Selling Sanchez and Ozil the logical move for Arsenal

Selling Ozil and Sanchez the only way forward
As an Arsenal fan currently watching our latest implosion a feeling has grown in me that would seem to go against all logic. I’m starting to think it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if we lost either Sanchez or Ozil or whisper it gently, maybe even both?
To start with Sanchez, I think his attitude has been shocking in recent months. I don’t buy into all this “oh but he’s a born winner” nonsense. If he was a born winner then surely it wouldn’t be too much to ask to pull his finger out against Watford? Or maybe even pass the ball to one of his teammates against Chelsea? I’m no expert but if I was going to hold a club ransom for 200 grand a week I’d make sure my performances warranted it. I’ve heard people but Sanchez in the same bracket as Henry. Would Barca have sold Henry to us in his prime?
Ozil is a different kettle of fish. Although he seems like an introverted character I do believe that he likes the club and respects his teammates. He is also an absolutely outstanding talent. However, the guy just doesn’t have any bottle whatsoever. I think he needs to be at a huge club like Barca or Madrid where he can lay on assist after glorious assist without the pressures of being the main man or having all the spotlight placed upon him. It’s a shame but he has underperformed (considering his immense talent) 50 or 60% of the time since he has arrived here and I don’t think we will ever see the best of him for Arsenal.
Where do we go from there? I don’t have a clue, but a new incoming manager with a solid group of existing players and an additional 120 or so million to spend might have his own ideas?
ER AFC

Be careful not to go overboard on Silva
I want to ask a question that has arisen in my mind having read the last few mailboxes, and that is: Are we going a bit OTT with Marco Silva? The guy has come in and done a very good job in the games Hull have played since his arrival, on that we agree. But this is from an incredibly small sample size of around 8 games, which feels far too small with which to start touting him for the hypothetical Spurs job, for instance (see afternoon mailbox).
Now I hope he turns out to be brilliant, believe me when I say this, I am certainly not in the Merson/Thompson camp of only approving an appointment if they’re a former player with 1 degree of separation from Peter Reid, but to label him a huge success at this point seems to be jumping the gun somewhat, and leaves us all open to return schadenfreude reaction if it does go horribly wrong in the near future.
Can we just see it for what it is? A promising start and an excellent platform for him to build on, and not let our enjoyment of what it might eventually do to Messrs Merson and Thompson cloud our judgement and overstate his performance at this early stage.
(NB: I don’t mind if Hull fans throw around some hyperbole, that’s expected.)
Mike (buzzkill, fun at parties), London

We need some perspective on Leicester
Lots of radio debate Sunday about Ranieri being in trouble, whether he should be allowed to remain in his job because of last season no matter what, or do they need to bite the bullet. I’m neither here nor there personally but the media seem to be rounding on the players who are supposedly under-performing and saying Claudio is blameless. I’ve heard things like they’re too big for their boots and are no longer playing with any heart. Don’t agree. It’s double standards.
Leicester overachieved last season.
1) They got a head of steam partially through not being taken seriously for half a season, then rode a wave of confidence and deservedly saw it through in crunch time.
2) They had no europe while their contenders did.
3) as a result of 2, They maintained a settled team where others were rotating
4) They had Kante
5) Huth and Morgan WWE’d their way through games in both penalty boxes
This season the Foxes are into opposition raising their game territory, there’s no more ‘under the radar’ element so it’s really tough to get any momentum.
They are in Europe, a massive distraction, and has triggered squad rotation, a totally new dynamic. Kante is gone. And the 2 security guards are no longer allowed to toss people out of their path to win headers owing to the shirt pull/grapple clampdown.
These are all major factors that were always going to manifest themselves negatively this year, and this is a struggle for manager and players alike. It’s not through a lack of effort from Danny Simpson that teams are now making Leicester earn it.
It’s down to circumstance and a degree of natural progression. Defending the premier league is always hard, even more so when the title winning season was built on circumstances that no longer apply. These players need a bit more respect.
If it was Ranieri’s success last year then it is his failure this time. Likewise the players. You can’t praise one or defend one without the other.
JG Spurs

Erm, who are England’s strikers now?
The section on Andy Carroll and England’s strikers in W&L got me thinking – if the England squad was being chosen this week on current form and merit, not on past glories or last season or whatever, who would actually be in with a shout as a striker for the national team?
I was going to do a breakdown of who’s scored how many goals but stats get boring. So on current form, I’d keep Kane but bin Rooney, Sturridge and Vardy, then include Defoe and Carroll and possibly Crouch (with the idea being that AC and PC are never on the pitch at the same time – too little mobility & pace between them) and then keep Rashford in there, more because as a young player under Jose he’ll feel that he has a point to prove so hopefully produce something special.
I know a lot will disagree with that – so I’m interested to hear what other Mailboxers would do?
Alex

Another reason to stay away from FAN TV
Firstly, can I say that was an excellent article on Fan TV and as a Spurs fan I can assure you I do enjoy watching the arsenal rants whenever they lose! (plenty on Twitter let along Arsenal Fan TV!)
The article raises a cracking point about agencies getting involved with them and it’s the reason I don’t watch SpurredOn, Before watching it I saw that a particularly vocal tweeter who is quite openly a sky journalist along with being a spurs fan said they were going to be working on it. As soon as people like that get into doing these sorts of things then you know it’s starting to be about money than being about representing fans. Therefore giving these people views and clicks is pointless.
Unfortunately whatever people come up with in the current age and money in the game then people will always look to turn it into profit for themselves.
Scrooge (Bar humbug! I don’t know his last name)

Brendan Rodgers really is doing the business
At the weekend, it was the 19th league win in a row for Brendan Rodgers Celtic FC. The highlight was a goal which reads:
Biton TO
Sinclair TO
McGregor TO
Roberts TO
McGregor TO
Lustig TO
Dembele TO
Tierney TO
Dembele TO
Sviatchenko TO
Boyata TO
Gordon TO
Brown TO
Tierney TO
Brown TO
Biton TO
Lustig TO
Roberts TO
Lustig TO
McGregor TO
Lustig TO
Dembele TO
Lustig TO
McGregor TO
Dembele
GOAL!!
The movement of the ball was truly amazing. Every Player touched it, One-Two’s aplenty and it was a perfect combination of Team effort meets Moments of individual brilliance.
It had our Right back doing FOUR One-Twos, then running into the left winger position before playing a perfect Rebona to our “industrious” centre midfielder who played a perfect backheel slip to our waiting Centre forward who then slotted home to complete a hat-trick, 3 goalswithin 30 minutes of being on the pitch.
No doubt 99% of readers are now giving it “Its just Scotland (yawn)” but you won’t hear any Celtic fans complain whatsoever.
Paul Healy, Cloud 9 CSC, Glasgow