So after failing to secure the right signings in 2 transfer windows, Arsenal slumped to humiliating defeat at home to Manchester United. Are we out of the title race? No. Are we likely to catch Chelsea and our Manchester foes? Very, very doubtful.
It’s de ja vu. The last three seasons have been exactly the same. We fail to sign players in the summer despite huge sums of money being available to the manager, all the fans can see that we lack the quality to make a sustained challenge, then we fail to deliver.
Arsenal were out fought all over the park yesterday in what was a meek depressing performance. A team as youthful and vibrant as ours should not be struggling against an aging Paul Scholes, an average Fletcher and a slightly better than mediocre Michael Carrick.
Wayne Rooney and Nani destroyed our backline time and time again and we had no answers.
The first goal saw Nani rinse Clichy on the left, hit the by line, chip a cross to the back stick where Almunia was on hand to push it into his own net. Surprised? I wasn’t. Almunia has been nothing short of incompetent all season. It is clear to all that watch his defence, that he is not trusted. He flaps at crosses, is erratic with high balls into the box and looks like a man on the edge. We can all see it, why can’t Wenger? Once again, persisting with an underperforming player has cost us an important goal. In football, sentiment is an aged value. Wenger seems to have it in abundance for his favourites.
Arsenal were attacking in spits and spats. Arshavin seemingly the only one with glory on his mind, selfishly at times tried to do it all by himself. He had a few glorious chances that he spurned and he also missed a few opportunities to play a team mate in… preferring to shoot.
The second goal came from an Arsenal corner, United broke, Rooney powered the whole way up the pitch and finished an easy chance. Where was Denilson? What was he doing? How can we have a player in the middle of the park with such weak physical attributes? Pathetic.
The second half opened and Wenger refused to make any changes. Instead, believing our team of one dimensional tiny people could spark some resistance. Well, it didn’t take long for United to put the final nail in the coffin. Denilson lost the ball, Clichy inexplicably failed to close down park which allowed him all the time in the world to slot home. Comical defending once again.
Wenger decided that at 3-0, it was time to ring in the changes. He brought Bendtner and Walcott on and although they weren’t amazing, we did create a few opportunities because our attack had a few additional options. Theo’s pace however unharnessed always causes problems and Nik Bendtners height gave us the long ball option. Vermaelen managed to knock in a consolation goal late on, but sadly, it wasn’t enough. Our season was looking like it had hit the skids once again and the team went off to jeers and whistles.
Your modern day football club can’t be built on nearly players. You need experience, you need quality and you need fighters. Arsenal seem to lacking those vital ingredients in certain areas of the team and until they are addressed, you fear we’ll never move up to the next level.
So far this season, we’ve failed to win our important games. We’ve been hammered by Manchester City, Chelsea and United twice. Your record against the big clubs isn’t all important, but it goes a long way to telling you the type of quality you have and it gives a good indicator of where you’ll be at the end of the season. Chelsea and Man U have stuttered this year, but I have my doubts as to whether we can recover from today and mount a serious challenge for the rest of the year. We might beat Chelsea, but do we have a solid enough base to win ten games on the trot? Not for me.
Arsene Wenger said the other day that you need a strong Man United and that as a club, our aim shouldn’t be to triumph due to mediocrity of competition. Well, from where I’m standing, that’s exactly what we’ve tried to do this season. We’ve watched the Mancs sell two of their prized assets, we’ve watched Chelsea grow another season older and instead of capitalising on their problems, we’ve stood still in the hope that would be enough to see us through. Well, surprise, surprise, it hasn’t worked again. The quality of players like Denilson is still lost on the fans and the Premiership. Our depth of under prepared kids still lacks enough experience to pull us through an injury crisis and our first team doesn’t cut it because bar Van Persie, we were at full strength and still a long way off a Man United team you could hardly call the best.
Some serious question now have to be asked at board level. Players only have short careers and past the money, the only thing they have to show for their 15 years at the top is medals. We’re not giving our great players a platform to win trophies. Cesc, Arshavin and Robin have all at some point said we need players, it would be foolish to think they don’t know our limitations. Wenger hasn’t delivered them once again, and we now head into our 6th year without a Premiership and our 5th without a trophy.
Players stop remembering the good old days and the club loses a bit of it’s glamour. Why didn’t Chris Smalling sign for us? Is it because he knows United will always compete? I don’t know… I do know that Wenger’s stubborn policy is damaging the club. New fans are picking up shirts that aren’t the red and white of Arsenal, seats are going empty, players are snubbing us and the vultures are circling our best assets.
I trusted Wenger to know more than the pundits, journalists and ex-players. It seems that trust was misguided..
Something at the club has got to give because Wenger is not bigger than Arsenal and he seems to be treating the club that way.
The window has closed, our frailties are out in the open.
Same old, same old…
Any one heard from mangoon i hope he hasnt topped himself!!
Fat Nasri probably ordered a £120m dominos feast.
Fat Cunty Ponce!
How many mars bars could that ponce Nasri buy for 120 million notes?
Go check his house, hes already bought em, fat ponce.
“Well if he doesnt make decisions to appease people then it means he has noone to answer to. Nothing suprising because trophies dont seem to be the boards (his bosses) priorities.
They cant force him to spend as you say A. But they can tell him he has 30m to spend in a transfer window and suggest he do it.”
Stu imo they can’t suggest that, that would be out of order. He does have to answer to those above him, of course he does, but for the results of his actions, not his actions themselves. A manager is employed by the board or chairman of a club to try and get results, and how he gets the results should always be 100% up to him. As soon as a Chairman or board start deciding what they think a manager should do in a certain situation, you end up on very rocky ground.
I had a chelsea mate mail me today and wasnt being cuntish at all. He was actually trying to cheer me up and wondering why Wenger is making the weird choices that he’s making.
Pity from a Chelsea fan?
Fat cunt made me feel worse.
I dont agree there at all A.
Why cant the board give him money to spend instead of him saying “i like this player and i think he is worth X amount but dont want him if he costs more”. Whats wrong with just getting the players that will get us the trophies. Its not making his decisions for him. Its giving him the tools to do a better job. I see nothing wrong with that.
If someone gave you money and told you to spend it then you would fucking do it. Why should he be any different. We can afford it ffs!
Paulinho you have to realise that he says those things when he’s asked them, he doesn’t just come out with them then. He’d say them whenever he was asked about them.
Dropping Arshavin to prove to the players they could win without him, is not the same as proving something to the fans or the media ffs! Trying to build the players’ confidence for a future game isn’t the same as trying to appease fans or media, obviously.
He also added that we were so bad on sunday that he thinks we’ll beat them at stamford bridge. You could tell he was just trying to be nice though.
Like how Ferguson is nice about Wenger nowadays because he knows he’s beaten and demoralised him to the point of pity.
fucking horrible.
Fucking hell, was just about to say we arent even gonna win the womens league, then i noticed we are 4 points behind, with SIX games in hand!
SIX fucking games!!
What a shower of shit competition!
Fuck that A.
Getting to the FA cup final is a fucking trillion times more important than trying to convince your average players they are better than they are, and dropping your best player and best chance at winning a cup just do show them is not fucking on.
I’d stick some of those birds in the first team Gambon. Any one of them is better than that prong Denilson, and I’d stick one of their jam-rags in goal.
Makes you wonder if David Dein just used to lie about how much certain players cost.
For example Wenger would say dont spend more than £9m on Wiltord, and he, trying to do whats right for the club would just go and sign the player at any price.
I still remember the excitement at signing Reyes, havent felt that since.
It depends whether we can Stu. That money has to come from somewhere. If he spends £20 mil on a £15 mil player, then he’ll have £5 mil less to spend next window, when someone actually worth the money might be available.
If it was just a case of his saying I want x, y, and z, and the club went out and paid silly money to get them, then we had an injury crisis, and wenger said “i need a, b, and c,” the board would turn round and say “on we can’t afford it because we paid double the previous players’ worth in the last window”
The manager needs to be in charge of his budget, because it reflects on future budgets
Yeah AA23. Ferguson doesnt get into fights with Wenger anymore because he knows he isnt a threat anymore. Mind games? What fucking mind games, Wenger beats himself most of the time now.
A,
your optimism sounds desperate , you have to now agree wenger has failed again for another season …
mathematically not impossible , however highly unlikely whilst almunia is in goal . and many other reasons ..
but essentially the point im trying to make is where is the passion ???
we fold over at every tough curve in the road .
nothings changed …
the main point to focus on at the moment was , the window was open , we were on top of the table for a short duration ..
there was a time to strike ..
and it was so clear what needed to be done , yet the club fell silent ..
i dont think he was ever seriously looking for a striker this window , he just gave the looking for a striker RUMOUR to motivate the dudu’s and AA’s of the club into the role ..
YOU HEARD THAT 1st on A.COM !
a sneaky way to get an official word from the manager out of the club ….
Stu
Pretty sad that actually. they used to hate each other and go at it hammer and tongs in the press, now Feruson just feels a bit bad for him.
Right, bed time, got a train to catch at 6.
Lets continue this wenger bash tomorrow, also we should sign the “wenger out” and “fat ponce on a diet” petitions tomorrow.
optimism ethan? I’m not optimistic at all, I don’t think we’ll win the league, or anything this year.
Hello Lads.. how are we all after this Player’less transfer window
At least it will all be over on sunday and we can worry about more important things, like Aids and famine.
That never happens though does it A.
We spent nothing in this window so does that mean he can spend double in the summer? Does it fuck. He wouldnt spend half of 1 transfer windows budget.
And as for spending 20m on a 15m player. If there was a player worth 15m out there that Wenger wanted he would only offer 10m or 11m. We never over spend and rightly so. But there is no reason why we cant just offer as close as possible to what is being asked.
im sorry but that is bollocks A.
we always make a profit, we should have millions to spend and it should not effect the summers spending which should be generated by the vast amount of money the club take off of the fans.
Depressed Raif. Just plain and simple..depressed.
AA23 .. HAHAHAHA, i feel bad for laughing but i cant help it
Stu,, i know all to well mate,, i got home from work after getting a crap load from 2 man utd fans and knowing we didnt sign anyone. what a life
I doubt it means he could spend double next time Stu, but I reckon we could be pretty sure that if he spent big this window then it would limit spending next window.
What is being asked isn’t the same as what a player would be worth to us. Clubs usually want a fair bit more than a player is worth, unless they actually want rid of the player. If they don’t get more than a player is worth then there’s no point selling from their perspective, it doesn’t mean that that’s therefore a player’s value.
incesc of course it would affect it. Regardless of how much money we make, it’s a fact that if we spend now, we would have less than if we didn’t spend. It doesn’t mean that we’d have nothing to spend, but we’d certainly have less.
this week everyone important got 3 points and we didnt .
dont get anymore points for the next 2 weeks and we very well might be out of the top 4 !
we have played poorly in most games other than the villa one , even they had enough chances to test us but failed worse than us ..fortunate .
bolton , to close for comfort ..
sloppy 90% of the time ..
rolled by the manc’s
and another hiding waiting for us just around the corner ..
maybe wenger can organize a internal rally
to come out strong V’s the chev’s ..
but over 90 minutes with quality strikers at their disposal it can only end one way really…
AKB alright !
i think wenger will go to madrid.
we will probably get moyes or someone like that.
fuck moyes, if/when wenger goes we’ve got to get someone proven
oh god i wonder who our lovely board will go for is/when wenger goes,
and i dont think it will be a english manager, as lets face it english managers are abit crap,
currently the bookies favourite is o’neil, what a horrible horrible thought!!!! Obviously means pretty much fuck all right now, but still seems pretty ridiculous
Well A. If spending in this wondow would hinder our ability to soend in the next window. Then logically us now spending any money this january would give us ample funds for the summer, would it not?
There is no excuse for not spending big this summer. We definately have the money to do it and we certainly need some better players. No reason not to spend.
IMO transfer fees are compensation for the selling club to buy a player to fill the gap left in their squad.
If we buy someones best player, their player worth the most. We should compensate them well. If that means paying what they want (realistically) then so be it.
A fee relates to the worth of that player to the selling club, not how valuable he would be to the buying club. Hleb was worth 30m to us, but worth fuck all to Barca.
Honestly if none of this makes sense them i apologise…im fucking jaded tired. It makes sense im my head and thats all that matters
I dont want board nut arsenal have done it on the cheap for so long as if they will get a top class manager in.
this whole mentality is ingrained into the whole upper echelon of the club.
Gazidis spouts the same shit as wenger all the time…
lol Paul Merson, 750/1
board=moyes
nut=but
Wenger wasnt proven when he arrived. Pep wasnt proven at Barca, he wasnt even known. Lots of managers arent proven.
I wouldnt mind Bouldy doing a Pep…that would be sweet alrght..
LOL incesc. How did you confuse board with Moyes?
incesc wenger is as well paid as any manager, there’s no way the managerial appointment would be on the cheap.
Stu not ample funds, but obviously there would be MORE money than there would be if we didn’t spend.
Say a player is worth £15 million. A buying club will try and get him for £10 mil, but would be willing to pay £15 mil for him. A selling club would also value him at £15 mil, but wouldn’t sell him for anything less than £20 mil, because there’s absolutely no point in them selling him for what he’s worth. The only reason for selling him if they don’t want to, would be if they could get £5 mil more than he’s worth, then they can try and buy £20 mil worth of player, from selling £15 mil worth.
Hleb was worth £15 mil to us, and to Barca, but because of his contract issues, we agreed to sell him for less than his worth, rather than risk losing him for much less.
Laughter is the best medicine Raif.
unless you have cancer, then it’s chemo.
Yeah Stu I agree, previous players who are unproven could take over, provided they’ve done their time behind the scenes. Bould would probably have to go elsewhere first actually, remember Guardiola coached Barca’s B team, and did very well with them. Even if Bould moved up a level to the reserves, it wouldn’t be enough really imo.
When Wenger arrived we weren’t anywhere near as big a club as we are now, so it’s different to his appointment
A, I never said Wenger was trying to appease the media. It’s in fact the complete opposite.
He’s trying to win so he can say “fuck you, you bunch of fat sunday supplement beer bellies, I won the league without doing what you said I needed to do”.
Im wrecked..off to sleep. Night all…
I don’t believe that though Paulinho. I don’t believe he’d go either way because of the media or fans, whether to make a decision to piss off others, nor to appease them.
He’s decided what he believes is the best way to do things, and anyone else can fuck off whatever they think, whether they agree or not, it isn’t going to change his mind.
Nite Stu, been fun as always
Well A. If spending in this wondow would hinder our ability to soend in the next window. Then logically us now spending any money this january would give us ample funds for the summer, would it not?
————————————
if we didnt spend just then and go this season on a big fat zero , then you could very well find youll have surplus money anyhow due to the sale of cesc !
because i think he knows what most fans do !
like AA said , we will win nothing in the EPL !
even our player knows …
its time to heed the warnings there has been enough of them !
also on the hindering the clubs spending capacity WTF are you on about ?
26 mill ade was never replace, and money never spent !
toure for TV ok tit for tat .
but a keeper for 5 mil , and a striker for around 10 -15 .. wouldnt of broke the bank ..
and why would you need to spend in the summer if you got the fuckin team right now ??
FFS !
also ytou bet your life a few will be sold on at the end of this season , simpson maybe traore – eboue – almunia .. fish face on a free
? we can only dream ..
but im sure wenger will raise a lazy 10 – 20 mil from player sales come seasons end ..
you could afford to get a striker – keeper with experience at the top level , even friedel or someone .. ANYONE ! ….
and have change in your pocket for the boards lunch money ..
then when numbchucks is on a free in the summer you could even sell dudu or nik b ..
depending on which striker you bought now .
wenger stream of cash flow isnt the issue here anymore , its where it goes is the issue ..
and more importantly where it ISNT going @!
Hi my patience with Wenger has gone after 3-1 Humilaition at hand of Manchester United, Imagine we even make Korean look so Good that clichy escorted to goal. Denilson defended against Nani shocking after also losing the ball for Third one. Then he escorted Stoke city guy all the way for the cross. What going on, But take heart we do have core players, Fabregas, Arshavin, Song, Vermalaen, Gallas, Sagna( Need to be coached how to cross the ball) Nasri(Bad yestrday but good), Rosicky,Eboue Then those who didn’t Play i would keep Ramsey,RVP,Eduardo, Diaby, Djorou,Wiltshere(on Loan), Merida. Campbell( Useful even when not playing to coach the defenders)
Following players would go on Loan, Walcott, Vela, Traore, Fabiansky.
Also i would sell following Aluminia,Nicky,Denilson.
Silvester is free to go.
Also I have looked around to see who to replace Wenger at the end of Season and his name is
Laurent BLANC.
No more youth to be bought until we clear dead weights in the academy none of them are promising apart from few, We would have clearout.
Goodbye Wenger and thanks for the memories, You have become Fergie most respected Manager why? cause you never win anything and every seasons he go before Media to beg you to do him A favour. Wenger good bye you ahve become to senile.
I’ve been giggling about Nasri being a “Fat ponce” all day.
Exceptional talent!!! Expect us to be beaten to him. Expect Wenger to say we had a chance to sign him but Nikalas was the poo poo and expect the AKBs to try to justify it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rH7aOG263tw&feature=related
It’s a sad sad time to be a Gooner. After slipping two points at Villa, we absolutely surrendered to United. They picked up from where they left during last season’s CL semi’s. Rooney & Nani taking over from Ronaldo. Arsenal were humbled to say the least. Hope they bounce back against Chelsea in a week’s time.
http://11gunners.com/opinion/arsenal-title-contenders-or-mere-pretenders/3038/
the chev’s will be a harder test than that tazz
,nice name for an article thou !
man U at home should of been a draw at worst ,
if you believe our own hype that is …
which some do …
This club has forgotten the reason it fuckingwell exists for, for the fans, for the community, a club/tribe where you feel you belong, where you feel proud to be part of something….
The whole management structure is geared for self serving a select few, but at the (real) cost of the majority, it seems almost purposeful that the AFC management go out of their way to alienate the fan base, because we are now viewed as customers, a revenue stream is what we now are to them!
And, in all this we are sold ‘the future’, every season we’re getting “we’ll be great……next year”……….and we buy it because of our love for the club, and they know it, and they trade on that unswerving loyalty, they take it for granted.
Ask yourself this, just how many, directors, coaches or players went home hurting after Sunday’s shambles, truly? Does Denilson feel as bad as my litlle nephew who came home crying from school yesterday! Does he, really, as he drives away in his Bentley and collects another £30,000 while families who work 50 hours a week struggle to pay their gas bills, but still scrape together enough money to buy a ticket to watch their beloved Arsenal…..
You know what struck me about Sunday’s game was Arsend Wenger’s inability to change things around when the going gets tough, or to even motivate ONE of his senior players to grab the game by the scruff of the neck.
He’s no longer capable of winning this league while he persists with his own personal agenda, but he will not walk and he will certainly not be sacked by this lily livered self serving piss weak board, who are happy to take the profits, but not interested in pushing the club forward on the playing field.
Does anyone out there really think that this Yank’s buying into our club because he luuuuurves us, or he like the name? Jesus! He’s buying into our club because we’re already a money making machine, a good investment, we don’t need on-pitch success to make money, so he doesn’t need to rock the boat, just keep the board sweet, let them play their money making games, let the maganager be their front man whilst mugging us off. Nothings gonna change my friends, nothing,
I was told, in confidence, that Stan would only come on board if Wenger was still the manager!! Now why do you think that is??? Because he’s won so much in the last five years or because he’s making so much money for the club!! From a purely business perspective, Arsene Wenger is the clubs biggest asset. You might get £25m for Fabregas in the summer, but AW makes AFC double that every year!
DDM
good post,
The only way the Arsenal fans can make there voice heard by not attending games,and not renewing..
Can such a mass boycott happen together in a sustained manner for a good amount of weeks??
IF the answer is NO,then i am afraid, there is NO WAY,to change the boards ambitions
DDM: you are very very right indeed to point out exactly what the club exists for. Well written. For some, it really matters.
Micky,
thanks for ur “understanding words” the other day,wasnt online that time..
ancelotti thinks he will get us out of title race,
well i hope ancelotti and there team,think like that more often,so that,as much Over-confident the chavs become,its good for us…we need some luck..
DDM -
“we are now viewed as customers, a revenue stream is what we now are to them!”
“we buy it because of our love for the club, and they know it, and they trade on that unswerving loyalty, they take it for granted.”
“Arsend Wenger’s inability to change things around when the going gets tough”
———————
3 of the most relevant and indisputable facts surrounding our current situation!!!! Couldn’t agree more!!
DDM
only thing left to be done is,Re-Naming “THE ARSENAL” to “ARSENAL PRIVATE LIMITED COMPANY”
ARSENAL P.L.Company is what exists now
Re-Name
“THE ARSENAL” To,
“ARSENAL PRIVATE LIMITED COMPANY”
DDM
yes for some of us it does matter that we reclaim
our title , me for one . i feel your pain and you know ive been banging on for change as long, if not longer than you have ..
it makes you wonder if wenger was just blind lucky with the invincible’s . Because there seems no direction now , and hasnt been for some time ..its like watching a man getting lost in a desert !
& like you said its all based upon the mighty dollar .
wenger has achieved top 4 this season NO NEED TO STRENGTHEN ,C.L football is the hidden ONLY GOAL each season this club strives for , and why ? to make more of a financial wind fall ..
one things for sure whilst wenger is in power nothing will change and we will be subjected to
these youth experiments .
RE: – about the NO NEED TO STRENGTHEN , its funny this time last season villa threatened us so we got AA !
no such threat encountered this season so no need to spend ???????
not obvious need to win either
http://arsenal-mania.com/articles/3108043/Three-easy-points.html?
Interesting read
Morning all, Dennis I have written a post today you’ll like, and you Ethan!
Morning chaps – DDM/SiG it will be very difficult to organise any sort of protest as a significant portion of the crowd at the Grove are tourists and not actual Arsenal supporters. They are people who get free tickets from corporate hospitality and only go to the Grove to say that they’d been as they were in London and it is one of the “must see” places to go.
.
Good post ddm, its worrying that other people dont realise this.
Look at how much money is available in the various competitions, from least to most;
-Carling Cup
-FA Cup
-PL & CL
I have joined them two competitions because they are linked.
Oh and what a surprise, we throw the competitions that wont make us money.
Every decision this club makes is about generating as much money as possible, none of which is used to strengthen the team.
People love to take sides either blaming the board or Wenger, when the fact is they are all complicit in the death of us as a football club. We are just a business that exploits consumers and provides the illusion of being a football club to keep mugs paying. Everything about the club from top to bottom, bar the players thenselves, stinks.
We are the only club in probably world football with 5 years of retained profits, even 2 years consecutive retained profits. Every other club in world football breaks even, cos if they make any profit they invest it into new players.
Wenger for all he has won, is no longer interested in winning trophies, he’s won his trophies years ago. Its about a huge retirement nest egg and the achievement of wealth & power now. Huge bonuses, salaries & a slice of the property pie is his focus now.
/rant
new post!
chary that blows ,
we cant even stage a protest , but you know
the way the club keeps slumping every season when the going starts getting tough ..
you will see a NATURAL BOYCOTT anyhoo !
some people just havent got money to pay that bigger ticket just for LOVES sake ..
sooner or later in front of a tv in a pub becomes
less painful on the wallet !