Archive for August, 2011

The most extraordinary thing Arsene Wenger said during his press conference following Arsenal's mauling at Old Trafford on Sunday was this: "We have a department of 20 people working on transfers."

To which the only response is: so what do they do all day? David Brent's team was more productive than Arsenal's player recruitment office. They get more work done in the local Jobcentre than in the Emirates negotiations operation. ...

It's transfer deadline day tomorrow, and if it all feels a little wearingly familiar, there's a good reason for that.

The final day of every January and August should be made an official bank holiday for lovers of half-baked half-truths, baseless conjecture and outright lies.

A few deals will no doubt get done, and some of them might even be important. ...

Arsenal need to take swift, decisive action in the transfer market after their 8-2 defeat to Manchester United but it will be very difficult for Arsene Wenger to sign the players he needs to drag his side out of this slump. ...

Manchester United's young players have started the season impressively but comparisons with the Fergie Fledglings of 1995 are premature. That famous crop - including David Beckham, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes - came into a very physically demanding environment that was daunting for a young player.

You had to be mentally stronger back then and by comparison it is easier for the new vanguard of talent to make their way in the Premier League. ...

You know that chant they sing at Old Trafford, well following the Champions League draw on Thursday, the denizens of the Stretford End will be able to re-write the lyrics to this: We're Man United, we'll play who we want.

Before the draw was conducted, the Telegraph printed what would be the dream groupings for each of the English teams in the competition. ...

The Champions League group stage draw is as much a part of the competition's drama as any of the match days.

It might be easy to mock the suited UEFA bureaucrats bumbling their way through technical regulations, but the draw itself is a glorious combination of tension and excitement. ...

During the protracted tale of Samir Nasri's sale by Arsenal, as both Manchester clubs bickered for his signature, the football finance blogger Andy Green put out a mischievous comment on Twitter. "Samir Nasri: title-winning talent or over-priced lightweight? Depends in which side of Manchester he ends up", was the gist of his 140-character analysis. Given that Green's pen-name is Andersred, we have an idea where he now stands about the Frenchman. ...

As the summer transfer window nears its final stages, something strange is happening.

Many of the moves that were 'definitely' happening have failed to materialise. A clutch of big names find themselves languishing at clubs, long after they have made plain their intention to move on.

Wesley Sneijder, Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor... all were expected to be off within days of the window opening. None have gone. ...

UEFA handing Arsene Wenger an additional two-match ban ahead of Arsenal's trip to Udinese is yet another bitter blow for the Frenchman.

It is just one thing after another for Wenger at the moment. It's becoming a real horror show. ...

If Harry Redknapp does pull off a deal to sign Emmanuel Adebayor and can restore the appetite the striker had during the 2007-08 season at Arsenal then he will have conducted a fantastic piece of business for Tottenham Hotspur.

However, there is real risk attached to Adebayor. Will the Tottenham fans, who have abused him in the past, take to him? If not, how will he react? Will he sulk and throw his toys out of the pram? He can be an unpredictable figure. ...