G'day everyone and it seems like everybody's in a jovial mood
Here are my comments regarding the soap drama that we've been watching for the past 2 months.
1. Aren't we glad that we have Arsene, Gazi, Ken, and the other members of our "cheapskate" board? It doesn't matter whether the transfer fee is 15+2M as quoted by Zenit, or is it 10+2M which is suggested by the English media? Whatever that we paid for Andy is way below the initial 20-30M price tag. Sure, it was a gamble to play hardball but like I mentioned numerous times before, we have the top cards in our hands and it turned out to be a straight flush!
Citeh paid 12M for Bridge and 14M for de Jong (when he was available for 3M last summer), plus flogged off a 19M record signing in Jo. Of course, 8M for Given might seem like a decent deal though.
T'ham who paid an extra 7M to get Defoe back only to lose him through a fracture, halving the profit from Keane's transfer, and paying another 14M for a player who failed to impress Arsene in the summer.
And we have Arsenal who grabbed one of the most rated player for half price. Furthermore, it gives out a message to other clubs that we're not one to be f*cked around in transfers... Don't expect to extort/blackmail/cheat us of our cash.
Thank gooners we don't have crazy people and fans as our manager/CEO.
2. Now that we've got the Tzar, it's time to ponder about his possible positions. Let's start from his style - Bobby Pires comes immediately to mind. He doesn't dribble excessively, he has quick feet, great fancy finishings (lobs, cannons, curlers), and he seems able to operate in our little intricate triangle gameplay. These are, of course, merely observations from video clips but it's the best reference we have for now.
Andy's arrival might see him being shifted to the wings, probably RW during Theo's absence. Our current available players allow us to field:
Nasri-Denilson-Song-Andy
Alternatively, we might even push Andy/Nasri up front as second striker during a 4411 to support Robin.
Finally, assuming that every attacking player is fit:
Dudu Robin
Nasri Fabs Denilson Andy
With Vela being Dudu's deputy, Theo/Nicky being a late game impact sub, and possibly Tommy to take either the wings or a deep CM as in the Czech NT. I left out Ade because his head is not screwed on at the moment.
3. Andy's just about the right age. We're probably too used to Arsenal buying youngsters these days that anyone close to 30 is considered old. At 27, approaching 28 in May this year, Andy can only be seen as a short to medium term replacement. Which is, undeniably, perfect for us. He'll be in the peak of his prowess, he'll provide the younger players with experience and guidance, and he won't impede/compete too much with the kids in the future... I'll say Andy would give us approx 5 years and by then Nasri, Theo, Vela, Nicky and even the reserves eg Jay/Nacer/Jack/Rambo would be approaching mid-20s... Just nice.
And if that's not convincing enough, think Bobby Pires. Le Bob came at 26, but only reached his peak at around 30.
If Andy is able to emulate or even triumph what Bobby did for us at 30 or later, then so be it; I'm willing to wait.
4. Just read this from gunnerblog:
» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «
“Arsenal deserve credit for keeping their nerve and not having paid over the odds for Arshavin. We must remember that Zenit wanted £30m last summer and £20m at Christmas. They have ended up with less than £15m. It amazes me that some supporters have suggested that we should have given up another £5million just to get it over with.
Arsenal’s money is actually the supporter’s money. Pay over the odds now and there is less for the new contract for Robin Van Persie or a need to raise ticket prices. At the AST we believe the Board have to look after the finances as custodians. That means carefully spending only what we can afford.
Arsenal’s approach is very consistent. They never comment on transfer specualtion. It might be frustrating for some but it is right. If the dignify the made up stories by commenting it only inflates them, if they comment on genuine targets it makes the chances of landing the transfer harder to achieve.
Part of the problem is that the on-line media and blog sites give agents the platform to try and manipulate transfers. And the media have a herd like mentality. So when Sky Sports News got it wrong yesterday, they all followed. Except for the AST who stuck by our understanding that the transfer was in its final stages,
and would be completed.
It is an encouraging start for Ivan Gazidis. One target from Arsene, one player secured. Let us hope it is the first of a successful track record.”
http://gunnerblog.com/?p=1461'Nuff said.
1. Andy probably won't be ready for the NLD... If he was started and scores the winning goal, he'll ascend immediately into the hall of legends... too bad that's unlikely to happen. With T'ham getting back 3 of their ex-players that achieved decent results under Uncle Jol plus our lacklustre midfield, it'll be easier if we had Andy available. Too bad, too bad.
In fact, with the limited number of games remaining he is unlikely to be the saviour that we need despite Arsene's insistence that we don't need one. I would like to think that Andy's one for next season, and it's a good time to let him gel now rather than waste an entire summer on his transfer (thank gooners...) and miss out on pre-season.
2. Despite all the nice words Andy said during his interview, those are merely sweet PR talk. His "Barca Dream Move" comments during the summer remains fresh in my mind, and hopefully he won't f*ck off to Catalunya in the near future. In fact, if he scores a winning goal vs Barca should we ever meet then he'll be an instant hero as well
3. This drama took up too much time and effort that it may have caused us to miss out on other positions. Andy's a good addition, but his arrival doesn't even paper the cracks that exist in our midfield and defence. Gazi and friends still have lots of do in summer, especially a proper CM/DM to partner Fabs; new CB and more competition for WBs; and continue to grab potential starlets. Right now they have Robin's and Theo's contracts to sort out, and I have faith that Gazi will do well in this department.
4. There would be overly-high expectations from some fans after this high profile signing. People should realise that even with Andy around there's no divine right nor absolute guarantee that we'll win every match now... Better to be cautious and wary than to suffer great disappointment. Of course, it's not right to join the Doom 'n' Gloom Party like our regular pessimist (you know who) does...
But use a quote from George Will,
QUOTE
"The nice part about being a pessimist is that you're either constantly being proven right, or you'll be in for a pleasant surprise."
Meh... join the Arsenal Optimists Club instead.
Wrote too long again... don't think anyone will read it lol...
This post has been edited by StarGhazzer: Feb 4 2009, 10:08 AM 
Feb 4 2009, 09:51 AM
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