Håvard Nordtveit’s participation in Sunday’s Premier League opener against Liverpool is in doubt after an administration error saw him wrongly taken out to Croatia for an Under 21 fixture with Norway.
Nordtveit had contacted the Norwegian Football Federation to request that he be excluded from this weeks Under 21 fixture with Croatia so he could concentrate on club matters. The 19-year-old is one of only three centre backs fit for Arsenal’s trip to Anfield, and is in contention to be on the bench.
However, the NFF went against Håvard’s wishes and demanded he travel with the team for two days of intense training in Croatia before playing against their Under 21 counterparts. It was only discovered a matter of hours before the game that Nordtveit was in fact suspended and ineligible to play.
The defender has returned to England but it’s now highly doubtful that he’ll be included, and if he is, he will be far from ready after missing the important build up. Tor Ole Skullerud has apologised to both Arsenal and the player for the mix up.
What an absolute disgrace
AMATUERS…
International football is a joke right now. No one cares about it. The world cup is over. Everyone is getting ready and excited for all, or most of, the league campaigns to begin. This is a real piss off.
Fuckin idiots! Now we go to liverpool more light weight than b4 anticipated!
Two defenders to Liverpool match…………….nice one Wenger.
how the fuck is that his fault you tosser?
Jaz and other like him are in wenger fan club and think he’s god and he controls everything
I mean, in fairness, another CB should have been brought in by now. Obviously he can’t control Djourou’s injury or Nordtveit’s ridiculous situation, but he’s had almost 3 months in the transfer market to bring in a new CB – something he’s said he was going to do all summer. So he does have a bit of blame in this.
Not that i think he would have played anyway, but this is a F***ing stupide mistake that should not happen!
So who’s going to be on the bench Miquelon?
Absolute joke.. who’s going to be the back up centre back for Sunday if he’s not available? Miquel?
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Miguel can be on the bench if Nort isnt ready although I think he will be okay
we suffer more through these friendlies and qualifiers than we do when these players play in the league
Arsenal would have got punished, will norway – no way
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Didn’t Wenger play defence back in the old days? ;)
Great, only reinforcement for Koscielny is a seventeen year old who’s played 45 minutes against Barnet…
Miguel can take over no problem
Gavin Hoyte is in the squad
@ Egil Smith-Meyer – So it seems. Word on the grapevine is that he was part of a great back four that included Noah, John the Baptist & Adam :-D
am really pissed off right now……we playing against liverpool and all we have is just one tested defender and one unknown untested defender,with either almunia or fabianski on goal line?……wenger what the hell is going on…?
schwarzer is coming
calm down
How is Koscielny not tested? Is this his first proffesional game? I hate how English fans think england has the only league that matters. A “untested” Vermaelen was on the EPL team of the year last year.
Can Schwarzer play centre half then? Let’s face it any keeper that plays behind our midfield and defence is in for a testing time. The last 3 keepers to play behind them have pretty much seen their confidence and ability shattered. Now that we have shifted out 4 international centre halves with some 240+ caps between them to be replaced by 2 centre halves with zero caps between them things can really only get worse.
BC- Really lol. International caps is what we should be judging when buying players. Lets go get Beckham then. You really think any back up cb we have will be worse then Sylvestre? Lets also not forget that Gallas only played in 26 games last year in the prem so any quality starter will be better then having a back up for 12 games.
So what? He would’nt have gotten any playingtime @Anfield anyway… If Vermaelen or Kos gets injured, Sagna would be moved into CB and Eboue RB way before Wenger would consider throwing Håvard in. And he would be absolutly right too, Nordtveit is far from ready for first team action, and it is a worry that he is included in the first team…. he should be loaned out!
He would put Nordveit in CB before Sagna, or I can’t believe otherwise. However, I do think he would put Sagna in their ahead of Miguel.
He will put song on the bench to cover centre back.
To anyone who has lived in Norway this is no surprise. The country is full of arrogant and incompetent bureaucrats ho are totally out of control and have no supervision whatsoever. That goes for every single govt organisation and ministry, not just the sports and Football association.
This is getting ridiculous. Come on AW-Pull your finger out! Surely there must have been
a plan B or even C? We all knew at the end of last season ,This was going to be a problem
position.
He may have a plan B, or a plan C, but definitely not a plan CB. Muahaha!
Wenger always, always has a reason for doing or not doing certain things. Who says that Miquel isn’t ready to be on the bench against Liverpool. He is one of the best defenders at the club. It doesn’t matter how old or experienced you are. Miquel is that good in my eyes and I’ve only seen him play about 5 times in my life.
milo I never thought I will say this to you
but good post
lol….Milo is a good kid but this is crazy. Miguel was not even involved with the big friendlies this summer. I highly doubt he will go from a reserve straight to a liverpool game. Remember this is a centerback position we are talking about. You need exsperience or you will get caught out.
he’s not first choice
miquel, the 17 year old cb with no prior top flight experience in any league is one of the best? And you know this having watched him a grand total of 5 times?
The idiocy of that is astounding
No he’s not,catch yourself on,Miquel has done nothing thus far and has never given us any kind of hint that he will be a future Arsenal cb.
God Norwegians…….Why don`t they stick to their Ginger beauties
Schwarzer has handed in a transfer request [confirmed by sky sports]
so that’s means Almunia is off and I am sure out young goalkeepers will be really pleased
I sincerely doubt Nordtveit was even in Wengers plans for Liverpool. Farcical yeah but no big deal.
Shay Given is axed! Arsenal on alert for goalkeeper as Joe Hart is made Manchester City’s No 1
EXCLUSIVE By Matt Lawton
Joe Hart has been told he will start in goal for Manchester City today, throwing into doubt Shay Given’s future at Eastlands.
Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Given, 34, admitted this week he would consider his future should City manager Roberto Mancini leave him on the bench for the Barclays Premier League opener at Tottenham this lunchtime.
Given said that he did not join City from Newcastle ‘to sit on the bench’.
Move over: Joe Hart will start in goal for Manchester City prompting questions over Shay Given’s future
Move over: Joe Hart will start in goal for Manchester City prompting questions over Shay Given’s future
Given’s demotion is sure to be welcomed by England manager Fabio Capello, who has decided 23-year-old Hart will be his first-choice goalkeeper for the Euro 2012 qualifiers.
Hart made his first England start in Wednesday’s 2-1 triumph over Hungary and Capello will be at White Hart Lane to watch his No 1.
City remain confident they will be able to keep both goalkeepers satisfied and are determined to prevent Given leaving. The development will, however, alert Arsenal and Fulham.
Chelsea have Cech
Pool have Reina
United have Van Der Sar
Its only us who don’t have a good keeper and Given is awesome in his shot stopping ability but like others pointed out even he goes missing in set pieces
Schwarzer on the other hand has handed in a transfer request so I am guessing he’s hoping Arsenal will come in for him and I don’t want us too leave the guy out on a limb
Schwarzer is brilliant at set pieces and commands his area but doesn’t even come close to given’s shot stopping ability
Then comes the transfer fees issue I am sure given will be around 7-10 million and schwarzer will only be three. If both of these keepers were available then I will go for Given yes he goes missing sometimes in set pieces but he has the shot stopping ability to make up for it but I will be happy with either
Schwarzer is big step up from Almunia and given is 10x better than ALmunia
Given might be more expensive but we need him for 2-3 years so maybe we can buy him for 7-8 million and then sell him for 3-4 million after 3 years which means he will cost the same as schwarzer
Although either of them will be brilliant and be a big step up from Almunia
sorry j but this has nothing to do withe piece but the thing is i LOVE arsenal and i strongly feel no wrong word i BELIEVED this is our year! come on bartley cme on harvad come on ARSENAL 2010 mis our year youths and seniors. BELIEVE!
he will still probably be on the bench due to the lack of other options, but yeah, its a disgrace by the NFF, I hope nordtveit will decline the next call up in protest!
Gonna stick by the “In Wenger We Trust” motto and just pray at this point. We obviously don’t need to explain the man as he has countless times in the past had us freaking out like this and saved the day, but this one I have to say I truly don’t understand. There must be something we don’t know and I’m gonna stick by him and trust him b/c that’s our responsibility as loyal Gunners. Hopefully Hughes lets Schwarzer go and we sign someone, where’d the Spahic rumors go…?
Praying helps :)
Hopefully today we play youngsters and they show some pride and good work ethic on the pitch – to show wenger they are ready
Making the first team squad for a hugely important Premier League tie or an u21 international.
Which do you think it more important for the development of player?
Amateur FA there in Norway. The fact that he was suspended should of been a red light. Oh by the by, creating a second week-in, not for anything, fantasy footie league : 1702558-316871 at http://fantasy.premierleague.com/
Just giving a heads up, since I felt a league that starts in the second week of the season is best for a team that won’t be showing their top form till .. well, Song is healthy. Whenever that might be. Fingers crossed for Frimpong’s success with the recent rash of injuries opening up a spot.
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SHAME!!!
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As a Norwegian an a bureaucrat I probably should take offense to some of the ignorant bullshit in this thread. I wont even start to comment on all the idiot brits I’ve met through the years. I’m more an Arsenal-fan than a fan of the NFF. They made a humongous blunder and have apologized for it. I’m just as angered as the rest of you, but I bet AW’s plan A wasn’t to have Håvard as a back up on the bench for this game. He hasn’t even got a squad number on arsenal.com and is still listed in the reserves. How can a claim that he may have to play first team football be taken seriously. I’m sure the NFF would have listened if AW had made a serious claim. So I’m just as angry at whats going on in the defender-department at Arsenal as I’m at the NFF. Wenger does’nt have a plan A for defenders. Thats the biggest problem here!
CALM DOWM , CALM DOWN
IN WENGER WE TRUST !!! THREE YEAR CONTRACT SIGNED TODAY .
I love wenger but its time to produce now
like every big club manager he needs to get trophies
money is no longer a problem and he has the players that are no longer kids
its time for trophies and if it doesn’t happen this year or in a couple of years then its time for him to go
that’s football
OF COURSE WE ARE WEALTHIER NOW THAN EVER BEFORE BUT IN TODAYS PRECARIOUS FINANCIAL WORLD THE RIDICULOUS WAGE DEMANDS AND TRANSFER FEES ATTATCHED TO SO CALLED SUPERSTAR PLAYERS SOON CAN DESTABILISE A CLUBS FINANCES.ARSENAL CANT COMPETE WITH THE MEGA RICH SUGAR DADDIES BUT WITH WENGER IN CHARGE ARE CHANCES OF GIVING THEM A RUN FOR THEIR MONEY IS MUCH MORE LIKELY.WE NEED SUCCESS BUT WITH REALISM NOT CRAZY PIPE DREAMS.OUR YOUTH SYSTEM GIVES US A GREAT FUTURE.
REALISM AND PROGRESS
Stoke Gunner. It is good to know someone else has some common sense on here. The Market is crazy now days. Everyone is broke so everyone tries to charge 30 million hoping madrid,barca, or man city will come in and pay that price. A player like Balotelli use to be a player Wenger could come in and pick up for 6 million and fix his issues and mold into a great player. Now days even the projects cost final product money.
I love Miguel but I can’t see Wenger using him when he’s had no experience whatsoever beyond academy level. Barnet doesn’t mean a thing. Even that Dutch kid Vincent van der Berg played at Barnet just after he came, but he was never seen again, not even on the bench in Carling (as far as I know) until last year he was released. If Wenger sees Szczesny as too young, who has already proved himself to be exceptional and who does have a bit of experience, there’s surely zero chance for Miguel in the near future apart from the Carling.
Sure, Schwarzer has put in a transfer request – that wasn’t in doubt – but it doesn’t mean it was a wise move on his part: could be he’s been over-influenced by he’s read in the tabloids. Since we made an inquiry about him back in May, before the window was open, we have had no further contact with Fulham. That’s according to them, which, if they’re telling the truth – and Wenger’s own statement would support it – suggests that our interest in him was luke warm from the start.
I actually feel Wenger is a bit responsible for us, as so often, starting the season with only two viable central defenders. Djourou has ALWAYS been seriously injury-prone and, having missed the whole of last year, the chances of him not suffering from niggles of various kinds when he finally returned to training were just about nil. Seems like madness to me ever to count on Djourou’s fitness, not until he has proved he has fully recovered by going at least one full season without these never-ending relapses. But that said, it’s unrealistic to expect Wenger to buy a defender purely because we need one! That’s not how he works. When he sees a player he likes and thinks is good value for money, he makes an offer; when he doesn’t see one, he doesn’t. End of. No compromising, no engaging in bidding wars with clubs who have more money than sense or who up their prices because they think we are desperate. Desperation isn’t something Wenger bows to. The other thing is, he doesn’t much like central defenders full stop.
DOESNT LIKE CENTRAL DEFENDERS ??????
just one thing – how can the player himself be unaware tha the is suspended..? he should have known and said something!
Red 7 – Song won’t be fit to be on the bench.
No, he doesn’t like central defenders. He’s never had enough – apart from when he first arrived, when it scarcely mattered because he inherited an excellent back five – and he’s always been reluctant to invest serious money in the defence. Compare him to many other top managers – Mourinho would be the prime example – whose priority at every club he has managed has been defensive stability: defenders come first; they’re the key-note signings, sometimes even the most expensive, he’ll make. What Wenger likes best and has consistently been willing to spend big money on are attacking central midfielders which he then plays out on the wing. We usually have at least 11 of them.
hhahaha! Put the keetle on Miranda love, get back in the kitchen!
Has anyone else noticed that Manchester united always get the better scheduling? Right after the midweek internationals they get the monday game. We see all the penalties they get and the extra time situations that we all know about but come on.
Yup, and they’re usually at home following crunch-time CL fixtures, whereas we’re usually away.
good to see nordveit asking to be allowed to focus on arsenal…
@Shishir
LOOOOOL
Schwarzer not in Fulham’s squard for their game against Bolton.
with hart playing for city today, i think we should go for given as in my opinion he was the best keeper in the league last season
i think we should go for messi as he was the best player in the world last year.
YEAH THAT SOUNDS GREAT . WE COULD OFFER A CUT PRICE 60 MILLION AS HE HAD A POOR WORLD CUP
Terrific result for Blackpool. Really hope they stay up, preferably at the expense of the leg-breaking thugs, i.e. Birmingham and Stoke. Might be good for Lansbury to go on loan there.
What’s the situation with Jay Simpson? I keep reading that he’s about to sign for someone or other but these deals always seem to fizzle out? I don’t have much hope of anyone ever wanting Mark Randall but surely Jay Simpson and Kerrea Gilbert ought to have found a club by now? What’s happening? Maybe we should loan them all to Blackpool who’ll be in need of free reinforcements, though I suppose the wages our players are used to could be a problem?
For goads sake, just because a player isnt good enough for our 1st team, doesnt mean no other club wouldnt consider them.
You come out with some funny shit!
Rosicky and Diaby should be sold or else we will be getting transfer requests from some of our young wonderkids who will turn out better. Wenger should use the funds and transfer budget to sign a big experienced centre half and Romeli Lukaku who is apparently priced at 9M.
That really makes sense doesnt it? We have had way too many inexperienced players in our squad and when we finally have a more mature squad, you wanna get rid of 2 established pros?
Not too clever that mate!
Topgunwenger—I am guessing you are about 12 because no way a grown man just made that comment. First of Rosicky just signed a new contract and is a good squad player. Aside from that, he isnt really worth much on the transfer market. On Diaby, do you realise how good he will be and how good he is? A 6’3 Diaby. Lukaku will cost more than 9 million.
Afternoon everyone!
Schwarzer not started for Fulham today with that young kid Stockdale in goal for them,maybe a sign of things ahead but I still think that hapless Fabianski will start at Liverpool when in reality he needs to be that keeper thats sent on loan to try and recover his confidence. He’s a complete liability full stop!
This Nordtveit thing is unbelievable,I can’t believe how he could be allowed to go all the way to Croatia to be told he can’t play! Djourou was always gonna be injured so we should have had someone in by now,I have faith in Wenger because he has earnt it but we’ve had the whole summer to find someone,I think that one defender will arrive on the last day of the month like we traditionally like to do,hopefully someone who’s more renowned for his defensive side of the game rather than his ability to play nice passes coz god knows we have plenty of them around.
I rate Nordtveit but he needs to be eased in,throwing him in too early could scupper his confidence,much the same with Miquel,although a very good player he is only 17,he’d get slaughtered at Anfield!
can we play with two keepers?
Just a quick one that someone on here might know,how come James Shea isn’t pictured on the reserve team picture for this season? There’s Sean McDermott and some kid I don’t know,is he heading out on loan?Plus does anyone think he’ll be good enough due to his height mainly
GIVEN IS REALLY SMALL
Shea’s is a Reserve team player and none of them are on there. No Randall, Hoyte etc. It’s just the Under 18 squad.
The other ‘keeper you might not know is Charles-Cook, a new scholar.
Its only the U-18’s pictured, James Shea is ineligible for U-18 football now and isn’t included on the picture along with the likes of Rhys Murphy, Tom Cruise etc. who are not on the first team picture either.
Mug, so who has made an offer for Randall? Come to that, who’s made an offer for Gilbert or even for Simpson (apart from Omonia, assuming that offer, which I believe I read about here, actually existed)? They’re all on the market, aren’t they, and have been for a while? No, OK, don’t bother to answer. I’ve asked about Simpson before, more than once, about whether and why the Omonia deal fell through, but got no reply. The club has invested a lot of hope and effort in these young players and they’ve been much hyped on sites such as this one. Gilbert in particular made a very promising start – I remember him having a great game in the CL a few years back – so to me it’s worth wondering why they’re not being snapped up as soon as they come on the market, not even by lower-league clubs. But I’ll accept your judgement that the question isn’t worth asking – just ‘funny shit’ – and give up altogether.
What are you wittering about? Give it a rest and get the dinner on!
Thanks for the replies,didn’t even notice that it was just the under 18s.
Just to butt in too I’d say the reason that Kerrea Gilbert hasn’t been snapped up is one he’s not that good,2 when he got into the Arsenal side it was only down to seriously bad luck with injuries and no he didn’t do that well during that spell,plus he hasn’t really had any success on loan either,he must be 22 odd now I think and not alot of stand out qualities. Randall is a good footballer techniquely but lacks pace and has a nasty side when it comes to tackling,also not shone on loan so much. My mates sister was dating Fran Merida just over a year ago and used to go out with him Kieran Gibbs and someone else who I can’t remember and they said that Mark Randall kept getting into trouble for stupid things such as smoking so I think that’s more the reason why he doesn’t get more chances.
Jay Simpson will end up in the championship,he’s not a bad player,I think he’s victim to the new homegrown rules as otherwise I think he’d have stayed,there’s no way anyone can say he’s currently better or as good as Van Persie,Bendtner,Chamack,Vela or Walcott so something had to give
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I’m from Norway, and i know some of the people in NFF, and this is unussual them!
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