World Football Thread XIX: Capello to the Rescue!

[Cort Haus]

So, five managers under Tzar Roman. The last five managers at Arsenal go back to 1976.

[duke o' york]

Does anyone care about international friendlies? I have enough trouble caring about international matches at all - they're mainly an opportunity for Newcastle players to be injured, but we've only got Argentina games to worry about these days.

[Krill]

I think that some players need to care a little more. Other than that :shrug:

[Maquiladora]

I'm wondering why Wales played Poland in Portugal in front of 487 people.

[duke o' york]

Poland paid for them to go over. They have a trip to warmer climes every year for training, ánd are up against Northern Ireland next so invited Wales to come over and play them.

But it is proof that Craig Bellamy could start a fight in an (almost) empty room.

[MOBIUS]

Craig Bellamy

I thought we did quite well considering he was virtually the only senior squad member there.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Does anyone care about international friendlies? I have enough trouble caring about international matches at all - they're mainly an opportunity for Newcastle players to be injured, but we've only got Argentina games to worry about these days.

Well the US played a qualifying game . And beat down Mexico again, 2-0!!

[MOBIUS]

C'mon Swansea!

And Cardiff!

And West Ham!

(Oh, and Wales in a few hours, but that's Rugby!)

[Cort Haus]

Swansea played some fantastic football against Fulham.

[MOBIUS]

And hopefully it's Cardiff's turn at the Emirates tonight!

[MOBIUS]

Oh well...

Still, allows Cardiff to concentrate on the Championship.

[Cort Haus]

That's the spirit - always look on the bright side of going out of a tournament.

Although, I'm struggling to look on the bright side of being relegated from the Champions League.

[Krill]

Where's your nationalism, Cort? They got replaced by a team with a british manager and a couple of good english players as part of the team.

This is IMO Wengers fault, he should have increased the amount of money that they paid to the players (yes, I don't like that players get paid alot as it is), but it would have been worth it considering Arsenal may have lost the, what, £20 million the CL is worth? Even if it costs 10 mil in salaries that is still 10 mill profit...

[Colon™]

I was very, very impressed by ManU's display. Especially the composure in their makeshift defence, though it was also sometimes amazingly easy for them to cut through Inter's defence. It would be a shame if Mourinho would be reproached for failing to knock out such a strong team.

[Cort Haus]

Where's your nationalism, Cort? They got replaced by a team with a british manager and a couple of good english players as part of the team.

This is IMO Wengers fault, he should have increased the amount of money that they paid to the players (yes, I don't like that players get paid alot as it is), but it would have been worth it considering Arsenal may have lost the, what, £20 million the CL is worth? Even if it costs 10 mil in salaries that is still 10 mill profit...

A lot of points here, Krill. First, I don't really do nationalism, but I'd be very happy to have British players in the team if they're good enough. Theo Walcott, an excellent young English player came on as a sub against Burnleh today after a long injury and showed why he is good enough for Arsenal with his pace and skill. Aaron Ramsey also played today, and the superb teenager Jack Wilshire is on the fringes of the first team.

Despite the common perception, Arsenal do a lot for young English players in terms of development, and in paying them well for their age. Many get regular first team football but don't make the grade (eg Justin Hoyte - now at Boro), or won't wait for their opportunity (David Bentley - thought he was better than Pires & Ljungberg). Francis Jeffers turned out to be crap, and Jermaine Pennant was an uncontrollable tearaway.

Martin O'Neill is of course Irish, apart from colonial occupation, and while he's done a good job, his club is backed by a sugar-daddy and they don't have 00s of 000,000s of new stadium debts during a financial and economic crisis. I think the race for fourth is now quite open, with Villa starting to hit tiredness and injury problems, while Arsenal have numerous long-term injury-struck players coming back into the team.

I don't agree that the first team players are underpaid - even if we can't compete with Man U, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Barcelona and AC Milan in terms of income - especially from sugar-daddies. While Arsenal sit 19th in the net transfer expenditure (only above Blackburn) over the last 5 years, the overall wage bill (including the generous terms for youth players) is one of the higher in the league.

Arsenal's problem this year has not been lack of quality, but a combination of injury problems, lack of experience and some under-performing from certain players. Recently the problem has been in finishing, rather than overall team performance. However, many of the players who have been deemed inadequate have recently started to raise their game (eg: Denilson, Eboue, Song) and are starting to look the real deal. Despite the disappointments in the league I do now think we have a chance of either the FA Cup or the Champs League.