GUNNERockYa

Gunners to Shoot Blanks against Manchester United?

2009-05-14T20:57:00.001+08:00

Another promising year for Arsenal looks as though it will end with a whimper. For most clubs, a top four finish in the Premiership and semi-finals in both the Champions League and FA Cup would be seen as a cause for celebration, but not Arsenal.

They like to keep up with the Jones and their Jones are Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool. At the pointy end of the Premiership you need to deliver results and that means holding up trophies with red and white ribbons dangling from them.

Throughout the course of the season Arsenal have played some scintillating soccer and truth be told they haven’t been that bad, but the onus is on them deliver each and every game.

Could it be that the Gunners are yet to recover from the loss of Thierry Henry and Fredrik Ljungberg? Both were tough, uncompromising and personified the Arsenal spirit and character. Sure the likes of Samir Nasri, Mikael Silvestre and Andrey Arshavin came into the side, but they aren’t in the same soccer league as these two.

You also have to factor in the departures of Jens Lehmann, Mathieu Flamini, Aliaksandr Hleb and Philippe Senderos. All were good players and their departure marks the end of an era. From the starting XI which took the field for the 2006 Champions League final only Emmanuel Eboue, Kolo Toure and Cesc Fabregas remain.

In recent times, Arsenal has played second fiddle to the other teams in the transfer market, especially Manchester United. Speaking of United, they travel to Old Trafford this weekend to play the Red Devils. After the Champions League semi final loss they would love nothing more than a win here. While it wouldn’t mean anything as far as Arsenal’s current season goes, it may light a spark that they could take with them into the 2009/10 season.

Soccer betting has United as favorites but that has never troubled Arsenal in the past. If they believe in themselves, they are more than talented enough to leave Old Trafford with three points.

Arsene Wenger cops a lot of stick and this would be a good way for him to silence his critics. And for once the Liverpool fans will be cheering him on hoping that he pushes all the right buttons to have the Gunners firing.

David Wiseman is a sports analyst who works for Betfair Australia. He will be providing us with regular opinion from Down Under. As well as football, he is, being an Aussie, a huge fan of Cricket, afl and nrl rugby league.

Looking for Football Writers

2009-03-22T00:41:00.003+08:00

As you can see, sadly, I don't update my blog anymore. However, I've now dedicated my time to Soccer Fan Base (SFB), a forum which also has a blog at http://soccerfanbase.com/blog.

So in an effort to get more writers for Soccer Fan Base's blog, I'm advertising on my old blog to find people who are willing to write for SFB. So if you are interested either email me at darrenczw@gmail.com or leave a comment. However, when leaving comments do remember to leave your email. I have received comments whom I want to reply to but he or she did not leave an email address. We might even be willing to pay you if you are willing to write for us.

I hope to hear from some of you, and hopefully get some talented writers.

Peace out
Dariano

Shock Move- Silvestre to Arsenal

2008-08-21T16:00:00.004+08:00

The headlines says it all.

Mikael Silvestre moves to Arsenal from one of their hottest rivals, Manchester United, for an undisclosed fee.

Shocking. Waste of money. Rubbish move. Seriously?

All those may just be some of the reactions Gooners will get when they first hear the news. I'm not sure if you feel the same way, but I actually have a funny feeling he will be a good signing.

Let's just think about it, it's obvious that Silvestre was signed as a backup, or more specifically, a replacement for Justin Hoyte (he's fucked off to Middlesbrough). He has been plagued by injuries most of the time at United, and didn't make a big impact. But I trust Arsene Wenger's eye for talent. If he signs someone, that someone seldom becomes a flop. It's already natural. I feel Silvestre will be the solution for the lack of good cover for defenders last season; when Kolo Toure went away for the African Cup of Nations, Djourou and Senderos tried to take over but they were extremely shaky. When Sagna got injured it was Hoyte that took his place most of the time, and he's rubbish. Eboue would be a better replacement but he's standing a few inches towards the goal and was played in midfield instead. Silvestre can play on the right or center, and I'm sure deep down all of you know Silvestre is better than Hoyte in right back and perhaps, surprisingly, Senderos in the center. The fee I believe would be at a cheap price, so if he becomes a good backup it's probably already proven that Arsene Wenger has a better mind and eye for talent than Fergie.

Still remember the days when you were complaining last season about Gallas lack of maturity and the squad's lack of experience that actually led to us slipping the title away last season? Well if you're one of those people, then you better not bitch around anymore because Arsene Wenger just answered your prayers. Silvestre has 9 fucking years of experience in the Premier League, so you would say he's going to become one of the most experience players in the Arsenal squad, even more than Gallas.

LMAO at the picture above. It's been a long time since a player in a Manchester United shirt come to Arsenal. Fergie will regret it, that's something I feel will happen.

That's all. I'm still looking for the comments, please just feel free to air your views and tell me how you feel about this article and the content. Should Silvestre really come to Arsenal? Will he be a good signing? Any problems with my articles? Come on, tell me in the comment box. Thanks for reading.

Arsenal vs WBA

2008-08-20T16:52:00.004+08:00

Oh man. How long has it been? Last update,

Friday, July 25, 2008

Well, I've finally decided to get off the couch and those games just to "revive" this blog. It's half-dead, and I'm not sure if it could be salvaged, but I'm giving it a try anyway. All those out there, my apologies for not updating the blog in a long, long time.

Nevertheless, it's back to some "proper content". I watched the Arsenal vs West Brom match, and I got loads to say. So where else better to share your thoughts than your own blog? Here's what I felt:

- Eboue is crap. He's playing in midfield and that's fucking strange. He loses the ball too easily, can't seem to defend well, and I'm still wondering why Arsene Wenger is still keeping him in Arsenal.
- Adebayor, FFS, improve your finishing. You worked on it and it got better last season, but still you're missing the net way wide when you're one on one with the keeper. Don't try tricks unnecessarily, pal. Lose the ball and all you will get is boos from the fans. I seriously feel why Arsenal is criticized for that "lethal touch" is because of Adebayor. Whether he can achieve the same amount of success as last season will only be decided by time. Heck, Arsene Wenger even make him sign a long term contract!
- Now back to the positives. Gael Clichy and Bacary Sagna, rock solid as ever. They picked up where they left off last season and kudos to them and Arsene Wenger for that.
- Denilson had a good game in midfield. He took over the duties of Fabregas while he was away and he took it well. His assist for the only goal in the match proved jsut that.
- And finally, who else but Samir Nasri? Great impression, and yes, I agree with Arsene saying that this young kid from France reminded us of Robert Pires. expect more from him. But don't forget, he played in the center, so when Fabregas comes back he's going to be shifted to the right, and this is the part where I may get worried.

Well that's all from me. Hope you enjoyed my article. Share wth me your thoughts about the match in the comments section. Thanks for reading, take cares.

Clichy feels "old"

2008-07-25T23:03:00.004+08:00

Gael Clichy feels that he's old, not literally but just an expression. With Arsenal's squad average age at a record low, Clichy feels "old" and a senior player the younger players looks up to. And FFS, he's only 22. Here's what he said on Arsenal.com:

"I don't really feel that old myself, but when you have players like Jack [Wilshere] at 16 and Henri [Lansbury] at 17 on the pitch with you then you have to say you are old. That's it.
"Even last season I felt a bit like this - now I feel it even more.
"I am 23 soon. That does not give me any pressure and if I can give advice to the younger players then that is a great pleasure for me.
"So maybe I don't feel old but I don't feel young anymore and I have to get used to it.
"At the same time, I know I still have time in my career and I hope to achieve great things."

This sort of brings up a much debated question, "Is Arsenal's squad too young?" Some say the younger the better, but the others say that we're inexperience; we lack the "old guns" to ensure we can last and maintain our form to the end of the season, and our inexperience often goes out of hand (eg. Bendtner and Adebayor's incident, when they had a squabble). To make things worse, we just sold Lehmann, Hleb and Gilberto. Hleb's okay, but he's considered a senior member of the squad. Gilberto, no doubt, is perhaps the driving force behind Arsenal at times. Jens Lehmann? He has played as much football as Fabregas has eaten food (little exaggerated). Him leaving would further add on to our inexperience and Arsene Wenger don't really seem to be doing anything about it. Aaron Ramsey, if he's considered experience then Toure would be legendary. Samir Nasri is still young and his attitude may get out of hand at times.

Is a young or old squad better? Do you agree with Arsene Wenger sticking to his youth policy? And will our lack of experience affect our performance next season? Tell me in the comments section, cheers from Dariano.

Legendary "Comebacks"

2008-07-23T22:32:00.003+08:00

Just when we thought they were dead and gone for good, these 2 old Arsenal legends suddenly had a "comeback". And coincidentally, the 2 strikers partnership have been considered one of the most lethal in the club's history. Yes, Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp.

Thierry Henry- We're talking about the legendary Henry we knew about 2 years ago. Not the current Barcelona one who seem to never be able to find his best form there. He said that Arsenal will win something this season, be it the Premiership or the League Cup. He has faith, and believe Arsenal can end their 3-year drought of non-silverware. He said,

“Last year I said Arsenal would win something,”

“People laughed at me.
“They laughed even more when they finished the season with nothing but how many people fell in love with their football?
“At the start of the season everyone wrote them off. A couple of months in and everyone was saying, ‘Wow, Arsenal play some great football’.
“They were the team everyone loved to watch and rightly so because they played great stuff.
“I don’t know what it is about the club but they always seem to produce something special. They always seem to be able to inspire players. I still think they can win something.”

That's some great speech there, but it's not all.

“Alex is a great player and I’m glad he’s signed for us,
“He can play on the left, on the right or up front on his own.
“He has a great left foot, a great right foot and his vision is great. I’m going to stop talking now because I’m starting to make him sound like Pele!
“I think he’ll be great for us because he’s an exciting player. He’ll fit in at the Nou Camp and I think the fans will appreciate what he brings to the team.”

Eh... Well, Hleb has leave so I don't think it matters to us anyway.

Another Arsenal legend, Dennis Bergkamp, have become Ajax coach recently, working under manager Marco van Basten. I hope "The non-flying Dutchman" had came to Arsenal instead, but at the same time I feel Ajax is probably the better place to start as coach, and also to get some sort of a license from UEFA. It is said that he will be looking at some of Arsenal's youngsters, in the hope of bringing them to Ajax. I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing, but it should be good, knowing Bergkamp's character. I hope he will just recommend some players to van Basten, and then loan them from us. I hope that they don't go poaching our youngsters instead (ironically). One player whom I feel would benefit from the "Arsenal-Ajax" partnership is Nacer Barazite. A great Dutch player with massive potential, him going back to his home country and getting some experience there is probably better. So to put it simply, Ajax is our "feeder club". No offence. Anyway good luck Dennis, hope you will one day come back to Arsenal. Some youngsters here need to learn some values from you (you know who). Imagine Adebayor and saying "Arsenal will win silverware" about 10 years later. Do you think it is possible? Let's just wait.

Please tell me how you feel about this 2 legends speaking up, is it a good or bad thing? Will Henry be right? Do you think Ajax will poach our youngsters? Tell me more. Cheers from Dariano :)

Latest News- RVP and Gallas on the way out?

2008-07-20T20:40:00.005+08:00

Rumour nowadays.

One of the latest transfer rumour surrounding Arsenal is that Robin van Persie, more affectionately known as RVP to Gooners, is being linked to Juventus. This is highly unreal, but it is said that 15 million pounds can seal the deal. This leads me to think: are we actually being bullies in the transfer window? Firstly Adebayor, then Hleb, and now van Persie. I hope Arsene Wenger steps up and prove to everybody that we shouldn't be victims of bully, and give a big NO to Juve. We should also make new signings soon, because at this rate our squad will only be fighting for a UEFA Cup spot.

One more very funny rumour is that William Gallas may be the latest player on his way out of the Emirates Stadium. He is said to be targeted by both Barcelona and PSG, and 5 million pounds seems to be enough for the current Arsenal captain to move to the Spanish and French club. Anyone out there thinks that this is possible? This is probably false, but I trust you all won't believe that I made a post just to tell you a false rumour, don't you? I just wanted to take some time out and think. So rather than cracking our brains thinking whether this is a true rumour or not, I feel we should sit down and think: Can we really cope without William Gallas? Is he such a good player? He's already 31 this year, he is still a vital part of the team but think about it: just like how Robert Pires left Arsenal, when do you think it would be Gallas's turn? Next season? This season? Believe it or not, I sense something bad may happen to Gallas this season. Be it injuries or another player outshining him, one day it will be time for the current Arsenal skipper to call it a day at the Emirates. The big question is, when? Then who should replace him?

Share with me your thoughts, and let's just hope Arsene Wenger wakes up.

Arsenal Sign Coquelin... If you know who I'm talking about

2008-07-19T22:32:00.003+08:00

Arsenal have signed their third player this season, another teen from French Third Division Laval. He's a guy called Francis Coquelin, and he impressed during a trial with Arsenal last season. He then move to North London for free as he did not sign a professional contract with them. So if you're confused, he came to Arsenal the same way Fabregas and Merida did.

“Arsenal have signed French midfield player Francis Coquelin on professional terms,”
“The 17-year-old has joined from SASP Stade Lavallois Mayeene MFC.”

I'm not totally unhappy with this new signing, but Arsene Wenger seems to be taking our club's future lightly. If you read this post you would know how I feel, and if you ask me, Arsenal should get a new defensive midfielder and some backup defenders right away. Signing a 17 year-old kid is not going to change the club's position; tbh if that lad didn't come to Arsenal I wouldn't know him. He may however make an impact few years later, but nobody will know what will happen few years later. I'm not convinced by this signing and I hope Arsene Wenger gets his facts right up in his head. 1 more month to the start of the season and all we got is one great signing in Samir Nasri; Ramsey and Coquelin are players for the future.

Do you agree with me? Is Coquelin a good signing? Is Arsene Wenger really wrong in not signing any other players at current? Tell me more, cheers from Dariano.

Worried, Worried, Worried...

2008-07-17T20:11:00.003+08:00

This time I'm worried. About a month ago I could just say, "Don't worry, we still have time," but this time, we are just 1 month away to our first EPL fixture against West Brom. And Arsene Wenger has been selling Hleb, Gilberto, Flamini (free) and maybe Adebayor. We have only signed Ramsey, Nasri and Vela (return from loan). Pardon me if I missed out any players, but it still seems to me that we are not signing enough players. With Gilberto and Flamini gone, we are in desperate need of a replacement. Diaby and Djourou is not good enough, and although we are linked to several players, there are to me more players that are attackers than defenders that are linked to us. Examples include Andrea Arshavin, Arda Turan, Sebastien Giovinco and many more that I can't remember. Meanwhile for defensive midfielders we are linked to only quite a few: Raul Albiol, Marcos Senna and Torsten Frings. Obviously there are some more, but if you compare between the number of attackers linked to Arsenal and the number of holding midfielders linked to Arsenal, you would realise Arsene Wenger is sort of like signing attackers his current top priority. I'm really, really worried. We don't have any major evidence that an official bid have been made for any DM's, meanwhile we are constantly linked to Arshavin. Don't fool around Wenger, this is serious. Then where's the defenders we need as backups? A good striker, perhaps as a replacement for Ade? We have once been linked to David Villa, but now there's no news about him moving clubs. We have only got 1 month, and I'm afraid we don't have much time left to sign players. I'll be damned if Aaron Ramsey is going to be a first-team player next season- he is still young and Arsene would be wasting his creative talents if he plays him in a holding midfielder position. Please, ease my fears, and make some new signings soon.

Hleb and Gilberto Part Company with Arsenal

2008-07-17T19:49:00.003+08:00

Just yesterday, I said that Hleb was in Barcelona for a medical. Now he's medical is complete, and his move to Barcelona is official. Finally, after months of speculation the smoke is clear. whether it will be a good or bad move only time will tell. Arsene Wenger even paid tribute to him, thanking him for his contributions for Arsenal while he was still at the club.

“We must firstly thank Alex for his contribution towards Arsenal Football Club during his time with us. Alex played a significant role in the three seasons he was with the club.
“We are comfortable with our decision to let him go and we are all looking forward to continuing our preparations for the new season ahead.
“Everyone at Arsenal Football Club wishes Alex the best of luck for the future”

No doubt, I wished that he stayed but it was not to be. Hopefully Nasri would make an even bigger impact than Hleb did, just like how Clichy took over Ashley Cole's role when he left.

Another man on the move is old veteran Gilberto Silva. He left for a cheap fee of only 1 million pounds, but for a 31 year-old it should be good money. His career at Arsenal began at 2002, who came from Atletico Madrid. He have had a great spell at North London, winning 2 FA cups and 1 league title. He had a disastrous last season, but I really feel Gilberto deserved a chance. He's a good backup, he may have had a miserable 1 season but he had fantastic 6 seasons at the club, and I truly believe like jsut how a superstar cannot be born in just one night, a legend cannot die out so quickly too. Anyway, let's just put the past behind us and wish Gilberto all the best. A cheerful guy and good captain, this man puts Adebayor and Hleb to shame. We miss you Gilberto, thanks for he memories...

Hleb in Spain for Medical? + Arsenal to Make Surprising Barry Bid?

2008-07-16T22:05:00.005+08:00

It's been a really long time since I updated my blog, this time it's REALLY LONG. Sorry for the delay guys, I'm rather busy at the moment so pardon me. Anyway, here's one from me before I get to bed.

Got this news from Goal.com, they say that Hleb is currently flying (or flown)to Barcelona in Spain to complete his medical before joining Barca in a 12.5 million move, although it may increase by 2.5 million depending on his performances. Sometimes I get really sick listening to the same story time and again (I wonder how many times I've inserted Hleb's picture in my posts); rumours of Ade going to Milan, Hleb to Barca and Fabregas to wherever. It's like eating the same thing everyday, so preferably I want this Hleb transfer saga to settle and come to a conclusion soon. I'm not sure, but I feel it's really heartbreaking to see a "rather-good" player from Arsenal go for only 12.5 million. Please don't tell me it will rise; it will only rise when he plays well, and only by a mere 2.5 million, which means Arsene can't use that 2.5 straight away in this transfer window. I hope he leaves for more than that, compared to Adebayor's 30 million move to AC Milan, it's really peanuts and Hleb's not any of that.

Another interesting news I've heard is that Arsenal may be doing a surprising last-minute swoop for Aston Villa's skipper Gareth Barry, just when everybody thought Liverpool had his move tied-up. Good move, I would say. Great vision from Arsene to think of this move, even I myself did not think of Barry coming to Arsenal. He's a great player, and also one with great influence and experience. The perfect player for Arsenal: Experienced, at his peak, holding midfielder and for those who is a keen supporter of Sepp Blatter's 6+5 idea, he's English. Definitely the right man for the DM role in Arsenal's current first-team squad, the only thing is that he may be costly, and if I were Barry, I would rather go to Liverpool. Barry's good pal Gerrard is at The Kop, plus I'm sure Liverpool would give him more of a "home" feeling for him, having his English teammates to play with. At Arsenal the only person he mix well with is perhaps Walcott, and he's not established as a first-team player yet. So rather than venture into "the wilds" and go to a place full of foreigners, I'm sure he would want to go to a place where he have friends there. I'm not totally ruling out this move though, there's still a chance judging on Arsene's "magical charisma", which was most recently put use on Aaron Ramsey.

Is Barry a good player for Arsenal? Do you think Hleb's 12.5 million fee is too little? Tell me more. That's all for now, and thanks for reading.

Nasri Completes Move, FINALLY

2008-07-11T19:18:00.002+08:00

No more bullshits. No more "in 10 days time". No more delays. Samir Nasri moves to Arsenal FC, plain and simple, for an undisclosed fee, although it is thought to be around 11.5 million pounds. A deal which I believe should have been completed weeks ago, he finally signs the contract and moves to Arsenal. Here's what I feel about the transfer of Nasri:

1) This boy should have done it long ago, even before the Euro's. Arsenal's reputation is enough to shut his mouth. Young and French, those 2 things alone should be enough to convince him to sign the contract.

2) Hleb's fate is sealed. When Nasri comes, we all know that Hleb will be going. There's no space in the first-team to fit both talented players, so like I said before rather than let him rot in the stands we must as well cash in the money.

3) What number will he get? My money's on number 8. Nobody got number 8 yet at Arsenal and that is rather strange, considering the popularity of that number. Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard are all good practitioners of the "number 8 wizardry", and if Nasri is as good as those 2, 11.5 will probably be a bargain.

Do you agree with me? Should this deal have been completed weeks ago? Is he really THAT good? Tell me more in the comments section. Cheers from Dariano.

Hleb Burning the Bridges?

2008-07-08T16:57:00.008+08:00

Well before I start let me just introduce to you guys a site that I feel you may be interested in going, it's called Soccer Fan Base. It's basically a forum where you can discuss about football. Seeing that the site owner asked me to help recomemnd their site, I did some advertisement for them. Now back to where I stand: Arsenal.

I don't know where this Hleb saga is going to. Firstly he says he wants to stay at Arsenal. Then he says he wants to go to Barcelona or Inter Milan. Now, my fellow Gooners, he is publicly criticizing The Professor, Arsene Wenger, and Super-Fab, Fabregas. I don't know WTF he's thinking, but i feel he's trying to burn the bridges, a move first used millenniums ago, by Julius Caesar. You know you're leaving, your fate is sealed, so the only choice? Kamikaze.

His first complain is that he's not playing in his natural position, the center-midfielder. He's often deployed on the flanks last season, although he has often played as a "hole" behind the striker. Now here's what he said,

“My view of how I should be playing didn’t coincide with the manager’s,”

“I told him last season I wanted to leave and think he was quite upset about it. But ask him. It may turn out he’s happy to see me go.”

Total bullshit. In Arsene we trust, which Gunner doesn't know that? If he didn't trusted Arsene Wenger in the first place, he wouldn't have came to Arsenal. Trust Wenger, he transforms playmakers that plays in the center to ones that can actually play wide and still have the same level of creativity. If he doesn't like it, then don't play. Guess what? He did, he played on the flanks, and he played quite well, even though he played as a support striker at times. What he said contradicts what he showed. Think before you speak, Alex.

Secondly, he had something to say about Arsenal's golden-boy Francesc Fabregas. He further added on that the reason why he can't play in the center is because of the boy wonder of North London, Fabregas. He has dominated the playmaking role of Arsenal's center for seasons, and Hleb's aren't happy about it. Wait a minute, he's not done yet.

“When we get scoring opportunities, Fabregas is much more selfish than me,” said the ex-Stuttgart player, who has often been criticised for his minimal contribution on the score-sheet.

The quote above is still okay to me, although I'm a little pissed by it. But this quote is what really makes me fucked up:

“Given a chance to shoot, he always goes for it — unlike me."

This is nonsense. I don't know about Fabregas being selfish and shooting very often, but what I know is that when Fabregas shoots, he scores. I'm not saying it's a surefire type of thing, but going for goals from long distances (commentators call them "dynamite!" and "thunderbolt!") is not really a bad thing, it adds a level of excitement to football, and there's an okay percentage that he will score. He's our second top goal-scorer last season, behind Adebayor, and you could tell most of them were from long shots. How many goals did Hleb score? 4. Pathetic 4. Maybe he would have scored more if he "go for it when given a chance to shoot".

I'm glad that I feel we shouldn't keep Hleb any longer. Here's the latest news on his future at Arsenal:

“I don’t know where I’ll be next season but I’d prefer Barcelona. It is being negotiated and, hopefully, will be decided soon.”

Good riddance. Screw you for criticizing our "media-darling" and "Professor". We appreciate your contributions to the team last season, but we don't want players with bad attitude. And furthermore, Nasri should be coming (Gulp, I hope).

How do you feel? Was Hleb in a position to criticise Fabregas and Wenger? How do you feel about his comment to the media? Tell me more, cheers from Dariano.

Arshavin's Future Lies in Ade and Hleb's Hands

2008-07-07T16:33:00.004+08:00

Well Andrei Arshavin has been one of Arsene Wenger's target during the summer transfer window. If I'm not wrong I haven't given my verdict on him despite all the media spculation. Now let the judging bein:

Andrei Arshavin. Honestly anybody out there who knew him 2 months ago? To be frank I didn;t know him and have not heard of his name till the Euro's began. He rose to fame by impressing with his national team (Russia) and catching all the club manager's attention. Arsenal, Chelsea, Barcelona are just some of the clubs interested in his services. Now my verdict: Arsene, don't sign this guy. Why? He's 27, probably not worth the money and superstars are not created overnight. No doubt about it, players who are 27 has just reached their peak, so they probably play their best. But in a few years time, let's say 3, he would be 30 and I don't think Arsene Wenger would keep him anymore. Added by the fact that there's much competition for his signature, he would not be cheap so paying over 10 million for a superstar only to play for you for 3 years is certainly not worth it. In fact, Zenit St. Petersburg (his current club) absurdly requested Leo Messi plus cash for him. If you ask me, I would rather get Messi XD. Another factor is that he's so popular now because of his performance during Euro08, and to be specific. He impressed during the match between Russia and Sweden and Russia and Holland. Like I said before, superstars are not amde overnight. Playing really well in 2 matches don't mean that player is good. I am afraid if he comes to Arsenal, he gets a really shit season and in the end lose profit in selling him. So to sum up my verdict, I wouldn't want him to come to Arsenal.

Next on the queue is that Arshavin has recently claimed that whether he comes to Arsenal will depend on whether Adebayor and Hleb goes. So to make sure it's not confusing for some of you, we are like trading Adebayor and Hleb with Arshavin. 3 words: Not worth it. Here's what his agent said:

“The push for Andrei Arshavin has only just got going.
“The clubs who are following him are only just warming their engines.
“Arshavin’s future depends on what happens with Hleb and Adebayor.”

So if Arsene Wenger stubbornly ignored my advice and continue his interest in Arshavin, he better buck up. Cause it won't be a small price tag.

Do you agree with me that Arsenal shouldn't sign Arshavin? And is it really worth it to let Ade and Hleb go just for him? Tell me in the comments section, cheers from Dariano :)

Peter Hill-Wood: Ade Staying, Hleb Going

2008-07-07T16:20:00.003+08:00

Nowadays we've always been hearing Arsene Wenger talk about Adebayor, Hleb and all the other stars, and I'm sure you would be quite bored to hear the same person say the same thing day in, day out. Well, we've got a new voice for today. Peter Hill-Wood, chairman of Arsenal FC has actually spoken out for Arsene Wenger, in hoping to get "The Mafia boss is speaking" type of feeling to Barcelona and AC Milan. Well here's what he said:

"We want him (Adebayor) to stay,"

"Adebayor still has a long time left on his contract and we have absolutely no intention of releasing him from that contract."

So I guess that Old Petey is actually an idol of the Togolese striker, hoping he can stay at Arsenal to "entertain" him. Will he give in to money? Or is he "money-blind"? We'll see.

Wait a minute. He's not done yet.

"Hleb has made it clear he wants to go. I think maybe he will go."

Oh, great. I won't rest easy about Hleb's situation until Nasri comes (FYI the deal's not done yet, some people got confused).

The Prof. is Fed Up + Roma Wants Gilberto

2008-07-06T09:14:00.004+08:00

It seems that Barcelona has tested Arsene Wenger's patience. It's over the limit, and Arsene has had enough. He's probably lost patience in Adebayor, and will let him go to either Barcelona or Milan, if Arsenal can get a replacement. It's for an astounding 30 million pounds, although Arsenal have set an asking price of 35 million. As expected, Wenger won't "play" with Adebayor anymore, and will give in to Barcelona's heavy bid. But who as replacement? That, I believe, only Arsene knows. I'm not really sure myself to be honest, but it would be good if it's Villa (I don't know how many times I've said this), but the thing is Valencia has offered a contract to Villa, so if we don't striker fast then we may be the ones left crying.

Another news I got is that AS Roma seems to be interested in Gilberto Silva. They may be willing to pay a fee of 2.5 million pounds for the Brazilian defensive-midfielder. Well, I'd say, cash in, Arsene. 2.5 million is good money for a 31 year-old, and furthermore his contract expires at the end of the 2008/09 season. No one can really predict the future, so whether he will sign a new contract is still a mystery but the most logical answer would be he leaves on a free-transfer, just like how many past Arsenal players at the age of 30 and above did (Campbell, Pires etc.). So rather then let him go for free, why not let him go for 2.5 million? I admit that Gilberto would be a good backup if not first-team player, but I don't think Gilberto can cut it out in Arsenal anymore. The 2.5 million can be used to sign other players, so Arsene has got to cash in fast lest Roma lose interest and Gilberto's stuck at Arsenal.

So what do you think? Should we, for real, sell Ade this time? And if Villa's taken, who should we seek as a replacement for Adebayor? Then should Gilberto go? Is it really time? And is 2.5 million pounds good money to you? Tell me more, cheers from Dariano :)

Euro's Over, Now What?

2008-06-30T17:52:00.003+08:00

After weeks and close to 1 month of intense international football, the players are returning to their clubs to grab some glory again. There will definitely be different impressions the players have created, but what are the notable points of the tournament? These, based on my opinions, are some interesting things I feel I should share:

Best Goalkeeper:

He's 37 and close to retirement but he's still solid as ever. One of the major factors Netherlands could get so far in the tournament, he will definitely retire from international football with pride and style. Thanks for the memories, Edwin!

Best Outfield Player:

I don't think anybody had expected him to do THAT well. Xavi has proven, that playing well for 1 match is one thing, but playing well all-round, that's something else. I think he has earn himself the nickname of "Mr Consistent" in Euro 08.

Most Impressive Player:

He has been the talk of the town after his impressive performances for Russia. It was so good, that he's now even being sought after by Arsenal and some la Liga clubs. I didn't know him till he showed the whole world, including me, how he shouldn't actually stay at Zenit St.Petersburg. Sleek passing with creativity and the knack for goals, it may only be one tournament, but it is enough to let everybody know how good he is.

Biggest Flop:

Seriously. His performances for Sweden is nowhere as good as the one he gave for Arsenal years ago. He's showing his age, and to avoid further embarrassment, he should just retire from international football. And he did.

That's all folks. It's time to get back to club football, as the transfer window is just possibly days away from opening, and this year's Euro tournament definitely has its twists and turns, which will change every manager's opinions on certain players.

Adebayor Wants to be Paid Like Henry

2008-06-29T16:39:00.002+08:00

Call it cocky or whatever, Adebayor has came lashing out, again, about his "spectacular" transfer saga.

News of the World has reported that Adebayor wants to be paid like Thierry Henry, by demanding a whopping 400 per cent pay-rise, which would see his weekly wage increase from ₤30,000 to ₤120,000, which means Adebayor wants to get the same "value" and salary as Thierry Henry when he was still back with Arsenal. He even said this:

“People ask if I’m asking for the same salary as Henry,”
“That is not necessarily the question.

“But I am being considered a worthy replacement for Henry while not deserving his salary. The question lies on this level.

“Either Arsenal give me what I want and I stay or they don’t and I leave.”

This actually means he worthy himself to the great Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, by demanding an absurd pay rise and squad value. This actually sort of change my opinion towards him, although I am on the side of the Gooners who believe he should stay at Arsenal. I mean, Ade is no Henry. Nobody can EVER replace Thierry Henry. He's an Arsenal legend, a French legend, my hero, and will forever be. And if that puny Adebayor thinks he can ever match up with Henry, he better wake up.

I seriously hope this report is fake, because reports from other websites cannot normally be trusted, only official reports can. But if this is really true, Adebayor has lost my respect. If it's real, I hope he stays at Arsenal.

What are your views? Do you think Adebayor was right in trying to demand for a pay rise? Do you think he can be Thierry Henry? Tell me more, here at GUNNERockYa :)

Marcos Senna Linked with Arsenal

2008-06-27T19:50:00.002+08:00

Another transfer target added to the list.

One of the latest additions being the man above, Marcos Senna. A player whom I feel my opinions has some similarity with Torsten Frings, he has the same age as Frings, being 31 years-old which I feel is just too old. He impressed during this Euro 2008 campaign, and even though many people would think that the lack of experience was the thing that knocked us off the top of the table, I seriously feel 31 year-old is too old, it is more like "close-to-retirement" and old than experience. And to make things worse, Arsene Wenger may be willing to pay a whopping 10 million pounds for him, which is definitely not worth it. Look for other targets Wenger, he's not worth 10 million and I feel he isn't the ideal person to replace Flamini.

What do you think? Is he worth 10 million? Does he even deserve to play first-team football for Arsenal? Tell me more, cheers from Dariano :)

Blog 1-Month Anniversary

2008-06-26T19:31:00.002+08:00

I know it seems stupid, but today is a 1-month anniversary for GUNNERockYa, and we have "reasonable" amount of traffic at the moment.

I'm not posting this for fun, I'm posting this because I wanna hear YOUR views, this time, about the blog.

Tell me what I can do to improve my blog, what you like to see and what you don't, and at the same time if anybody wants to do a link exchange, go ahead :)

Don't just post comments like "Your blog sucks!" etc. If it sucks, tell me WHY :)

Peace out
Dariano

Adebayor to Milan 80% Done

2008-06-26T19:16:00.003+08:00

Reports from Goal.com has said that Adebayor's deal that will bring him to Italian giants AC Milan is 80% done.

According to Adebayor's agent, the deal is almost complete and it will probably be delayed until Arsene Wenger finds a replacement for Adebayor. Here's what Ade's agent said,

“What are the chances of Adebayor coming to Milan? I’d say today we are between 70 and 80 per cent.”

And I'm sure all of you know Mr.Wenger, he's not one to sell a player without thinking twice. He would certainly be looking for replacements.

Dani Guiza and David Villa are hot candidates, while players like Roque Santa-Cruz, Roman Pavlyuchenko Mario Gomez are not ruled out.

But I just found a shocking news.

One new addition has been made to the "hot candidates" list, Peter Crouch. I mean, FFS? He isn't a good player to me, to Liverpool, and most probably other Gooners out there. I know it would be a "decent" signing but surely Crouch won't be good enough to fill Adebayor's boots? Here's what Adebayor's agent said again,

"The names being talked about are Peter Crouch, Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz and Germany forward Mario Gomez,"

Up till now I still prefer David Villa, and if you have read my blog occasionally you would know that I'm someone who disagrees with Adebayor moving away from our club. To me, he is a good player, something that I've mentioned time and again in my previous posts.

What do you think? Is Crouch or any of the players in Arsenal's shortlist mentioned good enough? Tell me more :)

Arsenal, Juventus, Real Madrid and HSV Hamburg to Participate in Emirates Cup 2008

2008-06-23T04:23:00.002+08:00

Just before the 2007/08 season Emirates Stadium announced that it will host the first ever Emirates Cup. This year, they have done it again. Arsenal will be in the tournament as usual, but will be accompanied by Serie A giants Juventus, La Liga champions Real Madrid, and Bundelisga giant HSV Hamburg. Cool eh? So much for pre-season. It will take place over the weekend of Saturday 2nd August and Sunday 3rd August 2008 and like last year, two matches will be played on each day. Arsenal will be playing Juventus on 2nd August and Real Madrid on 3rd August. This should be interesting, with league giants participating Arsene Wenger will probably take this seriously. Arsenal Managing Director Keith Edelman said:

“After the huge success of last year’s tournament, we are very proud to be hosting the Emirates Cup again in August.
“We are also delighted at the calibre of the three visiting teams to this year’s Emirates Cup. The combination of Arsenal, Real Madrid, Juventus and Hamburg will offer an extremely entertaining weekend of football for the supporters at very good prices, and will also provide the teams with a very competitive level of pre-season preparation.”

I can't wait for this, this may only be a small "Emirates Cup" but it will be embarrassing if Arsenal didn't win their own sponsor's cup. So I hope Arsenal give it all their best and from that cup we should be able to see how we fare with the other major clubs in other countries. That's all for now from Dariano, take cares and goodbye :)

The Stan Kroenke Revolution + Santa Cruz to be Arsene's Next Target?

2008-06-22T20:33:00.004+08:00

I don't know if you guys actually know this, but the man on the left is actually a new member of the Arsenal Board of Directors after he recently bought 12.19% stakes in Arsenal. And from what I heard from Goal.com he may just be the man that will spark a summer transfer shake-up, which may cause Adebayor to go to Barcelona. I'm not sure if it's true, but I seriously hope he doesn't interfere with Arsene Wenger's plans like how Abramovich did with Chelsea. I just couldn't imagine Arsenal ruled by a "dictator", which would probably see Arsene go, although Peter Hill-Wood has said that he will not "give in" so easily.

Another news that I heard is that Arsene Wenger may be setting his eyes on Roque Santa-Cruz as a replacement for Adebayor if he do go. Santa-Cruz is a good player, but for Arsenal's standard I feel that he's only "average". I can't see him scoring as many goals as Ade did last season, even if he's a regular first-team player. Man Utd is also going for him, so if Arsenal and Man Utd are actually going to fight for him by outbidding each other's offer then I'm sure Blackburn would easily allow him to move and look for other options. So if Arsene does wants to sign him, which I feel he shouldn't, he would have to convince Blackburn with a good price and Santa-Cruz with some golden words, like how he did with Aaron Ramsey.

Do you feel that man called Kroenke would change things at Arsenal? Should Santa-Cruz come? Tell me below in the comments section. That's all for now fellow Gooners. Take cares and goodbye from Dariano ;)

Clichy Signs Long-Term Contract

2008-06-22T01:08:00.002+08:00

Arsenal left back Gael Clichy has been linked to Juventus and Roma recently, but Clichy has probably shown a sign to those clubs that he won't be going anywhere. He has signed a long-term contract.

Neither Clichy nor Arsenal stated the length of the contract, but it is confirmed that it is "long-term". This is good news for Arsenal, as he impressed superbly by outshining the detested Cashley Cole. First Bacary Sagna, now Gael Clichy. These are the quality and best players of Arsenal, not because of depth or talent but because they have no problems signing new contracts. They don't ask for too much, and they don't rake up controversy using the press. Probably the direct opposite of the Alex Hleb situation right now.

That's all folks, hope you enjoyed this short read :)

The Transfer Trio- Adebayor + Hleb + Ronaldo

2008-06-22T00:25:00.007+08:00

Haven't updated this site for days. Expect much longer delays in update as my holidays are coming to a close soon and I won't have as much time to write. Anyway...

Opened my Firefox browser, and on my homepage is goal.com. The first thing I see is "Adebayor to Barcelona and Milan?"

To be honest I'm really sick and tired of all these transfer speculation. Arsene Wenger has recently sent a frank "no!" to Barcelona for their enquiry on Adebayor. Nice move, but it won't stop the stubborn clubs from getting Ade. Another player from Arsenal that may be on the move is Alex Hleb. I can only say this guy is hopeless at Arsenal already; he's confessed that he wants to move, and it seems he is hell-bent on doing just that. And finally, although not from the Goon squad, he is of a particular mention. Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo, arguably one of the best players at Man Utd at the moment, is sulking all month long and indirectly saying that he wants to go to Real Madrid. I really want to voice out this: F**k off Ronaldo. Why? For 2 reasons, number 1 is that he's a key player of Man Utd, so him leaving would do all the other clubs in the premiership, including Arsenal, good. And number 2, he has lost his heart for Man Utd; and regardless of Gunner or no Gunner, a player whose heart and mind is not at his current club should not play on and should be allowed to move. Someone in a very similar situation is Aliaksandr Hleb.

He has been dropping hints that he wants to move, and at times he said it out loud that he insist on moving. If I could tell Wenger what to do, I would say, "If he wants to move so badly, then let him." No doubt about it, he's a good player at Arsenal, but if he's not keen to remain and be a Gooner then just let him move to Barcelona or whatever club. Like I said earlier, if he don't give his best for the club, then why keep him?

It's a point of no return now, Hleb WILL go, I'm quite sure of that. Imagine you're a player at Arsenal, you look at Hleb and you know he's not the same friend you know anymore. You know his true self and he has probably lost your respect. That's for one player at Arsenal. Imagine the whole 11-man squad feels the same thing. So if Hleb don't go, he'll rot in the stands and show some shitty performances. If he goes, we'll earn some cash :D

This shouldn't have happened from the start. Players nowadays are always narrow-minded; they always think that they should move to other so-called "bigger clubs" when they don't realise that they are currently at one themselves. I mean, Arsenal is a major club isn't it? The players at Arsenal don't really match up in reputation to Barcelona or Milan, but then think about it, Arsenal's squad value is much lower than Barca (tbh), but is Hleb's importance at Arsenal the same at Barca? Probably not. He shown some great performances at Arsenal last season, and he's already considered a "key-player" to our campaign. Go to Barcelona and he would be outshone by Leo Messi, Xavi, Iniesta and some other players. At Arsenal, he and Fabregas are proably the only 2 main creative force there. Simple. There will be little competition.

Now let's get to Adebayor. He's not so much of a "loud-mouth" like Hleb, he's pretty quiet about his transfer speculation but he has dropped hints here and there about it. Adebayor's a good player, and for this case I feel he should stay. He's vital, important, and good. He is Arsenal's top-scorer last season, and selling our top-scorer is a little risky. I have to agree we still have other options like David Villa and van Persie, but it will be difficult trying to find that deadly striker that hunt goals for us again. Villa needs time to adopt, van Persie needs to find his form and fitness, Eduardo needs some time to find his lost confidence after a long period off the pitch and Walcott is still young and I prefer him to play on the wings. Try to keep him Wenger, Milan already got Fla-money and we won't want to lose another player to them.

What are your views? Should Hleb go? Should Adebayor stay? Are you as sick as me about Ronaldo's situation? Air your thoughts, as the transfer window is 8 days away (according to time of publish).