Carling Cup regular Mark Randall will now complete the second half of the campaign on loan, following Arsenal’s elimination at the hands of Burnley on Tuesday evening.
The 19-year-old has started all three of the Gunners’ Cup clashes this season, with standout performances against Sheffield United and Wigan. Mark earned little praise despite putting in influential shifts those nights, and was also one of a trio blamed for the defeat at Turf Moor. Randall in fact had a decent evening at his former stomping ground – forcing a first half reaction save from Brian Jensen after good work from Nicklas Bendtner, and then reversing the roles to play in the Dane for a second half opportunity.
Indeed, his performances have been lauded by manager Arsène Wenger, who is a long term admirer of the tenacious prospect. Wenger was keen to stress that whilst Mark doesn’t have the reputation of Jack Wilshere, he has similar potential.
“He has as much as Jack Wilshere. I think he is a little bit more of a late developer but he is exceptional.”
The Frenchman also highlighted Randall’s reputation amongst the fans, and believes that the mindset of the person plays a bigger part in their success, rather than what others think of them.
“One thing I have learned in my career is that those who keep going, no matter what is said of them, will make a career. Mental strength and daily motivation is more important than what people say about you.”
“I am impressed with the progress Mark has made. He has made a fantastic step forward recently.”
Mark confirmed during an interview with Arsenal TV last month that Arsène had suggested a second loan spell when the Carling Cup finishes, and with January approaching fast, there is sure to be a queue of outfits ready to take on the midfielder.
Article By – J.Sanderson
should make randall go loan with a premiership club that would be better.
Why the pic of Merida????
I know the rough and tumble of the Championship may bring him on more physically but theres no greater learning curve than in the EPL as Traore will testify.
I would like to see Mark have a go with either Hul or Wigan.
I guess he might go back to Burnley, if they still want him after that studs up tackle at the start of the second half!
Not for me. he might make it as a prem footballer elsewhere but for my money he is a championship player. I didn’t see anything in the 3 games that made me sit up and think wow. I think every other young player had at least a few moments where you think That boy is quality. I wish him luck but I dont predict an Arsenal future for the lad.
I really hope for his sake that he makes it here , altough my initial perception of his game and the fierce competition he faces from others around him makes me think otherwise. Arsene Wenger seems to rate him , which says much about him. Lets hope he gets decent playing time , if/when he moves on loan.
Randall just needs to hit the gym he’s to weak thats my only problem with him but he is a good player.
will he make it at arsenal j?
Boy needs a slap around the head and told not to do anymore stupid fucking flicks or whatever.
holds on to the ball too long, thinks he is better than he is and struts around like he runs the show when he don’t, nowhere near Jacks potential, sloppy on the ball and not much else, the great thing about Cesc when he came through was he moved the ball well and quickly, young players tend to try and hold on to it and try something to try and stand out, Cesc was always ahead of the game.
Hard to tell if he will make it, he signed a new four year deal recently, so it would suggest he’s part of the long term here.
Having the manager’s support will no doubt help him. He’s young and has a lot to learn, but I’ve always been a huge fan of his.
I don’t think he is good enough at Arsenal!
Maybe a prem footballer but not with one of the big clubs. His passing vision is usually poor and at turf moor his shot that was saved by Jensen was 1:1 and he hit it way too close to the keeper to score. Also he was definately at fault for their second. He tried to shoulder barge the player off the ball but ended up barging fresh air and let the player in. He also did this more than once in the game, but i am not blaming him entirely because our strikers had chances too that were bread and butter but they missed too. I hope that he does do well and that he makes me eat my words (whch i would be happy to do) but at the moment i can’t see that happening!
Also J, i read a story today saying that Jay Simpson is about to agree a 3 year deal. Any truth in that? Now he is a player i like, completely different to the other strikers we have but needs to improve his finishing and composure.
Randall is not your typical Arsenal player and will never make it at Arsenal. Wenger needs to rid off him, so the boy can better himself by playing regular football at another club.
The same applies to Jay Simpson
Players like Denilson and Randall are average players. if you have average players in your team, particularly in central midfield, then you results will be inconsistent. Arsenal need title quality players because I dont see Arsenal as a mid table team. we should be better than that and only be putting players in the teams when they are good enough. Jack and Ramsey ARE good enough but can improve by being in the team, so age is not a barrier and we can still use young players, but if you are not good enough at any point in time then you should not be in any Arsenal team regardless of how much development they need or will gain.
Does anyone know where exactly Randall normally plays? I’ve heard he’s either a right-sided midfielder or central midfielder. If he is a central midfielder, I don’t know what Wenger was trying to achieve pairing him with Ramsey as they’re not known for their grafting, as far as I know. Not that I have any complaints about the match, just a tad unfortunate. Jensen had a legendary game in goal, and Burnley to their credit came at us.
Although, I have a theory as to our inexplicable form this season. Because Wenger is in effect, fielding entirely different teams between Cup matches and League matches, it’s quite hard for the young ones to carry their form over to the next game, seeing as how they won’t be playing it. Basically, what I’m saying is that no one from the Chelsea match (except for maybe Bendter) played in the Carling Cup which meant that the good form from Stamford Bridge didn’t transfer over to the Burnley match. Thoughts?
he’s good in a much quieter way than some of the others. Has the potential to make it at the arsenal precisely for the reasons Mr Wenger outlined
Ramsey,Wilshire and possibly Hoyte will make it at Arsenal
Randall,Gibbs,Lansbury are prem players but at other clubs
Simpson is a championship player
truth of the matter is that English players are worth a lot more than their foreign counterparts as Bent and Bentley have proved. Even if Wenger knows Randall won’t make it in an Arsenal shirt he’ll still keep him for the potential transfer price in a couple of seasons. I feel Lansbury and Simpson fall into the same bracket. Randall would never make it ahead of Merida and Ramsey or Wilshere.
I really like him. He seems to be a carrick like player, which we sorely need. He can built solidly as our future DM. I hope Jay stays as well. Jay may not be the best technically, but he has speed, strength and can make a decent pass, as well works hard. A loan move for him would be the best move right now, i think.
Think he will make it but it’s the mental aspects more than anything else that will determine this. I did an article on the players who I think will make it and I thought Randall will be a later developer and now Wenger has stated this too. He’s a central midfielder predominantly but is being developed recently as a deep lying playmaker role. This can improve his tackling, positioning, decision making and when to make short or ‘hollywood’ balls as some have called it.
Randall is a sitting midfielder in the Carrick mould. He’s not flashy and he’s not an early bloomer like many of our youngsters but the talent is definately there. He’ll be a good premiership player by the age of 22 or 23.
This is a joke right?
In all three of the carling cup games he’s been one of the worst players.
Its harsh but i’m sorry he isn’t going to be good enough.
He’s the worst of all Arsenal’s kids. I doubt he could even make it in the Premiership and would have to head down the gym to make it in the Championship.
I was a bit harsh on him after the burnley game but like others have said, apart from his postioning there was little else that stood out for me & made me sit up.. I been following all the boys for a long time and he’s one of those rated highest so who am i to contest Arsene on his judgement on youth talent. I just dont think we’d be interested in a less experienced and lightweight Lee cattermole if he was playing at another club! do you?
J can you confirm if Eduardo, played in the friendly last week against Forest.
I’d agree, he gives the ball away cheaply, usually in bad positions, and looks like he’s going to break someone’s leg when he’s tackling back.. Perhaps in a few years he’d be a decent EPL player, but is it worth hanging on to him for that long, or him hanging on that long?
He’s been bitterly disappointing unfortunatley, I have had really high hopes for him but he has yet to impress me one bit.
A managers praise can really mean nothing though, look at the likes of Ryan Smith whom Wenger said he had amazing technique and reminded him of Bergkamp. Now where is he?
To me Randall looked to be a more attacking midfielder but over the last 3 CC games he seems to be more of a DM IMO. What i do like about Randall is he is more than happy to do the donkey work for the team. One thing i dont like about him is the wasteful filicks he tries to do. (quite a few of the CC team try it, when it works yeah it looks great but when it fails it looks fucking ridiculous) So, i think Randall could make at Arsenal as a DM aslong as he sticks to the simple stuff and sorts his hairstyle out. Also, if he is going out on loan, make sure Bendtner goes with him.
Whenever I have seen him I have been less than impressed, he seems to dawdle with the ball and when he does decide to pass it he doesn’t seem to have any awareness of what’s around him and gives it away.
I really wish him well but he gives the ball away an awful lot. I don’t doubt he can be great for the reserves, but basically every time he plays bigger games he is awful at retaining possesion, lets hope he improves and stays
H_Van_Smeiter,
I think you’ve got things right here. I think it’s the same for Jay Simpson, let him be out on loan for about 1½ seasons an he’ll develop into a very good player that could be an asset for our team.
I’d have to agree with the fact that Randell dosnt look like he’ll make it at the moment, but things can change quickly. Remember flamoney? he was a squad player until the last season when he proved his worth. Give randell another season or two. But i’d have to disagree with davids comments about gibbs and Lansbury, i think they have defiently got the potential to excell at arsenal.
If Wenger says he is exceptional we should all step back and question why he says it. Obviously the kid has something about him but needs to tighten up a bit. I;m in his corner to get ot done!
So far, I haven’t seen anything from him that would suggest he’s good enough for Arsenal. And deep down Arsene probably knows it as well…
I think Randall could make it, it just depends what he is like as a person. If he has a bit more patience than say you David Bentleys then I think he could have a chance. I like the comparison to Carrick, and one thing you could argue about a player in that mould is much of what they do is not particularly memorable, as he won’t make the killer pass, a nice finish or a fantastic tackle it is far easier to remember what he does badly than it is to remember what does come off. Good luck to him I say, one way or another he will end up playing at a high level, whether with us or another prem team we shall see….
does wenger only rate him so he gets a decent fee and a club to take him on loan? I mean does he REALLY rate him?
your welcome by the way..
We shouldn’t forget the EU rules and the fact that they place a premium on English players sho have come through our youth team. This combined with Platini’s threats, mean Arsene is goign to wait longer with these kids than he has in the past, as the potential rewards are greater than the potential costs in the current environment. As for Randall, with a bit more strength and tackling ability he may have a future, but he needs to learn to simplify his game a bit, or he’ll never be more than a championship player. Great players know that sometimes a 5 yard pass can be as effective as a 40 yard one. Glad to see we are hanging on to young jay. A local lad, and v different to all our other strikers, which gives him a certain value. Also his attitude is always exemplary, regardsless of how well he plays…
I think he has potential. The Burnley game was probably his worst in the Cup, but I thought he started that game alright too. He need to build some muscle though if he’s gonna play in CM. In the first 2 CC games he didn’t really look anything special, but he did good work behind Ramsey who was more attack minded. We need that kind of players to, it doesn’t always have to be fancy play. If he has the patience, the right mentality and will biuld up his strenght some more and polish his game (he’s made some horrible tackles) I think he could make it here. Time will tell.
i agree with the comparisons with carrick…but remeber he didnt really bloom until he was about 24-25 if we are honest. if we look at the likes of top brit midfielders ie barry gerrard lamprard and carrick they developed later and are now world class players. paitents is key. not everyone will be incredible like cesc by the age of 21.
Some of you people make me laugh – you think you know more than Arsene Wenger who sees him on a regular basis and knows a lot more about what makes a good player than you do!
I agree with Arsene – Mark is probably a late developer, but he clearly has quality and I thought he was excellent against Sheffield Utd and made a huge contribution to that success. He has had injury problems prior to the Wigan and Burnley games, which could explain why he was perhaps not as effective as in the first game. However, I think he offers that more defensive midfielder quality that a lot of people are suggesting we need, so why get rid of him before he has had a proper chance to prove himself? None of us can see the future, so why rush to judgement? We’d be kicking ourselves if he fills out and becomes that solid midfielder, who can also pass the ball well and score from distance, that could make a good contribution to the squad.
Mark Randall as good as Jack Wilshere if that were true he would be playing for England at youth level but he does not even get a call up so the so they cannot realy rate much as a football player then can they? IMO.
he seens like he can be a carrick type player….but he’s abit small in size, and he aint really dat much of a good passer of the ball..
i REALLLY, want arsene to sign yaya toure in january….
imagine yaya toure & diaby in the center midfield….WOW
the dopes you get on this site sometimes!!! Randall is class – as I said last summer when few agreed. Mr W is right oh no just a minute could it be the other way round and some of you are? I dont think so. Wise up learn the game
‘ve been really dissapointed this year with randell. i watched all the games he has played, pre season, carling cup etc and he just makes to many mistakes, to loose and makes 1 pass out of 10. I think hes got ability, but not at Arsenal. i like the new French lad Coquelin, my tip for the top!
JS do u think Wenger is going to buy Morgan Schnderlin from southampton. My saints mates tell me hes the best passer in the division, they say hes very skillful and has a good engine and most importantly hes a good tackler. Hes also 6ft 1 tall . I heard Wenger might loan denilson and song with schnderlin and an experienced player coming in
Fuckin arm chair pundits slating a young Arsenal player before he’s even got goin.
Clueless, plastics.l;
Fuck off
I love what Wenger said about Randel not worried about what people think about him. That’s great and I’m proud of him, he was the midfield in enforcer in the first CC game and had a pretty good run.
Mark was out drunk the last three Saturdays in milton Keynes!! Bad attitude. Do these young English players ever learn. He will go the same way as Pennant, Bentley etc.. Wenger is bigging him up to get him a drcrnt loan move thats all. No way good enough and bad attitude.
Randall is a late bloomer and has amazing technique. He’s just weak and slow, but he’s a skinny kid and will fill out in his early 20’s. In some ways I like him better than Lansbury because he can actually dribble past people.
BTW, Lansbury was compard to Gerrard by Wenger last year. Part of Gerrard games involves running past people, but I have seen very few instances of Lansbury doing this. Question I have was Lansbury able to get past people before his GF?
He was compared to Gerrard rather than Lampard who can’t dribble. I can’t see Lansbury making it if he can’t get past defenders because both Merida and Ramsey can do everything else he can do plus that.
Randall was very good against Sheffield and put in an inconsistent, but at times impressive performance against Wigan. He bottled it against Burnley though. Didn’t track his man back on the first goal, pawned on the second and often wasteful with the ball. He does seem to be a solid all around player, but nothing stands out enough to make a case for him displacing Denilson, Song or Diaby anytime soon – Ramsey is also clearly ahead of him and whoever arrives in Jan.
Perhaps he could develop into a Carrick-like player, but like Carrick he will likely have to start out down the table.
Wenger clearly does seem to rate him though, he brought him to Austria when he was 16 or 17. He seems to have a better chance of success in England than a player like Merida who clearly has great ability, but looks like he will head back to Spain to make his career.
How developed his the brains of many people commenting on this board? Apart From Cesc Wilshere Merida, his vision is better than eveyone else in squad including Ramsey.
Also how many deep-lying DM are out their football apart from Alonso and Carrick however we have a player who could become one, morons are shouting from the roof tops and talking smack. When you add the fact that he is also 6ft tall, with physical development and his technique, thats a lethal combination
Even many of current 1st team squad have been prone to going to sleep and apart from younsgter like Maldini and Cesc who had fantastic concentration from a very young age, inconsistency is what can happen with a young team. Anyone fully working brain and eyes that saw the Sheff Utd will know that only after Randall won 4-5 duels did our team settle down & played well
He has been ruthlessly efficient and effective as any memeber of our CC squad, putting only Song and Djourou ahead of him as our most important player. Only foolish kids with inbecile football brain are in denial of his talent.
H really looks like the next Frank Lampard, tuesday was a one-off and no-one played well.
David: How dare you …Gibbs is awesome! how can you pretend he will not make it, his runs are fantastic and his confidence and abilities make me rate him higher than Clichy.
All Carling Cup guys that are not first team should be going on loan ? apart from Barazite
Who’s welcome for what? And it’s ‘you’re’.
don’t understand the slagging off of randall.. it’s one thing to say he prob won’t make it at arsenal, but another to say he’s rubbish.. he’s fucken good, lacks some compsure at times but that will come.. everyone seems to expect players to peak at the age of 19 after cesc.
@SUPPERGUNNER07 spot on!
I really agree to the Carrick comparing. He still has a long way to go, but if he could just work hard, and sharpen his defensive qualities(I love his willingness to tackle), he could be great next to cesc in a few years. Could. As mentioned, still has a long way to go.
Randall won’t make it. He probably looks good in training, but really AW is just talking him up so that someone will come and get him. A DM needs to be tenacious and reliable. Randall isn’t lacking muscle, he just doesn’t like getting stuck in. He might make it as a right-sided player, where his Beckham-style long balls will look great if they ever come off. Coquelin doesn’t have Randall’s ability, but his attitude is spot on and hopefully he can make it.
Flamini didn’t have the body to play dm, but his engine tennacity and ability to tackle made him a very good holding midfielder.
Randall has got the tennacity and the engine and is a better passer than Flamini. He just needs to improve his positioing and his tackling.
This will come with time tho, and if he is patient enough to stay into his early 20’s we will have a classy holding midfielder.
Hargreaves wasn’t considered good enough by many fans until a good couple of games in the World Cup.