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.
Boomer wrote:Does any body have AVTO and listen to Silvestres interview.
I don't but I've heard that Silvestre hasn't arrived to sit on the bench and when asked about the backfour he is seeing himself as a Central Defender.
This could but the theory speculated on hear that Kolo would push up into Def Midfield. Personally thats not the answer and if anyone watches Kolo off the ball movement. He almost moves up the field as if its a big effort. All heavy & flat footed not what we need if the middle of the park.
I'd still like to see more of Eboue in the centre midfield role as I joked before about him playing there and soon thought it wouldn't be as bad.
I played up on the joke to the guy next to me and he started to win me and him over against W.Brom.
Did anyone notice Clichy playing as a winger in the one of the pre-seasons
games?? Could Silvestre replace Clichy and Clichy move up field. Where'd this leave Nasri. He'd move over to the right. So where's Eboue & Theo going?????????
What I have realised is that as a squad most all our players are versitile in more then one area.
Yeah, some of them can be equally shit in many positions.
Clichy as winger - no way. His crossing is poor and his shooting is terrible.
Eboue in the middle - no, no, no, please no. He's just not good enough to play this position on a regular basis and play off Fabregas
Theo should eventually move into the middle because he is not a winger either.
Song was moved back from midfield to defence for a reason so I only see song as centre back, firstly in the carling cup.
augie wrote:
I agree with you 100% that the "wrong geezer" is captain but lets get one thing clear.......it is gallas not kolo who is our best central defender and it isnt even a close contest either.
Gallas is definately our best centre back. I love Toure for all his energy and enthusiasm, but he's a centre back, not a fecking labrador...and even if he has got a glossy coat and lots of vitality, the fact is he makes mistakes, switches off and is too often out of position.
As many of us have mentioned time and time again, we needed a big, commanding centre back...and we've signed Silvestre he doesn't fill this criteria, but I suppose he gives us another option, as the Gallas/Toure partnership just doesn't work. The fact that Silvestre also gives us an experienced backup to Clichy, makes him potentially, a decent signing.
Chippy wrote:Read this from a manure fan on F365 and it cheered me up.
An Open Letter To Sir Alex...
If Mikael Silvestre is indeed sold, who exactly is our cover for Patrice Evra? Chances are good he will be suspended/injured at some point during the coming season. I ask you who plays left back in that situation? I'm racking my brains and the only people I can come up with are Fabio Da Silva (who cannot be ready yet, can he?) or that 'jack of all trades' gobshite John O'Shea, a guy whose lack of ambition has meant his footballing development has gone furiously backwards from his electrifying first season with United.
And while we are on the topic of the transfer to Silvestre, you are going to let him go to Arsenal? TO ARSENAL!! Why, after fighting tooth and nail to prevent Heinze move to Liverpool would you now voluntarily allow a rival manager to strengthen his squad to the detriment of your own. Why the hell would you be willing to help Arsene Wenger solve one his biggest squad deficiences (namely cover for left back and centre half). And not even for a decent-sized transfer fee. I mean I could begin to get my head round it if we were charging Arsenal something ridiculous like 10 million, but I think in the cicumstances it would serve United better for Silvestre to be bunged into the reserves for a year than have him play for a title rival. Seriously Sir Alex, if you've got some hidden master plan, I'm dying for the big reveal.
Robert Vard
augie wrote:I still cant get past the fact that (a) we have signed another injury prone player and (b) we have given him a 2 year deal when players that had given us great service like DB10 & pires were forced to accept 1 years deals
...and also let's not forget that even at his best Silvestre was still a weakest link in Man Utd defence...as for Pires reference, all I can say that's what hurts me most regarding this particular signing...
Now i'm reading suggestions that he might join Gallas in central defence with Toure being pushed into a Flamini role???????? It's realy beyond me why our BEST central defender can't play in his position... ...anything to do with wrong geezer being a captain???
I agree with you 100% that the "wrong geezer" is captain but lets get one thing clear.......it is gallas not kolo who is our best central defender and it isnt even a close contest either.
Well according to last season's arsenal.com player profile, Kolo was our "best and most established central defender" and he still is - for me at least. I really can't see what is so good about Gallas? Allright, he knocked few goals in last season (Man Utd, Chelsea, Wigan), but his main job is defending and in those 3 games againt Sp**s, ManUre and Liverpool when we concieded 13 goals, Gallas played in all of them...can't blame Traore for 13 leaked goals, can you...
augie wrote:I still cant get past the fact that (a) we have signed another injury prone player and (b) we have given him a 2 year deal when players that had given us great service like DB10 & pires were forced to accept 1 years deals
...and also let's not forget that even at his best Silvestre was still a weakest link in Man Utd defence...as for Pires reference, all I can say that's what hurts me most regarding this particular signing...
Now i'm reading suggestions that he might join Gallas in central defence with Toure being pushed into a Flamini role???????? It's realy beyond me why our BEST central defender can't play in his position... ...anything to do with wrong geezer being a captain???
I agree with you 100% that the "wrong geezer" is captain but lets get one thing clear.......it is gallas not kolo who is our best central defender and it isnt even a close contest either.
Well according to last season's arsenal.com player profile, Kolo was our "best and most established central defender" and he still is - for me at least. I really can't see what is so good about Gallas? Allright, he knocked few goals in last season (Man Utd, Chelsea, Wigan), but his main job is defending and in those 3 games againt Sp**s, ManUre and Liverpool when we concieded 13 goals, Gallas played in all of them...can't blame Traore for 13 leaked goals, can you...
Anyway, we'll have to agree to disagree.
A natural defender see's and anticipates danger rather than reacts to it as kolo does. I love kolo to bits for his enthusiasm and he always comes across like he cares as much as we do but in my opinion he has got away with his defensive weak points for a long time because of his speed.
As regards the amount of goals we conceded then I would suggest it is more to do with the defensive partnership than either of the 2 individually - most on here would agree that even senderos partnered with either of them is a better partnership than kolo/gallas
augie wrote: even senderos partnered with either of them is a better partnership than kolo/gallas
As shocking as that might read to most, I would agree. Senderos is poor in most areas (also doesn't anticipate or dictate but only reacts to things - usually too late) but at least he can clear a ball with his head. Gallas and Kolo seem incapable of dealing with even the most basic aerial threat; they do not compliment each other and are not a good partnership IMHO.
augie wrote: even senderos partnered with either of them is a better partnership than kolo/gallas
As shocking as that might read to most, I would agree. Senderos is poor in most areas (also doesn't anticipate or dictate but only reacts to things - usually too late) but at least he can clear a ball with his head. Gallas and Kolo seem incapable of dealing with even the most basic aerial threat; they do not compliment each other and are not a good partnership IMHO.
Very true, how do we cope with a long ball over the top??
augie wrote: even senderos partnered with either of them is a better partnership than kolo/gallas
As shocking as that might read to most, I would agree. Senderos is poor in most areas (also doesn't anticipate or dictate but only reacts to things - usually too late) but at least he can clear a ball with his head. Gallas and Kolo seem incapable of dealing with even the most basic aerial threat; they do not compliment each other and are not a good partnership IMHO.
he doesn't fill this criteria, but I suppose he gives us another option, as the Gallas/Toure partnership just doesn't work. The fact that Silvestre also gives us an experienced backup to Clichy, makes him potentially, a decent signing.
...anything to do with wrong geezer being a captain???
