The Gooner - Issue 224

[SteveO 35]

I would like to see some more articles regarding the Imperious Abou.

There has been little or no coverage of the great man recently

Hes fit for sat

Marvellous news....I shall be watching the beamback live at the Grove so if anyone's there and you see someone getting excited at the prospect of the Great Man's return its probably me

[Mike1]

Have to say mike, that I absolutely hate it when marc ollington does the letters page cos he just comes across like a smart arse who doesnt give a f**k about anything anybody else has to say - he may well be the complete opposite in real life but that is just how he seems to me when he responds to the letters

Guess you don't like the podcasts he appears on then either?! He's a great guy, but guess not everyone appreciates his humour.

Have to say that I have never them tbh mike
Anyway as I said already, marc might well be a great guy and I am not suggesting otherwise but maybe his humour doesnt come across as good on paper as it does in person ?

Like I said previously, we get easily as much correspondence praising him as we do saying they can't stand him and when he's not on a podcast, we get people asking where he is and how it's not as good without him. Maybe he's just got a big family!

Have long since realised you can't please all the people all the time. I love the Dwight Hart-Lane cartoon and I know there are lots of others who do as well, but there are plenty who can't stand it.

And the answer is always the same to people who think there's too much of something they don't like. Get involved and change the balance. The Gooner will only ever be as strong as the people who contribute to it, but the more contributions we receive, hopefully the better it will become.

[proudtosaythatname]

Bits of DHL are quite amusing but there's a bit too much foul language for me, which could negatively influence the 'family' appeal of the printed Gooner. But I thought the whole issue was positive and an enjoyable read generally.

[SteveO 35]

Just read it and was pleased to see a great, well balanced article about the Imperious Abou

I would like to suggest that Mr Rose does the editorial from now on. Best article I've read in the Gooner for ages - keep up the good work

[arseofacrow]

i'm just thankful I'm loaning my season ticket out so that I'm not funding diaby's quest to return from injury/find a brain

[augie]

Just read it and was pleased to see a great, well balanced article about the Imperious Abou

I would like to suggest that Mr Rose does the editorial from now on. Best article I've read in the Gooner for ages - keep up the good work

Am just after reading that article myself and would say that it is selective in it's arguments -

1. Who are all those that are rejoicing in the awarding of a new deal for rosicky ? Many of us are happy with his current level of performance but are sceptical of him remaining fit and sustaining these performances in the long term

2. Comparing the awarding of a new deal for our czech to that of diaby ignores the fact that rosicky's contract expires in 3 months time so it was either award him a new deal now or allow him to leave in the summer and clearly wenger thinks it is better to retain him. Mind you even those that are happy he is staying are still amazed at the fact that he got a 2 year deal


3. After going on the defense of diaby re his medical issue's simon never once asked himself if retaining a player, any player, on 60k per week who spends 3/4 of every season injured makes sense for the club ? Like him as a player or not (personally I feel he is braindead) surely the question has to be asked if the club is getting value for money and with him the answer is an emphatic no


I also have to question how any Gooner can be so flipant about one of our players publiclyadmitting wearing a scum jersey at home

[SteveO 35]

Just read it and was pleased to see a great, well balanced article about the Imperious Abou

I would like to suggest that Mr Rose does the editorial from now on. Best article I've read in the Gooner for ages - keep up the good work

Am just after reading that article myself and would say that it is selective in it's arguments -

1. Who are all those that are rejoicing in the awarding of a new deal for rosicky ? Many of us are happy with his current level of performance but are sceptical of him remaining fit and sustaining these performances in the long term

2. Comparing the awarding of a new deal for our czech to that of diaby ignores the fact that rosicky's contract expires in 3 months time so it was either award him a new deal now or allow him to leave in the summer and clearly wenger thinks it is better to retain him. Mind you even those that are happy he is staying are still amazed at the fact that he got a 2 year deal


3. After going on the defense of diaby re his medical issue's simon never once asked himself if retaining a player, any player, on 60k per week who spends 3/4 of every season injured makes sense for the club ? Like him as a player or not (personally I feel he is braindead) surely the question has to be asked if the club is getting value for money and with him the answer is an emphatic no


I also have to question how any Gooner can be so flipant about one of our players publiclyadmitting wearing a scum jersey at home

What the article does is to highlight that it is hardly the guy's own fault that he is injured so badly and so often and that the criticism in this regard is hardly fair. This season he has played for about half an hour and yet some of the bile aimed his way on here is completely over the top. His wages of 60k per week are no higher than Almunia's - a player now not even second choice at the club, whilst the King of Denmark is coining 50k+ and the lazy fat Russian 80k. All of that trio have had ample chance to prove themselves and blown it.

The article also highlights the fact that the 'new Vieira' stuff was not helpful. Diaby can't defend...I admit that, but going forward he's the best midfielder we have. He can do stuff that no other Arsenal player is capable of and I've given endless examples on here. Arteta suffered in this regard this season - people got stuck into him because he wasn't "the new Fabregas" - well so fucking what. People want these players to be clones of iconic, world class players that have gone before and if they happen to look similar, or were born in the same country the lazy comparisons just get ramped up even further. I don't see Arteta cheaply surrendering possession with little tricks and backheels on the edge of his 18 yard box, but that never gets highlighted...just the fact that he doesn't spray 50 yard passes around.

I just think there are Arsenal players who have been fit and well for seasons who have had tons of chances, blown them, and get less stick than a player who has suffered terrible injuries. Give him a chance if he does get fit and then judge him. As the article states, he has only completed more than half of our games once in six years

[flash gunner]

How do you know he is the best midfielder at the club SteveO? As you said he has hardly played due to the injuries that followed his horror leg break and maybe youre right he is harshly judged but at the same time how can you rate him so highly when we havent seen enough of him?

Im presuming youre not fucking about in the quote above

[augie]

Flash the old adage says that when a player is out injured there are always a better player than reality and are therefore a bigger loss if the shit is hitting the fan

[arseofacrow]

steveo IS red after all.

jeez...i've seen it all now.

[SteveO 35]

How do you know he is the best midfielder at the club SteveO? As you said he has hardly played due to the injuries that followed his horror leg break and maybe youre right he is harshly judged but at the same time how can you rate him so highly when we havent seen enough of him?

Im presuming youre not fucking about in the quote above

Lets go back to when he first played for the club in 2005/06 before that bastard shattered his ankle at Sunderland. He was captain of a very talented France U-19 team and was really starting to show what he could do for us. I remember him scoring when we beat Villa 5-0 at home and the fans were really behind him because they saw the talent he had. That Sunderland shitebag then mauled him on the halfway line in the last seconds of a 0-3 game that was all over bar the shouting.

When he got back to fitness, young Cesc had progressed hugely and was rightly given the creator role in the side and blossomed in it. When Abou eventually got fit, after a number of setbacks, he eventually found himself in a team where we had one of the best young midfielders in Europe fulfilling that role and consequently he found himself either being played out wide on the left (where the GIC also tried the likes of Bendtner and Chamakh !) or trying to hold the midfield (as the GIC decided in 2008 that we'd go from three international class CDMs to none in the space of six months). So if it wasn't bad enough already trying to recover from an injury every bit as bad as Eduardo's, you have to do it playing out of position.


During that period, every time the guy got his chance in his rightful role of central, creative attacking midfelder he shone (Liege, Villa, Fenerbahce, Derby, Fulham...too many to list them all) and his goalscoring record bore this out - better than Cesc's actually. But once Fabregas and others (like the buck-toothed lesbian) became fit again, poor old Abou would be shunted out wide or left out. Needless to say his confidence dropped and coupled with more injuries, he's ended up where he is today.

For the life of me I don't understand why you lot get at him so much. The Tottenham shirt stuff upset me at the time but has been cleared up anyway, but that aside can someone actually tell me what he has done wrong (other than be injured)? He's shown far more talent than the likes of Denilson and Ramsey ever will

[Red Member]

has he really been here since 2005 ?

to be honest I have not had the chance to see him play much in that time so cant really comment.
then again nobody has really seen him much have they

[arseofacrow]

Much of that analysis is subjective mate...still, the point augie was making was that he never plays regularly enough.

And like many other of our players, his attitude to playing "slightly" out of position stank. Not just him, but the likes of Rosicky too.

Plus his decision making is sometimes totally brainless.

Not for me the shining light - wish he has, as in the game at Portsmouth in 2006 he carried the midfield. Sadly, it looks like that might never be repeated, and he's taking up a valuable space in the squad, plus a huge chunk of wages.

He's completely unproven over the long term by any yardstick mate.

[SteveO 35]

Much of that analysis is subjective mate...still, the point augie was making was that he never plays regularly enough.

And like many other of our players, his attitude to playing "slightly" out of position stank. Not just him, but the likes of Rosicky too.

Plus his decision making is sometimes totally brainless.

Not for me the shining light - wish he has, as in the game at Portsmouth in 2006 he carried the midfield. Sadly, it looks like that might never be repeated, and he's taking up a valuable space in the squad, plus a huge chunk of wages.

He's completely unproven over the long term by any yardstick mate.

I think you might find that all of your analysis is subjective - at least I gave you some examples of games he'd performed in and the fact that his goalscoring record from starting positions in central midfield compare favourably with any of our other players.

Listen, the fact is everything said about players on here is slightly subjective. Personally I think Fabianski is the worst fucking Arsenal keeper I've ever seen but others disagree and don't even start me on that rollneck and glove wearing fairy that Sociedad seem so keen on (please £5m for him is bigger robbery than paying 150p per litre for diesel).

Don't you agree that we should at least give the guy a chance over say 15-20 matches assuming he gets fit, play him in the right position, and see how he gets on. If he ends up being shit, fair enough, slate him then but not now.


Who knows what Wilshere will be like when he first gets back? Surely you'll be allowing him 20 or so games to get back to where he once was

[arseofacrow]

Much of that analysis is subjective mate...still, the point augie was making was that he never plays regularly enough.

And like many other of our players, his attitude to playing "slightly" out of position stank. Not just him, but the likes of Rosicky too.

Plus his decision making is sometimes totally brainless.

Not for me the shining light - wish he has, as in the game at Portsmouth in 2006 he carried the midfield. Sadly, it looks like that might never be repeated, and he's taking up a valuable space in the squad, plus a huge chunk of wages.

He's completely unproven over the long term by any yardstick mate.

I think you might find that all of your analysis is subjective - at least I gave you some examples of games he'd performed in and the fact that his goalscoring record from starting positions in central midfield compare favourably with any of our other players.

Listen, the fact is everything said about players on here is slightly subjective. Personally I think Fabianski is the worst fucking Arsenal keeper I've ever seen but others disagree and don't even start me on that rollneck and glove wearing fairy that Sociedad seem so keen on (please £5m for him is bigger robbery than paying 150p per litre for diesel).

Don't you agree that we should at least give the guy a chance over say 15-20 matches assuming he gets fit, play him in the right position, and see how he gets on. If he ends up being shit, fair enough, slate him then but not now.


Who knows what Wilshere will be like when he first gets back? Surely you'll be allowing him 20 or so games to get back to where he once was

ok, let's give him 15-20 games to see if he's the best midfelder of his generation - before we call him that.

Happy with that mate