steve_69

Seem to remember a lot of people moaning about the signing of Clark last summer, then Rafa got his hands on him and now he's our best CB. Mangala is a France international and a significantly better player than Clarke. Chill the fuck out, if we sign him Rafa will work his magic.

Still prefer their old Kappa ones but it is a beaut

They might, it's not like they're ever going to play him. They'll just keep building up his value and eventually sell him like they do with all of their youth players

The Chronicle site is pure fucking AIDS.

Really?! I can't imagine he's in high demand right now Scotland are after him apparently. I can see that going well....

To be fair to Allardyce in an interview he gave (about diving and the FA looking at video later), he did go on to say that if players are banned in retrospect, players booked for diving wrongly will still not have those yellow cards recinded. His point was you can one without the other for it to be fair. And he did say have a monitor there for the officials to look at during the game to sort it there and then. He's right imo, but still a massive fat uncouth ape, who i believe has always encouraged his players to cheat. All he has to do is tell his players to stop flinging themselves to the ground at the slightest touch, and that scenario ceases to be an issue. If they all stop going down so easily it becomes easier for the referee to spot genuine fouls.

Really?! I can't imagine he's in high demand right now

Pardew will always be the biggest cockend in football anyway. Just re-watch that dance in the FA Cup final to remind yourself. That said, John Terry is an enormous bell. (i'd still take him on a free for the season though). You've also got Nile Ranger to consider here as well. He beats Terry hands-down

Isn't he a bit shit?

It's bullshit though. Their version of diving will be where there's no contact but the player falls over. What they need to outlaw is players going to ground when they feel contact. That's the real scourge of the game Completely disagree. It's been shown many times that refs don't give penalties if players stay on their feet after being fouled so they are right to go down if they're fouled It's a foul if you are impeded. You can feel contact and not be impeded, able to carry on your run, dribble etc. without any bother. Instead players CHOOSE to go down instead of carrying on. That's not a foul according to any laws of the game. If you CHOOSE to go down it's a dive, whether you feel contact or not. This 'he had a right to go down' is one of the most frustrating and destructive sentences uttered by anyone with regards to football. Absolutely bullshit and the reason the game is being ruined. You're basically saying he had a right to throw himself to the ground because someone tapped his leg?! Really!? Is this what it's come to where supposed fans of football are advocating players falling over when they feel a tap. That's f***ing disgraceful and actually quite sad as well. Yes you have a right to go down if you're fouled. Getting tapped on the ankle preventing you from getting to the ball or continuing a run is a foul yes We're not talking about getting tapped on the ankle and it stopping you getting to the ball. We're talking about players getting tapped on the ankle, not being impeded and being perfectly able to carry on their run but instead CHOOSING to go down. That isn't a foul, ever! It's a dive, but this practice has become so widely accepted and supported by pros, former pros and pundits that people think it's OK. Watching a penalty incident where a player throws themselves to the ground when they could have carried on, and watching pundits replay it 10 times trying to discern if there was any contact is depressing as f***! Football is a contact sport and always will be, it can't be anything else with 22 players running around in such close confinement. Basically saying if someone touches you, you have a right to throw yourself on the ground makes a mockery of the whole sport. The game will be unwatchable if we continue down this route. It's already totally sterile and significantly less entertaining than it used to be at the top level. Maybe it's just my age.

It's bullshit though. Their version of diving will be where there's no contact but the player falls over. What they need to outlaw is players going to ground when they feel contact. That's the real scourge of the game Completely disagree. It's been shown many times that refs don't give penalties if players stay on their feet after being fouled so they are right to go down if they're fouled It's a foul if you are impeded. You can feel contact and not be impeded, able to carry on your run, dribble etc. without any bother. Instead players CHOOSE to go down instead of carrying on. That's not a foul according to any laws of the game. If you CHOOSE to go down it's a dive, whether you feel contact or not. This 'he had a right to go down' is one of the most frustrating and destructive sentences uttered by anyone with regards to football. Absolutely bullshit and the reason the game is being ruined. You're basically saying he had a right to throw himself to the ground because someone tapped his leg?! Really!? Is this what it's come to where supposed fans of football are advocating players falling over when they feel a tap. That's f***ing disgraceful and actually quite sad as well.

It's bullshit though. Their version of diving will be where there's no contact but the player falls over. What they need to outlaw is players going to ground when they feel contact. That's the real scourge of the game

I'd absolutely love him here. He seems like a decent guy as well so he ticks a lot of boxes. He is 28 though so that would count against him if we're operating on the old 'resale value' model.

Is Chicarito realistic? He seems like a Rafa type striker, knows the PL and scores for fun. He's also not playing for a Champions League club so it's not like he'd be taking a massive step down

He is right that the sense of entitlement is wrong, however he is wrong about everything else. He himself won't have an attachment to clubs like others do, so it is easy for him to say to just leave. I wouldn't say to Arsenal fans who are unhappy to just leave, I'd just explain to them that no club automatically is entitled to success, and in there case are successful but they choose to dismiss this success. He explains it well in 1 paragraph, the rest of the article is tripe that only a 'middle class bandwagon jumper' can come too. The sense of entitlement is wrong, but the frustration at having watched many different iterations of their team exhibiting the same glaring problems that Wenger refuses to acknowledge or address isn't. He's the world's most stubborn football manager. It's all well and good having a football philosophy but if that philosophy is ultimately flawed in the modern game, and his refusal to amend it even slightly is stopping the club from challenging for major honours, they are well within their rights to want him to leave. How long have they needed a big dirty CB and a solid DM for?! 10 years? I'd be pissed off after 2 years let alone 10.

Us, the fans are also a big draw for players. Granted, the money/Champions League football are the biggest swaying factors but players will have taken note of the scenes throughout this season and especially on the last day, even though we were in the Championship. When our ground is full and rocking it's one of the best, if not the best in the country and that matters to players - they want to play in stadiums like ours. Add the Rafa factor to that and I think we're a lot more attractive to potential signings than some of you lot think.

Read the first line *click*. Yep. What a twat!

We won't if the likes of Ben Gibson are being quoted at £30m. The good thing is, Rafa will have as good a knowledge of the foreign market as anyone so he'll be the right man to bring in quality players for decent value. English players will end up going to CL clubs like Chelsea and Man U who will be prepared to pay stupid money for an instant fix. There's definitely still plenty of value out there. Off the top of my head, in the past couple of seasons Matip, Redmond, Shaqiri, Gabiadini, Kante, Huth, Lanzini, Dele Alli, Eric Dier, Matt Ritchie, Negredo etc. have all either been free or cost 'reasonable' money. I don't think Rafa will have any problem adding significant quality to the squad with the sort of budget that's been quoted.

Charnley's got the egg-iest shaped head i've ever seen. It's like a comedy head

Yes Fuck no no

You say that but plenty of diminutive players have thrived in the PL over the past few years. They're as protected by soft-touch refs as they ever have been. It would be down to his attitude, character and the way he was deployed as to whether he'd succeed. Under Pardew he'd have absolutely no chance but under Rafa he might thrive.

How did Davinson Sanchez and Riedewald play? Always read quite good things about them, but never really seen them play. Sanchez made a couple of fantastic tackles to win the ball, hard but totally clean. He looks a really good prospect but it wasn't the game for him to shine as both teams basically threw defence out of the window.

Watched Ajax last night and i'd take half of their team. Their little playmaker, Younes, was absolutely class. He's listed as a left winger/striker