How much would playing against Bournemouth raise his transfer fee? I would say there’s more chance of him getting seriously injured and endangering any deal than raising his transfer fee. If the agent is saying terms between Xhaka and Hertha have already been agreed, does that imply the clubs have already agreed a transfer fee?

Otherwise if Arsenal and Hertha’s valuations are miles apart for the transfer fee, wouldn’t the agent be in danger of negotiating Xhaka’s terms with Berlin for nothing if Arsenal aren’t going to accept what they’re willing to offer? If so wouldn’t that waste his and the club’s time.

Will he be playing the same position he did with us, the team set back ?

It's very good to watch and frankly I'm enjoying it. I see no point cutting off my nose to spite my face. If I want to torture myself I'll watch Arsenal.

If you’re going to go on an endless list of ‘real men’ players of yesteryear that outshine the pansies of today, without even seeing what I was bloody talking about! I’m afraid you’re going to have to endure me administering medicine with my extra long spoon as I perch atop of my high horse

Yes, that’s why we’re all mentioning the front three and how good they are not the system!

Likewise Klopp didn’t discover a new brilliant defensive system, he threw 150M at Alison and Van Dyke. Not to take too much away from Klopp, I think he’s great.

You’re a better man than I in that case... I want a meteor to strike everyone they walk out. Obviously I wouldn’t want anyone hurt, just a mild unbeaten-title-tilt-derailing impact.

Saving us from relegation would be enough for me. Something needs to change or we will be playing Millwall next season.

Bit harsh that AG - it come up everyday - what more do you want?

omoh, I assume the main reason you don't want to play Millwall is because you are not looking forward to the away matches at the Den and having to roll up your sleeves and put in work on the Bushwackers.

As it happens AG I'd love to see Arsenal play Millwall (both my boyhood teams), but only if the Lions get promoted, or we meet in one of the cups.

Talking of Millwall I recommend this documentary by Ole Jensen and Chris Haydon, which I was pleased to be a little involved in on the research side.
https://vimeo.com/302697708

It might have improved our negotiating position a smidgeon. It would be harder to sell a player that we visibly couldn’t use at all.

I’m not saying that either of the two scenarios that I suggested are the right one. It’s simply that I was astounded to see him in the line up given his previous and given that his imminent departure is being widely touted.

Perhaps it’s no more complicated than Arteta, along with Wenger, Emery and Ljungberg before him, simply rates Xhaka as a player a lot more highly than you and many others? So while Xhaka is still at the club, might Arteta be more than willing to pick him?

It could be that.

Although if he rates him as much as you suggest then why would the club sell him? It’s not as though we are overstocked in that area of the pitch.

Perhaps Xhaka wants to go? After all, if I was a betting man my money would be on Aubameyang leaving in the next six months or so and I bet the club would rather keep him. Players have, if not all the power, then much of it these days.

Regarding Xhaka, and I realise these are values from a bygone age, but his petulant display and reaction to being substituted in the Palace game was enough for me to never want to see him in an Arsenal shirt again.

Well on this occasion I'm prepared to settle for a transfer away rather than a full scale blood feud against his family.
I like to think I'm a reasonable man.

The point I was trying to make was that Wimbledon were just made fun of, because they played long ball. Klopp has some very good players and to be fair to him some players who he has turned into really good players. They have great balance as a team. Just like we did with the invincibles.

That seems like a lifetime away. Great days but so was George Graham teams. Yep - a win is what it is all about.

Bring out the bubbly!

I don't think many supporters will mind losing Xhaka. I do hope we get a replacement. Our midfielders are too lightweight at the moment. An all-action box-to-box midfielder who will chip in with a goal every few games will be much welcomed.

Thanks for the docu omoh, love them. Seen a bunch of them and I'll make time to see this one. You liked Millwall? Really? (that said by a person who has Palace as his 2nd London side.

The papers are saying that City's title hopes have worsened with the loss to Wolves. The title chase is effectively over. Yes, yes, we came back from no where to beat Man Utd to the title with roughly the same number of points down. This is a different. Liverpool have the title, deservedly so and its pretty much a fight for 4th place.

Klopp will probably get manager of the year and few would argue that but I have to say, if Leicester gets runner up and were I have a vote and I'g for Rodgers. Even 3rd. No disrespect to Klopp who is doing a phenomenal job.

Kiwi,
This sounds like a rum and coke day & night binge to me

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football ... e-21173535

The FA Cup game at home to Leeds is given on Arsenal.com as kicking off at 19.56 on Monday 6th January. I’ve been going to Arsenal for 52 years now and this is the only match I can ever remember that isn’t due to kick off at a firm five minute schedule.

There’s been quite an assortment of kick off times over the years. Be it on the hour, a quarter past, half past (I recall evening games routinely kicking off at 7.30 pm ‘back in the days’), or now commonly a quarter to the hour. I’m fairly certain there was a game (perhaps more than one) set to begin at 7.55 pm, so thus five minutes to the hour. But never before do I recall one due to start at 7.56 pm.

Why isn’t the Leeds game due to start at 8.00 pm, or even 7.55 pm? Might it be linked to the the expectations of the television company showing it for the demand for advertising space during the advert breaks?

https://www.arsenal.com/fixtures

Most, If not all, games are kicking off at strange times in the third round Bernard. No idea why, doesn’t seem to be any logic in it.

Got these for xmas, bit before my time. Any of you even older timers go to either of these games?

Edit: no idea why they're upside down, sorry. Warrior, can you put them the right way up?
Fixed - Rog

LTG and OMOH would both have been OAPs when they were played, so they might have.

Thanks, I didn’t know that. Wonder why?

Despite malicious rumours to the contrary these are just before my first visit to Highbury.

The format, style and pricing of the programmes is completely familiar though. I’ve still got some of those carefully stored ‘somewhere’.

Thanks Warrior

I would have been exactly 2 weeks old for the first one, don’t think my Mum would have allowed my Dad to take me somehow.

If Burnley get a point againest united we will slip to 13th and be only 6 points off the relegation zone ahead of our games againest chelsea and united.

This a crisis like we haven’t seen for some time and I’m not optimistic at all about tomorrow’s game.

Not a penalty for me in the Norwich game, interestingly didn’t show the close up angle that shows Kane going into the defender when the pundits were backing Kane.

Fortunately Chelsea and United are almost as flakey as us.

If Xhaka is not in the squad because he is leaving it would seem an inopportune moment to leave him out with Chelsea and United in quick succession. A bit like shooting yourself in the foot.

I'm far from his biggest fan but I would probably have started him tomorrow and against United because Guendouzi and Torreira does not seem to work and there are few other alternatives.

It surely would have made sense to bring a replacement in before selling him, especially with key games ahead.

The Kroenkes better be waking up now. Their investment will go into a serious downhill spiral should this continue to be the order for the Arsenal. Mid table to relegation scraps every season.

Sell the arrogant *%^@** as soon as possible. The opportunity to get rid of him shouldn’t be spurned.

Myth of a player. He’s not providing any match winning moments even if we do have a poverty of options.

It's the way the game has gone. I view it as a dive. 20 years ago most players wouldn't even think of going down in that scenario. The modern game is different. It is a circus. Cheating is a bigger part of the game now than it ever was. Sad really.

I suggest we change our colors to blue and yellow and call ourselves the Arsenal Rams if you want the Kroenke's to take notice.

I don’t know whether you saw the Norwich goal disallowed for offside by var. terrible decision IMO. And it would have been 2-0 to Norwich. But once again Spurs gifted by officials. They are the refs darlings. That why they found it so difficult to take the son send off. Usually they get away with it.