jimmy two times

I'm suprised Walcott was selected in front of Milner or Wright-Phillips yeaterday. He has been very poor for Arsenal and looks like he lacks confidence. I can only assume Capello wanted a look at him before he decides his final squad. I don't think he did himself any favours. I have only ever seen him play one good game, and that was when he scored the hat-trick against Croatia.

In the first seven years of Wenger's reign Arsenal players received 52 red cards.

Get my tight fisted mate to pay me back the tenner I loaned him.

I don't think the point is being missed. Some teams kick Arsenal up in the air because they like to pass the ball and there is a suspicion that they are physically weak. I think Wenger has a point about this, but he does so love playing the victim and he could be creating a victim mentaility in his players. He didn't seem to mind hard physical play when he had the likes of Viera and Keown in the team. He's on record at the time as saying that the physical,passionate aspect of English football is what he loves. I think that's what gives people the hump. Makes him sound like a bit of a hypocrite.

My son had the very same injury playing football. It was very traumatic when it happened as he was only 16 at the time. It took him a full year to recover physically and psychologically.

I heard his surgery went well and he will make a full recovery.

I don't like Wenger's usual whinging, but I do think this time is right. I think dinosaur managers such as Tony Pulis, Sam Allardyce et al will emphasize to their team in the dressing room before the game that Arsenal 'don't like it up 'em' I wouldn't go as far to say that they will encourage leg breaking tackles. But the inference is there that hard challenges are the order of the day. I think that will then promote the kind of reckless and clumsy challenges that we witnessed with Ramsey and Eduardo. I watched Malaga v Barcelona at the weekend and the Malaga defenders worked their socks off against Barca. They never lunged in recklessly. They jockeyed, pressed, diverted and closed down all with great skill and they rarely dived in and mostly stayed on their feet. They lost 2-1 but it was an impressive defensive display as it could have been a much heavier defeat. Good defending is a skill. For once old Vinegar face has a point.

Atila's ShawCross

Come on...give us all smile. Show us you care.

Be nice my old China. You always seem to be having a go at someone :(

Mark Radcliffe has a show with Stuart Maconie on radio 2 every evening at 8pm.

The worst fight I ever saw was actually in a pub in Highgate of all places. It was in a big rambling country style pub called the Flask which has a very chilled atmosphere and clientele. 3 Coke-fuelled complete nutters came in and created absolute total mayhem. They sliced the barman's face open with a stanley knife and were like crazed animals. It got even worse because the bar staff then came from behind the bar and a war ensued. The barman who got slashed glassed his assailant and there was blood everywhere and mass hysteria and panic with people hiding in toilets and running from the pub screaming. It just shows that these kind of things can happen absolutely anywhere, even in posh places like Highgate.

Mick it's one of those discussions that I love having because I don't really think it's got a correct answer. It really depends on many factors and I think some coach's prefer a centre half to be captain and some a centre midfielder. I think if you have a decisive player with the qualities outlined by Quids then the actual position of the player can become secondary. Having said that I have never been a fan of an out and out striker being captain. I was never a fan of Lineker or Shearer as captain, simply because there is a degree of selfishness that is a necessary for a striker to possess and this kind of goes against the attributes required by a skipper. They are also not always near enough to play to effect it.

Yes I was going to make the same points quids. Mick I didn't say that a centre half shouldn't be captain, just that it's not a pre-requisite of the job. If there is not a suitable candidate in defence, and I don't hink Ferdinand is suitable, then the armband can be passed onto someone else, most likely in centre mid. Central mid is actually the heart of the team. The spoke at the centre of the wheel. I think the midfield organisation is just a crucial as the defensive organisation. A central midfielder can have a much more hands on approach to all areas of the pitch.

Mick I take your point, but in all honesty defensive organisation in open play and from set pieces is usually worked upon and honed tirelessly in training. Everything should really be in place on match day and the defensive unit should almost be able to work automaically. The coach/ manager would have worked through making his defence compact, dealing with the aerial threat of the opposition, whether they play a high line or play deep, whther a holding midfielder will pick up the forward who likes to drop into the hole or whther the centre back goes with him,whether defending on set pieces should be zonal or man for man. I agree an intelligent and vocal captain at centre back can offer tactical reminders to his fellow defenders during games should tiredness creep in and they switch off. But I don't think a captain should always be a centre half on this basis. John Terry is a good captain but Rio Ferdinand is not in his class in my opinion. Therefore Steven Gerrard would be the best option as he is a great captain for Liverpool.

Maybe you're expected to wait until it's raining so that you can stand outside, head to the skies with your mouth open ?

Great call Jah.

Living in the Past - Jethro Tull

Not necessarily. Some great midfield captains include: Lothar matthaus of Germany Graeme Souness at Liverpool Roy Keane at Man Utd Patrick Viera at Arsenal Dunga of Brazil Btyan Robson of Man Utd and England Billy Bremner Leeds Johnny Giles Leed snd Ireland Gerard Liverpool There have also been some great deep lying attackers as captains Maradona Argentine 86 Cruyff Holland 74 Platini France 84 Zidane France Somtimes captaincy is as much about inspiration as it is about organisation.

This all reminds me of a song by Otis Redding: 'Sitting on the dock of Ebay..wastin' time'

Sleeping Satellite - Tasmyn Archer

I still can't understand why Steven Gerrard hasn't been awarded the captaincy. Ferdinand is not a worthy candidate in my opinion and he now clearly has fitness issues.

Well your mob would know all about signing dodgy cast offs from rivals. Remember Willie Young.

Maybe Wenger should sign him. He's gotta be better then NotSo-Fabianski between the sticks.

oops..posted in wrong thread. It was about Arsenal's goalie coach so I suppose it may have worked as someone may have to save his bacon soon judging by the dodgy keepers he churns out.