• ! ! ! IMPORTANT MESSAGE ! ! !

    Discussions about police investigations

    In light of recent developments about a player from Premier League being arrested and until there is an official announcement, ALL users should refrain from discussing or speculating about situations around personal off-pitch matters related to any Arsenal player. This is to protect you and the forum.

    Users who disregard this reminder will be issued warnings and their posts will get deleted from public.

2006/2007 Season review

RockyRocastle

Established Member
Shocker of a season this. Since the loss to PSV I cant remember an Arsenal team that played with less heart, determinaiton, belief, confidence and just simple ability.

Baptista is up there with the worst Arsenal players I have ever seen. A true disgrace to the shirt. Kindly **** off please.

But even though this is the worst season in a while, we have still had a few cracking away trips.

I havent had a better domestic day out than Liverpool in the FA Cup in years. Everything about that weekend was simply fantastic.

United away was another good one, as was Chelsea away for a proper Arsenal turn out and the Cole abuse.

Obviously the yids 2-0 and you ****ed it up was brilliant aswell. A proper nasty, football atmosphere and plenty of needle around the place. What football is all about.

The feeling you get when you see Arsenal score in these games and win is unbeatable and what I miss most about fooball in the summer.

Hamburg and PSV were two quality trips abroad, obviously not on the pitch though!

But I suppose the biggest let down this season has been the new ground. I will still take a hell of a lot of getting used to it. It still feels like watching Arsenal in a neutral ground. I really dont like it, and dont look forward to the home games at all anymore, as I did at Highbury. More games like Utd/Sp**s and Chelsea will help it though, and those games showed the potential for atmosphere is there, if it only come out for those big games. What it really does need is a big european night against a Madrid or Milan to get the place going and start to build up a history.
 

M+D

Established Member
Look at this, quite interesting, although obviously they don't change the results, it is still interesting to see what went wrong statistically: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/ ... 851667.ece

This is how it works:
HOW IT WORKS

The Fink Tank Predictor provides forecasts and ranking systems for English and European club football, based on a statistical model of matches based on more than five years of football scores.

In looking at player rankings for this season, the phrase “time-adjusted points” means the number of points the player would have added to an average team in the full season, compared with an average replacement. The points are then adjusted to reflect the amount of time spent on the pitch – minimum 400 minutes.

THE TOP 10

KEY: Player, club, position, pitch time, time-adjusted points

1 C Ronaldo Manchester United Midfield 85.12% 19.12
Voted player of the year by his fellow professionals and by football writers, the 22-year-old Portugal winger is our man of the season as well

2 F Lampard Chelsea M 97.31% 16.24
An ordinary season for Lampard? The statistics say otherwise

3 Gilberto Arsenal M 88.14% 16.01 P
Ten league goals was a remarkable return for the midfield man


4 Cech Chelsea G 50.15% 14.41
Chelsea missed their ’keeper desperately when he was injured

5 J Lehmann Arsenal G 97.30% 13.94
He may be 37 but the German is still among the league’s elite


6 P Scholes Man Utd M 79.10% 13.50
Enjoyed spectacular return to form after last season’s eye injury

7 T Howard Everton G 94.59% 12.96
Failed to make the grade at Old Trafford but a Goodison star

8 N Vidic Man Utd D 66.11% 10.48
The centre back was rock-solid in his first full season in England

9 B McCarthy Blackburn F 88.98% 9.91
Eighteen goals in 36 starts proves McCarthy is a lethal predator

10 A Hleb Arsenal M 68.14% 9.87
Not as flashy as some of his teammates, but highly effective


Interesting to see Arsenal had same amount of players as Man Utd in the top 10, and one more than Chelski. And Hleb was there!? And Liverpool had only one in the top 20, while the other top 4 clubs had 4 in the Top 20. Of course, these don't make any difference whatsoever to the fact that Liverpool, Man Utd and Chelski all did better than us, but I thought it was worth posting for those who are interested in this sort of thing.

Arsenal's entire list:
Arsenal

3 Gilberto Silva M 88.14% 16.01

5 Jens Lehmann G 97.30% 13.94

10 Alexander Hleb M 68.14% 9.87

13 Cesc Fábregas M 92.88% 9.19

36 Kolo Touré D 91.89% 5.73

38 William Gallas D 56.49% 5.63

39 Thierry Henry F 44.29% 5.48

44 Johan Djourou D 43.51% 5.07

47 Robin van Persie F 43.84% 5.01

48 Emmanuel Adebayor F 59.64% 4.90

51 Júlio Baptista F 31.35% 4.71

57 Gaël Clichy D 67.84% 4.26

97 Tomas Rosicky M 55.20% 2.39

104 Abou Diaby M 19.61% 2.15

110 Emmanuel Eboué D 59.22% 1.93

120 Justin Hoyte D 42.49% 1.66

128 Mathieu Flamini M 28.77% 1.44

150 Philippe Senderos D 21.50% 0.96

203 Theo Walcott F 19.28% -0.58

218 Fredrik Ljungberg M 36.07% -0.86

Found this on the Sp**s one:
402 Paul Robinson G 100% -12.03

:lol: :lol: Second to last in the whole Premiership!
 

Rohit

Established Member
Not surprised Hleb is there, he is involved in most of our good moves in games. The main gripe that people have with Hleb is that he doesn't score too many goals, other than that he really can't be faulted. He has always given a low return with respect to goals, always had a poor shot, Arsène must have known this if he followed Hleb gor 2 years. It's not Hleb's fault, we should point the finger at Wenger.

Not surprised with Gilberto at number 3.
 

Fallen_Angel

Active Member
I seriously don't think Adebayor's done as bad as people say he has - we played against Manchester United at Old Trafford and he scored the winning goal.

Also - he scored against Manchester City, Sp**s, e.t.c.

I think he's an improvement from last season.

I think we would have done 10x better if RvP and Henry were there obviously.

The times that they were there just shows how vital they are to the team - and for most of the season they were injured!

About 11 goals apiece they had, right?


And we gotta hand it to Gilberto - one of the best seasons he's had, applause to him :) Thierry Henry will be proud.

Of course, disappointed with Lehmann, but what'd you expect :shock:
 

dos1986

Established Member
Season review by Arseblog surprisingly this top review wasn't posted...Enjoy

Arseblog review of the season 06-07

So where do we start with a season review? At the beginning I suppose and the differences between the squad this time compared to last time. Out went Bergkamp (retired), Pires and Cygan (Villarreal), ****ley @#$%& (Chelski), Campbell (retired to Portsmouth) and Reyes (Real Madrid). In came Rosicky early in the summer followed very, very late by Baptista (part of the Reyes deal), Gallas (part of the Cole deal) and Denilson from Sao Paulo.

As well as that we started the season with some players injured or missing. Senderos suffered a broken shoulder in the World Cup, Gael Clichy still had foot problems while Thierry was being given time to recover from his World Cup exploits. I have a feeling that the injuries to Senderos and Clichy played a big part in William Gallas coming to the club. Due to his versatility he could provide cover for both positions but in reality I don’t think Gallas was a player we ever needed and not one we’d have gone for had everyone been fit.

A season to forget?Inuries, suspensions and fatigue played a huge part in this season. Henry never looked like his normal self (although he did manage 12 goals), Robin van Persie was doing well until he broke a metatarsal, Rosicky was in and out of the side, Freddie was never fit, Gallas missed three months, Baptista got injured early on and that obviously hindered his settling in and the suspensions from the Carling Cup final hurt us badly and they still stick in the craw a bit. Adebayor ended up with a 4 game ban for nothing much while players like Michael Ball and Michael Brown got away with three match bans for their disgraceful violent conduct later in the season. Arsène’s ire was completely understandable.

For me the Carling Cup defeat knocked the stuffing out of us. Until then everything was so positive, the young players had really shone and people couldn’t stop talking about our football. That defeat was followed by the PSV defeat in the Champions League and an FA Cup defeat to Blackburn and with the league well and truly out of our grasp that was the end of any chance of silverware. From the highs of Anfield in the Carling Cup to the low of the 4-1 defeat in the league there (for me as supine and listless Arsenal performance I’d seen in years) there was a lot of examination of the squad and the players and the manager and questions were rightly asked.

Was the squad good enough? Where are the goals going to come from? How can we improve? How can we stop the rot? Where is the Julio Baptista that scored so many goals for Sevilla? Jeremie Aliadiere, why?

I think it’s only right for fans to ask questions when things go wrong. I never subscribed to the hysterical calls for Wenger to go or for Henry to go earlier in the season but at the same time it doesn’t mean you’re a bad supporter if you try to analyse where things could be improved and the reasons for poor results. If it’s because a certain player isn’t good enough or isn’t trying then it has to be said. To me playing three monkeys and pretending nothing is wrong is far worse. Some of the reaction was over the top though and I would hope that, with hindisght, some of the websites and blogs that went crazy can see that now.

So, let’s look at the squad and their performances - other areas and problems will be covered in this. Click to continue.

Jens Lehmann: Last season Jens was awesome. Highly motivated because of the upcoming World Cup and his battle with the Albino Gorilla, good concentration, no messing around and to me he was as good as anyone. This season he’s fallen short of the high standards he set, particularly in the second half of the season when silly decisions and mistakes crept into his game. I think the signing of Fabianski will be good in a number of ways, not least the fact that now Jens knows he has a genuine challenger for the number one position.

Manuel Almunia: Performed very well in the cup competitions and looks a far better player than when he first arrived. Unfortunately carries too much baggage for him to ever be widely accepted as the number one. A decent player, a nice bloke and I hope he has success wherever he ends up in the summer.

Emmanuel Eboue: Starting right to left the Ivorian has been less than impressive this term. He started badly with lazy, lazy performances early in the season and his playacting and histrionics are the worst I’ve ever seen from any Arsenal player. He is very capable going forward and provided some killer crosses but there are big questions about him defensively. His positioning and decision making is poor and it doesn’t seem to be improving. To be fair he did cut out the nonsense late in the season but he’s got a lot to prove - his new ‘long term’ deal should give him more than enough time though.

Justin Hoyte: One of the bright spots this season for me, although that might be an indicator of how poor the season was. A young English defender who has definitely improved as a player. Certainly doesn’t offer as much as Eboue going forward but still has scored a goal and been involved in plenty down the right hand side. Much better defensively than Eboue and hopefully he can continue to push on next season. He would be my first choice, no question, but Wenger obviously wants him and Eboue to fight it out. Let’s hope the boss lets the best man win.

Kolo Toure: The man is a machine. Played practically every game and you know you’ll always get 100% from him. While tests show he suffered practically no muscle fatigue throughout the season I think his brain got a bit tired and after the World Cup and so many games that’s understandable. Looked a bit dodgy for a period mid-season but his drive and commitment should be an example to all our players. A good rest will do him the world of good this summer.

Philippe Senderos: I think he’d be the first to tell you he had a poor season. Out injured for the first few months it took him some time to find his feet, then had a nightmare couple of weeks where everything seemed to go wrong for him. He was roundly criticised for Drogba’s winning goal in the Carling Cup but he’s hardly the only defender to get a hard time from 30 goal Drogba this season. I think his critics have been too harsh and they weren’t so vocal when Toure or Gallas made mistakes when we conceded goals. He’s got the kind of physical stature we need, he’s strong in the tackle and in the air and I think with a good pre-season will be a different player next season.

Johann Djourou: Played a lot at the start of the season and looked accomplished on the ball but still has a way to go defensively. Definitely needs more aggression in his game, both in terms of tackling and attacking the ball. Has a worrying tendency to let the ball bounce which causes problems at the back. A real prospect though.

William Gallas: For me his best performances came at left back. I don’t think the Gallas/Toure partnership works and if I had to choose one of them it wouldn’t be the ex-Chelsea player. One or two moments apart he has been hugely disappointing given his reputation (which may go before him somewhat), his unwillingness to tackle and challenge for headers has been noticeable and has been very frustrating with his constant moaning and @#$%& in the press. Eyebrows have been raised about his attitude and application when it comes to training and quite honestly I don’t think he’s a player we ever needed. Wouldn’t be at all bothered if we sold him in the summer but I don’t think there’s any chance of that happening.

Gael Clichy: It was touch and go for him in terms of his foot injury but he’s come back and made the left back position his own. Defensively I’ve been impressed, he’s got great recovery pace and is strong in the tackle and he does love to drive forward. This, however, is an area of his game that he really needs to work on. More often than not his final ball is poor and if he can sort that out then we’ll have a real player on our hands.

Armand Traore: Made limited appearances but looked lively. Probably a bit flashy, likes his stepovers too much and gets beaten far too easily on his outside but showed some promise and is still very young.

Overall: There’s work to be done on the defence in the summer. Collectively they let us down this season. We have never looked solid and always looked like we could concede at any time - and often did. To me we need to make a big decision about the central defenders. Gallas and Toure are too similar, both of them play better with a big stopper alongside them who can win the headers and tackles while they mop up behind. I know people have problems with Senderos but remember he was part of the defence which set that Champions League record and I think he and Toure work well together. He and Djourou also add height to the mix and I can’t remember a successful team ever having two sub 6′ centre-halves like we have now.

Perhaps a defensive coach like Martin Keown, who worked so well with them during that CL run, is what’s needed because in general the talent is there. It just needs to be put together properly.

Alexander Hleb: Early in the season I thought he had improved a great deal. His workrate was up, he tracked back, he didn’t give the ball away as much but it was only temporary. As the season went on so he got worse. He’d give the ball away and stand around staring instead of trying to get it back (one moment in the FA Cup game against Blackburn in particular made me seriously angry), his passing to the opposition become more frequent and at times flamboyant and his general contribution seemed to be to slow our attacks down as much as possible. What’s most frustrating is the fact he is very skillful and has such quick feet but he’s never going to fit into this Arsenal team and the way we play. He was a ‘number 10′ in Germany but plays wide here, he doesn’t score enough, he doesn’t make enough goals, he bollixes up too much of our attacking play and I think the best for all concerned would be if he was moved on in the summer.

Theo Walcott: Started the season brightly from the bench but suffered under the weight of expectation, I think. We have to remember he’s still only 17 years of age and the shoulder injury obviously affected him. Scored a great goal in the Carling Cup final and will come back a better player next season.

Time to say goodbye to Freddie?Freddie Ljungberg: Has always needed consistent games to find his form but injuries over the past two years have prevented that ever happening. He still fights and gives it everything but his pace is gone and two league goals in two seasons is a disastrous return from a player who used to score so many. It’s a shame but I think his time is up.

Gilberto: Criticised last season, and rightly so, the Brazilian stepped it up this season and was probably my player of the season. Took responsibility, worked hard, scored goals and deserves high praise for a good campaign. The only black spot was his red card when he should have known better than to get involved with Robbie Savage but we can forgive him that. Despite rumours linking him with Juventus I don’t think there’s any way we’ll sell him and although this is an area of the pitch we could look to improve in some ways it would be madness to let his experience go.

Cesc Fabregas: Showed again why he is so highly thought of. He may not be the paciest player but the old cliché of his brain giving him an extra couple of yards is so true. Some people point to the lack of goals but he’s at an age where he’ll have a season like that and next season he’ll have learned from it and will be better for it. He did suffer mid-season when van Persie and Henry were out and had only Baptista and Aliadiere to try and deal with but he’s a born winner and he makes this Arsenal team tick. It is absolutely imperative we hang on to him.

Denilson: Almost Cesc II in terms of physique and how he plays the game but has some way to go yet. Showed some very nice touches and had good games in the Carling Cup, especially for a player with such little first team experience, but I think we need to be patient with him.

Abou Diaby: There are times when he looks like Vieira incarnate and others when he looks a bit lost - that may have as much to do with him being played out wide or as a second striker. Like Djourou you feel he could add some aggression to his game but he’s got a great touch and an ability to get away from opponents and I’d love to see him really get a go in a central midfield position next season.

Alex Song: Went to Charlton, did all right, probably found his level. Not good enough and should be sold.

Mathieu Flamini: Had he decided he wanted to play at full back he would probably have had a very good Arsenal career. As it is he wants to play in midfield and although he could stay and pick up wages he wants to move on and play football and you can’t blame him for that. He’s never going to be a world beater but he’s an honest, committed player and always did his best for us. Had a pretty good season, I thought, until being frozen out at the end over his desire to leave.

Tomas Rosicky: When he’s fit he looks a very good player indeed, pacy, direct, has an eye for goal although sometimes his eye is pointing the wrong way. The problem he’s had is that he’s picked up niggly injury after niggly injury. He’s been sent back home to have his wisdom teeth removed which some believe has an impact on the kind of injuries he’s had. If he can stay fit next season then I expect him to be much better.

Overall: The main weaknesses of this midfield are the lack of goals and the lack of width. I’m sure Cesc and Rosicky can score more next season, if Gilberto and Diaby can chip in a few as well that’ll help. A signing is needed though, a wide player who can get wide, score some goals and stretch the play. At times we get so narrow it makes it easy for teams to defend against us.

Thierry Henry: He had an injury plagued season and for the first time in all his seasons at Arsenal he missed large chunks of it. Trying to play through the injuries was obviously a bad idea but he deserved a lot, lot better than some of the vitriol that was poured towards him. In his first poor season for Arsenal people had him written off, sold, replaced and accused him of all sorts. Like I say, he deserved better. Still got 12 goals before it all caught up with him, some of them vital, and if we can get a fully fit Thierry Henry back for next season we’ll be a better team for it.

van Persie is coolRobin van Persie: He’s got nothing to prove on the playing side of things, really. All we need to see from him now is a season without any injuries because there’s no question he’s got the talent and the ability. Seems to have a genuine affection for the club and we’ve missed him badly since January. Scored the goal of the season against Charlton and I think he’s got the potential to be one of our best players ever.

Emmanuel Adebayor: The big man divides opinion. Some feel he’s just not good enough. I don’t agree. He’s still very young for a striker and he has scored some very important goals. Yes, he can improve his chances to goals ratio but nobody can argue with his energy or workrate. If he keeps that up I think he’ll be even better next season and 20 goals isn’t impossible.

Julio Baptista: The clumsiest Brazilian I’ve ever seen. The 4 goals at Anfield were just a fluke really but fair play to him for making his mark like that. He just doesn’t suit English football and it’s a good job we got him on loan to find that out rather than spending £16m on him the previous summer.

Jeremie Aliadiere: Had his chance, now it’s gone. Scored some goals in the Carling Cup but one league goal in all his years at Arsenal tell its own story. Should be sold.

Overall: There isn’t a team in the world that wouldn’t miss Henry and van Persie and while on paper Baptista and Aliadiere seem reasonable replacements based on the pecking order on the pitch they both failed to deliver. Adebayor went on a bit of a dry spell as well but I’m confident he’ll be better next season which gives us a decent top three. Beyond that Nicklas Bendtner is back and obviously Arsène has faith in him because he’s just signed a new 5 year deal plus Theo Walcott can play up there. I suppose the manager has to weigh up the risks of one of his main men getting injured against the potential of the others to step up but I’d be surprised if he brought in a striker in the summer.

Arsène Wenger: In October 2006 he celebrated his 10th anniversary with the club and what a ten years it has been. We all know the way he’s impacted on the club and the trophies we’ve won but football would be full of very old managers if they were merely judged on past achievements.

He has gone with this youth policy because of the financial restraints of the new stadium and at times it looks amazing. Some of the football we played this season was excellent and perhaps we’re in danger of overlooking that. I’ll never forget the first half against Chelsea in the Carling Cup when we totally outplayed an expensive and experienced Chelsea side. In the end though that experience came through and many, myself included, will say that the side isn’t balanced in that regard. That said it seems to be the experienced players he has brought in that haven’t been the most successful in terms of transfers.

Gallas - no. Hleb - no. Rosicky - good in parts. Reyes - good then bad then good then bad then silly and homesick. Baptista - where to even start?!

So while the inconsistency you’d expect from young players costs us points you can’t say it’s the youth policy that has failed, per se. It’s the failure to augment that with the right kind of experience and that’s something he’s got to get right this summer in the transfer market.

Arsène in a calm momentI think as fans we’ve possibly been a bit extreme in some cases this season. The highs have been exaggerated as have the lows to an extent and sometimes you have to accept a season or two without a trophy. It happens to the best of them. Real Madrid might win their first silverware in 4 years this season. On the other hand a club sets its own standards and Arsène has set them very high at Arsenal so it’s natural that people’s expectations are higher than 4th place and going out of three competitions inside two weeks.

He’s got to take a long hard look at the team, at the failings we have - particularly defensively. One of the reasons we were able to play the kind of football we did in that unbeaten season was because we were so solid at the back. The midfield and forwards knew they could take risks and we’d hold firm more often than not. Now, there’s no confidence in the defence to keep a clean sheet and for us to challenge again this is an aread that has to be addressed.

Non-performers have to be moved on, we need to bring in some genuine width to the side and with his contract up in 2008 this summer is crucial for Arsène and for Arsenal football club. If he can’t find the players to make us take a step up he might feel he’s taken the club as far as he can when it comes time for his contract renewal. He’s been making some positive nioses about the summer so let’s see where we are come August.

Like Arsène I think the new stadium has had an impact on the team. Firstly from the new surroundings and bigger pitch which does take some time to get used to. Secondly from the fans having to get used to it too. I think there’s got to be give and take from both players and fans and perhaps the fans have fallen a bit short this season. Hundreds of empty seats at the end of games from fans who can’t stay till the end, even for a three o’clock Saturday kick off, is not really supporting the team, is it? The Grove needs to find its voice more and the team can do more to raise the crowd in terms of the football but it must be terribly dismaying for the players, pushing for a winner or an equaliser late in the game, to see people streaming out when that bit of extra support might just make the difference.

I’m not going to mention the boardroom business in this review. Up to now everything that needs to be said about it has been said and until we get more information then there’s point saying anymore except to hope it won’t have any impact on the work Arsène needs to do in the summer. Given the fact that Ken Friar negotiated the Fabianski deal for the club shows that it probably won’t.

So, overall, what you can you say? A very frustrating season for the most part and at times maddening due to performances, decisions, perceived lack of effort and our inability to defend coupled with our inability to just @#$%& put the ball in the back of the net. When you see performances like the one against Reading you know what they’re capable of, it’s the inconsistency that’s the real killer. We haven’t improved in the league and whatever the reasons behind it that’s how you’re judged at the end of the day.

There’s no question the season was frustrating for the manager too. He’s put a huge amount of faith in his players and some of them just haven’t delivered. I know the zen-like calm of Arsène is overplayed but it was telling to see him on the touchlines this season. At times he looked like he was going to explode - and he did on a number of occasions, most famously with Alan Pardew (who can now only dream about such confrontations as he’ll be dealing with Neil Warnock and co next season) - and other times he looked utterly bemused and at a loss to know what to do. He admitted himself he was a little lost by things but Arsène is an intelligent man. He knows he got to make things better next season and I think he knows what he’s got to do in terms of the playing side of things.

Still, I think it would be wrong to overlook the things which were good and which can improve next time around. We need new players and to freshen the squad to challenge again and I think we’ll do that in the summer and it could be as busy a transfer window as we’ll have seen in recent years. Hopefully we can do our business as quickly and painlessly as possible but then this is the Arsenal, we don’t do it like that!

Final mark: C+ - can do much better.

*Note: I should just mention that the above is simply my opinion. I know some might agree with it, some might disagree with it, some might agree with some bits and not other bits and some might not agree with any of it at all. Feel free to comment below, don’t be a @#$%& though because if you are going to be a @#$%& you might as well just go and start your own blog and say your piece there. There really aren’t enough Arsenal blogs, you know.
 

KY

Established Member
a little news on the front: arsenal made 19,25 million euros from champions league last season. Not a bad haul that amounts to aabout 13 million pounds i think. Though its nothing compared to previous season when we made almost 3 times as much. what a difference an addtional 3 rounds can make... But at least let's hope that most of that money goes into the transfer kitty...
 
Top Bottom