Flamini

[euphoricone]

One massive advantage of flamini starting is....

Ramsey is no longer held back

[spike241]

I'm starting to think he was a great signing. As has been said, he's nothing special but he does his job and is very vocal.
It's nice to have a proper DM for a change.

I think, for most people, the initial anger at re-signing him was more that he was another free transfer in a summer where we'd spent nothing at that point. It was for me anyway.

[StuartL]

I'm starting to think he was a great signing. As has been said, he's nothing special but he does his job and is very vocal.
It's nice to have a proper DM for a change.

I think, for most people, the initial anger at re-signing him was more that he was another free transfer in a summer where we'd spent nothing at that point. It was for me anyway.

Agree, with this, I was a little underwhelmed with his re signing but if he continues to bring the energy, drive, motivation, and communication that he has shown so far then it is a decision that cannot be argued with in terms of what improvement it has made to the team (also bearing in mind that Arteta was injured at the same time )

He is what we have lacked for years (since he left as pointed out by someone else ) Song, Denilson, et al just did not have his tenacity to hassle the opposition and it makes us a better team all round - win the ball back and counter attack quickly.

[armchair]

One of the positions needing strengthened that was staring everyone in the face (except wenger) for years.

Wenger getting slated (rightly so) for not adressing this glaringly obvious problem area for us. Wenger goes out and gets an accomplished, experienced DM who by all accounts has performed very well for us so far and has brought to the team the steel, hard nosed tackling and bite that we all knew was missing. He has contributed in no small way to our recent run of wins. (Admittedly not against the likes of Man U, City, Chelski as yet.......

So whats the problem...?

I couldn't give a fiddlers fuck if Beelzebub himself was playing DM for us so long as he could do a job.

[I Hate Hleb]

As people have already stated, although he wasn't the first or ideal choice to fill that role, the inspirational/fortunate signing of Flamini is proving very useful, as he plays the more defensively minded midfield role better than anyone else on our books - especially when you think our second best candidate for the job, Arteta, has been out injured. In that regards I think we can all admit (maybe even augie? ) that he has done a good job for the team and significantly contributed to our good results thus far.

By the way, am I right in thinking that the first automatic suspension for accumulating yellow cards is due after collecting 5? Flamini has 3 already and if he is not careful will be suspended for the really big games coming up in November when his particular 'skill set' will really be needed.

[SteveO 35]

I can't believe on the back of 3 or 4 games people are hailing this bloke as being a better defensive midfielder than Arteta.

Mikel Arteta has been the most consistent player at the club for the past 2 seasons and our record over those previous 2 seasons without him is shocking. When we managed to swindle Barca out of a few bob for Mong, he took over the role and made it his own. His positional sense is outstanding, he's always on hand to break up play and rarely gives it away. He's been doing it for 50 odd games - when Flamini has done it throughout this season week in, week out against the top teams maybe people can claim he's the best player in the role but not yet

[Step]

But Stevo although Arteta has quality he is not a tackler, he does not shout / organise and he doesn't show a tenth of the passion that the Flammable one does.

Flam does the ugly unspectacular job that is essential for a consistent team.

He will come in useful when Flamini gets the inevitable suspension tho!!!!

[SteveO 35]

But Stevo although Arteta has quality he is not a tackler, he does not shout / organise and he doesn't show a tenth of the passion that the Flammable one does.

Flam does the ugly unspectacular job that is essential for a consistent team.

He will come in useful when Flamini gets the inevitable suspension tho!!!!

I don't agree mate - I think Arteta is the best organiser at the club and should be captain IMO. Its not about charging round chest thumping - the bloke is one of the strongest players around. He's a really good tackler but just makes it look simple. Flamini for me still makes reckless challenges that look spectacular when they come off but I wouldn't be surprised to see him walk a couple of times this season. If the challenges the way he does against Napoli there will be 11 fairies waving imaginary cards at the ref

[northbank123]

I don't think Arteta and Flamini are really employed to do the same jobs so to stack them up against each other as DMs is a bit unfair. I would describe Arteta's position as a deep-lying midfielder rather than a DM, because defending has never formed the entirety of his role as it does Flamini's. I don't for a minute believe that Wenger would ever allow Arteta to play but not look to get on the ball and be as positionally negative as Flamini when we're in possession, it's not why he signed him and it wouldn't be getting anywhere near the best out of him (not that I think he couldn't do the same job as Flamini if asked).

I think that the role that Flamini is employed in is more beneficial to the team though. I think there are two major trade-offs we've been getting wrong in the last few years that would see us improve drastically even if we rigidly stick to the 4-5-1:

1. Actually have a designated DM who is happy not to get involved creatively - frees up the other 2 CMs creatively and should solve the problem we've had of getting nobody in the box from midfield areas because people are unsure whether or not to push forward. I don't think for a minute it's the sole reason Ramsey has prospered this season but I'm sure it's helped.

2. Rethink the roles of our wide players. What's the point in playing Podolski, our best finisher, if he spends half the game at wing-back whilst Gibbs steams forward and fluffs cross after cross? Equally what threat is Walcott if he's constantly getting the ball to feet on the touchline 40 yards from goal? Stop giving the full-backs free reign to bomb forward as they please and give the wing-forwards more licence to come inside (in the case of Podolski or Cazorla/Ozil if playing there) or to play off the shoulder and look to get in between the LB and CB whenever possible in the case of Walcott.

[Lost_Gooner]

I'm glad he is back, it's time to move forward and even tho I don't like the way he left the club I'm now very happy with him playing first team football for us.
At first I was unsure but seeing how he puts a shift in and has a voice on the field makes it all tick a lot better!

[QuartzGooner]

Mikel Arteta has been the most consistent player at the club for the past 2 seasons

Beg to differ.

He was very good in his first season, but his form dropped significantly in the second half of last season to the extent I wanted him dropped.
He was second to balls, and misplacing passes.

As Northbank123 says, Arteta plays his central midfield role more like Gilberto, a deep lying player who tries to intercept passes and pass them on neatly to the nearest team mate, what some call a "Holding Midfielder".
It is not really his natural role, he is more of a Ramsey type or even a number 10, but he has done what he can for the sake of the team.

Flamini is more of a dynamic ball winning midfielder, tackling for fun and running around like Lou Ferrigno on coke.

My great concern is if we are faced with Flamini's absence.

Wilshere can play that role but not well on current form, he is not fully fit.
When Cazorla and Theo return it will be interesting to see what happens to Wilshere.

Frimpong is the next closest to Flamini in style, but is he too inexperienced and too reckless?

Coquelin can do it, though for all the tackles he wins he gives away too many passes, and his loan might mean he will not return to the club?

[SteveO 35]

Can we rename this the "Very short memory thread"

[BFG4]

Flamini still seems to be getting abuse on here, and undoubtedly by some people who still see Fabregas as a legend. The same guy who sulked his last season at the club, and who would have joined Unted, if it suited him durng the summer, there is a double standard here. Flamini on the other hand wanted a new contract, but was fucked around by the club, so decided to leave, i dont see how that makes him a money grabber, and he left Arsenal in 2008, to go to a club that won the CL in 2007, so it wasnt like he joined some small club.

[augie]

Flamini still seems to be getting abuse on here, and undoubtedly by some people who still see Fabregas as a legend. The same guy who sulked his last season at the club, and who would have joined Unted, if it suited him durng the summer, there is a double standard here. Flamini on the other hand wanted a new contract, but was fucked around by the club, so decided to leave, i dont see how that makes him a money grabber, and he left Arsenal in 2008, to go to a club that won the CL in 2007, so it wasnt like he joined some small club.

Back that statement up - all I read was bullshit media talk and unsubstantiated rumours suggesting that he wanted to join them but not once did he ever say he wanted to join them Let me point out another simple difference between Cesc and flamoney - Cesc gave us a few seasons of top quality service and left once he realized that we are a club without ambitions, whilst flamoney left us as soon as his stock was high enough to get a move to a bigger club even though that move was going to leave him sitting on the bench for 4 seasons and was gonna kill off a fledgling international career

Steve o is 100% correct ....people on here have very very short memories when it comes to flamoney - it is easier to totally ignore the point that he has previous when it comes to chasing the money just because he fills a need Those sames people would probably have no probs accepting the return of the judas chav c*** and justify it cos he felt he was being screwed over 5k

[BFG4]

Flamini still seems to be getting abuse on here, and undoubtedly by some people who still see Fabregas as a legend. The same guy who sulked his last season at the club, and who would have joined Unted, if it suited him durng the summer, there is a double standard here. Flamini on the other hand wanted a new contract, but was fucked around by the club, so decided to leave, i dont see how that makes him a money grabber, and he left Arsenal in 2008, to go to a club that won the CL in 2007, so it wasnt like he joined some small club.

Back that statement up - all I read was bullshit media talk and unsubstantiated rumours suggesting that he wanted to join them but not once did he ever say he wanted to join them Let me point out another simple difference between Cesc and flamoney - Cesc gave us a few seasons of top quality service and left once he realized that we are a club without ambitions, whilst flamoney left us as soon as his stock was high enough to get a move to a bigger club even though that move was going to leave him sitting on the bench for 4 seasons and was gonna kill off a fledgling international career

Steve o is 100% correct ....people on here have very very short memories when it comes to flamoney - it is easier to totally ignore the point that he has previous when it comes to chasing the money just because he fills a need Those sames people would probably have no probs accepting the return of the judas chav c*** and justify it cos he felt he was being screwed over 5k

Firstly Fabregas said it was an honour that United were interested in him. Secondly Flamini wanted a new contract, but was told by the club that he would have to earn it, and was rightly pissed off. Lastly Fabregas went round sulking in his last season at the club, look at Flamini's performance in his last season, he gave everything, you just sound bitter he chose to leave.