At Arsenal’s AGM today, manager Arsene Wenger called on the club’s supporter’s to give the team the backing they need to bring silverware to the Emirates for the first time.
The Frenchman admitted that last season took its toll on the relationship between the fans and the team, but says that recent form, which sees them top of the table, has gone a long way to repairing that.
“From the end of March to today,” he said, “we have lost just one match. That created a huge emotion. We need you to give us your support. We’ve had some matches at the Emirates where we did not always feel that. I can understand that.”
Wenger reiterated the desire to win the title this season, and pointed to the acquisition of £42.5m Mesut Ozil as a sign of that ambition.
“We have huge ambition to win the league this season. We were restricted financially and had to be strict, but we have come out of that. We will look to buy proven quality – we did not need to scout to buy Ozil, it was just money. I am pleased we have shown you we are not afraid to spend.
“However, we have to defend our style of play and values, that comes from developing our own players, with youth policy and that should be core of our club.
“The future of Arsenal will rely on quality of work we do inside, to scout and develop. I am confident that at the end of May we will all be happy.”
The boss’s desire for title was backed by majority shareholder Stan Kroenke, who claimed nobody at the club would be really happy until they achieved trophies.
“We are pleased with the progress of the club, most importantly progress on the pitch,” Kroenke said.
“But None of us up here, fans, players, or Arsene are happy until we have won trophies, we have said that over again and are committed to that.
“It is also important for the club to be successful commercially, and we are pleased with that. We have come a long way, with the debt being paid down, commercial revenues are increasing. We have more coming and are confident.
“However, nothing works unless we have success on the pitch.”
Meh…
Thank you for your interest in our article.
Hat tip PHW.
You are joking ! His handling of recent AGMs was an utter embarrassment. He’s one of Blogg’s mates but that doesn’t mean we all have to revere him as some Maoist figure from the past.
He was well past his sell by date and even such conformist figures as Henry Winter and John Cross found his performance last year an embarrassment.
Keswick would have to be paralytic to do worse.
Rob, you missed the point mate.
Compare the comment from Blogs with PHW’s closing line last year…
Nothing to do with the article blogs. And in no way am I one of ‘those’ pessimistic Arsenal fans.
Just that stuff like AGMs during the interlul just seem a bit, well, meh.
They are all too well-rehearsed answers for my liking.
My reaction was to the AGM. Not to the effort behind putting up this article.
Same shit, different season. I just hope the team actually follow up on the hype so far this season and finally deliver on promises
How is being top of the league hype and being on a great run “hype”?
It’s a long season and some fans just won’t be happy until we have silverware. Still, I agree – there’s really just no reason to be moody right now.
Enjoy the ride! You can’t save up all your joy/misery until they hand the trophies out. If you’re not enjoying the fact that we’ve lost once in 8 months, beaten Bayern, Napoli, Marseille and Spurs and bought Mesut Özil then football must be pretty awful for you.
BANG ON.
Same shit different season…..
Mesut Fucking Ozil is not the same shit
Time to get positive folks
“It must have been love,
But it’s Özil now….”
Interesting to hear him talk about developing players from within, scouting players who are unknown like Kos, and buying ready made talent like Ozil. Up until this season we’ve only been able to do the first two yet still managed to stay competitive. This alone is testament to just how good a manager Arsené is. Now he has the finances to buy ready made talent I’m sure all the “in Arsene we rot” crew will eat some humble pie over the next 2 years. COYG.
Don’t be so sure. There are those who will continue to say they’re stashing the money – ‘Why didn’t we buy THREE Mesut Özils?!’
I’m glad Wenger doesn’t like blocking the path of young/developing players. There aren’t many midfielders in the world who could do what Ramsey is doing. I have the same hopes for Wilshere and Chamberlain. The truth is, given our young talent – Gnabry, Zelalem, Akpom, Crowley, Bellerin – we may only need 1 or 2 major signings per season for the next 5 or 10 years.
There wasnt really three players of that quality available were there? Why spunk all of the cash at once? Wait for the perfect striker to become available then snap him up, quality over quantity any day as far as im concerned. We dont wann ‘Do a Tottenham’
you know, this might be off topic, and i hate to admit it, and you probably won’t like me saying this, but actually avb has shown some great tactical intelligence with this 100 million splash… he didn’t buy any superstars like ozil, as you would expect from someone with 100 million to spend, but all the players he bought were very good(and he even bought an upcoming talent in Lamela), and he selected which players to buy and integrated them in such a way that most of them have made an impact straightaway… and even if they didn’t play well… Read more »
huh? they aren’t gelling at all as it stands currently. they will struggle to finish top 4 this season. they splurged 100 million and have not one out and out difference maker on that squad. that is terrible spending. there is 2, maybe 3 players on that squad that would walk into our starting 11.
They lost 0-3.
At the lane.
To West Ham.
Managed by Fat Northern Sam.
fairly certain that was wenger’s plan all along, well too many short-sighted people out there to see what the man was up to.
Things are looking brighter for us now, still hoping for world class striker in January window
Nik-class Bendtner
We can all stop complaining and look forward to some exciting years ahead with the best manager in Europe at the helm, and some money to invest wisely in the improvement of the team.
Let’s start with a big win on Saturday and stay top of the league!
Signing ozil…same shit…
What are they suppose to say then?
“We know we´ve been shit for a couple of season and haven´t afforded a pump for our two shitty footballs at the training ground, but please support us by buying England’s most expensive tickets.”
Imagine the thunderous applauds that would rain down from the heavens from the supporters who were there.
I personally think that we are too level1 oriented ….may b abit more of level3 arsene
Strike a light, there are some cheery people on this today. Firstly, we’re top of the league, I don’t care how many games we’ve played or whatever, but if you told me after the Aston Villa game that would be the case, I would have laughed at you. Secondly, we signed Mesut Ozil, some people will say too little too late, but we have been hampered by the stadium, oligarchs etc, so we have to manage our own expectations. Thirdly, at least the club do make some attempt to interact with the fans. I am not saying everything is perfect,… Read more »
Think we have finally turned the corner, still problems with squad depth and the youth players coming through system and the scouting network but its looking 100 times better than this time last year. Sign big again in January and maybe, just maybe we will have something to celebrate. I miss the trophy parades and the 3 day drinking binge that goes with it.
There’s definitely a different vibe at the stadium, probably since the Spuds game. The atmosphere for that and the Napoli game in particular was superb.
Granted, easier for that to happen when things are going well, but it does feel like there’s been some sort of re-connection that’s gone on between club-team-supporters.
They could’ve answered every question with a quick ‘Ozil’ and everyone would think: ‘yea, ya know they have a point’ ozil indeed. Until the whole gaff just starting shouting ozil ozil ozil. And everyone left happy, apart from the BSM.
@Sigurdur
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but we ain’t gunna sign a world class striker in Jan. Arsene wanted Ba on loan as back-up to Giroud whilst Sanogo adapts to life in England. Signing a permanent striker would unsettle both Giroud and Sanogo (and Pods to a lesser extent).
Personally I think either Ba, Llorente, or even Klose as a loan signing till the end of the season would be perfect. Then evaluate the progress Sanogo is making and make a decision from there.
So you’re saying that Llorente and Klose AREN’T world class? They’re not too far off!
but the point is, loan or buy… if we take someone on loan, it sends the right msg to the alreadt existing player for that position, that we believe in you, but we are just short on numbers… buying doesn’t send quite the same msg…
Support, support, support!!! Need the fans to raise their death inhibited faith!! COYG, can’t have the best team in the world without the best supporters in the world!
I love that some people still want to be negative ^ I just imagine their sad little cunty lives just moaning about everything. Arsenal is just another thing on the list to whinge about. Personally im ecstatic, proud to say that I have always supported club policy’s and our wonderful manager (no not blindly). Proud of our performances, the atmosphere at the emirates and the workrate and desire of this set of players. It has always felt as though something was missing, for once (to me anyway) it feels as though it has all come together and this could be… Read more »
[Insert negative comment about arsenal] *sigh* Now that’s off my chest. I for one think everything sounds positive coming out of the arse at the moment. For anyone at the Napoli game they will understand. A superb display of ‘arsenal’ branded attacking football with (I feel) the best atmosphere there has been at Emirates. To hear the old highbury chants echo round the stadium gave me goosebumps. There wasn’t a ‘frie drill’ at the 80min mark, everyone stayed to applaud the hard work the team had put in. I think the players have recognised that and are feeling awesome and… Read more »
Always amazed by people’s reaction to these type of events, seriously what do you expect them to say? Of course they are gonna try to put a positive spin on things, that’s part of their job, differance this year is that it may well be justified.
Personally I’m tired of all the doom and gloom that’s been around for the last few years and am more than happy to bask in Ozil sunshine for a change.
Not relevant to the AGM article but… I genuinely have high hopes for Chuba Akpom.
That is all.
Surely Wenger understands the correlation between our high ticket prices and the lack of atmosphere, especially when the going is tough? It’s not an easy decision to make as a self-sustaining club – you have to maximise your revenues as much as possible, but it’s all about striking the right balance and high prices are inevitably going to impact negatively upon the atmosphere. The only way to liven up the atmosphere at the Emirates under the current pricing scheme is by success, the lifeblood of the modern fickle fan. But if Arsenal truly want the kind of nsa support that… Read more »
‘Hey son’
‘Yer dad?’
‘Shut up will ya! these tickets cost us 50 quid!’
Hear Hear ‘Tight Arse’. The pessimist quotient increased by 22,000 when we moved to the Emirates as they expected sustained invincibility – unfortunately simple maths dictated that we could not compete with the plastic clubs fuelled by petro-pounds. Now that we are beginning – I emphasise ‘beginning’ – to show some sustained form the proper fans need to make more noise to drown out the whining vocal minority. Come on you Gunners.
A bit of an aside, but is anyone else bored of the likes of Tim Payton bitching about not getting to meet Stan Kroenke? What does he expect him to do or say? The man’s an investor, he’ll obviously want a return on investment, that’s what investments are for. He’s not and has never purported to be a fan.
And people like Tim Payton impliedly purport to represent the views of Arsenal fans everywhere. His consistent gloominess and general self-importance has really pissed me off this year.
Payton fulfills an important role for the club. As do the AST. As does Fanshare. Tim’s stock mightn’t be at his highest now especially after calling for Wenger’s contract negotiations to be delayed, but the self-deprecating attitude he’s on the receiving end of for daring to ask questions of Kroenke and co is cringeworthy. What are we, the little people who should hang their heads in shame for trying to hold the single owner to some account? Is it any wonder that Hill-Wood thanked the minority shareholders for their interest in “their” affairs? Kroenke, Wenger, Gazidis and co have come… Read more »
Offloading Denilson……same shit???
Arsene didn’t highlight his level 4 strategy – signing proven and overlooked quality on the free (Flamini)… “Free” quality which might just turn out to be an important ingredient needed to clinch a major trophy this season while allowing funds for purchase of one or two more Ӧzils..
He wasn’t free. he cost us 21.175m quid.
Same as Ozil.
You don’t honestly think Wenger will go spend 42.3m on one player do you?
😉
1. arsenal spent wisely over summer
2. tottenham spent poorly over summer
3. arsene is the best manager in world football…for more than just footballing reasons
4. enjoy the show
Love Ivan’s quip about Bale going to one of our rivals. Erudite as ever.
What gives me great joy in supporting Arsenal besides its heritage is the fact that we are into developing our own. Wenger touched on this. We have been competitive in the league (never falling out of top 4) in his years in charge. But what gives us hope always is the constant stream of youth products that come through. Many do not make it (At Arsenal at least remembering Pennant). But there are always exciting young prospects coming through and crucially given opportunity to compete at the highest level with out an artificial denominator. Recently, Gnabry, Zelalem, Bellerin look excellent.… Read more »