No comment.... my new, very much improved, contract says I can't

Fair enough - congrats on the new contract.

I haven't seen him play much, so I wouldn't say I'm that confident, more hopeful. There's a lot about Lacazette that makes me think he'll be a big improvement on what we have. And I do like both Giroud and Welbeck, so it's not just that I'd see anyone rather than them.

[a] Yes .....

[b] Yes again ...... there is a tendency to say when Theo's playing it was like our ten against their eleven but don't forget other teams have their "passengers" as well .... Rooney for starters .
I like the old Tommy Docherty philosophy , have plenty of quality attackers on the field so the other team is full bore on defence and our three men don't have much to worry about .

[c] Good stuff .... the daughter and I went to the last Hamilton 400 ... we had a brilliant spot on Empire Street ... the cars appeared around this slight curve then turned a 90 degree and thundered off ... the sound of them changing down and booting it ; a beautiful thunderous cacophony of noise that Beethoven would have struggled to match and what disappoints me it never comes thjrough on the television . Might write to Neil Compton suggesting they put a a mike near the tailpipe because inside or out there is never a V8 sound .
The humidity ..... My son and I were more comfortable working in Blackwater at 42 degrees than at Gove in 31 .. because of the humidity .. 30 % versus 95 % .
The latter , change your shirt five times a day ... pants soaked .... one thing I don't miss about Oz is that stinking ever present heat .

Mahrez looks like a non event which I think is a good thing at the prices currently being quoted.Give them 10mil + Theo.

Ooooooh you little temptress ... like Marlene Dietrich whispering from behind a sheer curtain .

Arsene .... " ahhh Lauren , Steve , Ivan , Stan could you guys grab a cup of coffee , I want to ask Hodd for his thoughts on Lacazette "

Would Walcott want to go to Leicester . After their brief nova of success , Leicester seems likely to settle back into obscurity from whence they came ; not much of an attraction .

Hasn't Theo just signed a new contract , he'll be with us for another couple of years then probably do a stint with Southampton .

Both with a ton of pace I've got hopes he and Lacazette might combine well .

Who is the only player in English football to captain a title winning side in 3 different decades?

Hmm....not liking how this is looking.

http://dailycannon.com/2017/07/chelsea- ... oyed-them/
Chelsea could turn to Alexis Sanchez to replace Diego Costa if they miss out on Romelu Lukaku, according to reports.

I like that Mahrez is keen to join us.

http://metro.co.uk/2017/07/07/arsenal-t ... y-6763535/

Too easy a question for this forum...

Why do you think Wenger's after Lemar? Can play wide, can play at 10, can also play deep and pull the strings. A perfect replacement if he can develop his right foot more.

Cant see Wenger doing it but Remi Garde suggests playing Giroud and Lacazette together.
http://dailycannon.com/2017/07/garde-la ... -together/

Cheers John

As to what Theo wants I don't care. I want him to put in an effort when he is selected for the team but he doesn't care, so I would call that about even.

Great to hear Hodd!

I don't know much about Lemar but if those are his qualities he sounds as if he could be a what we require.

Hey Kiwi,

Did you watch the rugby match? Sky completely lost the plot in terms of hype. Your lads were outstanding for 30mins but the number of knock-ons was ridiculous. Sort of fitting that the series (which has been hugely underwhelming) ended with a fudged refereeing call and a draw.

How was that not a penalty for offside? He caught it so even if it was instinctive I think it's very harsh on the ABs. Felt sorry for Kieran Read but respect to him for his reaction on the pitch and let's face it, it kind of reverses a ton of dodgy decisions that often go their way.

Messy series, how they can keep pretending it was some kind of unforgettable we-were-there experience is really odd.

Scott Quinell should never be allowed in front to a mic again

Kieran Read's daughter should though, she was hilarious trying to drink the rain.

I.missed that. Switched off straight away as I couldn't take anymore. You are right. It was definite penalty.

Patrick Kluivert's son Justin is not too shabby for an 18 yo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRAzIlLiJu8

Alexis Sanchez edges closer to £50m Arsenal exit after agreeing terms with Manchester City

http://metro.co.uk/2017/07/08/alexis-sanchez-edges-closer-to-50m-arsenal-exit-after-agreeing-terms-with-manchester-city-6764703/

If Lukaku is worth £75m then surely Sanchez is worth more than that.

Should Wenger/Arsenal hold out for more?

Lukaku's four years younger, which will come into the equation. Having said that, Sanchez can control the ball which also comes into the equation.

If we get £50m for Sanchez, I don't think it's a bad price for a 28 year old who's only twelve months from a Bosman. I wonder if most big clubs would rather wait a season to get him for nothing. City are an exception because they're so stinking rich. By the way, on that very issue what happened to FFP? Looks like I was right when years ago I said it wouldn't have a material impact when many were hopeful about its long-term effects.

£50m now or nothing next summer? Too risky to delay. There is only one way to go - and I say Geronimo.

Yes, if it comes off not a bad deal at all in the circumstances. We can't force him to sign a new contract, and the rumoured 400k a week to get him to do so is obscene, so we let him go and make about £18m profit. His replacement Lacazette is a younger, quicker guy, who scores a goal roughly every other game. Seems good to me.

We're the City feeder club now. Nasri, Clichy, Adebayor? Wasn't sure if he went there first, he's been everywhere.

We should get money and a player. If not Aguero, then perhaps another player from a position we could stand to
strengthen.

yeah Dec ... I did as you rightly say very underwhelming ... a huge damp sqib of a series . refereeing decisions off the wall . The penalty to hand you guys the second test , the non penalty last night but that is no excuse ; we played very very poorly .
The amount of idiot flat passes thrown so our player collected the ball and two Lions at the same time was amazing .

Gidday Daz , totally agree on all counts ... our idiot commentators were saying what an exciting series .... really I thought it was f**&^ awful .
We made so many collective errors , a lack of brain cells was evident , the sending off , too much aimless kicking .

Last I couldn't help reflecting the loss of Carter , Mc Caw , Nonu and Conrad Smith all at the same time has finally come back to haunt us .

It went out the window when UEFA allowed both City and PSG to basically get sponsored by their owners, PSG's commercial revenue is up there with United and Real Madrid, when they have a fan base of probably one twentieth the size but apparently that is normal..

Anyway if it had gone to court the lawyers would have tied UEFA up in knots in fairness, this is why I said all along the self sustaining model was flawed in the modern game, Usmanov all the way!.

The whole " will he wont he " drama is similar to watching the same episode of Coronation St fifty times .

... just please f***^ off you greedy little Chilean egg , and take your llama , vicuna and guanacos with you .

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/ ... z-10761010 .....30 million more here

Now that we know its not working, what does the club do to compete in this kind of environment?

When you ask what 'does' the club do, the answer for some or even many probably depends on whether you mean what 'will' the club do or what 'should' it do? I suspect loads of fans would suggest different options for either. If you mean 'will', so what one expects to occur, my guess would be nothing very different to what's happening at the moment, which a good number of fans will be happy about. If you mean 'should', so changes anyone wants to see, Wilts and others would clearly give an alternative response.

Arsenal demanding £80million from Manchester City to seal Alexis Sanchez transfer

http://metro.co.uk/2017/07/08/arsenal-demanding-80million-from-manchester-city-to-seal-alexis-sanchez-transfer-6765263/

Negotiating ploy. AW will settle for £60m.

He is after all the hottest target in the current transfer market.

I still think he'll make them a worse team........

Asking £80m for a 28 year old with thus a rapidly decreasing resale value over the course of the contract he'll sign has to be a negotiating ploy. I'd be surprised if even City would pay that for a player they could get for nothing (in terms of a transfer fee) next summer.