Would Joe Cole Fit In At Arsenal?

So Joe Cole is set to sign for Arsenal. Well that is according to the Star newspaper anyway.

I'll be honest (if its true) this excites me. I've always rated Cole and thought that Chelsea got a bargain when signing him for £6.6m back in 2003.

In my opinion Joe Cole is technically the most gifted player the England national team have and he would be an asset for ANY side in the Premiership or even Europe.

Having said that I do have my doubts that the transfer will actually happen because I wonder whether Cole would fit in at Arsenal.

Ability-wise I have no qualms about Joe and no doubts that on the pitch he would suit Arsenal's style of play all day long. It's off the pitch that worries me.

I'm not suggesting that Cole is a trouble maker but I wonder whether he would be able to mix with the Arsenal squad.

I think he would be a little out of his comfort zone.

At Chelsea there is an English contingent at the club and Cole is a part of that. He wouldn't get that at Arsenal being that there is a more 'continental' feel at our club.

Having said that hearing Joe Cole in interviews I understand his speaking of the English language isn't the greatest either!

Seriously though Cole has been linked to Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur as well as Arsenal and I think a move to either of those is probably more feasible due to the fact there are more English players at both clubs making it easier for him to fit in.

This may sound narrow-minded on my part but its just my opinion and I think its quite valid.

If Cole's decision is based on just football then I would have no doubt that he would join us but as with all walks in life its not that simple.

Begrudgingly I have to accept that this move may not happen but hopefully I'll be proved wrong because as I've said Cole would be an asset to us. Or anyone for that matter.

Keep it Goonerish...........

I Wouldn't Expect A MAJOR Centre-Back Signing

Every day I'm seeing Arsenal linked with centre-backs like Brede Hangeland and to be honest I'm not expecting a major signing in that area.

I know it is an area that has to be strengthened over the summer, especially with the futures of William Gallas and Sol Campbell in the balance, but I believe that Arsene Wenger will rely on Johan Djourou as one of the first choices next campaign.

Ideally I'd like to keep both Gallas and Campbell but that doesn't seem on the cards. I think William has more than one foot out the door already and is on his toes.

Sol Campbells situation is quite different. Sol wants to stay but he wants to play. He has spoken to Celtic and I'm sure he would get regular football there whereas with us he is likely to be back-up to the first team.

I'd love Campbell to stay at Arsenal. He is certainly a good influence on this squad but if he left I'd understand. The man has been immense since his return to us and has more than proved he can still cut it at the top level.

He probably surprised himself, but then knowing his supreme self-confidence maybe not! Whats clear is he became a very good acquisition to the Arsenal squad and Arsene Wenger deserves a lot of credit for taking a 'gamble' on him. Something Wenger doesn't really get a lot of credit for.

However Gallas' case is different. Despite proclaiming Gooners were the worlds best supporters many haven't taken to him. I, on the other hand, really rate him and would love him to stay but that doesn't seem very likely.

Readers of my blog will have seen the numerous posts where I have 'stuck up' for William and will know that I love him like a brother. Despite my love I think Gallas is definitely off this summer and if that is the case then the first-choice Wenger preferred partnership of Thomas Vermaelen-Willam Gallas will be broken up.

That's why I reckon Wenger will promote Johan Djourou as a first team regular alongside Vermaelen next season and especially when you see what Arsene told the Swiss man. Here is an extract from an interview Johan did a couple of weeks ago;

"I was really confident about being able to play this season. The boss said to me, ‘I let Kolo go for you to play’. It is the thing you don’t want to hear when you are injured but it is the truth. It is difficult to take on but I swallowed it and I will fight for my place next season, that is for sure."

That for me says it all really. We all know that Arsene Wenger would rather promote from 'with-in' and in this case I would be more than happy for Djourou to step up the plate. In my opinion Johan Djourou is more than ready to the make the move to first team regular and I think he would flourish alongside Thomas Vermaelen.

Djourou can and will become one of the best centre-backs in Europe given the chance and this coming season could be the opportunity for him to prove that. And I think Arsene Wenger will give him that chance.

That's why (despite the futures of Campbell and Gallas being in doubt at the club) I don't believe Wenger will sign a centre-back to slot straight into the team. Djourou has been patient and I think Arsene will put his faith in him.

That said I do believe the gaffer will sign a centre-back this summer but the players role would be more that of a squad player than first-team regular.

Keep it Goonerish...............

Hale The Mighty Barcelona!

I've decided that I fucking hate FC Barcelona. I hate them even more than a proper kick in the bollocks.

I can't believe that after all the tapping-up and the constant noise that Barca really want Cesc Fabregas they haven't even put a bid in for him.

They have tried their damned best to unsettle our skipper and are trying take the easy route. Basically they want to drive a wedge between Cesc and Arsenal resulting in him putting in a proper transfer request.

What confuses me most though is that if Barcelona wanted Cesc Fabregas that badly, why didn't they try to sign him before David Villa?

It seems to me that Barca want him just for the sake of it. Just because they think they can. Because they are the mighty Barcelona.

That's why I've decided I really hate them now. I used to think that the likes of Chelsea and Real Madrid couldn't be bettered for arrogance. Well I was wrong.

I used to like them. They were my favorite side in Spain. Well no more.

Sometimes I wish Arsenal were a little wankerish in how we do things. Maybe we should start acting like cunts and maybe we will start to turn a few heads and people might start to think we are a big club too.

Then I think bollocks to that. We are too classy a club for that nonsense.

I think the silence from Fabregas and Wenger is deafening. I didn't believe the conversation happened as speculated at first but maybe it did. Or didn't.

Anyhow I hope that if Cesc Fabregas has made his mind up to leave then I hope he realises that the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

Yes he has Barca in his 'DNA' but will he be as revered out there as he is here? Will he become skipper out there? Will he the first choice in the starting eleven?

I doubt it.

I love Fabregas and I can understand his desire to rejoin Barcelona one-day. It was always on the cards but I didn't expect it to maybe happen so soon.

However doesn't he feel a little embarrassed about how his 'new' or 'old' club are acting? Surely he would want Barcelona to act accordingly? Clearly they aren't.

There is no respect from Barcelona in this move at all. They said they would respect Arsenal wishes. Well where is that respect?

Arsenal have already said they don't want to sell but the Barca media onslaught continues. If Cesc wants to be a part of that, part of a club who think they are royalty then let him.

But I hope he knows what he is letting himself in for because it ain't gonna be as rosy as he thinks it might be.

Joining a club with no morals only to warm the bench isn't going to be easy for a player used to adulation and captaincy.

Keep it Goonerish...........

So How Does Guillem Balague Know The Details Of A Private Conversation Anyway?

So Cesc Fabregas has told Arsene Wenger he wants to quit Arsenal THIS summer and rejoin his boyhood heroes Barcelona. Well that is according to Guillem Balague anyway.

Now don't get me wrong, Mr Balague is a very well respected journalist who has got many rumours right but he has also got them very wrong.

In fact I'm sure for the last 4,345 transfer windows the man has said that Fabregas is leaving Arsenal to join Barcelona. He will keep doing this until eventually, when it happens, he can say I told you so!

It's fucking easy!

What I'd like to know is how does Balague know the details of a private conversation (if there actually was one) between Cesc Fabregas and Arsene Wenger anyway? Was he there? Is he psychic?

Or is he just making it up?

If this 'supposed' chat between captain and manager does exist when why couldn't it had been about Wenger discussing his transfer targets with Cesc and reassuring him of the clubs ambitions?

I'll tell you why, because news like that doesn't sell newspapers and it doesn't create hits on websites.

Despite all the 'breaking news' and hysteria created by the likes of Sky Sports News that Fabregas is leaving ASAP I'm going to remain calm over all this. I'll believe it when I see it with my own eyes.

If the worst possible scenario did happen and he left the club this summer then I hope Arsenal do not sell for a cheap price. If Real Madrid can fork out £80m on Cristiano Ronaldo then I'd expect at least £50-60m for Fabregas. Not all this £30m shit I'm hearing.

Don't forget Arsenal hold all the cards. Barcelona and SSN do not.

Keep it Goonerish.............

Why?

I can't work out what Samir Nasri has to gain by having a pop at William Gallas. I think it is a stupid move by him and Arsene Wenger needs to clamp down on players giving these idiotic interviews.

Personally I couldn't give a shit whether Nasri and Gallas hate each other more than I hate Harry Redknapp's twitchy face. It should have been kept in-house. All this does is give the haters out there more ammo to have a go at Arsenal.

Revealing a number of players do not speak to Gallas isn't the brightest thing Nasri has done and in truth it just shows that the defender was right. Samir has shown a lack of respect to a man who has achieved a lot more than he has in the game. Just as he did on the team-bus with the French national squad.

I admit that William Gallas isn't the most popular player amongst Gooners but in my opinion the man deserves a gee because he has been brilliant this season. Highly professional and I think it will be a shame if he leaves the club.

Can you say the same about Samir Nasri? Personally he has disappointed me this campaign and how he can have the audacity to air our dirty laundry in public baffles me. There was no need. If he has a problem with Gallas then just get on with it and not whinge.

Arsene Wenger needs to be stronger with his players and not let them say things to the media that will bite Arsenal on the arse. Andrey Arshavin does it a lot and needs to be curbed too. I understand that it's difficult to keep a leash on a fully-grown adult but he is their guvnor after all!

The media don't need an excuse to dig Arsenal out but maybe we aren't exactly helping ourselves are we?

Keep it Goonerish...............

R.I.P Arsenal Football Club

How many times have I heard that Arsenal Football Club is dead and buried?

It makes me fucking laugh!

According to everyone and their dog Arsenal are knackered. Goners not Gooners. Cesc Fabregas is on his toes, Arsene Wenger has had enough and we are a spent force.

I've heard that the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City will replace Arsenal and Liverpool in the top four. Whatever.

In short Arsenal are fucked and there is nothing that we Gooners can do about it.

I'll be honest, I've never heard such bollocks in my whole entire stinking existence!

Please don't listen to those toss-pots out there who are desperate to tear our club apart and please don't believe everything you read.

Arsenal Football Club is far from dead, it is far from buried.

Over the last few summers and post-seasons Arsenal have been written off more than the cars I've owned. Its the same this summer.

I love it. I love being written off because it makes my love for Arsenal grow even stronger, more determined to prove those doubters wrong.

There isn't going to be a power-shift in North London. Those Spuds may have looked like getting closer to us but they haven't. The gap is still as wide as the one in Madonna's teeth.

It's only five points they say. Well that was down to Arsenal collapsing like a deck of cards at the end of the season not the Spuds gaining ground on us.

When they've qualified season after season for the Champions League and challenged for the title then they might have an argument.

Until then they can jog the fuck right on. Mugs.

All the knobs out there who continue to write us off, carry on. I just hope it unites us Gooners and doesn't separate us. I've seen signs of splits between Arsenal fans, don't let them do it to us.

Yes times have been frustrating recently, even worrying as well, but lets rally.

Don't go mental if we don't sign players straight away. Wait until September to judge. I really feel that this summer will be a good 'un for us.

Keep calm and believe.

Arsenal are not dead. I think there are changes round the corner and this time next year we will be the ones with smiles on our faces whilst the mugs who continue to try and knock us will have egg on theirs.

Keep it Goonerish...............

At Last Arsenal Grow Some Nuts And Give Some Back!

It's been a long time coming but it seems that Arsenal have finally grown a big pair of knackers!

I couldn't believe my eyes when scrolling through the Arsenal website I came across a page that shows transfer links to the club.

It can be seen here.

This is a more unusual move than Tom Jones by Arsenal.com. I know that it says the page 'should taken with a pinch of salt' but what purpose does it actually serve?

I like to think that Arsenal are giving some stick back. In my opinion over the years Arsenal have had more players tapped up and linked with moves away than anyone.

Personally I'm happy we are doing the same. It may seem dirty but I reckon Arsenal have been bullied enough and a little fight back doesn't hurt anybody.

The likes of Barcelona or Real Madrid have been doing it since the Stone Age and more recently Manchester City have been publicly declaring their interest in players in a bid to unsettle them.

Why shouldn't Arsenal rock their boats for a change?

Yes I know we are more classy than those clubs but I reckon playing them at their own game is a good move by Arsenal.

However, the more 'suspicious' Gooners may believe this a ploy by Arsenal to get our juices flowing.

I've heard that Arsenal tickets, and season-tickets, aren't selling as freely as in the past. Linking big-name buys may whet the appetite again for Arsenal fans.

Surely Arsenal wouldn't be that devious? I don't think so.

It's nice to be linked with big-names but I wouldn't get too excited or distressed this summer over transfers.

Yes, it's obvious we could do with 'freshening' up the squad but with the World Cup just around the corner I expect a summer of pure transfer 'speculation' madness.

Try to remain calm. I will. If you don't you may end up going mental like Britney Spears or something.

It's going to be a long summer, chillax and let it pan out.

You may end up being surprised.

Keep it Goonerish.............

Will Ian Wright Like Us Again If We Save His Son?

I've read with interest that Arsene Wenger is 'preparing a cut-price £5m move' for Shaun Wright-Philips.

The source has come from the 'very reliable' Sun newspaper, which probably makes the story about as reliable as a chocolate fire-guard. Yummmm, chocolate fire-guard.

Anyway, over the past decade we have been linked with SWP probably over a million and one times so where is the harm in linking him to Arsenal again? After all, it's almost silly season!

I think in the past Wenger has admitted a fleeting interest in Ian Wright's son. It's a bit like when you catch a glimpse of a 'beautiful' women, turn to check her out, only to realise the women looks as good as a cross between Harry Redknapp and Iain Dowie.

You thought you saw a sort but in truth the reality was different. These mistakes can happen. We are homo-sapiens after all.

I can't see it happening but I wonder whether Ian Wright might actually start to like us again if it did.

Wrighty gets a mixed reaction from Gooners these days. Some still worship him, others think he has become a turn-coat. Some people think I named this blog after Ian Wright. I didn't, Wright is my surname too and Wrighty is a nickname of mine.

Sometimes I wish I still had my child-hood image of Ian Wright ingrained in my mind. Then he could do no wrong. I loved him, like a brother.

These days I have a different opinion of him. He seems bitter about Arsenal to me and never hesitates to stick the boot in. I think he might be bitter because we never signed his son and let him leave.

Of course, he is entitled to his own opinion but I just wish he stuck up for Arsenal more than having a dig.

As a matter of fact a lot of ex-Arsenal players who go into the media seem to take up the trend of having a pop at us whenever possible. I think its wrong.

Enough of the media have a go at us already without Arsenal 'Icons and Legends' taking the same route. It's almost as if its the way to remain in your job. They probably get a pay-rise for every anti-Arsenal remark they make.

Charlie Nicholas is the exception. That man sticks up for us all the time and in my view is the benchmark for how the others should be.

You will never hear a former Manchester United player having a pop at United or a former Liverpool player having a go at Liverpool and that is how it should be.

Why do these former Gunners go into the media and constantly whinge about Arsenal and what they should do?

Keep it Goonerish............

Where Is The Pride When Wearing THE Arsenal Shirt?

I can't believe what I am seeing!

Just what is happening at our football club?

A few games ago we were fighting for the Premiership title but now we are looking nervously over our shoulders in case we finish below the likes of Manchester City or, dare I say it, Spurs.

Luckily for us there is a lack of games remaining and they both face each other so third place is in our hands.

For this I'm thankful because I dread to think what would have happened had there been five games to go with us in this type of form.

Lately we have been nothing short of a disgrace and in total honesty a lot of these players do not deserve to wear the Arsenal shirt.

It pains me to say that.

I can accept defeat but only if the players wearing the Red and White of Arsenal have given everything. In recent games we have given nothing.

It has been embarrassing.

Barely a handful of players can hold their heads up after this dismal run. The main man has been Sol Campbell. And to think people doubted him re-signing.

At the moment I wish we had eleven Sol Campbell's on the pitch. The geezer has been fantastic and I'm gutted that he influence isn't rubbing off on this side as much as it should be.

He gives everything and wears the Arsenal shirt with pride. He knows what it means to wear the Cannon on his chest.

I don't want to single out any Arsenal players for criticism. We all know who isn't pulling their weight but I don't think that they either care or are bothered that we, the fans, are pulling our hair out at what we are seeing at the moment.

Too many of our players have got too much to say and they don't back it up. To be honest I'm beginning to become sick of it.

All season-long I've backed this Arsenal squad and I feel like a big of a mug. Like Arsene Wenger I've shown my faith in the players and that faith has smashed me back hard in the mouth.

I don't entirely blame Wenger for this disgusting run of games but he has to shoulder some of it. He can only motivate as much as he can but its up to the players when they cross that white-line to perform for Arsenal Football Club. For us, the supporters.

To be frank the players have acted as though the season ended the night we lost in Barcelona. What a liberty.

Where is the pride? Where is the passion? Why haven't we seen the season out in a proper fashion?

I think a shake-up is in order. We need to mix it up a bit. I'd keep the majority of this squad but adding to it is essential.

Marouane Chamakh is said to be a done deal and as we all know Wenger loves a bargain. I'd get Joe Cole from Chelsea. Available on a free, a winner and a player who would fit in Arsenal's style of play.

A new keeper is a must. Its a shame to say but our keepers at present have become diabolical liabilities. Signing Cole and Chamakh on free transfers gives Arsene more spending power.

Get Joe Hart. I'm pretty sure he would jump at the chance to join us.

I'd keep Sol Campbell for another year but I'd sign a top quality centre-back too. I hate to say it but I reckon William Gallas is off and Silvestre is on his toes.

A new injection of talent will give us the kick up the arse we need. I think we have become complacent and the recent run of form could back that up.

Arsene Wenger has proved in the past he can be ruthless with his players. We need to see that ruthlessness again. I just hope Wenger hasn't become complacent himself.

Us, the Gooners, would sweat blood for the Arsenal shirt. We haven't been privileged enough to have the talent that our players have been bestowed with. That may well be the case but I guarantee I'd put in more effort than most of this lot have in recent games.

How sad is that?

Keep it Goonerish........................