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Many of you on this forum associate the Goon Army with Wookiee...well, screw him. I'M writing a topic on A**enal, and why they're going to win the treble. This may be a GAD attempt (tee hee!) but it's also a public service announcement, aimed at all you deluded footbll phillistines, to let you know why I'm so sure my £10 for Wenger and co to win the double at odds of 7-1 is a brilliant bit of investing.
1: The Competition
Domestically, the main challenges are in the forms of Liverpool and Manchester United. The latter, having had their worst Premiership start ever, are barely in the top half of the table and the Reds have had a string of draws, seeing Michael Owen spectacularly fall from grace, missing 2 out of 3 penalties and not scoring in open play. United also have this problem, with Ruud van Nistelroy still waiting to score a 'proper' goal and their third choice striker, the £7m signing Diego Forlan, having scored just once (from the penalty spot) in about 30 games under Sir Alex. Last season A**enal finished the campaign with 13 wins on the trot, had the Golden Boot winner in Thierry Henry, scored at least once in EVERY game, and didn't lose a singly away tie. In addition to this, they were hailed as the most exciting Premiership side to watch. Ever. Even in these early stages of the domestic league, the first few letters of 'A**enal' are being etched into the side of the league trophy. They've also shown their ability to win the one-off games, needing only one replay last season in order to grab the FA Cup.
Then, we look to overseas. Last night, Henry killed what was left of A**enal's dismal away record in Europe (in stark contrast to their form in England), with two goals in the last ten minutes to beat PSV 4-0. Eindhoven's manager Guus Hidink who led suprise package South Korea to fourth place in the 2002 World Cup, named the Gunners as the best club side in the world, along with Real Madrid...and really, you can see his point. Destroying the likes of Juve and Leverkusen at Highbury last year, and thrashing the Dutch team with supreme efficiency a little under 24 hours ago, A**enal are certainly living up to their manager's billing as the team to win the Champion's League. I'm already hoping for a Real/A**enal final...as are, I suppose, most neutral fans.
2: The Goals
I touched on this area before. Henry won the Premiership Golden Boot award, out-scoring the likes of the aforementioned van Niselrooy and Owen, as well as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Alan Shearer. His deadly aim and wicked speed, an A**enal trademark as of late, has already made him a favourite not only with the fans, but with critics as well. Popping up all over the place in World XIs, the left winger bought from Juventus for £11m is now one of the most coveted (by the red half of North London) and feared (by...well, everyone else) strikers around. Of course, it wasn't just one man scoring in all 38 games...the 'Non-Flying Dutchman' Dennis Bergkamp got the runaway Goal of the Season, his deft touch beating a Newcastle defender as he twirled away from the ball and past his marker, before blasting it in, leaving Shay Given staring at his breached net. Do not forget Wiltord, the first Player of the Month this season. His goal-poaching instincts saw his name on a few scoresheets.
Now into a midfield packed with class. Freddie Ljunberg, A**enal's fox in the box, scored something like fifteen goals last season...all of which were exactly ther same! Bergkamp and Henry's awareness have put balls through the defence and into Freddie's feet, giving him a simple strike. Then, on the left wing is Robert Pires. Much like Henry, Pires is right footed but sweeps down the left, often cutting inside to lay the ball across, whip it in or shoot across goal. Peter Schmiechael can definitely attest to his ball control, after the Frenchman lobbed the Great Dane to cap off a super-quick move at Villa Park. Wherever you look on the field, there are players wearing A**enal shirts capable of scoring at least five a season. Campbell's aerial presence for corners, Edu's nipping in at the near post, Kanu's close controlled antics...and with up-and-comers like Toure and Alliardiere coming through the ranks, there are even more goals to be scored!
3: The Manager
"Don't make a sound, when Wenger's around, or..." - I'm sure you've heard the chants on the terraces, obviously too coarse for this particular family web-site. But the bottom line is, Wenger is a tactical genius. Japan have begged for his services. He's the French national coach in waiting. Whenever Barcelona, Ajax or Inter Milan are looking for a new boss his name crops up...but with a new deal signed, A**ene's A**enal will continue for a few more (probably) successful seasons. His keen eye for a bargain have seen both money made, and stars born. For instance, buying Nicholas Anelka for £500,000 and shifting him for 46 times that, £23m. Maybe you remember Emmanuelle Petit, bought as a mediocre left back and turned into an excellent defensive midfielder? Well, both of those decisions were made by Wenger.
What about his mind games? He's gone on record to swear A**enal will not lose a single game this season. The belief in his squad is palpable, the electricity when he speaks about the team's future accomplishments big enough to cause a power outage. He has built a huge squad, capable of coping with injuries (demonstrated last season when Pires, Ljunberg and Van Bronkhorst limped out of midfield and Upson, Cole and Adams were carried out of defence on a stretcher, not mentioning the ten games Stuart Taylor, the third string goalkeeper played). With his never-say-die tactics (remember pouring on the forwards against Bolton and getting the 2-1 victory?) and the skill every English chairman wants in his manager (the ability to REALLY p*ss off Alex Ferguson) Wenger could be the greatest coach the "A**e" have ever had.
Well, there you go. Having read all that, may I suggest you head on over to the local bookies, and make that bet? A**enal aren't just gonna win the Premiership and the FA Cup (thus winning me seventy quid)...they're not just going to win the Treble, lifting the Champions League trophy for the first time ever...they're going to dominate English football in the way 70s Liverpool and 90s Man Utd barely touched upon. A young squad. A big squad. A great manager. Goals everywhere. The main competition struggling to beat West Brom and Spurs. The noughties is the decade of ARSENAL!
Thanks for reading.
-swander87, waiting for his A**enal shirt from his parents come October the 12th. With the number 14 on the back, since you're asking.
1: The Competition
Domestically, the main challenges are in the forms of Liverpool and Manchester United. The latter, having had their worst Premiership start ever, are barely in the top half of the table and the Reds have had a string of draws, seeing Michael Owen spectacularly fall from grace, missing 2 out of 3 penalties and not scoring in open play. United also have this problem, with Ruud van Nistelroy still waiting to score a 'proper' goal and their third choice striker, the £7m signing Diego Forlan, having scored just once (from the penalty spot) in about 30 games under Sir Alex. Last season A**enal finished the campaign with 13 wins on the trot, had the Golden Boot winner in Thierry Henry, scored at least once in EVERY game, and didn't lose a singly away tie. In addition to this, they were hailed as the most exciting Premiership side to watch. Ever. Even in these early stages of the domestic league, the first few letters of 'A**enal' are being etched into the side of the league trophy. They've also shown their ability to win the one-off games, needing only one replay last season in order to grab the FA Cup.
Then, we look to overseas. Last night, Henry killed what was left of A**enal's dismal away record in Europe (in stark contrast to their form in England), with two goals in the last ten minutes to beat PSV 4-0. Eindhoven's manager Guus Hidink who led suprise package South Korea to fourth place in the 2002 World Cup, named the Gunners as the best club side in the world, along with Real Madrid...and really, you can see his point. Destroying the likes of Juve and Leverkusen at Highbury last year, and thrashing the Dutch team with supreme efficiency a little under 24 hours ago, A**enal are certainly living up to their manager's billing as the team to win the Champion's League. I'm already hoping for a Real/A**enal final...as are, I suppose, most neutral fans.
2: The Goals
I touched on this area before. Henry won the Premiership Golden Boot award, out-scoring the likes of the aforementioned van Niselrooy and Owen, as well as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Alan Shearer. His deadly aim and wicked speed, an A**enal trademark as of late, has already made him a favourite not only with the fans, but with critics as well. Popping up all over the place in World XIs, the left winger bought from Juventus for £11m is now one of the most coveted (by the red half of North London) and feared (by...well, everyone else) strikers around. Of course, it wasn't just one man scoring in all 38 games...the 'Non-Flying Dutchman' Dennis Bergkamp got the runaway Goal of the Season, his deft touch beating a Newcastle defender as he twirled away from the ball and past his marker, before blasting it in, leaving Shay Given staring at his breached net. Do not forget Wiltord, the first Player of the Month this season. His goal-poaching instincts saw his name on a few scoresheets.
Now into a midfield packed with class. Freddie Ljunberg, A**enal's fox in the box, scored something like fifteen goals last season...all of which were exactly ther same! Bergkamp and Henry's awareness have put balls through the defence and into Freddie's feet, giving him a simple strike. Then, on the left wing is Robert Pires. Much like Henry, Pires is right footed but sweeps down the left, often cutting inside to lay the ball across, whip it in or shoot across goal. Peter Schmiechael can definitely attest to his ball control, after the Frenchman lobbed the Great Dane to cap off a super-quick move at Villa Park. Wherever you look on the field, there are players wearing A**enal shirts capable of scoring at least five a season. Campbell's aerial presence for corners, Edu's nipping in at the near post, Kanu's close controlled antics...and with up-and-comers like Toure and Alliardiere coming through the ranks, there are even more goals to be scored!
3: The Manager
"Don't make a sound, when Wenger's around, or..." - I'm sure you've heard the chants on the terraces, obviously too coarse for this particular family web-site. But the bottom line is, Wenger is a tactical genius. Japan have begged for his services. He's the French national coach in waiting. Whenever Barcelona, Ajax or Inter Milan are looking for a new boss his name crops up...but with a new deal signed, A**ene's A**enal will continue for a few more (probably) successful seasons. His keen eye for a bargain have seen both money made, and stars born. For instance, buying Nicholas Anelka for £500,000 and shifting him for 46 times that, £23m. Maybe you remember Emmanuelle Petit, bought as a mediocre left back and turned into an excellent defensive midfielder? Well, both of those decisions were made by Wenger.
What about his mind games? He's gone on record to swear A**enal will not lose a single game this season. The belief in his squad is palpable, the electricity when he speaks about the team's future accomplishments big enough to cause a power outage. He has built a huge squad, capable of coping with injuries (demonstrated last season when Pires, Ljunberg and Van Bronkhorst limped out of midfield and Upson, Cole and Adams were carried out of defence on a stretcher, not mentioning the ten games Stuart Taylor, the third string goalkeeper played). With his never-say-die tactics (remember pouring on the forwards against Bolton and getting the 2-1 victory?) and the skill every English chairman wants in his manager (the ability to REALLY p*ss off Alex Ferguson) Wenger could be the greatest coach the "A**e" have ever had.
Well, there you go. Having read all that, may I suggest you head on over to the local bookies, and make that bet? A**enal aren't just gonna win the Premiership and the FA Cup (thus winning me seventy quid)...they're not just going to win the Treble, lifting the Champions League trophy for the first time ever...they're going to dominate English football in the way 70s Liverpool and 90s Man Utd barely touched upon. A young squad. A big squad. A great manager. Goals everywhere. The main competition struggling to beat West Brom and Spurs. The noughties is the decade of ARSENAL!
Thanks for reading.
-swander87, waiting for his A**enal shirt from his parents come October the 12th. With the number 14 on the back, since you're asking.
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Man Utd took a couple of tries to get far in the competition and everyone's pretty much in agreement that Arsenal CAN go far. What's the big hub-ub? Nobody called the 'brazil for the world cup' talk pre-mature, and most of that started before a ball had even been kicked.
WòókieeMøn§??® wrote:
> Ingenium Bartender wrote:
> Hasn't Van Nistelrooy scored twice this season?
>
> Must be just me...
>
> Two penalties, yeah - but even Forlan can manage that! :-)
Pity Henry cant of late :-)
WòókieeMøn§??® wrote:
> People are talking Premiership here, and you have to be bitter and
> drag in other competitions! Face it, Henry's a better all-round
> player. RVN - as good as he is - is a donkey in comparison!
Heh, it was an Arsenal Supporter who started talking about the prem! i.e. read this post.
§n][pe® wrote:
> LOL swan diver... is he that good? no henry is miles better.
I agree Henrys is by miles the better swan diver than RVN :)
WòókieeMøn§??® wrote:
> Or?ega wrote:
> Nah? Try Deportivo at Highbury last season. Outplayed ya, and
> outclassed ya.
>
> Yeah, but then we also beat Juventuis 3-1, and Bayer Leverkusen
> (remember them? :-) 4-1.
Yeh but its normally the crap teams in europe that Arsenal falter against
---------
All this nonsense, just because of one good win away against PSV, is it because you gooners aint used to winning away in Europe or what? If thats the case then you guys really are Europe's Premature thinking elite.
:D
> Ingenium Bartender wrote:
> Hasn't Van Nistelrooy scored twice this season?
>
> Must be just me...
>
> Two penalties, yeah - but even Forlan can manage that! :-)
Pity Henry cant of late :-)
WòókieeMøn§??® wrote:
> People are talking Premiership here, and you have to be bitter and
> drag in other competitions! Face it, Henry's a better all-round
> player. RVN - as good as he is - is a donkey in comparison!
Heh, it was an Arsenal Supporter who started talking about the prem! i.e. read this post.
§n][pe® wrote:
> LOL swan diver... is he that good? no henry is miles better.
I agree Henrys is by miles the better swan diver than RVN :)
WòókieeMøn§??® wrote:
> Or?ega wrote:
> Nah? Try Deportivo at Highbury last season. Outplayed ya, and
> outclassed ya.
>
> Yeah, but then we also beat Juventuis 3-1, and Bayer Leverkusen
> (remember them? :-) 4-1.
Yeh but its normally the crap teams in europe that Arsenal falter against
---------
All this nonsense, just because of one good win away against PSV, is it because you gooners aint used to winning away in Europe or what? If thats the case then you guys really are Europe's Premature thinking elite.
:D
Sheesh Arsenal win a premiership crown and beat a average PSV side and a poor Dortmund side and suddenly they're up there with Europes Elite and dominating English football.
When they won the prem crown 2 years in a row in 97 and 98 we had the same thing and then what happened? United completed a 3-peat of the premiership crown and won the champions league in that time. We've also won the majority of the premiership titles in it's history. There's a saying of history has a nasty habit of repeating itself so it looks quite rosy for us United fans. Just a shame we have to listen all this rubbish in the meantime. You lot do it year on year then maybe i'll start considering Arsenal as an Elite European side
When they won the prem crown 2 years in a row in 97 and 98 we had the same thing and then what happened? United completed a 3-peat of the premiership crown and won the champions league in that time. We've also won the majority of the premiership titles in it's history. There's a saying of history has a nasty habit of repeating itself so it looks quite rosy for us United fans. Just a shame we have to listen all this rubbish in the meantime. You lot do it year on year then maybe i'll start considering Arsenal as an Elite European side
WòókieeMøn§†€® wrote:
> Yeah, but then we also beat Juventuis 3-1, and Bayer Leverkusen
> (remember them? :-) 4-1.
That being the Leverkusen side that finished second.
Plus, if we'd not had such a torrid away record, we probably could have coped with a loss at home against Deportivo. But hey, it was an experience, and this time round we're GONNA DO IT!!
> Yeah, but then we also beat Juventuis 3-1, and Bayer Leverkusen
> (remember them? :-) 4-1.
That being the Leverkusen side that finished second.
Plus, if we'd not had such a torrid away record, we probably could have coped with a loss at home against Deportivo. But hey, it was an experience, and this time round we're GONNA DO IT!!
what was that, Arsenal not up for this cup, that up and any other cup :D?
Or†ega wrote:
> Nah? Try Deportivo at Highbury last season. Outplayed ya, and
> outclassed ya.
Yeah, but then we also beat Juventuis 3-1, and Bayer Leverkusen (remember them? :-) 4-1.
> Nah? Try Deportivo at Highbury last season. Outplayed ya, and
> outclassed ya.
Yeah, but then we also beat Juventuis 3-1, and Bayer Leverkusen (remember them? :-) 4-1.
El blokey wrote:
They've had no problems with big
> European sides at home
Nah? Try Deportivo at Highbury last season. Outplayed ya, and outclassed ya.
Sure, United lost to them as well, but that was down to the Barthez + Brown comedy show.
They've had no problems with big
> European sides at home
Nah? Try Deportivo at Highbury last season. Outplayed ya, and outclassed ya.
Sure, United lost to them as well, but that was down to the Barthez + Brown comedy show.
i feel so proud to be labelled finally a dangerous to play against...... !!!!
> But just because the won 4-0 against PSV Eindhoven who are NOT a Real
> Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan, or even Inter, doesn't mean that
> you're 'dead-certs' for the European Cup in May!
> For god's sake, it's just ONE game!!
Couple that with a convincing win over Dortmund, another strong (if unspectacular) side, and Arsenal are pretty safe when it comes to qualifying for the next stage. They've had no problems with big European sides at home (let's not forget their record against Manchester United, a former winner of the Champion's League, last season) and with a psychological barrier broken they probably won't have any qualms about taking their great form away from home.
> But you ARE currently the Premiership favourties, even if it is really
> too-early to tell. After all, United are ONLY 6 points behind you. ;)
Hey, first impressions are most important, ;-)
Seriously though, Arsenal have started brilliantly, as they mean to go on, and no other side has really shown themselves to have the quality or quantity of players to beat them.
> And as for the FA and Worthington Cups... who knows! No Premiership team > has even kicked a ball in either of those competitions yet!
> Wait untill you beat Woking 6-0 in the 3rd Round - then you can gloat
> about how you'll be lifting it all-over-again, just like you're doing
> here with the Champions' League competition.
I'm not talking about the Worthless Cup...but the stiffest competition for the FA title is from Premiership sides. Really, looking at their Premiership results you can see, game to game, Arsenal have the pedigree to beat anyone and that's what won them the FA cup last year, and should do this year.
AbsoluT Neó wrote:
> Firstly...have you not seen the recent 'you are not allowed to swear
> in this forum'
I thought that post was aimed at taking words blocked out, and replacing letters like S with $ to get round it. Screw isn't really a swear word, and if it was it would have been blocked out, and I'd change it.
> Yes Henry was Got the golden Boot last season, but did you fail to
> notice RVN didn't play in at least 5 of the final prem games last
> season and henry did?
Does that mean Henry played every single game?
> Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan, or even Inter, doesn't mean that
> you're 'dead-certs' for the European Cup in May!
> For god's sake, it's just ONE game!!
Couple that with a convincing win over Dortmund, another strong (if unspectacular) side, and Arsenal are pretty safe when it comes to qualifying for the next stage. They've had no problems with big European sides at home (let's not forget their record against Manchester United, a former winner of the Champion's League, last season) and with a psychological barrier broken they probably won't have any qualms about taking their great form away from home.
> But you ARE currently the Premiership favourties, even if it is really
> too-early to tell. After all, United are ONLY 6 points behind you. ;)
Hey, first impressions are most important, ;-)
Seriously though, Arsenal have started brilliantly, as they mean to go on, and no other side has really shown themselves to have the quality or quantity of players to beat them.
> And as for the FA and Worthington Cups... who knows! No Premiership team > has even kicked a ball in either of those competitions yet!
> Wait untill you beat Woking 6-0 in the 3rd Round - then you can gloat
> about how you'll be lifting it all-over-again, just like you're doing
> here with the Champions' League competition.
I'm not talking about the Worthless Cup...but the stiffest competition for the FA title is from Premiership sides. Really, looking at their Premiership results you can see, game to game, Arsenal have the pedigree to beat anyone and that's what won them the FA cup last year, and should do this year.
AbsoluT Neó wrote:
> Firstly...have you not seen the recent 'you are not allowed to swear
> in this forum'
I thought that post was aimed at taking words blocked out, and replacing letters like S with $ to get round it. Screw isn't really a swear word, and if it was it would have been blocked out, and I'd change it.
> Yes Henry was Got the golden Boot last season, but did you fail to
> notice RVN didn't play in at least 5 of the final prem games last
> season and henry did?
Does that mean Henry played every single game?
Solskjær wrote:
> But just because the won 4-0 against PSV Eindhoven who are NOT a Real
> Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan, or even Inter, doesn't mean that you're
> 'dead-certs' for the European Cup in May!
> For god's sake, it's just ONE game!!
All true, but PSV ARE a top team.
Anyway, see my thread "Real 'scared of Arsenal' - but don't gloat yet!" elsewhere in this forum - but make sure you read it all, especially my own comments after the news article.
> But just because the won 4-0 against PSV Eindhoven who are NOT a Real
> Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan, or even Inter, doesn't mean that you're
> 'dead-certs' for the European Cup in May!
> For god's sake, it's just ONE game!!
All true, but PSV ARE a top team.
Anyway, see my thread "Real 'scared of Arsenal' - but don't gloat yet!" elsewhere in this forum - but make sure you read it all, especially my own comments after the news article.
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