Continental crash points to a Premier League in decline
With Arsenal and Chelsea on the verge of Champions League elimination and both Manchester clubs already out, England’s top-flight league is slipping behind its foreign rivals
Article source: http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2012/02/22/2921336/arsenal-majority-shareholder-stan-kroenke-set-to-back-arsene
The following is a roundup of soccer
stories from U.K. newspapers, with clickable links to the Web.
Chelsea wants to swap its striker Daniel Sturridge for
Arsenal and England player Theo Walcott, the Sun reported.
Walcott, who has been valued at 10 million pounds ($15.7
million), only has one year left on his contract. Sturridge’s
agreement with Chelsea expires in 2014.
Manchester United winger Nani has been offered a four-year
contract worth 130,000 pounds a week, the Sun reported.
Portugal’s Nani, who has two years left on his contract,
currently makes 90,000 pounds a week at Old Trafford.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is keen on signing Standard
Liege defender Daniel Opare, the Sun reported.
The Ghana international, who was part of the team that
played the African Nations Cup but did not play in a match,
first came to Europe at Real Madrid before moving to Belgium.
City Move for Higuain?
Manchester City may put a bid in for Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Higuain this summer, the Daily Mail reported. The Argentina
player, 24, is also wanted by Chelsea.
Chelsea and Brazil midfielder Ramires is close to signing a
new contract that will keep him at the west London club until
2017, the Daily Mirror reported.
Although the Brazilian has more than two years left on his
current deal, Chelsea sees the 24-year-old as an important
player in its future line-up. Ramires has scored eight goals so
far this season.
To contact the reporter on this story:
Danielle Rossingh on the London sports desk at drossingh@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Christopher Elser at at
celser@bloomberg.net
Article source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-22/chelsea-wants-to-swap-striker-sturridge-for-arsenal-s-walcott-roundup.html
This article is
a duplicateoffensiveplagiarized
What is the duplicate article?
Why is this article offensive?
Where is this article plagiarized from?
Why is this article poorly edited?
Article source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1076024-arsenal-fc-in-crisis-10-things-that-have-to-change-at-the-emirates
Another day, another pearl of wisdom from former Arsenal man Samir Nasri.
His latest sage piece of advice in today’s Mirror is ‘not to end up like Chelsea, because spending is not the answer.’
He went onto advise that Arsenal need to start winning ugly to get back on track.
Perhaps Arsenal would have stood a better chance of winning games, and even trophies, if Nasri himself had decided not to destabilise the club last summer and force a £24 million move to Manchester City where he earns a reported £170,000 wages a week.
But Nasri loves Arsenal dearly of course, and this was why he braved a trip back to the Emirates last month to see Thierry Henry make his return against Leeds in the FA Cup.
However, he does though admit that he made the right choice in leaving Arsenal, pointing simply to the Premier League table.
Yes, Manchester City are two points clear at the top of the Premier League, and looking good in the Europa League.
Whereas Arsenal are more or less eliminated from the Champions League after a 4-0 defeat in Milan and clinging onto fourth spot.
Not that Nasri has played a huge part in City’s success.
He started brightly, playing a key role in a 5-1 demolition of Spurs earlier in the season, with Blackburn away being another of his highlights.
But all too often he has found himself sitting on the bench, and left out of the big games.
This has been largely down to Mancini’s set up, and the form of David Silva, a sure contender for Player of the Season, an award Nasri came close to winning last year for his performances at Arsenal.
There will be no such individual honours for Nasri this year, but as we approach the run-in he has the opportunity to make a telling contribution.
If he can produce the inspired form he showed for Arsenal in late 2010 then City will have a proven match winner on their hands.
Along with the recently returned Carlos Tevez, he can be the difference maker.
And today’s quotes, while he has some advice for Arsenal, he adds he is ready mentally now to leave the club behind, even if he was not before.
He said he has started to settle, and wants to prove to everyone the move was not a mistake.
“What Arsenal do doesn’t matter,” he ended with.
Quite right, so hopefully now he will stop talking about them and concentrate fully on making his move a success.
Should Nasri have stayed at Arsenal?
image: © Ronnie Macdonald
@hitcdancoombsmore stories from Dan Coombs
Dan Coombs is a writer who is keen to embrace the internet revolution. He first started writing for us in June 2011 and commenced his new role as Sports Editor in February 2012.
As a trained journalist he has met famous faces from Mr T to Boris Johnson. He once featured in an England World Cup music video too, but it did not make the charts.
He grew up wanting to be a Formula 1 driver, but it looks like this dream has passed him by. Instead, he hopes you enjoy reading his writing on our site, as we seek to debate the day’s sporting hot topics.
Article source: http://hereisthecity.com/2012/02/22/samir-nasri-is-now-finally-ready-to-leave-arsenal-behind/
Letting Robin van Persie run down his contract would be the right move by Arsenal and Arsene Wenger.
Recent reports in the media have claimed the Gunners hierarchy have resolved to reject any bid for their captain, even if he refuses to sign a new contract to stay at Emirates Stadium.
Van Persie’s current deal runs out in the summer of 2013 and the club will risk losing him on a free contract should he decline to sign an extension.
This is the right stance from the north London club, as they would stand to lose more by attempting to cash in on the Dutchman during the summer.
Arsenal are having their worst season for a very long time, which is not likely to help the club in their quest to convince the talismanic striker to remain with them beyond next season.
The end to last season brought a similar situation with playmaker Samir Nasri and the club decided to cash in on him when it became clear he would not sign a contract extension.
This was probably the correct decision at the time, but hindsight is a wonderful thing and there will be many who are happy to use it when pointing out that, should Arsenal miss out on the Champions League, the £24million received for Nasri doesn’t make up for the estimated £45million loss from finishing outside the top four.
Admittedly there is no guarantee the presence of the French midfielder would have made a huge difference to the Gunners’ current plight, but there isn’t a soul who could argue that Wenger is not in need of some extra quality.
Questions over Nasri’s sale cannot be suitably transferred to the case of Van Persie though and there are four vital reasons as to why this is – that is the number of years between the two.
At 24, Nasri still has many years ahead of him and his value is automatically higher, so selling him would have jeopardised a sizeable fee and it would be valid to question how influential he had actually been in his years with the club.
Van Persie is currently 28 and will be approaching 30 when his contract expires, so the lack of sell-on value automatically means Arsenal would not be able to demand a substantial fee – certainly not enough to replace him with someone of equal quality.
It is a transitional period for Wenger, who is having to slowly dismantle and repair a squad of promising youngsters who have not been able to live up to the expectations and belief he has put in them over the past few seasons.
All the indications are that he will make significant changes to his squad next year and selling Van Persie will not be a positive message to send out to prospective signings.
Even if they manage to improve next season, the transitional nature of the current time means nobody can predict how successful next season will be although it will likely depend greatly on what happens this term.
Van Persie’s quality and experience will be as invaluable next season and they are in the current campaign and, even if he decides to leave, another year out of him should be a decent platform from which a new look team could be launched.
At the age he is, Robin van Persie could be excused for wanting to play somewhere with serious chances of winning silverware and Arsenal fans would be short-sighted in begrudging him an opportunity to do so.
Robin van Persie’s football is far more valuable to Arsenal than any transfer fee they may get, and the Gunners must consider doing something that seems to be unthinkable in today’s game – having a player last the duration of his contract and thanking him for his services should he decide to leave.
Article source: http://www.givemefootball.com/premier-league/it-must-be-van-persie-or-nothing-for-arsenal
The tiny but symbolic stake stemmed from support offered by the Glasgow club to Arsenal when they fell on hard times early in the 20th century.
Rangers purchased two shares in Woolwich Arsenal, as the club were known then, to assist the London club in 1910. Around 20 years later Arsenal recognised the kindness of the Glasgow giants by giving them a further 14 shares, establishing a close relationship between the two clubs.
Rangers are now facing their own financial crisis, having gone into administration last week over unpaid taxes and with a potentially ruinous second tax bill hanging over them.
Usmanov bought the 16 shares last year through the market, a source close to the businessman said on Wednesday. The Daily Record report that the deal was worth around £230,000.
Rangers legend John Greig said that ending 102 years of history was a terrible decision by Whyte.
“I am deeply saddened by this,” Greig told the Daily Record. “I always held that these shares, which are a vital part of Rangers’ heritage, should never be sold. Now they’re gone.
“Rangers were built on strength of character and achieved a significant standing in football. There was integrity and I worry about that being lost too.
“But those shares should never have been sold. They were about something more than money.”
Usmanov has said he is prepared to pay up to £14,000 per share as he seeks to take his stake in Arsenal from some 27 per cent last May to 30 per cent.
American Stan Kroenke owns a majority stake in Arsenal and Usmanov has been steadily building up his holding in the club through his Red White vehicle as part of his opposition to Kroenke’s takeover.
Arsenal moved from their original base in Woolwich, south London, to north London in 1913 because of their financial problems.
Article source: http://au.eurosport.com/football/spl/2011-2012/whyte-sells-arsenal-shares_sto3164858/story.shtml
Craig Whyte, the owner of Rangers Football Club reads a statement outside the club’s Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow
(David Moir Reuters, REUTERS / February 13, 2012)
Article source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/sns-rt-uk-soccer-scotland-rangers-arsenaltre81l12k-20120222,0,5247187.story
Arsenal’s defensive ranks are set to get a boost with the return of Carl Jenkinson, after the full-back last played for the Gunners on November 5 and suffered a
stress fracture in his back.
Jenkinson, 20, has made 11 appearances since signing from Charlton last
summer and made a successful 45-minute comeback in Arsenal’s reserve win over
Norwich. Reserve team coach Neil Banfield said Jenkinson’s return was ”nice to see”.
“It is fantastic to be back,” Jenkinson told Arsenal Player. “It has been really hard coming in every day and doing my rehab stuff, but I am delighted to be back now.
“The injury felt fine; I had no problems with it at all, which is great news because you never know how you are going to react in a game. It is a family club at Arsenal, so there are always people who will put an arm around you and try to help you out.
“The medical team have been fantastic, keeping me motivated and making sure I am doing the right things. I have got a lot to thank them for in terms of getting me back to where I am now, so I am very grateful to them.”
Jenkinson also admitted his injury came at the worst possible time.
“I felt like I was starting to come into my own [when it happened] – that was the most frustrating thing,” he said.
“In the last few games I played I was starting to show people what I could do and to then get a setback was hard to take.
“Three and a half months is a long time, so it has been hard work but I think you just have to focus on the future and be positive, so that is what I am going to do.”
While the versatile defender is not assured of a place in Arsene Wenger’s
starting XI, his availability would be welcomed given that the under-fire
Gunners boss has a number of injury concerns at the back.
Per Mertesacker is out with a long-term ankle injury, Laurent Koscielny missed
last weekend’s defeat at Sunderland, while Sebastien Squillaci and Francis
Coquelin both hobbled off at the Stadium of Light and will miss Sunday’s game against Tottenham. Indeed, the club only has two other fit centre-halves – Thomas Vermaelen and Johan
Djourou.
Wenger, who is under pressure after seeing his team crash out of the FA Cup and
almost certainly exit the Champions League after a 4-0 first leg hammering at AC
Milan, is hoping to have striker Marouane Chamakh available after he returned
from the African Nations Cup this week.
The striker suffered a toe injury while at the tournament but is expected to be fit after playing a part for the reserves.
”Marouane had a bad toe coming into this one. To be fair to him he wanted to
give it a go but he could only last for half an hour and he had to come off,”
Banfield told Arsenal’s website.
”Marouane will be all right, it is just a bad toe I think at the moment.”
Article source: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/1025319/carl-jenkinson-return-gives-arsenal-defensive-boost
By
Sportsmail Reporter
Last updated at 2:06 PM on 22nd February 2012
Jermain Defoe has stoked the fire ahead of Sunday’s north London derby by claiming Arsenal are the more desperate of the two sides to win.
With the Gunners’ season rapidly disintegrating Tottenham will travel the short hop across to N5 as favourites to win and Defoe is backing his side to take the three points.
Spurs are third in the Barclays Premier League, 10 points clear of their rivals with 13 games to go and have an excellent recent record in this fixture.
Jer-main man: Defoe believes Arsenal need the win more than Spurs
He told LBC 97.3: ‘It means more to Arsenal than us. Obviously because of the way things have gone for them this season.
‘I think it’s been a lot of ups and downs, where at the beginning they didn’t start too well, then they picked it up and then they’ve had a little blip again.
‘But at the same time I’ve always said they’re a good team. You can’t write Arsenal off.
‘In football it’s always the next game, you can change it in the next one and I think playing against us, it’ll be a different Arsenal from what people have seen over the last few weeks.’
Arsene Wenger’s side look certain to exit the Champions League after losing 4-0 to AC Milan last Wednesday and followed that up with defeat to Sunderland in the FA Cup on Saturday.
Spurred on: Tottenham won the fixture earlier this season through goals from Van der Vaart (above) and Walker (below)
But Defoe has warned against complacency, he said: ‘It’s going to be a difficult game but I’m confident, obviously, with the way we’re playing.
‘We’ve got a really strong squad now and everyone’s playing well. Everyone’s firing and team spirit is fantastic which I think is always important if you want to try and achieve something.
‘We’ve got a great chance to go there and get three points.’
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Article source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2104830/Jermain-Defoe-Arsenal-desperate-win-north-London-derby.html
Arsne Wenger will give the likes of Andrei Arshavin, Marouane Chamakh and
Park Ju-young the chance to stake a claim for a place against Tottenham at
the Emirates on Sunday when Arsenal’s reserves travel to Norwich City
tonight.
Chamakh has recently returned from the African Cup of Nations but, unlike the
Ivory Coast forward Gervinho, the Moroccan has not featured for the first
team since that tournament was completed. With Arshavin, he was left on the
bench for the FA Cup defeat at Sunderland last Saturday.
Park has made only five appearances for Arsenal – and only one, as a
substitute, in the Premier League – since his summer arrival from Monaco. He
was this week replaced as South Korea’s captain by the defender Kwak Tae-hwi.
The defender Carl Jenkinson could be set for a first appearance since
suffering a back injury in November, while the on-loan Chelsea midfielder
Yossi Benayoun is also in a strong squad for the game at Carrow Road.
Wenger knows that his underperforming players will need to improve on Sunday,
as they look to stay in the top four. Last week’s 4-0 humiliation at Milan
has left Arsenal all but out of the Champions League and their exit from the
FA Cup at Sunderland was also extremely disappointing.
Laurent Koscielny hobbled off at the San Siro, but the French centre-half
could recover from a knee problem to face Spurs. It would be a welcome boost
for Wenger, who has once again seen his defence stretched by injury. The
German international Per Mertesacker is out for the rest of the season after
damaging ankle ligaments in a Premier League win at Sunderland a fortnight
ago. However, the 6ft 3in centre-back is determined to play at this summer’s
European Championship in Poland and Ukraine.
Writing on Facebook, Mertesacker said: “My participation in Euro 2012 is not
in danger. Dr Stockle in Tubingen did the operation on Tuesday evening,
attached a piece of bone back to the ankle and patched up the deltoid
ligament on the inside of the ankle. All went well and I am in Donaustauf,
Bavaria, for the physical rehabilitation.”
Arsenal’s failure to challenge for silverware this season has again prompted
suggestions that their captain, Robin van Persie, will follow Cesc Fabregas
out of the club in the summer. The Netherlands forward, who will turn 29 in
August, has been in superb form, scoring 28 goals this season. The Arsenal
hierarchy are determined to tie him to a long-term deal, although talks have
not yet started. Van Persie’s current contract runs until 2013.
Arsenal’s majority shareholder, Stan Kroenke, is said to be flying to London
to attend tomorrow’s board meeting.
The Tottenham Hotspur forward Rafael van der Vaart is confident that he is
winning his race to be fit for the north London derby. He has missed Spurs’
last three games, after suffering a calf injury in a 3-1 win over Wigan
Athletic last month.
The Dutchman, who has scored nine goals this season, will return to full
training today.
“I’m recovering well from my injury,” Van der Vaart said. “I expect to be
joining the team training, after which I will start to focus on the match
against Arsenal. I’ll be happy to play Arsenal. I can’t wait.”
Spurs have a number of injury worries. Emmanuel Adebayor twisted a knee in
training, while Benot Assou-Ekotto had a groin operation last week and is a
major doubt for the Arsenal match. Luka Modric missed last weekend’s 0-0 FA
Cup draw at Stevenage through illness, but he is expected to recover in time
for the trip across north London.
Tottenham missed their injured stars as they laboured to a draw in their FA
Cup fifth-round tie at the Lamex Stadium on Sunday, but Van der Vaart said
that he expected to beat the League One side in the replay.
“Of course, it’s a pity we didn’t win, he said. “I’m convinced we will be able
to defeat Stevenage in our home game and will reach the next round of the FA
Cup.”
Adebayor, who spent three and a half years at Arsenal, is also confident that
he will be fit to play against the Gunners this weekend. The forward, who is
on loan from Manchester City, used Twitter to say: “Just finished training,
really happy with the progress, knee is looking much better. Working on my
fitness for Sunday.”
The Togolese striker has had a poor relationship with Arsenal since he left in
2009, to join City. In his first game against the Gunners Adebayor ran the
full length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the travelling fans at
Eastlands, having been verbally abused throughout the match. He caused even
more fury when he raked his studs over the face of Van Persie.
Arsenal’s fans have never forgiven Adebayor for his conduct during that game
in Manchester and they launched a volley of abuse during the first north
London derby of the season, in October, which Spurs won 2-1.
During the match at White Hart Lane, some Arsenal fans chanted, “It should
have been you, it should have been you… shot in Angola. It should have
been you,” referring to a gun attack on the Togo team bus in 2010 which
Adebayor survived.
After the game, Arsenal and Spurs issued a joint statement strongly condemning
the abusive chanting.
Article source: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/premiership/arsenal-must-draw-on-reserves-to-face-spurs-16121077.html
Feb 22 2012
By Scott McDermott
John Greig gallery Image 5
HANGING in the marble halls of the old Highbury a black and white photo symbolised the historic link between Arsenal and Rangers.
It showed both teams lining up in front of the Clock End on a freezing December night in 1951, just the second match under floodlights at the Gunners’ old ground.
Even for a friendly, with more than 62,000 fans crammed in, there were a further 10,000 locked out.
A copy of that picture still sits outside the Arsenal boardroom at Highbury House adjacent to the Emirates Stadium.
Sadly that kind of nostalgia has been lost on Ibrox owner Craig Whyte. Rangers fans of all ages will be left disgusted this morning by the news Whyte has sold off 102 years of history between two of British football’s institutions.
Record Sport’s revelation that he flogged the 16 Arsenal shares, gifted to Rangers in the 1930s, for a profit will infuriate the Ibrox support.
It’s a deal that makes a mockery of one of the game’s oldest friendships.
And John Greig, the man voted the Greatest Ever Ranger, said: “I am deeply saddened by this. I always held that these shares, which are a vital part of Rangers’ heritage, should never be sold. Now they’re gone.
“Rangers were built on strength of character and achieved a significant standing in football. There was integrity and I worry about that being lost too.
“But those shares should never have been sold. They were about something more than money.”
After World War Two had kept them apart Rangers and Arsenal were finally able to resume their rivalry on the pitch that night in 1951 – a tradition which began 20 years previously.
But the clubs’ relationship can be traced back to the 1900s. Glaswegian George Morrell had previously been on the books at Ibrox but was appointed boss of Woolwich Arsenal, as the Gunners were then known, in 1908.
He oversaw a difficult time for the club financially and Rangers were one of the first to lend a helping hand.
Morrell’s connection with Gers prompted the Ibrox hierarchy to purchase two £1 shares in Woolwich Arsenal – and their support wouldn’t be forgotten.
In the 1930s Bill Struth, a Rangers icon and boss at Ibrox for 34 years, became close friends with Highbury counterpart Herbert Chapman. It is believed, as a result of their generosity 20 years earlier, the newly-formed Arsenal gifted Rangers a further 14 shares.
Record Sport can reveal that in 2007 the possibility of selling the shares, which by that time were worth £100,000, was discussed by the former Ibrox board.
But after researching the history of Gers’ relationship with Arsenal it was decided that under no
circumstances should the shares be cashed in.
Rangers historian David Mason said last night: “Around five years ago I got a call from the financial director Douglas Odam at Ibrox to say he’d discovered we had shares in Arsenal.
“They weren’t sure what to do with them but they were worth around £100,000. We were struggling financially so the question was ‘Should we sell them?’
“But everyone felt it would be a slight on Arsenal who had given them to us as a gift.”
A 2-0 home victory for Gers in 1933 marked the start of annual matches between the two clubs, which became know as the Battle of Britain.
Mason said: “The first fixture between the clubs was in 1908, against Woolwich Arsenal.
“The connection, and the friendships, between Rangers and Arsenal go back a long way.
“Chapman had got to know Struth through the 20s and 30s and even after he died the clubs kept the games going.
“One of the iconic ones was in 1938, the first under floodlights at Ibrox. It was Willie Waddell’s debut, he had to get special dispensation to leave school to play. He was only 17 but scored in a 1-0 win. These games were glamour ties – generally the best team in Scotland against the best in England.”
Waddell was Rangers manager by the time of the club’s centenary in 1973 – and there was only one side he wanted to play to celebrate the landmark.
That typified the link between the clubs which even saw the construction of Highbury – right down to the marble halls – modelled on Ibrox by architect Archibald Leitch who built both stadiums.
The connection was forged when Rangers spent £2 on Arsenal shares in 1910 – but Whyte has now sold off those 102 years of history.
22 February 2012
Last updated at 07:29
Charlie Jones was one of Wales’ “unsung heroes,” the FAW says
Football memorabilia from 80 years ago which belonged to Wales captain and Arsenal star Charlie Jones is due to be auctioned.
Born in Troedyrhiw, Merthyr Tydfil, Jones started at Cardiff City, but won three league titles with the Gunners at the end of his career in the 1930s.
Among items being auctioned in Chester are shirts, medals and Wales caps.
The sale will also include items once owned by Wales World Cup squad player Derrick Sullivan.
Sullivan, born in 1930, played for Cardiff, Newport and Ebbw Vale, among other clubs, and was in the Wales squad for the 1958 World Cup in Sweden.
It is hoped five lots, including three caps, a World Cup Sweden glass vase and a Welsh Cup Winners (runners up) trophy, could fetch more than £2,000.
Continue reading the main story
Arsenal were the team at the time – the Manchester United or Chelsea of the day”
End Quote
Ceri Stennett
Football Association of Wales
Memorabilia once belonging to Jones, who won eight caps for Wales as a winger and ball-winning midfielder, is likely to fetch tens of thousands of pounds.
They include title medals and a 1932 Arsenal FA Cup runners-up medal, priced up to £2,500.
Jones, who was born in 1899, was released after one game for Cardiff in the early 1920s and joined Stockport County.
He went on to play for Oldham Athletic and Nottingham Forest, before signing for Arsenal in 1928 under Herbert Chapman, where he won three First Division championships in the early 1930s.
He retired at the end of the 1933-34 season aged 34, and went on to manage Notts County from May 1934 to December 1935. Jones died in 1966.
Rare valuable items like 1930s medals could prove attractive to Arsenal fans
The most valuable items include championship medals for the 1930/31 and 1931/32 seasons, expected to fetch £3,000 to £5,000.
A 1932 Arsenal FA Cup shirt is estimated at between £2,500 to £3,000.
Among the Wales-related lots are various international caps and shirts.
The Football Association of Wales (FAW) is hoping to buy some items for its own collection.
Spokesman Ceri Stennett, who will travel to Chester, said he was in “hopeful mode, not confident mode,” because many of the items were likely to be of interest to “well-heeled” London collectors, particularly those interested in the Arsenal collection.
He described Jones as one of the “unsung heroes” of Welsh football in the 1920s and 1930s, because clubs were often reluctant to release players for international duties from the smaller home nations.
Jones’ low level of Wales caps could be down to his club not releasing him
He added: “In those days, internationals were often held on Saturdays.
“Arsenal were the team at the time – the Manchester United or Chelsea of the day.
“If there was an international on a league day, then the big teams might release the English players, because that was looked upon as an honour.
“They would then quite happily say ‘We can’t afford to release Charlie Jones, or whoever, because we can’t afford to lose him’.”
The FAW are keen to buy 1926 programmes for Wales matches against England and Scotland, but Mr Stennett said “a cap or a jersey would also be great”.
The FAW also does not have any items belonging to Derrick Sullivan, who Mr Stennett described as a “very good servant to Welsh football”.
He added: “I’d ask anyone who has items like this to think of the FAW as well, before going to an auction house, because we are in a position to buy things.”
The auction at Bonhams is part of a sporting memorabilia sale which includes items once belonging to the late George Best and Liverpool legend Tommy Smith.
Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-17113970
By
Sportsmail Reporter
Last updated at 9:03 AM on 22nd February 2012
Theo Walcott could be offered the chance to revive his career at Chelsea.
The England winger is one of several big names would could be on his way out of the misfiring Gunners this summer.
On his way? Theo Walcott may be in his final year at Arsenal
Arsene Wenger is prepared to launch a major rebuilding project at Arsenal as they attempt to end their search for silverware, which is now set to go beyond a seventh season.
Walcott has failed to hit the heights in an Arsenal shirt and has come under fire from fans after a string of under-par performances.
And Chelsea are ready offer make a move for the former teen prodigy as they start their own rebuilding plan at the end of the season.
Rebuilding plans: Arsene Wenger is plotting major changes this summer
Walcott only has one year left on his contract and although Wenger still retains faith in the winger, he may also decide to cash in.
The 22-year-old also knows that there will be huge offers on the table that his current club will be unable to match.
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switch sturridge with walcott would be amazing deal go back to formation 4-4-1-1.
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Great news! Walcott can simultaneously strenghten Arsenal and weaken one of our rivals. Perfect.
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As long as we get all our outlay on him back, then its good a deal for us. £12m plus his wages paid, i would think at least £20m. Not bad business. As long as its invested back into players. Another £10m will get Hazard, Goetze or even MVilla. but we live in a dreamworld and the only time Arsenal sign big players is on Championship manager!!! Hope to god AW proves me wrong!
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I thought he was always going to be a central striker – that’s what he thinks he is and I thought that was what Wenger thought too. He clearly is NOT a winger. So why not play him in the middle and see what he can do BEFORE selling him to a rival? Isn’t that just a sensible thing to do?
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Haahahahahahaha hilarious story hahahhahaha!
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Article source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2104705/Theo-Walcott-target-Chelsea.html
MANCHESTER // Manchester City are not Arsenal. It is a statement of the obvious, but the difference is particularly marked to Samir Nasri, who has sampled life at both the Emirates and the Etihad Stadium.
To all intents and purposes, the Frenchman’s former employers tumbled out of two competitions in the space of four, demoralising days last week, a 4-0 Champions League thrashing by AC Milan followed by a 2-0 FA Cup defeat at Sunderland.
He and his City teammates, meanwhile, are Premier League leaders and embarking on a two-pronged pursuit of silverware.
It continues tonight in the Europa League against Porto. City have the advantage after becoming a rare visiting team to win at the Estadio do Dragao last Thursday, Sergio Aguero clinching a 2-1 victory. It was a hard-fought triumph but one that highlights where his current club are flourishing and his old colleagues floundering.
While the Arsenal midfield were criticised for their lack of defensive diligence against both Milan and Sunderland, the same cannot be said of their industrious City counterparts in their last two games, away wins at Aston Villa and Porto. They were not, Nasri says, the definition of the beautiful game but craft and graft are of equal importance.
“Sometimes it’s good to win ugly. You don’t always have to play good football to win,” said the 24-year-old midfielder. It is a requirement for his old club, however, and their last trophy came in 2005.
“Arsenal play good football but after seven years they don’t win so that’s difficult for them but they have a good philosophy.”
They seem to be two clubs travelling in different directions, but Arsenal’s decline saddens Nasri. “I don’t want Arsenal to fall down,” he said. “I wanted them to win the FA Cup or something because I have respect for the players and the manager.”
His own departure, along with the sale of Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona, was one of the causes of Arsenal’s problems. “I know from the start that I made the right choice,” Nasri added. Nevertheless, a player who was shortlisted for the PFA Player of the Year award in his third and final year in London has struggled to replicate his Arsenal form in the blue of City.
Acclimatising to a new side has taken time, while Nasri is becoming accustomed to the defensive demands Roberto Mancini places on his attack-minded talents. Now he feels the adjustment process is going smoothly.
“It’s always tough when you go to another team and have to be involved 100 per cent and I wasn’t. Now I start to be settled and you will see a better Samir every week,” he vowed.
“At Arsenal I was playing a little bit higher [up the pitch] and here we are 4-4-2 so you have to work more defensively. Now I want to show everyone it [his move] wasn’t a mistake and give something to the team and the people who bring you in and trust you.”
His fee was eye-catching, but Nasri is adamant it did not put any more pressure on him. “I never asked City to pay £24 million (Dh140.4m),” he said.
While Arsene Wenger’s frugal approach has not brought Arsenal major honours, money, Nasri insists, does not win anything either.
“Money doesn’t buy team spirit,” he said. “It’s the players who come straight involved in the team and want to win something. Here we are hungry because we want to win titles.”
There is a sizeable roadblock on their route to glory in both Premier League and Europa League – Manchester United. Sir Alex Ferguson’s side, who have a 2-0 lead against Ajax, are also heading for the last 16. “For us it would be a good derby in the final,” Nasri said. “But we’re not there yet.”
sports@thenational.ae
Article source: http://www.thenational.ae/sport/football/manchester-citys-samir-nasri-has-no-regrets-about-leaving-arsenal
“It’s important to win points and win games and that’s what we have done. I
wanted Arsenal to win the FA Cup or something because I have respect for the
players there and the manager.
“I don’t want Arsenal to fall down. But I have never doubted that I made the
right choice in coming here. We are top of the league and still on course
for the Europa League, so I’m really happy.”
Despite City’s success, Nasri admits he has struggled to adjust to the demands
placed on him by Mancini, who insists on a more disciplined,
defensive-minded approach than Wenger.
Nasri said: “At Arsenal, I was playing a little bit higher up the pitch but
here we are 4-4-2, so you have to work more defensively. It’s not the same,
so you need time to settle.”
City have no injury concerns for Wednesday’s game, which starts at 5pm.
Manchester City (probable, 4-2-3-1): Hart; Richards, Kompany, Lescott,
Kolarov; Y Toure, Barry; Silva, Aguero, Nasri; Balotelli.
Porto (4-3-3): Helton; Sapunaru, Otamendi, Rolando, Alex Sandro;
Fernando, Joao Moutinho, Lucho; James Rodriguez, Hulk, Varela.
Article source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/manchester-city/9096864/Arsenal-must-learn-how-to-win-ugly-says-Samir-Nasri.html
Arsenal midfielder Andrey Arshavin is brought down for a penalty by Norwich keeper David Wooton in tonight’s Premier Reserve League 5-0 win for the Gunners at Carrow Road. Photo: Bill Smith
Paddy Davitt, EDP Sports Writer
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
9:29 PM
Norwich’s spirited youngsters were outclassed by Arsenal’s stars in tonight’s 5-0 Premier Reserve League defeat at Carrow Road.
High profile internationals Andrey Arshavin, Yossi Benayoun and Marouane Chamakh were all included in a strong Gunners’ line up as they looked to press their claims for involvement in this weekend’s north London Premier League derby against arch rivals Tottenham. Arshavin scored in each half and was also brought down by Norwich keeper David Wooton for a penalty the City stopper brilliantly saved from Benik Afobe. The England youth international did notch in the second period and Benayoun slotted a late fifth to complete the rout after South Korea’s World Cup skipper Ju Young Park had opened the scoring.
The Canaries fielded a side packed with academy products and young senior professionals under the guidance of Football Operations Director Gary Karsa and goalkeeping coach Jeff Wood. Josh Dawkin was the pick for the hosts with some penetrative bursts against visitors who also included the likes of talented full-back Carl Jenkinson. The ex-Charlton defender played 45 minutes on his first outing since a back injury halted his first team progress at the Emirates earlier this season.
Park rifled Arsenal in front within six minutes after Chelsea loanee Benayoun had checked inside Theo Jones to strike against the base of a post. Arshavin dragged a left footer wide from the edge of the area before Jones reacted sharply to bail out Harry Barker when Chamakh sensed an opportunity to threaten.
Matt Ball’s ambitious lob drifted well over James Shea’s goal in Norwich’s first real sighter. The City midfielder was only denied by the quick-thinking of Gunners’ skipper Ignasi Miquel’s shortly after when Shea miscued his clearance.
Chamakh made an early injury exit when the Moroccan went down clutching the back of his right leg following a challenge from Michael Clunan that earned the west Norfolk youngster a booking. The former Bordeaux hitman was treated on the pitch, but walked unaided to the touchline. Wooton grasped Arshavin’s first time clip and then parried Oguzhan Ozyakup’s stinging drive before Park’s follow up deflected behind off Barker. Wooton atoned for hauling down Arshavin on 41 minutes when he sprang to his left to parry Afobe’s penalty up and over his crossbar – the keeper adjudged to have upended the Russian following another slick Arsenal counter.
The ex-Zenit playmaker exacted a measure of revenge when his attempted angled cross looped over Wooton and clipped the inside of his far post just two minutes later. Park was then inches from his second on the restart when Arshavin and Afobe combined down the right.
Benayoun drilled at Wooton on 55 minutes as Arsenal continued to press high up the pitch. Jamar Loza’s cute drag back bamboozled Martin Angha, but his finish failed to match the initial trick. Jones chested Benayoun’s right-footer to safety following Arshavin’s sublime back-heel to initially free Ozyakup. Reece Hall-Johnson kicked at fresh air 10 yards out after Dawkin had demonstrated City’s young charges possessed a party piece or two with a step over to evade Nico Yennaries.
Afobe increased Arsenal’s lead just before the hour mark when he exchanged passes with Park to round Wooton and slot from a tight angle. Arshavin coolly rolled home a fourth after Benayoun swerved past Jones to test Wooton from close range. Dawkin glided around two Arsenal defenders but slammed an angled strike a yard wide of Shea’s far post in a rare home foray into the Gunners’ penalty area. Arshavin’s flick brushed the side netting late on with the Russian searching for his hat-trick, but it was left to another of his illustrious colleagues, Benayoun, to burst through on 87 minutes and calmly lift over Wooton.
• Norwich City Reserves: Wooton, Jones (Norman 70), Toffolo, Clunan, Barker, McKenzie, Hall-Johnson, Brindley (McGeehan 81), Loza, Ball (Josh Murphy 81), Dawkin. Subs: Jacob Murphy, Dobbs.
• Bookings: Clunan, Wooton
• Arsenal Reserves: Shea, Jenkinson (Ebecillio 45), Meade, Yennaris, Angha, Miquel, Benayoun, Ozyakup, Chamakh (Afobe 29 (Ansah 74)), Park, Arshavin. Subs: McDermott, Monteiro.
• Goals: Park (6), Arshavin (43, 65), Afobe (59), Benayoun (88)
• Referee: M Buonassisi
• Attendance: 2,808
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Mix and mismatch. What is the objective?
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Tuesday, February 21, 2012
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Article source: http://www.edp24.co.uk/sport/norwich-city-fc/norwich_city_reserves_0_arsenal_reserves_5_1_1216228
WENGER TO STAY
We’ll begin with the news that Arsene Wenger has been given the unequivocal backing of the Arsenal board and Stan Kroenke AND has money to spend in the summer. £50million to be precise.
The Daily Mirror is saying that Wenger won’t be sacked before his contract runs out in 2014, even if the team misses out on Champions League qualification.
Arsenal’s season has imploded within the space of a week (again) with fourth place the only real battle the Gunners have left. Despite the board’s support for Wenger, significant investment is also seen as a must.
So who will they get? Well, the listed targets include Lukas Podolski, Junior Hoilett and Matias Suarez – Anderlecht’s Argentine striker who is the current top scorer in this season’s Europa League.
Some of Arsenal’s predicted £50million-plus profits have also been earmarked for Robin van Persie’s new deal and a contract extension for Theo Walcott. The club’s former manager, George Graham, isn’t convinced RVP will want to stay, however.
Graham said, “I don’t think Van Persie will stay. This will be his last big contract. I think he’s 28 and will be looking for a four or maybe five-year contract.”
“It’s a lot to ask Arsenal to pay that knowing for the last two years he’s not been a regular in the team.”
VILLA KEEN ON KEANE
Robbie Keane’s loan to Aston Villa was considerably better than his spell at West Ham last season and now the LA Galaxy forward is considering a permanent return.
According to The Daily Mirror, Keane’s homesickness has alerted Alex McLeish to a possible summer transfer.
Keane has been reported as saying, “I enjoyed my spell at Villa.
“When I go back to LA it could be completely different, but people have seen over the years with the clubs I’ve been at how quickly I leave if I don’t fit in.”
REDKNAPP CONFIRMS HAZARD INTEREST
There was talk last week of Eden Hazard’s move to Tottenham being a done deal. While nothing concrete has materialised, ‘Arry has confirmed that the Belgian playmaker is a top, top player and definitely in his sights.
Redknapp is quoted in Metro as saying, “Hazard was a player we’d spoken about a few weeks ago”
“We were talking about the possibility of getting him. He’s definitely on our list.”
How we’d love to see the other names on that list.
The fee for Hazard is expected to be around £35million, although the Lille man has also been fluttering his eyelids at several other top European clubs.
AND THE REST
Portsmouth are still paying players ‘crazy’ wages of more than £30,000 a week…West Brom boss Roy Hodgson is set to take advantage of the financial uncertainty at Nottingham Forest to swoop for Garath McCleary…Liverpool have taken Portsmouth’s Under-17 captain Sam Magri on trial. They are ready to pay the cash-hit Championship club £150,000 for the defender who has yet to play in the first team…Keith Curle is set to take over at Notts County after the sacking of Martin Allen…Steve Bruce could take charge of Wolves for Saturday’s clash with his beloved Newcastle…Villas-Boas insists he will not put Fernando Torres before the good of his Chelsea team…Tottenham and PSG want Internacional striker Leandro Damiao.
Article source: http://www.football365.com/transfer-gossip/7533358/Gossip-Wenger-Is-Safe-At-Arsenal-Until-2014
PHOENIX – Thierry Henry may go back to Arsenal some day.
But for now, he and the New York Red Bulls are focused on erasing the memories of a somewhat disappointing 2011, when the team squeezed into the postseason as the last seed and lost in the Western Conference Semifinals.
“Last season, we were very confident after having a great preseason,” Henry told reporters at a press conference here on Tuesday ahead of their friendly against Mexican side Pumas UNAM. “But … last season wasn’t too great, so you can never know. Hopefully we can improve next season and get two or three more players involved in the game. Hopefully [2012 will be] a better year and be more consistent.”
The Red Bulls are preparing for three preseason matches this week, including two matches in the four-team Desert Diamond Cup at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium in Tucson, Ariz. The team’s reserve players will feature against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night. The starters will then play against Pumas, the 2011 Mexican Clasura tournament champions, at Chase Field.
“It’s very important to play against a good Pumas team to see where we’re at in the preseason,” Henry said. “Most important for us is to get good games in.”
Henry, who recently landed back in the US after his two-month loan with Arsenal, had just finished his first training preseason session with the Red Bulls at the Grand Canyon University soccer field on Tuesday.
But at the post-practice press conference, media members couldn’t help but ask about his recent time in England and the possibility of going back.
When asked if he would consider going back to England when his playing days are over in MLS, Henry, who signed a multi-year deal with MLS in 2010, said, “We’ll see if it’ll be a good thing or not. The most important thing is the attention. … So far, I’m here.”
In January, Henry signed a loan deal with Arsenal, where he is the club’s all-time leading goal scorer. He played in six matches across all competitions, scoring three times – two of which were match-winners.
Henry did try to avoid any other question that didn’t regard the Red Bulls and the upcoming season.
“I’m here. I’m ready for the season,” he said. “Unfortunately, I talked about my time in Arsenal while I was there. I’m only going to talk about the Red Bulls and the upcoming season.”
Article source: http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/02/21/back-arsenal-henry-focused-better-2012-ny
Angry Arsenal shareholders have asked the English Premier League club whether it has curbed spending to cushion against a possible failure to qualify for the Champions’ League after another disappointing season.
Small shareholders represented by the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust (AST) have also demanded greater engagement from Stan Kroenke, the American billionaire who owns a majority stake in the club.
Arsenal have not won a trophy since 2005 and have suffered a disastrous week in which they were knocked out of the FA Cup and effectively eliminated from the Champions’ League following a 4-0 first leg drubbing by AC Milan in the round of 16.
In an analysis of the club’s finances, the AST estimated that Arsenal had around 50 million pounds ($79.4 million)to “spend or to save for a rainy day”. It asked whether this was made available to manager Arsene Wenger to strengthen his squad.
“Did the manager have the option to use all or some of these cash reserves in summer 2011 and January 2012, or are resources being held back as a contingency for failure to qualify for the Champions League?”, it asked in an online posting.
Failure to qualify for Europe’s premier club competition would cost Arsenal 45 million pounds, the AST estimated.
Arsenal are currently fourth in the Premier League, level on points with fifth placed Chelsea in the battle for the final Champions League slot.
The success of north London rival Tottenham Hotspur, 10 points ahead of Arsenal in third place, has added to frustration among the AST, who represent shareholders owning around 4.5 percent of the club.
“Our wage spend is 40 percent higher than the payroll at another club in north London and Arsenal are in danger of being overtaken more than temporarily by those who spend their wages more efficiently,” it said.
Owner Kroenke would attend the monthly Arsenal board meeting on Thursday, a club spokesman said.
It was not clear if he planned to meet anyone from the AST and the club declined further comment on their financial situation ahead of the publication of interim results this month.
Arsenal host Tottenham on Sunday in a game that will dictate the mood at the club for the short term at least.
Article source: http://www.emirates247.com/sports/football/are-arsenal-bracing-for-loss-45m-2012-02-21-1.444283
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FORT MYERS, Fla. — When will Daisuke Matsuzaka pitch for the Red Sox again? He wouldn’t reveal the target date trainers have set for him, but he did say that it’s probably sooner than you expect.
Matsuzaka underwent Tommy John surgery last June. The recovery time for that surgery is typically a minimum of 12 months.
“The trainers have mentioned an approximate date where they expect me to make a return, but having said that, I want to come back at 100 percent and I don’t want to rush things and I want to make sure my body is right when I come back,” Matsuzaka said through interpreter Jeff Cutler. “But I also would like to come back as early as possible.”
One interesting dynamic to follow once Matsuzaka returns is how he might evolve under a new manager in Bobby Valentine. After several successful seasons of managing in Japan, Valentine might be able to help Matsuzaka improve his performance in the Major Leagues.
As an ESPN commentator, Valentine was adamant about the fact that, perhaps under the guidance of the Red Sox, Matsuzaka got too reliant on his fastball and cutter instead of using the wide repertoire he was so successful with in Japan. Since becoming manager of the Red Sox, he has not backed down from that stance.
Matsuzaka acknowledged he has already had that conversation with Valentine.
“I’d like to see him pitch and I don’t want him to be someone else,” Valentine said. “I just want him to be himself. I saw him pitch in Japan, and he had a very good changeup. He explained to me [Monday] that the ball really was a problem when he got here in getting the feel for that changeup. Because that pitch developed so late, in the middle of his second year, it never got incorporated into his repertoire in the game.
“I said, ‘The ball’s comfortable to you now. Let’s regroup and come back with a full arsenal.’ I don’t want him to be a two-pitch pitcher. I don’t want him to be a cutter-sinker pitcher. That’s not him. I don’t want anyone to be anything they’re not. He’s no different.”
FORT MYERS, Fla. — For two of the new players who officially reported to the Red Sox on Tuesday, there is recent championship experience.
Cody Ross experienced the joy of winning it all in 2010 for the Giants. Nick Punto is less than four months removed from that experience with the Cardinals, who beat the Rangers in a seven-game epic.
The energy they bring could boost a team that hasn’t won a postseason game since 2008.
In fact, Ross was a headliner for the Giants two Octobers ago, transforming himself from role player to the guy who came up big when it mattered most. During that National League Championship Series against the Phillies, he hit .350 with three homers and five RBIs. Ross went deep at least once in all three rounds of that postseason.
“I just had a different mindset. You go through the day-to-day routine of playing baseball and it’s a grind. You play every day,” Ross said. “But once you get to the playoffs, it’s like, ‘Wow, this is what we’ve played every single day for. This is why we’re here. This is why we play the game.’ You sort of have that mentality. You go and you play. Like I said, you either do it or you don’t. Fortunately for me and for us, we did.”
With the Red Sox, Ross and Punto join a cast of players who have performed in plenty of big games in their career.
“There’s a lot of guys in here with playoff experience. They understand what it takes to get there,” Ross said. “That helps on teams. You realize from Day 1 that you need to win this game. It can matter in Game 162, when you’re going down the stretch. That’s a good thing to have.”
Punto was more of a background player during his championship October, but now that he knows what it feels like to win it all, he wants to go through it all over again. The Red Sox gave him a two-year commitment and he will compete with Mike Aviles to be the Opening Day shortstop.
“Since the day I signed, I’ve been waiting for this day,” Punto said. “Champing at the bit to get going, playing. My season ended pretty well winning the World Series. I want to do that again. I have that taste in my mouth, and I’d like to do that every year.”
FORT MYERS, Fla. — As part of Tuesday’s first official workout, one drill on the schedule was pitchers working on their bunting in the batting cage. Could that have been a misprint?
After all, the Red Sox don’t play their first game in a National League city until May 18.
As it turns out, there’s a method to manager Bobby Valentine’s madness.
“The thought was that I felt the American League lost the World [Series] championship [last year] because they didn’t have a slash play,” Valentine said
A slash play is when the batter shows bunt and then pulls his bat back and swings away.
“And when there’s men on first and second in Game 6 [of the World Series] and the Cardinals put the wheel play on and they were standing in the batter’s box and the bunt went foul — if that was a slash, they call off the wheel play, they move one guy over, it becomes second and third and the Rangers are the world champions.
“I think these guys want to be the world champions, so I just thought if they could work on a fundamental, a technique now of bunting and slashing, then in that time before Interleague Play where we get them to come out and practice, they can have already had a foundation of what they might be asked to do and then again, if it’s before the playoffs and they’re doing it again, they just build on that foundation.”
Article source: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120221&content_id=26778506¬ebook_id=26782574&vkey=notebook_bos&c_id=bos
