Source
r/Gunners•
shakerattleandrollin

I have press credentials for Arsenal vs. New York Red Bulls. What would you like me to ask?

Hi guys, I'm a low-level journalist who, through luck and persistence, has press credentials for Arsenal's pre-match press conference on Thursday and the game itself on Saturday. Thierry Henry, Arsene Wenger and two more Arsenal players who are yet to be confirmed will be there. My dream of talking to the boss might finally be realized, and I'd like to know if the community has any pressing questions for the manager or anyone else. I'd be happy to try to get you all answers.

Note: I did this with Jose Mourinho when he was in NYC last year and he seemed a tad bit dickish. I'll compare impressions.

Posted Jul 22, 2014, 1:47 PM UTC

79127
Ghusty•

Ask about the current situation of captaincy, because that felt bloody weird last year when vermaelen lifted the trophy

95
Raerf•

Preface the question by stating that Arsenal has so many captain worthy players -- Arsene will love that!

15
immerc•

It's true too:

  • Vermaelen: Former captain of Belgium
  • Rosicky: Captain of Czech Republic
  • Ramsey: Former captain of Wales
4
Antlers254•

Id say the best option is probably Per, who's not even on that list.

9
immerc•

I was just listing people who are or were captains of their national teams. Per, AFAIK, never officially was, although he seemed to be an unofficial one.

3
[deleted]•

i'm not sure players who are stripped of captaincy are the best candidates

0
saintcazorla•

Wenger: Erhhhhhhhhhhhhh... it is too early to decide.

edit: And lol to OP @ Mourinho seeming a bit dickish.

7
robak69•

Wenger might have to think about that answer.

6
LastInfinateLife3•

he'll just say Vermaelen is the captain

36
immerc•

It could probably be phrased in a way that he might answer it, like "Who are the younger players in the squad who you could see being the club captain some day?"

If you ask him "Who will be the captain next season?" he'll almost certainly dodge the question because it touches on the transfer situation of Vermaelen.

13
TheCuriousTwat3rd and trophy without a DM•

great question

1
[deleted]•

Who would be best for captain? Ozil? Scecznsy? Ramsey?

2
Zorcmsr5•

BFG would be the best choice

11
[deleted]•

eh, i just want us to settle down and have one captain for 4-5 years. BFG would be captain for 1-2 years tops (at least when he'd be consistently playing) before he aged out of PL title challenging starter-caliber

0
jamestanley•

Mertesacker

3
hdhdhdhdhdhdhdhd•

Per is the best choice but if Vermaelen leaves I think the armband will go to Arteta

3
Antlers254•

We might end up with a situation where our captain isn't first choice again. It would probably be easier to keep arteta as vice and give the arm band to Per.

2
hdhdhdhdhdhdhdhd•

I absolutely agree. I don't think Wenger will choose Per though.

1
wedditlol•

Arteta

0
RyanSammyZelalem's #1 fan•

None of the players you mentioned

-1
misterintredasting•

Injury investigation. What they have learnt, timescale, hiring etc

63
StevieHyperS•

Whatever you do, don't waste your time on transfer related questions or asking Titi if he'd like to coach Arsenal or something of that nature. We know the kind of answers they'll give so pointless asking.

The captaincy is a good one IMO, I'd like to know more about this Shad Forsythe saga also. Has he joined us or not? It would be interesting to know what the club is doing to sort out it's injury issues.

62
abhi91•

I imagine that he will be mum about names even for staff. Rephrase it asking about how he plans to revamp the medical system and if it includes new staff

27
StevieHyperS•

A fine point!

2
Fabioguns•

Ask this, please. Our injury problems have been a big issue and it would be nice to know if it's being worked on.

1
[deleted]•

Ask Wenger what he thinks about the recent trend of ex-marquee players going to MLS for their near retirement era and whether that's beneficial for the quality of the league and youth development.

Also, see if he has examined the American market and perhaps has deemed a player or two capable of playing top level European football.

29
StevieHyperS•

On the latter part of your post, do you think he'd mention any 'specific' players? I imagine him to be rather coy on a individual player as not to A) hike his price up and B) Unsettle him.

I deffo would like to know his thoughts on ex-marquee players going to the MLS though.

4
[deleted]•

While it would be interesting to see him calling out specific names, I am not looking for that with that question.

I just want to know if he rates the MLS enough so that he (or other Eurpean managers) has deployed a scouting system over its market. And if he doesn't, knowing Wenger, he'd explain the reason or would outline some guidelines to follow for the league, in order to make it happen.

1
TFBisCaptainAmerica•

The MLS system just doesn't work. The draft etc. that works in other American sports doesn't work in football because it's played in more than one country. Trying to create parity in a league is all well and good but at the end of the day this means that there are no 'big clubs' and the MLS will never attract great players

3
[deleted]•

Do they really draft players to even out the teams?

So how come Kaka, Lampard, Beckham, Henry, etc. select their new teams and sign long term contracts..?

1
rcb824•

I'd phrase it like this:

"Hi guys, great to have you both together in New York - this is directed at both Arsene and Thierry. Based on Jurgen Klinsmann's comments after the World Cup about the increasing need to develop football leagues in the United States to be competitive on the world stage, how important do you think it is for ex-premier league stars like the Henry's, Clint Dempseys, Jermaine Defoes, Beckhams, etc to come to the US in order to help develop both the MLS as a league, and the young American players that play here? What would you like to see done differently?"

-1
Antlers254•

I don't understand why people pluralize or singularize player names. Like "a Rooney or an Aguero" or "messi's and bales". I know the media does it but it doesn't actually mean anything.

2
[deleted]•

Also you can mention Lampard, Cesar from premier league and Bradley and Kaka from other leagues.

1
SalvadorsDeli•

I like the idea of asking about the captaincy or Shad Forsythe.

Another option: Maybe ask about what kind of changes Jonker has instituted since taking over as the director of youth development?

One more idea - not sure if he'd be willing to answer this straight on, but ask him whether he believes Wilshere's long-term role with the club is playing at the same midfield position as Ramsey or whether he thinks he'll either transition into a holding role behind Ramsey (like the way they lined up in some games at the beginning of last season) or as a creative winger. Same question really for Chambo as well.

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immerc•

I like these questions. I don't know if I'd believe his answers, but it woudl still be interesting to hear what he said.

1
Evander92ARSENE WENGER IS MY SPIRIT ANIMAL•

Would you rather fight 1 Drogba-sized Valbuena or 100 Valbuena-sized Drogba's?

19
gunnerli4e•

Ask him about the appointment of the new fitness coach.

18
AfricanRainParty at my gaff when Mourinho dies•

What role will Ox and Wilshere have this season?

11
LastInfinateLife3•

Ask him who he intends to start in the DM position. If he thinks Flamini and Arteta are good enough for a Champions League team.

He might give away if he intends to play someone out of position to cover DM. Jack or Diaby wouldn't surprise me. He might even mention that he's in the market for one.

9
[deleted]•

[deleted]

8
quantheasianNa Na Na NANANA NANANA Giroud •

Tottenham?

8
Jetpackkissstripper•

no, no, no. Ask him, what does he think of Tottenham?

2
lionheartsun•

Shit?

2
Jetpackkissstripper•

:)

1
Radius86•

And then thank him.

1
arabic_gum•

Ask him about the style of the mls, ask for a compare/contrast with European leagues. Which is most similar? Does mls even have a "style" as such? Or is the identity still emerging?

6
TFBisCaptainAmerica•

Who cares about the MLS? It's a retirement home for players who aren't good enough to play for a real team anymore Edit: Just realised that sounds really dickish. What I meant was it's a sub-par league that doesn't attract top players except at the end of their careers and even then only for monetary reasons, so its style is incomparable

-6†
arabic_gum•

Well I presume it's a pertinent question seeing as we're playing an mls team. I do care, I think mls is going to be huge in the next 25 years. And I think it's interesting to compare the styles of leagues. And right now the usmnt is much better than the English, and there's probably a reason for that, probably something to do with the league setup, and probably worth asking an expert opinion on.

6
[deleted]•

[deleted]

2†
TFBisCaptainAmerica•

from an outsider looking in it seems like the rules of the league impede it from competing. the idea of a draft or a salary cap is completely alien to me. and not to be insulting but there has never been a truly great american player ala Liam Brady (i'm Irish, not English)

2
[deleted]•

[deleted]

1
arabic_gum•

The USA is huge, though, and really very rich. And so I think the European rulebook regarding league setup can probably be thrown out. If football really takes off in the USA it will be the largest nation on earth to play the sport at a decent level.

-1
immerc•

"Was the punishment Man City and PSG faced for violating FFP rules too light? What effect will FFP have on the Premier League in the coming years?"

6
BenjipsEmirates Wenger Stadium•

Despite whatever reasonable answer he'll provide, I can only imagine this giving everyone else the opportunity to brand Wenger a whiner, etc. We already know where he stands on this.

2
AfricanRainParty at my gaff when Mourinho dies•

Where Wenger will play Alexis when Theo returns.

5
abhi91•

Middle bro. Sign him up in your fantasy team

3
SirWilshereArsenal•

Ask him if he has ever seriously considered playing Vermaelen as a CDM next to Ramsey. he can do those ballsy runs he does without having to worry about being a man down in defence.

5
krazymunky•

dont think you want your CDM to be doing ballsy runs

4
immerc•

Sometimes you do. If they're too predictable then the opposing team can just ignore them. If they very occasionally make unpredictable runs they can catch the opposition when they're not prepared to deal with them.

2
shakerattleandrollinOPWenger's gonna Weng•

Ok guys, it seems the winners are asking who will be captain next year and how Wenger plans to reform the medical staff. I'll ask about the captaincy first and the medical stuff second, if I have the opportunity to ask two questions.

3
AaronM1D1The better-looking Aaron.•

Be wary, brah. I'm putting my tin hat on a bit here, but considering the sway certain Reddit posts have had on published content in the media, there is every chance a fellow journo could be peeking in on this thread. Keep a couple cards close to your chest in case the questions you were hoping to ask get put forward ahead of you.

PS. Incredibly jealous of you.

7
anatomy_of_an_eraserNothing should be stopping us from winning the league!•

im not going to give suggestions! i'm just here to congratulate you! you are living my dream of meeting both arsene and henry! Good luck on your career! :)

2
IslebarNone of our current players will be top scorer season 15/16•

If you have the opportunity to ask three questions, your last one should be: "Arsene, would you rather fight one horse sized duck or a hundred duck sized horses?"

0
TerryAFCxYouTube.com/TerryAFC ★ Vimeo.com/TerryAFC ★•

What's the situation regarding Djourou? There has been no official statement on our website about him leaving. He's still a member of our first team on our official website yet on his personal website and Hamburg's, it says he plays for them. It really does need clearing up.

2
StevieHyperS•

I think it's rather obvious that Djourou has left Arsenal and currently plays his football for Hamburg. In regards to the AFC website being the reason behind the confusion, poor website admin is to blame.

-1
TerryAFCxYouTube.com/TerryAFC ★ Vimeo.com/TerryAFC ★•

Even the people behind the official twitter account still think he's an official player. It needs sorting.

2
misterintredasting•

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11896/9245262/transfer-news-johan-djourou-completes-permanent-move-to-hamburg-from-arsenal

3
ladybugg224•

Someone should seriously ask AW about Rodgers' comments regarding Sanchez and "geography". It was very disrespectful to us and to Alexis himself, IMO. Would love to hear what the boss thinks about that.

1†
RosutDozil•

I didn't find the comments disrespectful. If anything, it was slightly embarrassing for Rodgers to say that.

10
ladybugg224•

Rodgers basically indicated that Alexis doesn't care where he plays as long as the city is nice. Forget the manager, his role in the new team, style, tactics, expectations, impressions. Flashy life in London is what matters! Seriously, I'd find that insulting.

5
RosutDozil•

That's one way to interpret it but not the truth. The way I interpret it (also not the truth) is a sour man who lost trying to defend his defeat. "They won because the sun shines more on them."

3
gunnerli4e•

What do you expect him to say? "We have a weaker squad than Arsenal and our star player just left"?

2
ladybugg224•

A simple "we tried our best but the player has decided to continue his career elsewhere" would be enough.

Or, you know, nothing. Just move on.

6
Crystalyze14•

I dunno, I think what he meant was that he (Rogers) feels that there's little to choose between the two clubs in terms of attracting players. Both have history, a good team, a style that suits Sanchez, Champions League football etc. So Sanchez decided he'd rather live in London than Liverpool; like most people would.

0
ladybugg224•

See, but when you look at it from a professional's point of view there's a huge difference between where we are now and where Liverpool are. They're yet to invest in their stadium, they don't know how FFP may possibly affect them, not to even mention keeping their place in the Champions League while having a coach who hasn't won shit in his professional career. As a team last season they overachieved massively, mostly thanks to Suarez who is now gone. Fans don't always think like that though, they see "2nd" in the table and suddenly start believing they're the dog's bollocks. And that is exactly what Rodgers was trying to do with his deluded and patronising comment - appease their cringeworthy fanbase.

Shame he didn't try blaming it on the fact we got Alexis an Aston Martin as a welcome gift (apparently we did).

2
[deleted]•

Oh those words did not concern me at all, it actually made me quite happy.

Let's just assume those comments were true. Thus, what Rodgers is basically saying is that, Liverpool is such a shit hole that top players prefer to avoid living in it rather than playing for a lower team.

However, they were complete bullshit words. It was a pathetic attempt to save face which ended up in a face palm.

1
ladybugg224•

Oh those words did not concern me at all, it actually made me quite happy.

They didn't concern me either, I just feel a certain someone should be put in his place.

1
StevieHyperS•

Why would Wenger stoop to that level? What does he set to gain?

1
ladybugg224•

Wenger can be very witty without insulting anyone.

1
[deleted]•

I think he has been put already, being in Liverpool and all.

1
TensaStrider•

You know Liverpool has won multiple awards for being the 'capital of culture' and such? The city is actually quite nice.

1
[deleted]•

Some Liverpool fans on r/soccer will disagree with you though.

I have also read that the majority of their players prefer to live on the outskirts of the city.

1
nickolasz•

He won't be drawn on that. Far too much class ;)

0
[deleted]•

[deleted]

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[deleted]•

[deleted]

1
YankGoonerMDGiroud 18/27 goals.•

Ask if he will take some time off to enjoy our east coast beaches, maybe the Jersey Shore! ;) and how his beach volleyball game is so strong

1