Morning all.
I knew deep down that Pep would revolutionise Man City. Ok, he’s not yet won anything to boast about here in England but the way his team are playing, I doubt that will be the case for much longer.
He’s already got Wenger’s number too. Do you remember at the tail end of last season when Arsene Wenger started bleating on about teams playing other teams ‘that were already on the beach’ (conveniently forgetting that those were exactly the same teams Arsenal were beating), and Pep told him to stop moaning and relying on other teams, just win more of your own games. As you can imagine, there was no response from Wenger.
Let’s be honest, Wenger joined the club when it was still in very good nick. In 1996, the stupid sums of money were still a way off and Arsenal didn’t need major surgery, just a little tweaking. Without George Graham’s well-drilled defence to prop him up when he arrived, I don’t think Wenger would have enjoyed as much early success as he did.
I heard Stewart Robson on TalkSport the other week, and he nailed Wenger’s huge flaw which was when Arsenal moved to the Emirates, we lost the huge advantage of having a small, tight pitch which complemented perfectly our fast counter-attacking 4-4-2/4-4-1-1 with Dennis Bergkamp supporting Thierry Henry. Much like Alli and Kane today. Wenger’s dream was for Arsenal to play the Barcelona way.
So having surrendered something we’ll now never get back (a small, tight pitch), he completely ditched the tactical set-up that won three PL titles (two ‘doubles’ & the ‘Invincibles’), to copy the Catalan club but lost sight of the fact players still need to be drilled and coached to play that way. Barcelona’s success was no overnight coincidence, it came from years of meticulous planning, starting from revolutionising the whole youth set-up. Much the same as what Fergie did at United, something which has never addressed by Wenger at our club.
But the significant difference between Arsenal and Barcelona is culture. Johann Cruyff was the pivot for Holland’s ‘Total-Football’, under the guidance of Rinus Michels. Dutch football was very much in the ascendancy during the 1970’s. Feyenoord won the European Cup (CL) in 1970, then Cruyff’s Ajax won it three years running. Imagine having that wealth of knowledge and experience to pass on to a club. It was perfect for a sleeping giant like Barcelona, and as I’m sure you’re well aware that Pep came through La Masia Academy under the tuition of Cruyff. He was also Captain of Cruyff’s CL winning side.
Wenger may be super intelligent and speak seven languages, but what he’s never had is the depth of football knowledge possessed by either Cruyff or Guardiola. His attempts to copy Barcelona has been a complete abject failure. He doesn’t coach or teach players, he doesn’t buy the right quality of player because of the obsession with balancing the books, and too often he tries to be too clever by playing players out of position. The difference between Arsenal and Barcelona off the ball is another key area where tactically Arsenal fail miserably.
It is a vanity project which Wenger has been indulged in for far too long, because the only thing his philosophy has achieved, is to make Arsenal far less potent as an attacking force and with it, he’s left our defence horribly exposed.
The end result is, he’s made watching Arsenal very tedious and boring, with nothing to get excited about.
By Herbs Army.
PS. Thoughts and prayers are with the people in New York and those who lost loved ones. When will it end…….
Nice one Herb.
I never understood why he went from strong players in midfield to lightweight and slow players. Players like Paddy and Petit helped bring him so much success as did our back five he inherited and then Sol, Ralph and Toure. Others too of course but then he signed the likes of Denilson etc and our game went to pot…
Good read Herb…
So it was you LC knocking on my bloody door?!?
I just read Lc’s comment on the old post, very very funny…
I don’t see top much wrong with trying to replicate the best football club in the world.
The endeavour to play perfect football is honorable, but the attempt has left plenty to be desired, and nobody at the club has had the brains or care factor to force change.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
It wasn’t, and he tried-for the right reasons-but change wasn’t necessary.
Pep’s instructions at Barcelona were ” lose the ball and you have 4 passes to get it back ” midfielders worked hard going both ways . There were no luxury players even Messi would chase back and even if he could not win the ball force a mistake by pressurising . That was the work ethic that was never transferred to our lot. Wenger concentrated on the aesthetically pleasing side but never paid attention to the dirty stuff that wins matches. By dirty I don’t mean kicking people all over the pitch just getting sweaty and working your nuts off. Nowadays we have heat maps which show how far a player has run during a game , so chasing thirty yards to catch up looks good however get him in the first five and it’s more effective and less wearing . Wenger has never understood that.
Wenger’s attempt to play like Barca was like watching me try to hammer a nail into wood with a screwdriver…
Potter, makes it an even more daft idea for Wenger to change in that way. He neither knew how to sign the right players to play such a way, nor did he believe in the high work ethic. He still doesn’t today.. imo of course
I don’t think the Barca style would work week to week in England.
It needs the balance of those hard men in the middle of the pitch.
You could almost say our side now with Vieira and/or Manu would be instantly transformed to an extent.
Ok, throw one or two hard nuts in at the back and we’d be set.
JM your question about the under 17’s. we had one Emile Smith Rowe a forward that hardly played. here is a critique :- Emile Smith Rowe (Arsenal)
A speedy winger, happy on either flank, Smith Rowe can also play up front. Excels at dribbling and crossing but heading remains a weakness. Has been at Arsenal since the age of nine.
In fairness that’s all I can find.
As much as I can see the value of a bit of steel , you don’t neccessarily have to be 6foot 2 and 14 stone , look at Kante , our own Cazorla and going back Scholes all 5 foot 5 “. but all very mobile and with a defensive side to their game and of course the daddy of them all Makele ,. History is full of small players that ran their socks off and dominated midfields , Alan Ball , Billy Bremner , Bobby Collins , of course they had the likes of Hunter, or Storey around to protect them but at the moment we have neither.
That’s the way the money goes :-
Arsenal have confirmed that the capacity of Emirates Stadium will increase to 60,600 as the club adds 780 extra seats.
The capacity of the arena has dropped below 60,000 since it opened in July 2016 due to safety requirements and improvements to facilities for disabled supporters.
The work is set to take place over the course of the next two summers and will involve adding an additional row of seating to Club Level.
Alongside this work, Arsenal have also confirmed refurbishment to additional areas of Club Level over the next two years. The first upgrade will be to Dial Square in the summer of 2018, which will see the area transformed to celebrate the club’s original name of Dial Square Football Club.
Speaking about the construction work, Chief Commercial Officer Vinai Venkatesham said:
“The development of Club Level is crucial to ensuring fan experience at games is at its best whilst also enabling us to stay at the forefront of stadium hospitality.
Pop goes the weasel.
Rico, Pep seems to have City playing well week in week out in PL…
Wenger tried to copy Barca’s style with substandard players, it was never going to get any traction imo
As long as that bottom line is healthy, all is well, hey Potter.
It’s really all the club seems to care about, despite the “we want to win everything” claim.
Did Stan actually think anyone would believe that?
Did he really believe the club, as things stand, could come close to delivering?
Thanks Herb.
Cant seem to get the Wenger mask off, it`s stuck !………….not only that but I`m speaking with a French accent and have to pick the Grandchildren up from school later……………I could be in trouble !
Yes, Herb, the small Highbury pitch suited our football then, but now ?……………………………….I did make a point a while back about pitch sizes and how imo it helped our quest for a record 13th FA Cup……………also how it has seemingly fcuked up the Spuds when playing at our other home Wembley……………………..Tottnumbs high pressing works well on small pitches and was evident in thgeir last season home form…………Wembley a different matter, more exhausting !
I said at the time Wembley`s big pitch suited out current style of letting the ball do the work, we have won I think our last 9 or 10 games at Wembley………………………we are currently on a 13 match winning streak at The Em`s, a pitch which is only slightly smaller than Wembley, it seems the bigger the pitch the better we play and I did say our main hope of beating Chavs at Wembley was the pitch size.
Size does matter !
Might be handy to have a couple of 6′ 4″ central defenders though….
Lee, seems so, and in the Champions League. Tonight’s fixture will test them though, unlike Sundays….
thanks potter.
That Leicester player who scored the first goal last weekend play at the u18 ot u19 ?
We’ve not beaten a top 10 side yet this season, wonder what plan Inspector Clueless has up his sleeve for Sunday??
Same as what we’ve watched for the last few years no doubt…
Lee, maybe that’s because we’ve only played Chelsea and Watford (Away), of all the top 10 sides this season. Of the teams which finished top 10 last season, though, we’ve got results against Everton, Westbrom, Bournemouth and Swansea, while drawing away at Chelsea (whom we beat in the Charity shield).
The best thing about Club Level is the free beer at half time
I bet that’s watered down Kev… 🙂
Goonereris – Liverpool?
Haven’t we played Liverpool? How did that go???
Let’s see how we get on vs City, Man U and the spuds….
No Rico, it was ok, but it explains why those seats take awhile to fill up again after half-time.
I virtually had to crowbar the geezer I was with back to his seat.
Oh yeah. My bad. We’ve met 3 top 10 sides (10 games in) this season. Lost 2. Drawn 1. 7 to go to judge. To be fAir, not all the top teams have faired a great deal better.
Scott, I’m not sure you can criticise Debuchy for wanting to play, he was the 1st choice right-back for France when he joined us, but his international career died whilst at Arsenal.
Ha ha Kev.
His excessive salary is the reason he’s still probably at Arsenal, at his age he isn’t going to take a pay cut, I certainly wouldn’t, after Arsenal his career will drift towards the nether reaches of football, so it’s all about what he can earn with us over the next 18 months.
Goonereris Ok so I agree you can only beat the ones put before you however any thoughts on how we will fare over the three games in question ?
Rico, it’s was a great night but my match companion was a bit of a handful… ?
I can’t see too many surprises re: team selection this Spursday.
Get the 3 points, put Red Star out of the equation and then blood some more kids in Köln and home to BATE.
Wenger’s record over last 20 games..
Man U
W 4
D 6
L 10
Chavs
W 4
D 4
L 12
City
W 7
D 4
L 6
Pathetic…
City
W 7
D 7
L 6
Not the crap I posted!!! ??
Potter, I recall when it used to be “top 4”, then became “top 6” (mainly because United found itself hovering in that area for a large part of the last 4 seasons (finishing below 4th thrice). Today, we speak of top 10; and it’s all down to how competitive the league has become.
So, most teams will feel trepidation playing this City side and for good reason, so it isn’t impossible that we lose the game. However, seeing as our record against them in the last 8 games reads something like Won 4, Drawn 3, Lost 1, there’s every reason to believe we can surprise them, if we exploit their weakness at the back with our pace upfront, while being tight ourselves. No one expected us to go there and win 2-0 in 2015 when they were on a high. Games vs City in recent times, are mostly close. I will be positive we can get a result.
As for Spurs, being a derby and knowing we will be up for it, I predict a win. No fears. Having broken the Mourinho hoodoo, I feel we can adopt a cautious approach and also take 3 points off United. It would have been easier to play against them with Pogba and Ibra unfit, though…..
What do you think?
Gee, Lee. Posted before I saw your stats. That would have saved me the checks, though I went for last 8 games (including the FA cup semi-final win last season). Did you do the same with Spurs and Liverpool?
Afternoon Rico and All
Good read Herb…
Arsene when you look back has
introduced/replaced born leaders.
He likes to play god from the tea lady to
who ever is the captain of the 1st’s.
Most of our captains seem to last about
a season,then go.
When do we ever see our players,having
a go at each other,look at Bouldy sitting next
to Arsene keeping schtum.
He could eat Arsene for breakfast.
Who really thinks we will win another Prem/League
with him about.
Passion from our players..Who has it?
Have a look at Barca..Check out that
back four.Not that good..is it.
Its called playing collectively..
Prehaps Arsene missed that bit.
Gooneris, I think your cup must be half full, or perhaps even fuller than that. If we win 6 points from those fixtures I shall be most surprised! I really really hope your predictions come true and Father Christmas arrive on time with gifts from the gods, but………???
In Wenger we rust!
Cloudy here but 13c so not too cold!
Afternoon all.
@ Goonereris unfortunately i got sidetracked so didn’t….
Wenger is a copy-cat type manager who has never thought up an original idea in his life. His attempt to play Barca tika taka football was yet another copy cat one. I believe that Wenger stumbled on success early in his AFC tenure rather like Alice ended up Wonderland after accidentally falling down a rabbit hole. A number of never again to be repeated factors worked in Wenger’s favour during his first 6 seasons and even then he failed in Europe twice in cup finals when snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Something that he also did on a couple of occasions in the league when he blew title winning chances. He also should have won the league a couple of seasons back when in a great position to do so but blew that chance big-time as well finishing in the end way behind Leicester in second spot. Bergkamp, Henry,Adams ,etc… players who could rip up the Wenger script and ad-lib helped to cover up for our Inspector Clueless’s lack of tactical nous and poor coaching abilities. Wenger being a control freak does not really like players who don’t do as he says and his big mistake after these great players were gone was to replace them with players who did as he said yes men who were happy to pick up their big wages and celebrate mythical 4th place trophies and FA Cup wins. Greed and arrogance are the main driving forces that motivate Wenger all of the facial wins against lower class sides that he celebrates are just Pyrrhic victories really .His , judge me in May , that he often comes out with when it’s obvious that a title challenge is not going to transpire yet again, is pointless really because what he judges to be success is not what many see as being so.
Wenger only has to impress one person and seeing as that one persons other sporting enterprises trophy cabinets are as bare as an atmosphere on the moon our trophy cabinet of 4th places and FA Cups is like an Aladdins Cave of riches to Kroenke………………..then there`s the little thing that our bank manager runs our club in the black……£30 made last TW, no wonder Kroenke loves him, so Jeff, what Wenger judges to be success is fantastic to you know who !
🙂
Yeah LC but how much are we going to lose by letting Sanchez & Ozil’s contracts down? How much to replace them??
Where is Wenger’s pride or self esteem surely he wants to impress himself and win a major trophy?? Not fuck up every season by making the same boring mistakes…he’s a deluded washed up manager!
Also doesn’t Wenger want to impress the fans???
Like I said ages ago, Lee, come this January TW or the start of next season we are in shit street Re-Alexis and Ozil………………..and yes, it`s not Kroenke who gets the blame for that, it`s my favourite Halloween mask face !
🙂
Also, it`s no secret that we made a bid of £90M for Lemar on the last day of the Summer TW and reason it failed was because it was too late in the day, so ?……………are we to expect a bid for Lemar in January ?………….Wenger would have had months to work on it, but, now we will not get £60M for Alexis so is the deal dead ?…………………… now if we are to be taken seriously, we should bid for Lemar regardless of what the Alexis situation is, he has £30M and needs another £60M, obviously he cant use the £200M ? in the bank as that`s for a rainy day !
🙂
so do we have to sell and who ?…………….I can tell you this January TW is going to piss me off big time as all I want to hear is Wenger didn`t have enough time to pull the Lemar transfer off last time and will di it in January, seems simple to me, but we know it probaly wont happen !…………………….no doubt Pep will have as much money as he wants if he needs to buy anyone and wont have to beg for it, his teams owners know that he knows what he wants or needs and they will do anything to help………………….great manager, great owners, great philosophy…………………………….
Impress the fans ?…………………….only AKB`s are impressed and their lack of blog time tells me they are dwindling quicker than Arsene`s zip, soon an AKB will be on the WWF fear of extinction list and like the last remains of the Dodo will end up on Stans head……………
Le Coq, I don’t know about you but I will have been more pissed off had the club paid £90m for Lemar. The club had the goal to not sell either of Alexis or Ozil in the summer, so I’d rather think it was City’s bid which came “late in the day”. When a bid came in and his agent and player appeared interested, we needed to respond by seeking a replacement, equally late. It didn’t work out and only brought us back to where we intended to be, in the first place. Win-win!
Fact is the club can never win with some. Had we sold both players, the club will be accused of being only interested in money. Now, we kept both players, it is a shambles of a TW or we did try to sell Alexis while Ozil had no one interested (farcical, if you ask me because many top clubs will still want him in their side). I don’t get it.
Lee on 1st November 2017 at 3:19 pm
Yeah LC but how much are we going to lose by letting Sanchez & Ozil’s contracts down? How much to replace them??
Maybe, we should just accept that the club has done a thorough scenarios analysis and reached the conclusion it is okay to take the financial hit if it results in us improving our chances of challenging. It is a lot easier to do so.
We’d challenge a lot more with a better manager than Wenger….
Players might of signed contract extensions….
Goonereris…………………………I wanted us to keep Alexis and Ozil before the season started as I thought (stupidly ?) that we would compete for the EPL seeing as our 5 main rivals would be at it in the CL, a great opportunity !. but alas, our TW was abysmal !.we made £30M (not abysmal in Kroenkes eyes ) !……………….if you want to win the league you dont make money in the TW !…………………and we sold Gabriel !…..also Wenger lied again !………….only reason we kept Alexis was because the Lemar transfer fell through…………….all that we will not sell Alexis was crap and Gazidis has the audacity to brag that we kept Ozil and Alexis proving we are not about the money, forgetting the reason why Alexis is still (not for long) our player and not going to win the title with City !
As I said , I wanted to keep Ozil and Alexis, but the failing to get them to sign new contracts maybe two years ago is gross mismanagement and again Wenger is to blame for that one, they will be gone and if not in January for a pittance then for nothing in the summer, they bwill not be replaced as that will take players on their level and the money to buy them………………I dont know anyone on their level who we could buy and we haven`t got that kind of money, although we could have if our owner would increase his so far investment of £0 to something with £M`s on the end of it..not exactly a win win situation you thought !.
Kev, do I by chance know who you were with, I have a sneaky feeling I might…. ?
Afternoon Fred and all…
Lc, wasn’t it Wengers decision to keep Alexis? So surely it’s his fault we dipped out on £60m, yet Stan is only ever about money. I can’t work that one out…
Give Wenger his due, Rico, he could well have let Alexis go for £60M and would have done if it wasn`t for the Lemar balls up, but can you imagine the abuse he would have got if he had sold Alexis to City without somekind of replacement(and I dont think any way that Lemar is an Alexis replacement, as I said before who can replace Alexis like for like ?) …..especialy after saying all summer long that Alexis was going nowhere !.
Lc, here’s a thought though. Sign a replacement for both Alexis and Ozil as the season ended and then sell both players to the highest bidder…
I think that’s what most ambitious manager would do, or a more sensible manager would do…
I would imagine in secret, Kroenke`s wig stood up on end at Wenger not selling Alexis for £60M, ether that or Kroenke strangled it !……………..” you bastard, you can be replaced !”……………” No Master, I cant breath !”
Dont know who they could have been replaced with and that`s up fr debate, but that is way too sensible, Rico !
🙂
They would be hard to replace, well Alexis but Ozil too when he’s up for it although there’s players out there I’m sure, other clubs seem to find them..
And what about Lucas Perez, why the heck is he out on loan scoring goals and creating chances when he got be doing that at Arsenal?
Another total fcuk up by Wenger…
The curious case of Lucas Perez………………………….Sherlock Holmes would be baffled by that one !……………………………..not forgetting and I`m` contradicting myself here……………………the Korean footballer we signed ?
Anso or something like that?
Visa probs wasn’t it…? As is often the case.
No not the Japanese guy Asano ? who`s on loan in Germany, the Korean guy we bought a few years back !…………………..Park something ?
Herb, Wegner’s make your own Barcelona kit wasn’t all it was cracked up to be was it, didn’t take long for the wheels to fall off.
rico 10.59, while juggling peanuts at the same time !
Rico, Perez probably spoke his mind and we know Wenger doesn’t like insubordination….
Micko how the devil are you my good man?
Park Chu-young !
Rico/LC, we need to make our minds up here. Do we want our best players to stay or be sold? If the former, well, they stayed and her playing well for the team (give credit where it’s due; it took a while before Liverpool, Southampton and Chelsea could get their sulking players to heel, but we have lads who only wanted to play). If the latter, well you tell me who was available that will be perfect replacements? Like you’ve stated, no one! Mbappe is out of reach and I know not even you will expec we can compete with City or PSG for him. In any case, given what we’ve seen of him at PSG, would he replace Alexis’ goals and endeavour?
It is a fallacy that making a transfer window profit means a lack of ambition and you know it. Fergie made TW profits in a couple of seasons of note and still challenged. In the Invincibles season, I am not sure we bought any one of note. We made a hefty TW loss in the summer we brought in Lucas, Xhaka and Mustafi, yet we didn’t win the league. What about Leicester? Buying/spending big is overrated, seeing as we brought in the best left back in the Bundesliga for free, anyway.
As for players’ transfers being run down, Manchester United have 10 players in the final years of their contracts (including Mata, Fellaini, Blind, Young, Herrera, Carrick, Luke Shaw). It is reported there are 107 such players in the EPL alone. Don’t tell me it is how the clubs meant it to be.
Of course Micko… lol
Does make you wonder Lee, Wenger doesn’t like men who answer back or question him does he.. control freak..
I’d forgotten him Lc…
Goonereris, surely it depends on their contract situation?
Working hard on my contributions Lee lol.
Who does, RICO? I mean, what boss would like to have staff who answer back? Is it Fergie, Mourinho or Conte? You must run a business. So, do your boys talk back or have a say in every key decision? Thierry Henry is a hot head and so is Vieira. Sanchez is known to say his mind too, in his own way, but it takes maturity in the boss not to have a debacle like the Costa-Conte case, or the Hazard-Mourinho one. Fergie threw out Becks because he was getting too big for his breeches. Don’t equate club spending power to fear of handling big players because every coach would like to have the best players. It happens everywhere.
Mbappe was available and Wenger could have signed him… Last summer..!
rico on 1st November 2017 at 5:54 pm
Goonereris, surely it depends on their contract situation?
Yeah, it does. And that’s the point. With greedy agents all over, talks are prolonged and scenarios keep changing…
rico on 1st November 2017 at 5:57 pm
Mbappe was available and Wenger could have signed him… Last summer..!
Sometimes, you gamble and it either comes off or not. The story told was of a request made to pay some inordinate sum of money that could not be defended.
Cesc was available and United couldn’t close it. Alexis was there for Liverpool but didn’t go there. Do we need to go into nearly deals?
My point is, into the last year, replace early, then sell…
A good man manager listens to feedback, that’s what I mean…
Knowing the might of Manshafter, Goonereris, I`m sure if they want them players to stay they will and if they dont they will be gone !……………..as for Leicester, they were an anomaly !…………..once in a millenium it happens, so are out of the equation !
As for best players, obviously we want them to stay, but you need them to want to stay and to buy into the clubs culture and philosophy, but being cynical .they want money and lots of it, more than trophies, but give Alexis his due, he will get both at Mansour City, lots of trophies and lots of money !…………………….the likes of AOC who put football before money are few and far between !………………..how`s he doing lately ? 🙂
I will reiterate what I have put up previously on here to also answer you……………………….since we last won the EPL and other than the Leicester anomaly, what clubs have won the EPL ?……………………….obviously I dont have the facts on hand, but how much did they not spend on winning trophies ?………….the answer is…………….and I said “not spend”…………….silly question, they did spend a lot !……………….lets put it a different way…………………….how many trophies would Chavs and Mansour City have won without the over £2Billion spent so far ?………………………..suppose they could have done a Leicester !
😆
Goonereris, one thing I will say is that it’s great to have a discussion/debate with you over Arsenal without any kind of hostility. I like that…
Hear hear Rico, glad you`re conducting yourself in a civilised manner !
😆
Lc, maybe the question should be, what would we have won had Wenger spent a bit more than he has done?
Actually, probably nothing as his tactics are dreadful…
Cheeky bugger Lc… ?
Sorry Rico, but after a few of the players we have just queried about, I wouldn`t trust Wenger with the money !…………..would you ?
🙂
Say what you like about Fergie, he may have been a cranky old sod but his team always done the business, he also knew when to call it a day.
No Lc, I wouldn’t. I wish he’d leave it all, bugger off and let someone who knows what their doing spend it…
Spot on Micko.
I`m sure I`ve come across Goonereris on Bergkampesque in the past !………………………a bit more moderate on there …………….even Kev` is easier on Arsene on there ! 🙂
To tell the truth, other than the 8 million reasons for staying, I dont know why Arsene stays !…………………….probably just likes the sound of his own zip !
rico on 1st November 2017 at 6:08 pm
Goonereris, one thing I will say is that it’s great to have a discussion/debate with you over Arsenal without any kind of hostility. I like that…
Hey Rico, the feeling is mutual and if it got even near hostile, I will be gone. I believe we all want what’s best for the club; just different viewpoints about what’s going on with it and what it’s capable of. I like to have perspective in my views so that one isn’t utterly biased or acting the “grass is always greener…” card.
Goonereris, spot on, we might see things differently, but yes, we all want the club to sort itself out and improve..
Morning all.
Did someone mention hostility?
I’m the only culprit of that, but it’s nice to know people are thinking of me even when I’m not posting 🙂 🙂 🙂
Goonereris, some brilliant comments and Rico, a damn good debate!!!!
I enjoyed reading it all.
Rico, one point-we do know Stan is all about money because he has said so.
He said he doesn’t buy clubs to win trophies.
But then again, the lying bastard did say last week he wants to see Arsenal win everything, but also said keeping Arsene was the “harder decision”, which kind of goes against the “win everything” claim, unless he really is that clueless on football.
If, by some miracle, Alexis and Ozil are still at the club at seasons end and walk on frees, we will learn a hell of a lot about both Arsene and Stan, as replacing both players is going to cost them plenty.
If they don’t try, we will truly become a mid table club.
If they do, will they attempt to balance the books because doing that will also see ua flounder.
It can only mean a massive spend up.
For all I disagree with people on Wenger, I’m not sure I’d let him spend a few hundred million, especially as he’s probably leaving soon after.
Maybe have another average year, get his replacement in and leave a war chest for him to utilise.
I thought you didn’t like abuse Scott?
Oh, and not every comment I make is directed at you so why do always feel the need to think it is… Jeeze!
Night guys..
How rude. Thanks Herb for the post…
Sorry Rico, next time I’ll try and use bigger smileys.
Perhaps if you used smilies and ‘lol’ less Scott, it would be easier to differentiate between serious and fun.
Just watching Traffic Cops on Channel 5, wow there’s some right lunatic drivers up there in Yorkshire, It’s right up my street…
If I ever go for a drive up there I’ll be sure to take Adam, he’s loves it when I drive recklessly.
Meanwhile the spuds are tearing the European champions a new one!
I had hoped Napoli will help knock the stuffing out of City, but now, they will be super confident and even more relaxed when they play us. They were ruffled a bit at the start but got stronger as the game wore on, then ended on a high keeping the ball away from Napoli like a Boss. We will have to be on our game to get anything off them, to be honest. But, it will be interesting.
The other news is that we could have the likes of Dortmund, Napoli, Leipzig and CSKA coming down to the Europa league KO stages, which means we start to use more first team players, if we intend to take the cup seriously.
Pull yourself together Kk, everyone knows the Champions League is over-rated.
Not sure how long Dele Alli will be able to survive on a paltry 63k a week at the scum, we pay our groundsman more than that at the Emirates, just a matter of time before Real snap him up.
Goonereris, don’t know about you but I found it all a little bit depressing, some great football from Citeh, we are so far off the standard.
I cant wait for R Madrid to sack ZZ for having one bad season after the zillion trophies he has won them !…………………then our owner will see that you have to be cut throat in this business to win trophies and Wenger will surely be sacked !
Problem will be that Kroenke will become a hatchet man who sacks manager after manager as we still win fcuk all titles, but will he realise the fatal flaw that you still have to invest money as well !
Don’t mind admitting I have a good memory but it’s short, didn’t zz once get asked what he thought about tottenham to which he replied “who are tottenham”, it certainly came back to bite him on the arse tonite, having said that it was a good few years back and they were our poor relations back then lol !
Nite Gooners.
As good as Napoli played, it’s a bit odd that they’re top of Serie A, but have now lost 3 out of their 4 group games.
Good going forward, a pony defence, now who does that remind you of..?
Is it just me, or does anyone else think that Liverpool are crap, how on earth did they finish above us last season and beat us 4-0 this season?
Looking at the points situation and their next two fixtures, I still think that they could finish 3rd in their group.
Kev, whorver scored first between us and Liverpool were a shoe in to win easily.
Neither side can defend, especially when pressured.
Now disrespect to Spuds, but what has happened to Real????
It’s not just CL that’s showing them up at present.
LC, I don’t believe it matters who manages us, or how average our results are, as they’re safe if the financial side of things are strong.
Thanks Rico and everyone, apologies for not being around. A Post covering this particular topic is impossible to explain within the confines of a blog, because there are so many nuances and twists to this.
Maybe Wenger had a light-bulb epiphany during the CL final in Paris 2006, and he’s still working on it today. But it is remarkably odd to stick with something that still isn’t working eleven years on.
If it doesn’t hurt him to his very core what is going on at Tottenham, he shouldn’t be anywhere near Arsenal.
If it doesn’t hurt anyone, you’re not a true red-blooded Gooner.
Wenger doesn’t have the intelligence or tactical nous to reverse it, and if Arsenal don’t pay due attention Tottenham too will leave them far behind.
If you’re around Goonerisis, measure Arsenal’s resources and expenditure against Tottenham’s, and please explain why the two clubs are heading in opposite directions.
We should all have grave concerns about the future of our club because this current lot seem hell-bent on destroying it.
It is extremely bleak being an Arsenal fan right now.
Herb, everyone knows what the two are problems are, imo.
The only debate seems to be which is the bigger problem, but realistically, It doesn’t matter because the pair of them are holding the club back, either their way.
If anyone ever comes up with a plan to remove Arsene and Stan, they’ll be the model for the next statue at the Emirates!!!
Morning all.
Herb, good thought provoking post mate! That lot up the road really do worry me and to think they are doing this on a fraction of the budget Wenger operates with….they’ve assembled a squad with less expenditure than us too!
All they’ve got to do is win something (let’s hope NOT!)
Wenger can’t be hurting Herb, if he was he’d have done something about the mess he’s got us into by now…
Pep win? ?
Just about Lee… lol
Morning Rico and Lee. It took Spurs a long time but they now seem to have a very good manager who is operating on a much smaller budget and superbly on the pitch. The Napoli / Man City game last night was excellent to watch because both managers had teams who reflected their ethos as to how the game should be played and they don’t compromise. MC are a team assembled at great expense by a superb manager and Napoli, with no massive buys are not as efficient but a joy to watch. It’s a shame they most likely won’t make it out of the group stages as plenty of less interesting teams will. They too have a great manager. We have a once-great manager who, despite spending plenty, hasn’t got the right blend in the squad and certainly not on the pitch. From the outside it appears to me as though we are storing up weighty problems where the players are concerned and the whole club feels quite stale and indeed, static.
Morning Adam, it’s painful…
Rico. It certainly is.
Wenger just needs to go ASAP he is holding Arsenal back, does Poch have the salary bill or the facility to spend what Wenger does on players? Have they spent £30m, £40m or £50m on a single player?
It pains me to say it but they play football like we used to….
They didn’t against Utd Lee, they were dire. No pun intended….
How hands on is Joe Lewis? Serious question…
# Net Spend last 5 Years Purchased Gross Sold Nett Per Season
1 Manchester City £723,850,000 £217,750,000 £506,100,000 £101,220,000
2 Manchester United £611,800,000 £174,550,000 £437,250,000 £87,450,000
4 Arsenal £298,740,000 £116,850,000 £181,890,000 £36,378,000
3 Liverpool £396,300,000 £277,080,000 £119,220,000 £23,844,000
5 Chelsea £602,459,000 £410,450,000 £192,009,000 £38,401,800
6 Leicester £181,000,000 £97,750,000 £83,250,000 £16,650,000
7 Crystal Palace £192,035,000 £56,700,000 £135,335,000 £27,067,000
8 West Ham £188,450,000 £81,870,000 £106,580,000 £21,316,000
9 Watford £144,200,000 £51,650,000 £92,550,000 £18,510,000
14 Everton £332,600,000 £200,100,000 £132,500,000 £26,500,000
10 Brighton & Hove Albion £75,805,000 £12,000,000 £63,805,000 £12,761,000
11 AFC Bournemouth £88,450,000 £24,830,000 £63,620,000 £12,724,000
15 West Bromwich Albion £139,850,000 £40,209,000 £99,641,000 £19,928,200
12 Newcastle United £206,300,000 £155,600,000 £50,700,000 £10,140,000
15 Stoke City £101,700,000 £53,250,000 £48,450,000 £9,690,000
16 Huddersfield Town £44,615,000 £14,400,000 £30,215,000 £6,043,000
17 Burnley £85,150,000 £61,450,000 £23,700,000 £4,740,000
18 Southampton £237,800,000 £210,550,000 £27,250,000 £5,450,000
19 Swansea £145,575,000 £195,060,000 -£49,485,000 -£9,897,000
20 Tottenham £341,450,000 £339,400,000 £2,050,000 £410,000
Morning all………………..Record straight victory at the Em`s tonight ?
Actually thinking about Pep if he was Arsenal manager who he would keep and who he would let go and I suppose the two prime examples are Alexis and Ozil…………………..obviusly he would keep Alexis, but Ozil ?……………………according to stats out the other day, Ozil is on a par or better than DeBruyne on passing /goals/assists etc` and in less games, but where he fails is in his defensive duties where Debruyne is much better. So although a great player ( I love him), Ozil would not fit the Pep philosophy of trying to win the ball back within so many (?) seconds !.
Pep wants talented footballers, but also hard working ones to enforce his style of play.
I don’t think he is Lee, doesn’t Levy do everything.
So there has been money available it’s just been used badly…there’s a shock!
Just what a manager should do Lc, not just spend money on anyone. I loved it when Ozil signed although I know he was a forced signing to appease fans, the very fact that Wenger has failed to build around him, highlights his flaws. If we had Kante kind of player in midfield and a few more hard workers, Ozil would be so much more effective, or affective. I always muck that one up…
I think so Lee.
I will say, although I believe The Spuds have a better manager than we currently have, look how many attempts it took them to get the right one, they have had 16 (inc caretakers) since we have had Wenger and my point is…………………..how many will we have to try before we get it right again ?………………….yes, someone like Pep would definately make a difference, but he aint ever going to happen……
Saying that, how this group of players would perform under a different manager is something I’d like to see…
LC I honestly think Pep would get more out of this current Arsenal squad than Wenger does… I concur that Ozil would probably not make the cut.
A motivated Ozil would perhaps be different though. Playing alongside different players.
I know we joke about it, but Fat Sam would definately make us harder to beat !
🙂
and Pulis
😯
Does make you wonder then, why the rumours of Ozil going to MU are so strong when Maureen loves to defend….. has anyone ever seen an Ozil tackle ?
🙂
He tried one at Wembley Lc, made a right hash of it and should have been booked. Although he might have been, can’t remember that far back… ?
I can’t see the Mourinho has much need for Ozil, other then to piss Wenger off.
http://www.football.london/tottenham-hotspur-fc/news/who-joe-lewis-billionaire-bahamas-12773340
For you Lee.
Ha s Ozil denied the Utd links?
New post is up now..
Probably. 🙂