Arseweb seem to think so. Link here: http://www.arseweb.org/www/newsreel//t1i514.html Obviously, this limits our choices for defense, so what will we do in case of need? Does Arsene move Kolo over and start Cygan, or does he give Hoyte the start? Put the kid in, I say. Discuss, discuss...
The way I see it, my preference would be to take back Volz... however, seeing Cygan play right back doesn't concern me too much.. he is defensive minded first and just won't join into the attack as a Lauren or Volz would.... i spoze the gaffer thinks it might stunt the youngster's growth or something to bring him back midseason...
Yeah, but is Cygan up to par for this responsibility? I know that it's "only Birmingham," but stil... I've seen Cygan mess up too much to give him my full trust.
With their record this year, I don't think you can say "it's only Birmingham." This is a tricky one for the squad, and maybe having so many guys out will be a good thing, because it will probably mean that they won't come out playing lackadaisically. Personally, I would like to see Hoyte get the start. Toure is doing too well in the middle to move him, and I don't know about Cygan at wingback.
I've read a couple of articles (Soccernet, etc.) where Wenger said he is not going to recall Volz but none of those have really given a reason why. Has anyone heard his reasoning? Beyond the suspension, it looks like this knee injury might keep Lauren out for a while. It seems like recalling Volz makes a lot of sense.
Yeah, I'm feeling the "no to 'only Birmingham'" mentality, I'm buying into it myself. Keep Kolo in at center, as he's arguably the most valuable player thus far this year. It's amazing to watch the life he can inject into the squad. I think that Le Boss should throw Hoyte in there. It's time he showed us what he can do in the starting XI. I'm not worried about it. After all, Arsene knows...
Midfield I just thought of our midfield situation. Vieira's out, Parlour's suspended and Gilberto is absolutely knackered from his efforts in Brazil. Who do we play in midfield alongside Edu. I don't think that Freddie or Super Bob will take the middle, and I've heard that Wiltord is injured. So who do we play? I think Kanu in the middle is a good choice. He did well there in 2002 and that, along with the famous hat-trick is when got all silly about him. Put him in, Boss!!
pat rice says justin hoyte is ready to play at right back http://www.arsenal.com/sportsappcon...e&type=com.sportapps.news.NewsItem&id=4194311
My first preference would be to get Volz back from Fulham. Now that Lauren is injured and will miss both remaining Champions League games he has a little bit more experience than Justin Hoyte which we may need. Obviously that's not going to happen, although I don;t understand why we can't take him back and then he goes back to Fulham when Lauren recovers. Anyhow, I'd rather give Hoyte a chance than have Cygan play centre back and push Toure to right back for three reasons. First Hoyte is a proper right-back. Toure never impressed me when he plays there, you need to be able to play from that position in the modern game, and his distribution is fine for short passes from centre-back, but it leaves something to be desired when inter-play up the field and crossing etc. is required. Second, if you want Toure to be your first choice centre-back then you shouldn't move him around. Your first choice players should play in their positions and the fringe players fill in when required. Thirdly, Cygan isn't good enough to play in the Premiership. He has never been confident at this level and he's slow. These are failings that a striker at the top of his form like Mikkel Forssell will exploit. So good luck to Justin Hoyte tomorrow. I hope the manager's aversion to throwing younger players into the heat of Premiership battle will be forgotten for once.
Is Toure young enough for you? How about Anelka? Or Ashley Cole? Or Stuart Taylor? No need to let facts get in the way of a snippy comment. I think it's a great move to leave Volz at Fulham. Instead of stunting his development by recalling him for a few games then relegating him to the reserves for the rest of the season, The Professor is looking at the big picture. Volz will only get better the rest of this season by playing in the first team at Fulham. This move will pay off for us in spades next season when Volz takes the RB spot and Lauren moves back to midfield (or is sold). Le Boss will then have reshaped the Back Five into one of the youngest and strongest units in the league.
Dan, I think Michaec is meaning that AW would bring Volz back for however long is necessary (a month or so), then just recall him back to Fulham to regain is place in the starting XI..
This comment from Wenger seems to imply that bringing him back then returning him to Fulham isn't an option:
There are some players who Wenger has brought in sure. Stuart Taylor has NOT made it though, a 30 year old plus goalkeeper was brought in during the Summer. What about Upson? Bringing in Cygan and letting him go was a HUGE mistake (it has been argued that it cost us the championship last year). Aliadiere comes in for one game versus Liverpool this season, does nothing wrong, and is promptly dropped. If he picks Hoyte tomorrow and this marks a change in the manager's outlook towards our home-grown talent, that's what I've been looking for all along. I think it's more an expectation on my part, every Summer Wenger says that he has a bunch of young players who are ready to make their mark on the first team and every year it doesn't happen. I agree that Volz playing at Fulham is great experience for him. I was just wondering why he can't come back up until Christmas when Lauren should be back and then go back to Fulham? Maybe it's something to do with exactly how the loan deals work, I just don't know.
Are we getting any cash for Volz? Are the Cottagers giving us anything to borrow him? Maybe Arsene thinks the money is better than paying Volz to ride the pine???