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1. Rey

   Jun 17, 2011, 12:39 #8830

   What does this guy know about football let alone Arsenal? There are some well researched and interesting articles on this site, but recently they have been few and far between. Instead I see more churlish and ignorant writing from this fool! This guy is clearly the "angry pub-fan" type and loves to talk his mouth of about how he knows more than anyone when actually he is just full of cra*. Surely you have some better stuff to be posting than this poorly written drivel?

2. Matt

   Jun 17, 2011, 10:50 #8825

   Ridiculous article. Lansbury a 4? You must be having a laugh, and benik afobe is only 18. Pathetic.

3. Chenks

   Jun 16, 2011, 19:19 #8817

   I can't believe The Gooner ran this story. This article introduces "the names being banded around" yet misses out Bartley, Botelho and Miyaichi... arguably the three best players to go on loan this year. Traore left Arsenal as a third choice LB yet played in 12 (not 10 as per the article) games for the mighty Juventus... how can that possibly equate to 0/10 ? Bentner got 13 goals at Birmingham which is double figures. He also managed 9 assists. He was 18 at the time. Missing such obvious points, and in some cases simply lying to drill home an anti-Arsenal point. Absolutely shocking.

4. DeZ

   Jun 16, 2011, 14:25 #8814

   John Evans - Gunner Fan Rating 0/10 - Spurs Fan rating 10/10

5. Onion bag

   Jun 16, 2011, 13:05 #8811

   more bad writing from john evans, when is this idiot going to give up? My 10yr old son can write a better article!

6. Jack B

   Jun 16, 2011, 11:28 #8808

   Another poor article from this contributor! You have already shown you have no knowledge on Arsenal with your "Fab to Madrid" B/S. Somehow you think you can rate prospective players? You are an idiot who is only happy when you are shouting your negative anti Arsenal b****x! Who cares what you think of any of these players? Most reserve and youth players end up being shifted on to other clubs, very few make it through, why are you surprised by this? Muppet!

7. Shropshire Lad

   Jun 16, 2011, 8:55 #8802

   Best and most informative article of the close season. Thank you John If I read one more pro/anti Wenger article or a 'who I think we should sign' article I think I shall slit my wrists! I think the only debate currently should be whether Cesc with his 'neutral' comments today should still be Captain of Arsenal. Perhaps the editor would like to set up a vote?

8. sam

   Jun 16, 2011, 0:29 #8798

   the article is so anti arsenal. the only mistake wenger is making is to refuse to bring in experience players to balance the team. anybody who entertains the idea that project youth at arsenal is a failure still doesnt know anything about arsenal football club. for 3 consecutive seasons now there is always someone who steps in to save the club from spending. song did it when we badly needed a DM and almost wasted 15 millions on a crazy brazilian melo. fabiansky did it this year when we badly needed to spend on a keeper. he performed well till he gets injured and i am sure he will keep getting better. this article is pointless because its against what arsenal stands for, the ability to get train underperforming players till the start producing. song was booed once, walcott was written off by everyone, djourou surprised us last seasons and surely there is more to come.

9. Geoff

   Jun 15, 2011, 19:02 #8796

   It's very difficult to tell when and if a player will be good. Koscielny is a good player, yet was playing in the French lower leagues 2 years ago (aged 23). Now we can look at players who you could argue developed late or played in the lower leagues recently. Chris Smalling, Diego Forlan, Guiseppe Rossi, Bobby Zamora? I would accept any of them into the squad, especially the first 3 mentioned at their peaks. Playing at a lesser level often affects your personal ability. Beckham wasn't MOM every game in the US and then returns to Europe and continues to succeed. Adebayor was rubbish initally, as was Drogba in his early years. Beckford was not top scored in League 1, yet is doing OK in the Premiership. Carlos Vela has potential, he just needs to strengthen and gain confidence. JET may one day make it with Arsenal, at a stretch. Botelho has a big future, as does Afobe and Sanchez Watt. Watt had to contend with Snodgrass, Becchio and Gradel at Leeds, there three best players and all owned by the club. It is not surprising that Leeds prioritised their own players. If any of those three were as young as Watt they would be raved about. Walcott was just slightly younger than Afobe when he left Southampton (with a similar goal ration). He hasn't yet really made it but we should definitely keep him. I agree with adding players, both young and old, but people need to lighten up. Keep what we have, add Gervinho, Samba/Cahill (+Vermaelen and Ramsey) and Benzema/Hazard (optimistic) and we have a force to be reckoned with. If only Samba had arrived in January I think we would have won the league. All doom and gloom but we aren't all that bad, we all know the deficiencies, and finally it seems Wenger is prepared to throw something into the team. I'm optimistic and I have faith in the man. Barcelona went through a very difficult phase before their more recent successes, namely from 1999-2004 they didn't win the League or ECL and look at them now. It's all about timing and a good batch of kids. Maybe not our finest right now but the following line-up is realistic and I think has trophies in it: Szczesny - Clichy/Gibbs (weak link), Vermaelen, Samba, Sagna - Song, Fabregas, Wilshere - Nasri, Van Persie, Gervinho - SUBS: Fabianski, Koscielny, Djourou, Ramsey, Miyaichi, Willian, Walcott. All those players could rotate in and out and I believe that squad is capable of matching the best. If Gervinho is crap, play Walcott, Willian or Miyaichi. The possibilities are endless. Imagine adding Benzema to that...

10. Gooner since 2004

    Jun 15, 2011, 17:04 #8793

    So Much for wengers youth policy

11. John Evans

    Jun 15, 2011, 16:53 #8792

    Wegin van Wegsie - Is the point made about JET struggling to get game time at Cardiff due to them only being able to field five loanees at any one time meant to be taking seriously? So someone who isn't able to be in the top five loanees at a Championship side that failed to gain promotion is considered as the 'big hope' for the future at Arsenal? The ratings out of ten were meant as a guide to the chances of the player making the grade at our club, not elsewhere as I am not that interested in a player that leaves our club and then maybe makes a career for himself at a Division One side. A point to consider is the simple fact that two seasons ago people were talking up players such as Mark Randall etc yet now he isn't considered to be good enough to play for Rotherham United on a regular basis. Is that not a little bit worrying as an Arsenal fan? People also go on about how much money these players are then sold for but when you factor in how much money as a club we have spent on their development from the time they come into the club very few would show a profit. For example even if we do recoup £10m on Bendtner this summer how much have we given him in wages over the last five years or so? It isn't all profit and that is one of the few that is worth some serious money where as many end up leaving for free or a nominal fee in the region of £1m.

12. Dan F

    Jun 15, 2011, 16:53 #8791

    Benik Afobe is ridiculously young - he has actually succeeded out on loan, and hopefully been toughened up a bit. I reckon he's a better prospect than 3/10

13. Paul

    Jun 15, 2011, 16:34 #8790

    "This topic reminds me of a conversation I had with my father a few years back when Barry Bender was out on loan at Birmingham. My father’s boss was a big Birmingham fan at the time and I asked my father what his boss thought of our young hope for the future. The Brummie’s response was that Barry Bender would never be a top goal scorer as he didn’t make it into double figures for the then Championship side. Let’s face facts, if you don’t stand out at that level you simply are not going to make the grade at Arsenal. Unfortunately this has been the case ever since with Barry developing into a waste of space." Bendtner scored 11 (double figures) in 42 apps for Birmingham at the age of 19. Boring predictable rubbish article. Give these lads a chance, most of them are only 18 and it's all about learning. Bendtner had his chance, probably blown it and will move on, give the lads a chance to try to be a success.

14. bade the gooner (bernard)

    Jun 15, 2011, 15:10 #8787

    this post is so frustratingly true.... sad, but true though i still opt 3 of the above mentioned to make it, afobe, coquilen & lansbury. about vela, i think it's arsene's blame. he was great when started, but arsene didn't give him a areal chance (lokk at poor players like denilson & eboue that were given 150+ appearances before judging them as failures). i still believe a good & motivating manager would get miracles out of him. but it won't be at arsenal as long as arsene is there.... (& sadly he'll be there for a while...)

15. Andreas

    Jun 15, 2011, 15:02 #8786

    It's a bit unfair to grade loanee's as they are only at a club temporarily and are there for cover not to establish themselves. Our players go out on loan for experience plus there are not enough games for reserves for them to all play in. Had Landsbury joined Norwich permanantly he would've played more.

16. Arsene Wenger

    Jun 15, 2011, 14:59 #8785

    Sunu is the new Henry. Lansbury is the new Beckham. Afobe is the new George Weah. Frimpong is the new Essien. Vela is the new Hugo Sanchez. Watt is the new Tony Daley. Traore is the new Roberto Carlos. Mannone is the new Buffon. Eastmond is the new Carlton Palmer. JET is the new Desailly. Randall is the new Scholes. NONE of you have worked half a day in football remember? I am the great Arsene Wenger, master of the universe, and no one can teach me anything about football management, so I won't be getting in a defensive coach. Yes you heard. Not even Alex McLeish can teach me about tactics, how did he do against me in the cup final then? Hmmmm? I have won nothing in six years, but I insist that GERVINHO is the answer, he will in no way be as useless as Eboue. He speaks French besides! Our Youth project is a wonderful success, look at how happy Cesc and Samir are. Look at my loverboy Abou. And my other gimp Denilson. Happy as can be. Look at how Bendtner has progressed since coming back from the Championship. Look at it. Wonderful. I KNOW. Ok? I have a 15 year plan, come and talk to me in 30 years and see how many 4th place domestic trophies I have won.

17. bishbashbosh

    Jun 15, 2011, 14:19 #8783

    Sorry this is absolute rubbish, most of these players arn't even 20 and you're already slagging them off. How on earth can a player have a 0/10 rating?

18. Mark

    Jun 15, 2011, 13:36 #8782

    if we keep cesc and sami and add 4 or 5 top men and clear out deadwood then i would say this is all in part thanks to online gooner and the like who moaned loud when someone needed to moan loud and didnt just do the usual and be quiet and eat ****. this is a english trait of course, to take all the crap the goverment or an authority figure throws at them and not moan. fortunately there have been many on this blog who cared enough to moan and hats off to them all !

19. Keith Goon

    Jun 15, 2011, 13:16 #8780

    I don't know the authors intention, but in the first paragraph he mentions how a lot of the players on loan have been mentioned by fans on this site and others as being possible first team players NEXT season. It was on this basis that I read the article and I therefore believe the marks were intended to indicate the prospect of them being in the first team NEXT season. Not, as some people seem to have jumped to the conlusion, at some point in the future. If I'm right, then I would have to concur with the authors views as Coquelin and Lansbury are the only two who I think will be in with a sniff of the first team for PL games in the next 12 months. As other commenters have pointed out though, Bartley and Botelho, who have both been missed off this list, might also be in contention, at least as back-up.

20. Vikram Singh Negi

    Jun 15, 2011, 13:12 #8779

    I agree with the fact that Eastmond and Randall will never make it. The same holds true for Sunu and Watt. But the ratings given for Mannone, Vela, Traore, Lansbury, JET and Afobe are a bit harsh. JET had to compete with Bellamy and Bothroyd for a first team place. Mannone had many clean sheets when he played and got good reviews. Traore was playing for Juve and we knew he wouldnt get that many chances. Vela again will only flourish as a striker and they had Odemwingie for that. And please mention about our South American kids too.

21. Gary Gooner

    Jun 15, 2011, 13:04 #8778

    What a load of codswallop this article is! I am all for people putting forward constructive points but this is ridiculous. Agreed some are not going to make it whom you have mentioned but players like Afobe and Coquelin still have a good chance to shine and show their qualities and as someone else pointed out Kyle Bartley has has a great loan spell at Rangers and looks a really good prospect. We all know that we need to sign some players but to slag of this system smacks of just wanting something to moan about. Grow Up.

22. Kev G

    Jun 15, 2011, 12:41 #8777

    We loan our players out at such a young age that any teenager is going to struggle to make an impact at championship level club. Benik Afobe, for example, has only just turned 18 and whilst his contribution in terms of goals was minimal to Hudds, his overall game was very, very good. I agree with some of the players you have written off. But to write some of them off when they are just cutting their teeth in professional football is ridiculous. We as Arsenal fans are quicker than others to write off a player as we see too many youngsters in and around the squad. However players need time to develop their game. The age where players start to show what kind of player they will be is around 23, apart from the freaks like Messi etc. Look at someone like Adam Johnson at Man City. He is 24 (older than Walcott) but has only been on the scene about two seasons. I don't remember anyone slaughtering him as an 18-21 year old, writing him off at every turn and every failed cross being met with "He has to improve his final product" Some lads won't make it, but let's not destroy everyone before they been given a proper chance

23. Flegly

    Jun 15, 2011, 12:37 #8775

    I concur, Wenger failing again, surely if they are 'Arsenal' players on loan to these 'lesser' clubs then they should score 30 goals a season and be awarded MOM for every game, if not they haven't learned a thing and would have been better off staying at home. Good job they have us who are in the perfect position to judge personal development and our marks out of 10 give a great guide to the future. IAN WRIGHT anyone?

24. Mark

    Jun 15, 2011, 12:17 #8774

    well researched article. only solution is to put hands up mr wenger and say we were wrong and we are now changing strategy quickly and then go out and purchase 3 british backbone established players and going forward buy less 16 year olds. by the way a couple of strong brits would help bring Theo on more. talk to him straight as Adams would have done. He can still be great but he has to show more british spirit, get injured less and toughen up

25. Highbury Boy

    Jun 15, 2011, 11:57 #8773

    I have also followed the fortunes of the loanees on a weekly basis throughout the season and most of them hardly get any playing time. Some manage a few minutes as sub late in the game. Can't see the system works so well either for Arsenal or the player but it is very much part of Arsenal's business model. As we cannot compete with the really big spenders and Wenger doesn't like to follow the Spurs model (even before Redknapp) of buying lots of mid-price players hoping some would come good we have "Project Youth " We obtain the raw material from around the world,offer very good short-term contracts then offer above the odds long-term contracts at around 18 for the ones who Wenger believes can make it (or have on-sale value) but they need to be "parked" often with Arsenal swallowing big chunks of the salary. The Project in terms of wages is not cheap as can be seen from the Accounts and can result in loads of players twiddling their thumbs but is overall cheaper than the other business models and is justified by Arsenal by citing Bentley,Sidwell,Wilshere as examples,although the present crop does not look very exciting in terms of playing for Arsenal or resale value.

26. Pete

    Jun 15, 2011, 11:51 #8772

    A bit difficult to take this article seriously when you rate a number of players at zero. Online Gooner always has good things to say about AFC but often makes its points in such a vindictive and condescending manner that its difficult to give credibility to what is said...

27. Fishpie

    Jun 15, 2011, 11:41 #8770

    I thought the point of John's piece wasn't to write off our young prospects forever, it was simply to ponder whether any of them could do a job as a squad player for next season rather than have to buy more players. And he's right, none of them are good enough YET. With more time a few might become good enough. But to be really honest, in 14 years of Arsene, very few specific individuals (Cole, Fabregas and Wilshire) have emerged as unequivically good enough players. Despite their potential/strengths, the jury is still out a little, for me,on Walcott, Djourou, Clichy, Song, Ramsey, Wojeshny, Gibbs. Under Wenger (and Brady) Arsenal haven't produced the batches we used to: The Kennedy/George/Kelly/Radford/Rice batch, the Brady/Stapleton/O'Leary/Rix batch and the Adams/Keown/Rocastle/Thomas/Merson batch. Some might argue there was a batch under Wenger but they were discarded and scattered around other clubs - players such as Maumba, Larsson,Sidwell,Bentley,Pennant,Thomas,Upson. Others might argue the clubs they've largely ended up playing for inidicates they weren't good enough. I bet Larsson and Sidwell would have worn the shirt with pride and put more of a shift in than Diaby and Denilson though.

28. Carlos

    Jun 15, 2011, 11:11 #8769

    A question that needs answering regarding these players is, what now? will they be loaned until their contracts run down and be let go, or will those that may show some promise be given the sort of deals that are a millstone around the club's neck, i.e. huge amounts being paid for players who have a chieved nothing. This article shows that the manager is pursuing a scattergun policy with these young players, and is not willing to ship them out because it will look bad on him.

29. Maturks

    Jun 15, 2011, 11:01 #8768

    You forgot that the coaches down there have their preferences. You rated Coquelin higher than Lansbury who scored more goals and played in a tougher league. You also rated Sunu higher which he didn't deserve. Do you also belong to the French cabal that Cashley talked about?

30. Cheshire Gooner

    Jun 15, 2011, 10:55 #8767

    Question is how many have made it through the ranks to be a regular first teamer in the last 15 years? That ****er Cole. Wilshere....Um...too early to say Chesney, Gibbs etc...You can't count Cesc, he's got Barca DNA. Very few youth players at big clubs make it through. Not just Arsenal. We've made decent money out of those who haven't quite made it as well - Bentley, Muamba, Stokes have all moved for decent fees, with percentage based sell on clauses too. Arsenal have a huge youth system and very high expectations. Few make it with us but a good number carve out careers in the mid-Prem and lower leagues. I think the more important point is how many of the younger players we've bought in (as opposed to developed from schoolboys) haven't really done it. Bendtner, Merida and Denilson, Vela, Diaby etc... Arrive with decent reputations, and on decent money, and don't develop well enough. That's where project youth has "failed" in my opinion. And this is where I expect this summers' signings to focus - the replacement of the non-Arsenal nearly men. It would be foolish as a club to disregard the youth system. Every so often you unearth a Wilshere shaped gem. Most of the time you flog average players for decent money. Either which way its a positive for a club. It isn't the true youth system that is a problem in my eyes, its the mass purchasing of young players with potential but no guarantee of success. PS - Cesc ain't at Madrid yet....

31. Wegin van Wegsie

    Jun 15, 2011, 10:46 #8766

    Regarding JET, he was caught because Cardiff have a lot of loanees, and they can only select 5 in any match. So he didn't get the game time he was looking for. I think he's got the potential to be an Arsenal player, it's the application that's missing. Regarding Afobe, he's still 18. It's his first loan. Let's give him more time!

32. Soup Dragon

    Jun 15, 2011, 10:03 #8765

    You appear to have overlooked the one loanee who is ready for a run at the first team. Pedro Bothello. I also think you are being a little harsh on Coquelin, finally judging Afobe purely on a goals to games ratio is a little misleading, his all round game has improved greatly during his loan spell and whilst probably in need of a further loan, at 18 years old the potential for another leap forward is most certainly there.

33. Ron

    Jun 15, 2011, 9:58 #8764

    You cant make a sweeping generalisation that these or other young players wont make it for various reasons. Theyve never been given a shirt for long enough only having had fleeting chances and youve maybe not seen them play anyway. I do reckon though that if a young player is good enough, its ususlly obvious and wont need loans and such like to nail down a place. Yes, i know that you might quote Wilshere, but to be honest i feel his loan was to help accelerate his progress to the 1st team and not to see if he had what it takes to be given a chance. Never mind what these players become, we need signings nonheless. AW s 'creche scheme' doesnt work and its flaws have been obvious for some years. Whats sustained the fans patience hitherto is the Stadium move and the debt that created. It seems though that the Club are still playing on that to avoid some serious team investment. Its a ploy that leads to mid table though.

34. GoonerB

    Jun 15, 2011, 9:52 #8763

    This is a very interesting article and while the focus of fans seems to be on other matters such as spending on proven players, ticket rises and the poor defence, this article raises an extremely serious point, (possibly as serious as all the others put together), about our promoting through from the acadamy.I think we have all been aware that very few of the young loanees have been getting much game time but when put down in an article like this you can see how dire it actually is. This system is failing, not only the young players in question but also the clubs vision of developing the bulk of our squad ourselves.Surely the whole idea is to get regular playing time at a slightly lower level with the loan system. My take on it was that these players had acquired all the basic technical ability to a higher degree than the majority of other players in the English leagues and that, as it is more difficult to force your way past other players at Arsenal, all that was left was for them to go to a club where their ability was a notch above, and therefore play regularly showing what they can do on a consistent basis. The current alternative is to hang around in the reserves. With either situation currently we are not getting an opportunity to see if some of these players can step up and they could just drift along and then be moved on as Mark Randall has. I feel there are 2 ways of looking at this. One is that these players do not actually suit the more physical rushed game in the lower leagues and therefore seem out of place ending up sitting on the bench while a less technical but harder working player takes their place. If this is the case we maybe need to look at either loaning to more suitable EPL clubs or use more overseas loans, even for the English lads. The second way of looking at it is that they are simply not good enough and that we have over-estimated the quality of our acadamy system. This would be far more serious and damning as it would ridicule the whole vision the club have adhered to for the last number of years.

35. DJADBMc

    Jun 15, 2011, 9:43 #8762

    John Your constant negativity is getting tedious. I note you have also given the players’ tabloid-esq’ prospect ratings out of ten....Sadly this is the type of blog that is now customary of this site. One of the reasons why young players are sent out on loan is to assess how they handle the step up from reserve team football. Some may forge a career at Arsenal – most will not. This is no different to any other top level club in the country. Wilshere only played 14 games when on loan at Bolton, and has now developed into one of the best midfielders in the country. PS Cesc still has not signed for Madrid and we are now mid-June.

36. Illybongani

    Jun 15, 2011, 9:38 #8761

    A fair assessment, although 2/10 for Sunu is a little generous. There are a couple of others you could have had - Botelho, Galindo and Wellington who also have failed to impress. The only others who have even remotely enhanced their reputations would be Kyle Bartley and Ryo Miyaichi. A poor return from Project Youth by anyone's standards.

37. chris dee

    Jun 15, 2011, 9:31 #8760

    Yep absolutely right,but we must remember that even if one or two player from a youth team make it to the first team squad it would be a success at any club. If the players you mention wanted to even be considered for the first team squad they would have had to show they were a cut above the players at their loan clubs.None of them even came close. Lansbury might just make it in a championship team.Emmanuel Thomas who has the skill to make it but is another Bendtner in the making,all ego and but no willingness to work and push himself hard and improve. Where I disagree is Mannone,who had a good run in the first team at the age of 20 and then did very well at Hull before being injured.He showed as much promise as Chesney and I believe would not have made that horrendous mistake at Wembley.

38. Wazza

    Jun 15, 2011, 9:27 #8759

    Extremely harsh, especially on Benik Afobe. He's only turned 18 this year and this was his first season out on loan. It isn't all about the amount of goals you score at that age, you probably didn't realise that towards the back end of the season he picked up 4 man of the match awards in a row and he is one of the most highly rated youngsters in the academy right now.

39. mel

    Jun 15, 2011, 9:18 #8758

    Great article - you just missed a few words in your penultimate para re Barry bender: A ridiculously well paid waste of space !