I’m not yet convinced by Arteta by Nickerless Bender
Although I knew the new Mikel Arteta contract deal was inevitable as we on Just Arsenal have been speaking about it since before Christmas, I still believe the timing is ill-judged.
We have 4 crucial games coming up… Leeds who are fighting for survival, Spuds who are fighting for top 4 and bragging rights, Newcastle who seemed to have found a new lease of life, and its their last game at home so would want to finish on a high, and Everton who are also fighting for survival.
Let’s just say we lose all 4 of these games (which wouldn’t surprise me) this season, although we have qualified for Europe would be quite underwhelming seeing we had the Champions league in our own hands.
If they gave him the contract at the end of the season and sold it as ‘well we qualified for Europe although not champions league, so there is progression’ then I would probably say again, it was inevitable but I still wouldn’t be happy, as it is not better than what Wenger and Emery had achieved.
Kroenke said at the beginning that he never invested in Arsenal for trophies… but as a life long supporter, I am invested in the club to do as well as it can possibly do and as an avid game goer home and away. I for one would like to come away not thinking we were lucky to win that game and have a clear idea of the identity of this club like the generations before me had.
Do not get me wrong, I want MA to succeed as it has my personal interests at heart, so there is no sinister agenda from me (which i am regularly accused of). But, I think we are running out of time as the Saka’s, Martinelli’s and others of this team will not wait for ever to be winning bigger things.
Unfortunately, at this moment, I cannot see it happening under Arteta’s tenure and this reeks of the Gazidis offering AW his new deal when we all could see that he was on a road to nowhere, but at the time the natives were happy as we qualified again for Europe.
I really want to be proven wrong, and a good thing about an opinion is that it can be changed, but I’m just not seeing it and cannot see the justification of this deal at this time.
Nickerless Bender
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Video – Mikel Arteta on his new contract, Leeds game, and incoming players…
What’s done is done. Leeds to play today. That’s the only thing that matters.
It doesn’t matter. The deed has been done. It’s better we move on from it.
This is the modern Arsenal; giving reward for as yet no achievement!;)
Stans not in it to win it – only to make up the numbers, look competitive and to keep the cash cow (one of several) producing a ‘sufficient’ amount of product. Such a decision wreaks of this attitude.
I think MA is a good coach and can become a top manager perhaps but why reward the man now when he has secured the club nothing (if you discount europes lesser competitions)
On another note, let’s hope we turn up against Leeds and further secure the advantage we currently have for 4th place.
The question seems to be not so much timing but whether Arteta has done enough to earn a new contract.
If the club was always going to give him a new contract for reaching Europe and showing improvement over last season does the timing really matter?
If the question is should Arteta only get a new contract for getting us back the CL places then the answer is self-evident and Arteta does not deserve a new contract yet.
For me, the fact that we are still in the running for CL football this late in the season is indisputable evidence of improvement. So I would give Arteta another chance till at least next December no matter how the season ends. But I would not give him a new contract for reaching Europe since this is what I was paying him for today. I would give him a new contract for reaching the CL since IMO that is earlier than expected or in the highest range of reasonable expectations. It would also count in his favor that when it mattered he beat the likes of Chelsea, Man U and West Ham with a few key injuries in the sques.
I imagine the goal this season was to get into Europe, which we have achieved, to be awarded a new contract. Time to stop bitching about the whys and wherefores and concentrate on supporting the team and the manager. COYG and COA.
ofcourse not.Arteta earned it whatever happens from now on.We are totally pleased with him and he is the best manager we could have.
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Quote “no sinister agenda from me which I am often accused of “.
And “Lets say we lose all four of those games, which would not surprise me”! Not surprise him? YE GODS!
And this man Nickerless wonders why some think he has an agenda! Unbelievable!!
Is he quite well in the head, I ask myself!
Now to explain WHY I believe he is totally wrong. This is EXACTLY the most appropriate time to extend MA s contract, BECAUSE, it is not dependant on making top four ONLY , as it makes clear by its timing.
WHAT MORE DEFINITE CONFIRMATION COULD KROENKE GIVE TO HIS CLEAR BELIEF THAT MA IS THE RIGHT MAN FOR OUR FORESEEABLE FUTURE, THAN THIS WELCOME EXTENSION.
And deliberately timed so that it is done BEFORE CL qual is achieved.
IMO, it is the single best act SK has done since first took effective control our club, back in2007.
hahahahahaha.i like you mate.and take the pressure off of him to give his best at the final lap.second best act from SK,first was the 150 on summer.cheers
Apparently they offered it to him after the 3 losses. Not sure why anyone thinks it’s bad timing, if your going to give it to him regardless why not do it straight away playing games and waiting until the end of season to appease the negative voices would of been silly especially if we finished 5th (unlikely but not impossible) and extended then anyway.
Also anyone pretending that the 5th most expensive squad, with the 5th largest wage budget and having finished out the top 4 for the previous 5 seasons should of been nailed on top 4 minimum or failure is talking out their ****.
The owners of the club decisions are final. Neither Edu or the board of directors could do anything else. Arteta deserves this. He needs a better staff to deal with transfers.
If you think that Arsenal are capable of losing all 4 games then no wonder you are sceptical about Arteta’s credentials in taking the club further.
As I write this, Arsenal are currently 2-0 up against a woeful Leeds team. All the doom and gloom surrounding the loss of Partey and Tierney and instead, Elneny and Holding have stepped up.
There appears to me to be plenty of harmony at the club, just less so with a few of the supporters. I read on here the other day that we are only where we are in the league because the other teams are worse. That really came as a surprise to me because I thought that meant we were better.
harmony is the key word. harmony among players and manager is yielding results. it’s a no brainer but to reward him. CFC are imploding, Man U are done, city might not win it we are much better off and we will improve.
The author clearly has an anti-Arteta agenda despite the denial.
Extending the contract is a well considered and reasonable thing to do in order to plan effectively for the future.