Arsenal Thread

[Asuka's Gonna Kill You]

One rumour making the rounds is now that we are after Torres. It first came from The People paper so I didn't really believe it, but sources from Spain, including Atletico supporters are 100% convinced he is leaivng in the summer, he has said he wouldn't join another Spanish side because he says it would be wrong, also he said that Italian football wouldn't suit him, but English football would. He mentioned us and Liverpool because he knows Reyes, Alonso, Nunez etc.

Anyway, according to the sources in Spain, Arsenal asked how much Atletico would want for him and they said £27m which has scared us off, so maybe Pires could come into the deal then.

One more thing, Parma are playing Bologna in a Serie A relegation playoff match, if Parma were to lose, they have a few players we should try and get, Gilardino for sure, Frey, Cannavaro and Bonera all could be great signings.

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[lazy_arse]

Ashley Cole has been found guilty. Got fined £100,000. Quite a hefty fine. Mourinho got fined double that and Arsenal are seeking compensation from Chelsea, but I doubt that will happen. Chelsea fined £300,000 and a suspended 3 point penalty.

Edited June 1, 2005 by lazy_arse

[TMM]

Cole to appeal fine

Ashley Cole is set to appeal against his verdict of being found guilty and fined in The Premier League's 'tapping-up' probe.

Cole was found guilty of breaching rule K5, which governs approaches from players to clubs, after he was alleged to have met Chelsea over a possible move to Stamford Bridge.

The England international is thought to have made his desire for a move known at the meeting on January 27.

Cole was fined £100,000 for his compliance in the scandal while Chelsea were punished with a fine of £300,000 and a suspended three-point deduction and Jose Mourinho was hit with a £200,000 fine.

Cole's lawyer Graham Shear was furious at the outcome of the commission and revealed they will be appealing the decisions from The Premier League.

"Suffice to say we are absolutely furious about both the decision and what appears to be a slightly disjointed or unrelated penalty that follows," said Shear .

"We think this is an entirely unsatisfactory conclusion that appears to be assumption upon assumption with little more than inference assisting that decision.

"The decision does not seem to bear much in the way of a relationship to the evidence provided both by Ashley Cole and Jonathan Barnett which was both far-reaching and extremely credible.

"We find it hard to understand how the decision could have been reached in light of that evidence. The decision also does not deal with the extremely important issue of restraint of trade so far as footballers are concerned and it doesn't explain why footballers cannot speak to prospective employers.

"I think you can take it from me that we will be lodging an appeal not only so far as the factual or evidentiary side of this decision is concerned but so far as the restraint issues are concerned as well.

"We will be lodging that appeal immediately and we, under instructions from Ashley, intend to pursue this to the fullest conclusion."

Credit: SkySports.com

Dein hopeful Cole will stay

Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein admitted he felt sorry for Ashley Cole following his £100,000 fine and insisted the club would look to keep him at Highbury.

Cole was found guilty for his part in the meeting with Chelsea officials in January and was handed the hefty fine - which amounts to around three weeks wages.

Although Arsenal were hoping for compensation from the inquiry, Dein insists he now wants to put the matter to bed and is hopeful Cole will stay put and even sign a new contract.

"We hope Ashley does not leave. We do not want him to leave and we will be trying to extend his contract," Dein told Sky Sports News.

"We did not want to see him punished and I certainly did not testify against him.

"We all make mistakes but we move on. We want Ashley to be part of our future."

"I certainly do think Ashley will remain an Arsenal player."

However, Dein admitted he was satisfied with the outcome of the inquiry, and believes the punishments meted out will serve as a deterrent.

"The rules have been there for many years. A similar rule exists throughout Europe and it is important that everyone respects it," he continued.

"Three points suspended is not inconsiderable and it will be a deterrent (to Chelsea).

"The rules are there to be respected. If clubs do not like rules take them out and let's have a free-for-all.

"People learn from their mistakes. We are going to close the book now. We do not want any hostility."

In an official statement, Arsenal echoed Dein's sentiments but again offered support for Cole.

"We believe that the hearing was fair and thorough and are pleased with the outcome.

"Hopefully this verdict will deter clubs from illegally approaching players in the future.

"It is also important to note that we have been supportive of Ashley Cole throughout proceedings and wish to reiterate that we remain fully committed to extending his contract with us."

PFA chief Gordon Taylor also expressed sympathy for Cole and insisted he had been badly advised by his representatives.

"Ashley has been put in an invidious position," Taylor told Sky Sports News.

"He was considering other options and my information is that he did not know Chelsea personnel were going to be at the meeting.

"His advisors knew he was going to be put in an impossible position. "The rules are in place to try to make sure the image of the game is correct.

"We do not want one team looking to destabilise another team but I am sorry for Ashley. It is very punitive and I think he was badly advised on this occasion.

"I do not know of any case where a player will actively contact another club. It seems disproportionate that Ashley is fined £100,000 when the club with multi- millions is fined £300,000."

Credit: SkySports.com

I think everything that's happened has been fairly dealt with and personally, this should be the end of it all for ALL parties. Chelsea and Ashley Cole have no right to appeal any of the disciplinary actions if you ask me. Cole, Mourinho and Chelsea all deserve their fines, and Chelsea deserve the point deduction. The only person who's gotten away with it (and the person who, after Peter Kenyon, has the most culipribility) is Cole's agent. Agents are the scum of the earth (after Manc's ) and there should be some regulations where the bloody agent gets a hefty fine or something.

[FLiam]

Just for the record. Chelsea haven't been deducted points. Only if they do it again next season.

[TMM]

Just for the record. Chelsea haven't been deducted points. Only if they do it again next season.

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Oh, that's just ghey then, fuck that. They should be deducted points.

[Turbo Yannis]

If the shoe was on the other foot you wouldn't be saying that...

I think the whole tapping up devate is a pile of shit. Normal people can talk to other companies when they're still working for another, why should footballers be any different?

[Jonny D]

Personally I think the punishment is a little harsh. I don't remember it too well, but I'm sure when Villa got found guilty of tapping up all they got was a warning. It just seems like the FA wanted to make an example out of Chelsea simply because they are Chelsea.

[supergrass]

If the shoe was on the other foot you wouldn't be saying that...

I think the whole tapping up devate is a pile of shit.  Normal people can talk to other companies when they're still working for another, why should footballers be any different?

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Edited June 1, 2005 by supergrass

[FLiam]

So, we have seen a good few players linked recently:

Wright-Phillips

Torres

Robinho

Hleb

Nasri

Dixon

de Ridder

But who do you actually want us to sign? I find it kind of worrying that we are just linked with attackers because our main concern should be another center back and then maybe a striker or defender.

I just want a young goalie who is going to be good enough to take over as number 1 the season after next, an experienced center back about 27 years old who won't mind sitting on the bench and another Wiltord who can player up front or on the right wing. de Ridder fits that catergory, I think he is quality and there has been rumours of Wenger wanting to loan him for a season with an option to buy.

And in other news, van Persie scored a hattrick for Holland the other day and made one assist as they hammered some shit team 7-0. His goals were quite good, one was a 30 yard free kick which was stunning, Van Basten has said he could be in the starting eleven against Romania at the weekend, hope he is. I think he is going to play a big part next season, he is really looking good lately.

[botchedpiledriver]

You need a center back and somebody to share the work load with Henry. The thought of Torres and Henry upfront is frightening.

[FLiam]

Yeh, imagine the amount of penalties we could win. ¬_¬

[FLiam]

I have made up my mind. I didn't want to believe it, but now I do.

Ashley Cole can fuck off.

He has now bashed us saying that he felt Chelsea's team spirit was better than ours. And that we are run by the French. Him and his scum agent can fuck off. Piss off to Spain you cunt.

[Guest Pirate Chasin' Booty]

I had the same feelings towards Edu when his situation first started, but I warmed to him before he finally left.

Ashley Cole needs to speak out, much like most players these days need to. The media will continue to speak for you until you come out and say whats actually going on.

Its rumoured that if he leaves he'll go abroad because he doesn't want to play against Arsenal. I do believe that he's the best leftback in the world, but loyality is a big thing to me. If any good could come out of this situation it'd be Gael Clichy getting a permanent place in the side.

[fineintent]

Ashley Cole needs to speak out, much like most players these days need to. The media will continue to speak for you until you come out and say whats actually going on.

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[botchedpiledriver]

Didn't Viera text message Cole telling him to demand 80k-a-week? What's all that about?

Edited June 5, 2005 by botchedpiledriver

[TMM]

Ashley Cole needs to speak out, much like most players these days need to. The media will continue to speak for you until you come out and say whats actually going on.

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He did - he told News of the World that he blames David Dein for the contract saga, and will not sign a new one, even if it matches his wage demands.

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Since when did the News of the World mean anything?

I'm a little confused about all this. I don't want him to go because he's easily the best left-back in the world bar none, so it'd be a huge loss to us especially if he leaves on a bosman when his contract expires.

[public enemy]

Didn't Viera text message Cole telling him to demand 80k-a-week?  What's all that about?

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[fineintent]

Ashley Cole needs to speak out, much like most players these days need to. The media will continue to speak for you until you come out and say whats actually going on.

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He did - he told News of the World that he blames David Dein for the contract saga, and will not sign a new one, even if it matches his wage demands.

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[TMM]

And to round of our miserable week...

Freddie in Gunners warning

Freddie Ljungberg has warned Arsenal that he will quit Highbury unless the club match his own ambitions.

A miserable week for the North London outfit has seen Ashley Cole express his discontentment at the club, while Ljungberg has now intimated that he is not ready to ink a new deal.

The talented Swede, 28-years-old, believes Arsenal need to show more ambition in the transfer market and not continue to rely on youth - for which Arsene Wenger is famed for nurturing.

Ljungberg's current deal expires at the close of next season and it is a stark ultimatum that has been issued by the free-scoring midfielder.

''I won't re-sign if the club's ambition does not match mine,'' Ljungberg told the Sunday Express.

''The biggest thing is the Champions League but I can't see how we can achieve that if we are bringing in 18 and 19-year-olds, then expecting them to play 30 matches at the top level.

''What I am saying is not about money - it is about ambition.''

Credit: SkySports.com

Wenger should invest in some players that can be counted upon today instead of a few years from now. I love the fact Wenger finds the obscure youngsters who tend to develop very well, but it would be nice if he signed an established player this summer, I'm talking about a centre-back.

[supergrass]

Just some thoughts on the recent goings-on...

Ashley Cole can blame nobody but himself for all of this, and it's really that simple. The thing that pisses me off the most is his happy kiss-the-badge routine when he scored at Villa and saying how much he loves the club after the FA Cup final. Now it's funny how he forgets these things so quickly. Like mudda I warmed to Edu because he came out and thanked Arsene Wenger and the club for the time he spent here and said he just wanted to move on. If Cole wants to stay, then stay, it's clear that Arsenal want him to. If not, stop wasting time and just go already, show him the door and pocket £20,000,000 (I would say that's at least the figure he should be pulling in) on someone who cost us nothing. He's good, but Gael Clichy is as good as Ashley Cole was at his age, exposure in big games will help him like it did Cole.

Something else that annoys me are the players who come out and question Arsene Wenger's or the club's ambitions. Our progression from decent team to arguably the best in England is only quite recent and is still happening. Wenger hasn't finished lower than second in the league and obviously wants to win the Champions League (and sign some high profile players). What is there to question about his or the club's ambition? It's nice of Freddie to come out and say these things, and I do agree to some extent, but Ljungberg wasn't exactly a major star when he came to Arsenal. Let Wenger do things as he sees fit.

Edited June 5, 2005 by supergrass