An Arsenal fan’s response to Piers Morgan!

Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater by Big Gun

It seems that every time we lose a game, even after having a decent run of wins, we have fans calling for Wenger’s head. I would like to put things into perspective a little here and show just why this type of mentality is wrong. This hatred toward Wenger is based on the presupposition that from 2005 up until now, Arsenal have been unsuccessful. One might only have to look at our trophy cabinet to confirm this…but our trophy cabinet does not speak the whole truth.

Fans like Piers Morgan forget that we built a massive new stadium worth +/- 550 million pounds after additions.
The initial outlay to fund this project took quite a toll on Arsenal’s budget. Everything was affected, including player transfers. Ever asked the question why all of a sudden in the last two years we have seen Arsenal splash out on world class players? The answer is simple, because now we can afford to, whereas before 2011/12, we simply did not have the financial collateral to bring in and afford world class talent as we had other more straining financial commitments. On top of that 90% of our best players left for greener pastures – an almost unforeseen consequence that must have put Wenger and the boardi n quite a jam (I remember how pissed off we all were when Viera, Henry, Cole, Fabregas, RvP etc left). Yet through all this, Piers Morgan and others have the audacity to say that Arsenal were not successful during this major transitional period? Achieving a top 4 spot for 15 consecutive years was an OVERACHIEVEMENT. Considering the types of players we were forced to bring in, whilst United, City, Chelsea and 80% of all the other teams spending almost double to quadruple what we spent, we still made top 4. How is that not an achievement? I will say it again, the only other manager I think capable of doing this would be SAF. No other manager would have the balls to be put into this situation and have to try and find a way out – yet Wenger did so.

Now every time we lose a game, fans unreasonably and unfairly keep bringing up ‘all those years of only making top 4’ where in actual fact they can thank their lucky stars we were not relegated. Saying that Wenger has had over a decade to build a winning squad is absolute horse sh*t because not only did he not have decent funds available, like I mentioned how can you build a world beating squad when every new season you have 3 of your best players gone with newer, inferior players to replace them? Also remember that during this time, when our best players left, other teams like Chelsea, City, United were all strengthening, but yet we still achieved a top four spot. Since 2012, we have gotten rid of the ‘deadwood’ and for the first time in over a decade actually started strengthening our squad and bringing in world class players each transfer window.

Taking the above facts into account, Wenger has really only had 2 years so far to build a decent squad, and I might add he is getting there. Sanchez and Ozil were top buys although I agree Ozil needs to work a bit harder on the pitch, but generally, Wenger is doing what him and Gazidis promised – bringing in top players. Wenger has also started strengthening in our weak areas, we recently bought a top defender in Gabriel who can play not only CB but RB. I am almost certain we will see the likes of either Schneiderlin or Bender join us soon to bolster that DM position. We have all seen what our manager is capable of doing when having decent funds work with, just look at the years before 2003 where he brought some stellar players in and we went on to win 49 unbeaten games, not to mention the League and F.A cup multiple times. (No to mention his keen eye on developing and having faith in players like Henry)

The bottom line is, the board and anyone with any real business sense will know what Wenger has done for this club during his tenure has been nothing short of a miracle. That is why Wenger will never get fired and will see out the end of his contract. In light of what I said above, let us support our manager and watch his master plan unfold now that he has the funds. He created the Invincibles after all, let us have faith in him one last time.

Big Gun

Tags Gabriel Ozil Piers Morgan Sanchez

36 Comments

    1. ..selling players doesn’t turn us in to another team just fighting for the fourth position, jow many players did southampton sell??? are we perfoming better than them? just a lame excuse.
      Every time u come up with excuses we yo preparing 4failure.
      It’s the consistency with which we now only fight 4th place that wenger is now a failure.
      we need 2admit it sooner or later….but remember it’s us suffering wenger still gets his big pay irrespective

      1. question ArnSam. when was the last time Southampton got a top 4 spot at the end of the season? that’s what i thought. an awful comparison.

    2. Well of course you would, you’re like all AKB’s who absolutely freeze at the idea of change/innovation. You’re comfortable at being “up there” because you know Wenger will deliver it, yea Klopp or Simeone might not make top 4 for 10 straight years, but they also may well do that AND win the league 3-4 times along the way. Arsene won’t.

      Also got to love the notion of top 4 for us being a marvel. Wenger didn’t spend big amounts of cash before the billionaires entered things, so while the landscape around us changed, we didn’t – yet that didn’t affect our boss because he’d never spent huge figures anyway. All in all you’re commending Wenger for staying the same as he was in 2002 when his management was successful – despite the fact the competition around him/us moved on massively. That’s the only reason we are where we are. Not a stadium “hindering us”. A coach who doesn’t embrace change.

  1. He did not create the invincibles. The defense was adopted and there collective skill and never say die spirit was the major part of ‘his’ successes. He also adopted some world class forwards if I remember (DB & IW) and engine room Ray Parlour in midfield.

    Yes he brought in talent in successive years and continued the wining trend but it’s not all his doing

    Koeman has had how long?
    Potechino how long?
    Pellegrini how long?

    The success was in the PAST we are in the present. As you put it; Any good businessman knows that it is today that counts not yesterday’s triumphs.

  2. i dont doubt wenger as a manager..i doubt him as a motivator!!!…these players need motivation to perform..we humans need reason to perform..if your players see you irate on the touchline some of the time,it adds to their motivation..wenger is ever silent even when the players need a little instruction on the field..he watches on as a fan rather than the manager he is waiting for half time..why not go sit in the crowd??

    1. i wish he punched maureen in the face when we played chelsea..lol..would have done wonders for the players confidence.hahahha

  3. Absolutely spot on, the first accurate account ive read in ages, unfortunately theyl be loads of thumbs down on here by silly young fans who have no idea about the restraints Arsene had to face for so long , but the shackles are off now, can’t wait till the summer to see the next world class piece to the puzzle, next season the title is ours.
    COYG

    1. Justin…I am not young nor silly.

      Everyone who can read knows there were financial constraints that were enforced by the relocation and development of the club and stadium.

      That’s why wenger bought cheap and cheerful and wanted to develop youth. A good strategy.

      But ok he did not have bags of money. But neither did BVB did they? But their coach bought and developed a group of players that formed a coherant and effective unit capable of winning things. The no money to compete bollocks does not cut it with me.

      Was SAF’s side filled with players that came with massive price tags when they won their leagues and UCL? No

      AW has served AFC well. But for me and many others who are neither Young nor silly it is ‘past’ success. Today is a different game and Wenger has been left behind tactically and in many other areas.

      And before anyone comes out with ‘it’s a new jerk reaction’ to the Spurs lost, it’s not. I am constant in my belief that in order for AFC to progress AW must depart.

      When many were celebrating our win against City as if we had Just won the UCL I knew there were more blips to come.

      Things have to change and they will sooner or later.. I personally hope it’s sooner so that AFC can move forward.

      1. You may not be young “arse” but you definitely are silly , Dortmund have spent big the last few years and are competing in a completely inferior league ,( and how are they doing by the way) SAF spent big creating that squad and let’s not forget they totally robbed Munich not to mention there were many people saying SAF didn’t have a clue in Europe , queiros was the one who was choosing the tactics when he arrived , I don’t hear any criticism of Steve Bould ? To say wenger is behind the times tactically is rediculous, have you studied football history atall ? The most successful team of recent times is Barca and everyone is going on about tiki taka football as though pep invented it! Liverpool were doing it in the 80s and Ajax were doing it 40 years ago, just because a tactic is new does not make it better , why don’t you ask the invincibles if they think they would get whipped week in week out now by stunning new tactics? Very short sited.

      2. Arseovertit, I’d like you to further compare Dortmund and Arsenal. Dortmund have recently sold most of their best players, Gotze, Lewandowski and now Reus is on his way out. Remind me where are Dortmund in the Bundesliga? Stone last.

        Where as when all Arsenal best players left, Wenger still managed a top four spot. Not only for one year, but over a DECADE. You really cannot compare Klopp to Wenger. Klopp was a one season wonder where as Wenger has been doing miracles for years. I’d say if Dortmund were still in the top 3 in the Bundesliga, you have a point. But they are far from it.

  4. diego simeone has maureens style and its working wonders for him..i like wengers gentility but not all the time..i think its the same thing costing city now..players need instruction even while on the pitch..pellegrini as well as wenger are the ever silent ones.

  5. IF WE LOSE 0-3 TO LEICESTER TODAY, WITH 2 PKs FROM ULLOA AND A FIRST PREMIER LEAGUE GOAL FROM ANDY KING, CAN WE STILL WIN THE PREMIER LEAGUE?!!

    ANSWER NEEDED URGENTLY!

    1. if we win 15-0 today we will still not win the premier league.

      we were out of the title race by xmas- ho ho ho

  6. Great article Big Gun. I still remember the article 3 years ago in Just Arsenal when someone broke down the net spending of the clubs since 2005. Arsenal were bottom 3rd close to the bottom actually with only 4 clubs spending less.
    Until the time comes when we are out spending the City’s, Chelsea’s and MU’s then I’m happy playing in the CL and fighting for a domestic cup.
    If FFP ever got their act together and didn’t allow loopholes in their laws then Arsenal could compete on slightly more even grounds. Until that day comes we might be able to win a PL title but our chances are greatly reduced due to our financial outlook.
    I hope everyone knows City won the league last year but we’re also fined for it. What good is that?

  7. Look forget this prat piers morgan.

    Iv been reading the last 4 articles and here it is in a nutshell.

    Arsenal critisize wenger cz hes starting to buying players but he needs to buya workd class striker and a solid DM. He has the money but he drags out the process. If we get wht players we need in one sitting i gurantee well be championss. Cz before u know it wen paulista is going become our first choice and then mertesacker will be 32/33 And he already lacks pace so well hab to buy another cb for cover. The cucle wil keep going

    For example last season we were JUST seven point behind city. Not alot. With ozil boosting erveryones confidence we would hav won the league if had a world class striker like sanchez.

    He could have bought surez, huguain or govino or javi martinez for a holding role

    But now tht i think wht world class strikers are goin to become available in the summer. Pls do not say reus. Im talkin about an out and out striker. Like van persie. Augero. Costa. Surez

    Who can we buy? Carvani. Not sure hes 29 now. Benzena is real madrid bound. Surez wont leave barca. Who??

  8. will not happen.
    he is imbedded in the fibre there.
    even torres performs there!

    5 years from now – who knows

  9. Wenger has achieved a huge amount for the club and although some of it was set prior to his arrival and some of it was an extension of his initial success the fact that winds up most of the anti wenger fans is that the club IS spending money and IS trying to rebuild after a long time in the wilderness, but when it comes to the spending on players its always the CHEAPER option in the most important area’s Chips Keswick Boasted a £100’000 000 war chest during last summers closed season and stated that the club could buy any player they wished (Apart from the worlds top players at that point Messi) yet instead of spending the money in area’s that needed drastic improvement Wenger opted for the cheaper replacements and spent just over half of the money allocated. Yes Debuchy was a good buy, Sanchez was a master stroke, But Mesut Ozil ?? he has been average and shows no sighns of improvement, and Chambers has yet to flourish. We needed a defensive Holding midfielder and we never got one we needed an out and out striker, we never got one! Giroud is ok but he will never be another Thierry Henry and Danny Welbeck??? well Wenger wasn’t even in the country when that sparkling bit of business was done. Paulista may or may not be a good squad player. So essentially the only rea decent bit of transfer business that was dome was Sanchez. I don’t advocate Wenger going but no one can deney that the overall plan is still very very flawed and the question is how much longer will it remain this way? I agree with you that AW has done some astounding things for the club, but he has also made some reall balls ups and week in week out it seems he is not able to offer up a tactical plan B or utilise key players in key positions against the relevant sides we play, (not starting with Rosicky and Walcott on Saturday was one such instance) I realise that no team wins all their games and I know that we have been under the cosh for quiet a few years now, but what annoys me more than anything else is the lack of Visible ambition, we spent three weeks messing around with Beliek and only just managed to get Paulista who was an uncertainty due to a work visa. It may not be the case behind the scenes but it always appears that everything is left to the last second and is done on the cheap and to your average fan who wants to see his club win things and wants to know the money they spend on the club is being put to good use its a highly frustrating scenario. Your average an doesn’t care if the club is still making profit 50 years after they have died they care about seeing their club win trophies and it APPEARS to the outside world that the club and Wenger have no real ambition to do this Try telling your Mrs that you have 2 grand to spend on her birthday present and then present her with an £1100 present that doesn’t do the job half as well as the 2 grand version might have, and see what she says.

  10. please stop with the financial constraint crap…one of the top 8 wealthiest clubs on planet owned by some fringe member of the walmart clan the richest family in the us charging fans amongst the highest ticket prices in the world… and anyway even clubs below arsenal in the wealth ranking have over the past 10 years won more top trophies than we have. (if you look at top dozen we are without doubt the worst performing over the last decade along with AC though even they have won more titles)…and the player-flight crap? even fabregas left because of lack of footballing ambition at the club…the list of hack players brought in by wenger and quality players who have left speaks volumes for his management skills and no one with half a football brain believes that a team with giroud walcott merteshaker ramsey coquelin monreal as starters is EVER going to challenge for top honours….worst of all we no longer play the kind of football people want to watch as a combination of managerial mediocrity and personal stubborness produce occasional (but increasingly less frequent) highs and (increasingly spectacular) lows around a 4th place average…

  11. I almost bought the story until I suddenly realized that throughout our financial crisis, Wenger never reduced his salary or contemplated so.

  12. If you wanna write a serious article, you might wanna speak truth
    1. Most wenger outs have remained so, even with d occasional good performance eg man city and aston villa. That hasn’t stopped them from enjoying a win and praising the players and coach when they do well. Don’t mistake that for turning AKB. However, a good chunk of arsenal fans are still undecided about wenger, they want him to stay but change his ways, when it looks like he’s done that eg against city, they think he’s turned d corner and praise him to high heaven. However it’ll take more than 1 or 2matches to convert true wenger outs

  13. 2. Those that. Aren’t satisfied wit the club over these past few years are not just dissatisfied with wengers work, we r dissatisfied with the low ambition of the entire management. However, its wengers job as the manager to come up with goals and the board’s job to ratify them. If there are requirements to achieve the goals its wengers job to inform the board of them

  14. 3. Has arsenal really been that broke over the years?
    a.b4 the stadium move, a plan was sold to the fans how d club intends to remain competitive, maintaining an acceptable level finance for squad development. This was continuosly attested to by both wenger and board members that there was funds available for player purchase. I’m sure it was in 2010 wenger said if he wanted a £40m player, he’d get him in a day.
    b. How come we maintained the most untouched cash? We were supposed to be broke, yet we had cash reserves several times that of the supposed rich kids, I’d say we weren’t broke, just miserly.
    C. We may hav had low net spend, but we did buy many, cheaply and poorly. Eg how much was cahill,samba and how much was mert? Was mert cheaper? If so, by how much? Was the difference significant to dent our resources? There was a time we had so many youngsters we couldn’t find enough clubs to loan them out to, we went quantity over quality. We’ve been seeing our wage bills in comparison with that of other clubs, are we that far behind? Who’s getting those wages? How come we’re so poor but our coach was earning more than fergie?

  15. 4. How much money do u need to compete? I’m sure athletico madrid, dortmund etc have mega bucks. Ok, let’s even talk about teams who have within this period won something or competed at a time at levels higher than arsenal can boast, valencia,porto,schalke,sevilla,wigan,swansea,portsmouth, hell even donetsk beat us to 2nd place in champ league group stage. I’m sure they were richer and had bigger players on bigger salaries. We hav been consistently out thought and out fought by inferior opposition even anderletch

  16. Finally, when. You say. We were skint and made use of substandard players, we seemed to compete better or @least not worse, now you say we’ve got money, maybe we should demand more.
    Nobody denies what wenger achieved in d ancient past, but in recent past, we believe he hasn’t done enough. Note bayern also built a stadium, but they did so without changing their mentality to that of misers. Agreed they spent less(tell me why our stadium was so so expensive, or are you saying d allianz arena is that much inferior?). We need a change in mentality. Is arsenal a big club or not? Is the question that divides AKBs and Wenger outs, AKBs think we’re a smaLl club punching above our weight bcos of wenger, wenger outs think that we’re a big club now and we need to behave like one

  17. yeah, cause pellegrini doesn’t have what it takes, right? he’s not quality enough to win the league, so your point has got to be right. you’re deluding yourself or have only started to appreciate the game within the past 10 years. tell me, while i appreciate the no guts no glory mentality, i still wonder who on earth would have come to the club and done a better job. i simply can’t think of anyone when you consider all the factors that go into being a manager. bottom line, managers are more than managers of a football team. they’re managers of people, both in the squad and on up to the boardroom. we’ve got a gem. and how any of you lot think otherwise simply because there had been* a slow down in our successes, is absolutely beyond me. go on. keep believing that history, class, and the ability to create everything that arsenal has means nothing. that’s a real arsenal fan right there. absurd.

  18. @Big Gun – positive sentiment albeit all it does is get them going again.

    There really is no point trying to persuade the anti Arsene sheep. They have their view and the other supporters have theirs. The past decade and economics may justify things for many but never to those who are more recent followers, those who can’t understand the economics or those that simply have become impatient and expect results at any cost.

    Who cares if certain people don’t get it, they are and always have been a vocal minority, unfortunately with a loud voice.

    Arsenal is a massive club. We will return to true greatness, winning cups, leagues etc but as you quite rightly say, we’ve only just begun that journey again after 10 years of forced austerity to build the necessary infrastructure giving us the sustainable financial power to do so.

    Two other things I would add….

    Firstly, it will be very interesting to see how Liverpool, Chelsea, Spuds et al manage to build new stadiums, buy new players and balance the books over the coming years. Something tells me their player spends will simply have to drop dramatically or they will breach ffp consistently.

    Secondly, earlier this week Maureen said Man City should have been stripped of last seasons league title, because they had breached ffp! Quite amusing. He said something very close to ‘It’s hard to compete against teams who break the rules’. Lol, and so called Gooners just don’t get what we’ve been through FOR A DECADE, whilst we still delivered consistent performances, lost key players (sometimes with no sell on value) AND built a world class stadium. HILARIOUS.

  19. All the views expressed by different writers may be correct in some instances but wrong on the other hand. Perhaps we need to ask ourselves the following questions: Is Chelsea a new club in England? Has Man city just been formed? If the answer is no then we need to ask ourselves why there has been a resurgence of the two clubs in recent years. Obviously it is not an accident that Chelsea won its first EPL trophy after 50 years in 2005 after Roman Abramovic had bougth the club. Man City’s first win was in 2011 after the club had been bought by Sheik Mansour. Is it a coincidence that these clubs have become big after being bought by millionaire godfathers who have injected in a lot of money? Has Wenger been given loads of money like Mourinho was given and he failed to deliver? If the ‘Wenger out brigade’ can honestly answer these questions then I will agree with them and also call for Wenger’s immediate resignation.
    It is not fair to just criticise in a vacuum without analysing the underlying causes. If we accept that the big spenders today are also the big winners then we would not be blaming Wenger. It is true Arsenal has two joint millionaires as shareholders but they are not owners of the club in the way mansour or Abramovic own the two clubs. Each of these fellows is aiming to edge out the other and take full control of the club but it is not that easy. As the old saying goes “Every man’s business is no man’s business.” Hence you can’t expect two contenders to inject the same amount of money into Arsenal as Mansour or Abramovic injects into their clubs. Besides the Arsenal business model abhors one godfather taking over the club. Instead the club depends on internally generated funds to run its business. For those who want quick success this may not be palatable but those who look at the future of the cllub this is the best way to go.

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