Andrei Joins Cesc On The Arsenal Love Train

Tell all the folks in Russia…

He might be off to Manchester today for a medical. Hold on, we have been here before, haven’t we. Stuff it, I’ll wait until the transfer is confirmed by Arsenal before passing any more comment. Anyway, Andrei Arshavin thinks He is a good player:

He is an excellent striker. Everybody knows him and he can score from nothing. But it is his decision whether he wants to stay or he wants to go.

Which is pretty much all there is to be said this morning on Him. The Pocket Dynamo (or should that be Dinamo?) was merely warming to the task:

We have Arsene. He knows everything. He knows if we need someone then he will buy.

You cannot really argue with that but Arshavin needs to whisper it when he says, “Arsene knows“, simply because it has become a dirty word. Or words. I guess phrase is more appropriate. But he was not finished there, oh no.

Of course he is a very strong coach. He gives me freedom on the pitch, which I like. He’s found a new position for me which I’ve never played, as a left midfielder!

A minor adjustment to one with Arshavin’s talent since playing across the forward line and supporting roles, ought to be a piece of cake when you consider his footballing intelligence. It is a big season for him. His short spell last season unquestionably highlighted the threat he will pose and to be honest when opponents look at van Persie, Arshavin, Cesc and Nasri, retreating even further into their shells is going to become even more de rigeur at The Emirates.

Don’t you know that it’s time to get on board, And let this train keep on riding, riding on through

If Arsene was blushing then Cesc will have gone a permanent shade of red at the praise heaped on him by his Russian colleague:

His vision is excellent, he plays every ball into a perfect position for our players. He is fantastic.

Now all they have to do is to learn to time their runs to meet the ball. Fabregas’ absence last season hurt the team but this time around, I believe that the squad is better equipped to deal with such an absence.

There are players who can stand in for him and whilst they may not be the same style as Fabregas, they can provide sufficient prompting for the absence to be minimised. Crucially, they now know how they will cope without him. The unbeaten run of 21 games was built whilst he was out and that should give them confidence to deal with anything the season has to throw in their direction.

People all over the world (Join in, ride this train)

Still that pales into insignificance compared to the praise heaped upon Tomas Rosicky by the Spaniard:

He can bring many, many things to the team. He’s a guy with a lot of experience, he has won things, he knows how to compete, he’s very humble and he works for the team.  Technically he is one of the best in the world and physically I am sure he will be really strong because he’s been working really hard. I am happy because soon he is going to be back and I can’t wait to see him playing again

And that feeling is echoed by every Arsenal supporter that I know. In terms of his comeback, Rosicky is fortunate in that it can be done reasonably gently in the first team. He is not required to jump straight in – at the moment – since there is a lot of competition for the attacking midfield spots.

The form he was in before the injury struck was quite possibly the best since he joined the club. In many respects, he reminds me of Vladimir Petrovic, thier style and vision of play is remarkably similar despite being separated by more than two decades in their time at the club. Petrovic only had the chance to show a glimpse but Rosicky has more time on his side than the Yugoslav ever achieved.

Barnet tomorrow and hopefully some football to distract everyone from the Hughes Brothers circus that is encircling the club.

’til Tomorrow.

Good Grief, Is He Still Here?

First of all, every thought should go to John Hartson and his family following the neurosurgery he underwent yesterday as a result of his cancer.

By comparison the transfer news is trivial. It might not be in the minds of the individuals involved but in the greater scheme of things, it is. Adebayor is apparently stalling on the deal. The media, no doubt fed by the disgruntlement at Arsenal and hoping to pass it onto Manchester City fans, claim that it is the player’s wages demands that are holding the deal up. Given that they have told us already that the deal on the table is worth £170k per week, either they have been woefully misinformed or willfully misleading their readers. Not too hard to work out which side of the fence I think they fall.

Whatever the reason for the prevarication – The Guardian plausibly believes it to be concern over the perception amongst his fellow countrymen – it seems to me that the deal will go through. Reports suggesting that he has already had a medical appear wide of the mark. Even so, has it gone too far to fail. Well, OK, until he signs it has not but you catch my drift.

Adebayor is aware that Arsene may want him but he is not indispensable. How does that affect him mentally? The issue becomes one of motivation for the move. Has he the desire to stay at Arsenal or during discussions with the club that he was ambivalent towards remaining in London. The suspicion will always remain that Milan was the preferred destination but once that became out of reach, any club would do.

There are no guarantees in football but he has a better chance currently of playing Champions League matches at Arsenal than at Eastlands, next season and in all likelihood, the one after. City are intent on assembling a decent starting XI but do not forget that the rest of the squad struggled last season to test the waters of the top half of the table. Injuries, suspensions, international travels all contribute negatively over a season – are the players coming in to replace the new boys up to scratch?

I am not convinced that there would be an issue within the dressing room should he remain, in fact staying may enhance his standing with his fellow squad members provided he presents the reasons for staying the correct manner. Convincing supporters or certain sections of them; well, he could score sixty goals next season and still be classified as a lazy bugger. In some people’s eyes, he will do not right. Even then, failure to score thirty will lead to criticism. It seems a little chance of a win situation.

Rob Kelly in his Daily Telegraph column argues that Arsenal will be stronger without Adebayor, surprisingly without mentioning Robin van Persie once. He believes Wenger will play Arshavin as the second striker so being top scorer and Player of the Season counts for nothing other than a place on the bench…

Incoming, unsurprisingly the focus is on Chamakh whose fee will apparently include Silvestre if Bordeaux get their way. A tad hard to imagine that the inclusion of the former Manchester United player will be a deal breaker, especially since the back four is well-stocked and his contract, like those of Gallas, Toure and Senderos, is up next summer. If he does not arrive, Huntelaar is the next media darling although VfB Stuttgart want the Dutchman and have reportedly agreed a fee of €20m. Don’t be surprised if Adebayor = Eto’o + Hleb in Catalan eyes although whether they do so in those of London N5, remains to be seen.

That’s it for today. ’til Tomorrow.

Ade Out, Whose In And Eddie’s Up For It

First off, it’s still rumbling on. Still no offer, Manchester City still wittering on about a deal to be done but now adding the word ‘possibly’ to sentences, hinting at either belated or utterly insincere diplomacy. Amazingly, the City way is exactly the same route that Chelsea followed when Abramovich came in: the basest way.

Reports suggesting that hacks ‘understand’ discussions about a Work Permit will take place today – surely a tad of a no-brainer considering that Adebayor has been first choice at a bigger club for the best part of, oooh, I dunno, since he arrived. A new Permit has to be applied for with any change of employer but even so the hearing ought to be stunningly brief: “Can I have a new Work Permit please? Yep“.

Ray Parlour then put the boot in:

He was too lazy at times last season and just didn’t do it.His body language wasn’t great. Sometimes if things are not going well for you, you have to show desire…At first I heard £30m bandied around, and I’d snap their hand off at that price. Then you go and get an excellent player who will work his socks off

And therein is the flaw in Parlour’s plan. 2007/08 was a season when Adebayor worked his socks off. 2008/09 was injury disrupted and yes, on occasion, he probably did not work as hard but he was still doing his job for the team in scoring every other game or so. Unfortunately, that is not enough for his detractors since the antics of last summer have not been forgotten or forgiven.

Parlour’s observations do have a flaw in them. Working your socks off is not enough on its own. Skill is needed and there are frequent accusations against players of this ilk that they are lazy at times simply because of their style of play. When a player is signed they will work hard but there is no guarantee that this will continue. There are lulls and peaks with performance levels affected by any manner of reasons on and off the pitch. It is far too simplistic to be dismissive as saying at times a player does not try.

Anyway, since he is going – according to the media – an indulgence has been craved and answered, with the search for his replacement. Hot favourite was Marouane Chamakh since Arsene has specified him as a target. Peter Crouch is apparently there for the taking at £11m which allows for the defensive midfielder so craved. Coming up on the rails is Demba Ba of Hoffenheim, a club Arsenal reportedly contacted or my own personal favourite, Mirko Vucinic of AS Roma. Why? Not on ability alone but more to do with this extract from The Guardian’s Fiver newsletter:

At the moment it’s useless to talk because there aren’t any offers. If one should arrive I will talk with the club and we’ll see. Obviously there are places where I would not want to go. Tottenham? Let’s reject that

And that has to be as good a reason as any to sign a player. Well, it puts it on a par with criticising Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United.

Away from this circus, Eduardo has been speaking with the Croatian media:

Everything is great, nothing hurts me. Last week I worked with a fitness coach and physio. I did all that was required and Arsenal are very pleased with my recovery…We are leaving for Bad Waltersdorf next week, on Monday. We will play two games where I should get (playing) time in one

As boosts go, this is on a par with the official site suggesting that Tomas Rosicky will be part of the squad that goes to Barnet this weekend for the traditional pre-season opener. When does a fixture become traditional and why do we not use it for Premier League games against Liverpool, Manchester United, etc??

Hopefully the circus surrounding Adebayor will be resolved swiftly and replacements, if required, can

Is It All Ade-ing Up?

When does fact become fiction or fiction become fact? The starting place for these might well be football’s transfer mill. If one club is desperately seeking comfort through the spending of cash, there is not one shred of doubt that they will be the source of a high percentage of rumours. That the club in question is playing in the English Premier League is manna from heaven for journalists covering the sport in this country.

Manchester City are intent on buying their way to the title. It will take more than one summer splurge to do so. An impressive first XI is worth nothing if the players who will be needed when injuries and suspension strike are not up to standard. That is not to dismiss them; were City to sign Adebayor and Terry then they may have the potential to become a good team. Even if they do sign those and more players, there is no guarantee that they will become a good team. A huge raft of signings will take time to bed down and that is going to be a commodity in precious short supply at Eastlands once this summer is over.

For Adebayor, the question is what his ambitions in the game are. Where will he best achieve them? With the best will in the world, none of the players who have signed for Manchester City since their takeover has done so to believe in the ‘project’ as it is being euphemistically called. The primary reason has been money. When manager of Arsenal, George Graham shied away from signing players from bigger clubs since those from smaller clubs were hungrier for success. Far from being good for the English game, should Manchester City rise to the top, they merely reinforce the idea that merit is no longer a benchmark but money is. Not that fans of Manchester City will care right now.

Does Adebayor believe in achieving success? Will he win the Premier League title at Eastlands or The Emirates? Or is it going to be the lure of money that holds sway? Whatever happens, City has yet to lodge a bid that matches the reported £25m valuation placed on him by Arsenal. We can argue the merits of this either way but at the time of writing, he is still an Arsenal player and personally, I would prefer that he remain one. There are few world class forwards available for purchase. If reports are to be believed, proven strikers are in short supply. Those at the peak at larger clubs are not going to be easily prised away. Arsene will no doubt have a list of those ready for replacing the Togo striker and in that, you have to place some trust.

Could he go into the season without buying someone to replace Adebayor? I do not think so. Eduardo and Bendtner have the ability but for differing reasons, cannot be relied upon just yet. The Croat is on the return from a serious injury and yet to put together a run in the first team, proving his fitness. That is the risk in relying upon him. The Dane by contrast is ready in terms of fitness but short on experience. I believe he will be a leading Arsenal striker in the future but is perhaps a season or two away from leading the line in all competitions. He is definitely a confidence player and the autumn saw this at a low point. The turning point came at The Hawthorns. Can Arsene leave this season to chance?

With the replacements mooted, there are risks. Dzeko has been a star in the Bundesliga for one season. Chamakh played for the French champions. Neither has an overall impressive goalscoring ratio for their careers but then neither did Adebayor before arriving at Arsenal.

The key thing is that Adebayor is undervalued by sections of the Arsenal support. Yes, he could score more but then Robin van Persie criticised himself for the same thing. Football is a team game and that which Adebayor brings to the side is undervalued in a welter of complaints about offsides and only scoring against Derby County. The former misses how tightly he plays on the last defender’s shoulder whilst the latter, well, if he did not score against them, he would be charged with failing to score against Derby County.

The remaining forwards do not bring the aerial option for Arsenal. It would mean a change to the way that the team plays,losing the variety. Yes, I know that we do not score that many headers but that is evolving, certainly last season when the unbeaten run was put together, the completeness of the play in footballing terms was key to that. Vela and Walcott, in my opinion, will always be the support striker to an established forward. In the latter’s case, he has much to learn about being a central striker before even being considered for Arsenal in the Premier and Champions Leagues.

If Adebayor goes, he goes. The club will still be here, the squad loses a good player. I would be surprised if he went since City are not in the Champions League and will not be Premier League champions next season. They have too much ground to make up. His departure would weaken the squad of that there is no question.

To deny it is to delude yourself. For all of the media hype, I suspect he will not go unless Arsenal says to him you can. Reports that his agent met with City at the weekend cannot be dismissed but even with the money, will he be improving his lot as a player?

REVIEW: In The Shadow Of A Giant – Mel Charles

Think of Mel Charles and it is pretty much a racing certainty that one of the first things that will pop into your head is the fact that he was John Charles’ younger brother. It’s alright, Mel knows it, does not mind it and indeed used it as a motivator throughout his career to try and show people, “Yes, he’s bloody good but I’m not half bad either“. Like his older sibling, Mel was a versatile player, comfortable in central defence, attack and at right half which gave him what is now called, a half-decent career. If you wonder how good he was, FIFA picked him for their team of the 1958 World Cup. As the record goes, Now That’s What I Call Quite Good.

The thing is that throughout the book, even when talking about the times that he fell out of love with football, Charles cannot quite believe that he had the career that he did. Starting out at Leeds United, at the same time as brother John, he succumbed to homesickness and returned to Swansea for a job outside of the game. The local team, Swansea Town (now City) signed him up and Charles set about making the grade as a professional.

This is a tale of bygone days. The high jinks of today are not a lot different from those that Charles and his team-mates got up to back in the 1950s and a decade later. The crucial difference is that the media turned a blind eye to it, as Charles says they wanted to keep in with the players. Even so, it did not stop Charles getting hauled over the coals by George Swindin during his Arsenal days for having a pint. Back then, and probably now, the club expected players to abstain. THe intervening decades probably made up for that…

When Charles signed for Arsenal in 1959, it was for a record fee between two clubs. For a short while, he joined brother John as the most expensive British players following the latters move from Leeds to Juventus. Typically, it was the elder sibling who shaded the values. His move from The Vetch Field to Highbury was by no means straightforward, a bidding war with Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester United and a late move by Newcastle all in the mix. Arsenal won though, offering the most. At the time Charles was happy with the move to London and still holds a deep affection for the club.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing and he now views the move with more than a tinge of regret. Injury wreaked havoc with his stay at the club and mixed in with the rise of Bill Nicholson’s Tottenham team of the time, give him a sense of what might have been had he gone a further seven miles North in the capital. That Tottenham signed Dave MacKay having failed to sign Charles is probably little comfort to him.

Even so, Charles had an excellent scoring record for Arsenal, netting 28 times in 64 games. He left in February 1962 for Cardiff City where he linked up with brother John for the only time in club football. Despite this, Cardiff were relegated and Mel’s career entered into a descent. Ironically, leaving the professional game for a short spell once his Cardiff career ended reignited his love for football and he briefly returned to the Football League with Port Vale before once more dropping into the non-league game.

This is an enjoyable yarn. Charles rarely has a bad word for anyone, recognising his own character has its flaws which contributed to personal differences. One thing shines through is his pride in his own achievements and those of his more famous sibling, even if the latter did deprive him of the opportunity to wear his white suit to Sophia Loren’s party when John was in Turin. It is an honest account of the life a footballer in post-war Britain, the lengths that the military would go to in order to accomodate National Service. You sense the peak of his career was Sweden 1958 but to an outsider, he achieved much more than that. And yes, Mel, it ain’t bad for a boy from Cwmbrwla.

Click to purchase In the Shadow of a Giant

Finally, my thoughts go to John Hartson. There is little one can say other than to wish him all the best in his fight against such a dreadful disease. Actually there is one thing to say: please make a donation or perhaps here.

’til Tomorrow.

In The Shadow Of A Giant – Mel Charles

<p>Think of Mel Charles and it is pretty much a racing certainty that one of the first things that will pop into your head is the fact that he was John Charles’ younger brother. It’s alright, Mel knows it, does not mind it and indeed used it as a motivator throughout his career to try and show people, “<em>Yes, he’s bloody good but I’m not half bad either</em>”. Like his older sibling, Mel was a versatile player, comfortable in central defence, attack and at right half which gave him what is now called, a half-decent career. If you wonder how good he was, FIFA picked him for their team of the 1958 World Cup. As the record goes, <em>Now That’s What I Call Quite Good</em>.</p>

<p>The thing is that throughout the book, even when talking about the times that he fell out of love with football, Charles cannot quite believe that he had the career that he did. Starting out at Leeds United, at the same time as brother John, he succumbed to homesickness and returned to Swansea for a job outside of the game. The local team, Swansea Town (now City) signed him up and Charles set about making the grade as a professional.</p>

<p>This is a tale of bygone days. The high jinks of today are not a lot different from those that Charles and his team-mates got up to back in the 1950s and a decade later. The crucial difference is that the media turned a blind eye to it, as Charles says they wanted to keep in with the players. Even so, it did not stop Charles getting hauled over the coals by George Swindin during his Arsenal days for having a pint. Back then, and probably now, the club expected players to abstain. THe intervening decades probably made up for that…</p>

<p>When Charles signed for Arsenal in 1959, it was for a record fee between two clubs. For a short while, he joined brother John as the most expensive British players following the latters move from Leeds to Juventus. Typically, it was the elder sibling who shaded the values. His move from The Vetch Field to Highbury was by no means straightforward, a bidding war with Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester United and a late move by Newcastle all in the mix. Arsenal won though, offering the most. At the time Charles was happy with the move to London and still holds a deep affection for the club.</p>

<p>Hindsight is a wonderful thing and he now views the move with more than a tinge of regret. Injury wreaked havoc with his stay at the club and mixed in with the rise of Bill Nicholson’s Tottenham team of the time, give him a sense of what might have been had he gone a further seven miles North in the capital. That Tottenham signed Dave MacKay having failed to sign Charles is probably little comfort to him.</p>

<p>Even so, Charles had an excellent scoring record for Arsenal, netting 28 times in 64 games. He left in February 1962 for Cardiff City where he linked up with brother John for the only time in club football. Despite this, Cardiff were relegated and Mel’s career entered into a descent. Ironically, leaving the professional game for a short spell once his Cardiff career ended reignited his love for football and he briefly returned to the Football League with Port Vale before once more dropping into the non-league game.</p>

<p>This is an enjoyable yarn. Charles rarely has a bad word for anyone, recognising his own character has its flaws which contributed to personal differences. One thing shines through is his pride in his own achievements and those of his more famous sibling, even if the latter did deprive him of the opportunity to wear his white suit to Sophia Loren’s party when John was in Turin. It is an honest account of the life a footballer in post-war Britain, the lengths that the military would go to in order to accomodate National Service. You sense the peak of his career was Sweden 1958 but to an outsider, he achieved much more than that. And yes, Mel, it ain’t bad for a boy from Cwmbrwla.</p>

<p><a href=”http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1844547760?ie=UTF8&tag=dadsjuk-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1844547760″>In the Shadow of a Giant</a><img src=”http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=dadsjuk-21&l=as2&o=2&a=1844547760″ width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”" style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” /></p>

Pre Season Sunday Round-Up

Alisher Usmanov is not going to go quietly but in following a high risk strategy, he risks becoming a lame duck investor. According to the, ahem, usually reliable News of the World, the Sheriff Fatman is going to call an EGM to put his proposal for a Rights Issue to the vote.

Which is perhaps the ultimate in gesture politics for a shareholder. With the Board at very close to 50% control of the voting rights, he looks very likely to be defeated in his objective. No doubt he will hope for a close run thing but for him, it will mean public scrutiny of his plans and open questioning of his motives, something that he has reluctant to let happen to date.

Overall, it is an unlikely scenario for it puts the Uzbek into a corner but it also explains Stan Kroenke buying shares this week. His tally is closer to the 30% level than Fatman’s and therefore he may have enough to stop an Usmanov takeover bid in its tracks even with a beneficial Rights Issue for the Uzbek. It is interesting that most sniping has taken the form of criticising the current Board for not investing directly into the club as if it is something that Usmanov has been doing all along. No, the Uzbek has not put one penny into the club and indeed is more intent on taking something out, having previously demanded that dividends be paid on his shareholding.

Problematically none of the detractors has come up with the sustained model arising from the Rights Issue. Assuming that it is spent clearing the loans surrounding the properties, the outcome of that is to save the club £5m per season (using rough roundings on the interest payments). That does not buy a player of the calibre that everyone demands: it might pay their wages but not their purchase.

The remainder of the funds once loans are cleared may be enough to buy one world class player this summer but with prices the way that they are, I would not like to bet on it. What happens next summer though? Where is the funding to make a similar purchase? If someone can come up with a strong argument, bring it on.

It wouldn’t be a Sunday if there were not comings and goings happening. Crossing paths at Terminal 5 apparently are Alex Hleb and Eider Gudjohnsen, looking wistfully at the Barcelona suit who is carrying a suitcase full of used Euros that will apparently be enough for Arsenal to let Cesc take the return flight to the Catalan capital.

It is at this point that they will see Mikael Silvestre moving towards the departure gate for Bordeaux, no doubt light of luggage to board his Ryanair flight and considerably lighter in the wallet once all of their add-ons have negated the cheapness of the flight.

Philippe Senderos has to go City Airport for his flight to Sunderland although he is going to meet old chum, Patrick Vieira there to save on the cab fare to the Stadium of Light. All of which is nice but spare a thought for poor old Armand Traore as he leaves the M40 for a cup of tea in a beaten-up Hillman Imp on the way to Birmingham for a year of living dangerously at St Andrews.

A quiet Sunday before the pre-season really kicks in. ’til Tomorrow.

Ramsey, Walcott Pump It Up and Did The Board Know Your Rights?

Sports Psychologists have been working overtime on the Arsenal squad or so it would seem. There is a bit of a Jackie Wilson moment going on, starting with RvP, followed by Rosicky and now Theo and Aaron Ramsey are adding a touch of the Monty Python’s. Walcott has apparently got the ball rolling in the July edition of the official club magazine:

It was a good learning curve for us all but next year it is all about the trophies. Hopefully we have had the years of experience now and can bring something back for the fans.

Aaron Ramsey more or less echoed his thoughts:

I think we lost more games than we would have liked to against teams which were lower down. That’s the main lesson we have learned from last season. It is frustrating to lose against teams further down the table when you have beaten the big sides. But I think we’ve got a good enough squad now to really kick on this season and get ourselves in the mix for the title.

One thing that the players have in abundance is a positive word for the media, an area no doubt worked upon during media training sessions. It is by extension good for supporters as it extends a feeling of belief, unless of course you are not predisposed to believe them. That there is humility in the words is, for want of better phrase, a positive aspect. The hunger to win is there to be seen without the misplaced arrogance that can sometimes be insinuated.

It is, of course, difficult when the interviews are with official outlets to misquote since the real words can easily be found. Yet there can be too much of a good thing. At the moment, the optimism surrounding the new season is understandable but last season there were times after a poor defeat when the positive ‘spin’ put on matters was, I think, misplaced.

A balance has to be struck between the positive and the realistic. The latter half of the season veered towards the latter, although the public belief that the title could still be won even when though it was only a mathematical possibility was too optimistic. However, that was then, this is now. Better I guess to hear from the players than they become possessors of a shyness that is criminally vulgar.

The ruminations over the rejection of that Rights Issue continued yesterday, Stan Kroenke’s purchase of more shares bringing more speculation as the reasons for the Board rejecting Alisher Usmanov’s proposal. In The Sun, Steven Howard speculated that Danny F would ‘do a long-expected runner’ when Manchester City replace Arsenal in the top four at the end of the coming campaign. Which presupposes that City have brought good enough players to make up the double figure gap in points before even comparing the two squads. Let’s not even go down the route of managerial competency.

The Guardian‘s David Conn makes several valid points regarding the benefits that the money would have had for the club’s finances without actually knowing the detail of Usmanov’s plans. The devil such things is always in the detail which Conn acknowledges in the final two paragraphs. A long way down the article to learn:

[The Board] may well have valid reasons for rejecting that offer. The board may believe the rights issue is a stalking horse for Usmanov to gain more control – which he denies – and they may feel they have good reasons for being suspicious of Usmanov

Conn’s request that the Board ‘spell those reasons out’ is not unreasonable but stands little chance of ever happening.

’til Tomorrow.