The Arsenal FC - Related News and Development for 2018/2019

[kajifu]

I know some people want to be the mouth piece and carry stories around like they know all about Arsenal.
Wenger failed that is why he was kick out,as hard as it sound to take it,Emery doing better than Wenger so far more points in the league for his first season shows someone can do the job better or equal with less paid.The owner has been a joke and Wenger help to cover the clown with lies just because he was incharge and make 10 million a year.
It was time for Wenger to go,now we can focus on the owner but no honest person will say we miss Wenger.The owner as bad as he was gave Wenger money and he mismanage it,you allow contracts of key players run down and then offer one of the biggest over hype player 350k a week,someone who should not be starting,i remember Mustafi was shrine here and Danfo was totally right why do we even look at him talkless of buying him.Emery not a top coach will not cover for the owners as he will be jobless.He will find it hard when he keep playing the wrong players to please some fans.Now Wenger is in the history book is time to focus on the owner but Emery will need up his game.Arsenal will not give him more than 3 years on the job if he has not drastically improved the team to compete for major honors not FA cup.
So anyone who try to down play me saying we were are third,need to look at the mirror when him and others said we will be finish when Wenger leave and never compete..
Arsenal need to win away tomorrow a tough game,if Manu win tomorrow we cant afford not to pick points from tomorrow game.Top 4 is not out of our hands but Europa game against valencia is tricky that we have to play mature like we did against Napoli.
Good luck to the boys tomorrow and the rest of the season,its on Emery hands to adjust and turn this bad run,if he cant its his problem and will rightly get the abused from fans.
Come on Goons lets make this possible 6 games all cup finals

[kajifu]

Spurs drop 3 points today,hopefully Manu win tomorrow and beloved win another away game that is tough.Ndidi biko take your foot off the gas.Kai Rogers knows Arsenal very well and with a player like Vardy we might be in hot water.

[anikulapo]

Nine points from their next three EPL games and I have no doubt Arsenal will finish in third. Whether they can do that is a whole different matter

[tolahs]

Thru AW's reign we were high players in the payroll league - we paid high wages & bought low - this is b4 Casino cash came into play - things got messed up starting with Ray Parlor's divorce situation messing up the tax arrangements for many players - in the UK & their class struggles, every Politico had a crusade.
The more pertinent issue in my opinion is squad depth - we once went to Inter when they'd an awesome young Obagoal & one of the best strikers in the World Christian Veiri without Veira yet needing to win since we'd lost in the 1st leg @home - we tore down San Siro
If you go back to the Cesc-Rosicky-Hleb-RVP etc era - we'll compete for honours till March & just wear out. We need some of what we used to have where reserves could come in & play 5 matches - now we struggle.
We can't compete in the transfer market - the whole build-up to the Financial Fair Play has been a joke - we bought into that
We need to payoff those not fit for purpose - it will be costly in the short run but better than having unproductive players see out contracts - gotta bite that bullet.
ONE

The last time we had a proper squad to compete for all trophies was the 'invicibles'. A lack of squad has been our issue for years.

As ManC are finding out, competing for all 4 trophies is damn near impossible - 3 is a stretch for any squad.
I think back to a Carling Cup match vs Mark Hughes's BlackBurn away with Júlio Baptista as our striker with Song & Lassana @DM(they both played Lass may’ve been @RB:can’t remember) - we played the hell outta 1st team Rovers - Hughes like many EPL coaches talked about us having internationals on our bench - we were a deep team with ball tappers galore all over dawg!!!
Not "tryna" to make any excuses for too many tribalists see things thru prism-AW or Unai. AW had to make adjustments for the cost of the Emirates Stadium - our young core attracted sick money. We'd to sell to balance the bks & pay a debt. Will look on with a shameless smirk this summer while Levy tries to fight sick offers from big "Pimps".
We now, as you're well aware have some awesome youngsters - the likes of Xavier Amaechi have been openly scouted by Bayern for damnsakes. I liked how Unai let the kids play during the break away to the Mid_East in different formations - that tactical flexibility must come early.
I like what i read & hear about Calum Chambers as DM for Fulham - granted I haven't watched their matches but it's clear Coach Scott Parker has invested a lot of time on Calum - we'll need a backup to LT - could save us some kado plus he knows the EPL & is under contract. I will say go on & sign Danny Welbeck with amicable but reasonable clauses - dude is with our trainers - let's build him for us.
We can't compete for high -end transfers but in the old Gooner fashion, bring in kids with work ethic enough to make sick waves - Christopher Nkunku,Ismaila Sarr are amongst the ones i'ii pursue. As a fanbase we've become too consumed with bigname targets - ask Blues fans - how they like Higuan now?
Those two kids above in my opinion are still raw but very close to breaking out plus they've the physical frames to make it in the EPL. Gotta give Kos a yr extension - he's only a yr older than Kompany with less injuries.Reiss Nelson looks another kid who might be part of the senior squad setup - i would guess with injuries messing up his loan this season, Emile Smith Rowe probably goes on another season long loan.
Unai has built before & should be ready to go - "dunno" about LCFC away tomorrow but as Nipsey would've said the marathon continues.

[Thunder]

So the Hammers are stadium openers. 1st to Arsenal at the Emirates & now Spuds at their o name new stadium.

[tolahs]

Spurs drop 3 points today,hopefully Manu win tomorrow and beloved win another away game that is tough.Ndidi biko take your foot off the gas.Kai Rogers knows Arsenal very well and with a player like Vardy we might be in hot water.

Rogers wanted our job plus you've a rested LCFC team who remember their visit to the Emirates earlier this season - we need to rest Kos, dude is needed vs Valencia. Hope we're more compact & disciplined but a very hard one - like Watford, Everton & Wolves they're fighting for 7th - that's a Europa spot i believe - ummm.

https://www.arsenal.com/fixture/arsenal ... tch-report

[Bigpokey24]

Another easy opportunity for assnal to injure Leicester...easy top 4

[Waffiman]

Arsenal made player purchases of £166m, which was more than the previous 2 seasons combined (2017 £114m, 2016 £35m). Included Aubameyang, Lacazette and Mkhitaryan.

Ahem how much did they pay for Mikhi?



So there was now a transfer fee? I mean didn’t you say it was Sanchez plus £30mill for Mikhi?

Dis guy nah wah sha

As you know, Wenger is my man, his biggest mistake was to indulge in the moneyball, StatsDNA nonsense of the Owner. In the final analysis, even he could no longer deliver results amid the competition investing more, the league getting better, board room issues and factions.

So now statsdna no good abi???

Jesu, I can’t even keep up with Waffi’s double talking, fable telling and shifting shapes and positions like a chameleon on opioids

Urhobo WaYo Man

Football like is not black and white. What really matters are the nuances, in between. This is a very serious issue for the club given that, as every day goes by, it is looking like they got rid of Milistant to return to StatsDNA. What we do not know is if they have learnt from mistakes and modified its use. Whatever, it was ditched as the main scouting tool for Milistant. So far, there has been no replacement for him.

This quote from the NYT article sums Arsenal's use of the software:

“Some people use statistics as a drunk man uses lamp-posts—for support rather than for illumination.”

StatsDNA like all software of their type are fantastic but it all comes down how you use it. Arsenal's flaw was those who used the tool, making the key decisions led to some very poor signings. The fact is, StatDNA is considered among the first to enter the scene. It is the analytics staff who did not know how to use it well.

Wenger is no stranger to analytics, he saw the work of the great Valery Labanosky and how he used analytics, Wenger himself used analytics, albeit rudimentary from his early days as a Coach.

He welcomed StatsDNA, he was all for what it had to offer, but you have to question if Kroenke's motives were the same as Wenger's. For starters, Kroenke immediately started billing the club £3.5m annually for the software, it led to problems with the fans. Do not forget, his first action was to make Arsenal TV subscription only, the fans did not subscribe and it bombed.

For starters, the StatDNA team were Americans based in American. One of them Jaeson Rosenfeld is an executive (designed and sold it to Kroenke) at Arsenal who to this day has no accountability. He is said he wanted and got complete control of scouting and will not welcome input from others not in his circle. This was Wenger's biggest mistake for allowing such a development.

The StatDNA team and Arsenal scouting team were at each others throats and the problems that followed led to so many errors. Players were not scouted they relied only on analytics because the StatsDNA team did not trust the scouting team. How can you sign players on the basis of numbers only? You use numbers to back up your good old fashioned scouting methods.

Many nerds believed and convinced a lot of clubs that you can save a lot of money by doing away with proper scouting and they bought it to their ultimate cost. For example, the guy Everton got from Leicester who signed all those players using analytics and got fired less than a year into his job.

One thing is now certain, Wenger lost absolute control over transfers and a lot of his powers for at least 3 to 4 years before he left - some say 2015. But was he still a part of the process, if he was what was his role? This quote from the article seems to confirm he certainly was not the man who had the final say any more:

When Wenger mentioned a talented young wing at Spain’s Real Sociedad, he was told that his metrics were not overly impressive. Wenger smiled, and remarked that he would be keen to see how the player, Antoine Griezmann, now 1 of the most coveted strikers in Europe, had developed"

I cannot condemn the software because I know the software on it's own is not the problem. We also do not know which players precisely StatsDNA bought so it will be wrong to disregard it completely as a failure.

Moreover, some of the players StatsDNA bought have contributed to 3 FA cups and other silverware as well as CL football. So for me, it is not the problem. The problem is Arsenal and what they made of it. There seems to have been confusion and blurred lines of responsibilities which created divisions and in-fighting in internal management to Biard level.

My beef is not StatsDNA or analytics in general. I am an absolute believer in analytics software, it is just a tool which must be used properly. To the Owner and his team, StatsDNA is a tool to save money, not a tool to be used in scouting properly. This is at the heart of the matter.



Read the article.


https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/03/spor ... MFwUlGd3dm

[Waffiman]

Thru AW's reign we were high players in the payroll league - we paid high wages & bought low - this is b4 Casino cash came into play - things got messed up starting with Ray Parlor's divorce situation messing up the tax arrangements for many players - in the UK & their class struggles, every Politico had a crusade.
The more pertinent issue in my opinion is squad depth - we once went to Inter when they'd an awesome young Obagoal & one of the best strikers in the World Christian Veiri without Veira yet needing to win since we'd lost in the 1st leg @home - we tore down San Siro
If you go back to the Cesc-Rosicky-Hleb-RVP etc era - we'll compete for honours till March & just wear out. We need some of what we used to have where reserves could come in & play 5 matches - now we struggle.
We can't compete in the transfer market - the whole build-up to the Financial Fair Play has been a joke - we bought into that
We need to payoff those not fit for purpose - it will be costly in the short run but better than having unproductive players see out contracts - gotta bite that bullet.
ONE

The last time we had a proper squad to compete for all trophies was the 'invicibles'. A lack of squad has been our issue for years.

As ManC are finding out, competing for all 4 trophies is damn near impossible - 3 is a stretch for any squad.
I think back to a Carling Cup match vs Mark Hughes's BlackBurn away with Júlio Baptista as our striker with Song & Lassana @DM(they both played Lass may’ve been @RB:can’t remember) - we played the hell outta 1st team Rovers - Hughes like many EPL coaches talked about us having internationals on our bench - we were a deep team with ball tappers galore all over dawg!!!
Not "tryna" to make any excuses for too many tribalists see things thru prism-AW or Unai. AW had to make adjustments for the cost of the Emirates Stadium - our young core attracted sick money. We'd to sell to balance the bks & pay a debt. Will look on with a shameless smirk this summer while Levy tries to fight sick offers from big "Pimps".
We now, as you're well aware have some awesome youngsters - the likes of Xavier Amaechi have been openly scouted by Bayern for damnsakes. I liked how Unai let the kids play during the break away to the Mid_East in different formations - that tactical flexibility must come early.
I like what i read & hear about Calum Chambers as DM for Fulham - granted I haven't watched their matches but it's clear Coach Scott Parker has invested a lot of time on Calum - we'll need a backup to LT - could save us some kado plus he knows the EPL & is under contract. I will say go on & sign Danny Welbeck with amicable but reasonable clauses - dude is with our trainers - let's build him for us.
We can't compete for high -end transfers but in the old Gooner fashion, bring in kids with work ethic enough to make sick waves - Christopher Nkunku,Ismaila Sarr are amongst the ones i'ii pursue. As a fanbase we've become too consumed with bigname targets - ask Blues fans - how they like Higuan now?
Those two kids above in my opinion are still raw but very close to breaking out plus they've the physical frames to make it in the EPL. Gotta give Kos a yr extension - he's only a yr older than Kompany with less injuries.Reiss Nelson looks another kid who might be part of the senior squad setup - i would guess with injuries messing up his loan this season, Emile Smith Rowe probably goes on another season long loan.
Unai has built before & should be ready to go - "dunno" about LCFC away tomorrow but as Nipsey would've said the marathon continues.

You read my take on all on this in previous posts. Arsenal's have built a formidable youth squad and they are coming on nicely. The fact is, they are too talented to be ignored. The under 18 just won the league title again.

Freddie has continued where Kwame left off and I have no doubt they will be the mainstay of the next Arsenal. But we must buttress youth with experience and young players on the verge of first team football. That the Arsenal way.

[Waffiman]

Nine points from their next three EPL games and I have no doubt Arsenal will finish in third. Whether they can do that is a whole different matter

I am quietly confident about Leicester. Why? They will not get physical. They will try to play football leaving us spaces to play. Hopefully, we can exploit the spaces and get much needed goals because there is the high chance they will score.

I fancy us for this one.

[kajifu]

God help us tomorrow,we cant go 3 straight game no victory,now my concern do we play those key guys that are to future in Europa in this game?

[anikulapo]

Arsenal made player purchases of £166m, which was more than the previous 2 seasons combined (2017 £114m, 2016 £35m). Included Aubameyang, Lacazette and Mkhitaryan.

Ahem how much did they pay for Mikhi?



So there was now a transfer fee? I mean didn’t you say it was Sanchez plus £30mill for Mikhi?

Dis guy nah wah sha

As you know, Wenger is my man, his biggest mistake was to indulge in the moneyball, StatsDNA nonsense of the Owner. In the final analysis, even he could no longer deliver results amid the competition investing more, the league getting better, board room issues and factions.

So now statsdna no good abi???

Jesu, I can’t even keep up with Waffi’s double talking, fable telling and shifting shapes and positions like a chameleon on opioids

Urhobo WaYo Man

Football like is not black and white. What really matters are the nuances, in between. This is a very serious issue for the club given that, as every day goes by, it is looking like they got rid of Milistant to return to StatsDNA. What we do not know is if they have learnt from mistakes and modified its use. Whatever, it was ditched as the main scouting tool for Milistant. So far, there has been no replacement for him.

This quote from the NYT article sums Arsenal's use of the software:

“Some people use statistics as a drunk man uses lamp-posts—for support rather than for illumination.”

StatsDNA like all software of their type are fantastic but it all comes down how you use it. Arsenal's flaw was those who used the tool, making the key decisions led to some very poor signings. The fact is, StatDNA is considered among the first to enter the scene. It is the analytics staff who did not know how to use it well.

Wenger is no stranger to analytics, he saw the work of the great Valery Labanosky and how he used analytics, Wenger himself used analytics, albeit rudimentary from his early days as a Coach.

He welcomed StatsDNA, he was all for what it had to offer, but you have to question if Kroenke's motives were the same as Wenger's. For starters, Kroenke immediately started billing the club £3.5m annually for the software, it led to problems with the fans. Do not forget, his first action was to make Arsenal TV subscription only, the fans did not subscribe and it bombed.

For starters, the StatDNA team were Americans based in American. One of them Jaeson Rosenfeld is an executive (designed and sold it to Kroenke) at Arsenal who to this day has no accountability. He is said he wanted and got complete control of scouting and will not welcome input from others not in his circle. This was Wenger's biggest mistake for allowing such a development.

The StatDNA team and Arsenal scouting team were at each others throats and the problems that followed led to so many errors. Players were not scouted they relied only on analytics because the StatsDNA team did not trust the scouting team. How can you sign players on the basis of numbers only? You use numbers to back up your good old fashioned scouting methods.

Many nerds believed and convinced a lot of clubs that you can save a lot of money by doing away with proper scouting and they bought it to their ultimate cost. For example, the guy Everton got from Leicester who signed all those players using analytics and got fired less than a year into his job.

One thing is now certain, Wenger lost absolute control over transfers and a lot of his powers for at least 3 to 4 years before he left - some say 2015. But was he still a part of the process, if he was what was his role? This quote from the article seems to confirm he certainly was not the man who had the final say any more:

When Wenger mentioned a talented young wing at Spain’s Real Sociedad, he was told that his metrics were not overly impressive. Wenger smiled, and remarked that he would be keen to see how the player, Antoine Griezmann, now 1 of the most coveted strikers in Europe, had developed"

I cannot condemn the software because I know the software on it's own is not the problem. We also do not know which players precisely StatsDNA bought so it will be wrong to disregard it completely as a failure.

Moreover, some of the players StatsDNA bought have contributed to 3 FA cups and other silverware as well as CL football. So for me, it is not the problem. The problem is Arsenal and what they made of it. There seems to have been confusion and blurred lines of responsibilities which created divisions and in-fighting in internal management to Biard level.

My beef is not StatsDNA or analytics in general. I am an absolute believer in analytics software, it is just a tool which must be used properly. To the Owner and his team, StatsDNA is a tool to save money, not a tool to be used in scouting properly. This is at the heart of the matter.



Read the article.


https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/03/spor ... MFwUlGd3dm

See dis Bushman what’s there to read ? You are now making the point I tried repeatedly for years to drum into ya slow learning brain and you spent countless hours arguing blindly and throwing shade?

Abi you wan deny am?

Remember I told you that those who use stats solely for scouting and player evaluation have no eyes for talent Remember ya bird brained arguments? I sure do

#SLOWLEARNER don’t try and re-write histpry

Also from being handed 30 million in fees and Mikhi for Sanchez you wan take style turn ya tori say we pay transfer fee for Mikhi

You na wa .... I give up sha

I don tell you say make you stop trying to win debates with ya Oga but you no wan hear word

[anikulapo]

Nine points from their next three EPL games and I have no doubt Arsenal will finish in third. Whether they can do that is a whole different matter

I am quietly confident about Leicester. Why? They will not get physical. They will try to play football leaving us spaces to play. Hopefully, we can exploit the spaces and get much needed goals because there is the high chance they will score.

I fancy us for this one.

Hope you are right .... Unai really needs to get this one right. A win tomorrow and we will be on our way ... against my best judgement I’m hoping on ya sixth sense hope you don’t have Robby’s dna

[Waffiman]

Nine points from their next three EPL games and I have no doubt Arsenal will finish in third. Whether they can do that is a whole different matter

I am quietly confident about Leicester. Why? They will not get physical. They will try to play football leaving us spaces to play. Hopefully, we can exploit the spaces and get much needed goals because there is the high chance they will score.

I fancy us for this one.

Hope you are right .... Unai really needs to get this one right. A win tomorrow and we will be on our way ... against my best judgement I’m hoping on ya sixth sense hope you don’t have Robby’s dna

My bro, the position we are in means you hope and keep everything crossed.

Tomorrow is not just any game for us. It is a huge game, a must win. Why our finances with this owner means we just cannot afford to compete for top players and honours without CL football.

The have a fantastic chance for CL football and we have done everything so far to throw it away. We have been given another chance today by Spurs. We must take it.

[Waffiman]

Gooner nation is a despair. Guys, please keep the faith.

.......say arsenal get 4th and win europa.........nothing will change at the top, in fact it will be another merry go round of poor excuses, mismanagement & ineptness by the board

....for example, Edu will be the next director of football, pray tell, what has he done, how has he affected change in his previous roles? is he deserving of this role?........seems to me me that this move reeks of appeasement because Edu is an ex-player.....
.....we need quality defenders, needed that for several years......who is the first arsenal target for the next transfer target?........an italian striker masquerading as a brasilian......

these are some examples to show you why more and more afc fans are losing the faith

get rid of the owner........end of

Edu is like Raul, a man's man. The guy who has the contacts and can give us a real hold on some of the very talented bunch of youth coming through in Brazil. I will not discount him because he has done very good work since he quit the game. He is no mug, he has earned his corn.

No matter what happens this season, our best option remains CL football. Why? It is the only way we can give ourselves the best chance, post Wenger to be competitive in the top 4 again. For starters, CL football gives us the best chance of keeping our best players and luring players of quality to the club.

I do not see the management messing up if we make the CL. They will be very stup1d to rule the fans and create trouble for themselves.

This season, we have benefited from having Auba, Leno, Sokratis, Torreira and Guendouzi from the beginning. CL football will give us the platform we need to go get similar and better quality players for right positions in the squad that need improvement. If we are not in the CL, it will be very difficult to get these players this next summer window.

The Owner and the management will be aware of the situation with the fans, it is edgy and they need to manage it properly or else, it will cost them. If we do not beat Leicester tomorrow, I fear the worst for the Brighton home game. Many fans may not even bother turning up for what is the traditional final game of the season.

For me, we have to pray for CL football because it is what our immediate future will be depend on. I hate Europa League football and I am really fed up of the tournament.

[anikulapo]

Edu is like Raul, a man's man. The guy who has the contacts and can give us a real hold on some of the very talented bunch of youth coming through in Brazil. I will not discount him because he has done very good work since he quit the game. He is no mug, he has earned his corn.

If this is what you are banking on, and not pedigree and a resume of proven success, then Arsenal is truly fawked. I mean was Raul not supposed to the man with the contacts? What has he done except plan a coup ?

This club is really getting on my nerves two people who wanted to take the club forward they stabbed in the back

I’m talking Dein and Sven

Stupid club

[kajifu]

Another easy opportunity for assnal to injure Leicester...easy top 4

Abi you never learn about Arsenal away form?you expect this team to beat Ndidi and co away from emirate easy?
Well hopefully we pick the 3 points and Manu also do to balance the top 4 fight

[Nkume]

Do you remember when Wenger went 2 seasons back to back without losing an away game?

[Bigpokey24]

Nine points from their next three EPL games and I have no doubt Arsenal will finish in third. Whether they can do that is a whole different matter

I am quietly confident about Leicester. Why? They will not get physical. They will try to play football leaving us spaces to play. Hopefully, we can exploit the spaces and get much needed goals because there is the high chance they will score.

I fancy us for this one.

Hope you are right .... Unai really needs to get this one right. A win tomorrow and we will be on our way ... against my best judgement I’m hoping on ya sixth sense hope you don’t have Robby’s dna

My bro, the position we are in means you hope and keep everything crossed.

Tomorrow is not just any game for us. It is a huge game, a must win. Why our finances with this owner means we just cannot afford to compete for top players and honours without CL football.

The have a fantastic chance for CL football and we have done everything so far to throw it away. We have been given another chance today by Spurs. We must take it.

Chei, see mouth

[Waffiman]

Do you remember when Wenger went 2 seasons back to back without losing an away game?

I remember. I was a young free and single young man then. I went to all those games. Great memories.

I always remember how the first Vieira key action shut the stadiums up. Vieira was the absolute catalyst, he just took over with a combination of sheer ability and desire not to lose. He was the greatest away warrior ever.

[danfo driver]

Do you remember when Wenger went 2 seasons back to back without losing an away game?

I remember. I was a young free and single young man then. I went to all those games. Great memories.

I always remember how the first Vieira key action shut the stadiums up. Vieira was the absolute catalyst, he just took over with a combination of sheer ability and desire not to lose. He was the greatest away warrior ever.

This is untrue. If you are about 58 now, it means you were in your mid-thirties at the time. Mid0thirties is absolutely not young, perhaps you were single... but definitely not young.

[bepanda]

If we lose tomorrow, I don't see how we will make top 4.

Another easy opportunity for assnal to injure Leicester...easy top 4

Abi you never learn about Arsenal away form?you expect this team to beat Ndidi and co away from emirate easy?
Well hopefully we pick the 3 points and Manu also do to balance the top 4 fight

[balo]

Spurs drop 3 points today,hopefully Manu win tomorrow and beloved win another away game that is tough.Ndidi biko take your foot off the gas. Kai Rogers knows Arsenal very well and with a player like Vardy we might be in hot water.

Arsenal has the better chances going by the games yet to be played.

Chelsea will play Man U (and vice versa) and Watford and Leicester. All games possible losses for Chelsea.

Arsenal will play Leicester, Brighton, and Burnley. Better chances than Chelsea's.

And Man U have games against Chelsea, Huddersfield and Cardiff.


Chelsea is not smiling at all.