It appears the strategy of Arsenal leadership is to go full-steam ahead. They are backing Mikel. They are backing Edu. We are moving forward with the ‘vision.’ It’s bold or totally nuts.
Part of this approach is to take back a bit of control.
The players failed Wenger. They failed Emery. They are tanking Arteta in a big way right now.
I make the club right in that sense. Don’t enable a culture where the players feel they have the power to change the course of the season, especially if they are bum talents. At core, this mess is a player-generated one. Simply put, we have too many at the club that don’t give a fuck.
Where the story comes right back to Arteta is that he’s been a chief enabler of this since he’s arrived.
When he was in his 30s, he was tapping up people to help him earn his coaching badges. His head wasn’t on the project. He was just trying to get to the end of his deal for the next move. How did he not check his own experience of being an old player when he invested his young coaching career in old players?
New deals for Auba and David Luiz. Rumoured new deal on the table for Barca bound Mustafi. We canceled the Granit Xhaka move to Hertha Berlin. Any player that told the new management crew they believed in Mikel found themselves with another chance at the club.
The senior players have turned on the manager now. It’s clear.
If they think he’ll be pushed out, they might be in for a bit of a shock.
What baffles me is why Arteta keeps on picking them?
Mustafi is off. Don’t pick him.
Kola is shit. Stop picking him.
Xhaka won’t apologise, that’s a non-negotiable. He needs to be shipped to Italy. Stop picking him.
If the players that aren’t in the squad are causing problems, tell them they can train elsewhere for the last 5 months of their deal. Work them from home. Blame it on covid.
The biggest thing… if Arsenal are going to be indulging student Mikel like we’re a training school, someone has to put the breaks on his shocking decisions.
Here is a really fucking scary reality: If Bernd Leno pinged an achilles heel tomorrow, we could be relegated.
Runarson is the worst keeper I’ve ever seen in an Arsenal shirt.
The decision to play him against Manchester City was beyond the pale. I was told week one that he was a shower of shite. Mikel has watched a player that can’t position a wall do that in training for 5 months now. He is the last line of fire and it is scary.
That decision is on Mikel and Edu. We spent a million euros on him. There’s simply no way the scouts picked him. There were way better options available on loan and for free. We picked a new member of staff’s mate… we allowed contacts scouting to happen again. Unbelievable that Vinai, Edu, and Mikel sat around a table and saw 17th place Dijon’s second-string keeper with the worst shot-stopping record in the league and rolled the dice on him. Does no one at Arsenal ask questions of their colleagues? Why are we taking the advice of a Championship keeping coach when it comes to scouting? What data did he have that supported him being the best we could do? That is not a process. It’s amateur hour.
Where is the accountability? Who is pulling Mikel and Edu to one side to explain how someone that bad found their way onto the pitch for a quarter-final of a league cup against Manchester City? No doubt they will rectify that in January. What will KSE say?
It’s these sorts of decisions that rock my faith. Mikel cannot stop doing stupid things. He’s in a tailspin, each week he seems to do something worst. I’m really struggling to see how he escapes this moment because I can’t see any thread of a plan.
Worse, is the realisation that Vinai won’t act because I’m pretty sure he doesn’t know how to. He’s been raised in a culture of self-preservation. No one acted on Don Raul when they knew what he was all about because Sven sounded the alarm. We rode it out, blew £100m+ on players not fit to wear the shirt. Sven is now rolling hard with an exciting young team in Germany.
We acted far too late on Unai Emery when it was clear what was going to happen. Now we’re in a nightmare again, Vinai isn’t understanding the moment, nor the opportunity. Edu has a bad record with us. Vinai demoted him. Ralf Rangnick is on the market. Luis Campos is on the market. They will cost money that will pay itself back 10 times over even if they do just an OK job. Both have the experience to nuture Arteta’s talent and control his bad instincts. Both are monster movers in the market.
Owning up to a mistake early and fixing it is not part of the way we operate. Though it’s exactly how big clubs roll… look no further than Leicester. Nigel Pearson promotes them, he’s fired after a bad year in the league. Ranieri wins the league, he’s out the year after. They chop and change until they get it right. I’m not saying move on Arteta right now, but at least address the elephant in the room… Arsenal don’t rate Edu because we saw the actions on the deck chair on the .com. Edu telling the fans he enjoyed being metaphorically cauterized by a coach with 6 months on his C.V. Strike on Ralf, Mitchell or Campos. Ensure good recruitment and a vision returns to Arsenal. Get an A-lister in the most important position at a modern football club.
We might go on a 10 game run, we might claw back to 8th, but I am seriously worried that some of these bad decisions are part of Mikel’s DNA, because he keeps making them.
You can only fix mistakes if you admit you’ve made them. I saw him in a prezzer say he’d make all the same decisions again after his first year. Errr… really?
Still, it is what it is… so we have to talk about what could happen that might make things better.
All attention focuses on the weekend. We play Chelsea.
Arteta pushed all his chips onto coaching the shit out of his team with the extra time he’s had this week.
It’s time for a reaction.
The good news is it sounds like Martinelli is going to be fit. I think the fear was a hairline fracture or something horrible like that. Good news is it sounds like it was just a bad knock. Well, at least according Gabi’s Twitter.
I have no idea what he’s going to do with midfield. Mo Elneny does a job, but he’s not at the level. Dani Ceballos should be sent home to Madrid after his performance against City. Xhaka cannot be an option, his head has gone and he’s shite.
Then you ask yourself about the kids? AMN should start in midfield for me. Give him a chance. He’s an athlete, he’s a brilliant defender, and he’s a big-game player. Why wouldn’t Arteta? Coach him. Tell him to protect our defence with Mo. Keep it simple. Move it forward. Defend like a demon.
I’m crazy, but I think I’d prefer to play Smith Rowe in that midfield three. Lacazette might be technically gifted, but he has no mobility. We need runners and creators. Smith Rowe created a good chance almost immediately against City.
I don’t know what he does with the front three. I assume he’ll go with Martinelli, Eddie, and Pepe. I honestly think I’ve seen enough of Balogun to know the more junior of the strikers might have a style suited better to the equipment we have on offer. He’s faster, he plays more like a Premier League number 9, and there’s more variety to his game.
… but he seems to be on Arteta’s shitlist. So who knows.
What I don’t want to see is Willian out there again stinking out the joint. But… Mikel the manager is a politician now. The principles are gone. He’s about perception. He knows KSE will frown on another dud on a long deal. So he’ll persist. It’s madness, it really is. Can’t we fake an injury for him and pack him back off to Dubai?
Defence is also going to be interesting. I don’t want to see David Luiz out there even though he’s our best defender. Gabriel is looking a liability, Rob Holding is limited, and Cal Chambers/Pablo Mari don’t seem to be near the first team.
At least we have Leno available.
A bit of a ramble today. It’s a huge week. We go again… hoping, praying, that at some point, the tide will turn by persisting with the same ideas.
Over to you, Mikel.
P.S. Have an elite Christmas Eve. Don’t drink and drive. Stay in your damn pods… and listen to MY pod. Smooth wordsmithing…
karim
yeah this year is very interesting if you look at all the top leagues aside from England and Germany.
ac milan top of Italy juventus floundering
atletico madrid top of spain
lille top of france
I hope things can stay this way but I think the bugger teams will start to recover as players tire and bigger squad become important
Vic
You didn’t respond to the “minimum” bollocks you brought up.
Emery in his first season was expected as a minimum to get top four you say.
Your king didn’t reach this minimum in his last two seasons.
Ishola always barking the wrong trees, Emery became a failure badly at the end but what about those really calling the shots, the leadership of the club? ever think theyre as well culpable of this abominable season we’re having?
Vic is a Wengerite troll and he is actually revelling in Arsenal’s misfortunes at present because he is an Arsene FC fan and not an Arsenal fan.
How else can you explain his “move the needle” remark when we are currently sitting in 15th place.
Victorious,
When your stables are full of shit, before buying new boots you sack the incompetent stable hand and hire a new one capable to clean the mess in double time.
Arsenal should not wait for a new DoF before sacking Arteta.
Joe/Ishola
Emery became a disaster at the end though wouldn’t you agree? Had to rake in 4points from 3 matches to secure a place, I mean this was games against C Palce at home and Brighton, low level teams and ultimately ballsed it all up
Look he also had a EL final against the Chavs as another route into CL and what happened, utterly slapped bitched by a trofeeless Sari in Banku
Off topic but spare a thought for poor Trump who will be out of office soon ,while looking jealously at his idol, Putin, getting a possibility of a lifetime presidency and a total immunity of any criminal liability for himself and his family. Well, at least he gets to pardon himself and his cronies so not all lost. Where’s all the Trump is the law and order candidate crowd when you need them though? So far 85% of Trump’s pardons have been from his inner circle and mostly involved fraudsters and embezzlers with a few war criminals sprinkled in between… Read more »
I am really worried that Arteta will again push a half fit Auba and Martinelli to play against Chelsea. I would prefer to have both fully fit against BHA, WBA, Palace and Newcastle.
my sources at sky say we are in for Vinicius Jr of real madrid fame.
also atletico are in for amn with tripper out
Karim, As I told you before, Aouar is a hot and cold guy. When he is hot and willing like he was in his last game he is magnificent. However when he is upset, he threw tantrum and can be difficult in a squad. How do you think Arteta would have reacted to Aouar refusing to do a warm down after a game like he recently did? Arteta would have exiled him to Siberia. Like I wrote at the time, Aouar is a good player, but as long as Arteta is incharge of Arsenal, I can only see his integration… Read more »
LeGo just needs funds to build a super team like his daddy peps
More chelski transfers in January window imminent
Gabriel a liability.. He’s had about 2 bad games and have I missed something.. I want xhaka sold but what should he b apologising for
Niles linked with Atletico Madrid on loan to cover for the suspended Trippier. Would be a really good move for him.
Apparently, Arteta is interested in Eric Garcia while Saliba goes on loan.
Vic
Why should we be interested to debate with an Arsene Wenger fan over Arsenal FC fan.
You loved it that Emery ultimately failed and you are now loving it that Arteta is failing.
It’s a shame Arsene didn’t find another club because they would be your new team by now.
All because you think your king was hard done by.
“Had to rake in 4points from 3 matches to secure a place, I mean this was games against C Palce at home and Brighton, low level teams and ultimately ballsed it all up”
Yup, doesn’t compare to one single point from our last three matches against Burnley (H), Southampton (H) and Everton (A) obviously. Care to tell us about Arteta’s result at Brighton btw?
You’re trolling.
Snow kid
Wenger missed top 4 in 2017 by 1 point that’s the table you cannot continue glorifying Emery missing top 4 by one point in 2019 coz it isn’t unique as they say the table does not lie.apart from Spurs I recall Emery tanked badly at home against palace,Brighton so he failed to get top 4 for priotizing Europa which he was battered also
Ishola WTF are you talking about? How will I want Arteta to fail when I was here preaching the fans show some leniency and patience after some decent display by the teams lately, I asserted after the Everton game that he was unlucky and was called names simply for backing the manager and now you’re coming at me with such bullshite? Ok then Look I’m not even calling you An Emerysta fanboy because I appreciate its all about opinions and you may have a liitle bit overrated him but if all you can come up with is accusing me of… Read more »
I think something got lost in translation.
He didnt say ‘Win champions league in three years time’
He said ‘Win championship in three years time’.
Tom The two pardons I’d like to see are Assange and Ulbricht. The Ulbricht sentence was ridiculous To end the war on drugs, you just need to end the war on drugs. Don’t legalise with the purpose of creating tax revenue, do it to rip the bottom out of the market, create more supply than demand, then control the rules of the game. You’d do well to lose from that position, but I have little doubt our moronic political class, could find more than one way to do it. Silk Road was brilliant, they never should have destroyed that market,… Read more »
Our window is shaping up to be Eric Garcia, Jorginho and Isco on loan.
Vic
You have already shown your colours regarding Arteta early on just like you did with Emery.
It’s because you are an Arsene Wenger fan over Arsenal FC fan.
Don’t think other posters forget your previous posts and I don’t forget my posts either which one was I didn’t think Emery was the right appointment for Arsenal.
What I don’t like is the double standards in relation to Emery and Arteta.
Can blame Emery for so much but he never at any point had us looking as horrible as we are now and the excuse for him then wasn’t that the upper management were shit so why is that now an excuse for Arteta?
Dream
Don’t let the click baits fool you too much
We won’t sign a CB
We are 15th, no wins in the league since October or so. It hasn’t ever been this bad and if you who was so loud about how bad we were in a 22 game unbeaten run is using “deeper problems” as an excuse then you’re just being dishonest.
Power without responsibility is always a short fuse. It will explode in Arteta’s it already has. Problem is that he is too far gone to be objective at the moment. Same as Wenger in his later years. Wenger at least earned his position of power. Arteta was handed power out of desperation.
Arteta needs to leave not because he is a bad coach, but because he is out of his depth and cannot make the decisions required to improve Arsenal. The Arsenal role came to early and with too much baggage for him to handle.
Dream, Garcia is the summer, right?
Wenger was allowed see out the season despite failing
Ishola
Wenger failed at the end, likewise Emery and seemingly Arteta
I’ll leave you to find the common denominator in all of these
You’re grasping at clutches really by accusing me of being a Wenger fan over the club,
Ive only mentioned Wenger once in my comments today and that was no fansl base should treat the greatest manager of the club the way they did at the end there and that seems to have be enough for you latched onto and go all berserk
Is this Garcia any good or is Arteta just interested in him because he is a Man City youth player and originated from Barcelona.
Ish, this was quite a glowing report about him.
https://theathletic.com/1532587/2020/01/15/eric-garcia-interview-guardiola-barcelona-manchester-city/
Tuchel would be a dream appointment.
BlackStock, a manager falls out with everyone is probably not the dream you imagine.
Remove a small few who seems to have a warp way of reading into my comments then you’ve find this to be my summation all this time: I think there’s a hive mind mentality on here. I can understand people wanting Arteta sacked. We’re at a point now where people are jumping on him for things that aren’t even his fault though. If Arteta gets sacked tomorrow I’ll move on and support the next manager the same way I did when Wenger left. When a manager has left they’re in the back window to me. To me the main issue… Read more »
Rich
Anyone who uses bitcoin deserves two lifetime sentences without possibility of parole
Remember when posters were bored off top 4..
Whats the point we’re not going to win the CL bla bla bla
Victorious, that is how Arsenal are now looking at it.
Why are Man City selling him to us then if he is really good. Garcia that is.
And the player himself if he was very good would surely bide his time. He would go out on loans and Man City would be all for that until he is a bit older if he was really good.
Just me or was the Neymar – Tuchel marriage headed for doom from the off.
Ish, he’s not renewing his deal. Being good for this shitty Arsenal team and playing weekly for City are two very different things.
Pep is offloading one of his youngsters onto us as he thinks he will not be quite good enough for Man City.
How kind of Pep.
You see Arteta and Pep being best buddies has it’s pluses.
Sal
“Just me or was the Neymar – Tuchel marriage headed for doom from the off.”
No it wasn’t just you.
Neymar is a right piece and Mbappe isn’t too far behind.
Our friend Emery had the same problem.
Head scratcher as most didn’t even give the former manager this much leeway and could suss him out after a few games and here we are with excuses after excuses for a manager that has us in 15th and not looking like he can get us out of it and not just any manager but a rookie with no background of coming back from tight situations
Batistuta, it’s not a headscratcher, Emery was quite simply terrible. He couldn’t even explain himself in English.
Still binned?
Marko
Where the fuck have you been?
Pedro
Barcelona want Garcia for the summer. Might be click bait like Victorious said. But, if a move like that happens, it’s probably in January. Arteta is so full of shit. Not a fan of his character
Nothing’s really happened in your absence Marko.
Dream10
“Barcelona want Garcia for the summer”
That will be a head scratcher for him then won’t it.
Take me back home Barca.
He couldn’t even explain himself in English.
Arteta’s English is getting him far with the team at this very moment.
What Arteta has done to Saliba is unforgivable. The way he has treated that chap who lost his mother not too long ago and implied that was the reason he was given time then to subsequently ostracize him from the team is one for the dictatorial books. A good coach ideally doesn’t need an infusion of many sorts in this team. A bad coach is one who looks for quick fixes. A good coach sees Trent Alexander Arnold as a possibility while their top right back got a serious injury. A good coach is one who would lay the gauntlet… Read more »
So we have gone from a Top four squad who were failed by the bum Emery
To a squad of wasters who need to be offloaded as they are failing the Sauce.
What a clown you have become Pedo.
That Garcia looks a little too lightweight for my liking. Compared to Saliba.
Matchday 38
Arsenal need a win against Brighton, need Fulham to drop points against New Castle , and Burnley to lose against Sheffield ( still stuck on two points) to stay in the premier league, what will be the most watched Arsenal game in their illustrious history.
Arteta believes the players are up to the task and still trust the process, even if some key squad members might not be available due to string of red cards and training grounds bust ups.
West Brom need a win against Leeds to make the top four.
Of course its clickbait, no way we’re signing a 15th CB for the club when there’s still a big black creative hole gaping in midfield
No way Edu is that daft
Pedro
Yea and the current manager has us looking much worse speaking and communicating much better
Wasn’t Mari a City cast off? I’d rather not move on from Chelsea rejects to City ones thanks. It’s not even as if Pep has a great reputation for spotting defensive talent. Let’s give the lazy approach a miss and stop signing rejects full stop.
Wouldn’t touch Tuchel with a barge pole, guy makes trouble everywhere he lands
who would take buendia 23 years and we can get him for a cut rate price
“No way Edu is that daft”
Famous last words?
” Emery was quite simply terrible. He couldn’t even explain himself in English.”
Anyone who’s listened to anything Arteta’s said recently wishes he couldn’t speak English – it makes your ears bleed.
It was a top four, maybe even top three squad but you see it was destroyed by Emery to the point that it needs to be replaced.
Arteta did what he could but obviously the damages were just too great.
The curse of Emery lives on.
LG
Im on the Buendia train, how can one not be with the absolute shower of options we have.
Was hoping we’d go in for him with the extended window to Championship but Edu and Arteta seemed to know better.
Got binned a month or so back for making a comment about Mikel likely playing young up and coming striker Moller at wing back cause he’s that dense. Might as well give an actual reason to be banned. Mikel Arteta what can you say I’m 36 years old and he is the worst Arsenal manager in my lifetime. Absolutely horrific at his job could have been sacked at any point in the last 4/5 weeks and it’d would have been justified and it’s frankly laughable that he’s still taking training sessions at the club. We seen this coming it had… Read more »
Tom
Are you serious?
Given Edu/Arteta’s track record, I can imagine their January transfer strategy going something like this: retain the players the team depends upon (Xhaka,Willian etc.), sell Martinelli and Saka for around £20 million each, congratulate themselves for a wonderful piece of business and sign Eriksen on a four year contract paying him £350,000 per week. These clowns have to be fired before the end of the month. In other words, Arsenal Football Club has just SEVEN DAYS to save itself from further embarrassment and ridicule. It really is that serious!
Marko
Pedro banned you for making a comment about Arteta playing a player out of position?
Marko
You absolutely deserved the bin if for anytin for writing a novel just now to explain fck all
Emery was terrible, of that there was no doubt. His communication skills were key in his downfall. We were confused and frustrated and ultimately the same could be said of the players. Arteta is terrible because he just doesn’t seem to get it. He speaks the language and is very eloquent but, for the most part, it’s all gobbledygook. So both Emery and Arteta are on a par when it comes to leading us forward. The fact that we all understand Arteta though, actually makes it even more frustrating as far as I’m concerned. Speaking the language is all well… Read more »
Since when did Marko start writing in paragraphs?
I call fake
Big lolz with tassled titties on top to Eric Garcia being signed. Can’t utterly fuck over one talented young CB to then go out and get another less talented one. Like I said shouldn’t be in the job taking training sessions let alone even contemplating involvement in future signings. The hope is that it’s timing more than anything that still has his in the job. Hopefully the club is sounding out someone but they can’t do it just before Christmas. Maybe after chelsea we can let Bould take over until the new year where hopefully someone is appointed before the… Read more »
Marko, you attacked my character. Same thing you were binned for last time. Do it again and the same thing will happen, again.
Graham
Actually that makes Arteta worse. Emery might have had good ideas but couldn’t communicate them – Arteta has bad ideas and still confuses everyone.
No Graham
Arteta is worse than Emery.
Emery actually got near to top four in his first season.
Arteta is absolutely tanking the EPL in his first full season.
There is a big difference.
And please don’t bring up FA Cups.
The EPL is the bread and butter and it is the competition that makes or breaks managers. It’s the competition that really tells us what a manager is about.
Marc
You’re right.
I was being too diplomatic.
Has he got the Spanish archer yet ?
“Marko, you attacked my character.”
I’ll get my coat then!
No GrahamArteta is worse than Emery”
Pray tell how?
Arteta bagged two cups and Emery won dildly squat.
Marc
Of course not.
Jus being the usual sarcastic prick sticking it to Emery ruined the players faction.
We were never a top four side, let alone top three, and needed major improvements and I said that much at the time. And if Arteta got us to top six he would’ve achieved a commendable result.
Top four would’ve been an amazing — a coach of the year — levels achievement this season.
“Batistuta, it’s not a headscratcher, Emery was quite simply terrible. He couldn’t even explain himself in English.”
And it appears that neither can Arteta, who has actually gotten worse results. Somehow i don’t think that barking Dani, Dani, Dani from the sidelines counts as English either.
Lets face facts, Emery may have been a disaster but Arteta has been a complete and utter catastrophe!
That took all of 6 posts. You never learn.
Ernest, I can’t argue this season.
Let’s see if he escapes the moment.
All the good those cups has done us as we can now barely win a game of football but yea let’s keep him for winning the community shield though
Bati, the cup bought us Thomas Partey. You might not be feeling that right now, but you will at some point.
Vic
Try to read.
The EPL is the main competition. It’s the most competitive competition.
Arteta has failed miserably in the main competition, Emery challenged for top four.
I know you being a Wenger fan like to big up FA Cups because that all Wenger could win for years but it is now a secondary cup for the main top teams in the land. These sort of teams don’t dream of winning FA Cups anymore.
Charity Shield? Let’s not go there.
Pedro
I’ve said far worse than Marko just said – if you just don’t like the guy fair enough your blog you can do what you want but you seem to react to Marko’s comments far more aggressively than many others.
Pedro
We weren’t exactly pulling up trees when Partey played either except the old Trafford game. He’s no magician and won’t solve all our problems. A new manager to get more than half the squad playing to an acceptable level would be nice though
Pedro
“Bati, the cup bought us Thomas Partey”
How did you work that out?
I think we are seeing the last games of Arteta. All this we support you no matrer what from the board is just pressure to the players and a way to buy some time to find a replacement but if they lose the next two games Arteta is going to be sacked and with some. luck Edu too.
And everybody knows XHAKA WILL PLAY ON SATURDAY.
“”Let’s see if he escapes the moment.”
Now that would be something indeed!
I don’t honestly know if he has the room or not and that will be vital for survival.
Marc,
He was banned
Came back and insulted me within 6 posts
Looked for a fight with CC
I write this for pleasure.
Reading his snarky comments about the blog or me on the daily isn’t why I do this.
Couldn’t care less bout the club ATM
Arteta is Wenger disguise..
If he stays demote him.
What we needed was someone who could work on a budget and get the players especially the going ones playing at a much higher level but we got someone who’s main tactics is counter attack. Did well and won us the FA Cup and we all basked in that glory but his league form has been atrocious. At no other club would he still be in a job, none really be it a mid table or small or big club
Quantum cunt aka super cunt and steve berg aka tiarnay has been running amok for days being absolute twatwaffles, but Pedro only wakes up when Marko is a naughty boy or when Emery’s name pops up. Smh. Arteta could very well be the worst manager in the premier league era, and not only for us, he’s that bad currently, and no evidence of him being able to do better. Changing the higher ups is not going to change that, only prevent us from ever making the same mistake again. The rot has to stop first though and that means sacking… Read more »
Pedro
Just seems to me you react in a stronger manor to Marko than others – an observation not an accusation.
Oh yeah Arteta is absolutely pants.
Haven’t we had someone insult peoples kids on here the past two days who hasn’t been binned yet by the way
Ish, FA Cup > European Football > Partey
Nothing to do with almost tripling his salary by the way.
Strangely… I’m seeing loads of tipping services putting Chelsea in their Accas for the weekend.
We’re a massive 3/1 for a home team
Have to lump on init.
Bati, no, you have had a person that insulted someone’s kids banned with all their previous comments deleted.
Again, I know you lot think I do this professionally, but this is part-time… if you see something horrendous and it hasn’t been taken down, it’s usually because I haven’t seen it.
Pedro
Are you seriously saying Partey was desperate to play Europa League football.
He joined Arsenal because the EPL is a big money league.
I think you are doing a bit of Arteta bigging up again here.