The makers of the Arsenal Smart Phone (details here), asked me for a question to ask Arsene Wenger. Based on the new commercial deals/TV revenue etc, I asked the following:
Do you feel like Arsenal are now in a better position financially to build a team that can compete?
Here’s Arsene’s answer:
Hi Arseblog!
We are in a more comfortable situation financially than a few years ago because we lost our big players.
Now, not only do we keep our best players, but we are capable to buy Ozil, capable to buy Sanchez.
Of course we are better off. Let’s not forget, last year we were 128 days top of the league and we won the FA Cup.
Now, in the season coming, we want to be even stronger again and fight for the Premiership and the Champions League.
—
There’s a longer video with more questions that you can watch here.
Amazing question, unexpected answer. Thanks.
“Hi Arseblock, I could have done with you last night in Dortmund…. now unfortunately I have to sit like this as the whole team copped it in the final third.
Sorry but I would have asked another question. Why have we got the worst long term injury record in the PL? Just thinking out loud
That’s a silly question. The answer was obvious
There’s not a lot of scope to put the man on the spot in things like this. I was interested enough to hear him say it all the same.
And capable to buy defenders, he forgot to say defenders.
We’re capable of buying them but incapable of signing them
Maybe the question should have been
Do you think we can use our new financial strength to reduce the number of injuries to the squad?
Well rather than being a complete tossbag about it, I was really chuffed for you when he read out your name for the question!
First Per now the boss himself, working your way in there slowly but surely eh blogs 😉
Would have preferred Arsene’s opinon on Per versus puppies
Or bacon. Let’s not forget bacon.
Hi Andrew,
As an aside, did you send Arsene a copy of Together, and what feedback did he give you?
What’s the use of all those players when you can’t get the tactics right.. (sorry, still not over the loss)
heh….. once past that line…its up to the players…and if it aint working at first it is their fucking duty to think and re-adjust…they are professionals. like fuck if they need a 65 year old man telling them what to do and how to do it when they train every fucking day under him…they know what is required…they are grown men and should take responsibility for their bad performances.
Why would any team need a manager then?
the manager is there to provide the conditions and the set up and the training for the players who have the talent and desire to flourish and reach their potential.
the manager is also there to govern team affairs, scheduling and financing.
The tactics have been formed ages ago….all the players know whet theyre supposed to do on the pitch, dont worry, they doing it every day at training. If they dont perform on match-days its their fault.
Exactly! 😀
I have to disagree with you on this one. Although tactics were formed ages ago, there is no one tactic that works on every opposition. I especially hate the like-4-like subs that Wenger often does on the 75th minute when it is obvious that the opponent’s game plan is superior. In as much as I loathe Mourni’hoe as a person, I admire the fact that he takes risky chances at certain points when things are not going his way. Some time last year, he threw on 3 strikers against PSG to salvage a game. I don’t expect Arsene to employ… Read more »
I feel Wenger should take some of his own advice that he gave to Ramsey. Back to basics.
well, this is new from Arsene.
you mean him saying “ass-block”? Think that’s what I heard…..or something.
Yep, he deffo said ‘ass block’. I’ve been pronouncing Arseblog incorrectly all this time!
Last season we all said that Ozil’s lack of form was due to there being no pace around him. There was no one to thread balls through for. That was a fair reason as his game is based on having pace in front of him.
This season, we’ve got pace in abundance and what happens? Ozil gets shifted out wide. What on earth?? Play him as a number 10 with pacey wingers and strikers making runs in behind and watch him shine.
Agree. Let’s hope Wenger will play him as a number 10 when Walcott returns.
I’d prefer sooner, but i’m just some idiot on a keyboard. Plenty of pace and attacking intent with Alexis, Welbeck and Ox at our disposal.
I swear I’d give up booze for one year just to see Ozil in “his natural Position” on Saturday. Of course, you refer to the middle of the ground behind the striker(s). I want him be there and getting the same abuse Jack and Arteta gets every game so that we can be through with this nonsense, Ozil prefered position. There is no such thing as preferred position because Ozil never played in one position alone! Look on youtube for all his career to see that he is everywhere on the pitch. Left flank, right flank, middle and so on.… Read more »
I like Arsene’s style, not content to buy great players he thought he’d give the rest of the league a chance by using tactics detrimental to ourselves. Like your style.
Tried watching the full version of the video, got a few seconds into it and closed it.
Rotate rotate rotate and when done rotating, rotate again.
A sensible suggestion from a foreign fan!
I don’t even know what to say about this man anymore.
So many questions you could have asked, and you went with finance.
Ozil on the left? 4-1-4-1? Bergkamp statue with a pole up the ass?
On hindsight, none of that would have reached him.
Bergkamp should be a MagLev statue.
That crossed legged position gets me every time.
I know, don’t cry over spilt milk and all that nonsense, but it is unbelievably frustrating how we stunt the natural instincts of very good players – only have to look at Arshavin, Ozil, maybe Sanchez (wait and see). Gervinho is a good example too. It’s easier for young players to look good as their development is emphasised from nothing to something decent.
It’s not a coincidence top players we buy end up struggling. Our rather wet and naive way of playing can only get us so far.
Did you really put Gervinho and Arshavin in the same category of Ozil and Sanchez??? Destroyed whatever point you were trying to make
They’re obviously not in the same bracket but I think you know what my point is. Our narrow-minded way of training and playing suppresses natural instincts of players.
You could start a fight in a phone box jeez.
please mister …please stop
1 ream madrid…..zidanne…played left flank..433
2. zenit st petersburg …arshavin..played left or right in advocaat;s 433
3. ac milan …kaka….played left ..again 433
4. barcelona…ronaldinho …played left or right ..again 433
WHERE/HOW THE HELL DO ALL YOU EXPERTS COMMENTATORS DECRY THAT TENS CANT PLAY ON FLANKS IN A 433?
just shut up
P.S: arseblog please…from now on …only allow people who know football
For what its worth Arsenal’s real problem is in the centre with Arteta, Ramsey and Wilshere not providing quick, quality possession to our attackers
yes you could say that. i agree arteta is not the one if youre aiming to beat chelseas madrids bayerns and the likes….
on the other hand..welbeck (23) ..ramsey (21) ..jack (20?) …sanchez (24-25?) …ozil (25-26?) why the hell arent they pressing the opposition’s defenders/midfielders/fullbacks…who do they think they are ?
Should have asked why we didn’t strengthen in defensive areas if we’re so solid financially, do we need an overhaul of our scouting system or something? Why doesn’t he see that defence is just as if not more important than attack? It’s no use having all the firepower we have without a solid base behind it.
Was filmed weeks before the end of the transfer window.
I think you missed a trick there Blogger.
Maybe something like…
“Over the years, a number of players that you have brought to the club, nurtured, developed and rewarded, have engineered moves to other teams primarily for the extra cash. Which of these players would you rate as the greediest and most underhand cunt and why?”
Damn it, I’m pretty sure that would have got past the radars of the corporate PR people who put this together
You could at least have composed a question that spelt out a rude word down the left hand side of his phone screen like the RVN wedding site of years ago…
Many people suggested that
Or other things besides
Ultimately though it
Remained impossible for
It to happen
Nevertheless I’ll try and
Honour that sentiment
On another occasion
I do wonder if I’ll get another chance
Sure hope so
Anyway
Cheers for the interest
Understand why you’d have though of that
Now I’ve gotta get back to work, see ya
Tiny.
See, it wouldn’t have been that difficult…
Good response on a favourite topic, (in 6 minutes), impressive… Or was it something that you had ‘prepared earlier’ Blogs?
Fair enough, would be interested to hear his reasoning though.
That’s a pity. Shame you couldn’t have asked him why he didn’t buy a fucking monster dm and cover for Per and Kos.
As I said, filmed way before the window closed 🙁
Great question Tiny.
Worth watching, just to hear him say “Hi Arseblog”
That was my favourite bit
you’re becoming famous. Just don’t make us pay to read stuff on the site one day. pleaaaaseeee!!!
No, that won’t happen (once people don’t use Ad Block all the time!)
This is the only site I don’t Ad Block, but I could click through links a bit more often.
In case, you know, you were wondering.
sorry dude…but ‘invis align’? ..braces??? piss right the fuck off… sorry…
Don’t worry, the ads are served to you based on your browsing history. Nothing to do with me. So every time you come here and get some of that free, free content, remember the ads are targetted at you by you.
If the ads are targeted why do I get the that sickening Manure ad. I have never been to a Manure website in my life.
I only visit websites of The Arsenal, and other nice clubs like Brentford, Darlington, Hereford United, and suchlike.
I don’t think Rottenham have a website, I believe they have just installed one of those Fax machine thingies so that their fans can “”flog”” by fax..
I do visit Arseblog multiple times a day for latest news, so your income stream is safe with me
Up the ArseBlog! Good on ya! More recignition for a one of the best Arsenal sites out there. Keep up the good work! Looking at some of the responses above – It’s been one game, give it a rest. Let’s not pass condemn everything about the club because of one bad performance. Sure there are issues, such as lack of cover and quality in defensive positions, squad rotation, and the disjointed performances, specially away from home. We need to address the worrying trend of losses against big teams from home, but lets give the team a chance to do that.… Read more »
We we’re close but fell short last season and ended up in the familiar 4th place yet again. while it is true that we have strenghtened the squad, our rivals have strenghted more, except City who just plugged the one remaining hole in their squad with Mangala, so their team is pretty much complete, so no need to strenghten more. Chelsea also strenghtened the weakest links in their team with a beast 25+ goal striker and world class playmaker. Liverpool signed like 10+ players for the required depth needed for CL including some very good players, and United strenghtened with… Read more »
‘So Arsene, who would win in a fight; 100 Arshavins with mini Eboues on their shoulders, or Steve Bould with Arshavin on his shoulder?’
Why not ask him why he didn’t buy more defenders when he had the opportunity?
Just saw your previous answer, sorry!
Balls, I wrote it all out again
Because it was filmed way before the end of the window and nobody really thought he wouldn’t at that point
Arseblog has officialy made it!
My question would have been – ‘Arsene, how do you cope with the fact that recently your teams put in performances on the pitch that are quite frankly embarrassing and should not happen at a club like Arsenal and if they did should not happen 2/3 times a season?’
Hi Arseblog. Would you like me to do my Sharon Stone impression?
haha, gross
Fight for the Premiership and Champions League! Really Arsene!
We’re playing exactly like we play every season regardless of how much money we generate from TV, corporate sponsorship and ticket sales.
yes that is true… i suspect tv deals and sponsors are ‘small league’ in front of russia’s petrochemical industry or the prince of qatar…what d you think?
If nothing else, the guy is a consummate politician: he rarely, if ever, gives away something that he doesn’t want public and always puts a positive spin on things. Happily he’s a brilliant (if flawed) manager and perhaps he’s right, despite the defensive shortcomings this will be a season of positive growth. If/when our front six, whoever they may be, get it together we should be in for a treat.
Should have asked ‘with all of the extra sponsorship income, and ridiculous TV money, did the club really need to put up the prices of the season tickets……’
What question would you ask today if you got the opportunity Blogs ?
I would ask him why he’s got a squad overloaded with forwards (some of whom he doesn’t really want) at the expense of defenders that he really needs.
Not just forwards, specifically central attacking midfielders. If one were to ask the players, they would prefer the following positions. Central Attacking Midfielders Rosicky,Ramsey,Wilshere,Ozil,Cazorla,Chamberlin,Diaby,Zelalem Central Midfielder Arteta Defensive Midfielders Flamini,Coquelin While at the back we only have 2 Center Backs Mertasacker,Koscielny (Chambers is still feeling his way through) We have a very unbalanced squad and are only making the best of the situation that we are in. Arsene just kept on buying central attacking midfielders as and when the opportunity arose. So now he is having to play most of them out of their preferred position all the time. That… Read more »
You don’t need to answer obviously Blogs because we would all , 99% anyway , ask the same question I guess.
Even an interview with the man himself isnt enough to bring rambling pete back! #findramblingpete
I would probably ask him to be my Dad!
I started following Arsenal around 08-09, after the days of Viera and Gilberto and I would like to know what changed in Arsene’s head, why hasn’t he gone back to the system of strong midfielders that won him the league? Was it winning the FA cup last year that convinced him to persist without a Viera-type player? I don’t fucking get it.
AW inherited some of those strong mid fielders, and since their departure seems to have a blind spot in that area, apart from the addition of Callum Chambers that is, an ace signing……
Ah, I was referring to 1996, not 2006, for clarification
I think he was ready to try and sign a powerful DM. There were to many stories about t many midfielders of similar ilk for there not to be and he tried to sign Bender last summer. think he needed a striker after the Giroud injury and getting someone else for the first team would have fucked the teams understanding even more.
tldr, he avoiding a situation like the Spuds were in last season by adding too many players in one window. I’m not an I, just my two cents.
I’m not an ITK*
Powerful DM – Wanyama, Gustavo, Capoue, MVilla, all decidedly average now.
About the same time as Blogs was asking the question I was lumping on at 9/1 to win the league as I was CONVINCED that we would buy adequate cover at centre back plus a world class DCM and striker.
How fucking wrong was I…..
Before I saw the vid, I thought you had been photo shopping again Blogs (or NewsHound)……. eerie.
Hi Arseblog, Arsene Wenger specifically aknowledges you. Congrats.
If you had asked Arsene for his killer flat belly tips would you have been sued by the people that advertise on the site?
Scratch “Arseblog” off the list of things I want Wenger to say. Next up, “John Terry is a cunt”
Admit it sir, you only asked an easy question to increase the chances of your question getting picked, thus ensuring we hear Wenger say ‘Arseblog’. You need to work that audio clip into your Arsecast extra intro!
Bloody hell arsene get the team right and get them feckin up for it….. BRING ON THE VILLA!!!
I might have asked if he has shown too much belief in his players in the past decade.
Should have asked Arsene if he planned to use the huawei ascend p7 arsenal edition smartphone to call around for a defensive midfielder in January.
MVilla, Gustavo, Wanyama, Capoue…any good now? All have flattered to decieve.
We don’t need a DM. We need a CBack back up first and foremost.
Extremely loose rumours on Yobo or Lugano, both free agents at the moment.
That’s brilliant Arseblog – nice to see you and your site get some public recognition. I often go to the Guardian football blogs and also Arsenal Mania site (as well as this one obvs) and you are often name checked on both sites. Must be doing something right!
BTW- my missus pissed herself at your Mourhino is a cunt anagram above.
Cheers!
I would have asked him if he has fixed his zipper problem yet.:)
It does feel something like we spent all those years waiting to get to the table, only to find that now a seat at the top is even higher than we expected. We still can’t, or won’t, pay the kind of wages other clubs are paying. We are using the same language now (“ridiculous, silly, absurd”) that we used earlier. We can compete for transfer fees, I suppose. But we have our pay structure and it is far behind those at the financial peak. This isn’t a criticism, mind you. But simply that we are now at the level that… Read more »
Would have also been good to have got his opinion on what tactical system (formation) best suits the current Arsenal team but I guess we were all in buying mode then as the be all and end all to solving the team’s deficiencies. Alas.
Have been checking all day for the Stillman column. Hope it arrives soon 😉
Looks weird when they spell it Arse blog
It’s a great name.
Most people think I’m visiting some sort of Anal sex fetish site.
A great way to mask the fact I am actually visiting and supporting such a deviant cause as in Arsenal.:D
Andrew nice to see Wenger say “Arseblog” rather than someone who we know missing the chance on the red button recently! 😉
Remind me?!
Sponsored by Huawei… Because China would like all of your private information, too.
“ARSEBLOG” YOUR THE MAN………………………..
Is this an arseblog vanity night? What an inane answer to an inane question! Does not answer why we have too many midfield players and did not use Rosiky, Ox and Cambell when we needed fresh legs to start Dortmund and why we are so weak in depth in defence. Arseblog is becoming Arseshit. Pointless like we will be if we continue playing in such a predictable formation and no change in style.
You obviously didn’t read the above comments. Sigh
Thanks for dropping by.
The 128 Day Trophy. FML.