[Sutch]

Disagree with criticism of Diarra's gripes while he was here. He showed ambition and wanted to be in the team and probably saw even if Flamini and Gilberto left he would be ousted by Diaby, Song and Denilson for starting places. Football is a short career for all players especially before they're 30, even one season is a significant amount of time for a player. Who wants to spend a chunk of their career on the bench? Wenger tried to brainwash the fans into believing Diarra was a *word censored*, and it worked for alot of people. Don't think he regrets moving on too much

[SteveO 35]

Disagree with criticism of Diarra's gripes while he was here. He showed ambition and wanted to be in the team and probably saw even if Flamini and Gilberto left he would be ousted by Diaby, Song and Denilson for starting places. Football is a short career for all players especially before they're 30, even one season is a significant amount of time for a player. Who wants to spend a chunk of their career on the bench? Wenger tried to brainwash the fans into believing Diarra was a *word censored*, and it worked for alot of people. Don't think he regrets moving on too much

I've tried to argue this point many times mate - we're wasting our time. We signed the guy from Chelsea where he had been used as an occasional right back and was pissed off. He'd also lot his place in the French squad as well.....so guess what will really cheer him up in the season before a major international tournament. Yep, leave him out of the team and when you do bring him in for Carling Cup games and he is the stand-out player, head and shoulders above everyone else on the field....yep, drop him back to the bench or reserves again.

What a rotten shit getting upset by that. Some people eh ?

[flash gunner]

Disagree with criticism of Diarra's gripes while he was here. He showed ambition and wanted to be in the team and probably saw even if Flamini and Gilberto left he would be ousted by Diaby, Song and Denilson for starting places. Football is a short career for all players especially before they're 30, even one season is a significant amount of time for a player. Who wants to spend a chunk of their career on the bench? Wenger tried to brainwash the fans into believing Diarra was a *word censored*, and it worked for alot of people. Don't think he regrets moving on too much

I've tried to argue this point many times mate - we're wasting our time. We signed the guy from Chelsea where he had been used as an occasional right back and was pissed off. He'd also lot his place in the French squad as well.....so guess what will really cheer him up in the season before a major international tournament. Yep, leave him out of the team and when you do bring him in for Carling Cup games and he is the stand-out player, head and shoulders above everyone else on the field....yep, drop him back to the bench or reserves again.

What a rotten shit getting upset by that. Some people eh ?

Totally agree lads

[QuartzGooner]

Diarra was good but how was he supposed to take Flamini's place in the team?
Flamini was better in midfield, he was on fire that 2007 - 2008 season with a high level of consistency and record distances covered per game in the Premiership.

Diarra was impatient, which is good and shows ambition, but he was stirring it up in training and Wenger refused to tolerate backchat, and rightly so.

With Flamini not committing to a new deal it was hard, because you have to respect a player who says he wants to negotiate only at the end of the season and not let discussions about a new deal interfere with his football.

[officepest]

Quartz:

Apologies, yes, it does look twattish & pedantic comment doesn't it? Must stop posting at daft times in the morning (looks at watch, d'oh!). You're of course correct regarding north Africa/Middle East similarities.

I referenced the difference because I can't stand the line in his song, you know, the one about him coming from a place not far from Iraq, which is similar to me saying I come from near New York.

[mikeyb772001]

Chamakh....... “I've spoken to Wenger and I will stay at Arsenal. I think he trusts my work. I will get opportunities in the first team.”

just saying...

[SteveO 35]

Chamakh....... “I've spoken to Wenger and I will stay at Arsenal. I think he trusts my work. I will get opportunities in the first team.”

just saying...

That's more amusing than any of Red Member's one liners !

[augie]

Re diarra, can I just ask those guys defending him on here just how much leeway he should be allowed regarding his behaviour inside the club ? This isnt asking if he was good enough to play cos we all know that he was but there is still a line to draw regarding what is acceptable player conduct and what isnt (or else there would be total anarchy) and it appears that he crossed that line several times. You cannot just put a player into the team cos he demands it so what is the solution then ? Flamini was playing well at the time so do you oust a player in form just to bring in the more established player ? Personally I would have told flamini to sign a contract or f**k off and if he refused to do so then I would have left him out of the team and gone with players committed to the club but instead we allowed the mercenary c**t to play on and drive his value higher allowing him to demand higher wages and signing on fee at his new club
Just for the record I would adopt the very same approach with rvp in the summer....sign a new deal or be sold and if he refuses to leave then a year sitting in the stiffs will not help his career one jot

[littlefire]

Chamakh....... “I've spoken to Wenger and I will stay at Arsenal. I think he trusts my work. I will get opportunities in the first team.”

Poor old - deluded - Chamster.

[SteveO 35]

Re diarra, can I just ask those guys defending him on here just how much leeway he should be allowed regarding his behaviour inside the club ? This isnt asking if he was good enough to play cos we all know that he was but there is still a line to draw regarding what is acceptable player conduct and what isnt (or else there would be total anarchy) and it appears that he crossed that line several times. You cannot just put a player into the team cos he demands it so what is the solution then ? Flamini was playing well at the time so do you oust a player in form just to bring in the more established player ? Personally I would have told flamini to sign a contract or f**k off and if he refused to do so then I would have left him out of the team and gone with players committed to the club but instead we allowed the mercenary c**t to play on and drive his value higher allowing him to demand higher wages and signing on fee at his new club
Just for the record I would adopt the very same approach with rvp in the summer....sign a new deal or be sold and if he refuses to leave then a year sitting in the stiffs will not help his career one jot

You've answered your own question in terms of how you deal with the situation......our 'managerial genius' and the wonderful executive team allowed a player's contract to drift towards expiry, having already sold Gilberto Silva and knowing that Diarra was as miserable as fuck and about to leave. I don't give a shite how well Flamini was playing mate, there is no excuse whatsoever that those three players should have been allowed to leave, and were then replaced with Ramsey and Coquelin in the Summer that followed. Forget tippy tappy Hleb and offside boy Adebayor, the spine of that midfield was torn apart in six months and the side went from title contenders to having lost five games by Christmas at the start of the season that followed.

Diarra's supposedly poor behaviour has never been confirmed - a couple of bullshit newspaper articles, where neither the player or manager were quoted directly. All these things are blown out of line 500% by the British tabloids. I was reading in Walcott's book for example how the press were stirring the shit in the Summer of 2009 making out that he and Wenger were at war about his participation in the U-21 tournament; the reality of the situation being that they barely had a conversation about it at all.

A top manager on top wages is paid to manage these internal conflicts. Ferguson does it, Mourinho does it. Yes they move on players that are becoming a problem but I can't recall them ever allowing the three first choice players in a single position leave the club because none of them were kept happy. Unbelievable, and for me was the tipping point with Wenger

[Babatunde]

Disagree with criticism of Diarra's gripes while he was here. He showed ambition and wanted to be in the team and probably saw even if Flamini and Gilberto left he would be ousted by Diaby, Song and Denilson for starting places. Football is a short career for all players especially before they're 30, even one season is a significant amount of time for a player. Who wants to spend a chunk of their career on the bench? Wenger tried to brainwash the fans into believing Diarra was a *word censored*, and it worked for alot of people. Don't think he regrets moving on too much

I've tried to argue this point many times mate - we're wasting our time. We signed the guy from Chelsea where he had been used as an occasional right back and was pissed off. He'd also lot his place in the French squad as well.....so guess what will really cheer him up in the season before a major international tournament. Yep, leave him out of the team and when you do bring him in for Carling Cup games and he is the stand-out player, head and shoulders above everyone else on the field....yep, drop him back to the bench or reserves again.

What a rotten shit getting upset by that. Some people eh ?

Some Arsenal fans crack me up. The ambitionless culture Wenger has instilled rins form players to fans it's insane.
So lemme get this correct.
Lass Diarra is a **** because he basically, turned up at Arsenal and was not content to sit down on the bench, picking up hefty wages and going through the motions! He wanted to ya know like...play every week, improve himself and win things. So Arsene makes him out to be an odious traitor, and boots him out.

Yet the likes of Rosicky are feted, despite the fact that this mug has hardly kicked a ball in 2 years but couldn't sign that new lucrative offer fast enough. Whilst of course, permacrock Diaby, and 'quiet lads' Almunia and Chamakh have sat back and defrauded the club of over £60k a week for years....but it's ok for them to remain at the club of course.

People like Diarra who ask questions, demand answers and want to play and improve, time to move on.

The whole culture at Arsenal stinks.

Fans of serious big clubs would never ever put up with this shit, it's farcical.

[Babatunde]

Chamakh isn't deluded. He will stay and get more opportunities next season. Watch. Djourou said he thought he would stay, and got a new contract! With RVP gone, it will be Cham-Podolski next season. LMAO.

Also...how come Fergie and Jose and Guardiola are all able to handle these difficult egos, yet with Wenger he's paid £7.5 mil a season to basically avoid dealing with egos, and just work with whoever HE wants to, and whoever will give him the nice quietest easiest time. Why is this so?

[SteveO 35]

Chamakh isn't deluded. He will stay and get more opportunities next season. Watch. Djourou said he thought he would stay, and got a new contract! With RVP gone, it will be Cham-Podolski next season. LMAO.

Also...how come Fergie and Jose and Guardiola are all able to handle these difficult egos, yet with Wenger he's paid £7.5 mil a season to basically avoid dealing with egos, and just work with whoever HE wants to, and whoever will give him the nice quietest easiest time. Why is this so?

Yes, but from about February onwards we'll have Moussa Sow or Olivier Giroud - once they've had their customary "six month adaption period" - SQ Park will be all the better for the 38 seconds of action he's seen this season and you're forgetting the 'like a new signing' duo of Joel Campbell and The King of Denmark

Honestly, Baba....look on the bright side mate

[highburyJD]

Personally I would have told flamini to sign a contract or f**k off and if he refused to do so then I would have left him out of the team and gone with players committed to the club but instead we allowed the mercenary c**t to play on and drive his value higher allowing him to demand higher wages and signing on fee at his new club

once it became clear Edu (a better player than Flamster IMO) was off
he was dropped and didnt get a sniff
Wenger was sucked in - he believed he could persuade Mathieu to stay (just like Marseille did before he came to us)
should have done exactly what Augs said

[kiwomya]

Fans of serious big clubs would never ever put up with this shit, it's farcical.

I'm guessing you don't think Chelsea are a big club then. He left them for, what, £2M? played a handful of games for us and we sold him for about £5M and picked up a hefty sell-on fee when he went to Madrid.