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Konstantinos Mavropanos: Our New BFG
- Thread starter Yousif Arsenal
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- Replies 580
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KROENKE SUCKS
Active Member
Wenger has signed quite a few decent to excellent defenders in his time here. Sol Campbell, William Gallas, Thomas Vermaelen before his injury, Koscielny, Lauren, Kolo Toure, Bacary Sagna, promoting and developing Ashley Cole, etc. The problem is our club has always been stretched financially and hence he always has to sprinkle the squad with cheap backups who will get exposed with regular action particularly against top sides. Its called working with a budget.
yybecause
Formerly known as ArsenaLover
I’m sold on this kid
Mark Tobias
Mr. Agreeable
Some of those cheap backups were still over priced. Squillaci, Sylvester, Santos, Traore, Miguel, Gibbs, stepanovs, juan, Cygan, Garry, Hoyte, djourou, senderos, connolly, Gabriel
Arsenal1508
Mods are unethical! Özil, come assist me please!
JUAN, Garry, and Connolly..really?
They never joined the 1st team.
Senderos was decent initially. Djourou and Traore were always calamities.
Mark Tobias
Mr. Agreeable
Okay pushing it there but that's still 12 rubbish players to your 8 good ones. Admittedly defending has changed in the last two decades
yybecause
Formerly known as ArsenaLover
I still miss Senderos
redanddread
The stone that the builders refuse
Yes, he could speak 5 languages...and was a very intelligent boy, apparently.
yybecause
Formerly known as ArsenaLover
Had a chance to talk to him a bit. Great lad, was one of my very favorites back then
redanddread
The stone that the builders refuse
How did that come about then?
yybecause
Formerly known as ArsenaLover
All the attributes we need, perfect fit next to Mustafi. Not yet, of course, but I had a vision last night, and now I’m all set
yybecause
Formerly known as ArsenaLover
Went to our preseasons in Austria 3 or 4 times, best times of my life. Watching them train twice a day, take pictures with players, have little chit chats with them...cried a lot, too much emotions lol.
I remember I asked him does he talk any Croatian (I think his mother is Serbian) and he tells me dead serious ‘No’. I literally thought he wasnt having any of that chit chat...3 seconds later, as he finished signing some stuff for me, he looks me in the eyes and starts talking perfect Croatian with me. At the end I tell him to send Mannone over, he turns around and does that Godfather voice calling for him: ‘Don Vito, come over here’. So many memories...
IslingtonBornandbred
Active Member
I don't know if this specific video has been posted but I saw it another Arsenal forum. Some of the guys there were complaining about the tackles saying it's too dangerous, and he's going to injury opponents and get red cards.
I honestly don't mind it. For too long that I can remember, we've had central defenders who can be manhandled, grabbed and thrown around by opposition players. Yeah, we don't want to see red cards, but some aggression and nastiness is what we've needed for a long time. You can't complain about the defending and the days of Adams, Keown, Dixon, Campbell, Lauren, Cole etc but then say a guy's too aggressive. He does go to ground, but like I said, I honestly don't mind what I see but that's just my preference in a centre back. I'd rather have oppositions fans and pundits say what a horrible nasty aggressive ruthless bunch we are rather than the laughing stock that we've become in terms of how our players and mentality are viewed. I'd love a Simeone character to come in and try and compete with the "oil clubs" by doing what he's done in Spain i.e work-rate, team spirit, organisation coupled with attacking ability. The days of us trying to "out football" our rivals have gone imo.
Konstantinos Mavropanos - "No centre forward will ever receive the ball into feet again with me behind them, you have my word. THIS IS SPARTA"
I honestly don't mind it. For too long that I can remember, we've had central defenders who can be manhandled, grabbed and thrown around by opposition players. Yeah, we don't want to see red cards, but some aggression and nastiness is what we've needed for a long time. You can't complain about the defending and the days of Adams, Keown, Dixon, Campbell, Lauren, Cole etc but then say a guy's too aggressive. He does go to ground, but like I said, I honestly don't mind what I see but that's just my preference in a centre back. I'd rather have oppositions fans and pundits say what a horrible nasty aggressive ruthless bunch we are rather than the laughing stock that we've become in terms of how our players and mentality are viewed. I'd love a Simeone character to come in and try and compete with the "oil clubs" by doing what he's done in Spain i.e work-rate, team spirit, organisation coupled with attacking ability. The days of us trying to "out football" our rivals have gone imo.
Konstantinos Mavropanos - "No centre forward will ever receive the ball into feet again with me behind them, you have my word. THIS IS SPARTA"
Mo Britain
Doom Monger
Gibbs and Miquel and Garry and Hoyte came from the academy, so they were hardly overpriced. I don't think any of those was necessarily overpriced they were just mostly cheap or free but not good enough.
Cygan was quite good in a static defence but at the time we were mostly playing high up the field and bossing games. Santos might have made a wing-back but was unreliable at the back. Silvestre was finished when we bought him. Stepanovs hopelessly out of his depth. Did Juan ever play for the first team?
Who the hell is/was Connolly?
IslingtonBornandbred
Active Member
Matthew Connolly. I used to watch him at Underhill, Barnet's ground, for the reserves quite a lot. He was a very very good player at that level and looked like he had all the attributes to make it here as a young English defender. Never happened, and currently at Cardiff I believe. There were some very talented players in that crop though, likes of Merida, Barazite, Larsson, Lupoli, Quincy, Emmanuel-Thomas, Randall, Bendtner....I remember it well!
Mo Britain
Doom Monger
Yes. Sadly it was a false dawn. I remember Lupoli and Bendtner's goalscoring stats and dreamt of the day they would reproduce it at the top level,
morpho
Established Member
Toure joined us at the age of 20 from a very small club too. Back then you'd have said "ach he needs a loan maybe" but he impressed immediately in training and so he got his chance. I'm not saying that will definitely happen here, but it's not entirely out of the question. He's impressed in training, maybe we'll see him in the first team on occasions this season. Physically he has all it takes.
Mo Britain
Doom Monger
He's right. Senderos flattered to deceive.
Arsenal1508
Mods are unethical! Özil, come assist me please!
He was...good hype that 1st 2 years.
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