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Mails: Jol Out And Other Demands...
You might notice that we haven't included a single mail about teams in pubs, because most of them were terrible. Instead we have a disgruntled Fulham fan and Scouse maths...
A Night In The Pub With Aston Villa...
Villa are the latest team to get the pub treatment, while the morning mailbox also includes missives on Tony Pulis leaving Stoke and Chelsea's future under Jose Mourinho...
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Money Money Money
The bottom team in the EPL has spent well over £20 million on transfers and added at least £150,000 a week onto the wage bill. Let me say that again, the BOTTOM team in the EPL. In my opinion that is obscence. The money being thrown about the English game now is getting beyond a joke.
Surely a financial meltdown can not be far away?
Sadly football is now a business, not a game.
LK
Maths With 'Arry
I know Arry admitted he can't read or write particularly well but does he have trouble counting too?
QPR are signing Samba for a reported £12m on a reported £100k a week. They're trying to sign Crouch who I'd imagine will ask for similar wages and Arry was busy tapping up Odemwingie for a reported £60k a week. So we're looking at approximately £250k a week for three players. Plus the likes of Remy who I assume haven't come cheaply.
Their ground holds 18,500. How exactly is this sustainable?
DM (Want QPR to go down almost as much as Villa), WBA
Only United Care...But It's A Worry
I'll tell you why it's a bit boring. Because only United seem to actually care about winning it.
City have harboured ambitions to win it for a long time, but like a dog with a car, they've finally caught it and don't really know what to do next. They also have Mancini. I think he's awesome, and should remain there for the rest of my life.
Arsenal are really not at the races, modelled too much on Wenger who is entirely lacking a ruthless streak. He needs a player or an assistant to do that, soon, or his legacy will crumble irreparably.
Liverpool are like that dog, still chasing the car - but unfortunately they're a Chihuahua chasing a Range Rover with little chance of catching it. They are also being run by possibly the biggest bag of hot air I've ever seen sit in a managerial seat. So that Chihuahua thinks it's a whippet.
On a related note, Chelsea have Benitez, who comes second in that list and doesn't really 'get' leagues. How you can balls-up what Di Matteo started well with that squad is beyond me, and it's kind of a shame because lack of competition did for United in years gone by when it came to big European games.
The biggest problem as a United supporter is not that it's boring, but that it papers over some of our obvious cracks. Carrick is having a good season, but we still need to get rid next summer. Nani, Young and Valencia are really not good enough - Di Maria and Gaitan would be hugely better and maybe Zaha will work out. Our defence future looks good, assuming we get past this injury hump of recent years. Up front we're a bit of a dog's dinner, but at least Rooney and RVP will be around for a few years yet. I just hope this doesn't let the Glaziers off the hook.
Guy S (yes, I know...1st world problems)
Why Do They Leave It So Sodding Late?
Thanks to Sky Sports News' 24 hour coverage and Twitter, Transfer Deadline Day has become a twice yearly, official event. See, I even capped it up for God's sake.
Anyway, I don't get it. Whilst watching these poor bastards getting their knickers in a twist about the most boring of deals is fun for the fans, you can't help but think football clubs really should know better than to get sucked into the 'hysteria'.
Surely, the managers, coaches, scouts, etc of these teams know where their problems lie at the beginning of the month? Ok, so bad luck with injuries or suspension could mean teams dip their toes in the water at the end of January and that's fair enough, but whatever happened to planning ahead?
Matt Stanger wrote a great piece last night about Arsenal's need for a 'DM' rather than a striker, but that would surely have been obvious to everybody after the 7-3 win over Newcastle no? Y'know, our final game before the transfer window opened?
In fact, I really admire what Alan Pardew has done this month, to be fair to him. He spotted his side's weaknesses, moved quickly and brought in a number of players to boost the squad. Whilst they might not all be successes, they had an instant impact to beat Villa the other night for three vital points.
A mate of mine described it as a student leaving an essay until the last minute, as they're busy, there's other stuff going on, and that late cramming can help. But surely these clubs/businesses should have more nous than a pissed up uni student?!
Joe, AFC, East Sussex
Vieiras Don't Grow On Trees
I do very much agree that Arsenal need a warrior in their midfield, but am inclined to point out that it really is harder to find top-class players than we all seem to think. City spent about £30m on 'battling/holding' midfielders this summer in Rodwell and Garcia. If Micah was fit, then I'd have thought Zabaleta would be preferred to either of them in that spot, despite the cash.
Every year, there are two 'new Vieiras'; one assumes it is the Vieira/Gilberto Silva kind of players that we all seem to think are missing from the Arsenal squad?
None of these players is ever proven to be good enough for that label in the long run. They might be tall, quick and strong, but none of that matters if you don't have the brains or bite to fulfill that potential 'on paper'. One or two good seasons does not guarantee a 'great' a career. Wenger is pretty good at routing out players with the 'wrong' head, like David Bentley.
Perhaps Paul Pogba is the first of these players that I've seen who really has that special something that other 'new Vieiras' like M'Vila, Sissoko etc don't seem to have on a consistent enough basis to justify such reputations. He would cost about £50m from Juve probably.
Let's face it, if there really was another Vieira so easily to hand, I'm sure he'd already be at Utd/Arsenal.
Ben, MCFC
Lauding Ramsey
Dear Matt Stanger...I don't know if you've ever played football, but when the opposition are rapidly breaking, then you are SUPPOSED to sprint back. Unless you would prefer Aaron Ramsey to not bother, in which case we may as well have played Abou Diaby.
Ramsey was probably Arsenal's best player last night, and for all the talk of positional sense and 'defensive qualities' it was Ramsey who was there in the box checking a run when he unwittingly and unknowingly deflected it into Suarez's path for the first goal. Similarly it was Ramsey who made the excellent last-ditch challenge on Jordan Henderson which bounced off the hapless Santos in the lead up to the second goal.
My point is this - you can have the best defensive midfielder in the world but it doesn't mean your defence don't have to show up. Ramsey could have been Roy Keane on speed and he wouldn't have stopped Sagna falling over himself, Vermaelen jumping over a cross or Mertesacker forgetting how to tackle.
Go back to playing Football Manager with your wistful dreams of CDMs and 'Warriors', because real football is not as simple as you would like it to be.
Jonathan Jones
Lazy Scapegoating
In all too typical fashion, Arsenal fans are again lazily pinpointing scapegoats in Vermaelen, Mertesacker, and the defence as a whole (Santos - I'll give you that one). Here's the problem - the balance in the team has a ridiculous attacking skew. Our fullbacks are told to bomb on, we have a make-shift 'defensive midfielder' whose mandate is to get forward whenever he can. We have two attacking midfielders in Cazorla and Wilshere, and our wingers are playing like out and out strikers (hence the striker-like stats that they have). This leaves our centre-backs completely exposed, such that they are continually scampering around, dragged out of position and can never settle - hence the 'nerves'.
The reason we were defensively solid at the beginning of the season is because our wingers tracked back, our full-backs did not over-commit, Arteta held his position, and Santos wasn't playing. We need to achieve a balance somewhere in between. In the meantime, if we're going to vent anger, let's at least channel it right.
Alex (why do Liverpool get considerably less stick than Arsenal) Davids
Don't Believe The Hype About Arsenal's Crisis
I'm always astounded by how willingly people swallow the media's agenda with certain sports teams like mummy is making a choo choo train noise as she moves the spoon closer in towards 'the tunnel' that is your gullible, prepubescent mouth.
So 'Arsenal precariously clinging on to a fading status' are they Carlos Strayla? Well that's odd since we find ourselves four points behind 'excellent squad with an astute manager' at Tottenham and three points behind the 'interesting' squad led by 'Manchester United's next manager' David Moyes. Oh and we have better goal difference.
The only difference is the media has given up trying to get under AVB's skin because he just doesn't care and has a real job to do and let's face it, no one talks about Everton.
Don't let the relentless negativity about Arsenal form your thoughts and opinions, have some original ones of your own.
Luca James Sparks
Who Am I?
I am spotted as an outstanding talent with great pace/dribbling ability aged 17-18 and break into the team of a major European club, making my international debut. Initially marked out as a more traditional winger and despite some good moments, I am criticized for lack of final product, inconsistency and not building on my potential and I struggle to hold down a regular place in the team.
After a few disappointing years of sporadic scoring and now in my early 20s, I take a more central attacking role and my form suddenly picks up in autumn, as I start scoring almost a goal a game in the Premier Leagie for 10 or 15 games. Most commentators see it as a purple patch initially writing it off, but I just keep scoring more and more, and I go on in the following seasons to win consecutive player of the year awards, finish top scorer in the PL and drive my team to premiership glory.
If you hadn't guessed I am Thierry Henry 2002, Cristiano Ronaldo 2007 and Theo Walcott 2013.
Mike B, Geneva (Worried someone will pull this out in a few months and I am going to look a bit silly)
All Goals Are Key
In all the brouhaha about Walcott's scoring goals primarily against clubs lower in the league than Arsenal, I wonder if such goals aren't undervalued.
Three points, ultimately, are three points, and as Rafa showed repeatedly at Liverpool, it's as easy to lose a title by failing to beat minnows as it is failing to beat top four teams. Easier, possibly, given how many more of them there are. So too, United's two defeat and draw to Newcastle, and 1-0 loss to Wigan, were ruinous last season.
A 'big game' player scores goals when necessary, not simply against major rivals or other major clubs. Aguero, Ronaldo and Rooney have all done this, whereas Berbatov. despite scoring heavily against minnows, typically did so in big wins, rather than tight games. Not unlike Ian Bell earlier in his test career; scored a reasonable number of runs, but generally only scored heavily when others in the team did, rather than when others failed.
Although not furnished with the relevant stats, my suspicion is that Walcott, when scoring a lot of goals against minnows relative to Arsenal, does so to save or win Arsenal points (such as last night).
Chris, MUFC
PS. Carlos De Tackle: I never, ever, ever want Moyes at Old Trafford. I'd rather watch paint dry than a David Moyes team on a weekly basis.
Best Player In The World!
Wow! Who would have thought lowly segunda outfit Huesca would make the biggest coup of deadline day? Forget your Sambas, Beckhams and Balotellis; signing the best young player in the world, Dani Pacheco, has to go down as the best piece of business!
Lewis, Busby Way
It's Deadline Day In Colchester!
I'm outside the Weston Homes Community Stadium in Colchester, I'm wearing Lonsdale trainers, tracksuit bottoms and a replica kit. I have a four-pack of Kestrel Super and am ready to repeat murdoch'hosayswhat? Repeatedly for the next 10 hours to any live reporting Sky Sports bod.
Despite us having £200,000 from the Wordsworth transfer to spend, there's literally no one here. Am I doing deadline day wrong?
Jeremy Aves
Good And Great And Bi And Massive
On the subject of MOTD 'good and great' in this morning's mailbox, it reminded me of a statement from Robbie Savage a few months ago on 606, and a similar theme of an motd/5live favourite: 'big clubs'
Anyway, Robbie said in one breath that Arsenal was no longer a 'big club', and 20 minutes or so later that Derby County was a 'massive club'. So that equates to Derby > Arsenal then?
Basically it's yet another example of BBC lazy punditry. Speaking of which, did anybody see Robbie's tip to save Aston Villa? Jamie Carragher.
LMFAO, as the kids say.
Andrew Smith
