Morning all.
With Christmas almost upon us, we all know what comes next. Yep, New Years Day and the opening of the January transfer window, the first of 2017. I can’t see Arsene Wenger being too busy next month, despite losing Mohammed Elneny to the ACON’s.
New signings often appear to be the answer for Arsenal’s failings each season but in reality, they’re not. Yes, the squad needs to be strong and deep which ours is really, well, the strongest it’s been for a while but it’s the way those players are led which accounts for more.
Arsenal should have won the league last season but mental frailties were on show far too often, that together with a few injuries cost us dear and the same scenario is unfolding yet again this campaign. I know many will say there’s a long way to go until May and anything could yet happen but the pattern of play is all too familiar. Throw in the fact that Chelsea, who are already nine points ahead of us, are in great form, Liverpool seem to be up for it and both Pep and Mourinho are slowly getting their teams to play better, our chances of becoming league champions are fading fast.
A change of manager is desperate in my opinion and as much as many might fear change, just look around at other PL clubs and you’ll see what a difference a new man can make. Jurgen Klopp has unlimited energy and enthusiasm which transfers onto the pitch, he wears his footballing heart on his sleeve as he’s busy on the sidelines each match. Conte and Pep are the same too and even old Poch over the dark side of North London is out of his chair every now and again, as is Mourinho and that’s just looking at the ‘bigger’ clubs. Watching Eddie Howe as his side came back to beat Liverpool just a week or so ago was refreshing to say the least. The most animated we see Arsene Wenger is when he’s moaning at the 4th official after yet another decision goes against us.
I’m not trying to suggest Arsene doesn’t care as of course he does but this 67 year old man is quite different to the one who arrived at Arsenal twenty years ago just as anyone would be but the difference is that most of us realise it’s the time to retire, certainly from a big and demanding job. He says he is as determined and passionate as he was the day he arrived, but that simply isn’t coming across on a match day as yet another lacklustre performance goes by.
Where’s his ability to motivate gone? Did he ever had such a thing when he arrived or was he lucky to have had leaders on the pitch in Adams, Keown and later, Vieira to name just three, all of whom would have run through a brick wall for the club. You wouldn’t have caught them speaking to an opposition player in the tunnel before a match, let alone a having a friendly hug with some of them.
All football fans want is blood, sweat and tears for ninety five minutes once or twice a week from their team, some are lucky to witness it but at Arsenal, only a few seem interested and that’s where Arsene Wenger’s role is key. It’s about time he started dropping one or two to the bench. If they are not interested in giving their all each game, let someone else who is play. After all, it’s not like he doesn’t have options in the squad to do so. Elneny, Gibbs, Holding, Ospina and Perez are all waiting in the wings, desperate to play and who knows, they might just work a lot harder and do a lot better than those they replace.
Talking of replacing, it doesn’t look like Arsene Wenger will be. He’s already looking towards the summer transfer window according to the Mirror who write:
Arsene Wenger is chasing a new left-back – and his transfer planning is the clearest hint that he will stay at Arsenal. Gunners boss Wenger is eyeing Valencia’s highly-promising Jose Gaya as he looks to bolster his squad.
It is a deal which is being lined up for next summer and Arsenal insiders firmly believe that is an indication that Wenger is looking to the future himself.
He might need more than a left-back in the summer if Mesut and Alexis depart, that’s if Arsene really is planning to stay which according to Myles Palmer at ANR, he is….
Have a good day guys….
Morning Rico and all. Excellent post which suggests we are to expect more of the same for a few years yet.
Fine stuff, Rico
Give me £8m per year and I promise that even at 100 years old I would still be passionate and determined to count it all !………..and then there`s the spending of it !……a womans rugby club with excellant changing facilities would be near the top of the list to buy ! …………..then there`s the womans Hockey club…….net ball club…………..bloody hell, I`m detemined, passionate and I`m only on the minimum wage ! hahaha
Where I`m concerned if he goes Rico……and I dont think he will budge one inch…… is who`s left in the manager stakes to get ?……………….Simeone is all I can think of in that he`s a manager who has done a fantastic job in a two horse league !
I also wonder whether anyone other than a big manager personallity like the one`s at other clubs who we wanted….Pep etc`….will be given the same power as Wenger has had ?
Morning Adam.
Thanks to you both re the post… Pays to wake early.. 😉
Is Myles Palmer reliable though? That’s the first question and I guess if we were to win a couple of matches on the trot we might find out.
Lc, that’s another big question, who is out there for Arsenal to employ, surely there has to be someone who would just love the chance to take this club forward…
Maybe it’ll be someone who’s not a big name, a bit like Arsene Wenger…
There are a couple of German managers who could come in. Baggage-free.
But there’s still a lot that could go right or wrong this season that might tip things one way or the other.
Very true, a long run of disappointing results or not finishing in the top four…..
Players and ex players all say Arsene still has the passion.
Why is it so many fans are so sure he hasn’t?
Klopp annoys me with his carrying on but that’s just me…
Pep has his side improving, yet needed offside goals to beat a shit Arsenal side at home.
Joe Say spent a fortune and is behind us.
I dare say if we choose to compare ourselves in a less than favourable light, it’s only Chelski that can really be used a a barometer, ATM…….3-0 though 🙂
Nobody will ever convince me a man on 50/80/150 thousand Pounds a week should need motivating.
Tactics being off or just wrong, I can buy that.
Motivating professional footballers though?
Just to add, I do hope Arsene retires at seasons end, though I said that in 2014.
I tend not to judge who we play against Scott, just how we as a team play and at Everton and City, we were awful…
Rico. One never knows where the games will lead but I have detected little difference in the team set-up, tactics or substitutions this season. In fact it all seems rather familiar to me. Low-intensity stuff and a pretty rigid, unchanging look across the 90 minutes with little in the way of in-game tactical change on the pitch.
Rico, then we shouldn’t compare managers 🙂
Agree Adam. As Lee always says, rinse and repeat….
Scott, we were totally outplayed in the second half at both City and Everton but that wasn’t because they were better than us, it’s because we played so so badly…
Yet AW sits and watches it, makes no changes until his usual time yet Pep changed his setup at half-time because he could see the problem…
When and if he leaves things will be rocky for a while. But sometimes you have to step back before you can go forward.
Rico, I still say people are loathe to give dredit to our opponents for some reason….I reckon Everton did booody well and we went as bad as most think, but Citeh did outplay us, scored two offside goals so are they that great?
No.
Neither were we, of course, and players walking around, putting in little effort goes back to motivation, and where it comes from.
Professional pride?
Pride in yourself?
The realisation you’re a hell of a lucky person to earn a lot of money for playing a game?
Seems to me blaming Wenger is the default reaction.
Again, on tactics, different story as he’s never been great, IMO.
I’d take the chance Potter…
One offside goal Scott… The second was onside…
As for the manager, well as we all know, when things go wrong, the manager is the one who goes.. I agree about the lack of motivation in some of the players, but maybe there’s a reason behind that as it’s not just the odd one or two…
A lack of pressure from above, Rico?
Arsene…..Stan……Ivan…..
Second was offside as well 🙂 🙂 🙂
Or maybe, like many fans, they have lost their belief in the manager Scott…
Ref review says onside… 😉
Catch up a bit later guys..
Ref reviewing a fellow ref….nothing suss there lol
Players shouldn’t be playing for the manager alone, they should be playing for themselves, the shirt, the fans……..
I’m off as well, so catch you later, Rico and everyone else.
Wenger will leave. That is as certain as night follows day. The question is when and who will replace him?
Radio 5 last night had a discussion about that very thing, I only heard a bit of it, but they said all the things that have been said on here. In fact, 5 live could have been reading directly from a days blogging taken from HH! The conclusion they reached? Wenger will probably stay for another 2 years or so because there is no viable alternative looking to step into his shoes at the moment. Simeone got a mention but was disregarded because he doesn’t speak English and has declared he does not want to work in the EPL. Ancelotti got a mention as a possible, simply because he’s not having a wonderful time at Bayern! The rest of the band are all gainfully employed and getting on with their own ‘projects’!
Ex players? Not in Wenger’s lifetime, I think! I cannot explain his reluctance to employ his star players from yesteryear. Bould is the exception, but have you ever seen Stevie do anything to encourage, berate or change anything from the side lines? Bloody hell, they never ever communicate during any match.
Wenger will not be leaving at the end of this season win, lose or draw, finish 5th he will still remain etc. etc.
I’m not an AKB by a long chalk but unless IG can find another nugget in a league other than the Premiership or from a lower order club then we are doomed for more of the same for the foreseeable future.
Morning all. Very dull here, as you might expect
Morning all
did you happen to hear Radio 5 live at 7.p.m. last night.They had a long standing supporter called Keith Pyke who wants AW out and Geoff Arsenal (as he is known on Twitter) who is very pro AW, and his argument was that if we keep AW for another 2 years (which was very interesting as he didn’t say 1,3 or 5 years as the contract that we abelive to have been given to him is 2 years) will be beneficial more to the club as AW can organise things quicker than a new man coming in. IMO a leopard never changes his spots and what Geoff said is bolloxs.
Sorry Wavy I didn’t read your post before putting mine up but it looks very miuch that AW will be around fr a while,don’t think Sanchez will. We need him buy Greizman by being aggressive and sell either Giroud or Walcott,but will it happen. ? 😉
Morning All
For what he has done for our club
I will all ways have respect for him.
I will never support any other team.
In football a lot has changed.
The Ball…Is still round though.
When you start off kicking it around the streets
never in your wildest dreams,
Would you expect the neighbours to have
a whip round for you…Would You.
Once money enters into players minds
everything changes.
Can you imagine playing in another country
and your agent tells you..A lot of clubs want to
sign you for millions..
You can earn 1,000’s a week..
How many players would go..Bollocks
I love it here,as he drives off in his Skoda.
Arsene has not addressed the teams need
for the fight you need for this football.
One player could change all this,in my opinion.
……………John Terry…………..
In one season he could bring the quarlitys
you need on the pitch when things go wrong.
Whats the point of having all these players
earning Mega Bucks?
When deep down they could’nt give a toss
Can you imagine anyone in our team telling Ozil
to roll his Sleeves Up.
These games when we cave in..I would bet
most Gooners on the terraces.
Must say to themselfs.
I would run my guts out for half an orange.
Just to ware the shirt.
A thought occurred to me today. Both Sanchez and Ozil are 28 now and at the end of this new contract will be worth nothing in the transfer market. If we sold them both now we could raise about £70m for them.
They are both class but Ozil does tend to disappear in the big games and Sanchez works so hard that a few injuries and potential drop in form must be a worry.
We could take that £70m and add maybe £30m more to get some younger replacements.
Wonder if that’s in the back of Wenger and the boards minds?
We;; i habve to give you some credit for the ClickBait headline ……
Im an infrequent visitor but did this used to be the LadyArse Site ?
Excuse my ignorance
Evening guys…
No Mr Spin, this was not ever Ladyarse- I believe that changed to the Daily Cannon…
The sad part is very few players play for the badge and the shirt colors, they are hired contractors to play for the club and go onto the best next contract available. So they have to be bloody motivated and be told what it means to play for those colors.
In any job if there is no results, the C.E.O/Management are the ones to face the grilling, hence we are placing it on their direct manager Wenger. Klopp would not have been having this problem. Regardless of what they are being paid they need a manager/coach to remind them what they represent.
Spot on…
Hi Rico and all ….very good post.
Hi Alex, thanks…
Not much going on eh…
Night guys…
Can it be true, HH being accused of being a clickbait site…
Rico, that is a slanderous slur on your character, I would consult your lawyer with immediate effect…
It’s just outrageous and enough to drive a man (or woman) to drink, so let’s hope that Scott and Micko don’t log on, I wouldn’t like to see them tipped over the edge…
I can imagine it could drive any regular Costco customer into the oblivion of a six footer…
Or any Exchange Square, Boss suit wearing wide-boy into an opium den…
Frankly I’m lost for words – no really! ?
Night All
Morning all,
Seems like Draxler is our new Benzema. We’ve been ‘tracking’ him for 3 years. He might end up getting a restraining order against arsenal :). Wenger hates the January window, and am sure our transfer team are very busy negotiating contracts for you know who.. No chance of signing Draxler imo.
If Draxler comes in then we have to let go one of Ox or Theo. Since they fill our homegrown quota I don’t see a chance of the club letting them go. Or he could come and we start getting Iwobi to play as a proper back up to number 10. Currently who can play there if Ozil gets laid off?
So PSG want Wenger…..according to various media outlets. That works doesn’t it? I mean he obviously won’t be lurking around as a DOF at Arsenal so happy days!!
Simeone and can you please bring Griezman!!
Tuchel has been touted too…..
Cheeky bid for Payet??
Morning Marshall, Lee and all..
Wenger to Psg would make my day….
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/12/21/seven-step-method-save-arsenal/
They should add an 8th step… 😉
Morning all.
I take it your step 8 Rico is sack the manager ! 🙂
I had a look and I`m in the majority of thinking we will finish 4th……..no surprise there as according to experts and I sort of go with them anything above 4th is punching above our weight as it is a fact we are the 4th best wage payers !
My step 8 would be to kill Kroenke and step 9 would be to sack Wenger and to round it off add a step 10………..bring in Usmanov or someone richer !.
Morning Lc, you guess right… 🙂
Kev I can confirm HH is a clickbait site, how do you think we all eneded up here 😀
Ha ha Marshall…
Morning your miserable bastards 🙂
Work is done for the year and I’m in party mode!!!
Lord help us Scott… 😉
New post up..