Fabregas a JOKE

[savaloisav]

Gary Cahill
Roger Johnson

Il take either

Cheers.

[Arsenal 1991]

We need a ready made captain. Sign a big english CB and let him controll the back 4
Spend what ever it takes!!!!

I think we have a lot of leaders coming through the academy, the likes of bartley, lansbury and of course jack are big personalities.

Add this to RVP (if fit! ), Nasri and possibly TV5 then I think we will be much better off next season but this talent needs someone to help them along so we need to sign a leader. Doesn't have to be english but someone like Fletcher, Terry, Vidic, Neville, Vieira, Keane, Campbell. In other words a bit of a *word censored* who will stand up for his players but will let them know if they've been shit and will drag them through a rough patch.

Bartley, Nasri, Jack and RVP seem to have this in them but one is never fit and the others are still young so will need help!

[savaloisav]

We need a ready made captain. Sign a big english CB and let him controll the back 4
Spend what ever it takes!!!!

I think we have a lot of leaders coming through the academy, the likes of bartley, lansbury and of course jack are big personalities.

Add this to RVP (if fit! ), Nasri and possibly TV5 then I think we will be much better off next season but this talent needs someone to help them along so we need to sign a leader. Doesn't have to be english but someone like Fletcher, Terry, Vidic, Neville, Vieira, Keane, Campbell. In other words a bit of a c**t who will stand up for his players but will let them know if they've been shit and will drag them through a rough patch.

Bartley, Nasri, Jack and RVP seem to have this in them but one is never fit and the others are still young so will need help!

Wenger wouldnt know what a leader was if he come up to him, hit him in the face and said " Hey im a leader .."

He came to Arsenal with the best leader weve ever had. And he was Lucky enough to have Keown there who lasted 2 seasons Longer. and Vieira was just ready made.

A big Personality doesnt make a leader. Henry treated Walcott like a baby, which is why Walcott was such a pussy for 2 season. I remember Henry hugging his head before games and kissing his cheek and telling him, Everything would be alright before games. Truly embaressing.

[bergkamp10]

Stick by what i said earlier but what was Cesc doing in the tunnel before the game? Going round shaking hands and cuddling all the Barca players one by one

Would have have seen a real captain like Tony Adams doing all that shite?

Exactly right, quiet amazing I thought. God know what Bould/Adams would of said to the young whipper snapper...

[1989]

Jack is definitely a future leader but wouldn't give him the armband. Aren't really any other candidates cause we don't know what TV is going to be like when/if he comes back. A leader is a must in the transfer window, whether its at centre back or defensive midfielder it doesn't matter.

If Cesc leaves I would give it to Nasri.

That would be just as bad as giving Cesc the armband.

Don't give it to flair players.

[northbankbren]

Give some other examples of players single handedly taking a big game and turning it around- Henry v Liverpool 04, Messi v us last year, Beckham v Greece 01 spring to mind but it doesn't happen that often, so it's a strange criticism to make...

Now this I suppose is my main point of why i feel he is overrated. Its one thing being the midfield wizard against west brom/wolves/wigan, but its another story all together against the likes of man utd/chelski/scousers. In my opinion he has never been our best player in any real crunch games against our closest rivals in the prem and Europe. I honestly cant remember a time where he has the one to dig us out of a tight situation (maybe Bolton away 3-2 and villa away last year), but on the grand scale the opposition wasn’t exactly “top classâ€

[MM99]

Give some other examples of players single handedly taking a big game and turning it around- Henry v Liverpool 04, Messi v us last year, Beckham v Greece 01 spring to mind but it doesn't happen that often, so it's a strange criticism to make...

Now this I suppose is my main point of why i feel he is overrated. Its one thing being the midfield wizard against west brom/wolves/wigan, but its another story all together against the likes of man utd/chelski/scousers. In my opinion he has never been our best player in any real crunch games against our closest rivals in the prem and Europe. I honestly cant remember a time where he has the one to dig us out of a tight situation (maybe Bolton away 3-2 and villa away last year), but on the grand scale the opposition wasn’t exactly “top classâ€

[Belfast Boy]

If in doubt give it a clout??? we did do that many times last nite when it was needed (only for it to come strainght back anyway) but has it escaped everyone's notice that if we did that as a rule we would not have scored the second goal in the first leg, it's the same as when the fans along with most of the so called expert pundits that we have to put up with give Arsenal grief for tryin to walk the ball into the net, yet nobody sez the same thing about Barca

Fact is that in tryin to play the ball out you will definitely become a cropper sooner or later but surely to take a balanced view you have to weigh that against how many you'll score by keeping possession and hitting on the counter, and again using the first leg "winner" as an example even Townsend thought that Nasri was going to shoot himself and Barca thought he was going to roll it to RvP only for him to pick out AA to slot home, which of course then led to that wanker Tilsey's horrendous "a Barcelona goal from Arsenal" it's easy to criticise when your frustrated but you have to take the blinkers off!

[highburyJD]

A couple of pished points
A) we do need a bit more nastiness
B) Crack wasn't fit but who do u play insteqd?
C) maybe didn't show on tv but Nasri worked his follow off + won the corner, took it well created the goal and should have had elves and bouquets booked for cynical fouls on him can't believe some1 said where was he
D) did somebody seriously post they "long for a real man" and not get ANY stick a couple of pageant into this!??!

More Cerveza per favor.

[Robsy]

A couple of pished points
A) we do need a bit more nastiness
B) Crack wasn't fit but who do u play insteqd?
C) maybe didn't show on tv but Nasri worked his follow off + won the corner, took it well created the goal and should have had elves and bouquets booked for cynical fouls on him can't believe some1 said where was he
D) did somebody seriously post they "long for a real man" and not get ANY stick a couple of pageant into this!??!

More Cerveza per favor.

After the shit their fans gave him when he was subbed off, Cesc would be a fool to leave us.

Haven't seen the TV replays, but hugging all the oppo before such a big game, then them treating us like a bunch of crunts (not wanting to give the ball back after our injuries) seems a bit silly.

We need to keep Cesc, he might have had a bad game (by his own admission) but he is quality.

[Goonanana]

Blimey some huge over-reaction here!

Yes Cesc has a fucking terrible game last night, but firstly even the greatest players in the world have off days, secondly he was clearly not fit, playing at 70% pace against a Barca side containing some of the best players in the world going gung ho 110% from the offer and thirdly he was being asked to play as the furthest forward central midfielder to try and link defence to attack should be get the chance to break but as it happened the ball barely left our third of the pitch and when it did either the defenders or Diaby/Rosicky and to a lesser extent Jack were forced to rush their pass by 203 Barca players sprinting at them so the ball never made it to him!

I think ordinarily Cesc plays with heart and is a leader. The "smile" was more of a grimace imho and with regards to the tunnel antics well that is tougher, could be argued he should have stayed with the team and done that kind of thing at the end but the other way to look at it is that maybe it was more designed to put his own team at ease so they weren't scared of these Barcelona superstars on a pedestal and were in fact just human and his mates

[LeoGooner]

If in doubt give it a clout??? we did do that many times last nite when it was needed (only for it to come strainght back anyway) but has it escaped everyone's notice that if we did that as a rule we would not have scored the second goal in the first leg, it's the same as when the fans along with most of the so called expert pundits that we have to put up with give Arsenal grief for tryin to walk the ball into the net, yet nobody sez the same thing about Barca

Fact is that in tryin to play the ball out you will definitely become a cropper sooner or later but surely to take a balanced view you have to weigh that against how many you'll score by keeping possession and hitting on the counter, and again using the first leg "winner" as an example even Townsend thought that Nasri was going to shoot himself and Barca thought he was going to roll it to RvP only for him to pick out AA to slot home, which of course then led to that wanker Tilsey's horrendous "a Barcelona goal from Arsenal" it's easy to criticise when your frustrated but you have to take the blinkers off!

You have a point BB but playing the ball out against Blackpool is quite different to doing it against Barcelona. The Arshavin goal in the home tie was four crisp passes moving the ball away from the danger area. When you are playing the ball out against the best team in the world, who have pressed you for 45 minutes and not allowed you any decent possession, and its a minute to half time and going in still ahead in the tie, AND to do this with a backheel sideways on the edge of your own box, is either naive or arrogant in the extreme. Either way it is not leadership.

[augie]

A couple of pished points
A) we do need a bit more nastiness
B) Crack wasn't fit but who do u play insteqd?
C) maybe didn't show on tv but Nasri worked his follow off + won the corner, took it well created the goal and should have had elves and bouquets booked for cynical fouls on him can't believe some1 said where was he
D) did somebody seriously post they "long for a real man" and not get ANY stick a couple of pageant into this!??!

More Cerveza per favor.

I'm sorry but I aint having that - clichy, who isnt the most defensive full back around, was continually left exposed as nasri hung him out to dry time and time again It was the type of unwillingness to track back performance that has seen arshavin labelled as a lazy overweight flop yet nasri does it and nobody bats an eyelid

Let me say up front that in my opinion nasri has improved hugely this season and will get my vote for player of the season but I cannot believe that now some fans can see no wrong in the guy at all Cesc gets slated and gets bashed for his failure to turn up for the big games (mm99 already finished that bullshit suggestion I hope) but tell me when and where nasri has taken control on the big stage Last night he hardly showed for the ball and with one or two exceptions his ball retention was shit (though he was far from alone there )

Anyway for me a lot of fans dont deserve to have a player like cesc in our ranks anymore - for daring to suggest that he might want to return home to barcelona last summer it now appears that he is now viewed as a traitor who will never be viewed positivily in some Gooners eyes and hearts. Nasri, jack and whoever have a long long way to go before they can genuinelly (sp ) be spoken of as being in the same class as cesc so my advice to other Gooners is to enjoy watching cesc while it lasts cos it might be a long time before we see a player of that level wear our shirt with such pride

[MegaGooner]

Anyway for me a lot of fans dont deserve to have a player like cesc in our ranks anymore - for daring to suggest that he might want to return home to barcelona last summer it now appears that he is now viewed as a traitor who will never be viewed positivily in some Gooners eyes and hearts. Nasri, jack and whoever have a long long way to go before they can genuinelly (sp ) be spoken of as being in the same class as cesc so my advice to other Gooners is to enjoy watching cesc while it lasts cos it might be a long time before we see a player of that level wear our shirt with such pride

Well said augie.

[minty99]

cesc was obviously rushed back tonight, poor game really.

just gonna throw it out there -

but something that really gets on my last nerve is the lack of 'c**t' in our team. here me out, i'm sort of on about leadership but more so someone who really will be stand up and counted for the other 10, letting no one take the piss or take liberties. jack comes close. also rvp. the chavs have it with terry, newcastle with barton, parker with west ham, shrek for utd, gerrard for lpool, de jong at city, catermole at sunderland, and so on. i know its easy to say but, look at keown after van horse missed that pen a few years back, and look at kos getting a slap on the head from a two bob brum c**t - you just wouldn't stand for it if that was your team mate. i'm not even calling for your typical english player who makes up for his lack of pure football talent with 'steel', it'd just be nice to have a player who assures the opposition they can't and won't be able to take the piss and the hands out sly retribution. not some ponce in colourful boots, a scarf and gloves.

not explained very well but you get my drift. if i played against arsenal i'd walk around like a owned the place, cheating here, cheating there, grabbing him, clipping his mate, cos' none of them would do anything about it anyway.

flamini that was a fuck up letting him go he would of stood up