Arsene Wenger has dismissed suggestions he’s tactically inept pointing to Arsenal’s consistency in the Premier League and Champions League as evidence that his work is not without merit.
Not for the first time in recent years the Frenchman has seen his decision-making, both in game and off the pitch, scrutinised by media and supporters with many calling for him to step down as manager before the end of his current three-year deal.
Speaking after Saturday’s win at West Bromwich Albion, during which a banner calling for his exit was unfurled by a few travelling supporters, Wenger outlined why he still backs himself.
“I started to manage a team at the top level in 1983 so, if I am completely useless tactically, I am a genius to hide it so well.
“I never know what a Plan B is. I do what I love and I think I do it with honesty and total commitment. I invite you to live with me and see in seven days what kind of work we produce and you will see it’s with total commitment.
“We have shown extreme consistency and that’s all you can do. Look, in the last 15 years, we are qualified for the last 16 in the Champions League. Give me another club who has done that. There’s not another club.
“We’ve had ups and downs in the league, it’s true, but you only come back again when the spirit is strong and healthy and united inside the club. I think if you have shown such a consistency, it’s because we have that at the club. We have values and we respect them.
“We have had three good performances [recently] and only got two good results, but we look forward to Southampton now.
“We responded well [since Man United] and had two clean sheets after our defensive stability was questioned. When you win in the Champions League and you have to travel away in the Premier League and you win again, you can say that you have done your job.”
If only Arsene’s invitation to live with him for a week wasn’t hypothetical. How cool would that be? Kicking back on a Saturday night in a couple of La-Z-Boy recliners, couple of alcohol-free beers on the go, watching Slovenia’s version of Match of the Day, playing a bit of FIFA, eating loads of broccoli…
Bear with us. It’s Monday morning and day dreaming is far more preferable to what we should be doing…
The best way to silence the doubters is to win, Arsene. Take this squad to the next level this season and we’ll follow you wholeheartedly once again.
The next level is a tad too late for this season if you ask me. But I am already very excited about next season. Here is why. 1. A settled team having played a season together – Alexis, Ozil, Walcott, Welbeck, Ox, Wilshere, Ramsey, all gelling together. 2. Young players getting more premier league experience. 3. Cash available to upgrade key areas 4. From 3, Flamini, Pod, Rosicky giving way to new and younger signings thus making the team younger and faster than what it already is ( scary prospect that one). 4. A wounded manager with a final hurrah… Read more »
Watch the wheels come off the Chelsea band-wagon mate, there is no way you can play the same team, game in game out. We have had more than our fair share of injuries and suspensions already. This season is far from over. Shhhhhhhit, we’re only around the “3rd” mark of the season, and with the 1st team just beginning to take shape, we should see some huge improvements in performances.
I agree with you on Chelsea. I am one of those who believe that they are not as solid as the pundits will have us believe. But a big question is: will we have the consistency to capitalize when their “wheels come off”? I want us to have as good a season as possible but I strongly believe that whatever we achieve this season will not be as good as what we will next season (except we win the league). The structure is there already. Just sign a CB that is good enough to challenge Kos/Mert, replace Flamini with a… Read more »
Not sure about buying Draxler and a CM to replace Rosicky. All three of the players mentioned will be on their way out in the next year, but given the depth we have in attacking midfield positions I would far rather see those players replaced with youth players – Crowley and Zelalem must be heading towards cup action before too long.
Failing that, maybe replace those players with an old-fashioned winger – one of the things we lacked against WBA was width, and a player like Navas, who hugs the touchline, might be a nice option off the bench.
As much as I agree about Chelsea faltering at some point, I’d be surprised if it was through injuries. As a club they hardly ever get them, and correct me if I’m wrong but Mourinho played I’d guess seven or eight players practically every game in 04/05 when they ran away with it. I’d argue that’s one of his best traits as a manager (as much as I despise him)- you always, always know a Mourinho first XI. Someone needs to get into their training ground and see how they keep their players so fit!
Mourinho rule #1 for maintaining squad fitness – have your players lie about being injured for internationals.
And here in lies the problem with Wenger’s Arsenal over the last 9 seasons, always waiting for next season. Well enough is enough, he’s had 9 years of promising next season will be better and it’s never materialised, time to let someone else have a go.
The FA Cup isn’t the CL or PL but it’s certainly something. Nine seasons, of which 7 seasons we had no money (and did far better than we should have for the financial outlay) whilst in the 2 season we have had some money we’ve bought well (still a gap or 2) and continued to do well plus win some silver. It took the Russian and Arab oil teams a lot longer than 2 seasons (whilst spending more than we could dream of) to get to our level. forget 9 years and start talking about rebuilding the team from summer… Read more »
No I won’t forget, I don’t look at others I look at Arsenal and Arsenal have underperformed. Arsenal have under performed because of the policies of the manager. They include the removal of experience from the squad and replacing it with youngsters, many of whom struggled without the guidance of experienced heads. Putting in place a “socialist” wage structure which paid all said youngsters on similar wages, leading to the best players leaving and unable to shift the crap because the wages were uncompetitive. Seeing our top prospects be successful at other clubs because of said “socialist” wage structure. The… Read more »
Portsmouth and Wigan recently won the FA cup. Whilst its still a trophy i don’t it represents progress
There is nothing artificial about stadium debt. Unless you’d like to debate the validity of floating currency exchange rates and national treasuries.
I think (but could be wrong) John was referring to the fact that season in season out the obvious weaknesses within the squad are not addressed, meaning that we have a ready made excuse for not challenging for honours as soon as the inevitable injuries start pilling up.
there’s something very artificial about a socialist wage structure, or only offering players over 30 one year contracts.
You don’t honestly believe that was the limiting factor, do you?
Yes, very limiting, Arsenal lost experienced proven winners like Lauren, Gilberto, Wiltord, Pires all on free transfers because the manager wouldn’t give them more than a one year contract. All would have helped bring the youngsters through.
Instead we got Eboue, Denilson, Bendtner, Diaby, Djourou etc. on massively inflated wages, £50-60,000 a week when they should of been on more like £20,000 because the manager had some ill conceived notion to create wage pariety throughout the squad. All very limiting!!
As i’ve mentioned elsewhere, Ozil and Alexis don’t seem to be complaining about wages.
That’s because we no longer use it because it’s mental.
It took several years of being snubbed by the likes of Ronaldo and Ibrahimivic for it to finally sink in that the reason they didn’t sign was because they’d only be offered the same wages a Djourou!
Woah there tiger.
He is hurting I can see it, we can all see it The criticism is relentless It’s painful and unreasonable One view To give so much, yet be ingloriously shamed by ” honest” fans like Claude and his Elks on video TV (people power and 2014 word of the year ” deluded” ) Do all folks know the true meaning of that word? Two view The banner was a global embarrassment for the Club they profess to love and the away fans who held it aloft, who at the same time whilst belittling Arsene , was jumping around like lunatics… Read more »
Amen to that!
I 100% agree with you
Very well said, and the disgraceful morons who unfurled that banner at the Hawthorns would do well to read your post and understand what being a supporter truly means.
What you are asking for is “blind support”. First and pertinent is that I am Arsenal supporter and secondly a Wenger supporter. I have been a Wenger apologist for a long while now, but even I cannot understand some of his ludicrous decisions of late and wouldn’t subscribe to blind support. Despite all the cash revenue accruing to the club, why is it that a club of Arsenal’s stature has to resort to a 5ft 9in LB as a CB when the decison to get a back-up CB could have been made in the summer and implemented (failure of risk… Read more »
@Maddolove – LEGEND.
Take a bow son.
He couldn’t win against the poorest Manure team since that plain crash for 15 consecutive games and has NEVER EVER won against Mourinho! Not to mention the fact that we have the worst injury history in the entire world and something tells me that his training has some to do with it! So now tell me how he’s the best option for my beloved club, how many times we’ve heard that they’ll click… I’m not abandoning my club! I’m fed up with satisfaction over mediocrity! But you go and be happy over 4th place, because I think a club like… Read more »
Brendan Rodgers has spent £100m yet the team is worse and last season is already looking like a flash in the pan, United fail to make CL places just one season after Sir Alex, and then you look at what Arsene has done after the building of the stadium and the consequent financial constraint, you can’t really call that mediocre. Consistent top 4 finish in that circumstance is something of a miracle. Appreciating that fact doesn’t mean settling for less just as turning a blind eye to it does not make you a pursuer of excellence. Realism is key to… Read more »
Why do people mention others when trying to defend Wenger?
I for one couldn’t give a fuck what other teams do, I support Arsenal!!
No one has mentioned that Mourinho is running if not a transfer profit very close to one since his return to Chelsea and he’s top of the league?
Wenger fan’s always say “Klopps bottom of the league” as justification for his continued failure but they never they say Guardiola’s top of the league.
Concentrate on Arsenal not other
It’s called Perspective and Citing Examples to back up a statement.
Meaning changing managers and spending all the cash reserves does not = success, or even improvement.
Arsenal does not exist in a vacuum, even if that makes it easier in arguments.
And I believe you mention Klopp’s record in this very thread when criticizing Wenger.
Where’s your perspective on Mourinho having a transfer profit over the last year and half? Why Rodgers? Why not Ronald Koeman? Why does perspective only have to come against teams doing worse than us? You might be happy to look side ways or backwards but I prefer to look forward. I find it quite amazing the kind of mentality losers possess. No one’s ever done anything by saying well it’s could be worse or he’s shitter than me so I don’t need to do better. The inventor of the car didn’t say I’m alright I have a horse, and it… Read more »
well said – proud to be a fan of the same team with supporters like you.
i’m on the other side of the earth (nz), so sadly won’t be in the stadium on wednesday, but it gives me great heart to know decent supporters like yourself will be there cheering the team on. thanks
I think we need to survive the injuries this season, secure a top 4 place and then get some bloody size and strength in the middle of our D and midfield. We give up too much in terms of physicality to a lot of teams and I think the diminutive nature of our players is one cause of our injury problems.
COYG!!!
Great. Another 4th spot. Whoopty f*****g doo! That’s why I fear the stubborn old Frenchman will never say goodbye…
We’ll get there. Just need to keep the squad fit and the defence tight. Easier said then done
There is no doubt in his intelligence and quality. But, If he knows a thing or two, how can he make a fundamental mistake of not having enough cover in our defence given our injuries.
Well obviously he made the decisions before the injuries. I know we are thin anyway, he took a gamble on lasting til christmas or was thwarted late in the window, but getting injuries to your first choice right back and centre back were not really scripted. its a very thin line he would have probably gotten away with it if he had kept Jenkinson, away from fat sam, but if he had gone out and bought a Djourou, cygan or a squillaci* we’d be baying for his blood. Indeed – if he had played bellerin at rightback or semi ajay… Read more »
Although I understand your point and I love Wenger, but even if you take out injuries of the fact we have 2 senior Centrebacks. Chambers (who I think will be a central player, either a cb or a cdm in the future) and Monreal can both play at CB quite well but are in reality 2 fullbacks who have been slotted there and done well. Taking that big of a gamble with our list of injuries is something he really shouldn’t have done. As for ‘these are the calibre of centrebacks that would be available to come and play third… Read more »
I’m pretty certain that he wanted another CB and possibly even had one lined up that ‘fell’ before the line. I really really wanted to sell my house in September but it didn’t happen then, but now I’ve accepted an offer. Yes I’m pissed it took so long but that’s just the way it happened because I wasn’t the only person involved. Shit happens.
He could have held onto TV but probably knew that a longstanding issue could potentially leave him unavailable for long periods (as has been the case).
Think about it this way, Barca probably knew TV was crocked when buying him, but still paid the millions. If that was how crazy the CB market became, then there is no wonder AW chose to wait.
That’s right. He couldn’t have predicted this crazy injury crisis. But then…generally you want to have 2 players for every position. Wenger is fond of keeping the squad small and instead of, say 1 backup RB and a backup CB, he’ll prefer having a player who can fill in in either of these position. He seems to value positional versatility over expertise in his squad players. Problem is though that we fall on our arses once we have injuries to both these positions. Before you know it, we need to get “creative” and put our faith in youth players. The… Read more »
Apart from that, I respect his sentiment. A lot of the criticism he gets is idiotic, which the media then gleefully amplifies. I agree with his fundamental values too, and the way he stays true to his philosophy is inspiring. Even crucial in the authority he commands.
Well said. Despite all the injuries he is doing a decent job. Not signing that defender has cost us and it has given all his critics a stick to beat him with. Yes he made a mistake, but just how many mistakes will we allow for the next guy who follows? I fear we could be looking at a Moyes situation after AW leaves. Those that think we can just go get a Klopp and everything will be better are living in dreamland (just look at where Dortmund are in the league!). Has AW ever let Arsenal drop into a… Read more »
It’s so crazy all of you here sounding like, there is no other Manager out there who can job, better than what Wenger has done in the past 9yrs? I love Wenger just like anyone all of you but mein lets be honest, name me one big club in the world that will let a manager not win any for 9yrs and still be manger? All Wenger has being achieving is 4th spot, and we go to champs league and get knocked out in the last 16, how is this an achievement? For Arsene to say finishing fourth is like… Read more »
Yea, ChrisGoona…he could have kept Vermaelen and have an extra body to cope with these injuries…ooopss.
@Dbcooper we are not saying there is no other manager out there, we are just highly sceptical of another manager, no matter his stature, no matter his excellency “‘avin’ a go at it, innit”. Specially because of fans like you, calling it time on Wenger, having totally failed to get to grasps with his consistency on the pitch and economically and thus giving a new manager neither time nor support, thinking that surely the new gaffer should be challenging Manshitty, Chelsea and ManUre for the title, whilst of course fending of the Mugsmasher, spuds and others. I forgot the CL,… Read more »
I could not have put this any better. Our players get injured so often why not use the squad proactively before reactively.
A player need to play to get ‘form’. There are a few ‘pivotal’ roles where you need players ‘on form’, CB being one of the main ones. If you’ve a player that can get game time as a FB then he should be closer to his best when he’s asked to move to CB. That’s one of the main reasons he likes smaller squads. He’s also very big on team spirit (The invincibles epitomised that philosophy) and the bigger the squad the more difficult to get that spirit. Despite that we are definitely 1 CB short but I’m certain he… Read more »
He couldn’t have predicted the crazy injury crisis?!? I remember not so long ago (early 2000’s) us going through 7 (yes seven!!) left backs one season!! As he said he’s been a manager since 1983, so even in his own vast experience he’s encountered this before, this was totally predictable.
So you think he should get cover for every position 7 times? I know you’re not saying that but come on, you know very little is that predictable in football. As I mentioned before, I’m sure he was looking, wanted and is pissed off he didn’t get another CB. As a fall back he probably thought he could get through it with a little luck (we are due some for a change) and he may even have an option for the Jan Window. Although (IMO) the PL is beyond reach, we can still do better than last season in the… Read more »
No I don’t, but considering he once needed to use 7 players in one position, it stands to reason that 6 into 4 isn’t going to be enough.
We’ve gone backwards from last season and no, that shouldn’t be predicable. The manager has to take responsibility for failing to prepare the team correctly and considering he’s been the manager for 18 years and as you say we have money he’s only got himself to blame.
I’ve said it before, and I should probably keep it copied to the pasteboard. AW is the first to take responsibility for and admit his mistakes. He said weeks ago we are short in the defense.
How many times do we have to repeat it?
We are going to have this difficulty until the issue is fixed, so we might as well get on with it and hope our little turn in fortunes here builds into a good solid run.
Wenger doesn’t take responsibility, that’s the thing, he arrogantly dismisses any criticism, just watch the interview he gave the lady from the bbc a few weeks ago.
Even in this article he doesn’t take responsibility, all he comes out with is people have opinions and he’s been a manager for 30 years, so he knows best.
He’s got to go!!
Some criticism is knee jerk and without perspective and should be ignored.
You choose to ignore stadium debt in your reasoning. He chooses to ignore click bait questions.
I for one think he shouldn’t even have ‘dignified’ these questions with a response.
There’s nothing knee jerk about criticising a manager who’s trophy haul that can be matched by Birmingham, Portsmouth and Wigan over the last 10 years despite having vastly larger resources.
Also Stadium debt plays no part in the reasoning of not giving players over 30 more than a one year contract or deciding you’re going to keep Bendtner, Denilson and Diaby on the same wages as Fabregas, Nasri and Van Persie, it’s just rank and arrogant mismanagement
As players get older their wages to future benefit ratio goes down. Of course limited finances played a role in that policy. Sagna was offered more than a year and increased wages, after we reached better financial standing. He chose to grab a wage no one logical would pay for a bench sitter.
And again we’re talking about next season being better than this and placing a greater importance on future benefit whilst forgetting what the player brings today. Wenger was right that some of his youngster have turned out to to winners, just not for us! I for one didn’t get any pleasure watching Clichy and Nasri win two league titles at Man City or Fabregas win multiple titles at Barcelona or Van Persie win the title at Utd.
There’s more than one way to be shortsighted
Yes, there are many ways to be shortsighted. Like missing out on Debuchy, who has more years left and is an immediately ready swap. And less expensive and unsettled. Sagna was offered. Didn’t want to stay. I doubt the size of the offer would have mattered. Same with all of the others you mentioned. They didn’t believe in the club because their mentality was shaped by the lean years.
These damn goalposts keep moving.
My argument is consistent and doesn’t move at all. There’s no missing out on Debuchy when you have to pay £12m to get him to replace someone for left for nothing, that’s not exactly financial prudence is it? Of course Fabregas, Nasri, Van Persie didn’t leave because when they hit 30 they didn’t get the contract they wanted because they left before they reached 30!! They left because of deranged policies put in place by the manager like not offering players over 30 longer than a one year contract which made the team uncompetitive. If you can’t see the link… Read more »
Yeah you could say that but he doesn’t negotiate. Maybe the negotiating team is useless and him, maybe not so much but definitely not as much as people claim. There’s not a single manager out there who would suit us better than Arsene. Klopp??? Look where his team is in the league. It was michael laudrup when he was havin a good patch with Swansea but got sacked and where is he now? So many more managers out there who people suggested but hardly anyone out there who would attract players like Ozil and Sanchez or players like cazorla or… Read more »
Klopp has won 2 league titles in 5 years
Yes very impressive to beat Bayern but not at all impressive to beat everyone else there. Would you be happy to be bottom of the league even if we had won the PL twice in the preceding 5 years? I doubt it. In my opinion Klopp is a very good manager but he always needs time. He was at Mainz for a few years which included him taking them out of the bundesliga, and he wasn’t immediately successful at Dortmund either. I don’t believe our whinging fans would give him long enough to become successful with us. In a few… Read more »
I’ve never said I want Klopp to be our manager, but his record is better than Wenger’s over the last 5 years that’s not open to debate.
Not much is, is it?
No, facts aren’t open to debate
Dortmund is bottom of the Bundesliga.
Again I don’t care what Dortmund do, I care about Arsenal. If you look above I state I didn’t say I wanted Klopp to be Arsenal manager but he has won 2 titles in 5 years
I would take two league titles in 5 years then a mid table finish here and there than 4th every season
We have finished 3rd a few times in the last 5/6 years and higher before then.
But Az, Dortmund isn’t mid table. They’re Dead Last.
It’s only 13 games into a 34 games season
Yes, it is, isn’t it?
So how does that apply to the Premier League?
So that’s the question… consistency, or not? Would you have Arsenal win the league if it meant they’d be relegated the next season?
I’d settle for looking like we could win the league or champions league, we don’t have to win it but actually look like we’re trying to.
Take Liverpool last year, they got into a position were they looked like they could win and then went all out to win. They didn’t but my God they gave it a go, whilst we limped home in fourth, our capitulation was pathetic in comparison. But we finished fourth and that’s what counts, right?!
“Look, in the last 15 years, we are qualified for the last 16 in the Champions League” Typical Wenger – pretend fails as a achievement. Another annual trophy, huh?
It’s not a fail. We’ve qualified by coming 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the PL. All of which 16 other teams wold kill for.
Who cares what other teams would kill for?
I don’t think any of us do. It’s called perspective. Some of us use it to inform our decision making process. But you don’t have to of course. I mean, it’s not in the blog rules or anything.
How about this for perspective, Arsenal are the most expensive team in Europe to watch and just about scrape 4th domestically year on year. That’s the perspective I take!!
Should they sell to Usmanov?
Why should they sell to Usmanov? What does that have to do with anything?
Money.
If you want the club to endlessly buy players it needs someone else’s personal accounts to draw off of.
Who said endlessly buy players? I didn’t
Arsenal have more than enough resources to buy sufficient players, we could even finance it in part by offloading high earning, rarely playing, playing staff like Podolski, Campbell and Rosicky. That’s got to free up about £200,000 a week in wages alone.
Through 8 of the so-called ’10 years of decline’ we did not have plenty of resources to compete for expensive talent like we are starting to see now.
2 seasons with less debt payouts = 2 seasons with quality additions.
We had more than enough money to be comfortably the 4th highest wage spenders during that time, the problem was the misappropriation of wages not the lack of funds. Wenger’s mad social experiment of paying the likes of Bendtner, Denilson and Diaby a 50-60% premium on the going rate for players of their talent and the Fabregas, Nasri and Van Persie a comparable reduction on their wages was the main factor. It wasn’t a lack of core talent in the team but our inability to keep it as a result of the managers restrictive principals. That coupled with the purging… Read more »
Fabregas and Van Persie didn’t leave for money. The amounts of money necessary to ‘pay them whatever it takes’ and keep harmony in the team was not there.
Who gives a fuck about Nasri. Not me.
They left because of a failed experiment by the manager. An experiment that saw our squad stripped of experience and replaced by vastly over paid inferior youngsters.
Youngsters that weren’t learning because they didn’t have the helping hand of experience showing them and that couldn’t be sold because no one would take on their massive overinflated wages.
This was all caused by bad financial mangement made by Wenger
John, John…trying to insinuate ideas but always turning around and whine ‘I didn’t say that, I didn’t say that!’
Very well constructed and intelligent argument you put forward there
Ok Arsene. I can live with you for seven days. Give me a call. 😀
That banner was an utter embarrassment.
Totally agree, it lacked class.
I wonder if they took it to the Cup Final last year…
Every club has its minority of d!ckheads, unfortunately ours have learnt how to use their crayons on their Mum’s bedding. Wenger’s a clever man, he’ll know it’s just a minority, it won’t change either the situation or how he acts one iota. Just a waste of a perfectly good duvet cover.
Duvet? Cover? Is that another young, yet to be discovered French starlet Arsene’s found to fill in for our CB frailties ?
If he’s anything like Kos, I fucking hope so!
Interesting that the banner displayers always hide behind the banner. They don’t show their faces. Why? Are they Spurs fans or just act like them?
I think he has lost its, didn’t replace vermarlen and didn’t sign a dm. Plus did and you else see the face in the bottom left of the picture? 🙂
I’ve read quite a few interviews with people who are either friends with or in some other way related to Wenger, and he really is completely obsessed by football. He’s the kind of guy who knows who’s who and what’s what in the Egyptian 3rd division. Also, he’s obviously not tactically inept or ignorant or any such thing. However, he is certainly less ruthless than the likes of Ferguson or Mourinho who would flush their footballing ideals down the toilet if it lead to winning. At any rate, Dortmund is now dead last in the Bundesliga. Bottom of the league.… Read more »
Has anyone else noticed the guy in the red shirt in the bottom left hand corner of the picture?
Theo Oxlade-Chamberwalcott??
Part of Wengers dna academy
I hope not. I’m pretty sure thatnsort of thing causes all sorts of trouble in the new Jurassic World film. Can you imagine what would happen if one of those got on the loose?
I haven’t seen the trailer yet and i am hoping that the Jurassic World shows how man learns from his failures, and after the mistakes of Jurassic Park we can get it right this time and create a dinosaur theme park that is fun and safe.
I am sure i will not be disappointed.
Likewise i am confident we can start chipping away at Chelsea’s lead in the premier league.
Catch them by easter.
SPOILER ALERT: RE: image in corner of picture:
It’s a character from Twin Peaks, David Lynch’s television series. As was the BOB reference the other day.
that would be the one and only Michael J. Anderson http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0027199/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t53 . an uncanny likeness to wenger? or could it be a reference to the surreal nature of the banner? or maybe because in Twin Peaks his character holds the answers to the mystery? (the mystery of AFC). or maybe the answers to our defensive issues dwell within the black lodge? or…. i dunno?
The consistency has been great over the few years bar the ups and downs. One only hopes Arsene can take it up a notch.
At the end of the day, change is inevitable…..
I have a feeling Wenger doesn’t have La-Z-Boy recliners, but stands, dully suited, arms crossed watching from the back of the sitting room occasionally dropping down to his haunches..
If you lived with him you would have to wear shorts and sit behind him, ready with a water bottle should he need to kick something.
I don’t think any other manager polarises his club’s support base as much as Arsène. He’s shown us all extreme quality when he arrived, andnow hes hahaving to prove to a bunch of smartphone-wielding kids that he’s still got it.
That said, even he’s not above criticism WHEN DUE.
He has to prove himself to everyone, you can’t live off past glories. They were a very long time ago and we haven’t seemed to have moved very far forward in the last few years. Yes we always get 4th but we make the same mistakes all the time, the goals we concede are easily predicted.
We never seem to learn.
Some kids just get bored of their own toys and want those that the other kids are playing with…
I’ll live you with you Wenger!
LLet’s Rock!
That gum you like is going to come back in style
#BannersOUT
So do you want banners out or banners out?
Banners out of course!
When did we buy Hulk?!
on that is right but he keeps saying the same things we are not being in champions league benefits share holders not supporters. supporters need cups not going to champions league and get eliminated its time for change
Like the f*&king FA cup last season then you mean??? what is it with this blind ignorance?
This is bloody stupid logic, cause if we won the FA cup and League cup for the last 10 yrs but failed to qualify for the champions league, we would not have player like Alexis, Ozil or be able to keep much of the sqaud together because winning both domestic cups still would leave you with a budget shortfall of about 10-15million quid a yr. considering you get about 5mil for winning the FA cup and much less for league cup we would struggle to pay wages and not have moved to the emirates. but all 38,000 who could get… Read more »
No one is above criticism…even the greatest of coaches.
Wenger of these days is just interested in developing talents than winning titles.
As you say, no one is above criticism but 90% of the criticism of AW is idiotic.
Have a go at him about the missing CB (which I’m certain he’s aware of) or his poor substitutions but the fuckwits that say he doesn’t like spending or that he’s tactically inept clearly understand little about the game.
90% of the criticism is actually made up of vacuous or ill-informed comments like “Wenger of these days is just interested in developing talents than winning titles.”
What would you call being a goal down and bringing sanogo in instead of podolski??
Is sanogo better than podolski?
Would a coach like cuntinho, fergie risk relying on someone so raw throughout the season??
Is a spanner better than a screwdriver?
Fuck wits might say those things, but most sensible people think he should go because he’s no longer very good at winning football matches
apart from winning the FA cup and finishing in top 4 and getting to the last 16 of CL suggests the sensible people are not judging him by facts but by emotions. Facts are he wins more than he loses and was 1 of the most 10 consistent managers in terms of win to loss ratio in his managerial career. but dont let the facts stop you making a tabloid like statement
It’s not a tabloid statement, Arsenal’s league form this season have played 13, won 5, drawn 5 lost 3, and that’s the worst start to a season for 32 years. His results are going backward and that’s a statement of fact
Narrow view short term thinking.
There’s nothing short term about 10 years of regression. A graph of Wenger’s reign would see it peak in 2004 and then decline ever since. The evidence is that Wenger’s results are on the wane, and however you wish to spin it it’s a sad but obvious truth
Stadium debt.
Socialist wage structure
Alexis and Ozil don’t seem to be complaining about wages.
That thankfully, is a thing of the past
didnt realise the league was decided in november.
Going by the current season – The Premier champs are man city and league cup winners
The FA cup and community shield belong to Arsenal
champoions league winner – Real madrid
Unless i missed something we have been winning some matches
May not be the greatest start to the season but its how you finish thats more important
How much are you willing to wager on Arsenal winning the league this season?
arsenal won’t win the league this season. but they will finish top 4, could win the fa cup again, get further in the CL, and will not have gone backwards as you say they have. you short sighted fans need to hop on board the cfc bandwagon, it’s more fitting for you lot.
I dont bet on my team, never have. I do go to matches so i will support my team like i have always done and take stock at the end of the season. I want us to win everything in sight even though sometimes this has not been realistic, but i know we have a excellent club, excellent stadium, very good manager and very good team when everyone is fit so lets see what we can do this season after a horrific start and the usual injury BS. we had a decent attempt at the league last yr but fell… Read more »
This is an example of blind optimism. Start being realistic and not live in lala land.
It’s not blind optimism, it’s bravado, it’s bluff and bluster, well I called his bluff and he’s gone missing!
Sorry mate not gone missing , living life.
I dont bet on my team never have.
at the start of the season i thought we would have a good chance of doing well in league, we may not win but i expect us to do well in the league and hopefully pick up a cup. Lets wait till the end of the season before we start handing out final verdicts a third of the was into a long season.
That’s handy. Why don’t we wait until the end of next season or the season after?
No, for me I’ve seen enough of what Wenger brings to Arsenal and the quicker he goes the better for me I’m afraid
You’re trying to say wenger didn’t make tactical mistakes last season?? at least you’ve admitted he made one by not getting a cb. But this isn’t the first time he’s done this.
By that standard of measure every manager on the planet is inept.
Not when you make the same mistake over and over again.
Cuntinho saw that chelsea needed a striker and someone to replace lampard…he went and got cesc and costa. Torres left, replaced him with remy.
But with wenger, we’re always a player or 2 short. And then when we implode during feb-march period, it’s the same problem…being short in crucial areas
I think you’re confusing tactics with transfers. They’re quite different.
Last season we missed out on a sustained title run because we tried to play against Chelsea, City, Liverpool and Everton like we did against the minnows. We got hammered, not once, but four times. We took the same ill informed attitude into this season and have lost three times in the league and once in the CL. The definition of learning from mistakes is doing things differently when they don’t work out the first time out. What did we do instead? We tried to do the same thing and got hammered again. We were all thinking, maybe we’ve learnt… Read more »
i think a lot of frustration is born of a new breed of supporter not just for AFC but generally in the whole worldwide they cant see anything beyond the winning every game syndrome there not interested in the nuts and bolts behind the scenes which go into the running of a football club. there are lots of supporters in other clubs who would die for what we havent achieved in the last ten years, going every year worrying about relegation not even dreaming of a possible top 4.Wenger has this club on the right foothold to take us into… Read more »
Yes, for them it’s not about supporting your team, it’s about them supporting a winning team NOW!.
yes cause we die soon if we’re waiting for 15 year rebuilds…
lol that guy in the red shirt is freaky
Slovenia’s version of Match of the Day is watching the original on a 3×4 pixel stream.
the fans who wanted klopp have shut up now that he has dortmund at the very bottom of the table… get behind the team and manager,, these stupid banners only do harm
Faced with a 400-million-pound bill to pay off the Emirates debt, Arsene could have easily left us for Bayern Munich or PSG and bought whoever player he wanted, and won the domestic league every year.
Instead, he stuck with Arsenal, made a profit on transfers every year, still qualified for the CL, and paid off the stadium debt (by the way thanks a lot for your [lack of] financial support Stan!).
For one more season, think we should just stick by the man who stuck with us for so long… and get behind the team.
First things first, the stadium debt hasn’t been paid off so where this crap comes from I don’t know.
Secondly, what does making a profit have to do with football?
It has Everything to do with football as Bayern fan i will tell you this if we did not make a profit every year for 30 odd years we would be like BVB broke and shit and at the Rate we are growing (20% per year) we are expected to overtake Real as the most Valuble club in the world in 6 years and unlike Real and other clubs we have no debt.
I also believe at Bayern you reinvest in your team, something Arsenal hasn’t done. We have £170m+ sitting in the bank for what? so we can be the richest mid table team in the World?
What does making a profit have to do with football?!
The largest portion of the debt has been serviced, leaving a much smaller portion that is much less of an annual payout, freeing more annual revenues for reinvesting in the squad.
Which we have seen with Ozil, Alexis, etc.
Arsenal’s profits include repaying the debt not before, so announcing huge profits year on year has never helped clear the debt it’s just all gone into the bank, hence why Arsenal have £170m+. Arsenal could have had profits of a pound and the debt would have been cleared at the same rate.
Of course they include after all of the annual expenses and debt repayment. That’s what profit is.
There is more of it available every year now that a large block of the debt has been removed from the annual payouts.
Businesses run balances. Ones that stick around do. And everyone on the planet including Wenger knows we are short defenders and need to buy some.
I’m glad we have that sorted, so I guess we can now agree that stadium debt played no part in the lack of sufficient investment in the team then?
This year in particular, I do indeed agree with that. That was not the case for 8 of the previous 10.
In my opinion no CB or DM additions is a big mistake. And I’ll say it for the 40th time or thereabouts, Wenger said himself we are short of defenders.
Just so you know where I am coming from, I do not by any means think Wenger infallible. Nobody is. But I see a lot of statements flying around that ignore context.
A little off topic, but how many of you think that pellegrini is a better tactitian (or a manager for that matter) than Wenger? He won a title last season for fuck’s sake! I know we need a backup cb but honestly believe that we would be placed better in the league if not for these injuries
I think we have been saying this for years, what if xxxxxx was not injured. The other question is, what if xxxxxx did not leave the club.
Oh please. Sure, Pellegrini is a good manager, otherwise he wouldn’t be at City or have managed Real Madrid. But he ain’t better than Wenger. He really just knows how to take advantages of his unlimited funds which must be a real challenge, and then how to form a team out of it, also known as the-one-thing-a-manager-needs-to-be-able-to-do
so did roberto mancini who i dont rate
Matteo won the Champions League. Not a standard I would be in favor of using.
I wouldn’t want to be living with Wenger. Imagine life starts at 5 in the morning, training, meetings, more trainings, management assignments etc etc, then it is probably 8 in the evening. And while we sit in a pub enjoying all the matches, he is sitting on the bench seeing his team playing and got verbally abused by both opponent fans and his own fans.
But then again, he is never (and has never been) the best tactician. His strength, used to be able to bring the best out of ordinary players (or to revive fringe players).
The problem is that his tactical inabilty was always disguised by the great squads we had in the past. Opponents had to adjust to us and now it’s the other way around.
True, the current Arsenal tactic is so mono-toned that every single team have ways to defend against us.
‘I am a genius to hide it so well..’ Only issue is that he is not hiding it. 6-0, 5-1 and 6-3 against the top 3 last season is a proof of that.
I am gonna be 100% honest, the man is an absolute legend and you gotta respect him for what he has done for the club. But the thing with all this wenger fanboys is that they always points to things that happend in the past. We live in the NOW, and the last few years he has been far from the man we used to have managing this club. I think he has lost the plot completly. So many footballing experts who dedicated major parts of their lifes to their game says similar things, that his tactics is not working,… Read more »
did we not win a trophy last year??? did chelsea, liverpool, spurs, man u??????
No?! 1 Cup Win in 10 years is not a lot in comparision with the trophy count of Chelsea and Man Utd during the same period of time. So it is kind of an odd comparision there. If he would have gone trophyless for that amount of time in one of those clubs he’d be gone. In a matter of fact he would never even have been given 10 years. The best clubs we played to reach the final was: Tottenham Hotspurs, Everton and Liverpool, and we played all of them at HOME. I am not taking it away in… Read more »
RIX……or 1 cup in 1 year since the major financial burden of the stadium eased. 1st season we didnt have to sell players and we win a trophy,, give arsene a break
We lost big games with 6-0 and 5-1 and 6-3 as well against the top teams away. People are feed up with this now.
Does that take away wenger’s poor record against big team lately??
Oh, so just change the topic, right?
“I never know what a Plan B is.” There you go guys. Straight from the horses mouth. No Plan B 🙂
whoooooooooosh
T’was but a joke
He’s finished …..some say it some are scared to say it out of respect some dont see it
but he’s finished
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Arsenal_F.C._league_positions%2C_1947-2013.png
Perspective.
Yeah, lots of league wins before the period of non-competitiveness. 4th place is not much better than a 10th place. It is the same thing = Failure to win the league.
Mate – not sure if you’re aware but, just in case you’re not, there’s a competition called the Champions League that’s been running for a few years now and we’re in it. Seriously, take your head out of your a*se midweek and turn on the box and you’ll see the difference between finishing 10th and finishing 4th…
So what? We qualify for the champions league every season but we have never won it and never will under Arsene Wenger. We are going through the group stages just to get knocked out immediately by a top team. So again: What’s the point with entering competitions with any other attitude than that you are going to win it?
We’d be better of playing fucking Europa League, atleast we’d have a chance of winning it.
fool
Fool fool
Bung bung bung
I can 100% guarantee you that 4th is better than 5th and far better than 10th+, especially when the spuds finish a few places above. That is truly the worst football experience you can have as a gooner! The biggest teams get consistency whilst the ‘cup teams’ show the form we had prior to AW. The important thing is we move up from consistent 4th to consistent 1st and AW has a couple more seasons to try to do that.
So, anybody know what happened that seems to coincide with this latest so-called ‘period of non-competitiveness’?
Whenever I ask myself “Should Wenger go?” I ask myself “Would I mind if he went to Spurs?” – a team he has finished above every season he’s been in North London and who have qualified for the Champions League just once in that time. The answer is “Yes, I would mind.” I also ask “Would you take Mourinho instead?” – a brilliant tactical manager and an absolute winner but a human being so loathsome, so arrogant, so up himself, so objectionable, so totally lacking in class – the Simon Cowell of the football world. The answer is “No, I… Read more »
Spot on
Seeing Arsene Wenger in Tottenham would be horrible bad business for them and he would not survive a season as it currently is. Achieving 4th place is not really an achievement considering the players he have. It’s just an excuse to fail.
Wouldn’t be much harder to see him in Tottenham than what it was to see our fucking club captains wear the red of Manchester United and the blue of Chelsea. All thanks to Lé Professeur.
It’s an achievement Sp*rs would give anything for.
Yes, because that is an improvement on their previous seasons. We’ve ended up 4th/3rd every season so far, it is only realistic that people wants us to take the next step after 10 years of waiting..
So it’s not an achievement but it is an achievement? Anyone would think you’re just trying to move the goalposts to suit your argument…
It is an achievement for a team like Tottenham Hotspurs: or are your conclusion that Tottenham Hotspurs are a club of the same magnitude as Arsenal FC? if they were to finish 4th that would be a progress for the club because they are a shit club and ends up mid-table every season. For a club of Arsenal’s size it is not an achievement to fail to win the league season after season. We’re one of the biggest clubs in the world mate, yet we are not competing for any trophies.
And don’t come dragging about the goddamn FA CUP. It was great to win it and end our trophy drought, but that won’t change anything that we fail season after season in the BPL and in the CL. He got to the final in the CL once, but then failed to win it even though we were 1-0 up, I was absolutely heart broken. Anyhow: That is PAST, wenger was a good manager during his first 10 years at the club, as of late he has been just a shadow of his former self. You need to have ambitions in… Read more »
No, my conclusion is that you’re a tw*t who can’t hold his own argument. You inferred that finishing 4th is little different to finishing 10th. It is, big difference. Had we finished 10th last season then we’d be on a par with Sp*rs, but we didn’t and therefore we’re not.
And, as for “we are not competing for any trophies”, what do you call May? Or is us winning the FA Cup another goalpost you’re going to move?
Again: We won the FA cup and after that a majority of our supporters wanted us to push in the BPL and CL. Which is naturally the next step. We are not making any progress in the main competitions which is: BPL, CL. They are the finest trophies to lift. As for starting insulting when you run out of an argument is also pathetic. I am standing by my argument and saying that 4th every season is not acceptable for a club of arsenal’s size. if you say otherwise than you cannot in all honesty love the club. Because fans… Read more »
You keep on moving those goalposts. With any luck you’ll f*ck off back to Chelsea by next season.
” fuck off to chelsea ” – why don’t you fuck off yourself to a team like Tottenham Hotspurs a mid-table club with your own achievement ambitions. Did you spend any money on arsenal? I feel fucking ripped off every season. I’ve supported this club during my entire grown up life. I want the club to be successful because I love the club.
I am not moving the goalposts at all, I am saying that we are failing to compete in the league season after season, same goes for the CL.
rix, what’s the BPL?
Rix is right. getting 4th place every season and winning the fa cup once in 10 years is spuds standards. If we are a big club like we claim to be, we shouldn’t be happy with this.
Yeah qualifying for champions league helps with our finances, but we’ve never looked like we could win it since well 06.
Spuds have done neither of those so it’s well above their standards. It’s been 24 years since they’ve won an FA cup. We’ve won it 7 times in that frame. More than anyone.
The next step as you say is to overtake all of Man utd, Man city and Chelsea. Liverpool have finsished once in the top four in the last 5 or maybe 8 yrs (cant be bothered to check).
Man utd in the last yr alone have blown skywards of £200 mill so we know their financial muscle, same with Man city and Chelsea. So how much do you think we woould need to invest to take them over? and what other managers do you think can attract players and push us on to the next level?
And it’s because of muppets like you that Wenger WILL stay and continue to mismanage this club to mediocrity.
Wenger isn’t a rubbish manager – he’s just an average one right now. He still does some great things, like signing Alexis Sanchez, but he also does absolutely stupid things too, like starting this season with just six quality defenders.
The problem is that a club like Arsenal FC demands only the best – and Wenger is far from that. And for eight million quid a year our club should expect a man who is almost damn near perfect.
£8m without actually winning anything, feck, even I would manage to do that.
without any demands to win anything I should say.
You’re a recognised FA Cup winning manager then….Or just a loudmouth fuckwit?
Martinez and redknapp have won the FA cup…so what’s your point??
One of the highest earning managers in the world and yet we haven’t been in the top 2 for years now.
Martinez has relegated clubs
Redkanpp has put clubs into the red.
Klopp has his club at the bottom.
Read the threads and you’d understand …. forget that, you’ve already shown you understand very little!
Yeah i’m not a genuis…But i do know this 1. Wenger IS not a master tactician like the likes of pep, cuntinro, van gaal, etc. 2. Wenger has a VERY VERY poor record against big teams. He couldn’t even beat the worst man u team in a while(under moyes) while the likes of everton were able to beat them home and away. 3. 1 trophy in 10 years is not something to rejoice about if you’re a big team like we are. 4. A manager with his expertise and experience shouldn’t be making the amateur mistakes that he’s made in… Read more »
Wenger has also gotten a club relegated..so what’s your point??
Are you going to overlook that??
The only problem with this post is the ‘clear wilshere out’ part. Totally unnecessary. A rosicky & diaby clear out only, would’ve been enough for cesc’s return
Nicely said…
At the end of the day, there’s a Thierry Henry autograph in my office, two Arsenal scalfs hanging off the window railing, a wardbrobe full of Arsenal clothing, and a genuine feeling that I reeeeeally love this club.
None of which would be there without Arsene Wenger.
Until the day he dribbles on himself and makes Jamie Red*app an Arsenal Embassador, he’s welcome at this club.
He has already said that his night time muse includes watching football games and listening to politicians debate. No FIFA for your Mr. Blogs. 🙂
Is that the dwarf from Twin Peaks in the corner?
The guy on the bottom left looks like Kevin Spacey
I’d happily watch “Living with Wenger” during the interlulls.
Wow! All you lot are back after a couple of wins, we missed you! I was hoping for some some new arguments and real perspectives after a period of reflection, but see it’s the same old same old. Being in the Champions League itself is a victory (imagine if they reduced the places in England gasp! Thank fuck we are too much of a cash cow league for that), anyone who doesn’t back the manager a million percent it either an idiot or a potential Spurs fan, how DARE travelling away fans who have far more commitment than the Internet… Read more »
Translation: “Wow! All you lot are back after a couple of losses and enough time has elapsed since May. I was hoping for more peoplel to agree with me now, but see it’s the same old same old. Being in the Champions League is no achievement, quick let’s ignore the fact that most other clubs who do anything to match it. We don’t win trophies but we do but that means nothing now. I’m having to spend more money than I can earn going to watch Arsenal because i’m actually not very bright and people won’t pay me enough money.… Read more »
You need a different line of work Sherlock.
So excited for the next season…. maybe next season.. Wenger Fanboys will be wenger in for life, it is sad but true. No point in arguing with them.
I’ll gladly be ‘Wenger in’ for life! Because I’ve not got a 10 year memory span.
Boring boring Arsenal became “Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!” under Arsene Wenger, I’ll never forget that – while I also don’t expect that to be replicated.
What I do expect is credit where credit’s due.
The way some people are getting on you’d think he was responsible for a down turn in our clubs fortunes.
Where’s the evidence of that?
As far as I can see it’s only getting better.
Dear Arsene I’ll live with you for 7 days We could eat pastries and German sausages on the road We could watch all these football videos you are sent on a daily basis We could have “one to one” with all the players, especially the ones who are lacking in confidence We could wake up at dawn to answer the thousands pieces of mail per day We could spend half a day in the medical room chatting to Ozil, Theo, Deburchy Ospina Arteta etc We could spend half a day looking at the young guns progression We could spend half… Read more »
My first choice: Wenger to stay AND fix issues that we have such as defence, recruitment and tactics in big games. However, I am a bit fed up with the easy explanations he always comes up with: Injury crisis is due to world cup and the very specious argument that we were in CL for 15 years in a row. Is there any secret world cup that only Arsenal players participate in every year ? Chelsea do not have 15 years in CL but even though we hate them, we would prefer being in their position. Wenger, take the issues… Read more »
Wenger is criticised for the very small number of decisions he gets wrong. And given that even those decisions are marginal calls that only look bad calls with the beauty of hindsight and given that also NONE of us have the full facts behind virtually ALL of the decisions AW has to make (and why should he tell us all his business). I am an avid reader of this and many other Arsenal sites and it is clear that it is rare that all Gooners agree on anything, and yet we all love Arsenal and all want what’s best for… Read more »
I really don’t support the Wenger’s criticism and the banner flown on Saturday. However wenger needs to answer why his team couldn’t beat Chelsea once atleast under murinho?? Why this team couldn’t beat United when playing a depleted United squad?? The whole world watching Arsenal game against Swansea cried for extra protection of chambers when montero running over him in swansea’s game after the 1-0 lead but still wenger did nothing. There are many such questions which I would like the press to start asking wenger for answer. As an Arsenal fan I would like to see my team winning… Read more »
He doesn’t answer because well he doesn’t answer to anyone. And everyone on here is OK with that because he was a good manager about a decade ago.
If we had won, you wouldn’t have remember the full backs name.
Criticism : 1) Wenger did not secure a Cback. We do not need a DM just yet. This issue as I have mentioned was lower on the priority list and can await next summer (Bar serious injury to Arteta) Flamini has been able and Arteta dominated both Bender and Gundogan (more of that later) Wenger’s main priority would have been CBack to rotate through Meterscielny. Because we did not get the extra defender, our defensive issues have affected balance this season and cost us. OTOH we cannot fault Wenger for not adding to the squad. This whole allergic to spending… Read more »
Bravo
Bravo
You write a lot of shit
Not needing a defensive midfielder? – not unless you don’t mind losing
4-1-4-1 is the same as 4-2-3-1? – it’s the same, just with worse results
Someone who thinks flamini is better than gustavo, schnederlin, calvarho…what do you expect??
He’s clearly blind to the impact that the likes of matic has had on chelsea.
Dominating Gundogan who just came back from a long term injury isn’t something to rejoice about. Why didn’t he “dominate” carrick and felliani then??
Some people think they know better. Massive cat calls when Sanogo started for us. Next lots of people dissed Welbeck before he scored against West Brom Then they turned on Giroud saying he can’t score 20 goals forgetting he scored 26 in all competitions last season! Wenger says we will have a great season despite set backs. Of course that remains to be seen. Remember when Wenger said we were going to go unbeaten, same skeptics doubted him. If the squad were like these people with such little belief and fight, we would not have won the FA cup last… Read more »
You really need to stop lying about giroud’s goal tally. If your going to add hid nt goals, also do us the favor of putting up his number of appearances so it does look like his scoring ratio is great.
Who is the guy in the picture? I don’t mean Le Prof. Bottom left.
TWIN PEAKS – great tv show / film.
Is it just me or is the jazz dancing inverted talking little person from Twin Peaks in the bottom left corner of the title image for this article? This may have been mentioned already in the comments, but honestly I didn’t have time to read before asking this question in panic. Just want to make sure I am not losing a little bit my mind…
It’s healthy to have two sides to the argument…but the Wenger fanboys will have to wait and see…it’s only been two wins since the shit hit the fan…and people are deluding themselves to say we will challenge for the title next season, we won’t until our whole defensive personnel is overhauled and I can see nada happening on that front….arteta and flamini will still be here next season, wenger will get a back up CB and that’s it, close shop…this is a 15 year rebuilding project….
I believe it depends on what you classify as shit hitting the fan.
Compared to some of life’s challenges the last few months following Arsenal have been nothing more than a mild itch on a left testicle.
I believe some perspective is due.
shit hitting the fan= the tipping point where increasing number of fans clamoring for wenger to move on early on people were seduced by the fact we were poor financially, we use that as a crutch to underachieve, nobody complains because 4th place is terrific for a piss poor club buying outcast french defenders (silvestre, squilacci)…but this is not good enough anymore. Of course if you’re worried about regression that’s another debate altogether, people leave all the time, manure regressed after SAF…what can they do about it? force a 70 yr old man to continue working? we all move on…and… Read more »
It’s only the loud minority that want rid of AW. The vast majority want him to see out his contract and judge him then (and only then) whether he should be offered another contract, which is what the board will do.
Polls clearly show the majority want Wenger to go, around 67%
In fact it’s got so bad, the hard core Arsenal support, the away fans, even displayed a banner the other day asking him to leave just in case you missed it.
Rubbish. I don’t know anyone that wants him to go. Lots are unhappy with aspects of his management but no one wants him gone. I think the polls you’re referring to are fictitious.
There’s lots of people on this message oats that want him gone.
I think a gooner poll wanted him to go, so did a ladbrooks one both at around 67%
my biggest issue with wenger this year is that instead of building a team around one of the greatest number 10’s in football, he shunted him to the wing. i understand that ozil doesn’t offer as much defensively, but you address that by strengthening the team around him. it’s the biggest failure of this season and imo the reason why we’re not challenging for the title right now.
Ok, I agree.
Based on what WE know and see, I think Özil should be played in the middle.
But……. why so much hate and anger?
We live in a society where there’s more than enough of it.
I come to football for enjoyment. Not for arguments.
If I want an argument I’ll go and quiz someone on why they’re tearing up the countryside for a bollocks train line.
Perspective.
this is frankly the reason why Arsenal won’t amount to anything under Arsene. I agree that it is consistency to finish every year in the CL places for so long. But as a proper Arsenal fan, I am not content with that. I am not content with us setting new records for the worst start in the league for an Arsenal team every alternate year. We should not be satisfied with finishing top 4. We are Arsenal football club. A proper big football club who need to be fighting for the title and in the process, settling for 4th if… Read more »
Ok, last season we topped the league longer than anyone else and finished fourth in the process. So you should be happy, right?
i think over the past 10 years wenger has delivered the bare minimum of what a club the size of arsenal should be achieving. i can appreciate the consistency, but i don’t qualify it as a success. the FA is a nice trophy, but wigan won it the year before and was relegated in the prem so let’s at least acknowledge that it’s not the trophy that champions are made of. wenger’s record against top clubs is dismal. i don’t understand his arrogance going into matches and trying to impose his style against the likes of bayern, barca, chelsea, etc.… Read more »
Totally agree!
I hate how he uses the comfort blanket of qualifying for the CL as an excuse for success all the time. Give me half a dozen FA Cups over the same period of time any day of the week. The worst statement he ever made was that finishing in the top 4 was as good as winning a trophy, because it was the catalyst for the continuing mediocrity we see year after year. We really should rename the club Groundhog United!
Well in 10 years we’ve won it twice, in 12 years we’ve won it as much as anyone else. 4 times, including beating Chelsea, the only other 4x winner in the same period, and Man U, who has only won it once in that time.
Wengers’ Fire – Come Walk With Me?
The timing was wrong but the banner was right.