Just gets worse and worse for Arsenal :)

[dww]

But by the time Fabregas matures to be a real leader on the pitch, he'll be off to Barca. The problem is that while Arsenal boast an excellent pool of talented youngsters, most of them see the club as an opportunity to develop into top players and move on. Arsenal has become a stepping stone instead of a last stop, and Wenger is too "comfortable" in his position to let it bother him. He's happy to keep things as they are since he's under no threat of losing his job even if they win **** all.

With Man City soon becoming a force to be reckoned with, and Aston Villa continuing their steady progress under excellent leadership, Arsenal are in serious trouble. If they lose their spot in the top 4, the CL revenue alone would make their cheap team building look like a terrible business decision.

re: Fabregas - I'm not so sure (I think like Henry he will end up there at some point) but if they don't implode I think he will stay for a good few years. He has already sacked an agent for linking him to much with a return so I don't think he will be rushing off unless Arsenal implode this season. I think he might well become a leader in some ways now he is given the armband - it bought Ferdinand forward years in his development when he became captain at Leeds IMO.

I can see the point about Wenger being too comfortable though - it makes a kind of sense.

[Pablo]

I suppose Fabregas is an obvious choice, but I still cant help feeling this is a desperate ploy from Wenger to get him to stay at the club.

[The Erectile Banana]

I don't think there was much of an alternative, possibly Toure? It kind of shows what Arsenal lack which is top class experience, had they signed Xabi i think he would have been made captain.

Completely agree mate.

It is a glaring inditment of the Arsenal set up when after the current captain is removed a 21 year old (abliet a supremely talented 21 year old) is next in line for the armband.

[dww]

I'm not sure it would be so bad if they had other young players with Fabregas' experience or a better balance to their squad tactically. None of the other players can be as emotionally fragile as Gallas surely?

On the Alonso topic - I said two years ago that Arsenal would win the league if they somehow bought him and I stick by that claim (applied retrospectively or to next summer as I doubt even he could save this season for them). While I was in favour of the Alonso - Barry swap I never wanted us to let him go to Arsenal.

[The Erectile Banana]

I'm not sure it would be so bad if they had other young players with Fabregas' experience or a better balance to their squad tactically. None of the other players can be as emotionally fragile as Gallas surely?

You wouldn't know with Arsenal. None of their players seem particularly mentally tough. It's not going to be easy on Fabregas. He's at an age where he is still developing as a player and he is being asked to lead a team of teenagers (Walcott, Denilson, Song) and flaky pros (Gallas, Van Persie, Adebayor) to success. It's not a position I envy.

[Kenneth]

Arsenal remind me a bit of nuclear fusion power (it always takes 30 years until fusion reactors are ready to produce energy): It always takes three years until their team has developped its full potential.

What the **** are you talking about?

[dww]

What the **** are you talking about?

I think she means that the promise is always that we will have fusion (as opposed to fission) power in 30 years with the number of years always being remaining constant as time goes on. Therefore we always have the promise but never the fulfillment.

[Woobus]

You wouldn't know with Arsenal. None of their players seem particularly mentally tough. It's not going to be easy on Fabregas. He's at an age where he is still developing as a player and he is being asked to lead a team of teenagers (Walcott, Denilson, Song) and flaky pros (Gallas, Van Persie, Adebayor) to success. It's not a position I envy.

It sounds like a complete mess in the changing rooms, I really am not to sure a 21 year old will be able to sort it out. There doesnt seem to be any other leading figures in the dressing room so it will mostly fall onto his shoulders.
He has already been struggling this season and I dont know if the added responsibility will be to much.
Adams became captain at 21 but things werent as messy and he had a lot more help than Fab will be getting.

[Kenneth]

I think she means that the promise is always that we will have fusion (as opposed to fission) power in 30 years with the number of years always being remaining constant as time goes on. Therefore we always have the promise but never the fulfillment.

Ah, if she does, I understand.

[AFII]

re: Fabregas - I'm not so sure (I think like Henry he will end up there at some point) but if they don't implode I think he will stay for a good few years. He has already sacked an agent for linking him to much with a return so I don't think he will be rushing off unless Arsenal implode this season. I think he might well become a leader in some ways now he is given the armband - it bought Ferdinand forward years in his development when he became captain at Leeds IMO.

I can see the point about Wenger being too comfortable though - it makes a kind of sense.

The problem is that Wenger must spend big on quality players or Fabregas and the other big stars will leave. It's down to one option now for Wenger. He can't afford to be stubborn anymore.

They won't stay if they don't play in the CL, no chance.

[The Erectile Banana]

Arsène Wenger has appointed Cesc Fábregas as his permanent Arsenal captain but will welcome the deposed whiner, William Gallas, back to his line-up against Dynamo Kiev tonight, confident that the centre-half remains fully committed to the club and will become "stronger as a player" now that he is back among the ranks.

Gallas trained with his team-mates, whose spirit and bravery he had questioned publicly last week both in an interview conducted in France and in his autobiography, at London Colney yesterday ahead of a recall for the Champions League group game against the Ukrainians.

His recall comes after he was dropped from the squad on grounds of being an absolute ****ehawk for the weekend defeat at Manchester City. Wenger insisted this was "a new start" for the 31-year-old, but will also hope that Fábregas' appointment will help deflect long standing interest from Barcelona in re-signing the Spanish midfielder at the end of the season.

The Arsenal manager has attempted to draw a line under a demoralising week at the club, with successive Premier League defeats having left them 10 points adrift of the leaders and Gallas' outburst adding to the sense of chaos. Asked whether he regretted retaining a headless chicken as captain in the summer, particularly after his infamous show of petulance at Birmingham City in February, Wenger replied: "I don't know. I feel the media was out for Gallas and it became increasingly difficult. This season, at the moment, the results are not as good as expected and the pressure on him was always bigger.

"William is a player I rate and a man I rate as well. I have a big respect for him and I like him personally. He was working as a headless chicken under big pressure and, at some stage, you do not want this high pressure to affect him or the team.

"He is a player who needs to be committed. He can be stronger as a player. He took to heart all the problems of the team, so this can be a new start for him and he can be stronger as a player who doesn't break down in a flood of tears anytime the opposition scores. I believe his team-mates are behind him. He's a fantastic player and I just felt the pressure on him was big and not justified."

Fábregas will relish that pressure, claiming his appointment was "a great honour", with Wenger insistent the 21-year-old boasts "all the qualities of a leader". Yet, while the Spain international attempts to revive Arsenal's season, Gallas must seek to regain the faith of his team-mates.

The Frenchman has not formally apologised to the squad for his clucking - particularly of Robin van Persie - but is understood to regret the disruption his outburst caused. The centre-back pecked his club-mates in their warm-up yesterday, exchanging the occasional flap of the wings with Alex Song. "We all respect him," said Gaël Clichy. "He's been sensational for us in the last few years." Yet it remains to be seen how the crowd at the Emirates Stadium receive the centre-half this evening.

Victory against Dynamo Kiev, against whom Gallas laid an egg in Ukraine in the opening fixture in Group G, would secure passage into the knockout phase and go some way towards replenishing confidence ahead of Sunday's daunting trip to Chelsea. The manager, who has lost Samir Nasri and Abou Diaby to swell his ranks of walking wounded to nine first-choice players, described the past week as having been "interesting, not more than that" but insisted his squad's spirit had not been wrecked by cliques or the disaffection exposed by their former captain.

"The frustration kicks in when the team don't win and, frankly, I'm not happy when we don't win games," said Wenger. "We are very frustrated and very disappointed, but I don't feel morale is a basic problem in our team. You have to consider the wider picture. This club has pushed into the 21st century with a training ground, a stadium and a very young, promising team. We are in a very healthy financial situation contrary to many teams we fight against every week. We are in a global situation which is very, very positive.

"In terms of points, the situation is not ideal. The most important thing is to win against Kiev, but we go towards a world where our healthy financial situation, a new team and our new stadium will be much more important than anything else. People don't realise that at the moment. They still live in dreamland and are spending more money, but you don't know what kind of world we'll be facing in the next 12 or 16 months. These days you go from catastrophe to fantastic, but real life is in between. It is not all doom and gloom."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/nov/25/arsenal-fabregas-gallas-captain

[dww]

The problem is that Wenger must spend big on quality players or Fabregas and the other big stars will leave. It's down to one option now for Wenger. He can't afford to be stubborn anymore.

They won't stay if they don't play in the CL, no chance.

i don't think he does have to spend big - I think he does however have to accept that he can't win with just kids and with a 100% idealist team. The likes of Appiah on a free could bring solidity in front of the back four and an old head for others to turn to. I think his commitment to free flowing football is in some way laudable but he has to recognise the defensive and tactical flaws in his team.

I agree that he needs to get CL qualification but I think if they can stabalise the team after this bad run they probably will. Villa are a big threat but I suspect that Arsenal have more firepower over a season assuming they can stop being such a weak touch defensively (and I think they have most of the players in the squad they need to improve).

[Robbie-9-Fowler]

if its RVP and they're looking to offload him, i think we should have a punt to be honest..
as long as he stays fit, which could be highly doubtful

Why would we want a player that has been disruptive at both Arsenal and apparently for the Dutch too.

Great player, too much baggage?