Tony Adams needs to take a chill pill and get with the Arsenal program…..

Arsenal fans seem to be split into two distinct groups right now. On the one side they are demanding that Emery gets his team instantly playing brilliant football winning every game by a landslide, and then the other side (let’s call them ‘realists’) that know it is impossible to change a whole team’s philosophy and tactics in one fell swoop, and know that it will take time for Emery to get his Emeryball ideas instilled in the players.

The Gunners old Mr Arsenal, Tony Adams, seems to be stuck in the first camp, and can’t find anything positive to say about Emery’s first two game. ‘After Arsene, I was so excited with the prospect of a real change,’ he said.

‘It was a great chance to do things differently but against City it was an Arsene Wenger performance — only more so.

‘I felt so sad about that. Everyone knows what Arsenal have been missing — it’s that steel, that resilience.

‘Whether Emery can coach it or not I don’t know yet, it is early days.

‘But then away to Chelsea they were all over the place again — you’re not watching them thinking ‘there’s a change here’.

‘It’s the same goalkeeper, the same style of play — it just feels the same, there’s no one rocking the boat.

‘Chief executive Ivan Gazidis has gone for a ‘head coach’ because they don’t want someone with the power Arsene had.

‘But they still want to appease the fans with a style of play like Arsene had.

‘They don’t want to lose the ideology of the ‘beautiful game’ . . . whatever that is.

‘I don’t think you are going to have success that way because there are clubs doing it far better, with better players and more money than us.’

So I’m not sure what Adam’s is advocating here. Is there something wrong with trying to play ‘beautiful football’? Would he prefer us to go back to kick and run tactics and just hoof it down the field when we get the ball? We are hardly going to win anything playing like that. So someone should just give Tony a chill pill and give Emery a little more time than just two weeks against brilliant opposition.

Or is he right?

Sam P

25 Comments

  1. This is an Arsenal Legend who for some reason seems to take every opportunity to criticise the Club.This is very disappointing from someone who was revered as a player.He has failed at every Management role he has had so why he feels he is qualified to aim any comments at Emery is beyond all reasoning.

    1. Adams could be like the ‘Ex Boyfriend’ in the sense that he feels spurned and bitter about it, it is his deep love that makes him so bitter…

      It is what I tell myself about Adams to not lose all respect for him. Us fallible humans to not always pick the best choice when we don’t get what we want over such a loved idea.

    2. I can understand Adams’ feelings towards Arsenal’s downward spiral in the last decade, because he is an Arsenal legend and he must have loved Arsenal a lot

      He is correct about the Wengeresque performances against Man City and Chelsea, but he failed to notice the attacking improvements on the flanks

      They have just suffered two defeats. He can start to worry if the squad suffer three more defeats in the next eight games, which would be unlikely if Emery dares to exclude the underperforming starters

    3. Phil, come on mate.
      Isn’t that what we all do on here, comment our views?
      The fact that one failed as a manager doesn’t mean anything!
      Look at the so called experts on TV such as the Neville’s, Allardice, Shearer etc etc.
      Why take offence at our legend because he gives his views?
      Are we getting to the point where one cannot disagree and if he does is seen as not being reasonable?

  2. Emery needs time, the players at Arsenal have known 1 manager at Arsenal, we have not changed in such a long time that Emerys job is more like breaking a cult than updating some training methods.

    Some players appear to enjoy the fresh work and these players need time as well, we do not tell mature adults who are retaking qualifications to do a perfect job in the exam instantly, we know things take time to learn, why not accept that with footballers as well? I likened it to GCSE as our defenders need to work on the basics, kinda like an average Joe working on his English or Maths for a job…

    Our players not only have to learn positioning to a much higher level than they ever had to under Wenger but they also need to learn the art of tackling and pressing as a unit, to work on their end product along with detailed information about their role in the bigger picture.

    How can we seriously expect our players to learn all they have to learn in a week or two?

    If Adams thinks that volume of learning is easy then I’d like to see him put his money where his mouth is, go do a degree and see how learning takes time!

    Some of our players may learn really fast while others are slower, some may learn to slowly to justify keeping but EVERY players has the capability to learn if taught correctly for them, if they are an Arsenal player then we should want the best for them and keep our fingers crossed that either we are proven right (I knew he would make it!) or HAPPILY proven wrong (I never thought he would step up this much, I’m WOW’d!!).

  3. So the interpretation is that if one agrees with your views they are realists and sensible, otherwise they are completely wrong and need to calm down?
    If your not sure what he’s advocating read what Tony is saying.
    The last paragraph says that there are clubs doing it far better, with better players and more money than us…..does ANYONE not understand and agree with that?

    He then states that he doesn’t know if Emery can coach the steel and resilience needed…does anyone know that yet?

    He says that after Arsene, he was looking forward to REAL change. Wasn’t that what we all were looking forward to?

    The same goalkeeper… isn’t that correct?
    Think he got the style of play wrong though, as we all saw Cech struggling with the new concept of passing the ball.

    So overall and without going through every criticism of Adams comments, isn’t he saying what we all acknowledge has happened so far?
    He is not being negative about the manager, just stating facts as he sees them and,. judging by comments on here lots of others as well.

    Nothing to do with being a realist or needing a chill pill, just giving an opinion. So let’s not look for ridiculous accusations that are trying to divide the fanbase.
    As you said he’s Mr Arsenal and we should respect his opinions.

  4. Simple. Tony wants an attack with style and resilience of a proper defense. What is hard to understand?

    Wenger created the global Arsenal brand among other things, such as a stadium. Stupid fans have not a clue. Yes, stupid. When fans do not understand their own self interest in the era of kleptocratic money at City and Chelsea, and else where, they are stupid.

    Hating Wenger for the wrong reasons is a dumb idea.

    Wenger finally gave up on creating an English World Cup team as there is not enough talent and the systems are in the UK are useless at the youth level as with the culture, eg: “toughness” over finesse.

    When Wenger landed Ozil he knew he had something special, so began to redo the team. Trying, despite limited money, top players. Winning a couple of FA Cups in the process was remarkable, with only stupid Arsenal fans not appreciating it. Did I say stupid? Yes, STUPID. He tried to bring in what appeared to be good to great backs and a DMF to help a superb keeper, Czech, but those did not work.

    So, Wenger was ousted in the middle of major rebuild. He still had to completed the back line and find another DMF.

    All Emery had to do was plug the gaps with a steel of leaking goals, as the attack was fine.

    What did Emery do? Made Czech look silly by working the ball too much in dangerous areas. Make the back line play too high. The playing from the rear has meant not enough supply for the forwards.

    We may win against weaker team by sheer force of the attacking talent assembled by one Wenger. But, we will not make the final four with Emery’s silly ideas.

    We should have had Arteta, who knows a thing or two about the EPL and also what Wenger was trying to do, along with intel from City. If Arteta had come back as coach, we would have brought in a couple of higher end backs and stronger DMF. That would have restored us to the top four. We would likely beaten Chelsea with their new manager, and even City at home so soon after the World Cup. Instead we are six point behind the top teams already.

    What a mess when we forget history! Sort of like what is happening with politics as we have uninformed people.

    1. This has to be the most useless thing I have read in a while, lmao my God, wenger was sacked while in the middle of a rebuild? the same rebuild that has taken 10 years and we should have hired arteta who knows a thing about epl by sitting next to pep my God these wenger fan boys will never stop.

      Your God wenger never tried to solve anything instead bought square pegs to put in round holes, we needed a cf that season but le senile decided we needed another 10 (ozil) just when carzola had a monster season, he never replaced gilberto or PV4 for 12years, bought Gervinho instead of hazard, kept crappy players for ages.

      Get over it he is gone and ain’t coming back, support emery or follow wenger to where ever he is now, if Arteta was that good why is he still an assistant at city?

      1. So following your logic, why is Emery at Arsenal and not at PSG where he had unlimited transfer money?
        When Ozil was signed our fanbase was estatic as he was hailed as a world class player.
        Wenger tried to sign Hazard but Chelsea’s owner just upped the anti and we couldn’t compete with Kronkie as the owner.
        The crappy players he kept for ages, won three fa cups, finished in the top four up and until two seasons ago.
        If these players are as crappy as you say, why haven’t the youngsters who performed so well preseason been chosen?
        Emery has signed five players to strengthen the team and yet still chooses the square pegs to fit in the round holes you refer to.
        Could it be possible that he sees something that you have missed!

        Maybe you haven’t thought that Arteta has chosen to stay at City to continue his own education under Pep and at the club that can buy anyone they want to, especially after the hostility toward him by our fanbase when he was touted by the one and only Gazidis as the next best thing!

        Wenger isn’t God as you put it, but neither is he the devil in disguise. He should have gone two years ago and Emery will take us forward. On the way he will make mistakes, just like every other manager.

        So follow your own advice and forget about Wenger and concentrate on our new exciting manager.
        You Emery fan boys need to support your God as he will solve everything…. isn’t that last sentence as ridiculous as your attempt to belittle others?

    2. Lemme tell you one thing, No matter how good an idea sounds, the moment it doesn’t work out after its implementation, it becomes a bad idea.

      That’s to tell you that all Wenger’s ideas that you think were good sucked, cos they didnt work out. I myself, I love Wenger’s idea of a ball playing DMF like cazorla, busquets rather than a ball winning one like fernandinho, casemiro, but they didn’t work, so I can’t call it a good idea anymore.

      Secondly, no matter how bad an idea sounds, the moment it works out, then I think its a good idea. Emery brought the idea of playing from the back and a high defensive line, it may not sound like a good idea, but we didn’t lose to Chelsea and city cos we played from the back or kept a high defensive line, we lost cos we didn’t take our chances. And I don’t think that’s Emery’s fault, so blame him for what he did wrong, let’s get punished for his ideas first before you blame him.
      BLAME HIM FOR THE THINGS HE DID WRONG NOT COS OF WHAT HE DIDN’T DO cos he’s doing something, he has an idea, so lets lose games cos of those ideas before you blame him.

      1. If you think the goal conceded was not due to a stupidly high line, then dream on. That goals game from a Chelsea team still recovering from the World Cup and adjusting to a new coach.
        To ask talented attackers to chase a ball around makes matters worse as they are now tired when the ball comes for the attack. Do that for 45×2 min and you have a dump idea.

        We can crush the Hammer with their own dead weight, light as they are with Jack. But, that means nothing. Wenger tried to get Jack signed to sell him on and Emery lost the dinero, as he has no clue about making money or spending. Ditto with Ramsay, who Wenger would have signed.

        Everyone will be high when we get to 30 points with ten wins at a trot with lowlky teams. But, it won’t get us to beat the big guns. For that we need to listen to the like of the old back four that simply cleared the ball. It is the sort of football Sokratis can play, and Czech…

        But, rather than have proper back four, we are asking them run around like kids trying to pass up-field in a predicable way to the glee of attackers from the other side. Then our attackers are chasing the opposing dribbler from behind and wasting their energy! New seen such dumb football. Well maybe in school with the girls/women’s team when there are new players who have not played footie in an organized way, or 10 year old boys, who suffer from the same lack of organization.

        1. JJPawn, Sarmmie is still right about the missed chances and they weren’t half chances either.

  5. Get with the Arsenal program?
    Is that brainlessly agreeing with the authors ridiculous statement?
    I don’t agree with it at all.
    I agree Emery needs time but at the same time I understand that football is a results driven business and if he isn’t (and I am not saying he isn’t – yet) delivering results then he has no business managing a club like Arsenal.
    If he delivers results and trophies he stays and if he doesn’t he is gone – its as simple as that.
    We cannot have another situation where we have a manager clinging on and the club going nowhere
    We had years of it with Wenger…

  6. Tony is Mr Arsenal and we should all respect his opinion. We havn’t had a strong classy CB since the likes of Adams & Viera. What we got now? Mustafi. Yeah! I’ll rest my case.
    Good read Ken1945.

    1. “We havn’t had a strong classy CB since the likes of Adams & Viera. ”

      So Vieira was a CB now…

      Kinda feel sorry for Sol and Toure, they was the CBs that helped us go unbeaten with Vieira playing ahead of them, not even being recognised by Arsenal own fan base.

      1. As Midkemma notes, that is what is missing, and that is what Emery needed to find with his 70M spending. Did he? Nyet!

      2. Funny thing is that Cole, Sol, Toure and Lauren was the best back 4 we ever had but people think the Graham era was better. We went undefeated thanks to the back 4 and Henry being insane upfront didn’t he contribute 50+ goals that year, our attacking play was over-rated in that era we didn’t score that much and relied heavily on Henry and the defence.

  7. I usually don’t have a lot of times for Adam’s views but If you read this whole article he makes a lot of good points. I especially like the quote “Ozil is the icing on the cake but the problem is that we ain’t got no cake”. Emery’s greatest challenge is to get Ozil to buy into being a key ingredient in the Arsenal cake he is trying to bake.

    1. Yes and no, Trudeu.

      We need a strong defense, but the style of play has to suit the attackers up front.

  8. As great ex players for Arsenal I loved the likes of Tony Adams, Wrighty, Merson, Dixon and Smudger but not one of them has ever said anything positive about our club since the day they left and became pundits. Wrighty gets on the BBC bandwagon backing everything the likes of Alan Shearer or Danny Murphy has to say. Dixon’s the same with ITV and as for Smith and Merson, they’ve been our biggest critics for years. So it doesn’t surprise me one bit what Tony Adams had to say about out club, I was a supporter of Arsenal long before any these players played for Arsenal and I’m still a season ticket holder long after they’ve gone. The only ex player to get behind our side and is truly gutted when we lose is Charlie Nicholas. A true Gooner.

    1. Yeah Kenny I agree with your thoughts on Charlie.He really hurts when we go through bad patches but he loves Arsenal and always will.But all these ex players that are now pundits still have roots with the Club and I bet their all hurting as we have these last few seasons.Most of these pundits with the exception of Alan Smith played for Wenger and enjoyed enormous success with the Club.They are desperate to see Arsenal competing at the top but no doubt realise that transition was to take place and with it our expectations will be low.But again like us they will trust Emery to get it right

    2. Just to add, you don’t hear the likes of Phil Thompson and Danny Murphy put Liverpool down or the Neville brothers slag off Manchester United or Le Tissier pop Southampton, these pundits don’t have to dig out Arsenal they just leave to their own.

  9. The comment by Tony Adams I can’t get over is comparing Dennis Bergkamp to Mezut Ozil. He mentioned they had to toughen the great Dennis Bergkamp up by getting Bould to give him a kicking at training, until Bergkamp stomped on him and told him to cut it out. Firstly I don’t see how Bould would have caught Bergkamp unless he blindsided him. Adams then recommended they do the same to Ozil. I can’t understand how Adams hasn’t realized Ozil is not Bergkamp. Bergkamp for all his vision, football nous and skill was a tough bastard, when there were a lot of hard men about. Ozil if given such treatment would most probably go off and sulk. He does need to toughed up, prove his detractors wrong and start performing for the team.

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