Morning all.
This has been a long season, a long hard season and it’s not over yet. Sitting in sixth place with so few fixtures left to play simply isn’t good enough. Things could get worse too before the end on May as Burnley could yet overtake us. Mathematically, so could Everton and Leicester and how embarrassing would that be? Mathematically, we could still overtake both Chelsea and Tootenham but I think it’s fair to say that’s highly unlikely.
Not only do we have a few tricky fixtures left to play but once again, there’s the will he stay or will he go stuff going on which just like this time last year, we’ll, a bit earlier to be pedantic, disrupted the squad.
‘Obviously, all this speculation about the coach in, coach out and what’s going to happen next. ‘Once you as a player start thinking too much about it obviously it can affect your performance and that is not going to help you. So I try to avoid all these things but as I say everybody is different and some people might think too much about it.’ – Per Mertesacker.
Funny thing is though, we’ve been pretty dire all season so if what Merts is suggesting is true, it’s either a pretty poor excuse, or a dreadful decision made by the club to give the manager a two year contract extension because I haven’t seen much difference between the way we played last season, to this, certainly not once 2017 kicked in. I think it’s a bit of both. No, a lot of both. If the idea of keeping Arsene Wenger was a good one, we wouldn’t be where we are now and we certainly wouldn’t be playing the kind of football we’re playing which as each season comes along, seems to be played at a slower pace than the season before. More errors have crept in, just as more sideways and backwards passes have too.
Players might wonder whether Wenger is coming or going and it would only be natural for them to do so, but not for one minute do I believe the uncertainty to be the cause of our average season. Perhaps the thought of another season like the last few might make them question their own future but if there’s a hint of him departing, then I’d imagine many will suddenly find a spring in their step.
This group of players can say what they like publicly but do any of you believe what they say is honestly what they think? I don’t. They know they have to tow the line, say all the right things etc etc but if they believed in Arsene Wenger and what he’s trying to do on the pitch, whatever that is, the players we have would not be part of a team which loses the kind of games we have and nor would they be disorganised as they so often appear. Individuals would be improving their game, not regressing as some have.
International players don’t make the same mistakes time after time, they don’t leisurely wander around the pitch either as if they’re on a Sunday afternoon stroll with their dog, no, they fight from start to finish of every game they play in. For themselves, for each other, the manager and most importantly, the club and it’s fans.
But that isn’t happening is it?
1st!?
Good afternoon rico and all..
I read the BFG confessions and I have to say it shocked me..
Not because of what he said and I can understand where he is coming from, but it makes you wonder why the club offered him another year extension and kept him as a captin? Even more peculiar is why did he accept the offer? Could or should we have kept Gabriel! ?
Everyday you discover new damning facts of how wenger and co have been running the club like their own nursing home…
It’s really shocking from so called sport professionals to take the club and its long suffering fans for granted like that. .
Anyway good luck BFG. .
You are Kk… 😉
Afternoon to you..
Doesn’t Merts situation sum Arsenal under Wenger up though?
He’d have been better off spending the year with the academy and getting to know the younger players. Perhaps he has been…
Morning. Well done Rico for again finding something fresh to get us thinking.
I think Merts knew he wouldn’t be playing, so signed for the money. Another years salary, without the pressures he so disliked. Wrong of him imo, but you can’t really blame the players for trying to wring every penny out before they retire. His salary as a coach will be much less.
As already said, bad decision getting shot of defenders though, and we nearly lost Mustafi. He’s not the best, but he’s our best, lol.
I bet some days you wonder why you bother Rico.
Hi Meerkat. Thanks. Most days I wonder that.
Evening Rico. It’s a very slow news period for Arsenal isn’t it? Perhaps the uncertainty around the place has unsettled both the players and the supporters. 🙂
Evening Adam. Ha ha, I like that.
Trouble is there’s not too much to add , the post is comprehensive and covers most points. The club decided to keep him because they thought that they could wring out a few more games from him and allow others ( Gabriel and McGuane to go and save some money. They probably thought that Holding and Chambers would come through and that with Kos and Mustaphi with Merts and Elneny / Monreal as back up they had enough.
At the other end though with Lacazette , Aubameyang and Mkhitaryan joining plus Ozil re-signing , Wenger’s possible departure seems not to be an issue . Maybe they have their reasons i.e good contracts and money Mkhitaryan had nowhere to go and Ozil had no takers at his wage demands in the last window..
After all Arsene’s holiday club is a nice relaxing place to get rich , you don’t have to over exert and the manager gets the blame anyway so what’s not to like.
As you say the trauma is nearly over , we seem likely to get 6th and end up in the very early rounds of the Europa league with an outside chance of winning the thing and getting to the last 16 of next seasons champions league .
History repeating itself
. Roll on the revolution.
I think that the extra year for Mertesaker was just in case we had an injury crisis and he could step in as he did last season. It’s also the cheap option as it allowed Wenger to sell one of his centre-backs, he tried to flog Mustafi, he tried to flog Chambers, he eventually flogged Gabriel – who I would have kept and he tried to flog Elneny who is now set for a new deal.
He tried to sell Walcott and almost sold Giroud last summer.
Now they have both gone.
It’s great to know that Arsene Wenger has such a clear plan as to where the club is going, wherever the fcuk that is?
When you look at Tottenham and Liverpool there does seem a plan, their managers solve weaknesses in the team, bring in the players they need to build a balanced squad, meanwhile Wenger mostly just signs more midfielders.
With one manager claiming Jack used them to force Arsenal to up their contract offer, and now Everton saying they want him, what is the truth about Jack? How has he had an injury free season, for what must be the first time in years,(hope I’m not speaking too soon)? All very strange.
Is he a closet Mertesaker, and actually hates playing, and loves being injured? Hmmmm.
Lol alezkev. He does just like midfielders, but only attacking ones, not defensive ones.
Kev, attacking midget midfielders..
Afternoon all,
Slow day, slow week, slow month, slow season. .hopefully we hear the good news comes the summer. .
I was waiting all weekend to hear anything about what Charlie Nicholas said he was feeling the other day. .turns out he was feeling constipated from all those cheese sandwiches he ate at sky’s. .
O well..
It was funny to see sanchez recording vedios of himself working out in the gym. .
He must be under so much pressure to resort to those desperate Adebahore like tactics ..
Those Interlools don’t help to lift up the mood either!
I haven’t seen the clips, but what an idiot. But I bet he is feeling very uncomfortable at manure, Pogba’s fans can’t stand him, Napoleon is taking a lot of stick for his lack of man-manage to skills, and Sanchez just isn’t clicking with his team mates. Wrong move you greedy little shit. Man city or manure? Hmmmm. Who to choose?
Oh yeah, the money.
Now that hibernation seems to be over , what are the thoughts on Luke Shaw as Monreal is not getting younger and there was a left back there once.
The interlul has sung me a lullaby and deprived me of all things football and all thing Arsenal, well Wenger has done the latter!
How I wish I could find something to complain about! I’ll just have to be patient, something horrendous will turn up eventually.
Getting dark here. A blue sky and a red sunset. Almost summery!
I’m with the rest of you, I’m quite disinterested in football and certainly Arsenal.
Thanks Arsene….
Hello by the way….
Evening rico. .
Yes there is nothing joyful to feel about arsenal and football at the moment. .
Potter, re luke Shaw I guess mourinho doesn’t like him at all..he certainly didn’t forget when shaw favoured a united move over him and Chelsea . .
lack of fitness and injury didn’t help his career during van gal days and last season with mourinho.
there is a good player for sure ..
the things mourinho highlighted about his performances were rubbish and unjustified. .
Bellend has been doing worse all season and didn’t get half of the bullying and the criticism ..
So I would be happy if we sign him…..however, if wenger stays he will probably play him as a center half . .
Evening Rico and the House.
I have not lost interest Rico at least not with the young ones.
We are away to Blackpool in the first leg of the youth Cup semi final. and are winning 1-0
More to come
Evening Kk, Rick.
I read about the young guns, but not being able to watch is frustrating…
Thanks Rick ! lets hope for some good news there. The difficulty is the transition period between youth teams and the senior stuff. I don’t think we have got the next stage development right we seem to import ready mades instead of bringing through our own. I still favour a football combination system . I used to enjoy watching the “” Stiffs “” and a few young ones when I was a little one.
Finished 2-2 all to play for at the Emirates on April 16th.
We were winning 2-1 missed a pen and our Goalkeeper made big mistake for their 2nd goal.
The team really missed Smith Rowe they seem lost without him..
Finished 2 -2 I believe, 2nd leg to follow but I don’t know where.
Potter your 8.31 is spot on.
Our U23’s are in strong position to win the league,
We have 3to play and if we win all 3 we will be champions,
.now if Eddy Reiss and Joe willock are allowed to play we will
win all three ,if they are not in the team we will not.
Its all down to Wengar and Gatting
One more point
They have changed the rules on Champions/Europa league for next season.
The top four go straight int the group stage and the teams that finish 5&6 go straight into the group stage of Europa.
English clubs do not have to play in the early rounds
All for now Goodnight good people,
Morning all !
Morning Potter. How are you?
Morning Potter, Wavy and all.
You’ll be surprised but there’s a new post up now.