I wonder if our new chief scout can tempt some more Dortmund players over. Reus has been admired by Wenger for years - he's got a classic Arsenal injury record as well.

I'd be more interested in Pulisic and Weigl. Two very good young midfielders.

It's gibberish.

He's meant to be smart according to his hagiographers.

Hmmm...

You're not wrong, but at this point it kind of feels like I'm fluent in Wenger gibberish. I think the point Wenger was trying to make was that Aubameyang has been accused of being selfish and having a bad attitude (which was what the question was about) but seeing as he's had a very successful career he's managed to turn his attitude into something positive.

Although if I wanted to make that point I would probably not use the sentence "I believe that overall you look at the achievement of a player during his career and usually when a career has been very positive, the character has been used in a positive way."

Since we don't get those down here, and I presume they haven't featured in any Indian cuisine I have enjoyed, I take it you mean that as a metaphorical reference to my potency and prowess in battle?

American may have a point. Did Theo ever have a 'right position' to be out of?

I think Wenger can be compared to a modernist artist. One person looks at his work & interprets it as the artist was trying to get X message across. Then along comes someone else who says he was expressing anger at the modern society.

Then along comes a number of people who ask ‘ what the f is that supposed to be.’ Well my interpretation of the latest press conference is in line with the last group.

Perhaps you should be our next back-room appointment. As a translator.

I've been thinking for some time that this might be the root cause of many of our on-field problems. While it's easy to blame them on a lack of coaching, Wenger being unable to motivate the players, Bellerin's pusillanimous hairdo, etc, could it be that the players simply have no idea what on earth the manager is going on about?

It's noticeable that the coherence of his spoken English has declined markedly in the last few years. Of course 21 years in the English game will do that to anyone, but he's no Trevor Brooking, that's for sure.

Exactly my point. Substitute "press conference" for "team talk" and look what you get.

At this point I'm not even confident of 6th place, though still hoping to be spectacularly wrong.

You're obsessed with Arsene Wenger. Is that good for you?

OK OK I'm usually right.

Did I just see Trevor Brooking mentioned? He was rubbish at top trumps.

He hasnt a clue Haz. That's Daz that is.

I'll take you on at Risk any time

I think we'll get sixth place. The current seventh place team is Burnley, who are five points behind us. Call me over-optimistic but I think we'll manage to hold them off, and anyone even further behind.

Hoy how wonderful to here from you. I take it that your time in the bunker is well spent & that you are in rude health. You and Wenger being the only ones left probably know how Eva and Adolf felt at the end.
It has been a fine week for me as Theo has left. Obsessed - no just caring about a club I have more than a passing interest in. Just sitting at some outdoor tea rooms having a drink. Came up the mountain as it is a bit cooler at 29 degrees. Bit of a breeze so pleasant here. Better get back to talking with my wife who is trying to get updates on the Tour Downunder. Don’t be a stranger on here.

Let’s just get to 40 points before we work out finishing positions. We seem to have stalled on 39

Arsene Wenger 'disrespectful' over Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/42737510

Maybe the Walcott transfer was by mutual consent but nevertheless, its not a good week when we lose two quality players, one of them our best, to the two managers that hate Wenger the most.

AG, what quality player are you referring to? You don't mean Walcott, do you?
Or, are you trolling?

This goes here:

http://iohelix.net/games/

Great fun - He's programmed it all himself.

how true ....

bit of a blunder on the snake , pride myself in knowing a bit about the animal kingdom ..should have said Cape Cobra .

LOL...shoot me but I like Theo. When he's in the mood he's dangerous.

It will be interesting to see if he's kept on the wing or he gets some playing time centrally. Maybe he spoke with fat Sam about it prior? Who knows.

How delightful to see you again and I mean that in a totally non-arch way and congratulations on the use of pusillanimous - ah memories.

Thanks for the translation, Haz, I didn't hear the question to which Wenger was responding but it is still gibberish and I agree with Mr Ordinary that his spoken language has been deteriorating, not just in a grammatical sense but in the sheer meaningless banality of what he says. Perhaps it is just football perhaps it is some new law of thermodynamics which states that in a closed minded French manager energy once spent buying cheap players and converting them into stars will inevitably collapse through a process of stages involving tugging pointlessly on the zip of an overlong puffa into total linguistic entropy.

What a shame Cannon is not around to clarify this matter.

6th seems fairly nailed on, and probably has been since the start of the season. I’d certainly give lower odds to us finishing 7th than 5th though.

Funny how wenger described the situation with so many important players entering their last 12 months as ‘ideal’, and is now saying that it has had a destabilising effect on the squad!

Come the summer Ramsey and welbeck will have 12 months left. Offer them both new terms and if they refuse to sign sell them immediately.

No, I won't shoot you. Too much shooting from where you are already

Question: How long ago since Theo was in his mood?

Just to prove Wenger wrong, I hope he gets to play forward and score tons there.

Wenger is suffering from amnesia

Even if we sign Aubameyang and Mika our central midfield is still distinctly average and it seems rather extravagant to have a defence that is utter shite defensively.

http://www.football365.com/news/man-utd ... arget-seri

Seems like another target has attracted bigger fish.

File with marksmen with a very poor aim and vets who hate animals.

With Wenger at the helm, don't expect him to get the better of other clubs. Only he believes he is doing the club a favour by being "penny wise, pound foolish". He will end up getting half-injured or over-30 players, who are past their prime at prices that aren't exactly rock bottom.

Definitely need another midifelder, or at least a formation change. It’s weird because Wenger clearly loves Xhaka, Wilshere and Ramsey, but he plays a formation that isn’t suited to any of them.

I’m just hoping the new signings help our stale offense a bit. Might at least make the remaining games this season more enjoyable to watch.

Continuing on that thread, I wonder what Wenger sees as our best eleven now. Clearly nothing has changed in defense and goal, so it's probably Čech, Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal, Bellerin and Kolasinac. In midfield I think he'd go for Xhaka and Ramsey (Wilshere has looked great, but there's no bigger Ramsey admirer than Wenger).

Then there's some interesting options up front - don't think he's ready to drop Lacazette, but I can definitely see Wenger push Aubameyang to a wide position. Özil doesn't get dropped. So that leaves players like Wilshere and Mkhitaryan on the bench possibly?

Sounds great - a cup of tea is always a good idea. As is putting the Mrs. first. Keep on chooglin.

As horrible as Mourinho is (Allardyce is nowhere nears as awful) you must try to get over the focus on managers. Looks like it could be good business for all concerned. We move on one player who doesn't want to be here and another who has done his time, in return for hopefully a couple of guys who can lift us. If the Gabon guy comes and hits his straps then we surely have lost nothing in the deal?

But omoh its to a club that we need to get past to be in the CL possibly. A direct rival. Never a good thing that your best player goes to Man Utd. Even the 6th place Man Utd, never, ever, ever!!

..fat Sam is as bad or worse than Mourinho...to me at least. He loathes Wenger. Mourinho, its partly an act for mind games purposes. fat Sam hates him for real.

I actually agree with this. Sanchez has been here four years but it's time to move on for all concerned, couldn't really care less where he goes. Not over-excited with touted new signings but it will be more interesting than what has gone on so far this season with an out-of-sorts star bashing his head against an out-of-sorts team run by an unlovable wanker of a manager who probably only owns two of those v-necks, one goes to the dry cleaners on match days. There, Hoy, we are in total agreement aren't we?