Szczesny's defence, Wilshere for England and Cesc to Real?

Hi Ho Gooners,

Can I just start in saying my love (in a purely professional sense of course) for our new number one Wojciech Szczesny is growing daily. His recent defence of Arsene Wenger made me swell with pride and showed just how mature even the youngest of our young squad can be, when questioned about the criticism coming Wenger's way he said:

“It’s ridiculous really, If you ask any of the players they will stand by the manager. He built this team from nothing and I believe he is the best manager in the world.
 

“We are a young team, we still believe we have a lot of years ahead of us and a lot of trophies to win. Let’s be patient and show that we are good enough.

 “We all take individual responsibilities for our mistakes. Everyone has played their part in this season’s disappointment and I think we have to take it as a team. You can’t blame the boss because he stood by the team the whole season and supported us.

Well said Mr Sczcesny!

Other news this week includes Wilshere being called up for the under 21 squad for the summer. Now although I want our star players protected and Jack is definitely a star player and will be for years to come, I actually support him playing in the summer. I remember when David Bently was called up for the U21 squad a few years back while he was playing for Blackburn and he came out and said he didn't want to be in the England squad  because he was tired. My initial response to him was that he could F**k right off, how dare he say no to his country. So many kids, even adults, would sell organs and limbs to have been in his position. What right does he have to say no because he was tired?! If I phoned work and said "sorry, won't be in this week because I'm a bit tired from working the last couple of weeks" they would sack me on the spot for being a knob. Playing for your country is a privilege, not a chore!!

Whenever Wilshere has been asked about it he has remained professional and always said that it's not his choice, it's up to the FA and on twitter proclaimed "I will never say no to my country" All I can say is good on you Jack, good on you. However if the FA are by any chance reading this, please don't pick him, he's a senior international and could really do with the rest!!

I wasn't going to mention this next bit about Cesc Fabregas on this blog but I keep thinking about it and laughing a little then turning really angry and then get really nervous but finish with a feeling of pride inside. There is a piece I read today on the Online Gooner (I'm not going to provide a link because I don't want to give the author any more hits) that claims a £45 million deal has already been agreed for our captain and it will  be announced early June that Cesc will join......................... Real Madrid!! The author claims it will be announced in June because it is after the deadline for season ticket renewals. The author then goes on to claim that we need to buy several world class players to compete and Nasri is useless etc, etc, etc, blah, blah, blah.
I'll concentrate on the main issue that Cesc has already been sold to Real Madrid. Firstly, Jose Mourinho may not even be there next year so I doubt they will be allowing him to spend that amount of money before the season ends and a decision on his future has been made. Secondly, does anyone think we would agree a sale without allowing a bidding war to commence? Thirdly and most importantly, Cesc will only leave our beloved Arsenal for one team and that is the team he has supported since he was a boy, Barca. As I said, I keep thinking of this article and laughing, then get a little angry about the constant rumours and 'inside sources' we'll have to put up with again during the summer, then nervous that another trophy free season may be too much for Fabregas and he may actually complete his move to Barca but then end with a sense of pride in our captain as I remember the way he has dealt with all this nonsense in the past. Cesc loves Arsenal. Cesc loves Wenger. If Cesc leaves it will be to wear the number 4 Barca shirt that was annoyingly reserved for him last year. The author of this article has claimed to have written proof of this transaction (although declines to share it) and claimed he will give up writing on the site if it doesn't happen. I hope he enjoys his newly found spare time.
(I just want to point out that the above is in no way an attack or criticism of Online Gooner, I thoroughly enjoy the site. It's just this particular article that got to me.)

Anyway, the weekend is finally here. It feels a little annoying watching Champions League in midweek knowing we're no longer involved but our long wait of a full week to see the boys in action again is almost at an end as we look forward to a trip to Stoke play the closest thing to a rugby team we can see in the Premier League. Great news in the build up to this game is that Vermaelen is available for selection again after coming through 90 minutes in the reserves against Man Utd. I don't think TV5 will be starting against Stoke but the knowledge that he is ready to go is fantastic and if given a problem free pre-season he can once again claim his reputation of one of the leagues top centre backs.

Well, there ya go, that's my two cents worth. I'll leave you now the rest of your evening,

Till next time,
Goonerfish.

Jack gets reward & change to the formation?

Afternoon Gooners,

Now, we all know that Arsene Wenger's policy at our club has been to invest in youth to buy loyalty in the hope that as the players stick together, play together and grow together they can develop relationships with each other on the pitch that cannot be replicated or found by the £30 million players that rivals are bringing in. The long term goal is to have a sustained period of absolute dominance in the game like that of Man U when the premier league was launched.

Wenger has gifted players like Denilson, Diaby, Djourou, Vela, Walcott, Fabregas, Song, Clichy, Fabianski etc massive contracts for players of their age at the time, he even did it in his early Arsenal career with Anelka (although he moved on to 'greener' pastures). A lot of criticism comes with these deals especially for the likes of Denilson and Diaby who in some fans eyes aren't near the quality needed to wear the arsenal shirt but this has been and I can only guess, always will be Wenger's method.

The latest player to get a massive new deal is our local lad Jack Wilshere. If reports are to be believed then Wilshere is now taking home £50k a week, which for a 18 year old is beyond mental but the difference with Jack is that he loves the club, he describes it as 'his' club and I reckon - if agents didn't exist - he's among the rest of us fans who would play for nothing. Jack was obviously really pleased with the deal saying:

 "Arsenal Football Club has been like a second home for me and my family since I was nine years old. To be offered a new contract means everything to me.

"At this point in my career, when I'm only 18 years old and still learning so much about the game and myself, this is the perfect club, the perfect team-mates, the perfect fans, the perfect backroom staff and most importantly, the perfect manager to help continue that."

He also talked about improving himself:

"I've got a long way to go before I can become the player I dream of becoming and I'm sure I'll keep making the odd mistake, but it is a massive help for me having a special manager like Arsène Wenger and so many quality team-mates and the unbelievable Arsenal fans around me. I believe there is a lot more to come from me."

For those who follow him on twitter (@jack_wilshere), reading his tweets yesterday made you feel great that he's our player and you could really tell he was genuinely excited to have committed. Even Cesc came out on twitter to congratulate him, I know it was only his duty as captain but twitter makes it feel more personal and it was great to read. Hopefully we will see Fabregas and Wilshere lifting trophies together for years to come at Arsenal.

Well done Jack!

Changing the subject a tad, I've been watching games since the Chelsea game and I can't help but wonder, has Wenger changed his formation again? Last season we saw a back four, a DM, two CM and an attacking triangle, this season we seem to be setting out in a sort of 4-2-3-1 formation, using two DMs. This theory was emphasised on Saturday against West Ham when like everyone else I was surprised to Song and Denilson in the starting line-up, especially at home and even more especially against a team sat on the bottom of the table. It would also explain why Song as been more attacking this year already claiming a couple of goals. It would seem that we are playing two DMs and they are taking it in turns to hang back while the other one attacks, What do you think Gooners? Have we changed our system, but more importantly, is it a good thing?

In more negative news, Sczcesny has reportedly been stalling on a new deal. His current deal expires at the end of the season so he is free to talk to other clubs in January, can someone please give this kid the phone number for Alex Hleb,  Mathieu Flamini or any of the many other players that have left thinking that they are too good for Arsenal only to realise they were good BECAUSE they played for Arsenal. It is nice that this sort of diva behaviour is not too common at our club and hopefully these stories are all bull being spread by agents but the best way for Sczcesney to put a stop to any fan's backlash before it starts to sign a deal and commit to fighting for a place at the greatest club in the world.

On that note, I'll leave you to the rest of your Tuesday,
Until next time,
Goonerfish.