I wonder spmetimes what the Arsenal fans would have to do in order to draw some real reaction from the Arsenal board or our manager, because Arsene Wenger and the club’s top brass appear to be impervious to criticism and protest, which was highlighted once again this week by the reaction to the obvious sight of huge swathes of empty seats at the Emirates stadium.
It may not have been the most attractive or exciting of prospects to watch a rearranged game on a Tuesday night against an already relegated Sunderland side, but that does not really explain the decision of Arsenal fans to stay away in their droves.
The Frenchman suggested that a lot of fans would have seen it as a game to miss but surely with the Gunners needing a win to keep the fight for a top four finish alive there was something to play for, and saying that we were expected to win does not really make sense either, as fans surely want to see their team winning and scoring goals.
Wenger told Sky Sports, “No, it’s Tuesday night against Sunderland. Everybody expects us to win and I didn’t count the number of people who were in the seats.
“We have to focus on our job and not look at how many people are in the stands. When you’re a football player, you ideally want to be playing in a packed stadium, but we are quite spoiled with that at Arsenal.
“Overall, it’s a Tuesday night and people may think Sunderland is an easy game and that’s why there were less people.”
Really? Well I beg to differ, because it was not that people decided not to buy tickets as there were nearly 60,000 sold but reports suggest around 20,000 were not used and that sounds like a protest to me.
It is not as if this is a one off protest either. Wenger also dismissed the plane banner protest recently and has generally appeared to ignore any signs of frustration from the Arsenal fans. What do you think about all this Gooners?
Bob.
Only a small portion of fans were missing likely 5k max
Major protest should be done 7 years ago
If more than half of the stadium is empty than thats a sign
Yup. I thought Wenger will resign if he wins the FA Cup. But now I think he will continue next season.
He wants to leave Arsenal with a Premiere League title. Also the board are not sure whether whoever replaces Wenger will be able to keep Arsenal in healthy financial condition and keep them in Champions League spot.
He needs to work with better people in Arsenal and the board should have guts to get rid of Wenger’s “yes” men. Currently Wenger has too much power in the club and it shows in the bad quality of the new players. The board should start improving the team building department by hiring a director of football.
See you in the Premiere League next season, Wenger. Please buy new players that are better technically. Also please get rid of the players that always play safe in the field and the players that are lacking of ball control skills.
Wenger has no other commitments….unlike fergie
Wenger doesnt play horses and hes a single man
Hes afraid of boredom
Well first Bob you need to define between fans, supporters and hardcore supporters.
Fans are people that watch Arsenal from afar, they occasionally attend a match, but usually watch them on TV and purchase Arsenal products.
Supporters are people that genuinely support the club, by handing over their hard earned cash for the most expensive season tickets in the world and also follow the club to the occasional away match. Then there is the hardcore, they do just like supporters do as above, but would not dream of missing a match home or away, no matter what.
I have had the pleasure of being in all 3 groups. Indeed for 10 years I did not miss a match, home or away, not even a preseason friendly would I miss, I was that hardcore.
However, I am currently sitting in a group of none of the above, I have 4 season tickets, yet I will not set foot in Kroenke’s lifeless bowl again as long as he is the owner. I refuse to buy Arsenal products as this again simply enforces the Kroenke ideology that I am happy to be fleeced by this uninterested character. When I say Uninterested its because he is uninterested in Arsenal Football Clubs ambition to win trophies. Obviously his only interest is a financial one, hence I do not support Kroenke, which means for the moment I do not support the team at home nor do I purchase any products from the club. I do however purchase a ticket for every away match and I attend these as much as my work and family commitments allow me too. So I guess for the moment, I am not a supporter of the club, but I am a fan of the team at least when i can be a fan but not supporting kroenke.
I loan out my season tickets, as loans of players is acceptable to the club, so as I don’t own a player I loan out my season ticket. Just like the club, I demand a loan fee for my tickets and that profit pays for me to attend (when I can) away matches and also cup finals/semi-finals.
Until Kroenke sells or the club forbids me from continuing this process, I do not envisage a scenario where I will ever give shameless Stan another penny of my hard earned cash. Would I protest against Wenger? no because for me the blame lays with the people placing the contract in front of him to sign. Do I want Wenger out? Yes I think the days of keeping a manager for many years is gone, just like players and owners don’t hang around forever anymore, the same practice should be adhered to by the manager. If you truly have ambition in this game now, you should be looking to move on after 4 years or 8 as a maximum. If I was a manager, coach (which I am) or a player, I would want to do that at the very highest level both domestically and internationally both home and abroad in as many countries as possible whilst being successful along the way. Obviously everyone would love at some point to play for their boyhood club. Whilst many achieve that, many also put their careers first.
Totally agree….the man city way …doesnt matter if u win the title last season if the club finish 2nd or 3rd its a sack…
Hopefully the fans can see this and boycott the last game
We need at least close to 40k seats empty
If your ST contract is the same as mine was at Club Level, you are breaching the terms by selling on at a profit.
I would keep that under your hat if I were you…..
Bravo! The best post I’ve seen here in a long, long time. Take a bow, and take notice people. This is a guy sees the big picture. Is Wenger the problem? Is he at fault for what’s happening with our club? I would say only partially. By far the biggest obstacle is Stan Kroenke. Remove Arsene out of the equation, and nothing will change. They’ll just get another puppet, another Yes Man, who will be given the same objectives: “Get top 4; sell a few players; balance the books; and make sure we make money”. That’s what it’s all about – MONEY. Arsenal FC is not a football club anymore. It’s business. And until it stops been treated like one, I repeat, nothing will change, with or without Wenger in charge.
The only way we will move forward is Wenger leaves.
The Board are happy with Wenger
They do not demand trophies just profit
Wenger is happy with his huge paycheck
and control over the team
Wenger wants to do things his own way and is satisfied with Top 4 finish
Sir Alex Fergusan has said that United would not have let him be manager for 10 years without a trophy. He would have been fired
Don’t expect a firing or resignation any time soon
Why would Wenger and the board feel bad for people who bought tickets and failed to attend the game. Its money in the bank for them sadly and the balance sheet will not reflect empty sits. Sadly this is a win-win situation for them. This club is surely moving in the wrong direction on the fans’ side but financially things are very fine. SAD but TRUE
Wenger is ignoring fans who
question his being the Manager.
He is Mr Teflon himself brushing
aside any criticism and only talking
about how well he and the team are doing.
He has deceived the majority of fans into believing top 4 is a trophy
and so far no one has been smart enough or powerful enough
to convince fans otherwise.
An 8 mill salary job at 68 years old means you know how to play the game.
I would like Wenger removed and Allegri as manager and to get rid of Giroud alright he is good in the penalty area but that’s all stands around most of the time like Claude said he is a lampost
Time to wake up and smell the coffee. Wenger will stay, most the elite fans who can afford the game tickets don’t care passionately about the club being restored to its former status as an annual candidate for the PL title, and this club will never again win a PL title with Wenger as manager and Kroenke as owner. Both these men care more about their balance sheets and pockets than about doing everything in their power to win unlike the owners of Man U, Chelsea and City to name but a few.
If you want a happier season next year either compare Arsenal to Everton and Southampton and forget about the PL title and the top 4 or forget about football altogether.
I for one will try not to put myself through another embarrassment and frustration like we had this past season by stopping to follow football altogether.
Can you imagine not checking the internet every day during the summer transfer window to see if we finally landed a top striker? or to see if we finally signed a player we really needed? Should make for a frustration free summer (I hope).
Couldn’t agree more.
And competing with the likes of Soton and Everton is our near future that starts with the next season. Both Ozil and Sanchez will leave. Replacements like Kolasinac (no disrespect to the player, he might turn out alright, but he in’t world class “yet”) are to ensue. Free transfers, championship and league 2 promising talents incoming.
Personnally I think that the board never planned for life after Wenger! That’s what happens when a guy has been delivering top 4 finishes and UCL football consistently every year: you think it is already in the bag and that he got it.
I believe they never imagined once that the season could unfold in sich a fashion, not after spending a record amount of money in the summer, not after finishing 2nd last year. But the reality is that every other team got better and with a similar amount of points at this stage of the season than last year we’re outside the top 4.
And now, this club seems like a prisoner of Wenger as they never revamped the system that supports a manager and still rely on Wenger experience and ability for so much. Even if a great manager say: Allegri or Simeone would have difficult as they would have aside from coaching, to do every other things that at top clubs like Bayern, Barca, Real and Juve really on others.
For exemple a Director of Football that throughout the year look for targets, gets into contact with them and lay the ground to ensurr that come summer business is done early in the case of Wenger becauae of all the things he has to do it always delayed and we do business usually late.
The sad part the board never had a plan B, C or D and no matter what happens they will announce is extension.
All I hope for is that is 2Y extension is really a one year where performance goals is at the hearth of it in order for him to get the 2nd year! The club is likely waiting on the ideal scenario: a top 4 finish and winnig the FA Cup…even if it doesn’t happen we know what is coming sadly!