I remember seeing Derek Dougan play when he had a shaven head ,unheard of at the time ,long before it became fashionable.
Also unlike most players today ,he actually had a brain.
The article on the way the transfer market is, is very interesting. With the exception of Chelsea, teams are spending less and less in the purchasing of players.
Of course with players' wages going up, it does make you wonder(as the article states) where is all that extra money going?
Well of course I know its going in the owners' wallets...
Bobby
q1 if you were wenger which forward would get to have a chance at silverware
q2 will eto still be at barca come august 31
q3 do you feel spurs need bent, since last year they had no problems scoring goals, and for 16m pounds
q4 what do you make of the mascherano, alonso , partnership, is it really neccessary
l will have my input into the thiery henry replacement drama.l think the crisis at arsebnal #### , is nothing more than lazy journalism.the real problem with henry going in my opinoin is that wenger will have to buy a forward when he did not necessarily have to buy one and then you might get a young winger to cater for an expirienced striker.l am totally against signing torres and l will tell you why .l know he has tallent but compare him to thierry and sheva at 24 they had 22+ goals a season under their belt andhe does not do that.his price tag is a big gamble because 27m pounds on a player who has never scored 20 goals a season is too much and will have to adapt, and arsenal can not take that gamble.hunteelar is a good option but the dutch leauge with few exceptions of brgkamp and ruud has flattered to dicive , kuyt had 30 goals a season and he struggles to sore in the prem and then for evey ruud there is a kezman and l feel itrwill be risky for wenger to get him, because, we nned goals,.owen is a waste of time, he is not an arsenal or manu player at the most, he is not even the goal poacher ruud is and he lack technicall abilty, and relies on pace which after two operations will not be a gurantee and wageswhich are high,its n ot worth the gamble
my choice is anelka, why he has pace and technique as toure will testify when he took him to the cleaners at bolton and he knows the leauge so he has no time to adapt, might not be a goal poacher but direct than henry
I actually agree with you on all counts (unusual as that may be)...especially with Owen. You also have to add that he is inconsistent, injury prone and at the first instance that the grass is greener, he'll bolt. I don't think Rafa will ever bring him back, and I say good! I hope he never plays a CL game again, it will serve him right.
henry14 - 1. I think I answered that on Saturday when I wrote the blog titled "Thierry Henry to Barcelona - What now for Arsenal?"
2. You will have to try the psychic hotline on that one. 3. If Bent arrives then Defoe leaves. I don't see it as much of an upgrade to be honest. If Defoe gets the same game time as Bent then they would probably score around the same number of goals. 4. Alonso and Mashcerano are very different types of players so I don't understand the question.
my question bobby is in the line tha alonso is a deepline play maker and masherano is a DMF thendo you think they could sacrifice alonso for a creative player in the mould of a deco, diego of some kind
I am confused about the whole Kanoute transfer speculation. Why would he want to leave Sevilla to go to either Bolton, Portsmouth, or Newcastle. First off, I would rather live in Seville, rather than in Bolton or Newcastle, don't know much about Portsmouth. But he didn't seem that succseful in England, why leave Spain where he is doing so well. Not only that but he has champs league football to look forward too, why leave that to play UEFA Cup (Bolton), or nothing with the other too, this all makes absolutley no sense to me. The only benefit I can see for Kanoute is that he will make more money, which might be his only reason to leave.
Rico: after Sevilla won the Copa del Rey, he came out and said that he will see out his contract with the club. Basically back-pedalled on that "I want to move back to the EPL" statement he made a week or so early.
gunner 44 he certainly does not nned someone who will need to adapt, baptista is a better player than he showed but because we did not have time and luxury for him to adapt he looked like an abortion if he chooses from the epl then owen , is not good enough,bellamy is a drunkard and wenger hates drunkurds, bent not athat price and lacks expirience and anelka is the only player wenger can get in the epl
The thing is Wenger does things the hard way. Anleka is at that age where Wenger hates buying players at he will probably cost btwn 10-15m pounds, that's business Wenger won't do. My suggestion is he will probably buy a striker from outside the EPL and give Ade and Van P. a chance. Remember this 2 played very well in Nov and part of Dec. when Henry was injured we even managed to score our highest scoring game of the season during this period.
the realrico - when the Kanoute"I want to return to England" story was on the show Friday I didn't get a chance to comment. However off camera I said to Mitch and DErek that my guess was that this was more about trying to lever more money and perhpas a contract extension out of Sevilla. My reaction was the same as yours. It made no sense...unless you considered it a negotiating tool.
To reiterate what I've said before on this board, even though it was dismissed by other commentors, Henry was a divisive figure for Arsenal this past season (06-07 EPL and UCL), injuries notwithstanding. When he did play, he was lazy and petulant. Similar to Gerrard's "will he or won't he" flirtations with Chelsea a couple seasons ago, Henry's obvious unhappiness certainly didn't do the team any good. Henry's talent is tremendous but I haven't seen much character from him, I have to say. It will be very interesting to see what his attitude is like at Barca.
Now go ahead and blast me. I'm just glad he isn't coming to Liverpool.
TToes- Exactly how has TH14 shown a lack of character??
-I agree he didn't look happy last year, or maybe he was in pain. Things weren't going good for him, we all have ups and downs in life. At any rate its hard to see how this equates to a lack of character.
-Pretty short sighted thing to say.
-I too am happy he didn't go to Liverpool, but then again he said he would only go to a bigger club that plays beautiful football so Liverpool was never an option.
Gallas is a different story. They basically got him for free, and cash as well, when they swapped him for Cole. Much different then Wenger just going out and buying someone.
Bobby l am saying gallas wasbought at 29 , therefore
wenger can follow that presidence and buy a 28 year old anelka who if we are honest is still quick, so l think age is not a factor
Thanks for the link on Doog. He caught some stick in Loyalist quarters for his stance on an all island team, but it seems he was actually like most on both sides of the divide from NI, who hated all the extremists. I believe he worked with a priest and the Rev. who married my folks to bring kids from both communities together in England and that’s more than good enough for me.
Bobby l thought yesterday you and jerremy were pushing pundritry to the extreme case and l thought for the first time you had no points for your argument.you claimed that henry would struggle because he goes missing in big games andhe might struggle because they are stars in barca as they are in france.that was ridicoulous, because most national teams do not gel and we all say the level of soccer is usually poor.henry has 226 goals to his name has been top scorer for the french in evey major tornament since 1998 and has a world cup , european cup and runner up medal to add so he has scored goals against chelsea, liverpool and man u, madrid, juve so what the hell is he does not show up in big games.what has drogba, lampard , gerrard done for their national teams, henry got arsenal to the cl final.can jeremy note what shcoles, rooney ,ronaldo, gigs done against the big teams.henry is in my opinion the best one v one finisher against the goalie and feel that what you said was uncalled for and did not hold water.ronaldhino has not done much for brazil but he is still a great player
Twinkletoes, I have to disagree with you on Henry. I would have loved to see him and his goals at Liverpool.
Mas, you can take a shot at a supporter saying something dumb, but why take a shot at the team. And for the record, it's widely known that Henry wants a European Cup medal and he would have been much more likely to achieve the feat at Liverpool than Arsenal...plus Liverpool's history vs. Arsenal's history = Liverpool being a bigger club.
H14, I agree with you again on Henry, but no need to throw other players under the bus. Drogba WAS Cote d'Ivoire last WC and he was the best striker in the EPL this season, plus Gerrard was England's leading scorer at last WC while playing out of position to accomodate the mis-firing Lampard (yes, I know that's the equivalent of being the tallest midget).
l am not taking a swipe at gerrard but l am highlighting how difficult it is to play for the national team than your club and it happens to a lot of great players
Verbal all I said was that Liverpool don't play beautiful football. That is a true statement. In truth it may be argued that Liverpool are a bigger club than Arsenal.
-Bobby, nice work on the show last night, talking about the blog, even a shout out to H14, but you were tough on Henry. Seems like St. Louis is rubbing off on the whole team. Why set him up for failure, we all know the national teams are different. France has had many different managers and players around him, France almost always plays him out of position and he works very hard for them. In fact you can even say he has shown what a team player he really is from his French national work.
l thought jerremy was trying to rub salt into a wound, you would wonder how many players have scored 226 in 8 seasons and also 80 assist for united, that was a bad piece of journalism, particularily that
St. Louis hates Arsenal and Henry, maybe that is the only thing I don't like about him and it clouds my judgment towards him. With Mitch and Carlos you get none of that bias.
Sometimes I wonder if some of you Gunner fans might be better served in a recovery clinic instead of badgering Bobby and inundating the rest of us with your obssessive affliction but hey good on ya', you love your team.
I thought Bobby was spot on pointing out that Wenger is clinical when it comes to getting the most out of his players until they move on.
I am a fan of Henry but he like most star pro players was put on a pedestal. The jury is out on him at Barca, as a Barca supporter I hope it was the right move. As Bobby pointed out almost every Gunner star has left at their peak and not gone on to further greatness.
I would not count the Gunners out, Wenger is a brilliant gaffer and has a nose for talent.
Good point Gongatore, I will refrain from too much worrying and griping.
-I agree with Bobby though in that Ronaldinho and Henry probably can't or shouldn't play together, whether Barca will move him is another story. Last night Bobby said we might see Ronnie move this summer we'll see. They could probably get 35M pounds for him.
l think eto will go , because the weekness barca had was when eto was #### up the team they could not discipline him, eidur was not upto the mark and can not be as effective as eto'o and now with henry they can tell him to go to hell.l think they will need 25 to 30 m pounds for him, probably milan will get him , l can see them getting eto butif he stays then he will be told there is no room for the drama he caused last season
MasMaz, you are absolutely correct about St. Louis. Jeremy hates Arsenal, hates the French, and is incapable of objective judgment on the show when it comes to all of the above. But what can you expect from a guy who adores Sam Allardyce, a manager whose idea of good football is kicking balls over to the next town, kicking opponents and shredding ankles, and forcing games to stop for a zillion set pieces so his team can maybe maybe MAYBE score. Jeremy should be banned from reporting on anything to do with France or Arsenal.
I am gutted by Henry's departure, absolutely gutted. Not surprised, but still gutted. It hurt to see him in that Barca shirt (and I like Barca very much). I say that even tho I had doubts about his ability to gel with the current young squad. I knew he was more of a disruptive, intimidating force to the younger players and I always knew he was a lousy captain. Not a leader at all. But I was somehow hoping that things would work out next season with his long rest.
I think people who only remember the ego and the arrogance show their obvious, blinkered partisanship rather than their ability to judge football, or their love for the sport. I may not like C. Ronaldo's personality but I recognize his amazing skills and talent, and look forward to watching him play. Unfortunately, too many people can't distinguish between personality and ability. It's like the idiots who reduce the brilliance and magic of zidane to a headbutt.
Henry was the best player in the Prem--he brought magic, style, panache and incredible skill to the game. He score
Henry was the best player in the Prem--he brought magic, style, panache and incredible skill to the game. He scored absolutely astonishing goals, genius stuff, not to mention his many assists. Neutrals loved watching him, he brought fans from opposing sides to their feet. In a league known mainly for its overly physical, fast pace with little skill or flair, Henry was a joy to watch. He and Arsenal broke Man United's predictable domination of the Prem and gave England and the world two good attacking teams to watch in a terrific rivalry. Neutrals and all others who love the beautiful game are grateful to have had the joy of watching the unforgettable genius of the 03-04 Arsenal Invincibles, with Henry as part of it. In England, it has happened only once per century. You won't see it again in your lifetime.
Wenger was probably right to sell Henry now, I don't think he'll ever fully recover from his sciatica. And he's become jaded with Arsenal. But I think it's a shame to see the end of such a wonderful era of football. I know Wenger is able to put together another fine team but it's difficult to find another player of Henry's quality. He not only scored 30+ goals per season, he did it with beauty and elegance.
I would welcome Anelka, he's not the same man he used to be. He's been fantastic in the France squad, he's calmed down, gotten married, and he's no longer under the influence of his 2 brothers. But will Wenger want a player who's 28 years old? I know Wenger has never gotten over being forced to let him go. That was a loss that Wenger did not make o
That was a loss that Wenger did not make out of choice.
My only question now is how in the world will Rijkaard manage that line-up of 4 huge egos? Plus the other star players at Barca? I seriously doubt that the Henry-Eto'o friendship will last very long.
Sorry for the long post. I don't post very often on this site so when I do, I tend to have a lot to say.
So does the fact that the Gold Cup final fetched better TV ratings than the Stanley Cup finals mean that soccer (football) is rising in the US or that hockey is that far in decline? I'd like to think it's both.
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