Without the suspended Wojciech Szczesny and injured David Ospina, it’s already been reported that Arsenal will hand Emiliano Martinez his first start in goal in the Champions League tomorrow night.
The next question is, who provides backup? Lukas Podolski sporting two giant foam fingers? Abou Diaby with papier-mâché gloves made from his medical records? Vic ‘I like short shorts’ Akers? Our cash reserves? An inanimate carbon rod?
Well no. It would appear we’re turning to a lad who is precisely 17-years, 7-months and 16-days-old…Ryan Huddart.
The official website tells us the teenager, like Carl Jenkinson and Semi Ajayi, joined from Charlton Athletic (aged 14) and that he’s since progressed through the ranks to become a regular in the under-21s.
Pictured in first team training today – he wears number 43 – it would appear he’s shaken off competition (in part thanks to UCL eligibility) from the likes of Josh Vickers, Deyan Iliev and Matt Macey to shoot up the keeper pecking order and make the trip to Brussels.
It should be quite the experience for him, but for the sake of our nerves we very much hope he’s not called-upon.
‘Abou Diaby with papier-mâché gloves made from his medical records’….gold.
Man this sucks. This has to be one of the suckiest seasons ever. Life sucks.
so much sucking???
Life would be vso much sucking???
Life would be very enjoyable right?ery enjoyable right?
What the jazz are you saying?
Something about liking to get sucked, I think.
No idea what it means though.
Did Diaby train this week?
To have overtaken the rest of the youth/reserve keepers aged just 17 he must be pretty talented. Probably (hopefully) won’t be called upon but it should still be a fantastic experience.
He overtook them because they’re not eligible for the UCL. I think a youth player has to have been with the club for two or three years in order to be eligible. Otherwise they must be included in the squad of 25 registered with UEFA…
So it begs the question: If we didn’t have Huddart…who exactly would be able to be called upon for back up duties? Someone from the U14s? Wow.
This is why quotas are always a bad idea…
Twitter Trolls stand by for a massive explosion if it goes tits up ! Wenger out brigade at the ready
…but if it goes well? Nary a fucken word of praise from anybody
We sign a world-class keeper to give Woj some competition. But guess what, he stays injured most of the time. That’s some top competition he’s giving. Meanwhile good ol’ Fabianski is enjoying first team football at Swansea, a team which is at level in terms of points with us. I’m not putting any blame on Ospina here, but this is just pathetic. Imagine us meeting Madrid in the next round, with Woj out with a flu and Ospina…injured.
If you are aware and attentive enough.. you would notice that we did not let Fabianski go.. He left because his contract was up and wanted more first team football.
If you are aware and attentive enough, I never said we let him go.
Then why on earth are you talking about him like we did? There was no way we were going to convince him to stick around on the bench. Besides, there are any number of factors you can blame for Ospina getting injured, but until we hear he’s been taking a hammer to his knees, Ospina’s the only guy you can’t blame.
Imagine yourself, 17 years old. You went to school at the academy, trained with your mates, spent nearly all of your time in London. Still, your life isn’t extremely exciting because you’re not a true professional yet. You do feel the ups and downs that only football can bring via various games you play for the youth teams, but they aren’t as extreme as they will be if you break through to the first team. Imagine then, one day, you get a call on your phone. It’s your manager. You have just been enlisted to not only train with the… Read more »
Why would anyone give that comment(Scott P) a thumbs down?
I expect a thumbs down from the culprit, yes im talking to YOU
Don’t question the horde.
Really? I’d be having a massive anxiety attack, probably resulting in waking up in the dead of night before match day in a cold sweat having just had a horrifically vivid dream about a goal kick hitting Chambers in the face and killing him instantly before conceding 15 tricklers in Arsenal’s worst ever away defeat in Europe…but that’s just me.
You lack a little bit mental strength.
Imagine the feeling if he comes on, spectacularly saves a couple, and we go on to achieve a “One-Nil to the Arsenal” as a result of his efforts. Instant Legend.
Of course, I don’t want Emi injured, so hopefully this would come about through some non-injury, non-red card situation such as Emi actually eating one of those kebab meat pizzas he loves so much before kickoff.
The lad must have talent to edge past 3 more ‘senior’ goalkeepers than himself. Good for the future, but not so great right now!
Good on you, lad. You earned it….. when you kicked Ospina in the balls. Heh
Ahhh the mystery injury puzzle has been solved!
Good luck to the lad.
Arsene should of signed another goalkeeper right?
Yaaaawn.
Disgraceful.
Why haven’t we got a world-class fourth goalkeeper?
Made me giggle more than i should’ve.
It’s not actually been proven that Ryan Huddart isn’t a world-class fourth goalkeeper.
You’ll look back on this and laugh when you see him getting his hundredth international cap.
#Findlukaspodolski
#Playlukaspodolski
In Huddart we trust!
The spell check thing doesn’t work bloggs. I’ve just spent 10 minutes misspelling shit to test it.
Yoov got two click et.
Youth ewe udder more on.
Let’s support our brave boy and the entire team and hope we become the Atletico of 2015. Manone let in eight goals against Sotons a week ago. I am sure this boy can do better.
Good luck to our young rookie, a great opportunity. Hope he grabs it by the balls
I hope the only balls he has to grab are his own as he readjusts on the bench.
No slight on him- just a best case scenario if Martinez watches bored from our end as we win.
How dare Arsene not sign 8 first team goalkeepers in case of a scenario like this? Wenger out!!!!!!!
Is he injured yet?
Who cares, it’s not like Anderlecht will even get a shot on target. Right guys? Right? RIGHT?
Well, they had better not, what with our habit of conceding with every shot on target that we allow.
At 17 I was having all my football dreams crushed by my high school coach, who told me I wasn’t good enough to play on the “B” team for the year below mine. Good for Huddart. I hope all his dreams come true in spectacular fashion.
he’s half my age !! hhhhhhhhhhhh I suck
What it means is that the backline must be water tight enough to give the young keeper Martinez as much protection as possible. A couple of permutations : 1) Play Chambers next to Metersecker. but this entails another outing for the thus far impressive Bellerin. a very young and potentially inexperienced back line but neither hector nor Calum seem in any particular shape or form daunted or overwhelmed at this level (granted mistakes will be made) 2) Play Monreal beside Per. In truth, Nacho wasn’t bad at Cback against Hull and in some ways more convincing than at LB (where… Read more »
Either you want your own blog or like the reading of your own words quite a lot. This is at least on topic as opposed to other posts I have seen, but it is all a bit long no?
No
Ospina out for 2-3 months!
Re-occurance of a thigh injury post world cup exacerbated by game against Galatasaray.
Big chance for Martinez to step up.
It has to be ‘cash reserves’ for me. Would be better than parking a fleet of buses.
Some Comments Just Take Too Long to read
…and some just turn out to be complaints about post length.
…and some just turn out to be complaints about complaints about post length.
In Rod We Trust.
I love this. Get ’em, kid! He’s been working on that beard for 18 months… AKA 10% of his life.
How do you put your own picture in the space provided on here?
Well, the theory is that you go to the Gravitar website, create an account (which is pretty much the same as a WordPress.com account, and then you create your avatar and it gets used on websites that use Gravitar.
No idea what happens then. I worked for 25 years for IBM and I have no bloody idea how the internet or any of the software on it work. I certainly don’t see an avatar on my comments. Must be either very complicated, or I should have paid money to somebody.
Ah, the thickie has just worked it out. You have to wait 5-10 minutes for it all to take effect. Oh I am so happy. Now everybody can see that I want to be a Space Marine when I grow up.