Football (Soccer) Thread

[FunkMonk]

As an American plastic, after two weeks of the Barclays English Premier Soccer foot-to-ball League, I am going to say I am cautiously optimistic for the team that I support, the Arsenal Football Gunners of North Londontown oi oi. 

[Liep]

That's good to hear, as the team had been crazy looking for a winger for the last few weeks. He plays on the left, right? 

Yeah.

[FunkMonk]

Andy Carroll leaves Liverpool for a season-long loan to West Ham. Sorry Ed.

[Josquius]

West Ham?

[Ed Anger]

Andy Carroll leaves Liverpool for a season-long loan to West Ham. Sorry Ed.

No more Carroll endlessly bitching to the ref. No more Centaur clopping through the box. No more flops and ghostly injuries in the box at Anfield.

Oh well. I still have bucky beaver to make fun of.

[Liep]

Bendtner to Juventus. A new country in which our best forward won't get any game time. Wooo!

[Warspite]

I really hope it is not the case that Wenger thinks Song does not need replacing. 

[The Larch]

My team just got a Korean striker on loan for Arsenal. Arkie, know anything about him? I see that he barely played during his only season there.

[Viking]

I really hope it is not the case that Wenger thinks Song does not need replacing. 

I've been operating on the assumption that M'Vila was going to Arsenal. But I stopped making that assumption when Rennais sold Tettey to Norwich.

[The Larch]

The Premier League seems to be undergoing a 2nd Spanish fever (after the Liverpool one fueled by Benítez) this summer, with all kinds of players being signed there. Even 3rd rate teams like Swansea or QPR are spending big bucks in signing players who have never been full internationals, and I just heard that Man City wants to splash 30 million bucks in Javi García. Mind boggling.

[FunkMonk]

Spanish clubs need the money.

[Warspite]

My team just got a Korean striker on loan for Arsenal. Arkie, know anything about him? I see that he barely played during his only season there.

He played about 15 minutes (including at a game I was at - a Carling Cup game against Shrewsbury). Without question, he is one of the most mind-boggling transfers ever made by a top-flight football team.

But, he seems to deliver for the national team. So it's all the more confusing. I hope he gets back on track at your place.

[Warspite]

I really hope it is not the case that Wenger thinks Song does not need replacing. 

I've been operating on the assumption that M'Vila was going to Arsenal. But I stopped making that assumption when Rennais sold Tettey to Norwich.

There was a lot of talk about M'Vila heading over, but then I heard rumours that Wenger had gone sour on the deal due to his off-pitch behaviour.

The thing is, I really like Diaby as a player, although his through balls tend to be slightly over or under hit as to slow down play. But there is no way he's going to play a 50 game season. And then who do we have? Coqelin, who again looks a great promise but is inexperienced, and in the middle of the pitch inexperience leads to goals conceded.

[Viking]

I really hope it is not the case that Wenger thinks Song does not need replacing. 

I've been operating on the assumption that M'Vila was going to Arsenal. But I stopped making that assumption when Rennais sold Tettey to Norwich.

There was a lot of talk about M'Vila heading over, but then I heard rumours that Wenger had gone sour on the deal due to his off-pitch behaviour.

The thing is, I really like Diaby as a player, although his through balls tend to be slightly over or under hit as to slow down play. But there is no way he's going to play a 50 game season. And then who do we have? Coqelin, who again looks a great promise but is inexperienced, and in the middle of the pitch inexperience leads to goals conceded.

There have been some rumors about that frog at newcastle, cabaye.

tbh last season arsenal seemed flimsy if anything. If diaby gets injured you don't have any defensive quality int he midfield left. I learned the true value of the defensive midfielder two seasons ago when we had Ghanean Anthony Annan at Rosenborg, he was always open to take a back pass and recycle an attack and he was always in position to disrupt a counter attack, we ran away with the league winning it with 5 games to go iirc, I never truely understood the Makalele role before then. Arsenal needs that more than any other team in the league given that the rest of the squad are little boys who can only go forward. (not to mention van Persie is gone).

[The Larch]

Spanish clubs need the money.

And English clubs have money to burn? I mean, Swansea just paid 7 millions for Pablo Hernández and QPR 12 millions for Esteban Granero. We're not talking about Chelsea (who paid another 7 for Azpilicueta) or City (who seem to want to pay 20 for Javi García). All of them are good players, but none of them is a great player, and those are all big bucks signings. Arsenal got Cazorla for 15 millions, that was a great signing.