Former Gunner explains why Arsenal fans protest is pointless

The former Arsenal and England international midfield star Ray Parlour sounds to me as though he has a lot of sympathy with the frustration that has been boiling over for a large section of Arsenal fans this season, but he also sounds like he thinks we would be wasting our time with the planned protest during the Premier League match against Norwich at the Emirates this weekend.

Not because he disagrees, though, but because he feels that the club have already made their decision and will allow Arsene Wenger to see out the remaining year of his contract. As reported by The Mirror, Parlour does think that next year will be the Frenchman´s last in charge and will almost be like a favour to him for the success he has brought in the past.

It might sound odd but Parlour also thinks that the club is rightly worried about who to replace the long serving manager with and must work hard behind the scenes to prepare and get the change right. He believes that they have not done that yet and this is why the Arsenal board are not going to change theior minds whatever the fans do.

Parlour said, “I don’t think he’ll leave, I think he’ll be there next season.

“It’s a situation where Wenger will decide when he leaves, and he’s been there so long he probably deserves that.

“But it might be his last season next year, at the end of his contract. At the moment it’s going to be difficult for the board to get rid of Arsene.

“You always worry about which manager comes in next. Who would you have? Jurgen Klopp’s gone to Liverpool , Pep Guardiola to Man City . There isn’t a huge amount of managers out there.

“It’s a big decision they’ve got to make. If you’re going to sack a manager you’ve got to have a plan. And if they don’t have a plan then they’ve got to keep him.”

I think Parlour is probably right about the club´s decision to keep Wenger in charge for at least one more year but I do not think that should make the unhappy fans not voice their anger. We make the club what it is and it is us that hurts the most when we fail on the pitch.

Do you think there is any chance of the protests from fans having an effect?

Tags Parlour Wenger

30 Comments

    1. Get Lost mr Parlour……

      For once in our pathetic Lives we have made up our minds to unite against the forces pulling us down for decades into perdition

      Only for you (parlour) to show up and try to kill the movement….we’ve had our patience tested and toyed with…..it ends here!

      “Everyday for the thief…..One day for the owner”

      #NoGoingBack#

  1. Q: Do you think there is any chance of the protests from fans having an effect?

    A: I don’t know. But as long as we don’t try, things will remain the same…or worst still, continue on this downward spiral. Let the protests continue.

    1. A real protest would be refusing to buy any tickets until the end of the season, season holders to not turn up…

      Protest by giving Silent Stan an empty stadium.

      Not empty for 15 mins because he will just think “The fools still paid so I got my money”.

      Kinda gotta hit the guy where it hurts and Silent Stan will feel the pain of reduced profits, that is where I would look to hit him, so to speak.

      1. Negative publicity is not good for any business, as Krankee likes to think of Arsenal, especially when it is beamed to millions of people around the world. COYG!

        1. Does Silent Stan care how many people it is beamed too to the extent that Arsenal get TV money from the EPL and not from viewer numbers?

          Also would TV stop showing a potentially entertaining game just because the stadium might be empty for 15 mins?

          As long as we stay entertaining and a thrill for the neutral then we will be shown plenty on TV, a top 4 team will always be looked at by neutrals when watching the EPL unfold.

          Things will have to change sooner or later, Wenger isn’t immortal, I hope the protests will consider this and plan for showing their desire for an ambitious board as much as they want an ambitious manager.

  2. I agree with our Romford Pele, the board must look around at the managers and think “Who can make profit like Wenger???”

    The sad part about this is that the board do not have competing for “championships” as their target but profit, I do not know what manager who is good at getting titles who would look at managing Arsenal currently.

    Silent Stan really hurt our image when he openly said that he isn’t in this for championships, he should at least said that we are in for them but we are being responsible or some other BS line… At least gave the impression that we are going for them…

    What affect has that had on Ozil who wants to win things and wants to try and win awards? How about Alexis who has a desire to win? What about potential transfers?

    If I had my way then I would look at replacing Gazidis ASAP, Wenger never won a title on his own, he always had Deins help in building the squad he waned. Got to look forward and think “After Wenger, do we want the same guy doing the transfers for the new manager?”

    Start laying in the foundations for a new manager now, get the right type of support and in 12 months time when Wengers contract runs out we bid him a good farewell and remember the good he done, it gives the club 12 months to make the changes and then we can show any great manager that we mean business on the pitch and not just off it.

    I do doubt we could get Pep (assuming he wasn’t going to MC) because Pep would want to win things and be willing to spend to do so, if the club doesn’t match his ambition then why would he commit himself to them and risk tarnishing his reputation?

    1. @Midkemma
      “For me, being an individual owner, I have to have some sort of reality involved. If you want to win championships, then you would never get involved. I think the best owners in sports are the guys that sort of watch both sides a bit. If you don’t have a good business then you can’t really afford to go out and get the best players, unless you just want to rely on other sources of income”
      Stan Kroenke
      I like how it’s chopped up, to suit someone’s false narrative and passed around as truth.

      “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it”
      Joseph Goebbels

          1. The bigger question in my comment is more about whether you support kroenke or not. As a businessman, kroenke plays a safe game, but is he the kind of owner you want for arsenal? Someone who doesn’t use own money at all, but instead makes himself rich from profit generated by the club?

            1. @sevenitti
              Stan doesn’t need my support, nor does he want it. I see him for who he is, no more no less.
              He was a billionaire a few times over before he purchased majority stock in the club. So I wonder what you mean by him not using his own money. He’s a businessman and makes no bones about it. And AFC, just like any other football club, no matter the league or position on the the table, are a business.
              And what I want, does not matter in the grand scheme of things where AFC is concerned. I have no stake in it save as a fan.

      1. “If you want to win championships, then you would never get involved.”
        You said it yourself.

        By his own admission, he would never get involved if he wanted to win championships, he is involved though.

        You can spin it anyway you want but I hope people will think for themselves and see the elephant in the room!

        “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it”
        Joseph Goebbels
        I am clearly aware of the idiotic AOB.

        “Wenger doesn’t want to spend.”
        That fails when put against the fact of 2007 transfers but people still claim it is Wenger who doesn’t like spending.

        “Wenger has final say in transfers”
        That is why Nasri was sold without Wengers consent or why Gazidis bought Welbeck when Wenger only wanted him for a 12 month loan with option to buy?

        I know the BS that is screamed and I know a lot of people believe it because it is said so often and without question most the time. Saying the simple fact that the board are more interested in profit than titles isn’t a conspiracy or some x-file situation… When people see that even the owner admitted that he wouldn’t be in this if he wanted championships then it isn’t a conspiracy to ASK how it may affect the players who do want to win things.

  3. I think half of what Parlour is saying is true. There’s a 90% chance that Wenger will be the manager of Arsenal next season. That’s just the way it is unless the slim chance we don’t make top 4 becomes reality…
    But I’m fully for the protest. I gave Wenger my backing this season… Outfield player or not, I felt the squad was capable of challenging and if we brought home the PL title he would’ve been justified in his movements. But things capitulated rapidly and this squad needs serious work done.
    Whoever’s in charge calling the shots is just as relevant as the movements that need to be made with this squad. With Sanchez and Ozil reportedly turning the screws who’s combined marketing/player pulling power is invaluable to the club.. The banners and protests will provide the message of this isn’t good enough and we the fans expect more.

    1. Wenger came out early with his “no investment in new players” this year, that obviously came down from Krankee and the board – I wonder if that has caused the apathy amongst the players?

  4. We need to sell Giroud and Theo this season. They are just not good enough if we want to win the league. Theo will have big offers from other top clubs like Chelsea. City and Man U and also from China. Giroud should be sold to some French clubs. We can get around 40 m pounds by selling them. Sign Ibrahimovic and one young striker.
    Cech
    Bellerin Varane Koscielny Monreal
    Xhaka Elneny
    Mahrez. Ozil. Alexis
    Ibrahimovic

      1. I said we need to sign one more young striker. Ibra is top class and I expect Welbeck to have better fitness level.

      2. Forgot the unproven Akpom, he might have to go out again for experience but he is still an Arsenal player ^.^

  5. Thierry Henry will become assistant manager of Arsenal’s youth team next season, according to reports.

  6. Wenger Out, Bilic In. Parlour Opinion does not matter. Football is about what you can do at the moment. A child born the last time Wenger won the league will be addressed as a teenager next year(13). Conte, Pep, Ranieri, Klopp, Pochetino and possibly Mourihno. It is going to be interesting next season.Top players will be in the League next season. Bilic should replace Wenger in the summer.

  7. Let’s face it, Wenger will be manager next season and finish his contract with AFC. However with all the heat Wenger and the board have been getting expect big changes to occur in the squad at least. This is the first time in 12 trophy less years that the fans are reacting to our failure to win any major trophies and since this isn’t what the club would want in the near future to happen, they will at least bring in one or two big name players to satisfy us. The salaries from Rosi, Arteta, Flamini, Walcott and Szcezny would be enough to afford Ibra if we do go for him.

  8. Another force will break the levy of that I am in no doubt.

    Stan and Wenger can only ignore so much.
    If Wenger has any backbone he should stand up like a man and accept his responsibility in delivery neither a premier league or champions league in 12 years, with us looking just as far off attaining those goals as we did 12 seasons ago.

    Goodbye Mr Wenger (strokes large pussy and grins fiendishly with contentment)

  9. It’s not pointless protesting, feelings need to be known, maybe he will stay another year but pressure is needed by the fans to force them to spend.

  10. The whole thing is a right royal funk up, even if the protests do nothing and Wenger sees out his final year. For the life of me I don’t understand how nothing has been put in place…aka a director of football for the transition.

    Its going to be a complete nightmare getting top players to sign without knowing who is going to be the next manager.
    As unpopular as it sounds, the club should say goodbye NOW or offer an extended contract.

    The fact that nothing has been put in place, I suspect the plan was/has always been to extend his contract.

  11. The question is being answered by yourselves! The board are happy with wenger ‘making profit’ so why would they look for another manager. If this is the case we should thank our lucky stars that we have wenger as manager as he has a real passion for the game and nobody wants to win the title more than the professor himself. The board are the problem not wenger! We should be singing ‘one Arsene Wenger’ at the top of our lungs every week. The man has brought are club into the 21st century. He managed the club to our greatest ever achievement in the unbeaten season, and we have more fa cups than any other team. Most important of all why don’t we actually get behind the team and the manager and support them for once!! Are you a fan of the club or a glory hunter that wants success every year or you won’t support the club?? If so leave and support a club like Manchester United!! AFC for life, thick and thin, lose or win

Comments are closed

Top Blog Sponsors