Welcome to Thomas Rooney’s Weekly Column

Arsenal will go into next season believing they can win the Premier League. This has to be the case. They are a huge club who have won the title before, so why shouldn’t they aim for the highest prize possible in English football?

The reality though, is that no trophy has been won in four years. With this in mind, have Arsene Wenger’s current squad got a Premier League title in them? Can they overcome the power of Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea and win the league?

Before we answer this ourselves, it is worth highlighting the views of Manuel Almunia. This is because the Arsenal keeper has revealed that ‘youth doesn’t give you titles’, suggesting that Arsenal’s youngsters cannot win the league this year.

The Spaniard then went on to say that in order to go ‘a step further’ and win the Premier League, the squad needs to be ‘braver in big games’ and that the club needs to ‘make extra effort’ to make the team more competitive. Basically, he thinks that youth on its own isn’t quite the answer.

To be honest, I can see what Almunia is saying here. He believes that Arsenal can’t keep using the youth tag as an excuse for failing to achieve major honours. Yes, Wenger has a young squad, but they need to stand up and be counted. They need to show that they are wise beyond their years.

Cesc Fabregas is a classic example of what young players at Arsenal should aim for. At just 22-years-old, he has become one of the main leaders of this Arsenal team and acts like one of the most experienced members of the squad.

He thrives on responsibility and he loves to lead by example. For someone of his age, this is quite extraordinary and extremely valuable to the Gunners. What Wenger needs next season though is for more players to take on this role.

Theo Walcott, Denilson, Alex Song, Nicklas Bendtner and Gael Clichy are all young players, but they need to start maturing beyond their years if Arsenal are to win the Premier League. They need to realise that they are not only at Arsenal to develop as a footballer, but to win trophies for the club.

As for the answer to the initial question – Can Arsenal win the Premier League with the current squad? – it is yes. As long as a couple of key individuals raise their game and take on that extra piece of responsibility, there is no reason why Arsenal can’t go on a good run and conquer all.

What are your thoughts on this and Almunia’s comments? Can Arsenal’s youngsters win the league next year or is it going to be another season of development? Premier League betting on this one could well be split…

Welcome to Thomas Rooney’s Weekly Column

Arsene Wenger has been at Arsenal for many years now, but he is still as focused as ever in terms of bringing young players through to the first team. This has happened many times in the past and will continue to happen as long as Wenger is at the club.

The difference with the latest trio of youngsters to sign long-term deals though is that they are all British. Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs have all committed their futures to Arsenal and this has to go down as a positive piece of news.

If the Gunners could have a team that was made up of several British players, this would be fantastic. Not only would it benefit Arsenal, it would benefit England as well. Time and time again I have said that the England team would have been more successful if some of their players were coached by Wenger.

So, what details do we have on the these three players?

Well, Ramsey was signed from Cardiff City last summer and has a huge amount of potential. At 18-years-old, he is already a full international for Wales and made a number of appearances for Arsenal in the Champions League last season.

Speaking about signing the creative midfielder to a new deal, Wenger said that he is a ‘very intelligent player with great quality’. Overall, the Arsenal boss is looking forward to ‘seeing him develop in the forthcoming years’.

Next up is Wilshere. At 17-years-old, he is the youngest of the trio and he made Arsenal history last season when he became the youngest player to represent them in the league at just 16 years and 256 days old.

Wilshere has been at the club since he was 9-years-old and has developed into a very promising midfield player who can operate anywhere across the middle of the park. Wenger says that Wilshere made ‘great progress’ last season and that ‘potential is huge’ for what he can achieve during his Arsenal career.

The most recent youngster to sign a new deal is Gibbs. The 19-year-old has signed a long-term contract after making a huge impact on first team proceedings last season. He made 21 first-team appearances, including four in the Champions League.

Most of these appearances came at left-back and there is no doubt he can push Gael Clichy for a starting role in this position next season. Wenger also commented on Gibbs’ future by saying that the progress he made throughout the last year ‘was fantastic’. As with the other two, Wenger is ‘excited’ about what Gibbs can achieve during his Arsenal career.

All in all, it has been a fantastic close season for Arsenal’s youngsters so far. Theo Walcott, Lukasz Fabianski, Aaron Ramsey, Jake Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs have all committed their future to the club this summer and this can only be a good thing.

Of these players, who do we fancy to make the biggest impact next season?

Welcome to Thomas Rooney’s Weekly Column

England are in the final of a major international competition. This is worth talking about. The fact it is against Germany makes it even more exciting. Then, you can add the fact that Arsenal’s very own Theo Walcott and Kieran Gibbs will be representing England on Monday night.

It is excellent to see Arsenal with two young English players with bags of potential and there is no doubt that both Gibbs and Walcott will have a major role to play for Stuart Pearce’s men in the final.

With Frazier Campbell and Gabriel Agbonlahor suspended for the Germany game, Walcott is likely to perform in a lone striker role and will be the main attacking threat for Pearce on the night.

Speaking about the prospect of playing in the final, Walcott said that the whole squad ‘can’t wait’ for the game to begin. He also says how he is ‘buzzing’ at the prospect of winning a competition where everyone involved has been ‘fantastic throughout’.

Walcott also revealed how the whole experience has been very beneficial for him. Some had questioned his involvement in an Under-21 tournament given his experience with the full international team, but he says that it has been ‘fantastic here in Sweden.’

He went on to say he is determined to ‘get England’s name on that trophy’. Nothing has been achieved yet according to the Arsenal man because all he wants to do is come home with his head held high after winning a major competition with England.

This is, of course, something he will be hoping to do next summer with Fabio Capello’s England squad. Walcott is likely to be one of the main players for the Italian in next summer’s World Cup and this experience in Sweden will surely do him plenty of good.

All he needs to do now is prove why he has made an impact on the World Stage with the full England side. Walcott needs to show this Under-21 tournament that he is one of the best young players around. By starting up front on Monday, he has a great chance to show what he can do. Hopefully, he will make Arsenal proud to call him their own.

As for Gibbs, well his reputation has improved no end during this tournament. He has shown a fantastic ability to cope with pressure and proved to Arsene Wenger that he can handle it on the big stage. Does anybody think he can compete with Gael Clichy for a starting spot at left-back next season?

Overall, big things are expected of Gibbs and Walcott in the future. They should have great success with both club and country. For now though, they need to concentrate on beating Germany on Monday to help England win a major European competition. This won’t look at all bad on their football CV, it has to be said.

By Thomas Rooney

Welcome to Thomas Rooney’s Weekly Column

We have come to the last part of our ‘Where are they now’ feature and today we will be focusing on two of Arsenal’s greatest ever central defenders Martin Keown and Steve Bould. What did they achieve at Arsenal? What type of players were they? What have they done since leaving? What does the future hold for them?

As ever, we take a look – your views are welcome as always!

Martin Keown – It is fair to say that Keown was one of the most solid centre backs of his generation. Often taking the ‘no-nonsense’ approach, Keown would use his pace and tremendously powerful tackling to be a thorn in the side of every attacking player in the country.

The former England international signed off his Arsenal career in style as well as his last season was the ‘invincible’ campaign when he and his team went unbeaten throughout their 46 Premier League games. It was a fitting end to a tremendous career where Keown won six major honours.

As for what he is up to now, well we occasionally see him working as a pundit on BBC Sport. Often alongside Lee Dixon on MOTD2, Keown offers his views on all things football and normally talks a great deal of sense.

There is the possibility that Keown will move into coaching eventually, but after he reportedly turned down the chance to join Tony Adams at Portsmouth, it seems that he is happy on the BBC Sport sofa for now.

Steve Bould – The one time Stoke City defender was an integral part of the ‘famous four’ that helped George Graham’s Arsenal keep so many clean sheets in their time. Bould’s excellent defensive ability and cool head helped him make over 300 appearances for Arsenal, winning seven major honours along the way.

The final of these was the FA Cup in 1998 when Arsene Wenger’s men completed the double. Age wasn’t on Bould’s side at this point, but he still played his part. In fact, his chip that set Tony Adams on his way during the victory that secured the Premier League title will be remembered forever by Arsenal fans.

After leaving the club, Bould had a brief spell at Sunderland where he was made club captain by Peter Reid. He helped the Black Cats finish 7th in the Premier League before injury forced him to retire from the game.

These days though, he is back where he belongs – Arsenal. Bould returned to the club in 2001 in a coaching role and is now the coach for the Youth Team. In this role, his reputation as a coach has grown rapidly and there is a distinct possibility he could become a manager himself one day.

This completes the look at David Seaman, Lee Dixon, Nigel Winterburn, Tony Adams, Martin Keown and Steve Bould. All of these players made a huge impact at Arsenal and it seems a safe football bet that they will remain part of the club for years to come.

What about the future though? Whose careers could we be looking back on in 20 years time? Cast an eye over Arsespeak next week and you might just find out.

By Thomas Rooney – A sports writer who blogs about football betting

On Monday, I cast an eye over the careers of David Seaman, Nigel Winterburn and Lee Dixon with a brief look at what they have been up to since retiring from football. Today, it is the turn of Tony Adams. I am giving him an article on his own, simply because of how busy he has been since leaving Arsenal!

What type of player was he? What did he achieve at Arsenal? What have he decide to do with himself after pulling on an Arsenal shirt for the last time? It’s Friday, the sun is shining – so let’s take a look!

Often referred to Mr Arsenal, Adams is one of the best defenders to have ever played for the club. He is also one of the best captains ever to have led the team. The term ‘rock at the heart of the defence’ was only used when people saw Adams play for Arsenal. He made 669 appearances for the club over 18 years and won 10 major trophies along the way.  Absolute legend.

Since retiring from football, Adams has tried his hand a few times at management. After studying a degree in Sports Science, he became manager of Wycombe Wanderers in 2003. He only lasted a year in this position though and was forced to add a relegation to his managerial CV.

The former Gunners captain’s next move was to take a trainee coaching role at Feyenoord before becoming Harry Redknapp’s Number Two at Portsmouth.

In this role, Adams enjoyed his most successful period since retiring from playing.  Pompey finished 9th in the Premier League and went on to win the FA Cup. When Redknapp left for Tottenham though, Adams became manager and things didn’t go well. He lasted a little over three months before being sacked.

Since this happened, he has made the occasional TV appearance and bizarrely put his name forward for the Celtic job by saying that former Bhoys manager Wim Jansen was going to join him in a role at the club. This was described as ‘complete garbage’ by Celtic, to leave everyone wondering where Adams was getting his information from.

Overall, things have been a bit stop – start for Adams since his playing days. He is obviously keen to become a successful manager and I hope he does one day. What he needs is a bit of consistency. He needs to be at the same club for at least a couple of years to show everyone what he can do.

What did you think of Adams as a player? Can he reach anywhere near these heights as a manager? Or should he stick to doing some scouting
for Arsenal to avoid more managerial embarrassment?

Let me know your thoughts on Mr Arsenal! Next time, Martin Keown and Steve Bould.

By Thomas Rooney who writes about football betting for Betfair