Good times
First up, I was in a pub in Enfield yesterday recording a podcast with the boys from the Football Rascal. Surprisingly the area was swimming with Spurs fans. The barman came over to our table and started talking about the game the other night and he said something along the lines of…
‘Your keeper, what a cheeky ba*tard. When he came over to pick up his water bottle, he leant over, started kissing his badge at us and gave us the two finger sign’
I thought that was pretty amusing, the Spurs fan continued,
‘I love it though, it shows passion for the game and we need more of that from the players’
That there my friends is exactly what we need to see more of in the modern game. That is exactly why having someone like Chezzer in the squad is great news because he’s going to grow into that character. He’s already embracing the Arsenal culture, he’s taken on board the history and the fans feel they have a connection with him.
Football is all about connection for me. In our current set up there are too many players I feel don’t care. Perhaps that’s why we’re more unforgiving towards certain players? I know that from a personal point of view, if someone tries hard on the pitch I am far more lenient with my assessment, even after a bad game.
Take Nik B for example, he’s turned his reputation around recently and that’s down to hard work. People still don’t rate him, but the groans of two seasons ago are few and far between. On the flip side, we have Andrey Arshavin. A player I adore, but one many fans can’t stand… why? Because he’s perceived as lazy…
Injury news…
The only injury news I can report on is that Abou Diaby is out for the Bolton trip and possibly the Manchester United game. There we have it… he manages to string 3 reasonable games together, then he’s out for 2 games. What is the point in having a player like that in your squad? How many more seasons are we going to kill the career of a healthy centre midfielder because we’re hoping and praying that one day he’ll man up?
Tactics…
Arsene spoke of tactics, in particular the problem of losing leads…
“There are a lot of things you need [to keep leads], first of all experience and calm. Our defenders are under pressure because they are criticised for not holding on for results. That makes the problem a little bit worse. I feel what is important is to continue to play whatever the score is. I feel we need to keep our nerves more and communicate better”
Now, I find it maddening to read that Wenger thinks we should keep playing the same way regardless of the score. It proves he isn’t into tactics. He knows his team have the mental stability of Charlie Sheen yet he’s not teaching them how to shut out a game. How can you ever improve if the coach can’t recognise the problems everyone else can see?
Who in the backroom team is taking him to task on comments like that? Does Steve Bould read quotes like that and agree? Does Neil Banfield subscribe to the same footballing ethos? Who is going to question the great one?
Season ticket renewal time…
I’m not sure whether it’s public knowledge, but Arsenal FC have a handbook they use to run the club for the year. That’s why everything at Arsenal is so predictable. You know, like wheeling Denilson out after we lose a game to talk about belief. Arsene Wenger’s ‘mental strength and spirit’ press conferences etc…
If you skip the section titled ’How to hook season ticket holders in for another year’ you’ll find a piece that states the manager must flirt with the idea of spending big in the summer .
Last year he said that we had the funds to compete with Chelsea. The season before he was interested in signing super, super class players and the season before that he told he was going to the Euro’s with his cheque book.
This year this was reported on the main site…
It was reported on Friday morning that Wenger had as much as £40 million at his disposal should he require it. At his press conference later that day, the manager did not confirm the figure but did suggest he had what he needed.
“Is [that] available? Frankly I don’t know,” he said. “We have not completely checked out our financial position. The only thing I can say is that the Club is in a healthy financial situation and, if needed, we can make a big transfer.”
Something that wasn’t in the hand book was the following quote…
“No I don’t [expect a busy summer] at all,” he said. “The team is 23 years-old [on average] so why should we expect to have a huge turnover at the end of the season?”
Does that sound like the comment of a man who is going to change the way he operates? Or does that sound like the comments of a petulant manager who won’t be told how to run his empire?
Season ticket holders still haven’t had their renewals through but believe me when I tell you they’re coming through and they’re coming through with a 6.5% increase. How are you going to feel signing up to another season, putting yourself possibly in a financial predicament knowing that your manager probably is going to serve you up more of the same?
I feel pretty angry about that. He’s accountable to no one and I almost feel like he enjoys saying things like that. He’s a masochist. If he’s going to fail, it’s ok, because he failed in the right way and he turned in a profit. He forgets that those profits and unspent transfer fees do nothing for the fans. We’re still paying through the nose to indulge his crusade against the mega rich clubs.
Who cares about the average age of your squad? Since when did that dictate a transfer policy? Surely it’s about quality? I thought Arsene was the manager who didn’t look at passports when he signed players? He might not look at nationality but he’s certainly looking at the date of birth.
He should be looking at what’s happening on the pitch, he should be listening to the audio of Cesc Fabregas on the Don Balon site, he should be demanding his team of back room staff speak up and tell them what they genuinely think about the squad.
Arsene Wenger lives in his own little bubble and someone needs to pop it before it all goes horribly wrong. We have a great chance to progress this summer, we won’t if the manager is obsessing over the average age of the squad.
Bolton tomorrow, I’ll be back with a 0930 post then!
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KF,
Schadenfreude just does not do it for me, ironically, it’s very Tottenham-esque if you seek solace in these ‘little joys’…
What on earth is the pratt wittering on about now on pravda!
Do they seriously think anyone is deranged enough to still believe his nonsense!
Todays little joy was WBA. But Until it can not happen I still believe! Remember Michael T and 89 all is not lost until its lost!
The importance of David Dein as stated by Keith Edelman. Article which hits the nail on the head and echoes the same sentiments that many of us have.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1379999/Arsene-Wenger-I-switch-night-stress.html
you can deny its a http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBn2ux5vRHk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSNSTerj2Kc&feature=fvwrel On a completly different level guys ,What a hot little hotty!
Guess who I was chatting up in Liverpool tonight guys?
Arsene Nose Best says:
April 23, 2011 at 22:37
d.d.m you try telling that to that breed of cunts on a.c.l.f,wow,now that is some site where they talk the most amount of shit…..them cunts think nothing is wrong with the club….
I wouldn’t waste the drippings out of my stinking arse on cunts like them.
kwik fit
was it andy carrol?
or kyrgiakos?
Close incesc but No, I only seen them from afar’alas!
how many games do we have to win to get 4th?
2 games it looks like
we should be ok but i bet it goes to the wire
Incesc spuds will only reach 64 so has frankie goes to hollywood said Relax!
http://www.express.co.uk/ourcomments/view/242600/Jim-Holden?
Wenger is a nutjob. Pathetic season. We will finish 4th and have to qualify through group stages again. Utd will beat us at home and seal the championship. Arsene Wenger will not buy or sell any players. More rubbish next year.
what a load of bollocks that write up is….
thats a terrible article mark to be honest. that holden chap or whatever his name is mustnt have watched arsenal at all this season. so being 4 nil up against newcastle and throwing that away isnt a mental problem? even a non league side wouldnt do that for fcuk sake
the squad we have at the minute should have been good enough to walk a poor PL this season but they didnt. why? the manager failed to motivate his players and couldnt instill desire and work ethic into them thats why. united are a piss poor footballing side but red nose has them playing above themselves – they would die for the cause. thats the difference
Shit day. Shitter day coming.
Real waiting in wings if Wenger decides to leave
THANK FUCK FOR THAT,PLEASE TAKE HIM AWAY…..
on the points he mentions wenger is a great manager, but the premier league isnt about saving money.
sadly football is not a
——-Szczesny
Sagna Vermaelen Chiellini Gibbs
—–de Rossi Wilshire
———Nasri
Walcott————-A.Young
——–v.Persie(c)
on the points he mentions wenger is a great manager, but the premier league isnt about saving money.
wengers priorities are all wrong now and its turned everyone who loved him against him now
……
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/wenger-only-two-trophies-worth-winning-2274157.html?
what a complete monk wenger is!!! cause for not winning the carling cup or FA cup you telling us now only 2 trophies are worth for winning it? fukk off from Arsenal!!!
tim howard played a blinder but we defo got the wrong gringo
Why do we fans have to pay a 6.5% increase in tickets ? if the club were doing there job properly they would be looking into other areas to make money that is what marketing is and what our club are so BAD at….so we have to pay !
If the club want to inrease ticket prices and not spend any we have to hit them where it hurts by not spending any money on programmes, in the club shops and at the crappy food kiosks, they will soon take note if we did that for a whole season !!
I say lets spread the word and show them that we mean business….
Why do we fans have to pay a 6.5% increase in tickets ? if the club were doing there job properly they would be looking into other areas to make money that is what marketing is and what our club are so BAD at….so we have to pay !
If the club want to increase ticket prices and not spend any we have to hit them where it hurts by not spending any money on programmes, in the club shops and at the crappy food kiosks, they will soon take note if we did that for a whole season !!
I say lets spread the word and show them that we mean business….
sensational input mr Edelman, stand up sir you have been counted!
signs of insanity?
If there is somebody better, we have to accept it but at the moment I don’t believe anyone is better than us.”
Read more: http://www.express.co.uk/football/view/242624/Arsene-Wenger-We-won-t-sellArsene-Wenger-We-won-t-sell#ixzz1KOX0Mww9
“Why should we sell Cesc?” he asked. “It is difficult to know what silly money clubs might offer, but we have built this team around Cesc and Jack Wilshere and we will keep doing that.”
*************
interesting that he’s included Jack. I just feel he’s preparing us for the inevitable ‘everything will run through wilshere and Ramsey’ speech.
Look on the bright side we’ve made it to 90 years in the FIRST DIVISION (or equivalent). PROBLEMS: lack of discipline which produces a lack of consistency and helps lose matches when players get sent off, a captain who should stand down as such until he’s clear who he wants to play for, one goalkeeper who’s seems sick of us, too many injuries, too many players who seem to think Arsenal is a place in the sun.
GLAD TO SEE some one using the name DIAL SQUARE reminds me of my home town.
“SUMMERTIME BLUES” Groan! He’s at it again! Come on Wenger there’s too many players on the books!
The way Arsene Wenger turns his nose up @ Arsenal fans shows he believes he is bigger than the Club.
He said within the fortnight that he was happy to finish 2nd; Arsenal now look like finishing 3rd, at best.
He has divided the fan base; he continues to turn his nose up at tactics; he continues to win nothing; he continues to earn 6.5 million euros.
He listens to no one, & when he ultimately fails he blames everything & everyone but himself.
But he draws strength from the narrow minded AKB’s who believe that Arsenal can only be sucessful under a man happy to play bridesmaid.
The most important thing over the past 2 weeks has been getting 3 points per game, but Arsene Wenger appears to have been more concerned about, once again, quelling rumours about Cesc comments in the press.
Fuck its boring!
And 4 joy 4 joy Arsenes going round again 4 another season of this sort of crap.
Shit entertainment, & you buy it
Arsene has not won an argument without David Dein,sign him up Stan.
Another day, another bout of regurgitated nonsense from a senile french idiot.
This time he compares his current situation with a newspaper!!!!! He says:
“But look at the reality,” he told journalists. “If you are the second-best selling newspaper in the country you do not shut your office.
I think what he is missing is that the priority of a Newspaper is to make profit, winning the accolade of being the best selling newspaper comes second.
Sadly though what Wenger is saying mirrors his own current philosophy his priorities seem to be
1) Make the club money
2) Develop players
3) Win titles
If he wants to compare himself with a Newspaper though he should ask himself what a Newspaper does if they are not the best selling newspaper. They change the content and if need be sack the editor!!!
The other thing Wenger has come out with again today is to reaffirm his belief that there is only two competitions worth winning. The PL and the CL.
Ok Arsenal, seen as you like comparing, does that mean that fans should take a similar stance and say there are only two competitions we should bother turning up for??? And what kind of message does that send to the players. Dont worry, it is not worth winning anyway!!!!
I know the AST and the board put pressure on Arsene to field a 1st team in the cups this season, and I can see Arsene actually passing blame on failure in the PL and CL on this insistence.
Finally Arsene has maintained that the Youth policy continues!!!
Jesus fucking christ, this man really does infuriate me. He needs to look at Cesc’s home truths in the week. The youth policy is flawed.
Firstly on loyalty. A player will show a degree of loyalty as the Manager has given him his chance. However that loyalty will not span the entire career of a player. As we see with Cesc now, players only have 15 years to win the major honours, and rather than accepting 2nd place, their career is all about honours first and finance second (if it is the other way around, they are players you dont want or need).
The other reason our youth system is flawed is that we have too many of them, and you quickly find yourselves in a position where youth is killing youth and that just hinders your abilty and will to buy the much needed experienced quality players as to do so would kill them further.
well said ptg, as always
fuck, I just had to rewrite three quarters of a post, Jesus saves, I don’t
Cheers SUGA3
I just dont know why quick journos are not putting those questions straight back at him.
PTG – thats what I was saying yesterday – the media just let everything slide..
Wenger –
“Well no-one expected us to to be in the top 10, and look where we are now, challenging at the very top! ….(Wenger stares hypnotically) ……I said look where we are now!!….!”
Reporters –
“Yes Lord Wenger, no-one expected you to be in the top 10, and look where you are now…..you said look where you are now!…..must kill Mr Burns…”
Id say Fergie hated Wenger when he first arrived coz he was winning everything – now he must love him because hes taken Arsenal totally out of the equation – theres absolutely no difference in finishing in position number 2,3,4,5,6,7,8 etc…..only 1st matters – if your manager doesnt think so fuck him out.
What does our board do?……
ptg, tiarnan,
why would they? they know he will just dodge the question, they’re better off winding him up to get the mental strength bollocks out of him
NEW POST!
pat, i’m loosing the energy over him….cant bring myself to think about him or his waffle anymore.
happy easter grovers!
Dein & Usmanov
Had dinner at the Orange Tree last thursday for what its worth.
ARSENAL ANNOUNCE A CHEAPER VERSION SEASON TICKET NEXT SEASON..
That lasts from August – Mid February.