Was the summer it all fell apart for me. That was the summer that Arsenal should have kicked on and become the top team they can be.
The previous two summers brought us Ozil and Sanchez, and that summer we bought Cech and nobody else is the one that really gets to me.
The ducks were in line re the stadium, we had two top class players brought in to supplement what we had and this is the summer that AW and the club should of announced their intentions to "compete with Bayern Munich" by getting 2 or 3 top class players to add to a decent squad.
We bought a GK whose best years were behind him and nobody else.
everything since has been a disaster.
He had money to spend that year to waited until we were in need of too much. He then spent all the "war chest" on players that look bang average in Xhaka and Mustafi and a player he obviously does not trust in Lucas Perez.
Why should we now trust him for "one last season" with buying what's needed and drilling the defence to be less hilarious.
The summer of Cech was the summer it went wrong terminally.
Time for change.
The summer of Cech
posted on 21/3/17
comment by jar jar winks (U21185)
posted 9 minutes ago
Cech was such a poor signing. Never buy an aging goalkeeper unless it's intended to be short-term. Wenger got him with a view for playing him for years and years. The result is now Arsenals goalkeeper isn't even in the top 10 of league keepers anymore.
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Van der Sar was 35 when he joined United and stayed for 5 years...
posted on 21/3/17
comment by GUNNERBEGOOD (U10646)
posted 53 seconds ago
Cech is better than what we had and is still better than Ospina. He was for the short term and that may be coming to an end in the next 18 months.
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Cech has been very average from the start. Ospina in his only run as first choice did better than Cech has. Now people judge Ospina on the odd game here and there (and his performances against PSG were better than anything Cech has given to us). If Ospina had been given the opportunity to remain as #1 then no doubt he would have adapted more to English football, hard to do that on the bench.
But if you were going to replace Ospina and Szczesny, don't do it with a past his best, old 'keeper. Go out and get a top quality keeper who can be number 1 for a decade.
posted on 21/3/17
comment by Dean Sturridge's Nephü (Formerly LGT) (U13718)
posted 14 minutes ago
comment by jar jar winks (U21185)
posted 9 minutes ago
Cech was such a poor signing. Never buy an aging goalkeeper unless it's intended to be short-term. Wenger got him with a view for playing him for years and years. The result is now Arsenals goalkeeper isn't even in the top 10 of league keepers anymore.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Van der Sar was 35 when he joined United and stayed for 5 years...
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He was good but that's an exception. Tottenham also had one very good season from an aging Friedel after signing him on a free transfer. The following season it was clear he was past it.
Just not realistic or fair to expect goalkeepers to be at the very highest level past a certain age. Don't know what Wenger was thinking. Cech is no longer a top keeper and it's not fair to expect otherwise.
posted on 21/3/17
The mistake Arsenal made was thinking the Emirates would allow them to compete with Bayern etc. To do that, they needed to develop commercial revenue, which they are doing now.
Crazy that the Invincibles commercial revenue was behind Chelsea for a decade
posted on 21/3/17
comment by CFC: FFP Champions (U20729)
posted 4 minutes ago
The mistake Arsenal made was thinking the Emirates would allow them to compete with Bayern etc. To do that, they needed to develop commercial revenue, which they are doing now.
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So it wasn't a mistake
posted on 21/3/17
comment by Dean Sturridge's Nephü (Formerly LGT... (U13718)
posted 2 hours, 2 minutes ago
comment by jar jar winks (U21185)
posted 9 minutes ago
Cech was such a poor signing. Never buy an aging goalkeeper unless it's intended to be short-term. Wenger got him with a view for playing him for years and years. The result is now Arsenals goalkeeper isn't even in the top 10 of league keepers anymore.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Van der Sar was 35 when he joined United and stayed for 5 years...
----------------------------------------------------------------------
People always cite Van der Saar but he really was the exception to the rule. Contrary to some people's beliefs most goalkeepers don't play at the very top level into their late 30's.
Buffon is another exception to the rule but there really aren't many when you actually look at it.
posted on 21/3/17
comment by Superb (U6486)
posted 1 hour, 4 minutes ago
comment by Dean Sturridge's Nephü (Formerly LGT... (U13718)
posted 2 hours, 2 minutes ago
comment by jar jar winks (U21185)
posted 9 minutes ago
Cech was such a poor signing. Never buy an aging goalkeeper unless it's intended to be short-term. Wenger got him with a view for playing him for years and years. The result is now Arsenals goalkeeper isn't even in the top 10 of league keepers anymore.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Van der Sar was 35 when he joined United and stayed for 5 years...
----------------------------------------------------------------------
People always cite Van der Saar but he really was the exception to the rule. Contrary to some people's beliefs most goalkeepers don't play at the very top level into their late 30's.
Buffon is another exception to the rule but there really aren't many when you actually look at it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
In truth it really isn't fair to compare Cech to VDS IMO. Edwin is up their with goalkeepers like Buffon, Kahn and Schmeichel as one of the very best the world has seen in the last 25 years. Cech has been a great goalkeeper in his career but didn't have it in him to keep a very good but not great challenger in Courtois out of his position at Chelsea. Arsenal definitely do need to look for a replacement for Petr. Shane because in the early days of his career, Cech looked like he'd go on to be one of the very best.
Side point, but in van der Saar's last season he was well below standard and in the champions league final should have done much better with all 3 Barca goals. Villa's and Messi's he 100% should have stopped. Real Shane that was his last game for United.
posted on 21/3/17
The main problem facing our keepers , be they Cech or Ospina is that they are playin behind such a calamitous defence with no one organising things. They are often left exposed and given no protection.
Having said that, Ospina is too small and frail for the Prem and Cech is now too slow . Will he ever save a pen? I would sell Ospina and bring Szczęsny back until we can find a better replacement.
posted on 21/3/17
comment by 4 (U19487)
posted 59 minutes ago
comment by Superb (U6486)
posted 1 hour, 4 minutes ago
comment by Dean Sturridge's Nephü (Formerly LGT... (U13718)
posted 2 hours, 2 minutes ago
comment by jar jar winks (U21185)
posted 9 minutes ago
Cech was such a poor signing. Never buy an aging goalkeeper unless it's intended to be short-term. Wenger got him with a view for playing him for years and years. The result is now Arsenals goalkeeper isn't even in the top 10 of league keepers anymore.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Van der Sar was 35 when he joined United and stayed for 5 years...
----------------------------------------------------------------------
People always cite Van der Saar but he really was the exception to the rule. Contrary to some people's beliefs most goalkeepers don't play at the very top level into their late 30's.
Buffon is another exception to the rule but there really aren't many when you actually look at it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
In truth it really isn't fair to compare Cech to VDS IMO. Edwin is up their with goalkeepers like Buffon, Kahn and Schmeichel as one of the very best the world has seen in the last 25 years. Cech has been a great goalkeeper in his career but didn't have it in him to keep a very good but not great challenger in Courtois out of his position at Chelsea. Arsenal definitely do need to look for a replacement for Petr. Shane because in the early days of his career, Cech looked like he'd go on to be one of the very best.
Side point, but in van der Saar's last season he was well below standard and in the champions league final should have done much better with all 3 Barca goals. Villa's and Messi's he 100% should have stopped. Real Shane that was his last game for United.
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First of all. Cech is a class player and has served the PL well and the current Arsenal club chaos is not his fault.
There are several younger and decent goalkeepers around who would probably love to move to Arsenal. Cech would make a great goalkeeper coach for such a player if signed. As for the rest of the squad, good luck in trying to fix that situation!
posted on 21/3/17
Don't think Szcz will play back up anymore. He'll probably have to be sold. Cech might play second choice if we get another keeper. But the fact is our defence is very shaky, and poor at defending set plays, so any keeper would struggle to look world class
Ospina is pretty good. But not good enough for a regular place. Especially with our defence, he'd look worse than cech over a season. The fact is a lot of our squad needs improving on. I'd probably rather get stronger else where, before we change keeper.