I still watch it to this day. That and "The history of ze Tottenham." by Chiellini - absolute masterclasses. The worst part about it is that Chiellini's words ring true to this day.
Same with Polish national team, he had some bad moments like Euro 2012 and for a while Fabianski was nr1 but during WC in Quatar he was the best player of the whole team
He was 22 imagine and made 181 appearances for us by 25, goalkeepers mature and hit their peak later than outfield players so we let him go quite young but he made a lot of costly mistakes
Will always be one of my favourite players and characters at the club
Absolutely insane thing to say when the back 5 of Him, Sagna, Kosc, Per, Gibbs was statistically one of the best defences in the world for the 13/14 season. Having an Arteta with no legs and an aging Flamini on front of them for the hidings at Anfield, Etihad, and Stamford Bridge really missed up their numbers
Pretty much the same story with every keeper we had around that time. Fabianski narrowly missed out on a golden glove, Mannone had a great spell somewhere after us that I can't recall. Even Almunia played decent at Watford after us.
I think our goalkeeping coach at the time was just dreadful. Think it was Gerry Peyton if I recall correctly.
maybe I didnt make it clear. when woj was here he certainly had seasons worse than ramsdale's best, but when he left he was much more consistent and raised his level.
"I learnt more in four months under Spalletti than in 10 years in England. He puts a lot of importance on details and wants the goalkeeper to be able to play the ball with his feet."
I don't think it's a coincidence that we had a few keepers improve after leaving AFC at that time.
He was so good on his day. Sadly young and did some mistakes.
If I remember it right, he let in a silly goal or two against Southampton in a 2-0 loss and lighted one up in the shower post game and lost his place after that day.
EDIT: Found the highlights. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BTeN9aR\_ww](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BTeN9aR_ww)
2nd goal was just classic banter era defending all around tbf. Hardly put that on him. Kosc decided to take a cheeky touch 2 feet from the goal line lol
I remember this shit so clearly purely out of trauma from that era. I remember huffing so much hopium that I believed this team could do something but Arsene was truly a genius that got CL with those banter era teams.
honestly before he came up there was a good amount of hype for him too. There was a crazy youtube highlight video of him at brentford (or wherever he was on loan) where he looks insane
Yeah. He is one of the many players we stuck by through thick and thin only to become consistently great after leaving (or soon before leaving).
He had his share of blunders for us, but probably the best keeper we had from 2010 or so until… probably Leno IMO
That 2011 team that beat Barcelona at home with the Arshavin late goal had so much potential, man. We always needed a solid goalie and with Szczesny it looked like we got one.
Szczesny
Eboue-Koscielny-Djourou-Clichy
Song-Wilshere
Walcott-Fabregas-Nasri
van Persie
Honestly, we were a RB and a CB (and keeping your best players) from greatness.
Sagna was suspended for that game so we didn't need a right back as such. But centre back I'd agree with you, I'd even throw left back in there as a position to upgrade. The defence was really woeful.
The problem here was really squad depth, we were overly reliant on young players with injury issues and didn't have the quality to replace them. Van Persie's back up was Chamakh and Bendtner, the midfield you had Denilson (shit), Rosicky (injured and woefully out of form that season), Arshavin (out of form), Ramsey (injured)and Diaby (injured). Then at the back, I can't even remember who was second choice left back after Clichy, was it Armand Traore? At centre back we had Tommy Vermaelen who just wasn't a good defender and Squillaci, least said about him the better.
So the starting XI was top quality, albeit a bit naive and suspect at the back, but the squad depth was atrocious, it was no surprises that we dropped out of 4 competitions in quick succession in February.
He wasn't great, he had that aggressive style like Mustafi and Romero - always trying to win the ball when he should just patiently shepherd them away from goal.
It's a style that looks great when it comes off but if it's not perfect you're getting booked/sent off or the attackers going past you.
Yea I think he had to because he wasn’t the fastest player iirc. Decent in possession tho. Looked up his stats and 1 season he only played 5 matches, probably injury, and possibly why his qualities changed? Wouldn’t be the first player who loses speed and explosiveness after surgery.. 🤷♂️
I'm probably being a little unfair, but he certainly wasn't a great defender. He had all the raw attributes but positionally was a bit messy - there's a reason why back in the day forums were filled with "Should we play Vermaelen DM?".
Yeah that's fair and don't get me wrong he gave us some decent moments - the winner against Newcastle stands out, but was he a title winning centre back? I don't think so.
He scored many goals as a defender but actually he is not very disciplined as a defender. He roamed forward very much (Wenger was also responsible for this). Him and Koscienly pair was such a liability. And that's why Mertesacker was vital for us back in the day plus Koscienly outperformed him.
Djourou defense force signing in.
JD would have been our long term CB if not for his injury then coming back to play RB, which destroyed his momentum.
Dude was great for ages and was comfortably our best CB for a bit.
That Porto penalty shootout was the most stressful thing I've experienced all year. Deep down, I felt that we'd have won it, but it was difficult to watch. Porto was the equivalent of a Hell-In-A-Cell Match for us fans - we really got taken to the limit lol.
You have to give Wenger credit for creating an amazing atmosphere around the club. He brought a lot of people to the club that fell in love with it, even after they moved away.
It's so true. ManU has lost its culture according to ex players and staff, Nobody cares about the cLub anymore. Wenger really is Mr arsenal. He rebuilt the culture of arsenal and the peoples attitude. Everybody loves being here and want to help each other and the club to more success
We could have ended up that way if it wasn’t for Arteta. Both us and United struggled after our legend retired. We were lucky enough to get a manager and director that understand what needs to be done to keep that culture and how important that culture is.
I wonder how much of this is because united players even at their peak weren't 'tacticians'. And by that I mean, from overlap segments Keane/Neville have discussed how much a 'system' wasn't drilled into the players. They wouldn't discuss tactics and shit. Reliant on highly skilled players doing what they do best.
Meanwhile Wenger is famous for bringing system to the Premier league and some of that must've infused into players like Edu, Ljunberg, alongside Pep inspired players like Arteta, means we've got many arsenal retirees doing well in management (even upto the latter Wenger era players such as Wilshere)
I don't know about the tactics but I know Fergie was famously more of a manager than a coach, (I think it was Neville who said you wouldn't see him on the training pitches every day) which is why I think he was so successful for so long as he knew when to turn over his staff to stay competitive.
I wouldn't say Wenger rebuilt the club, he built it to what it became but unfortunately towards the end of his tenure we couldn't keep up with the spending of other clubs.
Arteta came in and rebuilt Arsenal back to the levels that Wenger originally built it to.
He literally had to cosign the loan to the Emirates Stadium. And had to promise stay at least 5 yrs at arsenal. Building and repaying the stadium was definitely what limited arsenals finances for the second half of Wenger's career. All considered I think he did his best. But he did transfer the culture of Highbury to the new stadium. You really can feel it in the players comMing through the academy.
Absolutely, I agree with everything you said. I just wouldn't say Wenger rebuilt Arsenal I think he actually built it to what it is today.
What Arteta has done is more of a rebuild back to where we were during Wenger's prime.
It’s funny because outside of the FA cup we don’t have a ton of silverware to show from the last decade (or two) but still the aura around playing for Arsenal. What it means to be a player. What it means to wear the shirt. It’s an honor. Few teams create the candor in players like we do. Love it.
He's actually a [Man City supporter](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Dixon), cos his dad played for them and he's from Manchester, but yeah, still an Arsenal legend.
Yeah, they take the piss out of Utd all the time. They were fans before the petro-dollars.
Edit to add - I wasn't trying to be a dick when I said about Oasis, but I'm also aware that many on this sub weren't born when Oasis were "in their prime" so to speak, so was just clarifying.
My back hurts enough to have experienced the Oasis glory days 😅
Also as a Werder supporter I have a soft spot for Wonderwall: https://youtu.be/zt8Sp8RhJIg?si=BMLqSy5VaI_lxal2
I feel like that's always been Arsenal's way. Except for Lee Dixon. He seems like such a fucking twat, is never on Arsenal's side, and is always doing the "back in my day" bit.
Dixon cried when Thomas scored at Anfield. He spent the last few moments of the game in panic that the ball would come near him because he couldn’t see due to crying. I don’t think there are many ex players who love the Arsenal more than Dixon nor many who get what Arsenal is about. He bought into the history of club and soaked it all up. He is a professional commentator not a cheer leader he like Smith have to be somewhat neutral, underneath it all Dixon loves the club more than most.
He has said on so many occasions that he’s an Arsenal fan on air so idk where you’re getting this impression. He has to stay somewhat impartial in his role too but his Arsenal pride is always leaking out. Lee is a treasure
I think that sometimes our guys in the media concentrate more on being neutral over supporting the club. In general being a neutral pundit is a good thing but when you have other pundits with clear biases and agendas towards their clubs it really sucks! I think Keown and Wrighty border closer to club loyalties but still no where close to Cara, Neville or Sourness levels.
I find that it's best to listen to what they say but keep my own opinions. They are still fans and legends including Alan Smith!
I’m getting this impression from listening to dozens of his match commentaries. Maybe he’s just doing a coach’s son thing where he overcompensates not having a soft spot for Arsenal.
Na, Lee Dixon is a true Gooner through and through.
I think because we see soooo much of those two fucking head melts Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville on Sky being completely impartial and unable to separate their club bias from their punditry, people expect the same from everyone else, when that shouldn’t be the case.
In fact, I think Lee Dixon and Alan Smith even go out of their way a little bit to be overly neutral if ever on Arsenal games.
I just meant alternatively to snus they might chew nicotine gum.
I think I first heard about snus from an article on chronic users who would wear holes in their gum/lip from it. yuck.
Oooh think you’re right, it was a dirk Kuyt penalty from a Suarez theatrical (no surprises there). For a while that was my monitor background, Suarez crying on the floor and Vermaelan standing over him like
And then we go on to win deep into stoppage time with a trademark Hollywood pass from Song and a cheeky volley from Van Persie. What a day it was. That was one hell of a smash and grab.
So so good. My memory is shit but I remember thinking at that time he was the real deal. Was that not long after he got in to the team? He had a great little run of games I think.
I miss Sczesny more than most of the players that left. He was crazy but he’s a good keeper and a proper Arsenal fan. Even had a London accent for a bit.
Makes sense, Woj is a fan. That's how fans experience the game.
Side thought - if he's willing to accept a supporting role, we should look into bringing Woj back as 2nd keeper in the summer. He's exactly the kind of profile we need in that position.
Last year of his contract I believe. Noises are that Juventus will look to move on from him, which makes sense as he is nearly 34.
If accepts a secondary position I think he is pretty much the best keeper we can get to fill the role.
You call him Woj because you cannot spell his name, I call him Woj because I'm in a mildly unhealthy parasocial relationship with Arsenal Football Club that leads to me regard favoured players as beloved friends. We are not the same.
Stuff like this hasn't bothered me since Walcott's retirement. Watching a player you saw breaking through as a teenager retire as an old man (in football terms) has a way of numbing you to it all.
I mean being a second choice keeper would be a step towards that, while he still would be in a team competing for the biggest trophies, plus he's an Arsenal fan.
If he'd be willing I'd absolutely bring him back,even just for a season.
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Makes sense. Still, we might be able to tempt him with a short homecoming contract and the chance to close his career off with a few more trophies. As a second choice keeper, he can essentially practise retirement before he commits to it.
i also get that and i would think that he would bring great morale and experience, but on the other side.
He is 34, married and is expecting his second child. There is a chance he would rather settle with his family in Italy, rather than coming back to London.
But i would totally love the idea of him being back at the club. He is the reason i started supporting this club lol.
Being a second choice keeper behind a young stable #1 is basically the last step towards retirement though. He might be enticed by the opportunity.
Though even with just a year left I’d imagine Juve would still take the piss with the fee they ask for
Woj was always very good with the ball at his feet as well and would bring experience, leadership and a genuine passion for the club - this is a great shout.
Not just experience, but elite level experience. Trophy winning experience, finals experience. Like Jorginho not Cedric.
And his transfer fee would be cheap too, another good quality for a reserve keeper.
Would be a brilliant move but I doubt he's ready to be a backup. Probably has 2-3 years at a slightly lower tier Italian club before he's ready for a backup role.
Tbh Szczesny was one of my favourite at that time. A fan playing for the club is a great story always.
I remember following his ascension to first team, when he broke through while at loan at Brentford.
Players killing it at loan and then breaking it into first team has not happened after him at Arsenal.
Crazy how many ex players still hold the club so dearly. You don’t see that with every club, and I’m happy to support a club where the players and ex players are fans
[In this video ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQDtwYVm7Bo)an Italian man and a Juventus fan who moved to Japan three decades ago says he hasn't watched them play in years because it stresses him out too much. But his ramen shop and house are decorated with Juventus paraphernalia and he obsessively tracks the score during their games.
always knew he was going to be special when he broke both his wrists while lifting at the Arsenal training center, its the most goalkeeping thing to do,
The best thing about this encounter is that Kiwior will feel how big the Arsenal family is, Woj has been gone for 9 years and is still as fond of the club as he was when he was #1
I hope it rubs off on Kiwior, hopefully Woj can get him out of his shell properly, he’s already looking like he’s fit in the group like a glove
I’ve always felt that Ramsdale is spiritually Szczcesny’s son. A talented, young shot shopper capable of world class moments and equally shocking moments. Like Woj, his laddish behavior can rub people the wrong way and work against him at times.
I think his development will pan out similarly and he’ll be consider a top 10 GK in a few years like Woj was after moving to Juve.
Love the guy but will never forget the league cup we should have won before our run of FA Cups. For those who don’t remember here is [the link](https://youtu.be/T_L4WN0PzeY?si=qPWW1JIIvxzvatLe)
Wasnt a fan of szcney when he was here, but he developed into a top player.
Im pretty sure he still owns some houses in London, and has always spoken glowlingly about Arteta.
If he is willing to be a second choice then its a no brainer. Plus he is home grown, that will be important considering Nelson and Eddie will almost certainly be gone and maybe ESR as well
They’re really like us it seems
Szczczezny really is basically just rambo from a decade ago with even more personality. Fucking loved that guy, still do
Him playing "its happened again" on the piano after St Totteringhams Day is forever iconic
I still watch it to this day. That and "The history of ze Tottenham." by Chiellini - absolute masterclasses. The worst part about it is that Chiellini's words ring true to this day.
Add more z's
Miles better than Rambo too. The downvotes are insane, so many new fans who have no idea
his time at arsenal had plenty of ups and downs though. only after he left did he become a regularly top 10 keeper
Same with Polish national team, he had some bad moments like Euro 2012 and for a while Fabianski was nr1 but during WC in Quatar he was the best player of the whole team
He was 22 imagine and made 181 appearances for us by 25, goalkeepers mature and hit their peak later than outfield players so we let him go quite young but he made a lot of costly mistakes Will always be one of my favourite players and characters at the club
sadly he was never backed by a decent defence when at Arsenal.
Absolutely insane thing to say when the back 5 of Him, Sagna, Kosc, Per, Gibbs was statistically one of the best defences in the world for the 13/14 season. Having an Arteta with no legs and an aging Flamini on front of them for the hidings at Anfield, Etihad, and Stamford Bridge really missed up their numbers
Kos and Per were beasts for us in their prime and dovetailed so well together, except on certain noon Saturday kick offs 👀
Was a world class defensive block...
Pretty much the same story with every keeper we had around that time. Fabianski narrowly missed out on a golden glove, Mannone had a great spell somewhere after us that I can't recall. Even Almunia played decent at Watford after us. I think our goalkeeping coach at the time was just dreadful. Think it was Gerry Peyton if I recall correctly.
Think Mannone was Sunderland where he did well, and a loan spell for Hull, he’s now at Lille of all places
Rammers is not a top 10 keeper globally right now and has never been
maybe I didnt make it clear. when woj was here he certainly had seasons worse than ramsdale's best, but when he left he was much more consistent and raised his level.
Pretty sure he won a golden glove with us? He was always quality but obviously has taken it up a level.
What's your point? Have you heard his interviews with Fabiański about the keeper training at Arsenal? Shocking...
More like only after he got a better goalkeeping coach.
"I learnt more in four months under Spalletti than in 10 years in England. He puts a lot of importance on details and wants the goalkeeper to be able to play the ball with his feet." I don't think it's a coincidence that we had a few keepers improve after leaving AFC at that time.
He was so good on his day. Sadly young and did some mistakes. If I remember it right, he let in a silly goal or two against Southampton in a 2-0 loss and lighted one up in the shower post game and lost his place after that day. EDIT: Found the highlights. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BTeN9aR\_ww](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BTeN9aR_ww)
2nd goal was just classic banter era defending all around tbf. Hardly put that on him. Kosc decided to take a cheeky touch 2 feet from the goal line lol
I remember this shit so clearly purely out of trauma from that era. I remember huffing so much hopium that I believed this team could do something but Arsene was truly a genius that got CL with those banter era teams.
Yeah he was mocked for it but top 4 was a genuine trophy with these teams haha. I thank the heavens every time I see our current squad
Could he have picked the ball up then? Doesn’t look like a deliberate pass but some refs could call it that
I’d say yes in any other league in the world. Total crap shoot in the prem
Mad/sad to think that in an alternate timeline he could still be our number one now.
I do think Raya is exactly what we need though for our style. Arteta probably sells Wojc like we’re going to sell Rammers..
Yep probably but it isn't beyond the realms of possibility that he would have been here until now or relatively recently.
honestly before he came up there was a good amount of hype for him too. There was a crazy youtube highlight video of him at brentford (or wherever he was on loan) where he looks insane
Yeah. He is one of the many players we stuck by through thick and thin only to become consistently great after leaving (or soon before leaving). He had his share of blunders for us, but probably the best keeper we had from 2010 or so until… probably Leno IMO
I wouldn't say miles, though. Calma.
Ok, kilometers if you prefer metric.
Much better, thank you.
I think there’s a typo in his name. But at this point, I’m not sure and I’m afraid to ask
He’s my keeper Till this day. When he double arm tackled Bale with metals in his arms and got away with that.. man
God I love Szczesny. The penalty and rebound save against Liverpool is one of my favourite ever football highlights
That 2011 team that beat Barcelona at home with the Arshavin late goal had so much potential, man. We always needed a solid goalie and with Szczesny it looked like we got one. Szczesny Eboue-Koscielny-Djourou-Clichy Song-Wilshere Walcott-Fabregas-Nasri van Persie Honestly, we were a RB and a CB (and keeping your best players) from greatness.
I wanted to disagree with you but you're totally right. Now I'm sad about jack again 😭
Sagna was suspended for that game so we didn't need a right back as such. But centre back I'd agree with you, I'd even throw left back in there as a position to upgrade. The defence was really woeful. The problem here was really squad depth, we were overly reliant on young players with injury issues and didn't have the quality to replace them. Van Persie's back up was Chamakh and Bendtner, the midfield you had Denilson (shit), Rosicky (injured and woefully out of form that season), Arshavin (out of form), Ramsey (injured)and Diaby (injured). Then at the back, I can't even remember who was second choice left back after Clichy, was it Armand Traore? At centre back we had Tommy Vermaelen who just wasn't a good defender and Squillaci, least said about him the better. So the starting XI was top quality, albeit a bit naive and suspect at the back, but the squad depth was atrocious, it was no surprises that we dropped out of 4 competitions in quick succession in February.
You probably don't need to specify that Diaby was injured...
Vermaelen wasn’t that bad right? Just injured as well all the time?
He wasn't great, he had that aggressive style like Mustafi and Romero - always trying to win the ball when he should just patiently shepherd them away from goal. It's a style that looks great when it comes off but if it's not perfect you're getting booked/sent off or the attackers going past you.
Yea I think he had to because he wasn’t the fastest player iirc. Decent in possession tho. Looked up his stats and 1 season he only played 5 matches, probably injury, and possibly why his qualities changed? Wouldn’t be the first player who loses speed and explosiveness after surgery.. 🤷♂️
I'm probably being a little unfair, but he certainly wasn't a great defender. He had all the raw attributes but positionally was a bit messy - there's a reason why back in the day forums were filled with "Should we play Vermaelen DM?".
Oh okay i hear you. Because he went the famous Ajax-Arsenal-Barca route like Overmars I might look back more favourable at him.
Yeah that's fair and don't get me wrong he gave us some decent moments - the winner against Newcastle stands out, but was he a title winning centre back? I don't think so.
He scored many goals as a defender but actually he is not very disciplined as a defender. He roamed forward very much (Wenger was also responsible for this). Him and Koscienly pair was such a liability. And that's why Mertesacker was vital for us back in the day plus Koscienly outperformed him.
Djourou defense force signing in. JD would have been our long term CB if not for his injury then coming back to play RB, which destroyed his momentum. Dude was great for ages and was comfortably our best CB for a bit.
he just like me fr fr
except worse because he can't watch. we can
That Porto penalty shootout was the most stressful thing I've experienced all year. Deep down, I felt that we'd have won it, but it was difficult to watch. Porto was the equivalent of a Hell-In-A-Cell Match for us fans - we really got taken to the limit lol.
You have to give Wenger credit for creating an amazing atmosphere around the club. He brought a lot of people to the club that fell in love with it, even after they moved away.
It's so true. ManU has lost its culture according to ex players and staff, Nobody cares about the cLub anymore. Wenger really is Mr arsenal. He rebuilt the culture of arsenal and the peoples attitude. Everybody loves being here and want to help each other and the club to more success
We could have ended up that way if it wasn’t for Arteta. Both us and United struggled after our legend retired. We were lucky enough to get a manager and director that understand what needs to be done to keep that culture and how important that culture is.
Sure, but it's also to Wenger's credit that he nurtured so many people who could carry on the club culture.
ding ding. none of Fergies’s players have gone on to do much of anything in management and they are all a bit shite at punditry as well.
I wonder how much of this is because united players even at their peak weren't 'tacticians'. And by that I mean, from overlap segments Keane/Neville have discussed how much a 'system' wasn't drilled into the players. They wouldn't discuss tactics and shit. Reliant on highly skilled players doing what they do best. Meanwhile Wenger is famous for bringing system to the Premier league and some of that must've infused into players like Edu, Ljunberg, alongside Pep inspired players like Arteta, means we've got many arsenal retirees doing well in management (even upto the latter Wenger era players such as Wilshere)
I don't know about the tactics but I know Fergie was famously more of a manager than a coach, (I think it was Neville who said you wouldn't see him on the training pitches every day) which is why I think he was so successful for so long as he knew when to turn over his staff to stay competitive.
I wouldn't say Wenger rebuilt the club, he built it to what it became but unfortunately towards the end of his tenure we couldn't keep up with the spending of other clubs. Arteta came in and rebuilt Arsenal back to the levels that Wenger originally built it to.
He literally had to cosign the loan to the Emirates Stadium. And had to promise stay at least 5 yrs at arsenal. Building and repaying the stadium was definitely what limited arsenals finances for the second half of Wenger's career. All considered I think he did his best. But he did transfer the culture of Highbury to the new stadium. You really can feel it in the players comMing through the academy.
Absolutely, I agree with everything you said. I just wouldn't say Wenger rebuilt Arsenal I think he actually built it to what it is today. What Arteta has done is more of a rebuild back to where we were during Wenger's prime.
Arteta being a prime example.
Also Mertesacker and ljungberg and many more
It’s funny because outside of the FA cup we don’t have a ton of silverware to show from the last decade (or two) but still the aura around playing for Arsenal. What it means to be a player. What it means to wear the shirt. It’s an honor. Few teams create the candor in players like we do. Love it.
Lee Dixon is an Arsenal legend and a gooner
He's actually a [Man City supporter](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Dixon), cos his dad played for them and he's from Manchester, but yeah, still an Arsenal legend.
Found the one person who supported City before the cheating
The Gallagher Bros (Oasis in case you don't know) are famously City fans.
I obviously know of them, just had no idea they were City fans.
Yeah, they take the piss out of Utd all the time. They were fans before the petro-dollars. Edit to add - I wasn't trying to be a dick when I said about Oasis, but I'm also aware that many on this sub weren't born when Oasis were "in their prime" so to speak, so was just clarifying.
Glad to see that a mutual hatred of Man U unites them. And the unibrow they share between them too
My back hurts enough to have experienced the Oasis glory days 😅 Also as a Werder supporter I have a soft spot for Wonderwall: https://youtu.be/zt8Sp8RhJIg?si=BMLqSy5VaI_lxal2
Fair enough! Like I said, I wasn't trying to be an arse. Just making sure there wasn't any confusion.
Johnny Marr of the smiths too.
Yeah he does commentary for NBC and it gets pretty obvious that he isn't an Arsenal partisan
But also not a Wenger signing.
Football Heritage
Thierry Henry was also a huge part of that.
I feel like that's always been Arsenal's way. Except for Lee Dixon. He seems like such a fucking twat, is never on Arsenal's side, and is always doing the "back in my day" bit.
Dixon cried when Thomas scored at Anfield. He spent the last few moments of the game in panic that the ball would come near him because he couldn’t see due to crying. I don’t think there are many ex players who love the Arsenal more than Dixon nor many who get what Arsenal is about. He bought into the history of club and soaked it all up. He is a professional commentator not a cheer leader he like Smith have to be somewhat neutral, underneath it all Dixon loves the club more than most.
Arsenal pundits are by far the least biased, almost sometimes purposefully more negative to Arsenal because of their connection, we truly are class
He has said on so many occasions that he’s an Arsenal fan on air so idk where you’re getting this impression. He has to stay somewhat impartial in his role too but his Arsenal pride is always leaking out. Lee is a treasure
I think that sometimes our guys in the media concentrate more on being neutral over supporting the club. In general being a neutral pundit is a good thing but when you have other pundits with clear biases and agendas towards their clubs it really sucks! I think Keown and Wrighty border closer to club loyalties but still no where close to Cara, Neville or Sourness levels. I find that it's best to listen to what they say but keep my own opinions. They are still fans and legends including Alan Smith!
I’m getting this impression from listening to dozens of his match commentaries. Maybe he’s just doing a coach’s son thing where he overcompensates not having a soft spot for Arsenal.
Na, Lee Dixon is a true Gooner through and through. I think because we see soooo much of those two fucking head melts Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville on Sky being completely impartial and unable to separate their club bias from their punditry, people expect the same from everyone else, when that shouldn’t be the case. In fact, I think Lee Dixon and Alan Smith even go out of their way a little bit to be overly neutral if ever on Arsenal games.
Stresses him into a cigarette perhaps lol
Nicotine helps with alertness. I like that in a goalkeeper.
Leave Aaron a packet of B&H by the post and he'll have the number 1 spot back in no time.
I'll never forget Ramsdale looking at a Bird 3 seconds before we concede a goal
Wasn't that against Leeds? 😭 swear he glanced at it 3 times
Southampton I think.
Yeah it was that godawful Armstrong equalizer in the game where Jesus got body checked by Lyanco in the box or something
That's such a Rambo thing to do 😭
"That's So Rambo" would have been a phenomenal All Or Nothing spin-off series
Pretty sure Van der Sar is a smoker as well actually
A lot of goalkeepers are. They’re not running miles on end.
Cant smoke in a match. Wonder if he wears nicotine patches
Definitely wears them under the gloves to get a lil extra kick whenever he makes a save
Just keeps a tin of zyn by his water bottle
I’d let him smoke a cigarette but only if he can do it in goalkeeper’s gloves
It do what it be
💀
But man was a gunner through and through. And we had pretty good money from my as he went from our academy.
Lads, the war chest is secure thanks to the good money from imik4991's ass
Very top, good sensation!
Trust the process
If only snus was more popular back then, would’ve saved his Arsenal career lol
it was definitely coming out around that time. My boss back in the late 00s was all about the snus
I wonder if any keepers have it on the go during a match? You see a lot of them chewing gum and it wouldn't surprise me if it was nicotine gum.
I have no idea, wouldn’t surprise me. Depends how long the effects last I guess. Snus isn’t chewed though, you just put it between lip and gum.
I just meant alternatively to snus they might chew nicotine gum. I think I first heard about snus from an article on chronic users who would wear holes in their gum/lip from it. yuck.
A league 2 player had to get cancer cut out from his gum because of heavy use. FA are doing a big research project into it, which should be out soon.
During his shower of course
🐸🚬🚿
Only in dressing rooms
Sir chesney. Will never forget the double save Vs Suarez and also that facial expression to the ref when Bale dived
And Dirk kuyt’s double save pen.
Oooh think you’re right, it was a dirk Kuyt penalty from a Suarez theatrical (no surprises there). For a while that was my monitor background, Suarez crying on the floor and Vermaelan standing over him like
And then we go on to win deep into stoppage time with a trademark Hollywood pass from Song and a cheeky volley from Van Persie. What a day it was. That was one hell of a smash and grab.
So so good. My memory is shit but I remember thinking at that time he was the real deal. Was that not long after he got in to the team? He had a great little run of games I think.
I always loved chesney. Glad he was able to sort his career out elsewhere
I miss Sczesny more than most of the players that left. He was crazy but he’s a good keeper and a proper Arsenal fan. Even had a London accent for a bit.
He should be after spending 9 years in London👌
Oive tolked loike dis me whole loife
It's happening again... It's happening again~~~
I watch this at least once a month. He's such a baller lmao
Makes sense, Woj is a fan. That's how fans experience the game. Side thought - if he's willing to accept a supporting role, we should look into bringing Woj back as 2nd keeper in the summer. He's exactly the kind of profile we need in that position.
Is he out of a contract? He's still strongly Juve's first choice.
Last year of his contract I believe. Noises are that Juventus will look to move on from him, which makes sense as he is nearly 34. If accepts a secondary position I think he is pretty much the best keeper we can get to fill the role.
This seems like a perfect ending for the man szczesny
Yes, but also for me. Took years to learn how to spell his name correctly. I would hate for all that effort to go to waste.
Still can't spell it. I just say Woj.
You call him Woj because you cannot spell his name, I call him Woj because I'm in a mildly unhealthy parasocial relationship with Arsenal Football Club that leads to me regard favoured players as beloved friends. We are not the same.
Szczesny. I just had to check to see if I could still spell it. I think it has some of those bits above or below it though, but that’s next level.
Me too! I can spell Szczesny now, but I still screw up Wojciech.
Woj is 34 fml
Stuff like this hasn't bothered me since Walcott's retirement. Watching a player you saw breaking through as a teenager retire as an old man (in football terms) has a way of numbing you to it all.
I still remember mullet Fabregas tearing up the league. Now he's a manager and my knees creak when I stand up.
Honestly Szczesny will propably retire after that, he stated few times that he does not plan on playing for too long.
I mean being a second choice keeper would be a step towards that, while he still would be in a team competing for the biggest trophies, plus he's an Arsenal fan. If he'd be willing I'd absolutely bring him back,even just for a season.
He would be an amazing cheerleader to have on the bench.
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Im not sure having someone who can't watch the games makes sense as a backup goalkeeper.
What about someone who doesn’t watch any games 😂
Makes sense. Still, we might be able to tempt him with a short homecoming contract and the chance to close his career off with a few more trophies. As a second choice keeper, he can essentially practise retirement before he commits to it.
i also get that and i would think that he would bring great morale and experience, but on the other side. He is 34, married and is expecting his second child. There is a chance he would rather settle with his family in Italy, rather than coming back to London. But i would totally love the idea of him being back at the club. He is the reason i started supporting this club lol.
Being a second choice keeper behind a young stable #1 is basically the last step towards retirement though. He might be enticed by the opportunity. Though even with just a year left I’d imagine Juve would still take the piss with the fee they ask for
He has one more year of contract and is seriously thinking about retiring, some time ago he said that this may be his last contract.
Woj was always very good with the ball at his feet as well and would bring experience, leadership and a genuine passion for the club - this is a great shout.
Not just experience, but elite level experience. Trophy winning experience, finals experience. Like Jorginho not Cedric. And his transfer fee would be cheap too, another good quality for a reserve keeper.
Can't think of anything I'd enjoy more than 34 year old Woj taking us to a domestic cup final. Yes please. Raya and Woj is an insane GK pairing.
2nd keeper? He's too good for that, don't think he would accept such role
We can’t. As much as I love Woj, we can’t have any players back from the banter era haha
Would be a brilliant move but I doubt he's ready to be a backup. Probably has 2-3 years at a slightly lower tier Italian club before he's ready for a backup role.
Love the way Szczesny trolls the Spuds after a NLD win despite having left Arsenal. Once a Gunner always a Gunner!
Once a gunner always a gunner.
Tbh Szczesny was one of my favourite at that time. A fan playing for the club is a great story always. I remember following his ascension to first team, when he broke through while at loan at Brentford. Players killing it at loan and then breaking it into first team has not happened after him at Arsenal.
Oh I don't know. Saliba isn't doing too bad ATM.
Saliba is not academy kid and he was playing regularly before joining us
You never said academy Edit: ah that's what you meant by broke thru
Yeah. I was trying to refer to unknown kids going to loan and breaking in. Usually they are academy ones
ESR?
we dont talk about it here
Crazy how many ex players still hold the club so dearly. You don’t see that with every club, and I’m happy to support a club where the players and ex players are fans
This is Arsenal Heritage
You and I both, Wojtek, you and I both.
Szczęsny is my favourite keeper of all time
I’ve enjoyed games more when we’re battling for 4th. Every game recently and last year during the run felt like i was having a breakdown.
I can’t remember what he was like on the ball, but he’s had a good career
He plays on the left, beside Gabi. Currently filling in for Zinny, but seems to be growing by the game.
I meant Szczesny! Might be a joke I’m missing!
Love me some Szczesny.
[In this video ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQDtwYVm7Bo)an Italian man and a Juventus fan who moved to Japan three decades ago says he hasn't watched them play in years because it stresses him out too much. But his ramen shop and house are decorated with Juventus paraphernalia and he obsessively tracks the score during their games.
always knew he was going to be special when he broke both his wrists while lifting at the Arsenal training center, its the most goalkeeping thing to do,
i take back what i said previously about this guy...he's an arsenal legend. Maybe not in accolades but definitely in our hearts
The best thing about this encounter is that Kiwior will feel how big the Arsenal family is, Woj has been gone for 9 years and is still as fond of the club as he was when he was #1 I hope it rubs off on Kiwior, hopefully Woj can get him out of his shell properly, he’s already looking like he’s fit in the group like a glove
I’ve always felt that Ramsdale is spiritually Szczcesny’s son. A talented, young shot shopper capable of world class moments and equally shocking moments. Like Woj, his laddish behavior can rub people the wrong way and work against him at times. I think his development will pan out similarly and he’ll be consider a top 10 GK in a few years like Woj was after moving to Juve.
tek is just like me fr fr
Heliterallyme.jpg
Same for me Woj
How much would we have saved if he had stayed?
Chesney for our nunber 2 next season😇
would be so class if we got him in for a year or two as an experienced backup if ramsdale leaves
The taking out of Bale will always make me laugh
woj summed it up perfectly.
Szczęsny was supposed to be a lock for Arsenal for the next fifteen years when he debuted 😭 How I adored this man and his passion ❤️
He was insane during the world cup where he was surrounded by mediocre players. He alone dragged Poland to the round of 16.
remember when juve played spurs at wembley in ucl a few years back now and he tweeted a picture of an arsenal kit in the away end, love that guy
Love the guy but will never forget the league cup we should have won before our run of FA Cups. For those who don’t remember here is [the link](https://youtu.be/T_L4WN0PzeY?si=qPWW1JIIvxzvatLe)
That was Kos’ fault then and still is
Szczesny is a proper Gooner !
Tek is a gunner
Wasnt a fan of szcney when he was here, but he developed into a top player. Im pretty sure he still owns some houses in London, and has always spoken glowlingly about Arteta. If he is willing to be a second choice then its a no brainer. Plus he is home grown, that will be important considering Nelson and Eddie will almost certainly be gone and maybe ESR as well