Arsene Wenger lamented yet another bad day at the office as his half-arsed Gunners slept-walked their way to a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace.
Arsenal took the lead in first half stoppage time when Alexis headed home Danny Welbeck’s deft pass, however, as has been the case so often at the Emirates this season, they couldn’t kill the game off and eventually paid the price when Yannick Bolasie beat Petr Cech at his near post from long range with just nine minutes remaining.
The result leaves Arsenal in fourth place level on points with Manchester City, five behind Sp*rs and 13 adrift of leaders Leicester.
Reflecting after watching his players drop more points, a clearly irked Wenger lamented the lack of pace and precision.
“I’m very disappointed. It is one of those days where you don’t like to do a press conference after because it is not pleasant.
“I felt that we had possession 70 per cent of the time and we lacked a bit of accuracy with our final ball, a change of pace or have enough men forward. In the end, we got caught by a unique shot on goal by Crystal Palace.
“They played deep and defended well. They got us on the break and that is the story of the game. It is very frustrating.”
Responding to suggestions that his players lacked leadership on the pitch, he continued: “I don’t believe that today was about leadership. It was about scoring the second goal and stopping a goal that we gave away as it was avoidable. That was the regret of the day.
“We knew we couldn’t get frustrated and make a defensive mistake. In the end, I must say they have the players that can take advantage of every counter attack. They are quick and powerful. When it was 1-0 they never came out really.”
“Usually we have a high number of goal chances, but I agree with you today that despite the high level of possession we had, we did not create enough chances.
“I think we lacked a bit of sharpness on the day and as well we had a bit of free confidence in our head after the result against West Ham where we felt we had absolutely to do a job today. In the end, we did not play with enough pace in the final third.”
Having been top of the table in January, the Gunners now find themselves nuzzling at the teat of the Goddess of Fourth place. We’ve gorged on this milk before and it tastes increasingly sour.
“After today I’m not in that kind of mood to dream about the Premier League title,” added Wenger.
“I’m more in a mood to repair the mental damage and prepare for the next game. It is much more about that and looking behind us because we need to play well and win games.
“For us, we need to fight until the end to get the place in the top four. If we can do more, we will do more but let’s not dream and focus on the next game.”
He talks bolleaux.
Yes, I’m afraid you’re correct there.
Just watched his post match interview on MOTD. The most laughable thing was when he was directly asked whether the league was gone, he replied that he hadn’t worked out if it was mathematically impossible.
How can anyone of us give his words any credibility when we hear something like that. Well let me clarify for him – the league was gone ages ago, whether mathematically possible or not.
What a fuck up of a season! Thanks for the memories Arsene but it’s time to say goodbye.
As the world sees “This Arsenal lot have been trained to be just good enough for the Top 4 for the last decade or so” And as Wenger says “Difficult to find upgrades on this team as he feels he has the best he could possibly assemble” Isn’t the writing dead-clear that Wenger can only take the team as far as a Top4 contender and nothing beyond! Arsene has had his time to use Arsenal as his toy to experiment his ideas. He made the stadium move possible, and we are grateful for it and we have been patient for… Read more »
No premier league throphy for 12 year. Sad to say but He will definitely make it the 13th next year….
l dunno Y they bovva intervewing im any more
just show an old clip
E neva sez anyfink diffrent
This is an English speaking blog
The previous commentator said he doesn’t know why [the media] bother to interview Mr Wenger any more. [The media] could just show an old clip as he [Wenger] never says anything different.
I know I was being facetious
Bye bye Wenger, it was great once but we are ready to move on.
Earlier Arsenal had a clear philosophy, there was a vision there was a plan. Keep possession, pass, move quickly, pass, hit teams on the break, play with speed. Now there is no plan, no clear vision on display. Nothing apart from just keep passing it from one side to another. The pass and sprint philosophy has gone. The setup of the team is just utterly static. No one is ever making a run into a dangerous area. At most its one guy running into space and one guy running is easy for teams to control. If ever they are two… Read more »
Does not help that our players cannot seem to cross or shoot.
Can’t really fault the players, because, ultimately, they are HIS players. For lack of effort, maybe, rarely, but they mostly lack ideas, and he needs to be the catalyst for those ideas. Shape, formation, tactics, he rarely makes it work. Not sure what he brings to the table anymore.
These players can definitely cross and shoot. The question is why they are not doing it at the moment… Fact is Wenger is unable to motivate them sufficiently to do things consistently. I think he undermined this team straightaway when after a great pre-season Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was dumped during/straight after the first game for a knackered Alexis. Did neither play any good. He’s consistently done it to Joel Campbell, and although we’re silly about The Jeff it is hard to believe that he has had absolutely nothing to offer us this season at all. Wenger seems to have lost the… Read more »
I will work to elevate you
Just enough to bring you down
Just about sums up the last decade or so lol
…and we let guardiola go to city 🙁
What’s really starting to bother me, is that so many of our own fans are actually enjoying Arsenes’ managerial demise. I was born in 88 so all I’ve ever really known is Arsene. He has given me so many truly amazing memories growing up, that I will remember for the rest of my life. This guy, is our greatest ever manager without question, but what the fuck has happened to him? He’s won a league undefeated, won FA cups, competed at Europes top table, now it just seems that any old cunt with a diploma in PE and few sessions… Read more »
I feel much the same as you. I’ve never been a Wenger-outer as it seemed disrespectful after all he’s done for the club & I kept hoping he would prove his doubters wrong. But the team has been so lacklustre this season – when we had every opportunity to take the league – and he seems completely bereft of ideas for change. Now I read the comments about there being no major activity over the summer and I am just stunned. At this point I am resigned to another season of upper-table mediocrity and then hope we can recruit someone… Read more »
there is no enjoyment in his failure. if the level of respect I had for him is going down, it is because of him and his hollow words like “can’t strengthen the team”, “there isn’t enough quality in the market”… I have been Wenger guy all my life, even at the start of this season. But this season was it. It’s never going to happen again. Next season Man C and Chelsea will be right up there. Just take a look at the Cunts form since Maureen left. We play the 433 in every game. Every team known what our… Read more »
Sadly he won’t leave, it looks like it is going to end badly. for the last five years everyone that understand football knew he was finished as a top class manager. Football has moved on and he didn’t, just like all great managers before him with the likes of Clough and Sacchi they never knew when to say enough is enough. The problem is, he does not see there is a problem with the team or himself. He will want to stay behind the next season and the board will give him three more years until he is 70. I… Read more »
I feel sorry for Wenger. A man I love, and will always love, and it’s just sad seeing him run out of ideas…every season for nigh on a decade.
Not really understanding the thumbs. Can anyone tell a top level manager that would get less out of a group this talented?
The list that can or could’ve replaced him is long enough.
We have to get Simone, we missed Pep and Klopp.
He’s finished – I think most fans realise it now. He does not seem to.
Yeah, the funny thing about chances is that the opposition usually only needs about 1 or 2 for the entire game in order score against, while we need about 15. Why is that, I wonder?
It’s not fun supporting a team that can’t take their chances while allowing the opposition to take pretty much any chance.
Arsenal are boring.
We have lost more points from a winning position this season than any other team.
not correct, both everton (19) and liverpool(17) have lost more pts from winning position, arsenal are 3rd on 16pts dropped from winning position
Newcastle have scored more goals at home than us. That’s a correct statistic and a fucking terrible one too. We’re as one dimensional an Arsenal team as I’ve ever seen, and that’s including Graham, Houston or Rioch. I’m now in a position where I’m not annoyed missing a game because what’s on offer is bloody predictable. Sometimes we meet a team equally not up for it and we put them to bed but when was the last time we won a game against top quality opposition when both teams went for it? Fucking horrible to watch a team full of… Read more »
Brilliant catch, although being 3rd in that list is quite dubious for a team that wants to win a league whether mathematically or actually.
How does a false statement get so much agreement?
You could swap the date of the article and put 2008 or 2012 and nobody would notice the difference.
Same pathetic old excuses again and again and again.
It’s 2016 and we fuck it up games like 10 years ago, players come and go but the only constant is the manager.
This is so true; nothing has changed in the last 8 years.
He sounds like a broken record. I am sure he has said the same thing in seasons past. I don’t want him fired. I want him to change his ways. Surely that’s easier. I hurt for him. I can’t stop loving Arsenal
Wait for a few weeks when inevitably he would say “we are working very hard on bringing top top quality players”!!
Just like the inevitability of us conceding in the game, we would inevitably dither and look lost in the transfer window as well!
I think Wenger has become too old to manage all aspects of the club like he used to a few years ago.
I don’t want him fired. I want him to change his ways
is the REAL broken record
“For us, we need to fight until the end to get the place in the top four.”
When did this happen !!
It was coming, surely? We’ve heard it all before. I think it was DT on Arsenal Fan TV who, most recently, spoke about the fear of change without AW. As a recent convert to the “Wenger Out” club, what he said really hit home for me. I’m willing to accept dropping below the CL spots for a few seasons if it means rebuilding the club with a new philosophy. The sheer predictability of life under AW has become so joyless that I don’t see how losing something I don’t appreciate in the first place could be considered a downside. I… Read more »
I can’t help but feel that the ad under the article is very appropriate.. ‘The writings on the wall’ it says….
I didn’t notice that and had to go and look. It really made me laugh. Well spotted fella. I agree, very appropriate.
Leave.
Fuck and shit and bollocks!
I hope he has some answers, ’cause I’m out. Hard to believe 4th is looking dicey now.
A gazillion years at arsenal. Three league titles. How is that impressive?
One is gold, mate. Feel free to complain about the state of things currently, it’s deserved, but don’t write off his past achievements like they are nothing.
I’m not writing off his three titles but all I hear is, all he’s done for the club. That is an awful argument.
He’ll be at arsenal until he wants to leave and we will finish fourth and lose in the round of 16.
We are miles away from winning the league and years away from winning the champions league.
And he will continue to change his ways. But one day he will finally leave.
Sorry. Continue to refuse to change his ways
We won the league unbeaten with Wenger 1.0 (first decade) if you don’t think that’s impressive you don’t know shit about the game.
Valid to be pissed at the Wenger of the second decade (most of us are), don’t try to piss on one of the finest sporting achievements in world sports that we are proud to call our own.
Your argument loses all validity when you start to break his legacy into decades. Edzo’s point is valid, and is an observation of Arsene’s collective managerial career. 3 PL titles in 20 years is no longer ‘impressive’. It is mediocre for a big club, at best. That is the issue with Arsene continuing when he is clearly not up to the task. He justifiably tarnishes his past achievements the longer he continues without success.
If Wenger refuses to resign following this season, the next one is going to be a nightmare. The Emirates crowd will be baying for blood from the first game on. It would be best if he realizes his time at the Club is over. The new guy, whoever it is will have a great chance to build a team as so many older players will be leaving the club this Summer. There is potentially 5-7 players to replace. Could be exciting if there is a change at the top.
Baying for blood at the Emirates? You haven’t ever been to the Emirates, I take it.
I’ve never thought about it in this way; very good point.
this geezer lives in some other dream world.
and here comes the official “4th place trophy” again…
Same old nonsense… only change from AW is that now we’re fighting for fourth
The most worrying and depressing thing for me today was that I barley felt any emotion either with Sanchez goal or Bollassie’s equaliser. This numbness is the antipathy of what a fan is supposed to experience.
For fans paying the highest season tickets in the land for the manager to buy no outfield player raised eyebrows in the summer. Now, looking back, you have to say it’s just a scam, so blatant Del Boy would be proud of it. It’s time to walk, Wenger no one is fooled anymore.
Wenger talking about Premier League Title dreams, controlling possession, and being unlucky in matches.
What I’m saying to myself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX6EhWJdcZ8
I get the feeling that we could have any player in the world in any position and under Wenger we would still have the same issues. It’s down to his motivational skill and the preparation of the team. Different players but the same old cack.
Been saying that for years. We could sign Messi & Ronaldo and Wenger would eventually have them playing like directionless muppets.
Does anyone compile stats on Wenger post-match comments over the course of a season? I’d love to know how many times “we lacked a bit of sharpness”, how many times the opposition “defended well”, how many times “we got caught”, etc, etc. I don’t think Wenger is a stupid man so he must see a pattern here. How can his pride allow him to keep going with this?
how many handbrakes?
We didn’t lack chances, we lacked efficiency.
Just predictable from Arsene again.
Carroll on the bench today just started against us because Bilic knew exactly what Arsene was going to do last week.
We lacked a leader out there for the last 2 weeks. I think Mertersacker is still good enough for West Ham and Crystal Palace. Any chance of him playing Thursday…
This is like a bad dream from which I will never wake up. Same shit since the last 10 years. No new player coming in can change this. It really is time to go. If he has any shame then he will resign at the end of the season. I’m sure we’ll offer him some position on the board or some DOF position
BTW how the heck does Theo come on instead of Campbell? We pay him 140k a week. Bloody joke. He won’t even make a 40 man squad for Euros if there was one
Lick my balls.
Apparently, this is the worst performance by Arsenal in a season, in respect of London Derbies, since 1963 – 1964 season when we also won just one !
I, as a single fan, may not account for much, but for the first time today, in the few years that I have supported Arsenal, I felt like not watching the game. It was this sense of feeling that nothing is or will be different and that somehow the team will fuck it up again. This sense of indifference, I find it scary. And I am scared that watching the current Arsenal team and the current crop of Arsenal players, the monotonous post match conferences from the manager, the same excuses year after year after year, I might fall out… Read more »
Sadly I totally agree with you and my general apathy towards the club is something is never thought previously possible. After the Swansea defeat we had 4 straight games live on TV and I didn’t watch any of them. Unheard of for me.
My love for the club is permanent but to follow the club is becoming tedious.
Thanks for sharing, some catharsis does help.
Sadly, you’re not alone. In 2004/05, I was in high school and always got punished or suspended week in week out for breaking the rules by getting out of class and campus without permission. But the punishments and suspensions meant nothing to me as I was enjoying Arsenal football. Today, I am in my own house with the luxury of time and resources but increasing, I care less season after season and week after week. Sometimes, I get to ask myself whether I lost it all for Arsenal but I always look back to the past and believe that “it… Read more »
Yeah, I have to agree. I haven’t felt the desire to watch any of the last matches. It just feels like nothing will change at all and the manager seems incapable of fixing the situation with this given set of players. Only the self motivated players look like they care.
Good point, well made. Which is more than I can say for the game.
I don’t get to many games and don’t have Sky, but I don’t think I’ve bothered watching Match of the Day for more weeks than I can remember. The enthusiasm for the game has gone. It’s even hard to care about recent victories (Everton, Watford) when put into the perspective of a wasted season on all fronts.
Says it all really
He’s clueless
Fear is if he spends big this summer he’s signing a new deal. If he spends little it’s his last. I can’t see him spending big on new players the next manager might not want
Really don’t care that much anymore. Thanks Arsene for sucking the love out of me
Who would we like to replace wenger??
Simione would do a good job I believe.
I thought Klopp would have been well suited for us but unfortunately he’s a mugsmasher now.
Simeone, Klinsmann, Loew, Tuchel, Bergkamp, De Boer…
For me personally – Mourinho
I hope that whoever comes in, as first order of business, they show Theo the door and escort him out personally. If they don’t escort him, he is likely to miss it and stay another 10 seasons.
Always agreed with Fatgooner. Those ppl who thumbed him down should eat humble pie!
Too much ticky-tacky ( sic ) and channelling the spirit of Denilson. What we should have done was grind out the 1-0 rather than change the balance of the team with the substitutions. For all that Iwobi did covering on the right, although he was drifted in more centrally, Ramsey coming on shoed how he exposes the right flank. Bringing Walcott on to move Ramsey more central was too little too late. The damage had been done. It was tactically naive and by naive, I mean wrong. take Iwobi off and bring Walcott on or move Welbeck right and keep… Read more »
Thumbed down for being Wenger supporter. I’m an Arsenal supporter
What the hell was so unique about bolaise’s shot?
likely wenger was referring to the shot as unique , implying it was their one shot on target, therefor unique, one of a kind.
Mesut creates about 450,000 chances per game. This statement is nonsense.
Arsene Wenger can be forced to leave if only the fans will refused to attend matches. This man needs to be pushed. He thinks he is indispensable. Something drastic needs to be done. Wenger OUT!
juventus got relegated,lost key players,gain promotion, won the scudetto, played UCL finals & built a new stadium. Alt. madrid sold their best players,won la liga, got UCL finals, now building a new stadium. what’s Wenger’s excuse?
No leadership on the pitch No backbone No mental strength A manager that doesn’t not appear to be accountable to anyone A board that only appears interested in profit A majority shareholder that doesn’t give a fuck about anything but profit Favouritism amongst the players when better ones get ignored A manager who is appears unable to motivate the players or change tactics when needed A club in decline And nothing will change until there is major shake up of the board, silent stan sells up and fucks off and wenger is either held to account or replaced … not… Read more »
U do not approach games with the right tactic. We have become specialist in losing pivotal games under your tutelage Me Wenger. Monaco is just the tip of the iceberg…it goes deeper than that
WENGER: “We didn’t creat
enough chances”, & what if we created chances, wouldn’t it have ended 3-3?
Wenger only cares about one thing, his lifestyle. He loves his job, loves the power, loves his way of life. He will hold on to it at all costs. That’s why what comes first is making money for his owner, he figures that for as long as he does that he keeps his wonderful job and wonderful life. What the fans want or what is best for the club is immaterial, he will always put himself first. And when he underachieves he will lie and manipulate to keep hold of his power. He is selfish to the core – a… Read more »
“They played deep and defended well. They got us on the break and that is the story of the game.”
story of the game? Story of the season, more like.
Story of last 10 years, more like.
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it – but it is, so fix it!
Sadly games like today’s remind me of father ted episode “escape from victory”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjubIru1olA
He doesn’t like to do press conferences after games like these; we don’t like to listen to his excuses after games like these. Depressing end to a very frustrating season.
There is such an air of inevitability pre match, during the match, post match – possession, chances, mistakes
If I see a similar pattern endlessly repeating in a business environment I change it
So begs the question why doesn’t Arsene?
Thanks mon vieux but time for you to allez
There’s a very real chance we will slip out of European football next season. That means the club will lose money. Maybe THAT will be the incentive for Kroenke and the board to finally act.
Barca are allegedly the best team in the world with the best players but are now on a slide with four defeats in five games – how long will that be allowed to happen before changes? Even a Gary Neville ex-team beat them today – that’s what change can do. Leicester brought in Ranieri and will hopefully win the league (because I’d hate the alternative).
WBA game will be a replica of today if we don’t sort it out. We’ve had 10 years of being unable to pick/batter tight defences and it’s our downfall.
To be bluntly honest I am not surprised by all, yea i know how cynical, but hear me out a bit. Why are we so exasperated by all of this though. We have consistently finished 4th or 3rd for quite a few seasons. What has brought us to our knees is that we have no more valid excuses to use. We can’t say oh City or United or Chelsea this or that and that is what is killing most of us Goons. We allowed hope to creep in but this time it was valid and this time it is a… Read more »
Wenger is the problem. He says Arsenal sorry Arsene would not change the soccer philosophy.
His endless passing and inability to get the better of defences which defend deep is on of the main causes of the draw.
That’s why he lost repeated ly to the rf and Chelsea when Droba was around.
Thanks for the memory and Arsenal wont win another title if he stays.
This the view of most fans.
” repair the mental damage ”
F**K off with this bullshit, how about some positive reinforcement! It’s all passive mumbo jumbo from Wenger these days.
Jeez, it’s like Groundhog Day being a Gooner.
Roll on 4th place.
Roll on expectations of spending/better players over the summer.
Roll on thinking ‘this is the season’.
Roll on the Wenger/Gazidis/Kroenke not spending anything/keeping the money themselves.
After 40 years of being a Gooner, there’s gotta be a better way of getting entertainment…