Barclays Premier League Season 2009/2010

[Subject Delta]

City's problem is that they have focused on strikers, rather than ensuring quality right across the park. The only non striker that I can recall them signing is Barry. They are going to have big problems with rotation unless they intend to play with all strikers in their outfield.

[Martyn]

Went to see Havant & Waterlooville vs Pompey tonight. Wasn't a bad game for 10 quid. The ground isn't that bad! Sure I had to stand all the time which didn't do my poor legs very well, but it ended up 2-2. First half it was mostly Pompey first team squad with about 3 youths/reserves. Second half I could only pick out 3 pompey players which I knew off, everyone else must have been youth and trials.

Sounds decent. I prefer standing anyway to sitting.

I'm going the Atletico Madrid friendly on the 8th August, I'm looking forward to it as I've never been to a pre-season friendly before.

[nothuman]

Wenger said Nasri is out for 6 weeks. The injury is not that bad after all. Good news.

[Subject Delta]

Man City a small club - Ferguson

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson says Manchester City "are a small club with a small mentality".

The Scot is unimpressed by City signing Carlos Tevez when the Argentine left Old Trafford at the end of last season.

A city-centre billboard appeared soon after, saying "Carlos Tevez, welcome to Manchester" under a sky-blue graphic.

"It's City isn't it? They're a small club with a small mentality. All they can talk about is Manchester United; they can't get away from it," he said.

"They think taking Carlos Tevez away from Manchester United is a triumph. It is poor stuff."

Manchester City have spent heavily in recent weeks, with Emmanuel Adebayor signing from Arsenal for about ?25m, midfielder Barry coming from Aston Villa for ?12m, Paraguayan frontman Santa Cruz costing ?18m from Blackburn, and Tevez arriving for ?25m.

Ferguson, who was speaking on the Premier League champions' pre-season tour in China, claimed that Adebayor had attempted to sign for Manchester United before committing to City.

"When someone offers you that kind of money, it is a big attraction," said Ferguson. "That is the reason they have gone there.

"At the last minute, from what I can gather, either Emmanuel Adebayor or his agent phoned us after they had agreed a deal with City and then did the same with Chelsea. He was desperate to get to either Chelsea or us."

Funny, he called Rafa arrogant for saying the same about Everton. What an idiot ferguson really is.

[Martyn]

Mr. Ferguson is a hypocrite shocker #15738294

[Kralik]

I feel City can finish above United this year if they don't buy a replacement for Ronaldo..

Liverpool will be in trouble if Xabi leaves and the new guy is not as good..

Chelsea will be strong.. Zhirkov will surprise a few people..

Arsenal has a good chance of winning something if we sign another holding midfielder/winger.. otherwise it will be same 2nd-3rd spot finish for us..

[Dance.]

^ You mean 4th spot finish. And this time it might be really scary cause City look like they get nudge themselves into the top 4 (by displacing Arsenal).

[Kralik]

^ You mean 4th spot finish. And this time it might be really scary cause City look like they get nudge themselves into the top 4 (by displacing Arsenal).

No I really meant 2nd or 3rd if not first.. Arsenal this season is stronger than Liverpool and United. anyone can clearly see that looking from front to back..

RvP,Eduardo.. will be first choice forwards.. Vela and Bendtner are improving every season

Rosicky is back.. Walcott's pace is too much for teams

Arshavin and Cesc in the middle.. two of the best in the world.. Nasri will join them soon plus Diaby, Denilson,Song and Ramsey were impressive in patches last season.. hopefully they will settle down better this season..

Sagna and Clichy are not bad at wings at the back.. Toure, Gallas and now Varmaelen.. we probably need someone else if Toure leaves but we'll see abt that if it happens

What I would like to see is the sale of Almunia, Eboue, Silvestre and Sanderos.. and purchase Huntelaar, Akinfeev, Dan Gosling and possibly David Villa or Jesus Navas

EDIT: and abt City :D they wont finish first.. reason is Mark Hughes.. if I had so much money to spend on a team I'd start by getting the best manager I can and Hughes frankly is not that.. I'd rather have gone for Martin O'Neil from EPL or some other manager who has shown he is good.. Scolari failed with a very good Chelsea team and Hiddinks showed its true potential.. City won't get anywhere with Hughes in charge.. they'll most probably fire him at Christmas and get someone else.. just a hinch ;)

Edited July 26, 2009 by Kralik

[Martyn]

No I really meant 2nd or 3rd if not first.. Arsenal this season is stronger than Liverpool and United. anyone can clearly see that looking from front to back..

Nah.

[Subject Delta]

Arsenal this season is stronger than Liverpool and United. anyone can clearly see that looking from front to back..

Alonso hasn't left, in fact Liverpool haven't lost anyone major so I don't see where you drew that conclusion from :/

[Powa]

No I really meant 2nd or 3rd if not first.. Arsenal this season is stronger than Liverpool and United. anyone can clearly see that looking from front to back..

RvP,Eduardo.. will be first choice forwards.. Vela and Bendtner are improving every season

Rosicky is back.. Walcott's pace is too much for teams

Arshavin and Cesc in the middle.. two of the best in the world.. Nasri will join them soon plus Diaby, Denilson,Song and Ramsey were impressive in patches last season.. hopefully they will settle down better this season..

Sagna and Clichy are not bad at wings at the back.. Toure, Gallas and now Varmaelen.. we probably need someone else if Toure leaves but we'll see abt that if it happens

What I would like to see is the sale of Almunia, Eboue, Silvestre and Sanderos.. and purchase Huntelaar, Akinfeev, Dan Gosling and possibly David Villa or Jesus Navas

EDIT: and abt City :D they wont finish first.. reason is Mark Hughes.. if I had so much money to spend on a team I'd start by getting the best manager I can and Hughes frankly is not that.. I'd rather have gone for Martin O'Neil from EPL or some other manager who has shown he is good.. Scolari failed with a very good Chelsea team and Hiddinks showed its true potential.. City won't get anywhere with Hughes in charge.. they'll most probably fire him at Christmas and get someone else.. just a hinch ;)

Oh hahahahahaha!

Arsenal tighten their leaky defence by signing a short centre-half. Just one thing after another.

You need a big name and I honestly can't see any of them wanting to join you. No wonder Tource jumped ship, I can see City finishng above you in 4th this upcoming season.

[closetgeek]

No I really meant 2nd or 3rd if not first.. Arsenal this season is stronger than Liverpool and United. anyone can clearly see that looking from front to back..

:laugh:

Arsenal haven't won anything in years, and unless Wenger gets his wallet out, they'll carrying on not winning trophies. I agree with what has been said earlier- Man City are looking to become one of the big boys, and if Arsenal don't buck their ideas up this coming season, they could well loose out to City's wallet squad.

[Kralik]

The former England and Newcastle manager Sir Bobby Robson has passed away at the age of 76, having battled with cancer for many years

Robson had been the national team?s most successful manager since 1966, having guided England to the World Cup semi final in 1990.

[Crazysah]

:(

May he RIP!

[leesmithg]

The best England manager in my lifetime dies, I hope he comes back as another great person.

Patrick Vieria is going back to Arsenal so I heard, the Tottenham thing was a joke, as Tottenham are no better than a league one side.

Arsenal really don't need to sign anyone, we have around 7 players per position.

Look at what good player Kieran Gibbs is and filled Gael Clichy's place with ease.

[Subject Delta]

R.I.P bobby, a real legend

[leesmithg]

Just had the minutes clapping at Ashburton Grove, very sad, but his pain is gone.

[Martyn]

Good article this for the Arsenal fans...

Sorry Fergie, but you are just talking out of your ARSENAL! By Brian Reade 1/08/2009

Men who believe Sinatra's My Way is a macho tribute to their own life's journey tend to go out of their way to do the opposite of what the world expects.

Take Alex Ferguson. Whereas most of us thought he'd use this summer to spend his millions rebuilding his squad, he's decided instead to vent his spleen on other clubs' efforts to do just that.

He's mocked Real Madrid for reckless spending which has left them with no defence and dismissed "arrogant" Manchester City as "a small club with a small mentality" who are only signing men in Dick Turpin masks like Emmanuel Adebayor. He's accused Rafa Benitez of talking "b******s," (that's the same man he recently slammed as "arrogant" for calling his neighbours a smaller club than his own) and doubts Arsene Wenger's chances of staying with the big boys because "he doesn't have the money."

And his unprompted rancour is another glimpse of the hypocrisy we've come to accept.

Had less successful managers delivered such a rant it would be taken as a sign they're cracking up.

But because it comes from The Queen Mum of Football, Gawd Bless 'Im, it's taken as wisdom from on high. To be fair, some of what he says is true, but the rest is the stuff he reckons Benitez talks.

Take Adebayor. Fergie (below) revealed he was on the phone to United hours before he signed for City urging them to hijack the deal. Which, he argues, tells you all you need to know about the man.

Well, if that's the criteria for defining someone as a waste of space, how does he feel about Michael Owen being on the phone to his Liverpool contacts in the hours before United signed him, telling them that if they wanted to hijack his deal they'd better move sharpish? Because that's what happened. Then there's his dismissal of Arsenal which is both classless and premature. Is Wenger really having that bad a summer?

He's just pocketed ?25million for Adebayor, a wantaway, poison-spreading sulker. A player even Fergie argues is bad news.

He's turned in a ?15m profit on Kolo Toure, a centre-half who is past his prime, replacing him with one of the best young defensive prospects in Europe, Thomas Vermaelen. Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott have signed new contracts and Cesc Fabregas quashed all fears of jumping ship by cutting short his post-Confederations Cup holiday to join up with the squad in Austria.

Next season Tomas Rosicky and Eduardo will be back from injury, outstanding prospects like Jack Wilshere will be a year older and Andrey Arshavin showed enough evidence to suggest he could emerge as a huge star in his first full season.

The ease with which United knocked Arsenal out of the Champions League semi-final (which looked a lot worse than it was due to early defensive howlers at the Emirates) has made many critics forget their excellent second half to last season. They went on a long unbeaten run overhauling Aston Villa to fourth spot in the League and reaching the FA Cup and Champions League semis.

Anyone watching could see their young squad maturing into a strong one, which only lacked experience in key areas, to realise its potential.

With a full month's transfer window left, targets in sight, and ?40m from City in his pocket, Wenger has a chance to achieve some of that potential.

So if I were an Arsenal fan I wouldn't be fretting too much, just yet, about my manager going about his rebuilding work with a quiet but confident dignity.

Were I a United fan though, I'd be baffled and worried as to why my manager is going about the same job in the exact opposite manner.

Had less successful managers delivered such a rant it would be taken as a sign they are cracking up. It's a glimpse of the hypocrisy we've come to accept.

[Martyn]

Also heard that Newcastle will be getting taken over within the next 3 days or so (Dubai links).

[Brodel]

wooo!

i might be going to england end of august. The plan is to see a chelsea, liverpool and a man u game. I really hope i'll be able to go. Can't wait for this season to start!

I'll be at the Fulham v Chelsea game on August 23rd so who knows, maybe we will unknowingly pass each other.

[Kralik]

Arshavin got a brace off the bench :D I love this guy already.. he should stay with us.. he'll be a legend at Arsenal..

Great pic this:

Even though it seems Eduardo is checking his hair for lice :p

And Wilshere (Y) pure class..

Edited August 1, 2009 by Kralik

[Subject Delta]

Just what we have came to expect from fergie tbh. The guy is a great manager, but he has no class whatsoever

[Martyn]

Arshavin got a brace off the bench :D I love this guy already.. he should stay with us.. he'll be a legend at Arsenal..

Great pic this:

Even though it seems Eduardo is checking his hair for lice :p

And Wilshere (Y) pure class..

Arshavin is a great player, and he seems to be a fairly decent fella as well.

I think Eduardo will be brilliant for you this season, I really rated him before he got that injury.

Wilshire seems to be a great prospect as well (Y)

[leesmithg]

Arshavin got a brace off the bench :D I love this guy already.. he should stay with us.. he'll be a legend at Arsenal..

Great pic this:

Even though it seems Eduardo is checking his hair for lice :p

And Wilshere (Y) pure class..

Jack Wilshire played all of a few minutes and got man-of-the-match.

If only he could grow a few inches.

When I first saw him he reminded me of Pat Nevin and Hleb.

I hope to see him get at least 25-30 games starting this season.

[Mike]

Good article this for the Arsenal fans...

It's hardly a comparison between Owen and Adebayor. Owen wanting to go to Liverpool is hardly surprising seeing as he came from there, played most of his career there, started there etc. Why would Adebayor want to move to us? Was he born in Manchester? Has he lived in Manchester? Did he start his career here?

As for the money in the bank thing, it's only good if you actually spend it which Arsene has hardly done previously.