Arseblog - The Arsecasts, Arsenal Podcasts

There's not a lot of Arsenal news this week, but here's a podcast anyway. I'm joined by Tim Stillman to chat about the World Cup, Brazil's chances of going the distance, his aversion to VAR versus the drama and entertainment it provides, as well as an update from the supporter's club meeting which saw Unai Emery meet fans for the first time. What were his impressions of the new boss? And how Ivan Gazidis is taking ownership of this new project which distancing himself from what came before. There's some of the usual waffle in there too.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On today's show more World Cup chat, Mesut Ozil and Alex Iwobi are dropped, Xhaka scores a banger but might end up in trouble with FIFA for his celebration, David Ospina just needs more cuddles than anyone else, while away from Russia there are more links to Ever Banega, as well as a very interesting cover on the latest edition of the Arsenal magazine. Then it's listener questions about which England players we should buy, who will be the first player sold by the new boss, World Cup haircuts good and bad, the dangers of eating too many jacket potatoes, incredible dexterity with left hand/right hand confusion brought about by late-life learning skills, and much more.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On today's show I chat with James from Gunnerblog about the arrival of new goalkeeper Bernd Leno, the departure of Jack Wilshere, our transfer business in general, and the changes at coaching level – including the retention of Steve Bould as one of Unai Emery's assistants. Then it's World Cup and specifically Iceland's involvement with ‪@Antonstotle‬. He talks about what it means to see them there, how such a small nation has made such great leaps, and we touch on the campaign so far, especially after their amazing draw with Argentina in the opening game.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The World Cup is underway and that's the main focus of today's podcast, but with a close look at the Arsenal players taking part and how things are going for them. We discuss the use of VAR, and the new deal signed by Granit Xhaka which shows he's likely to be a key part of Unai Emery's midfield next season. Then we answer questions about Mesut Ozil and why there seems to be such debate and discussion about him as a player and his performances, the participation of the U21s in the Checkatrade Trophy next season, and lots more besides including a smattering of Jeff Goldblum.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With the signing of Uruguayan midfielder Lucas Torreira said to be near completion, I'm joined by James Horncastle who gives us some insight into the Sampdoria man. We look at his career progression, what kind of a player he is, how he might fit into the Arsenal set up, his strengths and weaknesses and more, before we chat for a bit about the World Cup which kicked off in Russia last night. Then it's Arsenal history with Andy Kelly, Mark Andrews and Tim Stillman. Their new book 'Royal Arsenal: Champions of the South' uncovers some fascinating new stuff about the formation of the club, dispels some myths and misinformation, going as far as discovering the exact plot of land on which our first game was played on. There's also a chance to win a signed copy.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This podcast begins with a discussion about sawing off your own arm, which tells you how quiet things are at the moment. Nevertheless, we discuss Tomas Rosicky's testimonial, transfer links to players young and old, changes at academy level, and Sven's scouting, before we answer questions about how much is going on behind the scenes, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, what Unai Emery is doing with his summer, fruit chucking, making a delicious thing extinct and loads more besides.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On today's show I chat to Paolo Bandini about the signing of 34 year old Stephan Lichtsteiner who joins after seven successful years with Juventus. What kind of a player is he? What kind of an impact will he have on the squad on and off the pitch? Is his age a worry in the fast-paced Premier League? Paolo gives us the lowdown on that, and we also discuss the appointment of Unai Emery, transfers, and the television rights deal which has seen Amazon get some of the games. There's a smattering of the usual waffle, some digital assistant mayhem, a bit of doggus interruptus and an old friend right at the end.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's been a quiet week but we still have some aural pleasure for you as we – with the help of your questions – chat about the Arsenal legends and their game against Real Madrid, strange shirt names, a truncated transfer window, Alex Iwobi's future under Unai Emery, Joel Campbell, Michael Bolton's hair and its relevance to James, an odd name on the back of a shirt, we try and figure out what Ivan Gazidis's pudding tastes like, and much more.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today's show is a call-in show, recorded last night. I answered calls at random and spoke to Arsenal fans about all kinds of things, including hopes and expectations under Unai Emery, our transfer plans for this summer, the future of Aaron Ramsey, what kind of leeway the new manager will get, social media, the World Cup, the issue of the captaincy, and lots more. Thanks to everyone who called in, and apologies if you tried and I couldn't get to your call.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this week's show we reflect on the week since the announcement of Unai Emery taking over as head coach, with some thoughts about hopes about what the Spaniard is going to do and how he's going to do it. We discuss the strong links to experienced defenders Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Stephan Lichtsteiner, and what those arrivals might say about our approach and the rest of the transfer business we need to do this summer. We answer questions about the Sven Mislintat impact, the other signings we might make as well as our traditional predictions about how we'll spend between now and the end of the transfer window, which players might improve under Emery and lots more.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Arsenal appointed a new head coach, Unai Emery, on Wednesday. The Spaniard's name was barely mentioned, but he's going to be the man tasked with bringing Premier League competitiveness back to the club, building on what Arsene Wenger left behind and hopefully adding to the trophy cabinet along the way. With me to discuss the last few weeks, the processes, the decision making and impressions of Emery's first press conference is David Ornstein, followed editor of Football Espana, Colin Millar, who talks about his management/coaching style, his successes and failures and much more.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

So this episode was recorded live at Union Chapel last night, and during the first half of the show we discussed lots of things but also the future on the assumption that Mikel Arteta was about to be made manager of the club. At the break we were informed of David Ornstein's Tweet about the change in the situation as we now look set to appoint Unai Emery. You can hear the reaction of the room, the change in direction in the second half as we go down that particular road, there are listener questions, some Arsene Wenger departure chat and lots more besides.Thanks to Amy and Philippe for joining us and to all the guests who came along on what was a lovely London evening.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On today's show we have a round-table discussion about the final game of the season and the season as a whole, including Arsene Wenger's departure and where we go from here. Mikel Arteta's name is being strongly linked with the job so we discuss his suitability for the job, the pros and cons of a manager who has never managed, the influence of the new football executive structure at the club and how the IRS have a big responsibility to take us forward, the mix of trepidation, curiousity and excitement is interesting.Joining me to chat about all that are @eastlower, @LGAmbrose and @Poznaninmypants.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Arsene Wenger took charge of his final game as Arsenal manager yesterday, a 1-0 win over Huddersfield which is discussed briefly, but the main chat is about the occasion, and the fact that the manager is no longer going to be in charge. We talk about his legacy, the season in general and where we've ended up (we even leave sentiment out of it for a little while). Then we answer some of the many questions about the pros and cons of Mikel Arteta as the potential replacement, some of the moments of the season, the role of the board in selecting the new man, a few nice memories to finish off with, and loads more.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is a bit of a strange one: the last ever Arsecast with Arsene Wenger as manager. He's been a constant throughout the lifetime of this show, so I chat with James from Gunnerblog about that, this long goodbye we've had with him, some typically wonderful press conference stuff from the boss, and what comes next. Then I chat with writer Tom Williams about his excellent new book 'Do you speak football?'. This is a glossary of football words and terminology from around the world. How many different ways can you say nutmeg? Why is a clean sheet unique to English? And what on earth is a BATTLE PIG? Find out more in the show. There's also a final farewell to a long time Arsecast character, not so regular anymore, but he pops in at the end to say his goodbyes.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

James is away this week, so I called over to Tayo Popoola's house to record this week's show. Over pastries and prosecco, we discuss the emotional day yesterday which saw Arsene Wenger take charge of the team for the final time at home. We chat about the day itself, the manager's legacy, what a beautiful occasion it was marked with a 5-0 win and an outpouring of goodwill and sentiment towards the boss. We then answer some listener questions about Wenger, possible replacements, the board and lots more (and there's some laughing at Stoke too!).  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Defeat at the Wanda Metropolitano means there's no fairy tale ending for Arsene Wenger, nor any silverware for Arsenal this season. Diego Costa's goal was enough to see Atletico Madrid through, and in this somewhat hastily arranged podcast I chat to Charles Watts of Football London about the loss, the performance over the two legs, how the Gunners blew a great opportunity in the first leg, what it says about the manager, where it leaves us for the final few games, summer transfers, Koscielny's heartbreak, and more, as well as some of the usual waffle as I look back on my trip to Madrid for the game.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Defeat to Manchester United but a day from which we can draw some positives, not least the performances of some of the young players sent out at Old Trafford. We chat about the Konstantinos Mavropanos debut, Reiss Nelson and Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Calum Chambers, the overall context of the game and ask questions about the 'Granit Xhaka narrative' peddled by Sky. Then we answer listener questions about Thursday's semi-final second leg in Madrid, what kind of a manager we might appoint with the transfer budget we have, how we might spend that reported £50m if we had to splash it on just one player, what's happened Rob Holding, Sven Mislintat's influence and lots more.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It was so close to being a great European night, but a late defensive slip-up allowed 10 man Atletico Madrid to grab an equaliser. James and I chat about the impact that goal might have on the tie, how it has turned what was generally a positive night into a more negative one, while acknowledging there were some positives on the night and that it's far from over ahead of the second leg in Madrid next week. We then answer listener questions about our centre-halves, the need for a new goalkeeper next season, how we might approach Sunday's game at Old Trafford and lots more.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Here's an super extra bonus Arsecast ahead of tomorrow's Europa League semi-final first leg against Atletico Madrid. I chat with Spanish based journalist Dermot Corrigan about what Arsenal can expect from the La Liga side, how they're likely to approach this game, Diego Simeone's tactics for big away fixtures, their dangermen and more, plus some insight into Arsenal's Definitely Not Director of Football, Raul Sanllehi, and his close relationship with former Barcelona boss Luis Enrique who has been hotly tipped as one of the main candidates to succeed Arsene Wenger at the end of the season.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.