ALMUNIA

[aalderton]

We need to ship out more dead wood as Arsenal are just wasting money

[Simon]

Farewell Coco.

On the positive side he wasn't a bad penalty saver. Most fans would have been reasonably happy with him as a No. 2 keeper, but he never cut it as Arsenal's No. 1

Plenty more players need to be released 'though.....

[rigsby]

A good shot stopper who will do well with a lesser club as he'll have more to do. A top club like Arsenal, its all about concentration, which he never had

[flash gunner]

Farewell Coco.

On the positive side he wasn't a bad penalty saver. Most fans would have been reasonably happy with him as a No. 2 keeper, but he never cut it as Arsenal's No. 1

Plenty more players need to be released 'though.....

He was an ok number 2 keeper but in my time watching Arsenal i can't remember us having a worse number 1. Ive built up such a hatred of Almunia looking back it probably wasnt his fault that Wenger played him but he summed up everything bad with the recent years

[Vinny1967]

I wish him all the best and hope he has a good career elsewhere.

Not his fault Wenger is a stubborn git and has still failed to realise that you win nothing without a top class keeper.

[franksav63]

Another player that Wenger showed too much faith in.... too much time.... gone.... Arsene knows though.. eh??

The only saving grace is that he wasn't on a Diaby, Denilson, Bendtner long contract.... otherwise he would still be at our club, getting loaned out and hanging around like a stinking fart in a lift...

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/07/3 ... HO20120731

Arsenal's Almunia leaves to join Zola at Watford

Reuters) - Goalkeeper Manuel Almunia has joined English Championship side Watford, his former club Arsenal said on Tuesday.

Almunia is one of seven new signings made by manager Gianfranco Zola and joins the London club on a one-year deal.

"Former Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia has signed for Watford," the Premier League club confirmed on its website (http://www.arsenal.com).
The 35-year-old was released by the club this summer but will be training next door to his former team-mates in London Colney after agreeing a one-year deal with the Championship (second division) side."

Almunia played 175 games for Arsenal including a substitute appearance in the 2006 Champions League final against Barcelona, but lost the jersey to Pole Wojciech Szczesny.

Watford were recently taken over by the Pozzo family who own Italian Serie A club Udinese and Spanish La Liga club Granada.

Other new arrivals include QPR defender Fitz Hall and several loan acquisitions from the fellow Pozzo family stable of clubs.

Almen Abdi, Matej Vydra and Steve Leo Beleck joined from Udinese on-loan as have Granada pair Daniel Pudil and Ikechi Anya.

[flash gunner]

Such a relief that he has gone Strange how he had to drop down a division to get first team football yet was our number 1 keeper for 3/4 years Arsene knows

He has to go down as the worst number 1 keeper Arsenal have had for 50 years, maybe longer

[augie]

I loved the story a few years ago that he was a real possibility for the englands goalkeepers position

[DB10GOONER]

I loved the story a few years ago that he was a real possibility for the goalkeepers position

Fixed that for ya, augie!

[franksav63]

Hang on... no AKB has posted about this event today.. I wonder why...

[brazilianGOONER]

probably my least favourite Arsenal player of the last few years. we should've sold him after the CL final yet we insisted on the helpless fucker for ages (it seemed like decades to me).

however i have to insist that he always seemed very professional to me and never said anything wrong. he's not the one to pick himself on the team sheet, so i guess we don't have reasons to hate him, we should instead aim the anger at who picked him as first choice goalkeeper for The Arsenal for so long

keeping almunia for so long and not playing arshavin in that FA CUP semi final against chelsea are the most visible wenger stupidities in his time at Arsenal in my view, and probably the ones that made me rethink my views on the manager.

[officepest]

probably my least favourite Arsenal player of the last few years. we should've sold him after the CL final yet we insisted on the helpless fucker for ages (it seemed like decades to me).

however i have to insist that he always seemed very professional to me and never said anything wrong. he's not the one to pick himself on the team sheet, so i guess we don't have reasons to hate him, we should instead aim the anger at who picked him as first choice goalkeeper for The Arsenal for so long

keeping almunia for so long and not playing arshavin in that FA CUP semi final against chelsea are the most visible wenger stupidities in his time at Arsenal in my view, and probably the ones that made me rethink my views on the manager.

Have to pull you up on this BG as you have singularly failed to mention. . . . . . . Igors Stepanovs.

[brazilianGOONER]

probably my least favourite Arsenal player of the last few years. we should've sold him after the CL final yet we insisted on the helpless fucker for ages (it seemed like decades to me).

however i have to insist that he always seemed very professional to me and never said anything wrong. he's not the one to pick himself on the team sheet, so i guess we don't have reasons to hate him, we should instead aim the anger at who picked him as first choice goalkeeper for The Arsenal for so long

keeping almunia for so long and not playing arshavin in that FA CUP semi final against chelsea are the most visible wenger stupidities in his time at Arsenal in my view, and probably the ones that made me rethink my views on the manager.

Have to pull you up on this BG as you have singularly failed to mention. . . . . . . Igors Stepanovs.

i know i know, but he wasn't our first choice centreback for three seasons, that's the point. even the best managers in the history of the game have bought and played shit players, that kind of thing can happen. what i don't understand is keeping a player who is so obviously below the average quality of your team as a regular starter for so long, and in such an important position like goalkeeper. remember how ruthless wenger was with shaaban, taylor, richard wright and co? as soon as they proved to be shite, we just bought another one and kept on going. why not with almunia?

[OneBardGooner]

http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archiv ... ub-watford

[officepest]

probably my least favourite Arsenal player of the last few years. we should've sold him after the CL final yet we insisted on the helpless fucker for ages (it seemed like decades to me).

however i have to insist that he always seemed very professional to me and never said anything wrong. he's not the one to pick himself on the team sheet, so i guess we don't have reasons to hate him, we should instead aim the anger at who picked him as first choice goalkeeper for The Arsenal for so long

keeping almunia for so long and not playing arshavin in that FA CUP semi final against chelsea are the most visible wenger stupidities in his time at Arsenal in my view, and probably the ones that made me rethink my views on the manager.

Have to pull you up on this BG as you have singularly failed to mention. . . . . . . Igors Stepanovs.

i know i know, but he wasn't our first choice centreback for three seasons, that's the point. even the best managers in the history of the game have bought and played shit players, that kind of thing can happen. what i don't understand is keeping a player who is so obviously below the average quality of your team as a regular starter for so long, and in such an important position like goalkeeper. remember how ruthless wenger was with shaaban, taylor, richard wright and co? as soon as they proved to be shite, we just bought another one and kept on going. why not with almunia?

All true Sir, I reckon Coco must've had some very dodgy photos of the boss in order to play as many games as he did.