The one month away? Yeah. But I think it's not that a big a problem. French teams with 8 or 9 African stars survive the AFCON each year. This year, the only man of note we are losing is Gervinho, so we're largely shielded from it.

No ACN and shorter travel times are better than having ACN and longer travel times; that's all. Not really sure why there is a need to delve deeper into the reasoning.

Oh, I agreed with you that it's an annoyance, but I don't think it's as big as many make it out to be. Where top class players are available, you take them and think about AFCON later.

It's because an 'in-season' tournament often has a severe impact on the rest of the said season. The ACN will be better now that it takes place in odd years but the same is equally true of south american players and asian players; it's not exclusive to the african zone. If a player is able to play for a european nation, it is favourable given the calendar.

The flat-capped one speaks truth. The ACN involves a heavy roster for a successful country—could be up to 6 pressure matches in 3 weeks in unfamiliar stadia and locations.

Burnwinter wrote:

The flat-capped one speaks truth.

He's still a wanker though

At least one a day, twice on the weekend.

Not that keen on Diame. He's very inconsistant.

well we're down to his level now, so welcome aboard.

Although a lad at work reckons he's very good, so who knows.

No signings will help improve us with Wenger's insistence on putting players in their flat-out wrong positions. Not to mention his penchant for coaching any individuality out of their games.

Not picking on you Franny, but just seems like empty rhetoric to me. Wenger didn't coach the individuality out of Henry, Pires, Cesc, Kanu etc. And he's not coached it out of Gervinho or Chamberlain either.

For years people said he'd ruined RVP by making him more of a team player, big now he's the best centre forward in the world.

Not convinced this team needs a guy called Mo in it.

@lorddulaarsenal wrote:

after zlatan, falcao, ronaldo and messi that is.

Ronny and messy ain't centre forwards. And he's at least as good as the other two.

#Timmeh wrote:
@lorddulaarsenal wrote:

after zlatan, falcao, ronaldo and messi that is.

Ronny and messy ain't centre forwards. And he's at least as good as the other two.

Well they would be better in that position too

Messi's not a striker??

Sun reporting that West Ham, in a bid to scare us off, are offering to double Diame's wages if he agrees to doubling his buy-out clause.