From riches to riches: The harrowing tale of how a rich club got richer by Viera Lyn
It’s really not surprising my previous article on JustArsenal caused a bit of a stir, especially considering Saturday’s result. 3 points is certainly nothing to sneeze at. Some may even suggest that winning cures all ills. For those of us who weren’t born yesterday, we know better. The virus in our club isn’t of the 24 hour or even 48 hour variety. Of course we’re going to win some games along the way, it’s not as if I believe this team is devoid of any talent. On a really good day, with our strongest lineup in play, we should be able to compete with just about anybody in the EPL. Whereas on this past Saturday, we faced a team that got it all wrong and looked awful doing it and we simply did what anybody playing that team on that day should have done, we won. This is a results based business and we got the best result possible on that given day. That being said, you must be careful not to get too bogged down by weekly results, it has a tendency to skew your perspective. For years my focus on this club was far too narrow, wasting countless hours discussing issues that only pertained to the most recent of games. Like riding an endless roller coaster, I would be euphoric following wins and highly depressed when we lost. But all that changed a few years back.
When the club was preparing to move from the Highbury the powers-that-be clearly laid out the long-term plan. Financial constraints, due to obvious construction costs, were going to require patience and sacrifice on our parts, but that when the smoke cleared we would be in a better position than ever to compete at the highest levels. As we know now, this was a complete fabrication meant to quell any potential grumblings so that supporters would remain focused on the supposed end game. In addition, the club and Wenger willingly used his almost cult-like rapport with the fan-base to help facilitate their selfish monetary goals. Raising prices and selling our best assets so that billionaires and multi-millionaires could fill their pockets without taking any of the risks, simply meant that the only people making any sacrifices were us the fans. We were clearly played and everyone knew it except us. Many of his most ardent supporters said there is no way the Professor would treat us that way, not after all we’ve been through together. Of course nobody wants to look the fool but if this is the end of the rainbow all the stories I heard as a child were clearly a lie.
Now some might attempt to excuse them under the guise that they simply didn’t know what the future would hold regarding escalating player salaries and transfer fees. To them I would say, poppycock. Everyone with half a brain was well aware that salaries and fees would rise exponentially considering the amount of money being awarded to teams from UEFA, massive TV contracts and rising ticket prices. Just look no farther than our present owner, he has received countless hundreds of millions, saw the value of this club increase threefold and yet we still pay the some of the highest prices in the World and continually cry poor when we go shopping for players on the open market. It’s owners like ours that make the players, and of course their greedy agents, seek the highest possible salaries because they know that the top clubs are rolling in it. Now I obviously don’t expect our team to go and spend $200 plus million on a Neymar or even slightly less on a young prospect like Mbappe, at least not at this juncture, but I do expect a “big” club to act like a “big” club when the situation calls for it.
Regardless of those rather suspicious claims made in a recent BBC article suggesting otherwise, this organization is making money hand over fist and the reason it’s doing so is because of us fans. If we aren’t paying for high-priced cable packages, overpriced season tickets and ridiculous priced merchandise this club would be nothing. Without our overwhelming support this money-grubbing owner of ours would have sold his stake years ago, or even better he never would have come on board in the first place. All we want is to share in the spoils, the same spoils we willingly provided for them during those club-imposed lean years; keeping in mind, that we did so because we placed our trust in them and we honestly believed that they had our best interests at heart. It’s become increasingly clear that our interests are no longer in line with theirs and that what we need now is a good old fashioned house cleaning. We need to change the culture around this club as things have become increasingly stale in recent years. We need to create a whole new narrative. One that includes the fans. One that sees the value in being held to a higher standard. One that strives for perfection and won’t settle for other’s table-scraps; so no half measures, no band-aids and no dithering. That being said, some fans are quick to say that such negativity breeds a “loser” mentality around the club, but anyone with any perspective knows that this isn’t a chicken or egg argument. I never suggested any of these things 10 years ago, I never would have thought things would have transpired exactly how they did and I never thought I would ever have felt the need to write these very words. So when you find yourself getting so upset about anyone who has a contrary opinion to your own just think for a second about why anyone who dearly loves this club would subject themselves to such ridicule unless they felt so strongly about the issues at hand.
On a side note, I couldn’t help but think 2 predominant thoughts when watching the game against Bournemouth on the weekend: (1) Wenger is still willing to put his own personal agenda ahead of the team’s best interests when it comes to team selection, which luckily for us didn’t cost us the 3 points this time and (2) if Eddie Howe is earmarked to be the successor we are in deep trouble because he’s simply a poor man’s version of our present manager, as he’s tactically inept and has an even worse road record.
Time now to put your big boy pants on and tell me your thoughts…
Viera Lyn
Arsenal fans, like all football fans, will always enjoy the peaks and suffer the troughs of their team’s fortunes. That is the nature of football. That is the beauty of football. 3 cups in the last 4 seasons is altogether a decent return. If you bear in mind that the mighty Spurs have zilch in the last 9 seasons and the best team in the world if you believe the media (Liverpool) have lots of statistics to prove the media wrong and zero for the last 5 seasons and still waiting on a PL trophy. Unfortunately, people like yourself appear to have been brainwashed into believing that the crisis club is AFC and the beating stick is red hot. Proof is in the pudding in “Bournemouth were woeful” as opposed to us being excellent and outplaying our opponents. Just my positive take on it and not negativity that surrounds the minority of fans. Boring Boring Arsenal or boring boring arsenal fans. By ‘fans’ who are you speaking for? Just yourself? Me? Your mates? The 60,000 in the crowd? The Millions around the World? Ridiculous. IT’s what YOU want to see. Trying to speak for ‘Millions’ of others always comes over as a bit pretentious don’t you think? Anyway as far as I can see, as a club they HAVE followed a clear strategy from day one of the Stadium build. It was stated that we were going to follow a self sustaining model, and that is exactly what we have done. Wenger has always, and I repeat always emphasised how he puts the WAY we play football at the forefront of his footballing philosophy. You may not like either of the above, but they are, and have been for over 10 years ‘a clear strategy’. It seems you missed that. A clear strategy that’s has qualified us for CL football, year in year out, finally missing out by just 1 point last season. A clear strategy that has won us 3 FA Cups in 4 years, “to take more authority with our players”, What does that even mean?, “and the ability to adjust by the manager?” Is that actually a serious statement? “and great effort and determination by all the players against ALL teams”. Yes this is true. But surely that is true of EVERY team? Or are you suggesting we are the only team that ever falls short in this respect? And what of Liverpool yesterday? My point is, you, like many others seem to be looking for some kind of Lalaland, where our players never have a bad day, our manager never makes a mistake. This I’m afraid is never going to happen. But the problem as I see it is we are not allowed a bad day, as per Liverpool last week, without it being turned in to an apocalyptic event. Conversely as often as not when we win against the big teams it’s because they were shite, and not because we were good. Or like yesterday. Yes we were expected to win, well except by Merson of course, and we did. But following a potentially moral sapping defeat it was important to win in style and we did. But still it has to be derided. We win trophies there immediately down graded to ‘non’ trophies. As per your all ungrateful moaners with their “These guys come to see a winning team” some don’t even see them as ‘wins’ let alone trophies. But to be honest I know that doing this is a waste of time, because it seems no matter what Arsenal, Wenger and the players do it is never going to be enough for you. Many arsenal fans have bought into all these tale tale tells and have overtime become disenchanted in everything about arsenal. This is basically the works of Wenger out brigade in the media who uses effectively their media outfit to do everything to get Le Prof out of arsenal and out of their way. This is usually orchestrated by the very phantom news of arsenal “going for any star player wherever such can be found and the tale end is usually that Wenger was unable to complete the deal or that the player turned down arsenal because of Mr. Wenger” it is an orchestrated pull him down campaign on going against Mr. Wenger. These army of see nothing good in arsenal until Mr. Wenger leaves do not give a hoot to the damage being done to arsenal image so long as Mr. Wenger gets the booting. Arsene Wenger has created some of the worlds best footballers in their time. In recent years he has developed Arsenal into a team that plays football the way its supposed to be played, the beautiful football! He has made Arsenal into the most delightful club to watch. Be it their beautiful slick passing game or the extremely talented youngsters being nurtured by him, Arsene Wenger is truly a legend. A legend not only of Arsenal but of football. He has undoubted passion and love for the game which has led him to great heights. Former Liverpool manager Gerard Houlier said “Arsene Wenger has the ability to eat, talk, sleep and drink football, and then come back for more.” He is admired by friends and foes alike for his exceptional managerial ability. If you believe that the likes of Liverpool and Spurs, who have been far far less successful than us over recent years, receive anything like the criticism, ridicule and down right abuse that we do, then I’m afraid I’ve missed it. Regarding Arsenal they all to a man cannot believe the stick we get, and even more, the negativity of our own fans. It must be like hell to have to listen to the never ended tirade of negativity that we, as the true Arsenal fans have to endure with this stinking ungrateful new wave constantly moaning fans. Have you ever wondered why, the so called fans/supporters, who are for ever dissatisfied with Arsenal and the Manager, win, lose or draw. Always seem to have the solutions and and answers to Arsenal’s fictitious problems, but are unable to solve their own day to day problems in their live’s. I’ve always thought supporting a Football Team is by choice and not a life and death situation. So those of you, who are so unhappy supporting Arsenal FC and all the negativity it brings into your life. Simple solution is stop your interest in Arsenal FC, and support the mighty Chelsea, or city, then hopefully you may get your glorified team and moving on with your life. We the true fans through thick and thin are actually enjoy watching Arsenal play, but find some fellow “fans” unbelievably frustrating. We can’t change who supports Arsenal, so why should we stop watching because of that? Our point is that the WOB clearly don’t enjoy supporting Arsenal; every single aspect of it apparently, so why don’t they go support someone that is more in line with their ideals, like Man U, PSG or Real Madrid? Literally everybody would be happier. So STFU and support the team and the manager.
Sing with me now, ONE ARSENE WENGER.
Lembit – the problem is the few “Wenger ahead of the club” fans that remain like yourself believe our problems are fictitious. I quote you …”Always seem to have the solutions and answers to Arsenal’s fictitious problems,…”
Now that must be a nice world to live in but for most of us our problems are very real and Wenger is the person most responsible for them and to us Wenger will never be bigger than the club.
Sorry, JemBut miss spelled your name. No disrespect intended.
By your so claimed ‘few fans’ who are you speaking for? Just yourself? Me? Your mates? The 60,000 in the magnificent emirates crowd? The Millions around the World? Ridiculous. IT’s what you want to see. Trying to speak for ‘Millions’ of others always comes over as a bit pretentious don’t you think? Anyway like I said There is an unwillingness – amongst all football fans, but particularly, it appears, among Arsenal fans – to acknowledge that your manager might just know a little bit more about your team than you. As bitter a pill as it may be to swallow, there is a reason Arsene Wenger is paid money to make these decisions. Of course, managers don’t always get it right, but in a profit-making, money-driven industry, the Premier League makes no allowances for consistently poor decision making. Wenger is a shrewd, unfaltering decision-maker. He has built a football club, not a football team, and in doing so he has given Arsenal a philosophy and an identity. This is a man who, prior to managing Arsenal, earned his living by analysing football teams and the type of tactics they employ. He is a true master of the game – wise, thoughtful, ruthless. There aren’t many of those left anymore. Arsene hasn’t got enough credit for a pretty historic F.A Cup run in the last 4 years. Over the last 4 years, Arsenal have been on average the 4th best team in England so for them to win 3 trophies in 4 years would have paid off massively if you had placed a wager on this, slam him all you want for Premier and Champions League failures recently, but give him equal amounts of praise for his FA Cup brilliance.
@jembutarsenal @Nothing changed
guys obviously your both passionate Arsenal fans and your both right in what you say but i have to agree with @Nothing changed, up until three years ago when we made new contracts with our sponsors which put us up there financially with the elite of Europe but the quality or quantity of signings did not match the finances, lets not forget we made a profit from sale of players against buying players and add that to your annual profits that’s not acceptable, its a load of bull that we couldn’t sign Lamar on time we had almost three months to do so, and regarding playing sexy football, what happen to it? it has disappeared we cannot put two there passes together in the oppositions half without losing the ball, and whats with playing players whey out of their position, something is seriously not right, we have good players that are not playing to their ability and why is that?
tas – for me, if I read these fans speaking about Arsene’s past accomplishments somehow giving him the right to continue to manage us whilst we are sinking down the table, I know that they value Wenger above the club.
Most us, myself for sure, knew we had one of our best squads in a long time last season and look what happened! There is no hiding for Arsene.
If someone wants to defend his decision making that is one thing to me, but the guy has been paid handsomely for his work, so what he did in the past is hardly charity work and by now as far as I am concerned it is a long long long time ago that he proved himself capable of leading a PL challenge.
Perhaps you should read more carefully. I said the “few fans who put Wenger above the club”. I believe the majority of the fans don’t put Wenger ahead of the club. And of those who put the club ahead of Wenger, I believe the majority think it is time for a change. There have been numerous votes taken including on this site last year with a statistically large sample showing the vast majority think it is time for him to go.
Even on this site, the majority question Wenger’s tenure and decisions and openly state it is time for a change.
Spurs fan. lol
Of cause every club is expected to have a one off but for some unknown reason we seem to have this one offs every season for the past 7 season and u see nothing wrong with that,
Can’t go pass the round of 16 for 6 years running now, hopefully we can do that in the Europa.
Bayer 5 – 1 mauling thrice
Chelsea 6 – 0 dribbling
Man u 8 – 2 murder
City 6 – 3 rape
Liverpool 4 – 0 accident
Why don’t u compare us with Chelsea and the Manchester clubs who have actually won the league in the last decade, who cares abt spuds or pool, shouldn’t we be comparing ourselves with the best
Hold on there buddy, take a deep breath and you might still remember that we beat Chelsea and City in our last heroics performance by our players and superb manager in last FA Cup incredible show of all times. But I guess some people do have short memories, I see that you’ve set aside this special time to humiliate yourself in public. You have the right to remain silent because whatever you say will probably be stupid anyway.
ONE ARSENE WENGER.
Basically you are here to offend – i cant help thinking you’re Admin trying to get some discussion going on these pages, s everything you say is bs.
I have just found out that you can be quite abusive too. That is not allowed by anyone. No swearing. No personal abuse.if you have a problem go s9me where else….
It doesn’t suit him to compare us to the top teams and it doesn’t suit him to speak about big trophies. We have not won the PL for ever and he might not have been old enough to remember the days when we measured ourselves against the best and went for the major trophies.
As far as the FA Cup is concerned, better a trophy than no trophy, but ask yourself would you rather be in the CL with all benefits it provides? Or would you rather win the FA cup?
For me the choice is easy, I take CL football any day because it is better money and more importantly it gives you a better chance to attract the Lemar’s of the world.
While reading your comment, i know you get more red than green and behold i was right. I’m so glad i read your comment and hope reds won’t prevent other fans from reading. Quoting you “I’ve always thought supporting a Football Team is by choice and not a life and death situation” a lot of disgruntling fans here will disregard that statement and in their defense will say they love support the club and should they keep quiet and pretend that everything is fine with club like the akb and the gullible fans? and yet they will run to their lawyers and seek for divorce if their wife or husband give the ¼ of the the sadness they profess the club is giving them.
I would like to know what your definition of success is, because success to me for any football club should be to win trophies. Understandably, some clubs don’t have the financial clout to compete and buy top players and in turn compete on a consistent level, but Arsenal is not one of those clubs. Arsenal is one of the wealthiest clubs IN THE WORLD, something like 6th wealthiest according to Forbes, largely due to the relentless support from the fans. All the other clubs within our wealth bracket, have all either won their domestic leagues, champions league and other trophies multiple times in the last 15 years. Arsenal, since 2005 have won three F.A cups (Charity shields are a glorified serving tray). This is an underachievement. I am aware of the massive transition we went through after building the Emirates and how all our best players jumped ship. Wenger did well to keep us in the top four. But lets be realistic here. Wenger has had the finances since at least since 2010 to compete at a high level. Its not just an assumption, it is a fact. Our wage bill up until end of 2016 was on par with both Bayern Munich and Chelsea. Yet just compare our squad with theirs. We are miles behind. The real kicker is that we have had ONE MAN for the in charge since 1996. All the other top clubs have gone through managerial changes and have still come out on top and won major trophies. With all our wealth and managerial stability, we haven’t won the league in almost 15 years and have never won the CL. This begs the question, have we been CLOSE to winning the league in this time? Not really no. Finishing third and fourth every year is barely scraping a top four. In this brings me to my next point. When we lose, we lose like girls. Big teams humiliate us season after season. If we lost with some pride and fight, that would be easier to digest and perhaps we wouldn’t have such a divide in our fan base. But I believe if our players really did have a fighting mentality, we would have won the league at least twice since 2005. So am I blaming the players? To an extent, yes. But we have seen over and over again what a manager can do to his players. Again, look at a team like Chelsea. Conte took over 95% the same team that finished 8th. He brought in one or two players and won the league in his first season. This is the power and type of change a manager can instill into his players. Wenger’s philosophy was exposed years ago and is outdated. A manager not willing to change and adapt, is a manager planning to fail. This is why we are seeing the same BS season after season. Our players are a reflection of Wenger’s mindset. A LOSERS mindset. WENGEROUT
The majority of the fans have made up their minds that Wenger is not the man to take us back to where we belong. This means IMO that the negative atmosphere around the club will remain as long as Wenger remains.
So either Wenger will stay and this club will continue to fade away on all levels, financial, sporting and fans base. Or the club will realize that the situation is becoming untenable and do what they should have done 3 years ago and let Wenger go.
Personally, I don’t see Wenger making it much past next summer. When the fans wake up to the fact that Sanchez and Ozil are gone for free, that Wenger can not even attract a Lemar any longer and that the gap with the top 6 is growing. This is when Wenger will abandon the sunk ship and this is when we will no longer be able to even attract managers like Allegri or Simeoni because the job to get us back to the top is too difficult with the budget and squad we can offer.
A top manager might have come at the beginning of last season when we had a very good squad but that will change after this season and next summer.
In my view, we are witnessing a slow death of the club that can not be stopped. It is human nature that now that Wenger is off his pedestal most fans can no longer see him as the God he once was seen as.
Fewere and fewer fans will be willing to give Wenger more time for something he did 15 years ago.
It didn’t have to be this way but Wenger sees himself as bigger or synonemous with the club and it he is not the man to be able to see his own short comings.
the fans here are brain-washed, we beat bournmouth for god sake not barchalona. next week those defending wenger will attack him
I don’t know what your problem is, but I’m guessing it’s hard to pronounce or spelling check grammar. I don’t have the time or the crayons to explain it to you, but what the hell. Arsenal fans are brainwashed to be negative by biased medias and many low IQ pundits whose showering the constant negativity surrounding our beloved classy team. Supporting the club, the players, and the manager is the decent fans should be all about. Perhaps you smoke a lot of great northern Californian pot, and perhaps you drink a lot of great California wine, and perhaps imbibing these things allows you to sit down and watch Arsenal and imagine that what you’re seeing is failures of Arsene himself. It’s not. Then a nagging voice starts in the back of your head after all we are talking about Wenger now. A manager we all the true passionatefans loved and respected for a long time who now cares everything about Arsenal greatness but himself.
RESPECT ARSENE.
@JembutArseanl or shell i call you @BUDD last week it was my bad spelling and grammar you pointed out, i suppose if you cant spell well or agree with with your way of thinking one cannot be a arsenal supporter in your little world?
Being positive does not mean attacking the people that are negative about things you love, it means being truly positive about the things that affect you positively. his is a concerned reminder not to dwell in the realms of negativity for too long, this does not mean that you cant be negative, just do not forget the positives else we flip completely to the negative side without realising it.
KUDOS ARSENE.
I will always despise kroenke for being an absentee owner who doesn’t care about the sporting side of arsenal only the financial aspect, I still wonder why Wenger didn’t leave all these years if the board are so terrible like some claim, yet he is still here getting pay raises
If the board has been hindering the club’s success by not providing funds, why hasn’t the manager left?
Arsenal fans are actually the most understanding and gullible set of fans ever, after so many years of failed promise’s, failed transfer windows, failed title challenges. They just protested for the first time last year, while some are here saying the fans are ungrateful and it’s a bad influence on the players, real Madrid fans boo ramos and Ronaldo when they don perform. We will never win the league with wenger
“I think “many fans” have tried to make their feelings known in whatever way they could.”
Really? How many percentage of these moaners that went to the actual protests?
Only 200 moaners that actually dared to show up and the rest was just sitting with iddle hands and do nothing. So how do you expect so called change if you just big with your mouth only? You all disgruntled fans and useless chicken to do anything moaners always seem to simply make things up and attribute them to other people, have a look at yourself mate. Was it Wenger that decided for the club to move to the Emirates!? Is it AW that decides that the Emirates workers are not compensated properly? Is it Wenger that approves the “consultancy fee” that is paid to Kronke every season. Arsene is part of the system and not the system in itself. He has his full share of the blame in what Arsenal FC has become, but to put all that is wrong with the club at his doorstep is just being childish in my opinion. For example if AW had his way the team would not be in the States right now, but there are a lot of decisions that go above his head (even if we try to portray him as some Arsenal demigod) Fact is, he is an employee of SK like everyone else. He meets the brief that is given to him, when he stops meeting the targets as set by SK I doubt the Walmart Boss will work with sentiments in choosing to let him go.
IN ARSENE WE TRUST.
@Bobbyraz i agree with you fully
How I wish we can move on from such debates and put Arsenal first for once.
Both the club and the fans have a huge role to play. If the management and the board could actually listen to even 50% of the royal funs demands, they would actually get our full support.
Stubbornness, complacency, division, lack of vision, = the death of Arsenal
I am a fan because my father was and will forever be a keen Arsenal fan, I intend to pass on the same to my daughter but when I look at the club now, it is in a mess I would rather she even follows netball or something because it would kill me seeing her wear another teams jersey, especially in my house, lol.
Cant we all just get along.
Isn’t there a bullet somewhere you could be jumping in front of? I don’t think you are an idiot. But then what’s my opinion against thousands of others? No one was absolving AW of his slightly recent setback, but that was only pointing out that he is not the sole reason for our problems as a club. I’m proud to be a Gooner and always will be and the Stadium is a monument to the fans’ faith. I think our football is still pretty good to watch and has the potential to be vintage. The fact that our football remained good, if ultimately unsuccessful, throughout the times we kept Ozil and Sanchez allows me to respect Arsene even more. That’s where most of you miss the point, it’s not about absolve our Great Leader AW of responsibility, it’s about realizing that the whole malaise at Arsenal goes beyond Wenger. He is the face of the club in terms of football matters but is not the sole reason the club are in this state. So STFU and support the team and the manager.
ARSENE KNOWS BEST.
@JembutArsene
“we kept Ozil and Sanchez allows me to respect Arsene even more”, mate you’ve got to be kidding! Both of them want out, Wenger has kept them against their will, we’ll still be losing them to our rivals in 9 months time, but instead of raking in around £90/100 million, our rivals won’t have to give us a penny! How is that good?
Yes there are other problems as well at Arsenal, but you always conveniently skirt over what happens on a match day, and who’s 100% responsible for that! Kroenke, Ivan, etc, have an indirect influence to what happens on a match day, whereas Wenger has a direct influence. Not to the mention all the power he has behind the scenes. Do you not remember how he laughed off the idea of a director of football last season? That is proof of both his power, and arrogance.
TMJW, you seems like a nice guy. To quote you, “Kroenke, Ivan, etc, have an indirect influence to what happens on a match day, whereas Wenger has a direct influence. Not to the mention all the power he has behind the scenes. Do you not remember how he laughed off the idea of a director of football last season? That is proof of both his power, and arrogance.”
You’re trapped in your own corner, mate. You clearly answer your own question?
So who is the person ultimately responsible to give that super power to AW?
i THINK YOU ALREADY SAID IT.
Yes Kroenke should sack Wenger and has the power too, and any owner worth his salt would have sacked Wenger years ago, but beyond that Wenger is responsible for so much of the mess!
I’ll ask you a very simple question for about the 100th time, see if you can actually answer it this time:
1) Who is responsible for training, preparing for an opponent, subs, formation, tactics, picking the starting XI, motivating the players?
Mate of course all down to AW and his mute Stevie Bouldy.
We could go on for pages, and some do, on the reasons the media and ex-players criticise the club. I don’t care the reasons, it’s just negativity toward a club and recently a manager with values. A club that doesn’t spend what it doesn’t have. Sort of how I’ve tried to live my life. I support a club that I respect. I certainly would like to see the club win the EPL again and UCL trophy. But I’m a supporter, not a fan – short for fanatic. The fanatic’s support is minute to minute, game to game based on results. A supporter takes the long term view and never presumes to know more than the professionals who direct and manage the teams in reality, not in their heads. So support the Arsenal. That doesn’t mean one can’t be critical but the vitriol and negativity directed toward the club and Manager from some on a dedicated Arsenal supporting website is just absurd.
Manager is not the club – Manager is not the club. Repeat maybe you’ll wake up from your delusion.
When Arsene leaves Arsenal will continue – When we die Arsenal will continue. But while we are alive we support the team, not the manager and not the owner.
And if the Owner and the manager are not good for the team then we can criticize them all we want because that’s what real supporters do.
They support the Team not the Manager.
Repeat after me Manager is not the club…
i agree that Wenger is not cable of leading Arsenal to either Champions League or Premier League glory . he lacks the tactical nouse as well as the fire to inspire this team to play out of their skins to grind out a win no matter what the situation is . Wenger himself agreed with Peter Cech’s statement when he said with Mourhino you MUST WIN AT ALL COSTS , however with Wenger we must win by playing good football in the right way . that is a farytale that will sadly not come to fruition as you need to be ruthless and cunning as well as to be able to implement tactics to exploit your opponents weakness to win games .
Wenger may not be able to lead us Premier league glory but can you name 3 managers who would do a better job . Before you answer , take into consideration the manager won’t be able to spend 200 million every summer or offer 300k to bring in players . The manager must compete with big spenders Chelsea, City , Utd and Liverpool. The manager must bring in trophies as well and keep them in the Champions league.
So let’s look at the top managers out there who fit this bill – Potchetino and Klopp would be the ideal candidates yet they have not delivered any trophies despite building a youthful and dynamic team that plays attractive football . Rafa Benitez, Massimo Allegri , Simeone, and Tuchel as well will need at least 2-3years to build a sqaud capable of challenging. Will they last that long and will they be able to handle a lazy penny pinching incompetent board who without Wengers guidance have no idea how to run the club . Conte was ready to quit Chelsea after one season because they weren’t active in the market , he only signed a contract after he was assured they would bring in more players
So in order for Arsenal to move forward by appointing a new manager we need to compliment that with a director of football , definitely a new transfer chief executive a change in the coaching /medical staff along with a new ideals and ambiton from the owner / board . Couple that with spending a few hundred million to rebuild the sqaud , probably a few barren seasons whilst the players and manager adapt . I wonder how long it will take you fickle fans to turn on the new manager should we fail to take home any trophies .
Wenger has a multitude of flaws and yes he is past due but there is nobody out there that would fit the bill . Gazidis was said to have been in contact with potential replacements for Wenger before Kroenke pulled the rug out from under him to offer Wenger a new deal . i wonder if Kroenke did the math and deemed it all too expensive to hire a new manager thus he decided on sticking with Wenger .
us Fans arent blind as to whats happening at the club , but untill we come up with 3billion to buy the club from Kroenke what else can we do . protests dont work , all it does is negatively impacts the players on the pitch , giving them another excuse to perfrom poorly .
Yeah, forget about the win, forget about all the positives; let’s just focus on all the negatives and how Arsenal are the worst club in the world! Because we are “supporters” after-all and the definition of being supportive is to criticise and to whinge and moan, as well as only focusing on the negatives. You’re all such good supporters!
It’s Arsenal FC, for better or worse.
Never was it AW FC, for me.
It’s known that we have an expensive ticket price.
Anyone wonders what Kroenke and gang wants to do withe the mounting bank balance we had?
Viera Lyn aka Konstantin Mitov
I can assure you they are very different people Vlad. It’s just weird that we can have people on here that can agree with each other I’ll give you that!