Limerick Gooner wrote: ↑Sat Jan 04, 2025 12:07 pmI will answer your question once you have answered mine.augie wrote: ↑Sat Jan 04, 2025 10:26 amLimerick Gooner wrote: ↑Fri Jan 03, 2025 10:06 pmUsing hindsight, Martinez is the obvious one. Don’t agree with keeping either Torreira or Guendouzi. Truly desperate stuff to think they are the answer. Even if they are the three we were keeping though, it’s not exactly game changing stuff is it? It’s not Chelsea selling Salah and De Bruyne.
Arteta built a squad from not a lot. We recouped basically nothing from that squad once you do deals to get rid of Pepe, Auba and Ozil and loads of other pay off deals. We were an effing shit show. A literal United clone. Look at them now. Look at us. We’ve got more transfers right than wrong. We have made mistakes. We’ve cocked up last Summer’s window. But I don’t see the need to ironically throw the baby out with the bath water and get rid of Arteta.
The cone boy has made 34 signings since becoming AFC manager - name 18 good ones so
Torreira and Guendouzi would be upgrades on merino and partey and jorginho imo - as many will know I am a defender of emery to a point on here, but playing Torreira in the 10 was lunacy imo, and I think he had real top quality potential for us had he of stayed. I know a lot on here slate guendouzi (as is their right) but I liked him as a midfielder who brought energy to the position - I like midfielders to run hard and close the opposition down and he did that with gusto. Had he a lot to learn ? Absolutely and especially with how to channel his aggression, but that comes with experience and having looked at too many teams in the last 15 years roll over without a fight, I welcomed a player who would fight and battle and stand up for his team-mate (leno) with maupey that time. No doubt his response to maupey (about wages) was cringy, but I dont like the fact that the douzi was thrown under the bus at the time, and I'm wondering how many opinions have changed since when people have seen more examples of what an absolute dickhead maupey is
I also look at how guendouzi was treated and wonder how much different had GG been his manager - the modern sanitised Gooner had a moral breakdown and was upset that any AFC player could behave that way, but in GG's time players were taught to defend each other and defend the club and did a lot worse in that pursuit and were loved for it.I will also say that, even though he wasnt a long term answer, I would have kept sokratis over mustafi every day of the week and twice on a Sunday - mustafi was in every level absolutely dogshite and for life of me I cannot understand why he was kept. Sokratis was an experienced defender who had some leadership qualities too, and again getting rid of him kept in line with cone boys policy of getting shot of anyone who had character and could undermine him
The keeper's situation I am not signing off same hymn sheet as most - I see martinez as a keeper with mistakes in him and who isnt as good as advertised. I look at our keepers in recent years (raya, ramsdale, leno and martinez) and see them all as decent keepers, but none who are top level.
Selling smith-rowe is an absolute NO NO NO from me - no comeback on that in my book.
For record I like calafiori and rate him as a good left full - saying that, since the cone boy jettisoned tierney he is the first full back we have had capable of playing there imo. I get it that tierney's injury record is woeful, but lets be honest here and admit that he was got rid of to make room for the useless gimp that is zinchenko cos he will play inverted
Every signing a club makes should be an upgrade on previous player (unless signing a young player who might not be better now but can develop to be better) - zinchenko is and was neither and continues to be a weak link imo. I dont hate the guy cos some of his issues are created by the tactical imcompetence of his manager.For the record I would probably have given players like sambi and marquinos more of a chance before casting them away too
