₦airaland Forum

@HNIC

stylish play doesn't count much against those guys, Arsene had the right idea in having JET upfront, didn't yu see how ineffective Eduardo was there when he came on. In the emirates on our pitch maybe but with that narrow and bumpy pitch, no way. Honestly when we go to play them away in the league. I would expect Arsene to field Diaby, Traore, Bendtner and maybe even JET again, those guys are huge (remember the statistic I pointed out during the match?) and need people who can match them physically. I'm almost certain Clichy would have done worse than Traore did today against these guys. JET and Coquelin were doing a good job matching them physically today and the game swung when we lost that physicality.

Ibime:
What happened to the much-hyped Coquelin? I can see these Arsenal youth products are somewhat overhyped. Coquelin was the worst player by far on the pitch today. I understand his loss of nerve in misplacing passes, but his constant poor-positioning is unbecoming of the hype certain gaynners have been giving him. I hope he is not a right-back by trade. Someone pls tell me he was played out of position today.

I totally disagree with this assessment, a few wayward passes at the beginning yes, but the lad grew into the game, I disagree because

1. No goal was conceded as a direct or indirect error on his part or from his wing
2. He did give some good balls forward and kept Etherington out for most of the game when he was on the pitch
3. He deserves to even be excused cos he had an abject Theo playing ahead of him offering no protection and messing up play when we went forward, what wouldn't I have given to have Wilshere there instead, at least he would have dribbled that Stoke left back who was effectively on holiday.

And yu're right he is not really a RB but he is versatile enough to do a good job there.

People are just venting too much and overanalyzing the lads, that Stoke team could have beaten any team on that pitch, it is instructive to note that it all went pear shaped after we took out the 2 least experienced players(who however brought some grit and physicality) out. They beat our first team (including Adebayor and RVP who got a red card out of frustration) there last season. It could have been a lot different at the emirates.

Ewele o, see vultures out in full regalia plus including Dayokanu's none existent hairline. Thank y'all very much for yur unneeded sympathy. Go and see to yur own club, nevacussin is still top of yur bumblesliga.

Obinoscopy:
Ha ha ha! My ribs are paining me from so much laughter. Mr Wenger is dreaming of winning the Champions League. . . .rotflmao

any reason why he shouldnt? where was Liverpool in the premiership or the FA cup when they won it? 5th in the leaue and knocked out 3-1 by yours truly.

wrong decisions by Arsene, moving Eastmond to RB was tactically shooting himself in the foot.

This Stoke team is physically imposing, the've got 4 players 6ft 3inches tall and there are only 2 players under 6ft and the shortest of them is 5ft 10.

These Stoke players are natural cheats, even while on the ground, Huth was still holding Fabianski just in case one of them could get a shot off.  

Theo is still the worst player on the pitch, even Coquelin and JET are again looking better.

nice play by Cesc and Denilson. go on lads.

shocking way to start , shows the team is not one really accustomed to playing together, but Fabianski has to carry the can for the goal cos even if Fuller's run wasn't checked he shld have seen him coming and gone for a punch instead of a catch.

Just as I predicted on the main Arsenal forum, JET and Coquelin are starting with JET having his first competitive debut. We will beat them today, I can assure you that those boys are tough and won't be bullied by Stoke. Inexperience or not, this team is good.

Full team list:

Fabianski
Campbell
Silvestre
Coquelin
Traore
Eastmond
Fabregas
Denilson
JET
Vela
Walcott

One person's decision to go celibate is a very personal one and has nothing to do with the other person after all that other individual was not part of the decision so does not have to partake in it.
There is a decision to be made here, it depends on what the other partner considers more important, cheating partner, no partner at all, a willing partner or celibacy out thru the window. SIMPLES.

Abeg na whatever works for the individual matter, if you like sleep in the Living room or even sleep in the toilet self. As long as yu're good, anybody else can go head a pole and by that I mean even the wifey.

Boom chaka boom (x 21). Make sure I get my jollof rice and moimoi but I'm having none of that Chelsea cake, I'm sure there is something sinister lurking underneath that layer of icing.

SeunAero:
What sense has all dis text of urz made? If u dont have anything 2do Y not take some anaesthesia. Afterwhich U might be able 2make sense.

Why bother? bloke is likely high on some very bad pills, can't even make sense of the mumbo jumbo he's concocted there.

@eldee

Ibime has made most of the points, we do lose on some individual players like those we had to release free last season (but remember that the reason to release them at that point was strategic to reduce the financial burden of having to keep on paying them) possibly because the club had come to the conclusion they couldn't get much for them anyway.

Those we bring in from abroad are mostly considered exceptional or have been scouted for specific attributes e.g. Ozyakup was considered the best of the crop at AZ Alkmaar and they didn't even want to let him go and need I say more about Galindo and Wellington's antecedents?, Merida was always known to be good even at Barca and is actually good enough but has no space to slot into simply because those ahead of him have also come right. What if 1 or 2 of Diaby, Denilson, Ramsey or Song had been failure(s)? we would then have had to be looking for an 8m to 15m MF to fit in instantly like Arshavin (without any guarantees mind you) and also with accompanying huge wages to plug that gap when a Merida we got for 3.5m and probably spent less than another 1m on over a 3 year training period could have been ready and already integrated into the club's playing system having come thru the system.

The system definitely is not an exact science and will need to be evaluated and optimized constantly like any other system, but it is one that has served us so well so far (we are one of the most financially strong and competitive, with a very young squad not in anyway near its peak, top of the table and still in all competitions we have not used to blood the next crop of players) and looks likely to still keep on benefitting us in the foreseeable future.

We definitely are getting something right and even others are now beginning to see the errors of their ways, you only need to look at Liverpool who started a bit later than us and are still fine tuning their own system with Rafa finally getting control of the youth system in the last contract he signed, they do also have some interesting youngsters coming thru like Insua, Spearing, Eccleston and Thomas Ince (Paul Ince's son). You do have to pay a price initially when you commit to blooding youth (which we did with our years without silverware cos we were at least good enough to win a Carling cup with our 1st team which we never played in that competition for the sole purpose of exposing our youngsters) but when it comes to fruition and the transitions are handled well, it is about the most sustainable way to run a club.

Good perception from that person who noticed that Sagna hasn't been taking throws for some games, Arsene has confirmed he has a shoulder problem and will be rested for the Stoke match finally exposing that one position where we don't presently have a first team backup, I think the options will definitely have to come from within the youth ranks with one of Coquelin or Eastmond filling in as Gilbert is out on loan. With Diaby out also and Ramsey and Nasri still out, methinks JET might finally get the FA chance he's wanted cos a MF of Cesc, Denilson and Eastmond/Merida looks too lightweight against Stoke's physical play. Fabianski will definitely man the sticks and Arsene might make some other changes.
The team against Stoke will very likely include some new face(s).

Bad news from the arsenal site, Gibbs is out for the rest of the season as the first operation isn't healing the foot as expected and he will need a bone graft.
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/gibbs-to-miss-rest-of-the-season

@Debosky

You are right up to a point in the sense that we are definitely in the top 3 and possibly No. 1 in the table of expenditure on youth players but I think overall its being managed very well and we are already seeing the benefits.
There are 3 stages in the route to the first team.
1. Pre Scholar (mostly kids living within a specific radius of the club pre 16)
2. Scholars (players on scholarship contractual terms with stipends and made up of a mix of  graduates from 1 and those exceptional talent brought from abroad like Angha, Bendtner e.t.c at 16+) further subdivided into 1st year and 2nd year scholars to tally with the ages 16+ to 17+
3. Young Pros (These are those offered full contracts at 18+) and who either make up the reserve team or are sent out on loan like JET and Lansbury.

There is a lot of weeding done out at every one of this stages so its is a system that ensures only the best progress through. It is important to note that some exceptional talents bypass some of this stages e.g Wilshere who became a young pro at 17 and some like Barazite and Ozyakup joined from overseas before clocking 16 but had to be relocated with their families (parents given jobs) so they could join the club prior to clocking 16.

eldee:
It's more than just the wages of the players, remember that more players in our youth teams mean the need to improve the youth system to accommodate them, this means we start to pay coaches.
It also means more training expenses and many other things like that.

It doesn't make economic sense to pay someone and spend money on him per week if we know he's going to end up in Plymouth on a free at the end of the day.

Most of the ones on football scholarships are on less than 1000 pw, the young pros initial contract are between that and 5000 pw (and that is still a lot of money cos a lot of people don't even earn up to 400 pw) so its not much money compared to one big player like Gallas earning close to 100K pw. The academy structure is already in place and they'll ensure they don't go over capacity as the coaches and scouts are already contracted.

It is survival of the fittest and only the best survive, which is what you and I want at the end of the day, there are some of the players that are even good enough but lost to injury (e.g Danny Karbasiyoon and Ryan Garry) but Arsenal always try to really educate the lads and even get them some other educational qualifications like NVQs in case they don't make it or even reemploy some of them in other capacities.

Also, they can only go on free transfer if over 23, or else the club taking them on will have to pay compensation which can get very high as was the case of Sturridge recently between Man City and Chelsea which could get as high as 6.5 million.

eldee:
It doesn't make economic sense to pay someone and spend money on him per week if we know he's going to end up in Plymouth on a free at the end of the day.

abeg my bro, it makes sense cos for every Flamini who runs away on a free, yu have one David Bentley who is disatisfied and sold off for good money that ends up burning a hole in the pockets of the rich mumus at Tottenham and more importantly yu also end up with one Fabregas who stays and becomes captain, it is the path Arsene has chosen for us to follow and it is what has brought us to where we are. I have embraced Arsenal's youth culture, it is what has made Barcelona better than Real Madrid in recent times.
It also becomes more important with the recently introduced home grown rules at both UCL and PL games. At present, Arsenal has one of the highest proportion of quality HG players within their first team. Song, Cesc, Clichy, Denilson, Vela, Bendtner, Djorou and even Diaby all qualify as HG players despite being non UK nationals (cos they've been with us for 3 seasons before clocking 21) and we still have a lot of quality HG players coming through the ranks whereas Liverpool has had to pay ridiculous money for low quality players who just to make up their quota while leaving out more expensively bought players.

Just back from the kick about and in good shape as i can lay claim to having scored 1 and assisted 2 and got the good news. Good job from the lads and captain fantastic.

Angah had been bought in the summer along with another guy named Monteiro but he couldn't join the club until he clocked 16. We are always bringing them in, I find this report that we are in for Chris Smalling of Fulham a bit interesting particularly with fees of about 7m being quoted, for an U21 who held his own against Drogba in the PL recently the guy don't look bad at all.
Anyone following the age storm brewing about Galindo in Bolivia? the evidence if authentic is very damning, seems the guy will actually turn 21 in April.

edoyad:
Why are my palms sweaty ? I could swear my heart is beating a little faster than usual, what's happening to me ?

You are not alone, its the anticipation. I'm so anxious I've decided to watch only the first half. I'll be at my local astroturf centre for a kick about with some mates from the office for the 2nd half and listen to the results later.

slimshay:
Meanwhile on the Coq and Eatmond someone said it earlier it is cos of their fdifferent style of play that Eastmond will be getting ahead of Coq. Our style of play has changed the Dm needs to be more 'slalom' than bruttish now since we tend to do more attacking these days.

It might have something to do with that, but atimes even Le Prof gets it wrong, I think its his intention to try and help players develop into what would help them best use their attributes. Until very recently, Arsene had Song pencilled in for a CB position (as recent as pre season he still made a remark on this) and either Denilson or Diaby for the holding role but he was flexible enough to give Song the chance to prove himself in that role.
He might have come to the conclusion that Eastmond will never cut it as anything else and wants him to specialise as a holding MF in the Makelele mould which requires more of positioning and anticipation than raw pace which he never had anyway.(Maybe I'm thinking too much about this but I know Coquelin has the attributes to be a more complete MF than Eastmond does).

slimshay:
On the transfer front. . . . my guess is as good as yours. Anyone who has a hundred percent conviction of the Prof is going to do is either a precot or Wenger is here masquerading as Debosky 

I never believed Arsene would really sign someone, the 2 things that cld force his hands have so far not happened.
1. If Bendtner's injury had lasted much longer
2. If he had got a very good bargain.

and I quite agree with him because its is his way and it has brought us thus far. 

Manure have it all to do at OT, what an interesting match, City almost conspired to lose the match.

The lap of Onuoha has prevented Manure from scoring.

vinisky:
if this doesn't fire us up. i don't know what will. this is not the manchester united that i know we've no spirit this season. it's a shame. United 4 eva.
tevez dey knack you ni wey u dey shout yes yes tevez. bloody plonker

The thing dey pain yu? no burst vessel yet, number 3 still dey come methinks.

yes, yes , YEEEEEESSSSSS, Go Tevez, Go Tevez, show the old man he made a blunder.

Tolulop001:
man u rox! what do u mean,

na yu know, but yu are the one who said yu were happy when yu shld be sad but were not sad, get my drift? with arsenal, yu dnt have to remember to be sad, yu're just automatically sad if we concede a goal.

tkb417:
@duduosun
Contrary to what u posted, I'm right here chilling and watchin the match
Its 1-1 abi den don win the game?
How was that a Pen?

weren't yu rejoicing when yu went a goal up? game just dey start yu dey rejoice.
I agree it could have gone either way, but DaSilva had been using strong arm tactics on Bellamy prior to the peno.

lost my BB connection for a while there, on a sad note we are out of the FA youth cup for this year, 2 goals within 2 minutes in the first half and the boys are out. Anyway, the boys will learn from it and most of them are still eligible next year.