to give another Porto (at home) performance.

follypimpi:

Merida can step in quite well + Rosicky if he can stay fit.

Precisely what I've been bellyaching about my brother, why must we run our players into the ground before ringing the changes?  

[quote author=~Sauron~ link=topic=400313.msg5812153#msg5812153 date=1270137157]Without winning any trophy in the past 5 years.
The English media seem to have forgotten about y'all. [/quote]If only they could, if only they would.

v3:
Why does Diaby fail to impress in big games?
Last night, i broke my tv remote cause of him. . .he REALLY needs to step up if he wishes to wear kick footie in SA!
Denilson surprised me, my God was that boy something else , pity i'm one of his haters

I wouldn't say he actually does this, there are other massive games where he has stepped up (Milan, Roma and Liverpool UCL matches to name a few , I heard he also had fitness issues going into this match and maybe Arsene can try to rotate more, Denilson and Theo were fresh and it showed. Probably Gallas, Cesc and Abou shldn't have played yesterday.

@v3

I second Slim, its a nice play on the word Gunners yu've got to admit that much. I don't think its worth deleting. We can take it, at least we've succeeded in staring down the English media without blinking so far.

What a way to start the day, first my friend wakes me up and almost sent me back to sleep permanently with his April fool joke that Arsene Wenger had resigned this morning, then I get to the office and work mates almost set me off with their glee at Arsenal being outplayed at the Emirates.

Why is it that one law must apply to all others and never to Arsenal? if it was Manure, chelsea or liverpool the news this morning would be about their mental strength to come back from being 2 goals down but for Arsenal its all about us being outplayed even though it was only for the first 20 minutes and I dare say there were times in the 2nd half we looked more like the european champions (I'm sure that left back will never want to play against Theo again in his life time).

Cesc's hobbling on the pitch almost broke my heart yesterday, if anyone wants confirmation of his commitment to us they got it in full dose yesterday, I just hope Nasri and Diaby can put up their Porto performance at the Nou camp and we can definitely spring a surprise of massive proportions next week, even though I'm sure the English media would still find a way to take the gloss off such a performance.

I am Diaby's number one fan on this forum but I've got to hold up my hand that he had a shocker yesterday losing possesion that led to dangerous counters from Barca, he owes us a master class away at the Nou camp and I'll count on him delivering one. Vermaelen also didn't take the leadership role in defence when Song had to move in and was IMO responsible for the 2nd goal, he also had a difficult time against Ibra leading to many of the early chances Barca had.  Cesc put up a performance typical of one just returning from injury and maybe yesterday what we needed was more dynamism in MF as opposed to play making, you can only dictate play when yu have possession and we didn't have much of it in the first half.

Unlike most people, I actually believe we will fare better at the Nou camp with Cesc out, I would still put Theo on the bench for impact when later introduced and start with Rosicky but Nasri must get another opportunity to shine in that central role and Prince Nas IMO is a big game player. There is nothing more to lose and the boys would fare better playing uninhibited at the Nou camp.

follypimpi:
Denilson was awesome tonight tho.

Right you are, shows people shldn't mock their players, even I almost fell into that trap with Theo who really came good today.

We still have a mountain to climb but I wouldn't bet against us getting a result at the Nou Camp. I'm a fan of Diaby but he had a shocker today, Cesc and Diaby didn't cope well with Barca's pressure.

Nice fightback from the lads, this team continues to grow.

Akainzo:
We lost the midfield because that Diaby did not com to this particular party!

Guy man was busy running around the pitch and looking scared and without a clue. In those days, he should have been flogged!

I thot I was the only one who noticed this, its either he just had a shocker or was overwhelmed by the occasion
There is all to play for now, with their 2 CBs out, we are in with a shout.

[quote author=~Sauron~ link=topic=415873.msg5806365#msg5806365 date=1270064789]Barcelona played y'all off the park. . . .It's a shame that all Wenger's beautiful football philosophy couldn't stand the test of time.
[i]Ki lode? [/i]They made a very good Arsenal side look like a pub team.[/quote]There is no shame there, they did the same thing to you in the finals last year.

That first half was mehh, it is not often a team makes us look like an away side on our own pitch, I doff my hat to Barcelona. The tempo at which they started the game might come back to haunt them though.

Hmmmm, this Cesc gamble I hope it pays off, I hope we are not rushing him back too soon.

Soccernet says Rooney out for 2-4 weeks, I don't think this present manure squad is strong to cope at this time of the season without him.

I thought it was news of Rooney's injury that would be all over the news today, any word yet?

@Sauron

That was a low blow, so wrong.

bgees:
looks like dudu's boys will not be winning anything this season.
we face Sunderland tomorrow. hope there won't be any beach balls this time around

@bgees
What kind of bad belle is this? we are still in with a shout in 2 competitions and you're saying we won't be winning anything. You would make a very bad aladura or babalawo.

A very interesting article for Dayokanu as continuation of our discussion on youth players and what it means for a player to have come through the youth system of a club. Cesc Fabregas as a case study. Interesting portions are in bold.

[Quote]
The man who discovered brought Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona has reminisced of the time when he first discovered the talented youngster, then playing for a team called Mataro, 35 km north of Barcelona.

Rodolfo Borrell, who was at Barcelona for 13 years and is now the under-19 coach for the Liverpool youth academy, said that the coach of Mataro at the time hid the youngster from prying scouts as they knew he would be taken away.

It was not until Borrell's third visit to Mataro that Fabregas was spotted. A deal was reached between Borell and Mataro for Fabregas to play out the remainder of the season before joining the Barcelona youth academy.

The rest, as they say, is history. Borrell said: "I went to see them play again and suddenly I saw this one player who was simply wonderful.

"They told me he was called Cesc Fabregas and he was one year younger than the rest. He was good at running with the ball, had a fantastic pass over short, medium and long distances. He was very mature for his age and had all the attributes we were looking for at Barcelona at that time.

"At half-time I asked the coach why I had not seen this kid before. He admitted that when he saw me coming, he had decided not to play him because he knew that if I saw him I would take him.

"Nobody can predict that a lad of 13 years old will become a superstar.

"Yes, he had a lot of things but he had a long way to go. A lot people talk about his talent, but I can add that he's a big talent with a big mentality. He was hungry for football. He would finish one training session and be dying to train the next day."

Fabregas was going through a difficult time when his parents were getting divorced in 2001, and Borell wanted to land a helping hand to the young midfield maestro.

Borell added: "I called him into my room and explained that I was aware of what was happening in his family. He started to cry, so I showed him the famous shirt. You can imagine the reaction. His idol has written a message for him on his shirt. It was a fantastic moment."

And there is a close bond between Fabregas and Guardiola, as Borell recalls that in the summer, the young Spaniard was asked if he would return to Barcelona last summer.

Borell concluded: "He said no, that Arsenal was his priority and that he was committed to the club. But, there was one important caveat.

"Cesc told me that his answer would be different if [Pep] Guardiola had asked him personally.


"I don't think the result will affect his decision. He loves the club who pushed him so quickly to the top level and he's always giving his maximum for the team." [/quote]Like I said in the previous discussion, very rarely do clubs develop players from U9 years of age all the way into their first team. Cesc got to Barcelona at 13 years of age and came to Arsenal at 16 meaning he spent only 3 years at Barca.
If anyone should lay claim to having developed Cesc, it is not Barcelona but Mataro or whichever club Mataro got him from, or we can simply say they all contributed.

dayokanu:
Does this include the 2 games against Chelsea this season?

Definitely, still had better possesion and created chances albeit not put in. They probably deserved to win the one at the emirates but the one at stamford bridge definitely not. We basically shot ourselves in the foot.

48 hours of hurting is enough, the Brum game is past history, lets look forward to Barca. The good thing is, there is hardly any game Arsenal has played that looked like we deserved to lose unlike last season and that can only be a good thing.

larimo:
Thats the issue. They have been brought back to this title race twice because Chelsea and Man U 'messed up. Financially, they are excellent but that doesnt translate to trophies .

Stop regurgitating the media's nonsense, if the other clubs don't mess up how will any club win?
They are where they are because they have played to get there so stop that Chelsea and Manure messed up nonsense.

nateevs:
This dude always has strange ways of responding . .
What has debt and old players got to do with Arsenal dropping points. . ?

What is strange in the fact that the title race is still on? Chelsea were beaten on this same ground and Manure drew so what is there to get gloomy about?

What is all the noise about?

Chelsea's team is still old and they are on their last legs, Manure is still in debt, the title race is still on, this arsenal team is still destined to dominate. nothing has changed.