Arsenal

[Petrousgyre]

I'm 100% in favour of letting him play as a striker.

He played as a striker for a bit last season - his positional play and movement were poor. He could probably learn the role (I don't subscribe to this notion that Walcott hasn't a football brain) - but it would take him time and I'm not sure, given we play a 4-3-3, that we could afford him that time. Even Messi took a good six months or so to be comfortable in that role for Barca.

[KRP]

Smellcott is worth hanging onto as a super-sub. I don't know what happened to him, first 8(ish) games of the season he was excellent.

[Daley]

Which season?

[Dude Ranch]

Season in the sun. He had joy he had fun. But he couldn't time a run. And his ball control was shit and his crosses under hit.

[Rev]

If he got a foul every time he fell over he'd be more valuable than Rory Delap.

[cantonarv]

The kid, Theo has played over 200 games for you guys now - surely this is what you got how much more can he improve if he has not at 17 to 22? He seems exactly if not worse than he was when you signed him

[The Fox]

Well yeah, which is why I don't think you'll find too many Gooners who think we should offer him a new deal in the summer on vastly increased pay. I think the club will look to sell, personally. Which would be fine, except they'll probably replace him with Ryo Myaichi and pocket the saving.

[Lucky]

Yeah I think the time has come to call it quits with Theo and accept it's not gonna happen.

Like someone mentioned above, I also think he'll go on and have an average career at an Everton, Sunderland or Villa etc. Something similar to what Pennant has done (not that much apart from earn a few quid).

[Dude Ranch]

I think the only reason to keep Theo would be out of fear of him going on to make it big somewhere else. And that's not a good reason. We should cash in, possibly a trade.

[dogsout]

Andy Carroll and a Curly Wurly tickle your fancy?

I reckon Walcott would be worth a punt for a lot of teams, playing upfront with somebody creative behind/beside him.

[Dude Ranch]

Tempting, but you'd have to sweeten the Curly Wurly deal with something better than Carroll mate.

[dogsout]

Another Curly Wurly?

[Daley]

Not sure if people have been following 'arry's case. His latest defence is to blame it all on the accountant including :

Harry Redknapp told police "I write like a two-year-old and I can't spell" as he denied taking bungs, a court heard on Thursday.

Arseblog isn't gonna let a comment like that go to waste.

[Daley]

Hang on i've just had a thought. Doesn't Twitchy have a newspaper column in The Sun? That dog is amazing. Top, top writer.

[Charliemouse]

Hang on i've just had a thought. Doesn't Twitchy have a newspaper column in The Sun? That dog is amazing. Top, top writer.

Maybe he dictates what he wants to write to the dog.

[Rev]

He drives to work leaning out of his wound down window, dictating his columns to his dog which runs alongside his car.

[Daley]

Nasty rumour Wilshere has done himself a mischief and is out for the rest of the season. Still just rumours at the moment...

[The Fox]

What, his ankle or something else? :-/

[SeanR]

his vocal chords:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tv4RVX3bgYw

[SeanR]

see also:

[The Fox]

Oof.

Maybe he finally crashed his car after driving for so long with his eyes closed in Usher trance?

Edit: oh god ox's Nicki Minaj is even more horrifying.

[Dude Ranch]

There was on Thursday some positive news on the recovery of full-back Bacary Sagna, who resumed full training with the rest of the squad for the first time since suffering a fractured right fibula during the defeat at Tottenham on 2nd October.

If Wilshere is out I think we'd need to get someone in. I know Frimpong isn't a direct replacement for Wilshere but that loan could bite us on the arse if we're suddenly short of bodies in the middle. At the very least he could have alternated with Ramsey recently.

[Daley]

What, his ankle or something else? :-/

"Setback" so i'm guessing the same injury. We should find out soon in Wenger's press conference this morning.

[The Fox]

If Wilshere is out I think we'd need to get someone in. I know Frimpong isn't a direct replacement for Wilshere but that loan could bite us on the arse if we're suddenly short of bodies in the middle. At the very least he could have alternated with Ramsey recently.

A midfield three of Song, Arteta and Frimpong sounds pretty terrible to be fair. The service to the forwards would be even worse than usual.

edit: Nuri Sahin on loan? Mourinho doesn't seem to fancy him much for whatever reason and he's often not making the squad, let alone the first XI. I know he's had injuries this season but I don't think his constant absence is just down to that

[Dude Ranch]

A midfield three of Song, Arteta and Frimpong sounds pretty terrible to be fair.

Maybe but no worse than Song, Ramsey and Benayoun, for example. I like Coquelin, I'd prefer him to Frimpong at this moment in time but he's injured too. I can just see a day when we're playing Song, Benayoun and Rosicky cos we've got no-one else fit. Frimpong will at least give us bite and energy.

[Daley]

It's coming from slightly more reliable sources now but still nothing official.

Jack Wilshere had a scan on his ankle yesterday, and the early prognosis is that's had a set back. More expected later.

https://twitter.com/#!/YoungGunsBlog/status/162838652437794817

Doomed! Out all season for sure.

[Jonathan_Kerr]

No point in rushing him back and fucking up his career. Yes we need him, but we need to look long term.

Come on, we all saw this happening.

[Dude Ranch]

Come on, we all saw this happening.

Only every single time I saw his face online, in the paper or on TV. It was almost guaranteed. I've been thinking 'career' to be honest but that's me being hysterical.

[Rev]

Only every single time I saw his face online, in the paper or on TV. It was almost guaranteed. I've been thinking 'career' to be honest but that's me being hysterical.

If it's any consolation I've been thinking that too. Ramsey got exactly the right treatment instantly, Wilshere clearly didn't and I think that is probably a very bad thing for the long-term.

[Daley]

You would probably pick Nasri, Cesc and Wilshere as our three best players from last season and the team has had to do without all three this season. If it weren't for Koscielny and RvP this season could have been much worse.