Wenger thinks things will change with more of the same…?

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So the press conference went off without a hissy fit yesterday. Arsene Wenger claimed Arsenal would not sell in the summer. People who work at the club told me last year that Wenger was adamant he wouldn’t sell Cesc unless the asking price is matched. I doubt Barcelona are going to want to fork out a fee as colossal as £60million this summer and I doubt Cesc is interested in moving to any other club outside Barca. As I see it, that one is a stalemate.

Rumours about Nasri clearing off also seem wide of the mark. He’s had a good year, he’s a top player but he’s not proved himself over a season yet and as far as I’m concerned he still has a long way to go before teams like Madrid and Barca come knocking.

Wenger also made comments that suggest he still thinks this team could win the league under different circumstances…

“There are some things when the team has lost a little bit of confidence, is a bit more nervous, is in a more difficult patch, that you pay for, but you do not necessary pay for every year,”

I’m not quite sure I like the science behind that statement. Ok, in different circumstances we might beat Bolton. However, with this team, you can bet your  bottom dollar if that happened, we’d lose to Stoke instead. This season can’t be looked at as a huge success. Our defence is on track to concede about 1 goal less than last season, our attack looks set to be 8 goals shy of last years total and our points total looks to have stayed static. (calculated using our averages so far)

We can’t bank on differing circumstances next year. The problems this year won’t disappear with a nice holiday. You don’t find attitude at the bottom of a cocktail, unless of course, you drink 8 of them. We’re not going to find the missing leadership from Thomas Vermaelen. He’s a great player but he was part of the problem the year before. The team needs an injection of new talent and the special talent we already have needs to be supplemented by hungry talent that is willing to fight. We need to move on the sulkers, bring in the young players who have done well and really have a good go next year.

If numbers can convince you that Denilson is the best thing since Diaby knocked out John Terry, then you’ll take solace from this season. If you use your eyes to watch the beautiful game, you’ll know our problems run far deeper than a ‘let’s just have another crack at more of the same’ next season. Arsene claims we’ve closed the gap on United, I think my numbers show that’s more because United have dropped their level this year and we’ve remained static.

Nothing to brag about…

The good news on the assistant manager front is that Dragan Stojkovic has dealt Arsenal a hammer blow by agreeing a new deal with Grampus 8. How do you feel Arsene, your mate used you to get a better deal? The good news is that should mean Wenger looks closer to home in his bid to sign an assistant. Giles Grimandi has put himself forward and has attended all the home games this season but for me, he’s too much of an AKB. Though I have heard he is meticulous about preparation etc…

Me? I’d prefer Paddy Vieira or Steve Bould. Recruit from within, challenge yourself and accept that there is more than one opinion that counts in the world of football.

The manager had his say on the despicable chanting that is sent his way by the United fans and he was as usual, very fair about his expectations. I’ve no doubt the United fans will be at it again, if they are, swift action should be taken against the perpetrators. There is always a danger that this type of ‘respect’ campaign turns into a situation where people are losing their season tickets for calling someone a sausage… hopefully that won’t happen and we’ll eradicate disgusting chanting from the game.

It’ll be interesting to hear if the United Fans take notice considering the bleating they do about the Munich disaster songs City sing at them.

Enjoy the Royal Wedding, I’ll mostly be manning up and drinking some beer today, I suggest you do too… happy Friday everyone!

P.S. The AST has once again proved why if you’re going to back any supporters group this summer, it should be them. They’ve put together a letter that is articulate, credible and full of direction. They’ve specified their concerns (season ticket increases), they’ve outlined why they don’t think it should happen this year and they’ve asked the club to put of the price hike for a year. It’s a compelling case put forward by a body that is organised, accountable in the fullest and has 100% backing of the fan base… and you know what, they even managed to get my new best friend Jeremy Wilson to knock them out a spread in the Telegraph.

Wearing a snappy piece of clothing and doing something as dramatic as a march will always snare the attention of a journalist desperate for some content… it doesn’t mean there is fan consensus. For me, as a blogger of nearly 5 years, I can tell you that maintaining content, enthusiasm and effort in incredibly tough. It’s even harder to deal with constant criticism. threats and opposition to whatever you’re doing. That’s why I admire the AST. You know who you’re dealing with, you know what their agenda is, there is a hierarchical structure in place and you can challenge, attend and join the organisation and have a say.

Fair play to any group that wants to get together in the best interests of the fans, I just hope they know what they’re letting themselves in for and that they have a long-term plan.

In my opinion, all fringe movements have done is highlight how lucky we are to have such a professional body working on our behalf. I hope you all feel the same and give them your support and backing in the way of joining.

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320 Responses to “Wenger thinks things will change with more of the same…?”

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  2. arsenal4ever

    yes Suga and a so called Fifa football agent but a woman. LMAO. Not like woman cant be FIFA agents but never heard before from her.

  4. SUGA3

    one thing for sure, if she is doing some poxy TV show about ‘soccer’ she can’t be a very good agent, eh?

    and on that note, I am off ;)

    nite!

  5. arsenal4ever

    Suga she put in just 1 and 1 together nothing more. Benzema and Hazard a strong possibility. CB will be Cahill, Jones or Sakho.

  6. pharo9ja

    sucre fuck lucio the cb & dnt patronise my black ass. There’s another lucio in the brazillian set up. He came in as a 2nd half sub in the brasil vs scotland game.
    U can check it out, I aint fuckin wif u.

  10. sixx pac

    Wenger has been accused of failing to stock his team
    with sufficient experience or provide links to the
    previous generation, in the way that Manchester
    United, for example, have done with Ryan Giggs and
    Paul Scholes. United visit the Emirates Stadium on
    Sunday and Wenger was asked whether their
    guiding lights gave them an edge. “Maybe, yes,” he
    said. “But I don’t fault the attitude of my team. This
    team, this season, could have won absolutely
    everything. When things turned against us, we
    became a bit nervous in the key moments of the
    games.
    “We try certainly to bring in some more experience.
    One of the reasons I took Jens Lehmann back as well,
    when we were close to the end was that, you
    know … because he has done it.”

    So why did we let go of our other leaders who have ‘done it’?

  11. Moray

    Kozzer:

    And on the Newcastle game in which Arsenal lost a four goal lead, Koscielny concluded by saying that the players thought they had the game in the bag after the first half but that Abou Diaby’s red card changed it around.

    On this season, the centre back said:

    We didn’t win any game [lately] so it’s difficult to win the Championship. We drew against Liverpool in the 101st minute so it’s difficult because we have the three points [but] then we concede from a penalty, for us it’s very bad.

    Against Tottenham it’s the same, we were leading 3-1, they scored two goals so for us it’s difficult because we played very well, we made a lot of effort to win the game so it’s difficult.

    If we don’t win the Championship it’s because we dropped many points, like Newcastle, Sunderland, Blackburn, Liverpool and Tottenham, a lot of points where we had a lot of opportunities to score. Maybe the luck wasn’t with us.

    [Newcastle] was a strange game, at half time we were four nil up, we thought we won the game easily [but] after Abou Diaby was sent off the game changed. It’s hard for us but we were up 4-0 and never expected to lose the game.”"

    Let me sum up the most important parts here:

    - “Maybe the luck wasn’t with us”
    - “We thought we’d won the game easily”
    - we were up 4-0 and never expected to lose the game

    That is the Wenger attitude permeating through the team. Imagine the players whoa hve been at the club 2+ years!!

  14. SUGA3

    dunno how accurate these quotes are:

    Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger feels the burden of captaincy weighs heavy on Cesc Fabregas, but is in no doubt he will grow stronger from this season’s disappointments.

    The Gunners are facing up to a sixth campaign without silverware, having seen their Barclays Premier League title hopes evaporate following a run of costly draws and a last-gasp defeat at Bolton. And another loss to leaders Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday could even jeopardise their Champions League qualification.

    “It is too much for him at his age. I believe so,” Wenger said about the 23-year-old midfielder. “But he is the captain of the team and [Robin] van Persie is vice-captain, they put a lot of pressure on themselves.”

    no shit, Sherlock!

    not like we didn’t say that 2 years ago, is it?

    Wenger should have a clause in his contract obliging him to read LG comment section everyday!

  15. pharo9ja

    fuck me sucre…I can see clearly now. Lucio= Lucas.
    You can forgive my ass, thats what posting from a bar does to a bruv. Boy, the boy Lucas is something else! Will wenger ever gn for him? Like fuck he will.

  18. Damian in LA

    So is the squad inexperienced or not??(Wenger excuses Volume 33)

    I qoute AW from todays press conference: “they are 23 on average but football wise they are 26 or 27″

    So which one is it? When AW needs an an excuse he says its a young squad, when he gets criticized for having a young squad, he says as footballers they are 26 or 27. 

    Same excuses different year.Its not the squad, its the manager wielding the squad who has failed, the general behind the lines who doesnt know how to use these players to win.

    Look at Rafa at Inter, the european champions for goodness sake — dont tell me the team wasn’t experienced or talented enough — his first act was to have them lose the super cup, and he made that squad losers thereafter.

    Speaking of Rafa Wengernhas become Rafa. Early success and five years of nothing, refusal to change, increasingly odd behaviour, leads team down oit of top four (pending…) — sound familiar?

    Talking about the squad takes the focus off the guy responsible: Wenger. Adding a player here or there, is rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic. The captain — AW — is sinking the ship my freinds

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