29 Dec 2018 19:49:45
I’m a big supporter of Dick and will review my thoughts after a couple of transfer windows . Defenders are a must, more so than any other position, we must remember how close to the season starting he joined us.
29 Dec 2018 19:58:24
Agree BG a bit soon to start blaming Dick. My big problem with him is his reliance on Iwobi and xhaka, not starting lacca and playing ramsey at all. The defence is something he has inherited and the injuries have left us bare. He will show us over the next few windows what he is trying to do. Disappointing today but its not a disaster in the great scheme.
29 Dec 2018 20:02:43
Michael Owen, albeit a tool, just hit the nail on the head, instead of being able to spend large sums on a player to finish a team we’re spreading what paltry sum we have available across countless positions we need to upgrade.
Months of schooling this defence with a shiney new defensive midfielder and we are still utterly shocking.
The managers name may have changed but very very little else has, spineless, weak and insipid, still results like today.
Kroenke at the helm is like dragging the Burj Khalifa behind us or Lukaku who is a similar size.
29 Dec 2018 20:04:34
Yes let's have a good buy. If we don't get them in now, the prices will always go up. So whatever the price for a very good, quality defender is, we should go all out for him.
29 Dec 2018 20:05:45
Absolutely Banbury but none of us want to see this again from any Arsenal team, we'd had enough this long before Dick got here and fight passion commitment are a prerequisite not a treat.
Sorry Dick but it's on your shoulders now mate, what you inherited was poor but you need deliver better than we were already fed up with before you got here.
You can make a start by getting Pea and Lacasette on from the beginning and stop making our least committed players our captain, if it had worked out well then it would be a master stroke of man management but it hasn't so it's a huge mistake not to be repeated, please,
29 Dec 2018 20:12:26
Steve - did he not know our defence sucked last year? Did he not know we were short of CBs before Chambers went on loan? Seriously.
I support him but the lack of decent defensive cover was disastrously poor.
29 Dec 2018 20:32:28
Gunner, this is not Unai's fight. He inherited this team and the damage had long been done so the best thing to do is to get the best defenders in to sort out the defence. And then move on from there.
29 Dec 2018 20:59:10
Sy, i'm sure he did, or someone did, that's why we got a new central defender. Maybe he though at 35 mil wenger had bought a good defender for that money, in mustaffi, that the great wenger bought us, maybe he thought or someone thought we needed to buy a shield, so they got one. But maybe he misjudged and didn't think that kos would come back rubbish, monreal would always be injured and holding and bellerin wouldn't be injured either.
He should have known that his entire defence would have got injured and he would be left with two 34 year old and a 21 year old rookie playing. But maybe now he has actually had a chance to assess his misjudgement, he may be given a chance to rectify it. Then get rid of that 35 mil piece of rubbish that wenger bought us for midfield. But he should have sorted all that by now, shouldn't he.
29 Dec 2018 20:59:29
Sorry Willy but when you take on a job your take on responsibility for the staff you manage and it's up to you to get them up to scratch or out the door. What happend before you take over is not your fault but once you take the job you automatically take responsibility for those you select to do a job.
This 5 captains rubbish needs to stop too, Ozil Ramsey who next week Stuart Robson? I thought it was terrible giving Mertesacker the captaincy after he ducked again Stoke then Liverpool but it's getting worse, the captaincy is supposed to be a reward and a deserved honour.
29 Dec 2018 21:21:23
Steve - Nacho, Kola, Kos plus the Greek dude we’re all out well before the window closed. Our preseason friendliest showed how crap the defence was. He then put Chambers on loan. How’s he not to blame? I will give him time but he’s not doing himself any favours by - poor signings, lack of change, first half performances, stubbornness on players, Laca treatment etc etc
You told me once to take the rose tinted specs off - I have and I am being completely honest. He’s been asked some big questions and failed to answer many. Next 2 windows are key for me.
We said - at least the energy levels are there. That’s gone now.
29 Dec 2018 21:26:04
Sy i'm not going to get into a capability argument but we have, Kos, mavropanos, papa, holding and mustaffi. Take van dyke and lovren out of Liverpool, how many do they have to come in. 5 should be enough, injury takes its toll and every team has a limit. Take auderweld and vertongen out of spuds are they replaced with similar quality. I don't think so.
29 Dec 2018 21:32:00
Steve - he only needed to look st our away form and goals conceded last season to see the issue. Our defence has the thirdvleast clean sheets in the league.,
I don’t care who signed Mustafi but in Wengers first season he added exactly what was needed and did that again and again before something happened whereby he got player blindness. Other managers do the same - why should I not expect that from a top manager at a top club.
29 Dec 2018 21:45:21
Sy, he wasn't interested in us last year he was managing PSG, why would he know about our defence? Crystal vall? After the start of the season he had two weeks before his first window shut. Do you not understand it isn't fifa manager. The defence is only one of his many problems he has to sort, he isn't penn and teller.
29 Dec 2018 21:48:02
Banbury mate, how will you review Emery after two transfer windows when he won't be given money to spend?
As usual, they will give him peanuts due to theis ridiculous self sustaining policy. Well how can we compete then? It is like taking a sword to a gun fight. Liverpool spent our entire transfer budget on one goalkeeper. Shows you the different levels of ambition really.
Unless the Arsenal owner changes his philosophy (which i don't expect by the way) , i don't see any change in our fortunes.
29 Dec 2018 21:52:34
Anyone taking on the Arsenal job from Arsene knew the things that needed sorting out first and foremost, because the whole of football has been talking about then for a decade and more.
1 break up the cosy club
2 bring back a healthy fighting mentality
3 build a defence worthy of the name.
4 months is no time at all but the captaincy saga is madness, the defence isn't improving at all and the early upturn in effort and mentality seem to be back in decline.
Emery needs to reinforce his hand by bringing in playes who want to play for us and get rid of those who don't want to be Arsenal players, certainly not make them our captain.
29 Dec 2018 22:06:01
His captains are letting him down but he didn't bring any of them to the club. He is learning a lot about his phoney captains.
29 Dec 2018 22:12:17
Steve - seriously? He prepared for an interview and did an analysis on the squad. My wife has not interest in Arsenal but knew the defence sucked as did the spine of the side. That BS if you think or believe he was unaware - he shouldn’t be manager if not aware. It’s the Premiership and Arsenal - not a park team. Did you steal my rose tinted glasses?
We completed our signings very early - defence should have been addressed
Would Juve let a quality player leave on a free. Nope just like Silvestra
Emery F’d up - that’s ok. Now he needs to show he’s learned in this window. That’s patience in my book. He had a full preseason to address a simple ball over the top.
29 Dec 2018 22:49:56
The 5 captains is just nonsense, Xhaka Ramsey Ozil David Tenant and a Darlek if I remember right, the Darlek being the most deserving choice of the 5.
29 Dec 2018 22:58:23
Sy calm down you will have a seisure, the only players that i understand emery had a say in was Gouendouzi and torreira, the others were already sorted. The budget was spent. You really are talking irrationally. Dick got the job because his CV was impressive, that's what his homework was. I doubt he knew the problems that excisted below the surface and i ewill ask you again would Liverpool and spuds be as tight, if van dyke and lovren got injured or vertongen or auderweld got injured. And don't tell me yes, look at what's going on, we have a state of emergency in defence, not bad planning. Before these injuries we were actually doing ok but when they became critical, so did our defending.
{Ed0333's Note - great post Steve
29 Dec 2018 23:56:29
Tbf Steve our defending has been critical all season, the injuries have exacerbated the problem, but even when they are all fit, do you have any faith in any named on the team sheet? mustafi, costly and should be hitting his peak, but has never lived up to his price in our shirt and is widely derided by supporters, holding has shown promice this season, but is still young and should still be considered one for the future, he shouldn't of been relied upon as much as he has this year, mavroponos is still young and has barely played a game, can't rely on him, kos has only just come back and is ageing so you couldn't rely on him at the start of the season, that leaves sokratis as one CB you might have faith in, but who had only just joined and never played in the league, the defence was clearly shaky, I don't know if I would blame emery, it seems he's taking the brunt now things aren't going well, yet the signings that have worked have been credited as seven and Raul, they should of known how weak the defence was even if emery didnt.
{Ed0333's Note - emery has a massive rebuilding job to do and is above par for the season. You pretty much need a brand new defense and ship out some of the crap you have stockpiled. It’s a midterm project which will take at least 2 windows to remedy and then that’s just the first team, a strong squad will take more time. I truly hope Emery gets the time to what’s needed, I think the man is the personification of class and dignity.
30 Dec 2018 01:01:05
Eden, no i was not happy with the defence, it needed and needs stregthening, too right. But we were managing, we drew liverpool, beat spud and drew away to utd. We had just gone three at the back, holding, soc and mustaffi. Not brill granted but at that time they were all fit, we had just had three clean sheets out of four. We were playing with kol at left wing back and bellerin at right wing back, we had monreal on the bench and lich on the bench with kos just coming back.
Not world class but we were doing a bit better, then injuries, holding, kol, mustaffi and bellerin all within a week or so, then monreal. We are now playing with a botched 4 at the back and players are having to play out of position and are being rushed back when obviously they could have done with longer. No the defence wasnt the greatest but it was actually starting to look like it had a shape and purpose, unlike now, when it and the whole team are all over. If you haven't got a settled defence, you haven't got a defence.