Long Shots

Happy Monday To All...

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:42:24 -0500

I come a greek (not really...) bearing gifts... Right, I'm done being cryptic. Arsenal, according to just about every reporting service but Arsenal.com, have signed French 21-year old midfielder Samir Nasri. Of course the rumor had been making the rounds for most of the summer transfer window to date, and the completion of this signing was really never in much question.

Nasri's signing is an interesting one for several reasons. First, of course, is his obvious quality. The player is being touted as the next Zinedine Zidane...a compliment that wouldn't be thrown around lightly. Nasri is most often a right winger, but can also play up the middle. That is what makes his signing most interesting, considering Alexander Hleb's future (or lack thereof...?) with the squad. Should Hleb leave, Nasri becomes an almost immediate lock on the right wing. If Hleb stays, our midfield looks something like this:

Hleb---Fabregas---Nasri---Rosicky

I have to admit, I do like the power this displays. However, assuming Hleb's departure, things get a little fuzz...

Nasri---Fabregas---???---Rosicky.

Now will Arsene Wenger buy a holding midfielder this summer? The rumor-obsessed side of me hopes so, but the rational side of me brings up a few players who have been groomed for this position. Specifically, Abou Diaby has been long touted as the heir aparent to Patrick Viera's midfield position. Is Diaby's time now? Right behind Diaby is Denilson, the young Brazilian CM who has shown spells of excellence. But as of now, only spells...not sustained quality. Add in the signing of Aaron Ramsey to the mix...Arsene Wenger has given him the #16 shirt, a potential indication that Wenger wants Ramsey to have a substantial impact this season...maybe at CM? Last but not least, let us consider Gilberto, the stalwart Brazilian who has always played fairly well as a holding mid. It's conundrum, no doubt. But wait, there's more! Yes, Alexander Song and Johan Djourou are also in the mix here. Song seems to be just as likely as Diaby is for this position...the Camaroon midfielder/defender played remarkably well during the latter stages of last season, and Wenger seems to have built some faith in him. Finally, probably least likely to be handed the position is Johan Djourou. He's a good defender coming off of an injury and in passing said that he'd take the role if given to him. Well...uh...thanks Johan, but for now, no thanks.

Also of note today is Arsenal.com's release of the squad numbers for the season:

1. Manuel ALMUNIA
2. Abou DIABY
3. Bacary SAGNA
4. Francesc FABREGAS
5. Kolo TOURE
6. Philippe SENDEROS
7. Tomas ROSICKY
8.
9. EDUARDO
10. William GALLAS
11. Robin VAN PERSIE
12. Carlos VELA
13. Alexander HLEB
14.
15. DENILSON
16. Aaron RAMSEY
17. Alexandre SONG
18.
19. GILBERTO
20. Johan DJOUROU
21. Lukasz FABIANSKI
22. Gael CLICHY
23.
24. Vito MANNONE
25. Emmanuel ADEBAYOR
26. Nicklas BENDTNER
27. Emmanuel EBOUE
28.
29.
30. Armand TRAORE
31. Justin HOYTE
32. Theo WALCOTT

My assumption is that Samir Nasri will take the vacant 8 shirt, as well.

'Til next time!

The New Away Kit -- Revisited

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 00:24:57 -0500

Well, folks, if you'll recall, in my last post, I lamented the utter dull colors on the new away kit. I guess the man upstairs is listening to me for some reason tonight of all nights...this came accross the AG-Gooners forum a few mintues ago!

It looks amazing, to be perfectly honest. Classic Arsenal. Yellow and blue...total class. I am now much happier with the board.

The New Home and Away Kits

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:26:41 -0500

Let me first say this: whomever created the new home and away kits should really be drawn and quartered. The home kit isn't as dastardly as the away kit, to be honest, but neither are good. The 06-08 home kit was simple and classy. The new home kit? Hmm, how shall I put this...it's half-arsed. Is it acceptable...yeah, with a slight netagive tone when I say that. Is it as good as it can be? No, not even close. In fact, they could've kept the current home shirt and I would've been overjoyed. Or do a fun design on the front or something, as long as it's a pure red torso with white sleeves. That's it. No need for redcurrant trim on the sleeves that from some angles makes it look like NO white is on the sleeves at all. No need at all. Red and white, the Arsenal mainstay, simple as that.

OK, so I'll give them a little credit for some of the little things...having Victoria Concordia Crescit on the inside collar is a nice touch. In my eyes, it ALMOST makes up for the egregious redcurrant trim on the sleeves. I'll admit though, that a longsleeve version of the new kit would probably look good. But for now, this short-sleeved variety just isn't quite up to snuff. Not awful, but just below par.

Right, now on to the away shirt. Now it hasn't been confirmed yet, but I've seen a good number of these pictures floating around this Interweb thingamajig, and here's what it looks like:

My first thought is that I'm hoping that the colors are a little more vibrant than these low-res shots. Otherwise, it looks like puke yellow and sea grey/blue...ugly as hell. Now if in reality, it's more of a bright, vibrant yellow and a nice deep blue, I can stomach it. It'll be relatively classic Arsenal kit material...yellow and blue. Again, Victoria Concordia Crescit makes an appearance...and again, I really like those little touches. To me, any shirt has to be a balance of history and progress, as fashion goes. Here's an example; the 07-08 away shirt (Spud white). was a rather bad shirt. Why? Because it was Spud white, right?

Right?

NOPE!

I could deal with the white kit. I kinda liked it...almost like we repatriated the color. But what I didn't like was that there was no other history associated with the shirt to actually say something to a real Gooner. Any ol' idiot can wear a shirt and claim that they're a Gooner. What I love is the little things that a shirt can have that make them meaningful to a true Gooner. Now of course some will bring up the fact that it was a Herbert Chapman memorial kit. OK, great, how about putting some of Chapman's hallmarks as a part of the shirt. The hooped socks were a decent touch, but it almost nothing having to do with the shirt itself had anything to do with Arsenal heritage other than the badge. So, what do I think of these new shirts? The home shirt is actually decent...it's grown on me. The redcurrant probably could've been done without, but I'm confidend it'll look great as Ade smashes home another cracking half-bicycle kick against the Spuds. The away shirt? It looks muted and pukey in the low-res shots, so I'll otherwise reserve judgement.

'Til next time, Gooners!

Summer Transfers: Commentary on What's Happened, What Might Happen, and What Should Happen

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:45:04 -0500

Alrighty then folks. As wel know, a few transactions have occured already this summer. German 'keeper Jens Lehmann said his goodbyes to the AG crowd in May and has officially moved back to the Bundesliga and Suttgart. While it's true that Mad Jens was (and in large part sitll is) one of the most spectacular 'keepers in football today, it can't be said that he does it with any semblance of consistancy. I'm of course sad to see him go -- he gave us so many great memories -- but it was time. His blunders early in the 07-08 season put the proverbial writing on the wall rather clearly.

Next, the signing of Aaron Ramsey, now ex-Cardiff wonderkid. I have high hopes for the 17-year-old, but I'm not going to place the expectation on him to perform this season. I view him as a cross in developmental character between Theo and Cesc...he can (and did at Cardiff) rise really fast like Cesc did, but needs his time as a sub like Theo. But more than anything, Ramsey is one to watch for the future.

Now for what we oh-so affectionately refer to as "silly season." Yes folks, the rumors are once again flying. On the AG-Gooners forum, there are over 50 names we've been linked with in just a few short weeks. Most are complete and utter mierda (Spanish word, look it up), but there are a few that have legs. One that is just about complete, according to nearly every reporting service, is that of Samir Nasri. The 20-year-old French starlet dubbed the "new Zidane" is just about signed, sealed, and delivered to AG. This is (or will be) a great signing for the club. Nasri has been on many clubs' radar for years, his play at Marseille certainly earned that. He can play either wing and can play up the center, if necessary. He's a player who knows how to play the game the right way...very few cards, clean challenges, and a stocky enough build to hold his own as a CDM if need be. I personally am just in love with this signing. I'm already considering getting the new home kit with his name and whatever number on it. God, I'm probably too giddy about this...haha. More on the new kit later, however.

Now to the horrible soap opera that I'll dub "The Young and the Potentially Outward Bound." So far, our list of starting players that are supposedly moving on are Emmanuel Adebayor, Cesc Fabregas, and Alexander Hleb. Now, let's address the Adebayor rumor first. Wait, ya know what? I'm just gonna let AW's fax machine do the work for me...for those of you who missed this, The Boss faxed a letter to the effect of "get the hell away from my player" to AC Milan when they were linked with The Togonator. Ergo, #25 isn't goin' anywhere. Now to the Cesc rumors. Milan want him, Barca want him, Real want him...but they'll be disappointed. Apparently last season convinced Cesc that he can be the talisman and win trophies in North London (shouldn't have been a shadow of a doubt there anyway, but oh well...). Cesc is staying.

Now to our favorite Belarussian (and let's be honest, he's the only one we know...) Alex Hleb. He can dribble, he can maybe/sorta/kinda/if he feels like it score, and he can...not speak, apparently? Yes, it's his agent whose done all the talking in this debacle. Hleb has been linked with Barca forever and a day, Real as well. And more recently, Bayern have stuck their noses into the deal. Let's not forget Hleb's ice cream social with Inter brass in February, either. So, what will happen here? To be honest, I just don't know. Out of one side of this drama, Hleb's agent says that Alex is as good as gone. Hleb himself, the one time he opened his mouth, said that he is an Arsenal player and doesn't have any other plans yet. Yet. God, do I hate that word.

Think of our midfield if we kept Hleb...Fabregas and Hleb in the midfield, Nasri and a healthy Tomas Rosicky on the wings...it sounds pretty sweet. Disclaimer, though, that Cesc would probably have to be the much more defensive-minded of that midfield combo, assuming that Wenger sticks with his 4-4-2 with Ade and The Flying Dutchman (Van Persie) at the top.

Right, that's all for now. More later on, so check back!

Welcome to Long Shots

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:29:10 -0500

Hey folks, and welcome to Long Shots. This blog, first and foremost, is a part of the AG-Gooners community. If you haven't already checked us out, drop by at www.ag-gooners.co.uk!

Right, back to the blogging...a little about me would I suppose be helpful, no wouldn't it? Well, I'm a diehard Gooner from North America, and that's about all that needs saying! Haha.

I'll be posting pretty regularly my views on the club, results, possible transfers, and any and all other things Arsenal that cross the Long Shots desk.

So, happy reading folks!

Sincerely,

Skis