Tony Cascarino has claimed that Arsenal are soft from the core out, claiming that big decisions are palmed off.
The Gunners have come under strong criticism following their loss to Watford this weekend, and the latest comments move to claim that the club is ‘soft’, citing the board’s decision to shy away from the big decision on Arsene Wenger as breeding for that frail mentality.
“That club is soft from top to bottom,” Cascarino said.
“I look at it and I see a soft club from the very top of the club, where I think big brutal decisions have to be made – and that doesn’t happen.
“I see it from the management and Arsene Wenger.
“Look, it wasn’t a penalty yesterday – that was never a pen for me – but that wasn’t the reason why the outcome was 2-1.
“I totally agree with Troy Deeney [who said Arsenal lacked the ‘cojones’ needed to win].
“That goal at the end typified Arsenal, how vulnerable they were, and Watford seized on that.”
Before the game, there was plenty of talk about how Watford were playing very good football this season, and many were highlighting the defensive absentees that would make life difficult for our side, but since the loss much of the talk has been about Alexis Sanchez (who didn’t even play), on the referee, and on Arsene Wenger which seems a little harsh.
Yes the Frenchman is ultimately to blame for picking the side which didn’t win, and I can’t help but think that our squad depth is a problem with our injuries stacking up, but I’m not 100% sure that the club wasn’t to blame for our lack of transfer activity in the summer, especially when the likes of Ivan Gazidis are insistent that our summer window was a success!
Did we lose because of refereeing decisions, a lack of squad strength, or because Wenger set the team up wrong? Is the team and backroom staff ‘soft’ to the core?
Pat J
A chant to our beloved Kronke:sell your shares and buy a ranch with you at the helm we don’t stand a chance! Sell your shares and buy a ranch a silent c?Nt is just a snatch!!
The board are a joke. I’m really not enjoying being a gooner right now
Not soft, but corrupted. Those people are too comfortable in their comfort zone, enjoying big paychecks from the fans each month.
They lack the ambition to get major titles and do not have the will to entertain the fans with good football show. Even the non Arsenal fans like Shearer and Neville were disappointed to see the way Arsenal milk their fans out.
meh ..that whole emirates move priced out the hardcore gooners.
now we have day trippers and the prawn sandwich brigade…hence it being now the emirates ‘library’
but hey there sold out every week even though there a tonne of empty seats every home game, shops busy : merch, expansion and deals with hello kitty and durex..good times
they knew what they were doing, just a shame so many of us fans are so deluded they still believe there bs..still argue amongst themselves…
confuse love with blind faith
its not soft..its a foundation of lies
That’s some profound **** shit right there
Whether “soft” is the right word or not, I don’t know.
But there is no doubt, we lack winning mentality and balls to fight, when we are under pressure.
And goes right from the top all the way down to the individual players.
As far as I know the board has never come out and said, what our sporting targets are. The targets would be, what the manager should fulfill and if not, he should be sacked. At the same time, we don’t have a manager, who set clear ambitious targets for his team, so there is nothing for himself or the team to be held accountable for.
It is all very simple, actually. Arsenal is loosing ground to more ambitious teams and it will keep on going, until something drastic happens.
I assume that when you asked “are Arsenal soft from the board down” that you spoke rhetorically. Surely that is like asking, is rain wet or is grass green! Of course it could be seriously argued by me and others too that we fans are soft in the head for still attending and giving this rapacious club our money. Actually though, I stopped going a year ago, after actively attending for 58 years, as I have some self pride and do not fancy being metaphorically “raped” and certainly at least betrayed by the club I have loved my life long. The club is firmly in the hands of our enemies and though I realised immediately that as a billionaire Kroenke was obviously a self centred and rapacious person – you don’t become a billionaire by being caring and empathetic – and I also quickly saw through Gazidis’s lies and snake oil sales methods – the hurt done by a man who clearly once loved our club and still professes to , by putting himself and his own power plus his own gross financial pay before the good of the club and fans, (the only honourable ones in this charade) is by far the unkindest cut and wound of all. We all once adored Wenger and thought him honourable. To find that he has so badly betrayed us kills my soul and I speak for countless thousands of GOONERS clearly.
It’s our own fault. We had the main target of reaching the top four in which we celebrated like it was 1999. We instilled that into our young players, then these young players grew up and some are still with us. Younger players today listened and learned from the former. It was inevitable almost, they were taught how to keep Arsenal treading water. It worked well, too well for our owner. Promises were broken, hearts shattered, and here we are, hoping to party like it’s 1999.
When we look to sign young players, I think they need to be the expensive young players like Jesus Lemar Dembele. Enough of signing children that may never make the grade, and the longer they’re in our academy the weaker the mentality they’ll have. They get pampered too much at Arsenal, while I’m on the subject Arsene needs to stop telling Lacazette that he’s not ready yet and he’s not fit enough to play a full game. Why does he have to risk ruining a good player just to have an excuse to play Giroud. Arsene, tell him he’s a machine, tell him he’s way ahead of schedule, don’t f**king destroy his confidence for no good reason.
Far from being soft I think the owner, board and manager are hard as nails. The trouble is they are all only interested in money making and could not care what happens on the pitch so long as they can remain in place coining it in.
Most of the players are soft and indeed not of sufficient quality to play for a top team. Proof of their lack of quality comes from Wengers own mouth as he boasted that when players leave Arsenal they do not have much of a career. Well news flash; most were crap when playing for Arsenal and it shows the lack of quality play he buys.
Also I think we have too many AKB type fans who are happy with the current situation.
Yep hard as nails with
the sustainable module.
All protest is ignored
just plough on regardless.
Quite right not soft , in fact the opposite- hard as.
Not soft at all, confortable, money flowing, running a business not football team. The only way they do something is if we all go on strike and don’t go to Emirate, they will react real fast, losing money not titles…Look at players, all secured and happy…Confotable as Wenger and board.
Mourinho and Tony Pulis are fighters, Guardiola and Wenger are football genii and I did not sign up for a fight, I signed up for good football, the kind Guardiola is currently playing with City. With a Kroenke like structure like we habe now, a front three of Messi, Ronaldo and Suarez with Guardiola in charge will not help us because they’d have been bought to con the fans into buting tickets and merchandise not for actual footballing excellence. We’ll have Almunia in goal and Dripping anchoring our midfield, Squilacci as captain.
Trouble is, there’s not a football man on the board, their all money men. They don’t need middle men, they can build golf courses around the world, they can build blocks of flats around the stadium but they know absolutely nothing about the game, therefore they leave all the football questions to Wenger, and are happy to go along with everything he say’s especially when he’s saving them money
Just calm down. It would be much better if these so called fans accepted that all teams do lose matches. Ask Chelsea. All these people do is stop players signing for the club. Why sign world class players and ten slag them off as soon as they have a bad spell. Some of the comments this week end have been past stupid and what has upset Martin Keown, he used to be a reasonably good pundit now all he does is insult his old club. Perhaps like Adams he has been turned down by the club from a coaching role.
And did we expect any action against the penalty dive. Did we bollocks.
NuttnTiddy
Perhaps Keown fed up with his former club nose diving.
Keown was there before Wenger and winning trophies too i may add.
What i would give to hear “1-0 to The Arsenal” or “boring boring Arsenal”. At least we were winning points, now its boring boring Arsenal and we’re losing to Watford and getting hammered by Liverpool 4-0.
Liverpool looking forward to playing Arsenal and getting back on form I’m sure.
I blame players as much as Wenger now; let Wenger be soft and comfortable. The players should have fighting spirit; supporters would sing to the heavens for you for showing spine and grit.
Otherwise they’ll get harshed like Wenger and deservedly so.
After that Watford game i was reminded of Walcott saying the other team wanted it more than Arsenal.
Walcott speaking truth, proof was there last saturday at Watford.
what a loser, even fans becomes affected by it! Why hide and be a proud loser pointing Chelsea, they finished what last year…Dude, we 8 game in, 13 points, trade places who took 3 points under our noze, they are 4th. Chelsea is infront of us, the top 3 is already out of reach and watford buzz won’t last and Chelsea will finish 4th…We will finish 6 behind Liverpool…The big 4 doesn’t count us anymore…Spurs are solid as Chelsea who will actually fight for 3rd place with Spurs…I hope that you are pleased and sure you won’t be mad if we finish 12th…Chelsea did a century ago with mourhino help and went right back on top of table…Oh, maybe we will do great next year, or the one after as long has it makes you happy…You should go and i’m sure you will get hired as Per…Please don’t ever send comment, we real fans are in pain…Maybe you one of owners hiding or in another planet than football, just like them…Don’t ever post comment, i felt to get a gun and shoot myself! Our boat is sinking my friend, don’t sit there, get your set, heard they giving it away to fans, then you can sit there and will survive…Good that Cheky didn’t went in bellow division, you be partying if we finish 17. Hope there’s no gun around near you; you will end up shooting yourself….