Author Archives: keenosafc

JW Diaries: West Ham, West Ham & Missing a 10-2 win

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Last Friday, I made my 4th (Arsenal) visit to the London Stadium to watch Freddie’s U23 team get our first win of the season, beating West Ham 3-2 in the pouring rain.

If you’ve been an away fan or indeed a home fan who sits behind either goal there, you’d know what an unpleasant experience it is. For U23 matches, they only open the Lower Tier of the main stand which means you are closer to the action, you get access to the ‘plusher’ bars and all-in-all a much better way of seeing a match there, I’d recommend it.

Saturday saw me heading to my new pub once again, before watching the first team get their 1st win of the season beating the same opposition at the Emirates, 3-1.

As most of you will know, it wasn’t the best of matches but there was a great 15 minute spell in the 2nd half which was pleasing.

We struggled to get any width, along with losing the ball cheaply meant that yet again the defence where put under pressure with West Ham apparently creating 9 chances!

What also pleased me, as well as coming back from 1-0 down, that the defence and midfield working closer together, also Danny Welbeck getting 15 minutes as sub, scoring a decent goal.

In between both my West Ham matches, I was able to pop down to Hale End as it was a 10:30 kick-off meaning that once a dropped the car off, I had my first beer of the day just before 1:30!

At half time at Hale End, I managed to see 15 minutes of our U16 match against Leicester including a penalty for us making it 1-0; I forgot to ask the latest score as I rushed home, it ended up us winning 10-2!

With no matches until an U23 match on Friday against Tottenham at the Emirates, my week evolves around couple of draws; The Carabao Cup on Thursday followed by the Europa League draw on Friday.

Before venturing to the U23 NLD, it means an afternoon in front of the telly with laptop and mobile on, credit card in hand, planning my latest assault on Europe!

If I survive Tottenham and following my euro trips, I have enough money in my account for petrol, Saturday is either watching the U18s at Cobham against Chelsea or another trip to Hale End followed on Sunday with a trip to Wales where I’m planning on making it home without falling asleep!

JW

Aaron Ramsey set to agree new Arsenal contract

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In the clearest indication yet that Aaron Ramsey is set to sign a new deal at Arsenal, his agency Avid Sports & Entertainment Group have tweeted a competition to win the Welshman’s shirt.

This follows a day of increasingly cryptic tweets from the recently set up sports agency.

Avid Sports & Entertainment Group we’re established in January this year by Ramsey’s long term agent David Baldwin.

Baldwin left Base Soccer in January 2018 to set up his own company, taking Aaron Ramsey with him. It is not clear if the Arsenal player has a financial interest in the company.

Early talk was that Baldwin was unable to represent any of his former clients for 6 months after leaving Base Soccer due to contractual convenance.

This resulted in Ramsey stalling in a new deal as he wanted Baldwin involved in talks, and to get a commission.

7 months on from him setting up Avid and it seems Ramsey, 27, is now ready to sign his new deal.

Ramsey’s wife, Colleen, is currently 30 weeks pregnant with twins, so it was always unlikely that he would up root his family – which already includes a young son – for a move abroad.

And announcement is expected to be imminent.

Keenos

Reiss Nelson to Hoffenheim highlights huge problem for English football

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Reiss Nelson is set to leave Arsenal for German side Hoffenheim.

Nelson joins Stephy Mavididi (Juventus), Marcus McGuane (Barcelona), Chris Willock (Benfica), Donyell Malen (PSV), Kaylen Hinds (VfL Wolfsburg), Daniel Crowley (Willem II) and Vlad Dragomir (Perugia) to have left the club in the last 12 months for a new challenge abroad.

Whilst the mass exodus has not massively concerned me – none of them really showed themselves as having the ability to become a regular in Arsenal’s first team squad, Nelson is a bit of a surprise.

He is still just 18 and has had some exposure to the first team, having made 16 appearances last year.

Where as many of the others to have left us saw their places blocked by more talented team mates (Eddie Nketiah, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Joe Willock), there was not really a youngster ahead of Nelson.

Arsenal’s lack of natural width, and lack of investment this summer in the wide positions, would have seen him compete against Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Alex Iwobi and Danny Welbeck to play for Unai Emery.

It is not exactly a list of top draw wingers. In fact none of them are exactly wingers, all preferring to play inside or upfront.

With so few natural wingers at Arsenal, Nelson would surely have got a decent amount of game time.

As with all the kids to have left Arsenal, I them all the luck.

I doubt moving to Germany is a financial decision. The contract on the table from Arsenal would have been richer than the Hoffenheim one. Like many of the other youngsters, perhaps Nelson just felt that he would not get the opportunity to play at Arsenal.

The easy option for him, and many others, would be similar to what happens at Chelsea.

To sign a new 4 or 5 year deal. Earn about £5million, and spend the time being loaned out throughout England. To the likes of Huddersfield, Reading, Bolton, Sheffield Wednesday and MK Dons (the path taken by Benik Afobe).

Moving abroad shows courage. It also shows a lack of faith or belief from Nelson that he would get a chance lower down in the Premier League.

There is a feeling that talented young attacking players will not get their chance in mid to lower Premier League sides. Teams who shun attacking football in favour of putting 6 defenders on the pitch. Trying to not lose a game rather than win.

The fear for Nelson would be that he joins someone like Burnley, Huddersfield or Cardiff, but is not given that chance and ends up with a season on the bench.

When teams are facing a relegation battle, they tend to pick experience over youth. Serge Gnabry a perfect example during his loan spell at WBA. Tony Pullis just did not want to take the risk on a teenage talent.

In somewhere like Germany, or Portugal or Italy, the financial punishments of being relegated are not as vast as they are in England. Lower teams in these countries are usually more than happy giving youngsters a chance; knowing that their main source of income is actually selling these players on.

In Germany, the situation at the moment is that Bayern Munich are winning everything for the forceable. This creates a situation where a lot of the enjoyment for fans of mid-table clubs is bringing through youngsters. Seeing academy kids get their chance.

German mid-table sides are just a much better environment for a young kid to get a chance than mid-table Premier League sides.

The amount of money in English football now puts so much pressure on managers for instant success which in turn is causing clubs to kill youth football as said managers are scared to play the kids.

Why would you sit at Manchester United knowing Jose Mourinho will not play you? Or at Manchester City knowing the next £60million signing is just a couple of months away?

Even a side like West Ham.

This summer the Hammers signed Felipe Anderson, Andriy Yarmolenko and Lucas Perez this summer. Why did they not take a chance of Nelson?

They signed 32 year old Aston Villa flop Carlos Sanchez over blooding through Reece Oxford (is he even still there?) or another youngster.

Whilst Chelsea and Manchester City have dominated the FA Youth Cups in recent seasons, and England age groups  performed well on an international stage, there is still a huge problem with young kids getting their chance at a Premier League club.

Keenos