We haven't got a Song
By Joe Fitzpatrick
Not everyone is ice cold on Alex
If the visit of Sunderland highlighted Arsenal's over-reliance on Robin van Persie's finishing ability last season, then the trip to Stoke on Sunday afternoon could well leave us all sorely lamenting the Alex Song-shaped hole in the heart of our midfield. Say what you like about Song, but there is no doubt that he was our most combative central midfielder, and if Arsenal are not going to replace the Cameroonian international with someone like Yann M'vila before August 31st, then games against the Stoke Citys of this world could prove to be very difficult viewing indeed for us Gooners.
Will he be missed?
At the time of writing, Arsenal look to be 99% certain of signing Nuri Sahin on loan from José Mourinho's Real Madrid in a deal that I thought would never happen because of the somewhat frosty relationship between Arsène Wenger and the Portuguese coach but, according to the latest information available online, the deal looks as though it is going to be announced very shortly. Sahin is a fantastic prospect and will certainly add creativity and another goal-scoring threat from midfield, but I find it very strange that Wenger has yet to add a goalkeeper, a defensive midfielder or a versatile defender to a squad that conceded 49 goals in the league last season.
Alex Dimitri Song Billong was not only our most combative central midfielder, he was also a decent option at centre-half when necessary, and Arsenal are unquestionably weaker defensively without him in their squad. Song will probably be a bit-part player during his first season or two at Barcelona, but I can't help but feel that the competition for places in the Barcelona starting eleven and his close friendship with Cesc Fabregas will bring the best out of him in the longer term.
I was always of the opinion that Song and Walcott should have been playing understudy to more experienced footballers while they learned their trade at Arsenal, as the fight for first-team opportunities, as opposed to a guaranteed starting-spot, would have forced them to iron out the deficiencies in their respective games or else find themselves collecting an impressive collection of splinters in their backsides. I find it very sad that we are losing yet another player before he has reached his peak years as a footballer with no direct replacement on the horizon, and I'm praying that Arsène will bring M'Vila in.
It looks as though Mikel Arteta and Abou Diaby will start in central midfield against Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium, but I'm certain that the vast majority of you would prefer to see Alex Song in place of the frustrating perma-crock Abou Diaby, because there is always the chance that the Frenchman will either break down after 20 minutes or do something stupid like score an own-goal or get himself sent off when we are 4-0 up.
Song may not have been Patrick Vieira or Emmanuel Petit, but he was the best that we had in that position, and the lack of competition for his place in the team eventually led him to believe that he was better than he actually was, and (if you believe some of the stories in the tabloids) possibly even too good for the club that made him a household name. Some of you will be thinking that £15million for Alex Song represents an astute piece of business for Arsenal, but I would only agree with you if that money is spent on recruiting a destructive midfielder to complement our abundance of creativity.
Mikel Arteta may well be able to hold the fort for the time being, but I think he is wasted in that position and one look at his injury record for Everton would make relying on him to stay fit for the whole season a stupid move on Wenger's part. The other "internal solution" to the defensive midfield option is of course Tomas Vermaelen, but that would mean Per Mertesacker partnering Laurent Koscielny and I'm not convinced by the ponderous displays of the German international by any stretch of the imagination.
The good news is that we should have enough firepower to outscore Stoke City with Cazorla, Podolski and Giroud all eager to score their first competitive goals for the club, and Giroud's height and much-lauded aerial abilities will surely be useful to us in both halves of the pitch on Sunday. We should be looking for Walcott and Gervinho to produce better performances than they did against Sunderland, because Podolski and Giroud aren't renowned for creating their own chances, and to expect Cazorla to carry the team when he has only just arrived is simply ludicrous. Speaking of Santi Carzola, it will be interesting to see how the 5ft 6ins Spaniard reacts to the tough tackling of Tony Pulis' men, because I don't think he will have experienced anything similar in La Liga and I'm not expecting him to win much in the air either!
That’s all for now, fellow Gooners, I'm going for a 2-1 away win, but I will not be holding my breath, because we have drawn one and lost two of our last six matches against the Potters, keeping only a single clean sheet - and that was when we still had Robin van Persie and Alex Song to call upon.
23rd August 2012
User Comment and Reaction
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John Gee 9:27am 23rd Aug 2012
Poor article. Song was a very undisciplined CM and cost us more than we gained (on the pitch). The 15m represents a great deal. Don't worry, Arsene will recruit as necessary. - Post No. 28189
TT 9:27am 23rd Aug 2012
No I would not like to see Song instead of Diaby. for all his troubles Diaby has more about him and I have much more confidence in him sticking to a game plan rather than going on suicidal forward runs, leaving the defence more expsposed - Post No. 28190
Canterbury Gooner 11:25am 23rd Aug 2012
Another poor article from you. You probably haven't even seen M'vila play. If the press were clamouring about some other play you'd probably be as eager for that one to come too. Song was not good defensively- he was far better going forward. Arteta was the one last year whose positioning was defensively focussed, which pushed Song forward, and last season was where he really excelled- but again, going forward... - Post No. 28192
GoonerGoal! 12:03pm 23rd Aug 2012
Many here believed Alex Song wasn't good enough to play for Arsenal and now, out of the blue, he has joined a senior member of European football's elite. It wouldn’t be surprising if right now those critics might be feeling a little confused. Obviously, Barcelona saw something in Alex Song that was imperceptible to his critics. Perhaps it was that he lead the Arsenal team in goal assists last season, good enough to place him 4th in the Premier League table. So we have now lost our leading goal scorer and our leading goal-maker from last season! In Arsene We Trust??? 17 players have left the club, since Arsenal last won a trophy in 2005, those players have gone on to win 44 major medals with 11 different clubs. No doubt, Alex Song will soon be joining them… - Post No. 28193
MRMROD 12:17pm 23rd Aug 2012
No Joe, sorry, this is a little too sentimental for me. Most honest Arsenal fans will agree that we can all take or leave Song for in his case we really did polish a metophorical turd. He wasn't, genuinely, good enough for Arsenal and I'm delighted we've made a £15m profit on him and that we no longer have to pretend that he is important. AW should (because we need to) replace him with a quality CDM before the window closes. Although I'm more intrigued with the links to Jesus Navas, the Sevilla winger, which are in many of todays papers. Does this spell the end for Walcott? Here's hoping. - Post No. 28194
Herbert 12:25pm 23rd Aug 2012
Can someone please tell me how this chap's articles continued to be published? Another poor poor read from this fool fitzpatrick. You really dont understand your subject matter, I cannot remember a good article of late you have posted and its a real shame that this trite is stopping other articles being published - Post No. 28195
Greco 12:41pm 23rd Aug 2012
@GoonerGoal! Barca were looking at Yaya Toure and he even said he would be interested in a return to Barca. In the end they've opted for the cheaper option- who will, according to Vilanova himself, be Sergio Busquet's back up. Song is just being used as a squad player. He only got that many assists last term because we had no creative central midfielders- that will fall on Cazorla and maybe Wilshere this season who are far better in that respect. - Post No. 28197
Website Admin 13:08pm 23rd Aug 2012
@Herbert - I have approved your comment about this post in order that I can respond. It's your right to disagree with the writers point of view, although you have failed to explain why, but as you are accusing Joe of not understanding the subject matter, your suggestion that by publishing this piece stops others from being published shows that you don't really understand how this site works. We publish articles by fans who have taken the time to share their opinion with others. It's very rare when we publish an article which doesn't get at least one person taking the writer to task - it's the nature of the internet - and as long as it's done constructively and without being abusive, then we welcome the debate. Perhaps you'd like to submit an article yourself? The editors email address can be found on the contact page. - Post No. 28198
Joe S. 13:15pm 23rd Aug 2012
Congratulations Joe F. you've actually made me stop to reconsider the Song move and what it may mean to Arsenal.My first reaction was that it was in the best interest of both parties. I've never been a fan however in light of what you've drawn out there is room for doubt. Arsenal do have holes in the midfield. Arteta: aging and brittle, Ramsey: will he or won't he, Rosicky: no muscle, Diaby: don't hold your breath, Jack: needs time, Fripong: the most similar to Song which is why playing them together would have been impossible.In the short term there definitely is cause to worry although it's not exactly like losing Viera and even without those two we almost won the Champions League. It is possible to make adjustments. On a professional level I think Song will find a happy home at Barcelona where he can continue to improve, win things and play with some of the best talent on the planet. Isn't that what every aspiring footballer dreams of? - Post No. 28200
GoonerGoal! 13:25pm 23rd Aug 2012
@Greco... Alex Song only got that many assists last term because we had no creative central midfielders? Hmmm, I wonder how Ramsey, Arteta, and Rosicky would feel about that slur on their abilities? Actually, Song got that many goal assists because a certain RvP kept putting his perceptive passes into the net, and we all know what happened to him.... - Post No. 28202
David Stewart 13:31pm 23rd Aug 2012
Goonergoal - That's an interesting stat you provide regarding 17 ex-Arsenal players who have left since 2005 and gone on to win 44 major honours between them. Are you able to shed any light on who they are and the 44 major honours they won? - Post No. 28203
Piers Morgan 13:34pm 23rd Aug 2012
@David Stewart - That stat has been lifted from The Sun which has now published a negative Arsenal story every day for the last 6 weeks. Boycott it. - Post No. 28204
Dan h 14:00pm 23rd Aug 2012
Song to me is very replaceable & he may of created assists last year but 49 goals conceded isn't all down to the defence those sitting in front are also accountable.The constant yellow cards against him early in games you have to question his temprement & not to mention the dangerous areas in which he committed them.Not that it's our problem anymore but he will be a walking red card in Spain he will not get away with the niggling fouls he did here especially bodychecking when a player went past him.He was bought by them as a cheaper solution to Javi Martinez who also can slot in at CB like Song did for us.He had his head turned he has gone & i maybe critical of our management but to me they did the right thing letting him go.Three years left on his contract no reason to reward a new deal also the issue of the African cup of nations doesn't become a factor.Finally Jesus Navas a fine player but if you remember Jose Reyes being unable to settle here times it by 10 for this guy who has had issues even being away from home with Spain! - Post No. 28205
Greco 14:06pm 23rd Aug 2012
@GoonerGoal! You only addressed my second point but in any case: Ramsey, Arteta and Rosicky are all either holding, or box-to-box midfielders- NOT playmakers! they're not incisive passers like Wilshere or Cazorla. Logically it follows that they would be more adept than Song in this, his best, area. - Post No. 28206
piken79 14:13pm 23rd Aug 2012
Arsenal fans a quick to forget...we'll all see how much SONG is missed after the first defeat. I agree with your article, SONG was a very good player. People complain about his positioning but fail to relized he was only acting on instructions from his manager. Barca got themselves an excellent DM...BTW M'villa is NOT better than Alex Song - Post No. 28207
Sheriff 14:48pm 23rd Aug 2012
I can believe people see the selling of Song as a good piece of Business. We went from asking for a player like M'Villa, Martinez or Tiote to be broiught in to challenge Song for a place to rejoycing that has now left and we have no DMF... As mentioned, its only good business if an experienced DMF is brought in, as 15M is NOT going to sit infront of that back 4...Without a replacement for Song, Arsenal will ship at least 60goals this season - Post No. 28208
maguiresbridge gooner 14:59pm 23rd Aug 2012
We all know what VP will bring to man u but what will song bring to barca assists ? there's plenty of players there already for that it can't be his defensive discipline but they want him for some reason they've seen something in him or is it just that like all the rest before him song has had enough.As far as the club are concerned it's a great piece of business alright nice profit.Your right joe not much good for us or the team if the dough is trousered and not spent on a replacement or the defence or a keeper to complement all this fire power we now have. How many seasons is it now that we've been saying it's time for walcott to step up to the plate will it ever happen ? lets hope all this fire power is enough against the hatchet men on sunday. - Post No. 28209
chris dee 15:00pm 23rd Aug 2012
You got it in one Joseph. With our combative defensive midfielder Alex Song in place we only conceded 49 goals last season. A bit p****d off with everyone slagging of Diaby. When he came to Arsenal he was rated one the best propsects in world football,and when he played, he lived up to that billing. Daiby's constant injuries which have not allowed him a decent run in the side have come about because a little s**t called Smith playing for Sunderland decided to make a name for himself by smashing Diaby's ankle to pieces. The ankle injury and repair to the ankle have caused supplementary injuries over the last few years. If the bloke can say injury free he will be a better player for the club than Song. I certainly hope so,because some injuries are so bad,that a player never rediscovers his original form. An example being when Taylor's appalling lunge,following McLeish instructions to 'get in their faces',literally broke Eduardo's leg in two.Eduardo was never the same player after that. Ditto Shawcross's assault,obviously under instrutions that 'they don't like it up them' from Pullis,on Ramsey, has, I think reduced his effectiveness and speed around the pitch.But both players are young and good players can adapt so I hope both Diaby and Ramsey can stay injury free and fulfill their potential. - Post No. 28210
GoonerGoal! 15:02pm 23rd Aug 2012
1. VIEIRA 3 Serie A titles (Inter), 1 FA Cup (Man City) 2. CAMPBELL 1 FA Cup (Ports.) 3. COLE 1 Prem Lge, 4 FA Cups, 1 Lge Cup, 1 Champs Lge (Chelsea) 4. LARSSON 1 Carling Cup (Birming.) 5. LAUREN 1 FA Cup (Ports.) 6. REYES: 1 La Liga (R Madrid), 1 Portuguese Lge Cup (Benfica), 2 Europa Lge, 1 Uefa SuperCup (Atlético M.) 7. HENRY 2 La Liga, 1 Spanish Cup, 1 Champs Lge, 1 Uefa SuperCup, 1 Club World Cup (Barca.) 8. DIARRA 1 FA Cup (Ports.), 1 Spanish Cup, 1 La Liga (R Madrid) 9. FLAMINI 1 Serie A (Milan) 10. HLEB 1 Champs Lge, 1 La Liga, 1 Spanish Cup (Barca) 1 Lge Cup (Birmingham) 11. SILVA 1 Greek Lge, 1 Greek Cup (Panathinaikos) 12. ADEBAYOR Spanish Cup (loan Man City/R Madrid). 13. TOURE 1 FA Cup, 1 Premier Lge (Man City) 14. MERIDA 1 Euro SuperCup (Atlético M.) 15. FABREGAS 1 Euro SuperCup, 1 Club World Cup, 1 Spanish Cup (Barca) 16. CLICHY 1 Prem Lge (Man City) 17. NASRI 1 Prem Lge (Man City) - Post No. 28211
Highbury Boy 15:36pm 23rd Aug 2012
Lengthy discussions on the merits of Song's play are pointless. To Stan and Wenger the players are trading assets. Fans think a disappointing start is a nil nil at home to Sunderland. Stan and Wenger think it's disappointing when you've only received£37m for VP and Song (OK another £2m for VP if Utd win the PL or CL;is it "Come on Utd "then?) against over £45m received last year for Cesc and Nasri. Mind you if you add on Vela and Bartley and manage to sell Bendtner and Chamakh we should beat last years opening sales and that's without the bonus of selling Walcott. It really does look like we are on course for the treble; 1. Highest cash at bank. 2. Strongest balance sheet . 3. Most profitable P&L A/c. - Post No. 28213
Joe Fitzpatrick 16:24pm 23rd Aug 2012
@CanterburyGooner and Herbert- Song was the second most selected outfield player after RVP last season so your beloved Arsene Wenger must have thought he was a rather decent player, mustn't he? Alex Song averaged 2.8 tackles and 2.1 interceptions per game last season compared to Arteta's 2.5 and 1.9 so clearly Song WAS our most combative midfielder. Wenger was the one pushing song forward because if he wasn't, he could have dropped him at any time he liked after all he is the manager!! So you two guys know better than Barcelona too huh? I don't think so. I think your problem is with me and you just go against absolutely anything I say with no proper counter argument. as Sheriff rightly points out, we should have signed someone to compete with Song instead of replacing him. As for your suggestions that I haven't seen the kid play, they are ludicrous. Anyone with a broadband connection can watch him any time they like. - Post No. 28214
maguiresbridge gooner 16:37pm 23rd Aug 2012
Well done GoonerGoal! says it all really. - Post No. 28215
David Stewart 16:45pm 23rd Aug 2012
Thanks Goonergoal. Some interesting 'trophies' included in that list. Do you know what part, say Hleb, played in winning the Champions League final with Barcelona in 2009? - Post No. 28217
GoonerGoal! 17:25pm 23rd Aug 2012
@DaveStewart... You asked for the STATS, so I gave you the STATS. If it doesnt put Wenger in a positive light, I can't help that, it's just the FACTS. Anything else, you can research for yourself. I'm sure you've heard of Google... - Post No. 28218
billthered 18:05pm 23rd Aug 2012
Why does everybody think Song needs replacing,as good as you all think he was last season I wonder what a midfield consisting of please god they are all fit,Arteta,Cazorla,Wiltshire,Oxlade-Chamberlaine and Podolski might bring to the table.Me I would much prefer to buy a solid centre back and if any of the aformentioned get injured then switch our new captain in there I think you will agree that would be a vast improvement. - Post No. 28220
Canterbury Gooner 18:38pm 23rd Aug 2012
@Joe Fitzpatrick who said I 'love' Wenger? Football isn't played on paper I'm afraid, or can you also give us a statistic for things like runs tracked as well? what about the statistic that only one game was won in the PL without Arteta- the final day win against WB courtesy of Fulop? I never claimed a better understanding of football than Barca? straw man. Look at the comments made by Vilanova- he's a squad player who will provide some height, a back up to the Busquets who isn't as important as the other players for Barca. They wanted Toure you realise? but Song was cheaper. Yes it may well have been a coaching issue that he went forward with that I agree, but my point was that he excelled most last season as virtually a playmaker, and that therefore we'd be better off with an outright holding CM like, for eg, Tiote. And btw, most players spend most of the time off the ball- watching a comp. of M'vila online won't give you a strong understanding of his playing ability... - Post No. 28221
Bard 18:49pm 23rd Aug 2012
Joe I think you're seeing the Song issue through rose tinited glasses. His lack of discipline for someone playing in his position is poor. How many times did someone write on this site ' Song caught up field again'. I think we've done well to ship him on for such a fee. It speaks volumes for Song's deluded belief in himself that he think he will do more than warm thew bench at Barca. As I write it seems Wenger might have cooled on Surin, hopefully because he's got his eyes on a proper DM. However knowing Wenger's past buys ( when did he last buy a defensive midfielder, I can't remember ) he probably blow it all on a winger. DDeluded though it might sound I think he may have got the message that last years squad was paper thin. - Post No. 28222
Joe Fitzpatrick 19:04pm 23rd Aug 2012
Canterburygooner- Tiote is my 2nd option so I agree with you there. I've done a lot more than watch YouTube clips of M'Vila, I've studied him and I'm telling you that the 22 year old would be immense for us. Sadly we probably will never see either of those two players in red and White. - Post No. 28223
Van de Ed 19:19pm 23rd Aug 2012
@Piken79 & Fitzpatrick - spot on with your comments! Should Le Boss fail to replace Songinho with a decent CDM, then we'll come to truly appreciate Song's role in our team when we ship even more goals this season. Diaby & Ramsey together don't come close to replacing Songinho's influence both in attack & defence! Wenger's tactics or lack thereof is an even bigger concern than the proliferation of financial doping on our chances of ever winning ANY trophy. I've come to be realistic about this team's prospects; we'll once again be very lucky to get 4th place (if we can get it) and of course with ZERO trophies this season!! - Post No. 28224
David Stewart 20:22pm 23rd Aug 2012
Sorry to upset you Goonergoal. In answer to my own question, Hleb played no part in the Barcelona squad for that final. Likewise, some players mentioned made rather limited contributions to other triumphs. Thanks anyway for your 'stats' and 'facts'. - Post No. 28225
CanadaGooner 21:18pm 23rd Aug 2012
We never had a Song and never will. Bolton under Allardyce turned us over at will. Any gruff northern side always poses a problem for us and that's alwasy been ok because we beat the likes of Fulham, West Ham, Spurs etc all the time and we won some trophies along the way. What's really sad is that now we cant even beat those teams and all we fight for each season is to get a CL place! - Post No. 28226
QuartzGooner 22:42pm 23rd Aug 2012
Not a bad article, but I think Song was worth selling. He had a good season 2009 - 2010, but had lost defensive discipline of late. His good passing was his best point; even that was inconsistent. I think Coquelin is a better defensive midfielder. - Post No. 28227
DW Thomas 23:06pm 23rd Aug 2012
I too want Yann to come in. You hit the nail on the head regarding inexperienced players with no mentors above them. That too is why their heads get too big and they leave. Not one player who has left Wenger in the last 3-4 years won anything with him. No I don't count RVP and his FA cup. Maybe it's Wemger's own fault but you make your bed and all that. Do feel a tad sorry for him,but he has had chances to buy players that have turned out to be world class later and passed. I think Hazard is the most recent one. LookinG forward to more thrown water bottles on the sidelines and excuses about why we lost to some mid table team. Santi could be the new Cesc, but let's wait and see before we start showering him with undeserved praise. I do like the new boys so far. Wenger again is claiming big things for,this team. 8 years and waiting! - Post No. 28228
tenerife gooner 23:08pm 23rd Aug 2012
Got one of my gut feelings,i would say 80% accurate.We will win at Stoke this Sunday. - Post No. 28229
Joe Fitzpatrick 23:51pm 23rd Aug 2012
Now it looks like Mourinho has sorted out his old mate Rodgers and Liverpool have got Sahin instead of us. Oh dear. - Post No. 28230
Paintballing with Diaby 1:37am 24th Aug 2012
If we can't get Sahin on a permanent deal then we should walk away. Simple. - Post No. 28233
Peter Wain 6:04am 24th Aug 2012
I do not see us buying anyone else now. Currently we have made another profit in the transfer window so I would expect the owner board and manager to be happy with this position. Why invest money in a club if you dont want to compete seems to be our philosphy. - Post No. 28234
Quillie 7:26am 24th Aug 2012
If Barcelona were willing to pay 15 million for him, then he's a top quality player. People who think he's not good enough for Arsenal have a seriously inflated opinion of where the club is at the moment. There are some fans out there who need to wake up to the reality of the situation: he was our best midfielder last year, and if he went forward too much, rather than stay back and defend, that was a fault of the tactics. The fact that Wenger hasn't signed any other defensive midfielders is an indication that he doesn't put much stock in that position, so why are people having a go at Alex Song? - Post No. 28235
the_drizzle 8:05am 24th Aug 2012
I have to ask: do you even watch any Arsenal games? The highlight reels paint a brilliant picture of Song, but if you actually watched him for 90 minutes, he was clumsy, had trouble advancing the ball forward, regularly intercepted through-passes that were intended for other teammates, crowded the territory of real attacking players, didn't properly cover for Sagna, and almost once each game he would charge forward -- with his hands raised to show Arsene that he couldn't find a teammate -- and then just pass it away like an idiot. If there was ever an "Alex Song-shaped hole" in our defense, it was there during every game he played. He was an offensive gambit that cost us as many goals as he helped produce. You even claim that Arteta is wasted as a CDM, but you don't seem to recognize that its exactly what he played all of last season in order to cover for Song's frolicking. Song is fantastic if you play an extremely high offensive line and rarely have to worry about playing defense (see Barcelona), but he's less effective in a competitive league. Arsene was fully aware that having Song as our false-CDM would only have inhibited Cazorla's aggression and energy, and thats why he sold. Even at the end of your article, you re-hash a common tune by trashing Gervinho, but anyone that actually watched the Sunderland game knows that Gerinvho was dominant and had a fantastic match. He was almost unstoppable and had to be double-teamed on that left wing. His finishing passes were a bit poor, but its hardly cause to call him out like he had a weak showing. Seriously, watch the games. - Post No. 28236
GoonerGoal! 8:43am 24th Aug 2012
@the_drizzle... So Song was ordinary at best, but Gervinho is brilliant??? - Post No. 28237
the_drizzle 9:16am 24th Aug 2012
@goonergoal Try reading what I wrote. You correctly noticed that I think Song is average at best, but as for Gervi, I only said that he had a great match against Sunderland. My point was that Fitzpatrick doesn't watch the games. As for those stats that you copied from a Sun article or whatever, they only prove that Arsenal is the most prolific talent farming team in the past 15 years. We can't help it that oil-rich teams are willing to pay billions to purchase success and football intelligence from us. Its the reason why we are currently the only top club that is self-sustaining. Those stats also include players like Reyes, Toure, and Adebayor that won their championships via the bench. Again, watch the games, stop trying to act clever by pulling trite stats from the internet. - Post No. 28238
Peter 10:37am 24th Aug 2012
He served us well but was not always disciplined in his defensive duties.Was able to play both match winning pass or bad pass which contributed to conceding a goal equally.Always gave 100% but maybe one of the reasons we have not won a trophy.Will be merely a squad player at Barca who will move on to someone like Stoke in a few seasons.Good luck to him though. - Post No. 28239
JJB 11:18am 24th Aug 2012
@Joe F - You claim you ave "studied" Mvilla? How exactly? We all watch youtube clips, this is just another example of you making claims to intimate you know wha you are talking about, when the stuff you write clearly indicats you dont. You have a very "arm chair" fan view on things mate. Why dont you go and study some more players for us!JJB - Post No. 28241
Joe Fitzpatrick 14:33pm 24th Aug 2012
The drizzle wrote：＂Gerinvho was dominant and had a fantastic match. He was almost unstoppable and had to be double-teamed on that left wing. His finishing passes were a bit poor, but its hardly cause to call him out like he had a weak showing. Seriously, watch the games. - Post No. 28236" I actually am a season ticket holder and am more than aware of Gervinhos capabilities. Song and Arteta actually switched positions during games last season and in my opinion Song is the more combative and physically robust of the two - Post No. 28247
Joe Fitzpatrick 16:01pm 24th Aug 2012
JJB- it's not hard to find live streams of Rennes matches and copy them to a drive for later viewing. I first saw Gervinho because I was watching Hazard. M'Vila would need time to adapt to the premier league but once he did, he would be up there with Ya-Ya Toure as a midfielder that can dominate a game. He's 22 and Arsene Wenger is still capable of bringing out the best in him. - Post No. 28254
GoonerGoal! 21:33pm 24th Aug 2012
@the_drizzle... Reading your post took no effort at all. I was just attempting to sum up in my own mind the point you were attempting to make. If it ended up as a little simplistic, so what? But on the matter of my quoting stats, if you had actually read all the posts, you would appreciate that I was asked by another poster, if I was able to supply all the details to back up a headline I had previously quoted. Perhaps next time I should respond in the same curt way that you do. I suggest YOU read all the posts before trying to be clever, and stop trying to act as if you were the only one who ever watched the game. You can only dream of seeing as many Arsenal games live and in person as many of these posters have. Unfortunately, opinions are like assholes; everybody has one, but then you knew that already, didn't you? - Post No. 28264
the_drizzle 23:26pm 24th Aug 2012
@goonergoal I did notice that you were responding to another post, but even so its still an irrelevant stat that you pulled from a newspaper article. It also reflects a poor understanding of causation. So what if former Arsenal players went on to win trophies? A lot of them joined "superclubs" with billion dollar rosters. Do you think if Barca wins some trophies this season it will prove that Song is a great player? That he rescued Barca? Even the fact that Barca purchased Song signifies only that he's a certain kind of player, not necessarily a great player. For example, the rumor this week is that Barca is making an offer for David Luiz. Personally, I think Luiz is undisciplined and a defensive liability (kinda like someone else we know), but he would succeed on Barca because they have such good ball control and dont get caught on the counterattack as much. But does that make Luiz a great talent? Someone that we desperately need on our squad? Of course not. Do yourself a favor and go post on the PSG boards. - Post No. 28267
GoonerGoal! 13:12pm 25th Aug 2012
My final word @the_drizzle... Ah finally, the witless “go somewhere else” response to a differing opinion. Well played that man! Anyone else ever wondered why some people just love to fall back on that insult as if it validates everything they have previously spouted? If since 2005, 17 former Arsenal players went on to win 44 major medals with 11 different clubs, it proves only one thing. That they were always capable of being winners, but only at a “football club” with a coach possessing a winning football mentality and not an economist, long since posing as a coach, concerned primarily with the profitability of a successful “business model”. VIVE LA REVOLUTION! - Post No. 28274
JJB 20:23pm 28th Aug 2012
Thanks Joe! You just proved my point exactly! In describing him as up there with yaya-toure who can "dominate a game" shows how much you dont know! If you had any clue about French football, you would know that alot of Rennes fans have reservations about him, believing he had 1 very good season, if you examine his stats, he really isnt that impressive and he isnt a DMF!!! It doesnt matter to you because you make it up geez, I still love your "study" comment, brilliant! Such a joker mate - Post No. 28344
Joe Fitzpatrick 6:29am 29th Aug 2012
JJB- Well we will see how good M'vila is when he signs for one of our rivals because Wenger isn't going to sign him by the looks of it. I won't even be able to rub it in because i'll be too gutted. - Post No. 28357
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