As we're unlikely to see terraces again at football, this is the virtual equivalent where you can chat to your hearts content about all football matters and, obviously, Arsenal in particular. This forum encourages all Gooners to visit and contribute so please keep it respectful, clean and topical.
SteveO 35 wrote:Still waiting to hear what Flamini has done in comparison and why he would be a better bet than Diarra
Some pro-Flamini arguments please
And Radders, my post certainly did contain some anti-AW thoughts and I don't try to disguise it either. When we march off from the Bernabeu with the CL trophy in our palms I will eat my words (unless Abou Diaby scores the winner in which case I look forward to unlimited champagne on tab).
Which starts another point....Abou Diaby is the most talented midfielder in a generation to play for the club but sadly as unappreciated as Diarra.
and he's a lazy erratic one whose best position i dont know. he doesnt impose himself on games and....on...and...on...
was the flamini one for me? i already said diarra, but i wont dismiss flamini like you will.
SteveO 35 wrote:
And Radders, my post certainly did contain some anti-AW thoughts and I don't try to disguise it either. When we march off from the Bernabeu with the CL trophy in our palms I will eat my words (unless Abou Diaby scores the winner in which case I look forward to unlimited champagne on tab).
radford thinks you might be missing his point. he ppreciates the lads talents he was very dissapointed with the lads attitude during his short time with us which was poor.
radford agrees with you that he is a quality player and the team would be better with him now. but at the same time radford sends out a "ya boo sucks" to lassa. shame really
SteveO 35 wrote:Still waiting to hear what Flamini has done in comparison and why he would be a better bet than Diarra
Some pro-Flamini arguments please
And Radders, my post certainly did contain some anti-AW thoughts and I don't try to disguise it either. When we march off from the Bernabeu with the CL trophy in our palms I will eat my words (unless Abou Diaby scores the winner in which case I look forward to unlimited champagne on tab).
Which starts another point....Abou Diaby is the most talented midfielder in a generation to play for the club but sadly as unappreciated as Diarra.
and he's a lazy erratic one whose best position i dont know. he doesnt impose himself on games and....on...and...on...
was the flamini one for me? i already said diarra, but i wont dismiss flamini like you will.
Crumbs I didn't know that Arsene Wenger was on here tonight. Sorry Arsene, I'll point it out then
Perhaps he's best deployed in the position we bought him for i.e. at the head of the diamond in midfield. You know the one when he was captain of France U-21's and the one where he has averaged a goal every 3 games for the club when played there.
Perhaps you've forgotten the midweek game, Portsmouth home, Villa away, Fenerbahce away, Liege away etc
Or maybe it's just you remember the ones where the Goon In Charge has stuck him out wide (not surprising seeing as he does it 75% of the time).
The next unappreciated midfielder to leave the club. Still, Arsene knows. Much rather have Coquelin and Eastmond bossing that midfield next year
SteveO 35 wrote:
And Radders, my post certainly did contain some anti-AW thoughts and I don't try to disguise it either. When we march off from the Bernabeu with the CL trophy in our palms I will eat my words (unless Abou Diaby scores the winner in which case I look forward to unlimited champagne on tab).
radford thinks you might be missing his point. he ppreciates the lads talents he was very dissapointed with the lads attitude during his short time with us which was poor.
radford agrees with you that he is a quality player and the team would be better with him now. but at the same time radford sends out a "ya boo sucks" to lassa. shame really
OK fair point - do you agree that AW could have managed the whole situation better when Flamini, Diarra and Gilberto were all allowed to leave for peanuts in a six month window ?
SteveO 35 wrote:
And Radders, my post certainly did contain some anti-AW thoughts and I don't try to disguise it either. When we march off from the Bernabeu with the CL trophy in our palms I will eat my words (unless Abou Diaby scores the winner in which case I look forward to unlimited champagne on tab).
radford thinks you might be missing his point. he ppreciates the lads talents he was very dissapointed with the lads attitude during his short time with us which was poor.
radford agrees with you that he is a quality player and the team would be better with him now. but at the same time radford sends out a "ya boo sucks" to lassa. shame really
radford totally agrees with your view on that. maybe AW should have been stringer with lassa. he feels that he let Gil go out of respect for what he had done for us. whilst flamini was just a fucking greedy shit who used his last season as a shop window for his "talent"
OK fair point - do you agree that AW could have managed the whole situation better when Flamini, Diarra and Gilberto were all allowed to leave for peanuts in a six month window ?
Radford agrees
Last edited by Radford149 on Sat Feb 13, 2010 12:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
SteveO 35 wrote:Still waiting to hear what Flamini has done in comparison and why he would be a better bet than Diarra
Some pro-Flamini arguments please
And Radders, my post certainly did contain some anti-AW thoughts and I don't try to disguise it either. When we march off from the Bernabeu with the CL trophy in our palms I will eat my words (unless Abou Diaby scores the winner in which case I look forward to unlimited champagne on tab).
Which starts another point....Abou Diaby is the most talented midfielder in a generation to play for the club but sadly as unappreciated as Diarra.
and he's a lazy erratic one whose best position i dont know. he doesnt impose himself on games and....on...and...on...
was the flamini one for me? i already said diarra, but i wont dismiss flamini like you will.
Crumbs I didn't know that Arsene Wenger was on here tonight. Sorry Arsene, I'll point it out then
Perhaps he's best deployed in the position we bought him for i.e. at the head of the diamond in midfield. You know the one when he was captain of France U-21's and the one where he has averaged a goal every 3 games for the club when played there.
Perhaps you've forgotten the midweek game, Portsmouth home, Villa away, Fenerbahce away, Liege away etc
Or maybe it's just you remember the ones where the Goon In Charge has stuck him out wide (not surprising seeing as he does it 75% of the time).
The next unappreciated midfielder to leave the club. Still, Arsene knows. Much rather have Coquelin and Eastmond bossing that midfield next year
Bought as the head of the diamond in midfield? With that intention? Who else would play around him? I remember him dominating Portsmouth away (guess I go back further ) before he got injured, but for me he hasn't yet got back to that level consistently.
On the one hand he is dogged by injury and gets played out of position, so that's no good for him or the team. He has great ball skills and can finish On the other hand, he is prone to switching off too much, loses the ball easily, isnt tough enough and regularly and doesn't have postional discipline.
Too often, he has gone missing when asked to play in an uncomfortable position (unlike Flamini who knuckled down and looked like a left back). His form is still all too erratic.
I am hopeful for Diaby and see in him a technically excellent player, but question many things about the guy.
I know he's your baby mate, but as you can see I am balanced about the guy...but you can't be technically very good like Diaby but not apply yourself - and if your played out of position you've got to knuckle down.
How on earth can Diaby be the most talented midfielder of his generation. He's less than a year older than Cesc. Please tell me you're not so deluded as to believe he's better than Cesc and you just forgot that Cesc is a midfielder too. He has shown his worth this season giving some energy in midfield and some goals too but he's still not ready to deal with the very highest level. Unlike some of our players he might be come his prime.
As for Diarra vs Flamini, in a two man midfield Flamini's energy and work rate made him more useful than Diarra when they were both at the club. In terms of overall quality Diarra was a more technical and positionally aware player. A question of what does a team need - Diarra would be better for us now. The real error was to let them both go at the same time - a move that cost us at least a season and possibly more of rebuilding.
Surprising to see so much venom towards a player who was fucked over by Arsenal. He signed for bugger all, and was probably promised regular first team football (that is afterall why he left Chelsea). He stayed at the club for four months, and was given hardly any game time. Wenger then allowed him to leave - there was no reason to let him go as he was not on a short term contract. Wenger at this point knew Gilberto would be going in the summer, and he knew that Flamini's contract was up and he still hadn't negotiated another one.
The whole Diarra affair was a mistake by Wenger. Diarra's only crime was wanting to play.
digger wrote:
The whole Diarra affair was a mistake by Wenger. Diarra's only crime was wanting to play.
Agree with that... although I'm not sure Wenger is totally to blame.
Diarra was disillusioned from his time in the reserves at Chelsea, and I'm sure swapping one subs bench at Chelsea for another at Arsenal wasn't what he wanted. Nothing wrong with that.
He found himself unable to get into the team because Flamini was in outstanding form and was undroppable. That was unexpected, and unlucky for Diarra.
My only issue was that Diarra was also behind Gilberto, which I disagreed with.
It probably could, and should, have been handled better, but I certainly understand (and even respect) Diarra's decision to leave Arsenal for Pompey in pursuit of first team football, when he could easily have put his feet up and stayed at Arsenal.
So, he wanted to PLAY football.... I can't criticise him for that.
He refused to play for us before we sold him to Portsmouth. I know Stevo doesn't believe it, but it was reported pre-match and in the Guardian after that game. Also couldn't resist slagging off the club and the manager and every opportunity after we sold him.
Also, the 5.5 million figure doesn't take into account the money we made from the sell on clause which was rumoured to be between 25 and 30 %.
g88ner wrote:It probably could, and should, have been handled better, but I certainly understand (and even respect) Diarra's decision to leave Arsenal for Pompey in pursuit of first team football, when he could easily have put his feet up and stayed at Arsenal.
So, he wanted to PLAY football.... I can't criticise him for that.
I still don't get why we didn't loan him to Portsmouth for 6 months. Seeing as " 'Arry loves a deal", it would have suited all parties.
) before he got injured, but for me he hasn't yet got back to that level consistently.
