Morning all.
With all the talk about Arsenal’s interest in Andrea Balotti, a player we are supposed to have made a £56 million for, which in itself I think is a load of rubbish despite the stuff being said by his club, do Arsenal need another striker?
Alexis, Giroud, Lucas, Welbeck and Akpom. Throw in Walcott if things get desperate and that’s the striker options open to Arsene Wenger. The Frenchman only usually plays one up front, unless things are desperate, so he’s got plenty of options already hasn’t he?
I’d say no, not at all. When Ollie plays up front, Alexis is invariably on the left, with Walcott injured, Lucas is an option on the right, that leaves Welbeck and Akpom, both who have just returned from injury and in Welbeck’s case, a long one. Not only that, he was out for almost the entire season before this campaign so who knows whether or not this return will be a permanent one.
That pretty much leaves Chuba Akpom, a player with very limited first team football and I think it’d probably be fair to say, a player who we don’t really yet know what he has to offer. There’s talk about him going out on loan in any case.
Balotti is 23 years old, he’s scored 14 goals in 18 matches already this season and in case you didn’t know, he’s Italian. He’s known as ‘Gallo’, Italian for Rooster so yes, I love him already…. 😉
On a serious note, I know nothing about the guy, other than what’s written in Wikki and The Mirror who this morning like to tell us all just how he’d fit in at Arsenal or some ‘big club’ in the Premier League.. ‘He can challenge and drag markers all over the pitch and has quick enough feet to work an opening on goal while shielding the ball from Serie A’s physical defenders.’ writes Jack Rathborn, whoever he is, but I quite like the sound of his playing style. At just under six foot tall, he’s good in the air apparently and not only does he get goals with his head, but with both feet too, something which some of our players lack that’s for sure. Many are just so either right or left footed, if the ball lands on their weaker foot, one just knows where it’ll end up.
So perhaps he ticks all the boxes, apart from his price tag, which stands at 100 million Euros (get out clause) according to reports and he’s Italian…
Has Arsene ever signed an Italian before? I don’t believe she has.
Idris Kanu from Aldershot it is then….
In other news hitting the headlines, The Mirror’s Stan Collymore has a glorious headline which says ‘Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil will never win the Premier League Again under Arsene Wenger. Poor old Stan eh, the numpty doesn’t even realise that either player hasn’t won the league title already.
Lastly, Atletico Madrid have joined PSG in the hunt for the Chilean. Well, if they want him, let us have Antoine Griezmann.
Would you take that swap?
Me, I’d love to see them both at Arsenal…..
Have a good day guys and gals…
For the later arrivals and for the last time….
Another day as they say, and one which I hope dummies have been firmly replaced in mouths and life can move on.
This place isn’t a popularity contest, it’s not about if someone likes you or not and I for one often have my most heated arguments/disagreements with my closest friends. It’s not about fitting in with what you perceive to be the general consensus or not, it’s about your opinion and how you get your opinion across. What also matters is when we don’t always agree but really want to get our own views across, at least keep it civilised and that’s something I’m sure we can all do without throwing insults at each other.
Argue, debate, whatever you want to call it, as much as you like but if things become personal, you’ll be binned. It’s a simple as that.
Highbury House doesn’t have a huge following like other websites, but nevertheless, I do this for fun and it does take a lot of time out of my life so I’d rather try to enjoy it and not play school mistress.
Slagging off our own fans is not on, regardless of our differences of opinion, after all, each individual wants their opinion to be heard, so have the common decency to listen to others even though deep inside you might think they are wrong, or even that they are a massive dickhead!!
Don’t forget, someone might be thinking exactly the same about you!
That rumour has a strong whiff of BS about it rico, as you say Aldershot lad it is then.
Although I’m all for us scouring the lower leagues for players.
Our scouts have missed a few of late, Deli Alli being one of them
Arturo Lupoli anyone?
Prolific Adam
I would say that we do need another striker but that he should be a great striker and not some injury-prone flake. If Sanchez leaves as he may well do, then it becomes even more imperative.
A big whiff Lewis.. 😉
Me too re the lower leagues. We’ve knocked the club for not getting youngsters in from the lower leagues, so can’t moan when they do. My gripe is hanging on to those who come in but aren’t good yet are kept…
I forgot him Adam… 🙂
Anyone in mind Adam… 😉
Rico. 🙂
Just the usual suspects Rico. 🙂
Morning all.
Rico, we bring guys in, they’re on good wages, fault to flatter and we are stick with them because no other big club will take them, and smaller clubs can’t afford their wages, so the player (and his agent, dad, cousin…..) decide to hang around and cop the money.
Surely a guy like Sanogo could get a gig elsewhere in an easier League but money talks, I guess.
I use Sanogo as an example as he’s our obvious one at present.
Then, Debuchy fits the bill as well.
Actually the whole subject of the notable dearth of Italians in the PL is something I have often discussed with the Italian geezer I the local cafe.
Ah, those Adam… 🙂
Yes Rico. Highly motivated professionals playing for the honour of the club. 🙂
There’s a simple answer Scott, don’t pay them so much when they first arrive, as kids, they shouldn’t be on much anyway. Money has ruined so many younger players who think they’ve made it before they even kick a ball for a first team…
Good luck finding one of those these days Adam…. 😉
You got to love those Journo’s. One inute they are slating stats, the next minute they are quoting a striker has scored x goals in y matches. lol
Balotti is definitely not a baggio or even a Balotelli but a Massimo Maccarone.imo. 🙂
Rico, they’ll go elsewhere because someone will almost always offer more.
Yep, money has done so much damage to the game.
minute*
If we are going to sign a striker from Serie A then it has to be Pjanic. If its an attacker then Mauro Icardi or Ljajic
There was young Nicola Galli who was highly rated and doing well on loan in Serie A when he was killed in an accident.
Morning All
Morning Rico
Niccolo Galli…
Morning all.
Sky ran a by-line story about Jay Simpson moving to a backwoods team in the Mls. Tennessee, I think. He was a case of too much too young and the same can be said of many other over hyped 17 year olds we have had and have failed, more or less without a trace. Ferraris Range Rovers, Bentleys at 18 years of age tells its own story.
The crazy world of football, eh?
Sometimes buying an ‘unknown’ from a lower league side, who has something to prove may well turn out to be a better bet than trying to turn a pigs ear of a junior into the ‘next great thing’ is both easier and possibly more successful.
If Idris is the dog boll**s, get him signed up, if he’s not, don’t bother. Cut out the development squad and go for the real deal. Griezemann? Yes why not? He’s got all the trimmings and trappings of a top, top footballer and the lifestyle to match. He’d do very nicely. But, his contract would have to have a clause in it that states quite clearly that he will stay at the club, long after Mr. Wenger had been put out to pasture!
Nice day here, quite bright and reasonably warm, 10oC.
Snap Ross
Yes he died in a motor scooter accident, whilst visiting in Italy…
Apparently he was earmarked for a big career at Arsenal, quite tragic really…
Sorry Scott, I meant across the board…
We do keep them too long though imo…
Yep, Rico, we do seem to have a lot more patience than most clubs, no question.
Thanks Ross, I don’t remember him. Sad he was taken so young…
Morning Kev..
I think it’s down to AW Scott, imo he truly believes he can make stars out of every youngster and perseveres for far too long before admitting defeat…
Rico, that and the money issue-both factors, I reckon.
Sanogo is not in our squad?
he can play everywhere ! 🙂
Unfortunately, keeping ‘poor’ players irrespective of them getting games under the belt especially if they are injured makes more financial than selling or terminating the said players contract and replacing him.
Replacing a player will require signing on fee, agents fee etc unless the replacement will come free or vastly cheaper.
According to footie leaks, the majority of injured players’ salary is covered by insurance…
I guess this all assumes you are not aiming at winning*
Germany: Bundesliga
If a player should sustain an injury or illness, which prevent him from playing, the club is only obliged to pay the player his salary for 42 days. It’s clear that this is a very short period. Therefore players usually purchase an additional insurance.
In case of a career-ending injury the player can even terminate his contract with immediate effect. A player in the German Bundesliga has a high risk and is in need of advice to handle with these risks
Spain: La Liga
When seriously injured, a player in the Spanish league receives his salary up to 18 months, which might be prolonged by another 6 months in order to rehabilitate full fitness. It is important to stress that this arrangement only counts for injuries that are related to football activities.
If it is an injury away from club duty (i.e. car accident) the club can terminate the player’s contract with immediate effect, with no further payments.
United Kingdom: Premier / Football League
In the English Premier League and the Football League, there is a different regulation depending on the fact whether or not the injury was sustained under club duty. In the case of an injury sustained under club duty, the club pays for the player his basic salary for 18 months. For the remaining period before recovery, the club is obliged to pay only 50 % of the salary.
If a player should sustain an injury away from club duties or an illness, the club will pay the players basic salary for up to 12 months. For the remaining period before recovery the club is obliged to pay 50 % of the salary.
When a player suffers permanent incapacity or when he is unable to play resulting from the same injury or illness for a period amounting to eighteen months in any consecutive period of twenty months the club shall be entitled to serve a notice upon the player terminating this contract. The length of such notice shall be twelve months in the case of incapacity by reason of a player injury and six months in every other case (i.e. car accident).
But as often said Scott, if he didn’t waste so much money on ‘lesser’ players, he could have afforded better ones. The same can be said today…
France: Ligue 1
In France the club will only pay the player his salary for a maximum of three months when the player is injured or ill.
If the player faces a career-ending injury, the situation is even worse: the club can terminate with immediate effect the player his contract. The severance payment is only 40% of a monthly salary, multiplied by the number of seasons the player has played at that club.
Italy: Serie A
In Italy the club pays the player his basic salary for up to 6 months. After this period the club can reduce the salary up to 50%, until the player has rehabilitated. In case of a career-ending injury the club can terminate the contract after 6 months, with no further salary payable
Goes to show why players like the EPL as they get paid more when fi and not fit.
Bundesliga and Ligue Un have the worst conditions from a players point of view.
Also those countries has less neolib influences. 😉
How long has Sanogo been incapacitated 🙂
Rico, sometimes I wonder if such a large squad is needed, rather a smaller, more quality stacked lot.
Griezmann should be in the team. Wenger had a thing for french players but he can’t touch this one cause it’ll cost him!
Sell Theo, Ox add 40Mega and viola! Am already an expert here. Throw in Ramsey too.
Ts, the bit about not being able to sell a player when injured is obvious as who would risk taking a player who won’t play for a while… Well, other than Wenger with Kallstrom but even Pep signed Gundogan (spelling) whilst injured…
It’s the players we have kept over the years who clearly aren’t up to PL football which irks me…
And then the club plead poverty…
Marshall, since birth… 😉
Needs both really Scott, especially with four competitions to take part in.. If we had both, perhaps we’d compete a bit more.
And with a bit more nous from the manager….
How many of our guys don’t start a match, or bet few token ones, do you think?
The ideal scenarios is to have a chock full squad of top talent, but that’s a pipe dream 🙂
lol Rico 11:41. With yaya I guess it depends on if it is deemed he got injured on duty with us and what the termination fee is…
On Gundogan, the club’s medical team overrode/ assured the insurers Gundogan will get better; Footie leaks showed the exclusions in his contract showing if he did not get better than the club will be responsible for his wages. I guess Pep as powerful as he is could not have said I want Gundogan regardless without Ferran Soriano’s buy in…
This is where I get confused those who claim AW is the sole problem and that getting rid will produce a 180 deg turn around.;
if IG is as knowledgeable and effective as he is deemed to be, then he and the rest of the board should be vetoing AW to say let’s terminate Yaya, King Abou etc. contracts.
Although conspirators will say AW is a dictator I don’t see any cronyism on his part. There are other managers like Jose who will give Trump a run for his money with the way he appoints those close to him…
Scratch that.
We SHOULD have a few kids in the squad but you’re right, keep them until they’ve been given a chance and if they don’t shape up, replace them.
Rico, re your 11:40. other clubs like Chelsea and City chose to terminate and pay off the salaries of those under performing or injured players; In the end they end up spending more; an example is Adebayor and Sinclair etc…
On the surface they got rid of those players and bought better and went on to win titles; it was mainly a strategic move to help strengthen those who might compete against then in the EPL.;because Adebayor joined the spuds and he might have helped them win points against the likes of us…
In the end they were not more financially savvy than us;
Pound for pound we and Bm have been the most financially astute clubs; the reason stan will always keep AW; and AW can sleep knowing he has done his best for the club… imho
Netherlands: Eredivisie
In the Netherlands there is a system that secures a player of full payment while being injured. If a player can’t play due to illness or injury, he will receive his salary, even if the injury is a career-ending one. This system is a good example for other countries because it’s clear that the Dutch system ensures good protection for the player. The Dutch system shows that there are flaws in the other leagues their system regarding this issue when analysed from the players’ perspective. As long as there is no improvement in these other countries, the player has every interest of professional advice
That’s because Wenger doesn’t rotate much Scott, he’d rather flog players to the point of injury and then use his squad…
Maybe Ts, but we as a club still waste money and plenty of it. I’d rather they cut their losses on a few tbh..
The amount of money floating about in European footie is obscene. It allows clubs to spend ridiculous sums on mediocre players. Yet if you buy quality rather than quantity, and they are fragile sicknotes, like most of ours, you struggle.
The money coming in from China now, will only make things worse. They would be better off investing all their cash in youth academies and coaches, rather than the teams there having a couple of mercenaries on ridiculous money, and the rest making up the numbers.
Like the USA though, they want a quick fix rather than thinking long term.
The money being offered is tempting quite a few now, it will be the ruination of our football.
If Sanchez wants to go, we’d be better off letting him, before he affects the morale of the club.
So, if the latest round of fighting and protests lead to Le prof throwing in the towel and leaving, who do we think should ( or would) replace him?
Does Stan even care enough to go for a top manager, not that any are available?
Besides, as we’ve seen re Pep, not all ‘top’ managers cut the mustard in the EPL.
Meerkat, we didn’t sign them as sicknotes, we turned them into being sicknotes….
🙂 Rico- I agree we could always trim the fat… but as long as the ‘riff-raff’ are paying tax to the UK treasury I personally do not care…
If the money is not paid to the players it will get taken out of the club somehow. And in most cases it does not help the regular fan.
In the grand scheme of things if AW can never win trophies with whatever players he buys then I would rather the money went to a lowly xhaka or Yaya who will pay tax on his salary to the UK than a big tax dodging big player…
At least a huge bulk of AW’s salary goes into taxes… Jose and the likes of Pep have a complicated network than siphons’ off cash outside;
We football fans have been seriously conned all due to the tavistock institute… 😉
Arsenal and most EPL clubs are being run like the neolib economies in the west. When TV revenues went up tenfold, the savings were never passed down to the fans. Moreover the Pies’s and fake hotdogs are still as expensive. 🙂
Cohen Bramall signing has been confirmed….
Welcome to The Arsenal Cohen, good luck to the lad, maybe someone to bring in some fight having not been spoon fed as a player until now hopefully his attributes are passion and commitment that rub off on a few others.
All the stuff stuff I find of little interest really as none of us know what goes on at Arsenal, let alone other clubs… 😉
All what really matters is we as a club keep too many players who are really robbing a wage one way or another….
Amen to that Wath. If he’s a good as Youtube makes him look, we have snapped up a cracker…
Don Vito Mannone was pretty Italian.
Yesterday was not pretty on HH but a sign of the growing frustration amongst normally rational posters on here. Still by far the best place for a reasoned debate with a bit of humour thrown in. I once made the mistake of putting a comment on LG and was called a retard that had never been to the ground! That sort of comment and wishing Arsene ill or worse are par for that particular course. Vile.
Ok Bob, I get the point… My memory is rubbish… 😛
How could I forget Mannone… 🙂
I seem to remember another couple of ex-non-league players called Wright and Smith. They didn’t do too bad!
Yeah Rico, it foes seem that way. After all, they must pass the original medical.
No doubt wheelchair will return from Bournemouth, fit enough to pick up a pen and sign for another bumper pay packet, before breaking another fingernail and being out for months on top wages.
If we can get any money for him, and Ox come to that, we should get rid IMO. Use the money and their wages to buy or to keep, better players.
The one I can’t work out is Danny Welbeck Meerkat, I don’t think he was ever injured at Utd but as soon as he comes to us, he loses pretty much two seasons of football….
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20170106/video-watch-bramall-s-first-interview
What a lovely lad, feet firmly on the ground….
Futile talking about signings whilst Wenger is still the manager….
What a refreshing interview from the young boy. I wish him all the best.
Afternoon all.
Seems a lovely fella, mind you, could see him more in ‘Thunderbirds’ than with an Arsenal shirt on 😉 All the best to him.
I hope everyone does Adam. He’s certainly shocked by such a big move, hope he has a great career…
Ha ha Andrew..
I don’t know Lee, he’s bought a few goodies of late. Just a shame he doesn’t know what to do with them… 😉
Funny how football remains the same but always changing. The moneys in football will get bigger and bigger. Remember in the late 1980’s and 1990’s, “Narco-Football” when teams in Central and South America were buying players at an alarming rate for ridiculous money so that they can launder drug money? It’s no different from what’s going on in China now. Did the game survived?
Euorpean/ Americans do it through TV money and advivertising and as TV/ Multimedia platforms looks for content for their products, nothing is better than sports. There is no ending insight. The next Frontier could very well be Africa as all the corrupt politicians and drug baron, and warlords looks to hide their money….after all malls, gas stations and hotels have their limits… but sports is limitless. The first £1m p/w footballer is less than 5 years away.
Comrade Jeremy the gooner quoting AW in Peterborough today. lol
Part of what made Nigel Winterburn, Lee Dixon, Alan Smith and Ian Wright the players they were, was the fact that they were rejected as youngsters by respectively, Birmingham, Man City, Aston Villa and Millwall.
They all dropped down, some by several levels, but they had that burning detirmination to succeed, work their way back up and it made them the players they were.
Hungry fighters do to speak…
The Jamie Vardy effect maybe.
Anyway, Cohen Bramhall could be one of those, and you’ll get more loyalty and a greater work ethic from that type of player than some millionaire big time Charlie…
So bring it on Mr Brian McDermott, dig up a few more…
Oh, and they’re cheap…
Aftgernoon all
If it’s any consolation Rico I had some trouble myself yesterday identical to yours.
Feelings are running very high and at half time at Preston several inhouse fighting broke out,never seen before under AW’s tenure.
Re Ozil, he literally dropped into our lap as Real Madrid had to sell when they bought Bale and the bank made it a condition.
IMO what is going on now has been contrived by Ozil and Wenger together a bit like the SAF Rooney situation.No big clubs are confirmed as being interested in him and e wants more mony which in all probability Wenger will give him
Sanchez is an entirely different matter and I expect him to go.I am not expecting this crazy China revolution to last long as there are many restrictions when living there and Sanchez is 28 so has one last contract left in him.
Mr Mc may have done us a good deal Kev….
Not sure I understand re the problem Kelsey….
Evening and thanks Rico.
Italians !……………………..Peter Marinello and Terry Mancini sounded Italian and I always thought Frank McClintock looked Italian………..look at Lee`s avatar if you dont believe me ! 😀
Oi leave Tick tock alone, Best Arsenal captain in my time, still attends matches and is still passionate about what happens on the pitch.
Clever clogs LC… ?
Catch up tomorrow guys…
Nighty.
I agree potter……….best Italian looking captain we ever had !………………..we could talk all day long about our best Italian players, sounding players and looking players, but how long`s a piece of spaghetti ?
Morning all.
Before China suddenly started buying up world class players, plenty of decent Aussie guys went over.
None of them lasted long, seems it’s not a great place to love, and I seem to recall there were issues at times receiving payment.
When is enough, enough, regarding money?
I am amazed players would want to go there unless it was at the tail end of their career.
Paolo Andrea Pietro Vernazza , born Islington but what of papa.
Not forgetting…………..Dave Bacuzzi, Fabian Caballero, Squillaci and how could we forget…………….Gus Caesar !
By looking up these I happen to come across ………………….Yaya Sanogo………..did you realise he has been with us since 2013 !……has 20 appearances ( 9 coming on as Sub ) and 1 goal !…………………………..I now hand over to my learned friend Obi as the councillor for the defence ! hahaha
Yes, I know Yaya`s not Italian, but he needs to wake up with a dead horses head next to him !.
I thought that Yaya was related to Balotelli.?
Never let a daigo by, thats what I say, ok I’ll grab me coat !
LCM…….Frank McKlintock is just the type of player we need right now. One of the best players ever to wear the famous Red and White.
Still remember when we signed him from Leicester City.
Saw him score the winner for Leicester City at Highbury and thought, young though I was at the time, I should love him to come to the Arsenal, the sort of player we could do with! And then he came. Definitely the best captain we ever had, by a long long way. We could do with his sort at the club right now! But I don’t think Wenger would ever buy such a charismatic footballer as McLintock, he couldn’t stand the competition!
We did an Arsenal brew a few years back.
One found its way to Frank so we did a McLintock Ale…front label was the famous picture of him holding the two trophies, back label was him holding our beer!
Big buzz at the time!!
Maybe we need that type of leader even more than we do a new owner or manager.
No matter who our manager was, imagine Frank or big Tony staying silent the way we often play?
Afternoon all, on this warm & sunny day, People don’t it too yourselves, Welbeck is the January signing. Even I can see that from a “million miles away” 🙂
Shit, GG, its 40 plus here today, seriously!!!
I hate it!!!
Morning Rico and all.
What I meant re the fighting at preston which was quite awful as it was inhouse is that you can feel and read the tension on Arsenal blogs that AW is dividing the fan base more and more and some lose it when blogging.
Morning Kelsey, GG, Scott and all..
I can see what you mean.. But us fighting against each other won’t change anything.
Morning Kelsey.
I don’t agree that Wenger is to blame for thugs belting shit out of people-that’s an excuse, and thugs will always find an excuse.
On blogs, well, that’s not on Wenger, either.
I’ve had my say on that, but there’s no way in the world I’ll blame Wenger for my actions.
I won’t even be idiot enough to blame Stan.
That’s on myself and another person here, nobody else.
Morning Rico.
I don’t think Kelsey is blaming Wenger Scott. It’s the Wenger situation which is frustrating fans, the fights/arguments etc is between those who want him gone and those who hope he stays for years and years…
Frustration builds and now it’s all coming out, which is what happens when alcohol gets involved…
Morning All.
How many people have Arsenal as an away win banker on their coupons this week end?
Morning Vcc. Not me…
Fair enough, Rico, but we are all adults and are responsible for our own choices and actions.
Blaming an outside factor is a cop out, for mine.
Anyway, who are we signing??!
Schneiderlin to Everton-he’s better than that, imo.
18 miilion or so is what I heard was the fee-there’s a bargain, right there.
I always back Arsenal.
I always back any club I support lol
I even back any of my dogs racing, no matter how outclassed they are lol
Naive, yes, I know 🙂
Totally agree Scott, but all Kelsey is suggesting is the Wenger situation is behind things which to be honest, it probably is.
But as said yesterday, there’s way of making our thoughts clear without being insulting or punching someone. Even though one might feel like it sometimes… 😉
£24 million for Morgan apparently.. Do we really need any more midfielders?
Rico, I wonder how he’s sit next to Santi, Coquelin or Xhaka though.
I just think he’s value, but we’d probably have to lose one so it won’t happen.
I guess it’s merely an opinion on what the cause is, because you know my feelings on who’s to blame, so is anyone actually 100% correct, or just of a different view?
I know you want to punch me 🙂 🙂
Sorry Scott, but I don’t think it matters who we sign, it’s the way we play which is the problem.
Yes, I do on the odd occasion… 😉
Hey, I want to punch me bahahahaha
Give me the Real squad and I’d win trophies so players do help 🙂
You are right in your assumption Rico. It was witnessed by 3 people who were there on Saturday, one a lady and she was frightened as hell.It was definitely to do with Wenger at the forefront.
I think Santi will leave and go back to Spain.he is 32 we love him and miss him but he needs replacing IMO
Morning Rico. Most Arsenal people I know have gone beyond frustration with the whole situation at the club and have entered a phase of apathy where they just shrug their shoulders when discussing the situation. They don’t want to punch anybody, physically or online, because they know that nothing they do or say will make the slightest bit of difference. The general gloom at the ground is surely a manifestation of this. They get behind the team but in a rather lacklustre way I think, which is not a great place to be when you are paying thousands of pounds and giving large amounts of time for the club you love. Denying what you see is delusional. The club know the situation ‘on the ground’ hence their attempts to use John Cross to spin the Ozil situation and tie it in with Arsene staying.
Oh what a tangled web they weave….
I doubt it Scott…. 😉
I would have been too Kelsey, violence is ghastly, especially when people are drunk as they never know when to stop. Horrid stuff really…
Re Santi, I think Wenger has said he’s to activate the one year extension option on his contract so my guess is he’ll be staying.
Morning Adam. That’s exactly where I sit right now. Nothing I say or do will result in change so all the time Wenger soldiers on, I simply expect very little.
One day though change will come and my interest, like so many others, will return..
Should we just stop talking about the club???
We’ve all said our piece and we all know where each other stands, so to save the pain, should we all be silent?
No, of course not.
Adam, seems to me plenty of tourists would appreciate a ticket to a game more than plenty of ST holders-I know I would-yet we get ridiculed, constantly.
We can all blame whoever we choose, but whatever the reason, it’s disappointing.
The club doesn’t need ‘tourists’ in the stands, it needs Arsenal fans. The place already has too many non Arsenal supporters being given tickets imo..
Those who want a jolly day out to impress someone….
We all agree on one thing, at the very least, and that’s that change is required.
Let’s all hope it happens soon.
Rico, that’s not what I was saying.
ST holders don’t appreciate the fact they can go to games at will.
They should, and they should be made to, though plenty will say that there’s a decent amount of ST holders equally as blasé about the club as those tourists are.
Real fans, no matter where they’re from, should be made to feel appreciated and should enjoy the experience on game day.
That’s an issue for the entire club to sort out.
I agree Rico. Eventual change is inevitable and all the risks, challenges and upheavals it creates will be interesting to see. Apathy is not what Arsenal needs, but it’s the way it has all panned out at the moment. Nobody has set out to be apathetic. It just slowly dawned on them. 🙂
Not being funny Scott, but not being a season ticket holder, how would you know how they feel?
My own impression from the ST holders I know, they are fed up with watching shoddy stuff each week dished up by Arsene and his team. But they go each week because they love the club and all it stands for and hope change will be soon…
I always try to be positive but I’m sure if I was a ST holder, I’d be well cheesed off by now too…
Agree Adam. It’s not like any of us have woken up one morning and thought ‘that’s it, we need to change’ – this has been building up over years now. Once the excuse was we had no money, now we have money but as many people have now learned (if not long before now) that money or the spending of it, is not the problem.
It’s boring, stale, unimaginative and predictable football….
A couple of my mates were at PNE game and the punch ups definitely started between divided fans….so Wenger is a major factor.
Brudder. That’s bad.
In most cases when a football club doesn’t meet it’s expectations or is stagnant the manager is the first to clear out. Over at Arsenal he seems to be the last person to blame. Am certain Wenger is half the factor we are in this scenario.
Exactly Marshall..
Rico, that’s a fair point, but being English, how would any of you know what we tourists really go through each week to watch games and support the club???
That doesn’t stop you all taking shots at us, though, and every time someone says “tourists” they label me and those like me….those who rarely miss a game.
We all woke up at 5am the other day, had a chef on double time wages at our expense arranged to be there to cook us brekkie at our venue, go down 3-0 and wonder why the hell we bothered?
Sean was there.
Some of his mates were, and they’re 10 years old.
Do you guys really think we don’t feel the pain??
Do you honestly believe being born and bred in North London automatically makes fans care more?
Sorry, but the answer is yes, you all do, without even realising it.
As I was told, I live a million miles away.
I suggest any time you guys head overseas, find a local supporters club and watch a game with them and then tell me we aren’t as relevant as any other fan.
Marshall, it seems around 80-90% of fans DO blame Arsene, so when you say our manager isnt to blame, who do you mean?
I’ll say no more on this one, Rico 🙂 🙂 🙂
Read again Scott.
Scott, haven’t we done the ‘tourist’ thing before?? My definition, as explained in the comment, is clearly different to what you perceive it to be..
Marshall, yes mate, your right and I apologise.
Rico, that was aimed at all fans, all people commenting on here and not you directly.
It reads that way but it wasn’t my intention.
Two apologies in one post-what’s going on 🙂
Sorry Rico but I do hope others comment on it later.
There’s another post lol
I’m not born and bred in North London either Scott so that kind of puts us on the same level as far as Arsenal goes. Yes, I get as angry as frustrated as those who were but I know they hurt more than me because Arsenal is in their DNA. For me though, Arsenal was a choice, for them, there was no other option…
I consider the tourists to be the ones at the Emirates on their iPads/mobile phones throughout the game, constantly chatting or as I have seen a couple of times sound asleep!
Makes you wonder why they bother Lee…
New post is up now.
Now you two have known me long enough to know I get a bit narky-just at times 🙂
I’m also very, very guilty of making sweeping comments without clarifying the fact it’s not directed at you, or even HH members, but Arsenal fans in general.
Funny though, I’ll often aim up squarely at someone but that’s another topic!!!
No excuse, but I am what I am and I do know plenty on here would never treat me as a selfie snapping tourist.
One point, Rico-I had no choice when it comes to Arsenal.
Neither does Seany 🙂
We do love the Arsenal and we do feel the pain.
People handle things differently.
There’s no right or wrong-well, accept when it comes to fighting with fellow fans.
Guilty as charged and while in the mods, Frednerk, I hope you see this and accept my apologies.
When I’m over, we shall enjoy a curry and/or 10-12 pints and I’m sure you’ll realise I’m every bit the arsehole you believed 🙂
Next year, hopefully, guys.
Scott I can see both points of view.I lived abroad for 14 years so could only support Arsenal from a bar TV or TV but that made no difference to my feelings depending on the result.
The advantage of being at a game is that you see the whole picture and all 22 players at the same time as opposed to a camera following the play.
I know several people who will always support the club but don’t bother to go to many games as we have become so predictable and on many an occasion boring or even awful and we all know with the odd tweak here and there we could really challenge.It’s frustrating to the limit.