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.
Scott Parker could transform us. He's got everything we're lacking and is available, but our *word censored* manager will not sign him.
I would love an English CB, Cahill is being mentioned a lot but I'm not sure he's good enough. Bring back the loanies like Lansbury and Bartley to replace the foreign dross as squad players.
I dont know if its 'British' grit that we need rather than players that are going to stand up and be counted and players that care about the club enough not to laugh and joke even when we are losing. What we have been crying out for since we left Highbury is a player who will take the game by the scruff of the neck and dicate the pace when things are going quite so well. Im just sick of the likes of Diaby and Denilson who just jog about with no fight or intesity whatsoever.
I agree with you Bren that quality will shine through no matter where you are from but the current team seem to lack fighting spirit. Yes we may have lots of technically gifted players, but when you are hanging on to a one goal lead with 5 mins to go I don't want technically gifted, I want a row Z toe punt. I dont want total tippy tappy football no more than I want us to adopt Stoke/Brum physical tactics each and every game, but a blend of both or at least the ability to adopt that style as and when necessary would be nice.
It's endemic in the French to throw in the towel when things aren't going well, I think more British players can only be a good thing as long as they have quality as well. Put Cahill, Parker and Ashley Young in our team for next season and we would be a MUCH better team!!
northbankbren wrote:disagree totally, it not about being british/english it about how good you are. Quality shines no matter where you come from.
No team in England has won a league title without an English CB, I wonder why!
Having talented foreigners is all well and good but without that English spirit you don't win leagues. Look at Man U - they have Ferdinand, Scholes, Rooney, Giggs, etc; Chelsea with Terry, Lampard, Cole and us years back with Sol, Parlour, Cashley, Keown, Adams, etc. I guarantee you Wenger would not have won anything had he got rid of the famous back 4 when he was appointed.
I agree something (spirit, guts, fight, bottle) is missing from this team but to say it comes down to a lack of "British" spirit does a bit of a diservice to British players. They bring more than just fight to the game. It also does a bit of a diservice to "foreign" players as it implies they only bring technique and that none of them have the bottle.
I think it comes down to the individual player. Some have the bottle, some don't.
But a huge part of this is in how they are coached within the team structure. It is obvious Wenger is obsessed with the tippy tappy passy passy game everywhere on the pitch. He needs to "allow" our defenders in particular to get "dirty" when it matters. There is no shame in just hoofing it into row Z rather than passing it out of defence when your back is to the wall.
An old but very relevent defensive cliche is; "When in doubt, put it out."
northbankbren wrote:disagree totally, it not about being british/english it about how good you are. Quality shines no matter where you come from.
No team in England has won a league title without an English CB, I wonder why!
Probably because foreigners in the English league have only been commonplace for what? 10 years at a push?
Not saying we couldnt do with some signings with experience in the premier league but the "No club has won a title without an english CB" stat just feels rather weak.
DB10GOONER wrote:
But a huge part of this is in how they are coached within the team structure. It is obvious Wenger is obsessed with the tippy tappy passy passy game everywhere on the pitch. He needs to "allow" our defenders in particular to get "dirty" when it matters. There is no shame in just hoofing it into row Z rather than passing it out of defence when your back is to the wall.
Exactly. No shouting at each other please because this worked once in Japan.
Hmmm, perhaps a few 'experienced' brits may help, but the whole culture within the club from the way we play our predictable football to the way the players present themselves (Twittering shit, etc) needs to be changed and the only way this will happen is a change at the top!!
The British spine we had when Wenger took over was simply too old and experienced for Wenger to coach the britishness out of them. But he did try.
Any British signings now we are expecting them to come in, automatically become the dominant personality/clique within the club, reform the team in their image and ignore their manager. Alot to ask isnt it?
These "british bulldog fighting spirit" ideas are just a synonym for team spirit and a sense of the whole. That is what made some of our Graham sides and our early Wenger sides such a force.
All the time the club is set-up so that players sit in silence in homage to dear leader waiting for him to deliver them to the promised land while picking up their 60k a week 1 or 2 British signings wont change a god damn thing, they will be absorbed into the stale Wenger culture.
LDB wrote:The British spine we had when Wenger took over was simply too old and experienced for Wenger to coach the britishness out of them. But he did try.
Any British signings now we are expecting them to come in, automatically become the dominant personality/clique within the club, reform the team in their image and ignore their manager. Alot to ask isnt it?
These "british bulldog fighting spirit" ideas are just a synonym for team spirit and a sense of the whole. That is what made some of our Graham sides and our early Wenger sides such a force.
All the time the club is set-up so that players sit in silence in homage to dear leader waiting for him to deliver them to the promised land while picking up their 60k a week 1 or 2 British signings wont change a god damn thing, they will be absorbed into the stale Wenger culture.