Our "Footballing Culture"

[Exiled_red]

We have signed lots of players with potential in the past - Rafa has signed his own:

Agger, Skrtel, Dossenna, Lucas, Babel etc

It's up to Rafa to take them to the next world class level - in the past we have failed to develop decent talent - the likes of Diouf, Cheyrou, and manhy others were much better players at their previous clubs than they were here. Some I agree are ****e, some will never make it and some have not been coached correctly or given the freedom to develop without fear.

I agree with that I just think these days if you want to buy ready made players you pay top class prices, if you haven't got the money to pay top class prices you have to buy potential and develop it, which enevitably leads to people complaining about paying £xm for someone who hasn't proved himself etc

[Joe Le Toff]

my biggest fear is we will ruin robbie keane. the goals won't come and he'll end up fighting it out on the right with kuyt or some muppet will decide he can operate on the left of the 4231.

Ditto

[Rashid]

Oh look we all agree! I think I can agree that there is are several ways to play and that many of us don't care how we win so long as we do so. I just think that we can't win every day, we can't win all the trophies and we can't be champions every year. All I ask is that we challenge every year playing a brand of football that is not akin to a mid table team. What happned to one touch 5-a-sides in training? Manchester United do it to this day, why did we scrap it in favour of defence v attack and attack v defence training?

[Charly]

Well, to be fair to myself, the Villa game proved my entire post.

The moment Torres came off, Rafa shut up shop, and played for a draw - hence not one single shot on target. And its not as if Villa were great. We had a fair bit of possesion.

Its beginning to dawn on everyone the fact Gerrard and Torres make up the entire attack. Without both, Benitez has no faith in the team, or any ideas of how to make us an attacking force. And thats despite having striking talent stll on the pitch worth over £30m.

We have supposedly great players who cant play short passes. We dont seem to have a single person who can take a corner or free kick. No one who can head the ball in the area.

I really dont know hpw we are going to better 4th place this year. And even then, I was expecting a challange this year.

Its depressing just watching us play these days. I feel sorry for the fans that go to the ground every week. Finishing last season on a high, and they must be thinking here we go again, and we are barely out of August yet.

Benitez must settle on a preferred formation, and stick with it. 4-5-1 works last year. He eiher goes back to that, and drops Keane, or plays 4-4-2 with proper wide players, with overlapping fullbacks.

[Johnny]

Why are you forgetting that Kaka cost AC Milan £5m (yes £5m!) and Ronaldo cost £12m. So the "best two" cost peanuts no so long ago. Rafa's problem is he finds it hard to spot a world superstar in the making and even if he did would he develop in such that their true ability is allowed to shine?

We bid 3.5 million for Ronaldo before ManU came in with their 12 mill bid.

We bid for Alves,Simao,Quaresma and a host of other players.

He also bought Torres and Mascher before they were "World Superstars".


Alonso`s true ability shone before he lost form,Sissoko was the same before his injury.

[El Jefecito]

I was reading an interview with Wenger, and he mentioned he preferred to buy youngsters, chuck them in the reserves so they can learn Arsenal "footballing culture" and then when they do slot into the team, they have an understanding of the style of play. He preferred not to buy too many big named stars, as they may not fit into the style of play the team has.

I hate the bollox the media post about Wenger, Wenger, Wenger. There's a bit of a myth around this guy. Here's last weeks lineup and an indication of whether they came through the "youth system".

No Manuel Almunia
No Kolo Toure
Yes Gaël Clichy
No Bacary Sagna
No William Gallas
Yes Denilson
Yes Cesc Fábregas
No Emmanuel Eboue
No Samir Nasri
No Robin Van Persie
No Emmanuel Adebayor

3 Players. Only 3. We've got SG and Carra and we've been doing the anti-academy thing.

London's Purple Aki.

[Venton]

Oh look we all agree! I think I can agree that there is are several ways to play and that many of us don't care how we win so long as we do so. I just think that we can't win every day, we can't win all the trophies and we can't be champions every year. All I ask is that we challenge every year playing a brand of football that is not akin to a mid table team. What happned to one touch 5-a-sides in training? Manchester United do it to this day, why did we scrap it in favour of defence v attack and attack v defence training?

I can't disagree with this. If you play tactically and without flair and you win all is forgiven. But if we end the year with nothing and we've played dirge then we have lost it all. I'd rather we went for it and lost. I can't bear the way approaching the game at the moment.

[Warren]

I hate the bollox the media post about Wenger, Wenger, Wenger. There's a bit of a myth around this guy. Here's last weeks lineup and an indication of whether they came through the "youth system".

No Manuel Almunia
No Kolo Toure
Yes Gaël Clichy
No Bacary Sagna
No William Gallas
Yes Denilson
Yes Cesc Fábregas
No Emmanuel Eboue
No Samir Nasri
No Robin Van Persie
No Emmanuel Adebayor

3 Players. Only 3. We've got SG and Carra and we've been doing the anti-academy thing.

London's Purple Aki.

I'd say it was debatable if Denilson and Clichy came through the youth ranks at Arsenal as they were both around 18 when they joined and went straight into the first team squad and both played around 20 games in their first seasons.

[El Jefecito]

I'd say it was debatable if Denilson and Clichy came through the youth ranks at Arsenal as they were both around 18 when they joined and went straight into the first team squad and both played around 20 games in their first seasons.

To be honest I was trying to be generous. The guys record relative to his reputation is bloody atrocious. No wonder my gooner friends are pissed off with him.

[dww]

I don't think that is fair. I just think that he has the reputation for slightly the wrong thing. His ability to turn talented 18 year olds into fully formed top class players is second to none as is his eye for players at that age with the necessary ingredients.

My feeling is that the very lowest levels of what he did will only show how good they are in a few years time still. It takes a long time to get the skills culture to have an impression at the very youngest level and then for that to filter through. Add to that the fact there is always likely to be teething problems setting a system up you would expect it to take a decade at least for best practice at youth level to have a real effect on the first team. Which is a factor that I think gets over looked with our Academy in the Rafa era.

[fred_plasticine]

but the most annoying thing is he clearly doesn't mind players to hoof the ball and pray that we'll win the second ball. all of the strikers we've had including crouchy like the ball into their feet yet it's a sinister and useless hoofing most of the time particuarly during the early season games.

i thought we've found a system - a system rafa apparently favours - which does suit our best players and those around them. yet it's changed to a system we don't have the personell to play. that's buffling. as buffling as playing keane or lucas on the left when babel's on the bench.

we do progress each year as the season goes on but start playing the same old uninspired football, looking robbed off any attacking ideas and flair again each and every summer and autumn.

overall progress? yes. enough to challenge for the league? i think not.

[El Jefecito]

I don't think that is fair. I just think that he has the reputation for slightly the wrong thing. His ability to turn talented 18 year olds into fully formed top class players is second to none as is his eye for players at that age with the necessary ingredients.

My feeling is that the very lowest levels of what he did will only show how good they are in a few years time still. It takes a long time to get the skills culture to have an impression at the very youngest level and then for that to filter through. Add to that the fact there is always likely to be teething problems setting a system up you would expect it to take a decade at least for best practice at youth level to have a real effect on the first team. Which is a factor that I think gets over looked with our Academy in the Rafa era.

It's not a question of fair. Those are just facts. He's been doing this for 10 years now, so why does he need another couple of years? He's done what with Walcott?