Arsenal Thread

[FLiam]

Apparently Bentley scored a stunner for Norwich and I reall want to see it, my mates said he hit it from 20-25 yards and it virtually appeared in the top corner, don't suppose anyone has a link to a video do they?

ps. My last post for a week, I am off to Spain on holiday, bye. :thumbsup:

Edited August 5, 2004 by Gooner4Life

[TMM]

Apparently, talks have stalled between us and Madrid over the fee for Vieira.

IMO, what this means is 1) Vieira will HAVE TO come out and see he wants to leave, or 2) Real Madrid will have to up their bid significantly.

1) won't happen, because I think Vieira would love to play for Real, but loves playing for Arsenal so I don't think if the move broke down it would bother him *that* much.

I don't see him going now. Not this season anyway.

[TMM]

Well, we're off to a winning start, and Cesc looked fantastic. He was great, and at the age of 17 outshone every Man Utd player on the pitch. Reyes showed why we paid so heavily for him, and our left side scares even me!

Clichy, Cole, van Persie, Reyes, Pires...four of those have blistering pace!

[Asuka's Gonna Kill You]

The game today showed one thing, Ferguson didn't care about the Community Shield or whatever they call it now.

At half time he started to show it by making pathetic changes, because he knows he cant afford to have any players tired for next Sunday(or Saturday) in the big Chelsea game.

Great game though like always. Smiths goal was pure stunning, I loved how it curled like that. Arsenal should have still won this easily though as you could see United didn't give two fucks.

Reyes played really good and should have walked away with more than one goal. Clichy(sp?) is the next Ashley Cole, his runs are actually as good as Coles if you ask me. Van Persie didn't do huge amounts, but the header he had was a stunning piece of play from Arsenal. Lehman didn't do anything to bad either, he actually made some good saves. Gilberto played well like always.

Overall a deserving win for Arsenal, but if anyone writes of United just because of today then they are fools.

[G-O-D]

Arsenal will be the team to beat this season. And with Reyes and Henry in your side, you guys look formiable indeed. But I think Arsenal will not be able to retain their Premiership crown.

[TMM]

Jeffers joins Charlton

Charlton Athletic have snapped up Francis Jeffers from London rivals Arsenal in a £2.6 million deal.

Jeffers has found himself no longer in Arsene Wenger's plans at Highbury and has signed a two-year contract with The Addicks.

The England cap spent last season on loan at former club Everton but struggled to recapture his old sparkle.

He returned to North London but his prospects with the Premiership champions appeared to have been as bleak as ever.

Even an injury to Jeremie Aliadiere in Sunday's Community Shield has not kept the door open for Jeffers in Wenger's thinking.

Addicks boss Alan Curbishley, though, had no qualms in handing the 23-year-old the opportunity to relaunch his career at The Valley.

"Arsenal paid a lot of money for him a few years ago but he found it difficult to claim a first-team place because of the competition at Arsenal," Curbishley told the club's official website.

"He needed a change and he's exactly the sort of player I like to sign because I feel he's angry and hungry after the last couple of years.

"I'm hoping that we can put his career back on track."

Jeffers' arrival at Charlton caps a busy day in the transfer market for the club after midfielder Danny Murphy was drafted in from Liverpool.

Oh well, not a huge loss, but I am surprised Wenger let him go after the Aliadiere injury. Oh well, won't be missed.

[TheArsenal]

Won't really be missed with Henry, Reyes, Bergkamp, van Persie, Aliadiere (when he recovers) in contention.

[Guest Pirate Chasin' Booty]

Went to watch the shield, it was a good day out, lets hope Fabregas gets much more action this season, he played brilliantly. I'm sick of all that 'Man Utd played a youth team' tripe aswell, both teams had their share of youth, Utd just made some pathetic substitutions, I had to deal with all this shit talk all the way home.

[TheArsenal]

Club captain Patrick Vieira has ended the speculation surrounding his future by deciding to stay at Arsenal Football Club.

The 28-year-old midfielder has explained to Arsenal.com that he was considering a move after eight highly-successful years at Highbury, but in the end, his ties and love for the Club were too much for him to leave.

“I am staying at the Club,” Vieira told Arsenal.com. “I’ve spent the summer considering my future and a possible move to Real Madrid, but my love for Arsenal and the ties which I have here were too strong for me to break.

“I am proud to be captain of the Club and I’m looking forward to achieving my football ambitions with Arsenal.”

Patrick also wants to thank the Club for their patience and understanding during recent weeks and his decision is purely down to his desire to stay at Arsenal.

Further reaction to this news will feature on Arsenal.com following this afternoon’s press conference.

[Summers]

That means; "They wouldn't pay me enough, so I'm staying here."

[TheArsenal]

That means; "They wouldn't pay me enough, so I'm staying here."

←

[sirdavinator]

Actually, it's not like Arsenal would crumble without Vieria. They proved they could do without Vieria in the Community Shield, but obviously staying at Arsenal was a good choice.

[fineintent]

Actually, it's not like Arsenal would crumble without Vieria. They proved they could do without Vieria in the Community Shield, but obviously staying at Arsenal was a good choice.

[FLiam]

Vieira is staying \0/

We won Shield \0/

And I'm back

[TheArsenal]

Ashley Cole believes Premiership champions Arsenal would beat England.

Gunners left-back Cole believes Arsenal's familiarity with each other and their superior passing game make them a better side than England.

"I've got to say 'yes'," said Cole when asked if Arsene Wenger's side would win against Sven Goran-Eriksson's team.

"We've got a great team with England. But with Arsenal there are some unbelievable players with Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Jose Reyes."

Cole has rarely played with a regular partner in front of him on the left of midfield and hopes England's perennial problem over recent years can be solved.

"When I play for Arsenal, I've got Robert Pires there and we work well together," he explained.

"That's why I'm so settled at Arsenal, I feel at home there and don't get as nervous.

"I think that I'm more comfortable on the ball at Arsenal. You get slightly more time than in international football."

He added: "It's always nice to have someone in front of you that you play with regularly, like Gary Neville has with David Beckham.

"Hopefully we can find someone and we can settle down and play well together." 

But England have been criticised for their lack of ability to keep possession following their exit at the quarter-final stage at Euro 2004.

Eriksson's side took the lead against both France and Portugal during the tournament but lost the games as they sat back and tried to defend their leads.

Cole said: "Maybe we have to keep the ball a bit more and be a bit calmer, to give the back four time to push up.

"But against France and Portugal, everyone was tired, it was hot and it was just down to fatigue that we were dropping deep."

Edited August 18, 2004 by TheArsenal

[TheArsenal]

Patrick Vieira believes his experience as Arsenal skipper will help him make a success of his new role as France captain.

The Arsenal midfielder has succeeded Marcel Desailly following the former Chelsea star's decision to retire from international football after Euro 2004.

Vieira, who pledged his future to Arsenal last week after a summer of transfer speculation, believes he will thrive on the extra responsibility.

"I love responsibility," said Vieira. "So when the coach told me I was going to be captain, of course I accepted.

"Since I was made Arsenal captain it's given me a lot. It's helped me make progress and I hope that will also be the case with the France team."

Vieira will bring his own style of leadership to his new role as France prepare for life without Desailly and Zinedine Zidane, who has also called time on his international career.

"Didier Deschamps was a captain who really got involved in everything, while Marcel on the other hand stepped back a little bit from all that," said Vieira.

"Marcel was more relaxed but I see myself as between the two of them."

Vieira misses tonight's friendly against Bosnia-Herzegovina with a thigh injury but expects to be fit for France's World Cup qualifying campaign, which starts next month.

[FLiam]

Looks as if we are going to have to go without Mathieu Flamini for a while as Marseille are taking us to court over the signing of him, in my eyes there is nothing wrong, they didn't give him new deal so we offered him one, simple as that.

They are just holding out for more money for him.

Let's hope this is the last time we ever do business of any kind with l'OM

[TMM]

Told you Vieira was going nowhere

I'm back as well...

Apparently, if Real Madrid had agreed a fee, Vieira would be a Real player. The terms were agreed and everything. It was Wenger that did it. I love him . He told Vieira "you can go"...so Vieira stayyed.

[FLiam]

No, it was the other way round. We had agreed to let him go and jst hours after agreeing a deal Vieira talked to Dein and Wenger and said he can't leave. That's what Dein himself said anyway.

[TheArsenal]

Either way, I've lost a lot of respect for him now. I wouldn't care if he had gone to Real Madrid.