Played from age 6-19. There was one season where my uncle coached the team and had this idea to play me as a ball-playing sweeper (I modeled my game that season after Philippe Albert, if anyone remembers him), but mostly I was played as a winger, which was what every unimaginative coach did with undersized players who were quick and had good technique.

Always thought I had my best games as a central midfielder as I found it pretty easy to navigate those tight spaces (trying to come up with a comparable, probably an extremely one-footed Cazorla but with better hair). However, the coach we had for most of those years had a penchant for playing big guys in the middle. His son was a staple in central midfield; big as a house, he made Xhaka look like Usain Bolt and couldn’t control a ball to save his life, but there he was.

Scored four goals in my very first competitive game as a 7 year old, and that was probably when my career peaked.

Ain't that the truth! I played right wing to a decent level until my mid-teens when everyone else got better and I didn't. Rather handily I also developed a dodgy knee so can obviously blame that for not having the stellar international career I should have had.

I did play in goal one time for my prep-school team. The school was so bad at sports I think I'm right that they hadn't won at anything in over 5 years. Anyway I was playing up-front and had a great first half. Scored a hat-trick, hit both posts and was running defenders for fun. At half time (4-1 up) the sports master said we were too good and put me in goal for the second half. I made a couple of reasonably decent saves but didn't have much to do until late on when I let a soft shot in straight through my legs. Oops. Anyway we won 4-2 and were lauded in assembly the next morning and after that I wanted to play in every team available.

Here's a pic of the wonderful Paul Davis today in 1984.

Maybe the Ferdinand brothers played against each other, but not sure.

If you are an athlete who has tried different sports, you pick up certain things from previous sports to learn the new one. What I found about football is that, its similar to ice hockey the closest. Constantly going back and forth from attack to defense. Same with basketball. They share a lot of similarities. Also, endurance is a huge factor.

Also, like baseball and pool, you look at the ball when striking it, not at the target. Basketball is the opposite, you look at the net, same with American football, you look at the target.

Barcelona is one of those rare teams that will fire a coach when they are first place.

Apparently he’s already been in contact with Stan, sent him an email to say his money is tied up but if he forwards his bank details he send funds immediately.

Only claim to fame was creating 4 of the 5 goals Ian Allinson scored one Sunday morning, clearly the scouts signed up the wrong one.

Hodd when you were at Spurs did they have a young striker Jimmy B? He played at b international level for England late 80s early 90s I believe.

Reading Alan Smith's (self-written) autobiography at the moment. Tells the story of how George Graham blanked Paul Davis for 18 months around 1992 because of a row over Arsenal's style of play. I guess we were route 1 to Wrighty then so Davis didn't see much of the ball. He certainly didn't see much of it during those 18 months. Such a shame. A really class player. Thankfully George brought him back in time for the 93 Cup Finals and Copenhagen in 94, but Davis is still to this day upset about losing 18 months of his career. George wouldn't play him, but wouldn't sell him either. George was not a man to be crossed clearly.

I love that we are being linked several defensive choices but I want us to get some deals done. It's mid month. Man Utd and Chelsea look close to getting deals over the next day or so if it hasn't already happened.

I played for Islington as a kid but my secondary school (Woodberry Down) was more rugby than football. Later on in teens and 20's I played for Eton Manor in the Essex Senior League. Decent standard.

Yeah it’s a sort of staggered winter break, half the teams play one weekend and rest the next and the other half do the opposite. So 2 weeks between games for each team.
The interesting bit will be who you play after your two week rest and of you play any team after they’ve had 2 weeks rest and you’ve had only 1. Some managers have probably got their moans lined up already

When I was younger all I did was play sport, I was the complete stereotype who got in from school and went straight back out to kick a ball about with mates until I was called in for dinner, then back out again until it was so dark you really had to give up.

Football with school and youth teams until I was 16, loved playing rugby union at school as well, gave that up at 16 when my 5ft 10”, 11 stone frame at fly half became a brutal target for the boys who just kept on growing. Eventually I ditched both to concentrate on swimming as I was much better at that, commonwealth, European and Olympic trials but never made the team that went to the games.

Football I was always central midfield on the left side of an adventurous 4-2-4 formation. We used to beat teams 20 or 30-0, fun at the time but not really a football education for anyone involved. I do recall constant battles with the same team from age 12-16, always tight games, and it felt like proper football because the scores would be 1-1 in U12’s but full size pitches rather than the ridiculous 15-3 score lines that were common place.

My best memory was playing in the equivalent of the county fa cup final for U12’s and they played the game at Yeovil Town FC’s ground (where I grew up) it is a big date in the town’s calendar and we got over 1000 people to watch and Yeovil Town’s first team were the ball boys for the game. I always wore number 8, we were drawn in the away team dressing room and I realised that as Arsenal had beaten Yeovil Town 3-1 earlier that season I got to sit in the very same seat as Arsenal’s number 8 at the time, Ian Wright - he scored his hat trick that day! Wrighty was my absolute hero as a 12 year old - probably still is now. Anyway we lost the game 2-1 to one of the most controversial penalty decisions ever.....bloody ref!!

Played a fair bit at uni but it was more the social side I enjoyed then, fitness dwindled a bit so I started playing as a striker then. Then I scaled back to work 5 or 7 a side for fun and fitness.....but after an Achilles’ tendon rupture and doing my ACL on the same leg I struggle to get much football in now.
Now I’ve got a 1 year old son who I’ve already taught to kick a football as he learnt to walk!

Out of interest what did you think of the book? I was a bit disappointed by it - it's a decent autobiography but I expected a little more from him being as though unlike many footballers he can spell his own name.

Still working my way through it but yeah that's how I'm feeling. Was expecting a bit more bite. But then Smudger was never the most confrontational of personalities was he. He touches on that himself in the book, says it probably held his career back a bit, being so laid back.

That's a fair point.

Great site - thanks.

I played in central midfield for Arsenal for a few seasons in the late 70s/ early 80s. Scored the winner in several cup finals. Conveniently, all of the games were played in my back garden.

I didn't get quite the same buzz playing right back in school and college.

Opened Pandora's box with that one Greeny ... jinky winger in the other code , then moved in to fly half .

I've played two games of soccer ...first for a pub team in a friendly against a local low life club , just out of high school I was still pretty fit .
I ran around like a demented blue arsed fly , not really knowing what I was doing .

" You're pretty handy " says the opposition captain "Want to play for us "

Wasn't especially thrilled but said " I haven't got any boots " " We'll soon sort that .

Next weekend we travel about 70 kms to play another town . They shove me in at right back .

I scored ; we were losing 5 - 0 ; getting hammered ... their striker homes in on our goal , rounds our keeper , puts in an underhit shot which trickled towards our goal .

I streak across , smash the ball in an off the line clearance attempt ....... KAZAM ... the net bulges 6 - 0 .

No one seemed that keen to talk to me at the after match beers and sausage rolls ........... so that nipped in the bud a very promising career .

Forward but I could miss the easiest chances at times. There is still a miss that I relive 45 years later. It was because it could have put us 2-1 up to reach the final. We were a player short after a send off. I missed it when we broke upfield. Then 15 minutes later our keeper made a howler and we went out. Jeez I’m getting annoyed just writing about it now.

The tight shorts and coiffured Liberace hairstyle might have had a lot to do with that

Been thinking about under rated but personal favourite Arsenal players over the time I’ve supported them. For this I go for Lauren.

Overshadowed in the team by Henry, bergkamp, Vieira, sol etc
A silent tough guy - didn’t need to go round thumping his chest, just a glare of those eyes
He was a converted midfielder to right back
Those nerveless penalties
Brilliant gamesmanship - the classic ‘oh you meant throw in not free kick ref’ time wasting routine
Having Man U players running for cover after that infamous draw at OT....the still image of him grabbing Phil Neville by the throat is one of my all time favourite football images
He looked like Dwayne Dibley when he first arrived - and scored on his debut I think

Most auto biographies are pretty lame affairs ; they see themselves differently for starters , and rarely tell all the nitty gritty .

Obviously saying you had it off with three groupies on an away trip to Newcastle is out of the question if you are still married .

Plus footballers always seem to start with pure boredom in chronological order ... Namby Pamby stuff

" I played for Upper Lichington under 5's , at primary school I tripped over a scooter so couldn't play for ....
I always loved Thomas the Tank Engine " .... tra la la ...... makes you want to throw up

Think I 've said this before ; start with some bloody action , get the reader involved .

Andre Agassi does this ...... he's got cramp , crowd chanting , cold night , opponent looking mean and focused , down 15 - 30 , quarter finals at Wimbledon

You are living it from the outset .

Pete, I told you about what happened when the players stayed at mine in confidence. For goodness sake don't tell them all about the fireplace incident.

Oh. Oops. Erm, anyone fancy chatting about mesh? Hmmm, pretty mesh. Look into the mesh...not at the mesh but into the mesh. Deeper, look deeper...and...sleep....

Yeah positive first signs. My minor concern at the moment is what might happen if the team don't start seeing the results to match the effort. At the moment they're buying into it but the real test will be Arteta maintaining this bright start, especially with the annual injury crisis.

When all and sundry were falling over themselves with praise of Solskjaer's start at Man U, I remember thinking, "All good when he's winning but what will he be like after they lose a few". We've all seen what happened next.

I remember breaking the back window with a beautiful curling effort then blaming my brother for not saving it. That ended my prospects.

Great player. On of my favourite moments was in the 2002 Community shield. Lauren 'accidentally' sending Riise to get a mouthful of grass in an off the ball tangle around the 41st minute. The look on Riise's face when he got up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8DDiSSAoHw

Commentary from the BBC "41mins: Riise and Lauren clash off the ball and the Norwegian makes his feelings clear to the referee."
Also worth watching 27mins: John Arne Riise is floored by an Edu free-kick..."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/2183671.stm

As long as the missus never got wind of it, I'd be shouting that from the roof tops.

Another Edu find?

https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/14/bruno-gu ... -12057867/

We're being linked to a lot of players, most of them center mids or CBs, which is great news. I think we were linked to Milan's Frank Kessie before, not sure, but I recall it. Center mid, maybe it will happen this time.

https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/14/arsenal- ... wsnow-feed

Morning, agreed it’s only been 5 games, Solskjaer went 15 or so before it all went pear shaped.
One of the good stats from those first 15 games Man U had, and it’s similar to Emery’s start is that the xG did not reflect the results at all.
I know some people sneer at xG stat but for me if you’re only looking at stats to see how a game went it’s far more true of the game that possession or shots.
A good example was when Man U beat us 3-1 at the emirates in the league about 2 seasons ago, de gea had a stormer and we missed some sitters but Man U destroyed us on the counter with 3 goals from 3 shots....the xG was 4.6 for us and 1.9 for Man U. Man U were better on the day and deserved to win but the xG shows that if both teams continued to play as they did that day the results would likely change. I told all my Man U fans lauding Solksjaer’s start that the stats showed that the bubble could burst at any moment.

I see his name a lot on the forum with a cult following, very slightly before my time, my earliest Arsenal memories are from the 88/89 season culminating in Anfield when I was allowed to stay up and watch it.

Saw a discussion about Wan-Bissaka at Man U. He is a brilliant 1v1 defender, his tackling stats are off the chart.....BUT he gives teams virtually nothing going forward. When you look at what TAA and Robertson are doing at Liverpool (13 odd assists a season!) the discussion was whether Man U had given themselves a £50m problem buying Wan-Bissaka. He's clearly an excellent full-back, but is that enough for Man U want to be? Unless Man U can find a way to have a flying left full-back and play in a lop sided but balanced way then I'm minded to agree that the modern full-back for successful teams needs to contribute hugely going forwards.

Dead right you’re not the only one. Everyone here knows (or should know) that Steve Williams is my favourite player ever. What first made me appreciate him was an interview I heard with him when a promising youngster. Couldn’t tell you when it was or how old he was. But he’d just broken into the Southampton first team and been brilliant in his first game or two. As a result he was interviewed. From memory on the radio.

One of the questions was something along the lines of what his ambitions were or what he hoped to achieve in the game. I was expecting him to say stuff like becoming a first team regular at Southampton, winning something with them, playing for England and so on. That sort of thing. But he didn’t. His answer was to play for Arsenal, who he said were his and his family’s team.

The Arsenal today in 1995.

this is fun topic. Yes Steve Williams is rightly mentioned as a cracking player and obviously under rated. I think he left because he lived in the new forest and got fed up with the commute or something if I recall? Not sure you’d get that these days.

Paul Davis was the under rated and a victim of the boo boys.

Perry Groves, don’t laugh we all know what he was and what he wasn’t but he actually provided some decisive goals and moments not least goals against united and assist in cup final.

Pascal Cygan or Grimandi ? Were they that bad ? Compare them to our defenders at the moment

Interesting topic, an over rated list is somewhat easier

Not one I remember tbh.

Being linked with Bruno Guimarães

A defensive midfielder, interesting choice as we already have torreira. I’d have assumed we would want to get a slightly more offensive midfielder with better passing

Steve Williams was class. Him and Paul Davis together in centre mid in George's first season. Not quite Vieira/Petit but pretty darn good. Williams is another one who fell out with George. Unlike Davis he did get sold as a result. Whereas Smudger avoided conflict Williams was Mr Confrontational. Ask Ossie Ardiles.

I’m hearing Torriera wants out, which if true would explain things.