Morning all.
We know that the FA Cup can spring a few surprises, after all, one only has to look at a few of the results yesterday and in years gone by to know that. Who’d have though Utd would beat Reading eh….. That was a shock.
The biggest upset of yesterday could have, maybe even should have, been at Deepdale. Preston were certainly up for the game and during the first half they made us look like the lower league club. The defence was a sixes and sevens as the home side got at us everywhere. Out wide, through the middle, everywhere, we were second best.
Our midfield was terrible, the defending was laughable and but for Preston being wasteful in front of goal, we could very easily have been out of the match by halftime. Preston missed a sitter in front of goal after a super ball across the box and later on in the half, Monreal kept the scoreline at 1-0 with a goal line clearance.
Ramsey, Giroud and Lucas all had chances to bring the score level before half-time, but those chances went begging. Preston thought they had a second but Ospina was adjudged to have been fouled as their player went for the ball.
Straight after the break, Ramsey grabbed an equaliser with a really good goal. A fine strike. Mustafi forced a good save from their keeper Maxwell, Ollie had the ball in the net but the offside flag went up but no such problems just before the final whistle. Lucas was determined to keep the ball in play, his cheeky little back pass found the Frenchman who this time made no mistake. Danny Welbeck made his comeback late on and nearly grabbed a third, but Maxwell made a decent save to tip the ball over the bar. 2-1 and Arsenal live to see another round.
As already said, the first half was nothing other than a comedy of errors, the second half was marginally better or maybe it just seemed that way as we scored two goals to win the match.
If it wasn’t for the fact that Arsenal have been playing so poorly this season, it would be tempting to look back on yesterdays game and think ‘what a cracker’ it was, a good old FA Cup tie where a Championship side really wanted to take the scalp of a Premier League club but there’s a much bigger picture being painted. Our defensive frailties have been on show far too much of late and as a unit, it’s just not working well at all. Preston should have taken us to the cleaners and had they done so, it would have been no more than they and we deserved. Our attacking unit wasn’t much better either in fact overall, this team is really at sixes and sevens most of the time. No-one seems to know what they are meant to be doing, rudderless, leaderless, shocking!
‘Preston surprised us’ were the words muttered by some of the Arsenal gang after the game which I find staggering really. They are a Championship club, not a Sunday League team and anyone with any common sense should have known that right from the off, they’d be up for this game, especially in front of their own fans. Simon Grayson is no fool, he’d have done his homework before this fixture and it was quite clear to see that he had.
This was just another game in which Arsenal believed all they needed to do was turn up for victory, an attitude which nearly bit them on the backside.
When will they ever learn?
Morning all.
Though Preston could’ve led at half time by more, we had our chances to score a few as well, and did dominate them in the second half, but we really should’ve been the better side for 90 minutes and we weren’t.
Another ordinary performance, but at the end of the day, job done and we remain the the competition.
Not too many positives to come from it, and as always, great to hear fans dithering amongst each other after the game.
I don’t give a rats arse what people say, there is no excuse for it.
Imagine we’d lost?????
The win just papers over more huge cracks imo….
Fekken technology……DITHERING should read FIGHTING….
“Yes, I was angry [at half-time],” Wenger said. “We are a top-level Premier League and we were dominated in the first half, Preston had chances and we were just not at the pace of the game that the game demanded. We didn’t want to go home and be out of the Cup.”
The side did lift in the second half.
Either that or Preston were tired…. 😉
That happened later in the half, but we did lift immediately after half time.
We shouldn’t need to go one down before we start playing, though, nor should the players need to be told by Wenger to lift.
The body language of many players is not good. No tracking back or urgency, out of position and wasteful up front. Apparently, AW didn’t get angry at half time! WHY?
* Not trying for any excuses, but am certain that the ridiculous schedule of 4 games in 13 days has taken its toll. Compare that to Madrid, who waltzed out into the sun and put 5 past another hapless opponent. Their players looked fresh, relaxed and tanned. Am guessing Munich players will be the same. No wonder they smiled when they drew an English team.
Morning and thanks Rico.
Just back from a 4 mile run which cleared my head so that I could watch the highlights and deliver my technical detailed analysis !……………………Invincibles !….fcuking Imbeciles !. hahaha
They should in fairness have buried us in the 1st half, because in the second half they didn`t have a shot on target and thank fcuk for our Mental Strength ! . hahaha
Shows how you should never read much into the match stats……………………..Arsenal had 68% possession, 18 shots with 9 on target and 6 corners all which dwarfed PNE`s stats, but we know the true story !
A gutless 1st half and an improved 2nd one, but it just shows what a leveller the FA Cup is and how exciting it can be………..shame the CL is not on the same page because of seedings and boring league stages.
I cant wait for aroound 7pm tomorrow for the draw and would love Accrington Stanley at home for a trip up for some no streess entertainment, some Pie&Mash and Bagels !
Complacency – that’s what I blame, and where does that come from??
DB, I dread the Bayern game, I really do…
Have dreaded since the draw! The most frustrating thing is that, on paper, we should brush them aside. Problem is, we will go in with the same tactics as 3, 4, 5 years ago!
Morning All…
Morning Rico…
A game of two halves, Preston looked a really good team, but ran out of steam. We rode our luck and just about deserved it…
Good to see Danny back, he could give us a real boost over the 2nd half of the season…
Swansea is going to be just like Preston, they’ll go at us full tilt, hope to get a couple of goals ahead and hold out in the 2nd half.
If we keep on starting sluggishly it’s gonna cost us big time…
Morning Kev, that’s the one positive from the game, Danny Boy returning…
Oh, and winning of course.. 😉
Barca want Pochettino apparently…. Fingers crossed they get him… lol
Good morning Rico….Honestly nowadays
I anticipate either a defeat or draw from these lot.
There is no phisical bite
There is no technical superiority.
Add to that a sterile manager that has nothing new in him …….so to me no surprise really.
Worse thing that happen yesterday was Ramsey scoring.An absolute mediocre championship player will be giving more excuse to dislodge Iwobi from the middle .
I hate to say it Rico, but Danny looked like a new signing… ?
His return was partly the reason Arsenal didn’t go for Draxler…
Cohen Bramhall could be Wenger only business this window…
Every game provides more questions than answers at the moment.
When Barca go shopping, like the Canadian Mounties, they always get their man! However, it’s gossip, not truth that counts. Which imaginative journo penned that little morsel? Truth is…….??
We were absolute poo first half yesterday, worse than when we played B and Boscombe! It’s a repeating story, born out of arrogance and lack of preparation. It comes from the manager’s haphazard pre match ramblings, no tactics, no motivation, no thought. It typifies the last 10 years, at least, of the old grey ones term of office. As the team leaves the dressing room you can hear him offering his best Bon mots, “go on zen boyz, play up, play up and play zee game.” That’s his team talk….all of it!
Still the team can look forward to drinking a nice glass of burgundy, post match. I wonder how long it will take silent Stan the syrup man, to lower his new acquisition to level of vinegar? Not long I’ll be bound!
It’s time we changed the record, the manager, the owner and most of the coaching staff. It’s time for change and the time is NOW!
Morning all. Sunny intervals here and a little bit of heat, 10 C! Nearly summer, nearly cricket season. Roll on quickly, I say!
Morning Alex. I’m rather glad he scored myself…
He sure did Kev.. 🙂
Quite looking forward to seeing Bramhall play.. Could be in the next round of the FA Cup if we get a nice draw at home…
Morning All
Pleased for our away fans and the real Gooners
who feel during a game the passion of wearing
our colours,results are one thing being up to play
for us is another.
1st half once again how many more season’s,will we
see this.
I bet at least one person on here think’s the reason
we have made another come back is because of
an Arsene Pep Talk.
We should have been out 1st half…
Our players were surprised by Preston’s commitment.
The away fans think it’s through their support
and singing your an embrassement work’s.
So if you are a fan who think’s Arsene’s pep talk
is the reason we are a different team 2nd half.
Do me a favour and send him a text and ask him
to give the player’s the Pep talk…before the 1st half.
Cheer’s
Trouble is Fred that reports are coming back of fights between fellow supporters over the manager. The away fans support the team and fair play to them but on Wenger they are as split as the rest of us.
I dont think it`s from Arsene`s pep talk that we came out a different team in the 2nd half, it`s down to our mental strength !………….even the host on MotD said after the game that it was our mental strength ! hahaha
The split between our away fans over Wenger is worrying, it reminds me of the time when some conjoined twins who both fancied me started fighting over me !………….I did the gentlemanly thing and tried to seperate them !…………eventually I started dating one of them but found myself getting more attracted to the other one and started seeing her behind the other ones back !.
Morning All
Just saw the post match interview with Giroud & Rambo. Both said the team were surprised at Prestons commitment & attitude. So there we have it. We now know our problem. Our players & management team go out to every single game with this thought in their minds and only when it is almost too late they realise they are in a game. Do they expect teams to roll over in front of their home crowd and let us walk all over them? Ramsey even said he knows what it’s like to play in the championship so why is he not going around the players and telling them before the game. For some reason, when playing sport against superior opposition the commitment you put is a lot different from any normal opposition but I’m guessing at Arsenal we don’t have that as if we can’t see the opposition will raise their game against us then we can’t against the likes of Barca or Bayern to surprise them.
Underestimating your opposition is Psychology at its very worst.
no one was initially anti AW and the first 10 years were good but with the move and the boardroom shuffle things have changed.At 2-0 down to Hull in the Cup Final, Gibbs saved off the line,the rest is history but only then did AW sign a new contract. Now three years on we have a unique situation yet again where AW can chose when he signs on or not.We are steeped in history yet publically tell us for months about ongoing talks with Ozil and Sanchez.We need to be more ruthless,who is actually in charge ? Offer them the best we can and if not acceptable let them go and move on.We are becoming a laughing stock in some people’s eyes.We go to out of form Everton and a suspect defence at City, take the lead in both games but dont put the game to bed and consequently lose.Then at Bournemouth and yesterday we don’t turn up in the first half and the boss just remains static.We can’t go over the same things time and time again but for me it’s not about the win or 3 points.I want to be entertained sometimes,get really emotional about a move or a goal and feel good.We see less and less of that yet with a few tweaks,a new younger man who is flexible not predictable and add two really good players we really could compete, but I doubt it will happen.I said it before because many of us are critical it means we actually do support the club as part of our family.
To me that was the worst 70 minutes I have seen this season,hopefully it won’t get worse.
Potter you should be over the West Ham Stadium
talk about Handbag’s.
Kev was that The Campion Flag(Iwobi) flying in the
preston stands.
The great escape yesterday. What a complete inept display.
I’m getting worried about Saturday 29th April 2017 @ 15:00 already. If things don’t change they are going to trounce us.
If we lose that match I fear LCM might commit suicide. Then we will miss all his humour. ( seeing her behind her back. LMFAO)
The only suicide I will commit, Vics, is that of Kroenke !…………………………….a smoking gun and the blooded lifeless syrup !……..Mrs Kroenke will rush in and a dying Stan will say……” Please Ann……give CPR to my syrup first !…….without him I am nothing !”
The fighting between the away fans yesterday is horrible but an inevitable consequence of the unfortunate position that the club finds itself in.
Fred, I didn’t see it mate…
But as Adam mentioned, I was chatting my son this morning and a friend of ours who went to Deepdale said he saw four desperate punch ups at half time between the away fans…
As Adam mentioned to me earlier today, there is a certain similarity between now and the last days of George Graham…
The club has a good squad, it just needs a new direction, a new voice in the dressing room and on the training ground…
four separate punch ups…
The last time I see a tear between our fans
was in paris….Final
Before that we were always fighting each other
on away days.North London/East London
We once had it with Stan Flashman
in the 1st class.
Been going for Yonk’s Guy’s.
Fred, I’ve seen loads of disagreements at away games between Arsenal fans and the odd punch up, but four separate fights at half time is a lot of fighting…
I don’t see anything at the Emirates, it’s too sanitised whilst the home crowd have almost been bored into submission…
I hate the atmosphere at the Emirates, well there really isn’t an atmosphere at all, it’s all contrived and artificially manufactured by the club, with that idiot screaming over the tannoy, staff waving giant flags and booming music. Very American, very antiseptic, very shit…
Highbury may have had its periods of reflection when the crowd noise dropped to a murmur, but at least the fans generated the atmosphere, it was real, at the Emirates its plastic, a bit like the food on offer there…
Have to say I don’t know anyone that support’s
our Arsene anymore.
Fred. Lee is still a big fan. 🙂
Still loving your humour Cockey. Keep it up buddy.
What a shambles our once Wonderful club is turning into.
We must get rid of our sell by date Manager. AND quick. He has gone stale and void of any new ideas.
Xhaka…. whats all that about? How many million????? Gabriel…just not good enough… Oxlade Chamberlain….Poor by Arsenal standards. I could go on, but we’ve said it all before.
Would like to say We should meet up for Pie n Mash and a game soon, but I refuse to put my hand in my pocket for this shower.
I DVR the game and I haven’t watched it yet, I was out all day yesterday. I was shocked when I saw the score line and the game summary because Preston is not that good, I have seen them play about 4x. With the players we had playing the scoreline should’ve been 4 or 5 for ARS. We definitely have a problem; whether is the manager or the players not putting forth a fight there’s still a problem.
He hides it well Adam
Afternoon guys, does the draw take place this afternoon…?
What? Did not we study the opponent before the games? !!!!
Fred. I know. 🙂
Didn’t look like it Jm…
Rico. I don’t think that Arsene has ever taken th opposition into account has he?
keV…4 separate punch ups? 😛
Were goonie and LC the instigators of that fight?
I am glad I did not bother going to the game. What I Bould doing as an assistant?
Plymount 🙂
I don’t think so either Adam…
Ts..Bouldy
Doing what every other fu*ckers not doing.
Seems odd to me Rico but might explain a lot.
The draw is at 7p.m. tomorrow night Rico
I just spoke to 2 away fans who said there were 4 seperate fights going on at half time yesterday between our own supporters.Sad but quite honestly not entirely unexpected.
I expect so Adam. Unlike Simon Grayson….
Is Bould allowed toys ever any input!
Thanks Kelsey…
The fighting between fans is sad….
Fred, you’re really acting like a goose of late.
Seeing as though I’ve been saying I’d be happy for Wenger to go since before you even started posting on here, you’re little smart arse comment simply shows how petulant you are, and do not for one second pretend it wasn’t aimed at me, because you’ll also be a liar.
Grow up, and more importantly, KEEP UP!!!
Don’t start that again please Scott…
Sorry Rico, but I started nothing.
If he has any decency, he will admit that was aimed at me, and you’ll know exactly who started things.
Scott, not one comment of Freds had your name in it. If you choose to think any comment is aimed at you, then if the cap fits….!
How can anyone honestly not fully support Wenger?
The man is a genius with his hoard of top four trophies, coat zipping prowess, water bottle close control,regularly not seeing incidents that occur on the pitch and thinking that Sanogo/Gerwankho could ever be footballers!
I just hope he signs to surpass Ferguson’s time at manure.
There’s only one Arsene Wenger, one Arsene Wenger!!!
? Lee- thank goodness I know you better….
Rico, I’m sure you’re kidding but ok.
Me Brudder Adam, Uncle Kev are all booked in to have identical Arsene Wenger tribute tattoos…..
I remember a few years back that Cesc said that they never watched any video`s of the opposition at Arsenal !……………….never looking at the oppo`s strengths and weaknesses !……….so Wenger`s taking the like`s of PNE into account would be to say they are just a mid table Championship team !
Wengers philosophy is to let the opposition worry about us, not worry about them !……….another one of his frailties imo
I’m serious Scott. I’ve read back and unless I’m going mad, nothing names you….
I’d consider an exit tatt….
There’s so many LC…
Can we have a top ten of them Rico ? 😀
Stan will gather all those slating him and put you all in his wife’s Walmart super stores turned fema camps.. 🙁
You find them LC… lol
Night guys…
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/jan/08/mesut-ozil-arsenal-contract-arsene-wenger
??
Rico, I just saw that as well.
Not really sure what to think or how to feel about that.
It does, at the very least, give some clarification on the matter.
Plenty would not mind losing Ozil if it meant Wenger left, though it does make you wonder if Alexis is in the same boat.
My opinion is Ozil is the best player in the League-a player we could build a side around-but as it stands, we aren’t seeing the very best of him, so either Wenger (presuming he stays) brings in players that will allow Ozil to do what he does best, or they both go.
No half measures………..yes, I know, we’ve been living on half measures.
I just read an interesting comment from a Scouser fan, discussing that clubs inability to break down teams who park the bus.
He said they slow things down, passing becomes sideways and lacks intent etc etc etc
I told him he was describing Arsenal.
Also, we have made a 56 million bid for an Italian striker, allegedly 🙂
Why can’t people just be glad we’ve made it into the last 32 of the FA Cup yet again ! Is that too much to ask for ?
As for parking the bus, there just aren’t enough double deckers out there to help us win the league under dear ole Arsene unfortunately !
We are very interesting in Torino forward: a bid of 50 millions !!! ??
and it’s for January…
I think the question of would you want Arsene to stay if it guarenteed Ozil and Alexis signing new contracts was put up a few months ago and I was one that said yes !
From Rico`s link and there are plenty more about it on newsnow Ozil may stay if Wenger does, but will Alexis ?
I reckon the Torino player link is a load of the usual bollox………..no big signing`s this window imo.
Agreed Le Coq, everyone knows you don’t sell your rooster on a rainy day, Torino will look to cash in come the summer.
Nite Gooners.
LC, I agree.
We’re not using Perez enough already, imo, so is hardly see Wenger coughing that much up for another forward.
Sanchez-impossible to get a read on what he thinks of Wenger, I reckon.
If we signed them both for an extra 2 or 3 seasons, and had Wenger for another 2, that’d mean the next guy would walk into those 2 being in the same situation and hey are now.
Ifs, buts and maybes-it’s never dull!!!!
Mesut Özil has said he would like to sign a new contract with Arsenal but that he wants to know if Arsène Wenger is staying at the Emirates Stadium beyond this season before committing to the club.
Of course he didn’t say whether his decision is based on staying or going, could be either.
With Ozil, I am not surprise. About 3 months ago, I saw an interview with Ozil on BeinSports where he said AW is the reason he came to Arsenal and that other clubs offered him more and where willing to pay more fees but Real gave him a choice. He also said that when he went to Madrid it was between Arsenal and Madrid.
Btw, watching Drexler play why would anyone pick Walcott or Ox over him….especially when he wanted to come to Arsenal over PSG…..smh. On ability and skills alone he’s better than Griezman is just a matter of working hard with him.
Hi Rico and the House.
Personally I’d be happy to see both Wenger and Ozil leave, because whatever their combined abilities and intelligence, it isn’t making the slightest bit of difference where it matters most. We’re not closing the gap on those in the tier above us, and it seems Arsenal spend only to stay at the same level rather than to improve.
I read this, and for me clarifies exactly where Arsenal are at and the deep-lying issues. Apologies to anyone whose read it already, it was from a poster called ‘Cesc Appeal’ commenting on ‘Le Grove’.
‘No-one feels they are entitled to a league title, this is the hardest league in the world to win, and no-one bashes Wenger because he has not managed to do it.
What Wenger gets bashed for, is that for what looks like twelve years now, Arsenal’s season has fallen apart in exactly the same way – lack of mental-strength, bottling, injuries, lack of preparation, tactical rigidity, no positional awareness, holes in the squad, lack of substantial back-room evolution – Wenger stubbornly holding onto his beliefs and principles, which is fine, except there is no-one at the club to disagree with him when he is wrong, because he has engineered total power in himself.
There is no other top club out there with the uniformity Arsenal have displayed in their results and how they fell to those results in the last twelve years.
You can say Wenger is the reason we have high expectations and you’re right, you won’t find anyone who disputes that Wenger was a great manager in his first ten years at the club, just as most acknowledge the great job he did in the first few years moving to the new stadium, when resources were limited to null.
However, he is now trying to live by the standards of those hard years – ‘fourth is a trophy’, ‘second for the next twenty years would be a great achievement’, ‘financial sustainability is a great achievement’…etc.
Over the last twelve years the face of this team (playing staff), has changed many times, and yet each of these batches fails in exactly the same way. Why is that? Who is the common denominator?
People’s problem with Wenger is that the club is not progressing.
He is not ambitious at all, he waits for success to come to him not vice-versa, and frequently he’s coming across as a bitter old man lamenting the changing of the world.
If Wenger went out each summer and aggressively brought in talent, and you could see him trying to set up a certain system, changing his coaches to grab the best, most modern ones around (most of ours have been here since the late 90’s early 00’s), and there was a Dein-like figure in the club both helping and challenging him, and we still didn’t win the league, no-one would be so scathing of him’.
That comment tells me we’re all seeing exactly the same thing, the bigger question is why on earth are we tolerating it?
The only people who can rescue Arsenal’s footballing soul is the supporters.
How much do you/we love The Arsenal?
Rico, the Guardian article is 100% recycled from several month ago. The comments from Henry were made by him on Sky 4 or 5 weeks ago.
The TW is open, lets stir the pot a little, rinse and repeat.
It’s just lazy journalism!
Nothing’s changed, no progress made, nothing gained, nothing lost.
Wavy, add player agents to the mix and it’s the perfect shit storm lol
Obi, we should’ve chased Draxler 2 or 3 years ago.
Maybe Arsenal made an inquiry about the Torino striker but didn’t follow it up after a fee was discussed…
Of course Torino want to generate some interest in the player, so making Arsenal’s inquiry public is what is commonly done, either by club officials or by the agent through the media.
As soon as any transfer is publicly discussed in this way, we know that Arsenal have moved on to other targets and I feel that this is the case in this matter…
It could also be Arsenal trying to divert attention from their real target by enquiring about a player that they don’t really want, that way the Chelseas, ManUres and ManCitys of this world are put off of the scent…
There again it could all be a total load of bollocks…
http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/premier-league/arsenal/aidan-ohara-only-arsenal-could-come-back-from-brink-of-defeat-then-get-criticised-for-celebrating-35351060.html
Good afternoon to you all,
Don’t do it to yourselves people, old Froggy won’t sign anyone in January.
Anyway, a big tick for Giroud. He’s showing “gwate spiwit”.
Re Preston: AW should never play Iwobi, Ox and Ramsey together. Collectively they are atrocious defensively, give away the ball too easily and their spacing is poor. Playing them with Xhaka doesn’t help neither since he’s struggling with his pace. Sometimes no matter the workrate or desire some players shouldn’t be played together.
Obi, it seems Wenger really has trouble getting the balance right.
This is one area he fails in too often.
Kev, that’s one brilliant article and a slap in the face to critics, including plenty of fans.
It’s also common sense.
12.17 Wavy, surely not?? 😉
Morning all..
Morning, Rico.
Where is everyone 🙂
Morning all.
What tie is the draw today?
time*
Morning Scott..
7pm tonight Lewis…
A kind draw would be nice in what is our best chance of silverware! 😉
I wonder what is being worked on in training to get our players to switch on from the first minute and not wait until we are behind before they start playing?
Also how are they going to combat other teams basic tactic of pressing us high until we balls it up and give them opportunities. We’ve been lucky the last 2 teams haven’t been able to sustain it for the full 90. I fear we won’t be coming back against the better teams.
Best chance? Only chance I’d say… 😉
Lewis, I can answer one of your questions.
We started brilliantly v Chelski and it was all over before they had a chance to pressure us into errors.
Now, how to start quickly……..
Rico, we will win the CL 🙂
Complacency Lewis – we are so often not at it when we play teams mid and lower table….
The Chelsea performance is starting to look like a fluke…
Rico, no chance it was a fluke.
You can fluke a goal but not a 90 minute performance.
It could, however, be a one off.
There’s no excuse if it is.
Morning Rico and all. I think the Arsenal PR team have been at it with that recycled Ozil stuff.
A one off, fluke, call it what we like Scott, but we haven’t seen anything like that since….
Morning Adam, either that or just lazy journalism…
Surely not Rico. 🙂
The slow start thing is easy. Give every player £10k for every goal the team scores in the first half but take £15k for every goal conceded.
Lol Adam.
Money talks-you may be onto something 🙂
I like that idea Adam.
The amounts could be juggled Rico but it has always seemed to me that the more you pay these fuckers, the less effort they put in. Their sense of entitlement is staggering.
Ozil presumably wants about a million quid a month plus he wants to decide who is the manager. 🙂
Performance based contracts!
Maybe the board could do something similar with Arsene Wenger Adam. He too could be financially rewarded and penalised with goals scored and conceded.
He might be tempted to hire a defensive coach then….
Chelsea result does look like a one off doesn’t it but it does show that we can play that way. Unfortunately when we were briefly at the top of the league a few weeks back, the team true to form started to believe their own hype and have by the looks of it become complacent. You’d think they’d know by now there are no easy games in the Prem.
As herb said yesterday, having Wenger and Ozil hasn’t really changed our fortunes of late so if they both have to go then so be it. We are a massive club and I’m sure would be attractive to many top managers and also many top players.
I don’t blame the players for wanting big bucks, I really don’t. I blame the TV channels who plough the money into the game and making it what it is today.
And clubs like Utd, Chelsea and City for setting the wage bar so bloody high…
And don’t get me started on China, obscene….
Lewis, the problem is, we don’t know the truth behind what’s going on with Ozil and Alexis. It’s all media spin and bollox imo…
Rico, I guess it’s all relative, and the Chinese market is massive.
I do agree that it’s obscene, though.
Don’t forget player agents………absolute snakes.
They are snakes Scott, but like many people, they go for the money when they can get it..
We’d be no different if we were agents or players…
New post up now.
I’m not sure about complacency , I think it’s arrogance. It’s Billy big boots time , let them worry about us , after all these years in management I am the font of all knowledge etc.
Throughout my selling career I have seen companies :- Market leaders Some of you may remember Trico , Champion , Ferodo .Lucas , Smith Industries but they all lost their place at the top and they all had the same attitude as they slid down the slippery pole to obscurity . Wenger is no different , he doesn’t change and he doesn’t react to those that are chasing him and slowly but surely the level of achievement drops . We went through his first period when it was us or United , first or second , then Chelsea and City came along and the target was adjusted to top four, now Liverpool and Spurs have joined the party and the level is being readjusted as we speak.
And you can add Marks and Spencers to that list who at one time where the invinsibles.You have to move with the times or get left behind.