Reading too much into the Koscielny situation?

Morning all.

Laurent Koscielny refusing to travel with the squad to the USA has certainly got tongues wagging. Wrighty has had his say, most Arsenal related blogs NewsNow and their followers have had theirs, as have the media/journos etc. Inevitable really as it’s a big story and one which makes Arsenal look weak, or strong, depending on how you see things.

Is Arsenal being disrespectful to a player who has been a loyal servant to the club for nine years?

Should they just let him go where he wants now he’s heading into his final year of his contract?

Is this the beginning of players showing their distain towards the club and the way it’s run with others likely to follow suit?

Is Koscielny simply throwing a strop because he wants a return to France and with it, secure his last bumper contract knowing that he’ll earn more if no transfer fee is involved?

Has Koscielny been told he’s not in the club’s future plans and he’s cheesed off about it?

Or finally, is this Arsenal telling him he’s not in their plans but he’s not going for free as those days are over.

Those days aren’t over, not really because the last regime left the club in a mess as far as contracts go but that’s too bad now as there’s little the current regime can do about it unless they/Kroenke buy out their contracts or by some miracle, another club comes in for them and the player says yes. Until 2021, we’re stuck with Ozil, Xhaka, Mkhitaryan and Mustafi. I type those names because they’re the ones I personally would like to see moved on but you guys might think differently. Until then, it’s about managing them, trying to get the best out of them, or simply don’t play them. That’s a job for Emery.

It’s well documented that at PSG, Emery allegedly had a problem with managing his players. Well, Neymar but then just look at what’s been going on this summer and it’s not difficult to understand why. News outlets such as the Guardian, Telegraph, Metro etc go a bit further by suggesting more players were less than happy. Why? Because they were either dropped, subbed or simply rotated ‘they’ said. In other words, they were sulking. If such reports were true at the time of course.

Kev’s comment about Emery yesterday prompted me to search the Internet, to find out what players he’s previously managed have had to say about him. The guys at Planet Football obviously had the same idea after Emery was announced as the guy to replace Arsene Wenger. It’s worth reading too in my opinion. This one made me smile.

Anonymous Almeria player

“Emery is a colossal pesado (pain in the arse). The players hate him. Training sessions are long and unbelievably boring. Team talks go on forever – he makes you watch videos for hours, with endless replays of corners and free kicks, even goal kicks. It’s so dull I’ve seen people fall asleep.

 

“He tells you the same things every week, like you’re a little kid, ramming home his point – like the one about an open hand only delivering a slap but a fist, with everyone tightly packed together, being capable of doing real damage.

 

“He goes on forever, you get bored stiff, you think it’s all bollocks … but it works. It’s so relentless that in the end every single player knows exactly what he wants.”

I touch on this subject because of what happened last season with Ozil and Ramsey. Lacazette too to a degree as he was often the first player subbed and of course, the media loved what they were seeing. A bad start to the season and those same journalists will be rubbing their hands together, or something like that if you get my drift. They’ll try and whip whip up a player/manager revolt at Arsenal as they did with Ozil especially and The Mirror have touched on their relationship again this morning..

There might be a problem between Emery and some of the players, I don’t know but I’m sure if there was, we’d see a lot more players agitating for a move out of the club than just Koscielny and in my opinion, Emery probably has nothing to do with him wanting to leave. He’s 33 years old and fragile, not 21 years and already showing he’s a great player. For what it’s worth, I think the club are right to expect to get a fee for him, regardless of how big or small it might be.

Arsenal need to think ahead to the future and where the club wants to be in two years time, five years time and so on. The likes of Aubameyang, Ozil, Lacazette, Mustafi, Mkhitaryan, Koscielny, Sokratis, Monreal etc etc aren’t our future. A few might be are present despite what we the fans think of them but whilst they’re under contract, they’ll remain Arsenal players.

Koscielny is ruining his reputation by striking but as for a player/manager revolt. Until there’s concrete evidence to prove there is one, I personally don’t see the point in believing there is one.

What a weekend of sport we have, five Wimbledon Finals, the Cricket ODI Final, British GP and for those who enjoy netball, the World Cup has kicked off too. There’s the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals too with Alex Iwobi in action on Sunday for Nigeria.

What more could you ask for eh? Yep, me too. A few cracking new signings for Arsenal and for the club to make sure that ghastly lot down the road don’t beat us to the signature of Saliba. Apparently Raul, Edu and co are larging it up in the US of A. Unless they’re out there pleading for Kroenke to sanction a few top notch signings, they should be at the club, being busy! I’m jesting of course, I’m sure their are telephones etc across the pond…

Have a great weekend guys. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

 

 

 

101 thoughts on “Reading too much into the Koscielny situation?

  1. Adam says:

    Morning Rico. I have no answer to the Koscielny thing except a few ideas based on my own particular bias. But, looking from the outside, it seems that, despite some hurt feelings, I can’t see that there’s much point in hand-wringing over it. For me he’s a player, never elite, who has come to a natural end of an injury-prone career at Arsenal where he looked like one of our best defenders simply because of the very low standards that Wenger set over the latter years of his tenure. At any other ambitious top club he would have been a bit-part player. I say get what you can for him and tell him to f-off, if only for his tacky and disrespectful behaviour.
    The Emery thing is more interesting and certainly more nuanced. In every work situation I have been in, when something goes wrong there always needs to be someone to blame. You know where I stand on his management of Arsenal. We have spoken about it privately since around last Christmas. I have to wonder how much of a role our perceived lack of money has had to play where he is concerned. Some of our players are prima donnas and experience tells me that, with the money that they get paid, their sense of self-importance tends to distort their sense of decency and respect for others and certainly their performances.
    The route we are on suggests to me that the management understand where we are and are getting ready for the long haul where, if they can’t sell them, they out-wait blokes like Mustafi, Ozil and Mikhitaryan and let them walk away for nothing while we try and get young players lined up to replace them in several seasons time. The nuclear option might be to get them out by paying them or essentially giving them away and start the re-building earlier and perhaps with a different management structure and especially with a younger manager who really does have some new ideas and can get young players to buy into his vision.
    Another 3 or 4 seasons of the sort of crap the club are dealing with now is surely a horrible prospect and the fans that pay a fortune for their season tickets year in, year out will need to look and dig deep to go along with it. Or not.
    All things considered, I would favour the nuclear option but it has its potential dangers and it’s easy for me to say.
    I would say though that the situation we are in is entirely down to Arsenal themselves and unless something wild happens like Stan getting a grip (and I can’t see that at all), it seems to me that we are in for some tough times.

  2. Cicero says:

    Good morning Rico, thanks for the post and the plethora of questions posed.

    My answers are as follows:-

    No.

    No.

    I doubt it.

    Yes.

    No.

    Yes.

    As far as I can see there’s a simple solution, let Koscielny buy out the remaining year of his contract by paying the club the sum of £4.680 million the amount he would get in wages (£90,000 p w) through to the end of his term. I’m sure that one of the clubs that have expressed an interest in signing him would be willing to reimburse him.

    Koscielny would get his desired move and Arsenal would be richer by £9.72 million. Win, win all round. ..👍

  3. Sohara says:

    I was pleased with Emery when he started, but I am having some slight misgivings about him now. None of our players seem to have a great relationship with him, there is no passion when you see them together. I know they are mostly being taken off at the time I see them interact so perhaps it’s not fair to judge , but it is not like say Klopp when they come off, I don’t feel the atmosphere in the dressing room is good , if this is the case I can’t see Emery lasting after this year. I’ve even read some players won’t come to us as they didn’t want to play under Emery. So all in all I cannot see us getting Saliba UNLESS we are too far along in the deal , although Levy is over there today offering more money and better conditions . I hate to be a bit negative. I do believe we should support the club through good and bad times, and I DO support Arsenal through good & bad times . I just feel a little nervous at the moment about things

  4. ScottfromOz says:

    Morning all.
    Adam, I’ll respectfully disagree with you on Kozzers ability, as I reckon given a top DM and solid defenders with him, he’d be given the credit I believe he deserved.
    Stick him in the Invincibles and he’d look a superstar, take any of those gents as individuals out, put them in some of our recent units and they’d looked average as no matter how good a player is, when under constant and relentless pressure, they’ll make errors.
    He was also a guy who played for a bloody strong French side regularly, so I reckon he’s been under rated but again, it’s all opinion and that the joy of comparing players of different eras.
    His actions will tarnish his reputation with fans forever, though, and I do at least hope we find out exactly why he took this action, as it seems quite out of character.
    Whatever the case, he needs to respect his contract!!!!!
    You’re spot on with your analysis of present day footballers, though
    Bloody Prima donnas, the vast majority of them and they need good kick up the arse!
    There’s a League coach in Oz who I detest, as he coaches his players to break every single rule they can in order to win, but he gets plenty right.
    When his club signs an 17-18 year old, he sends them to work in a factory for a week or two, to give them a taste of what life without a large wage is like, and what people go through to earn the money to watch these wankers play a game each weekend.
    I thinks it’s a brilliant initiative.

  5. Adam says:

    Scott. I get your point but I still don’t think Kos was ever at the level of say a Rio or a Sol or a VDV or a Kompany to name but 4. If he was we would have had to fight other clubs off of him every transfer window.
    He was a decent defender for sure though.

  6. ScottfromOz says:

    Adam, it’s such a hard one to really line up, that’s for sure, but he had periods where he was damn near the best CB in the League, even allowing for our inadequacies.
    Anyway, he will possible be remembered more for the way he left the club than what he gave us, down the track and that’s a shame.

  7. rico says:

    Morning Adam, Scott, Cicero, Sohara, all.

    That’s what I think re Kos Adam, he’s turned so there’s no way he should stay now and the same for any other player who thinks they are bigger than the club.

  8. rico says:

    Absolutely not Scott and we must remember that regardless of what our opinion of him has been, we’re losing an ageing player whose better days are long behind him.

  9. ScottfromOz says:

    Rico, no question.
    I’d have been happy if he stayed but even more happy if we upgraded as he’s certainly not our worst defender, but now……….out the door.

  10. rico says:

    I wouldn’t Scott, waste of wages to pay a guy for one or two games a month. And don’t get me started on Mustafi… 😂

  11. ScottfromOz says:

    Sorry, Adam, Kozzer must go and that’s a given-I should’ve added “if recent events hadn’t transpired” 🙂
    Night all:

  12. Wavy says:

    Afternoon all.

    I have to say I’m very disappointed with the Kos situation. As Adam said earlier, we really have no idea about what’s going on, suffice to say, refusing to go on tour is a pretty drastic, and not like him, imo.
    There are several scenarios that could explain his attitude. For me, the most likely one is that he’s had a conversation with the coach and has been told he will no longer be a regular starter, and he’s got the hump. Then a club come in for him but the redoubtable arsenal signing machine have told him that despite his future position he won’t go for nothing. Fair enough. However, I doubt very much whether the club would get as much for him as he’s offered to buy out his contract! So, where’s the sticking point? If this is the club playing hard bal they’ve just lost the diplomacy game, imo. They should be offering him a testimonial if he stays another year, not sending him to the naughty corner!

    There is no doubt doubt that the nature of the Arsenal has changed, but if they are found to be the agents provocateur in this case they will lose a great deal of respect from every quarter.

    As for the Saliba transfer, if we lose him to the scum that, I think will sum up where we are in the world of football a once proud and honourable club to a dishonourable bunch of second rate employers with dubious levels of integrity.

    The whole of the arsenal franchise is starting to smell. Whatever is going on is not reflecting the traditions of a once great club and I fear we are seeing the demise of the great marble hall being replaced by the modern flat packs produced by ikea! This is not savoury, not savoury at all.

    Miserable here…..can’t you tell?

  13. rico says:

    Night Scott.

    Afternoon Wavy, good comment but I’m sure he’d have got a testimonial if he was set to stay but if he’s been told he’s history, then that’s that I guess. I think the club had no choice to make public what happened because otherwise, the press would make it up..

  14. Wavy says:

    Rico, the distressing thing is that Kozzer has taken his ball home. I can’t remember an arsenal player ever going on ‘strike’. What ever is going on here is clearly unpleasant. Old mother Wenger for all his faults would have put his arm round the player and eventually would have found a satisfactory compromise. I don’t think that is going to happen in this case I think this schism may cause the club a huge amount of difficulties in the future, particularly where recruitment and retention is concerned.
    it’s very worrying.

  15. rico says:

    Wavy, Wenger would have kept him I’m sure, or let him go for free. Is that what we really want our club to be doing. I might be in the minority here but I’m with the club on this. For too long we’ve been a soft touch.

  16. Joaquim Moreira says:

    Where is Arsenal going?
    Fix what I say: the evil of Arsenal is that of not having foreseen and having prepared for the ascent of the neighbor.

  17. Akan says:

    Do not forget the words Ozil used “you are not a coach” I’m still scratching my head how could he tell a very promising young player in Jeff Raine Adelaide, that he has no future at the club, Give him away for 1.9million pounds, yet can’t let Koscelney who is 33 years old and who’s had it, go home. It’s puzzling and don’t make sense

  18. allezkev says:

    Good post Rico and great opening comment Adam, I wholeheartedly agree…

    It’s a shame it has to end this way, but you can’t make an omelette without breaking some eggs and we really need to break a few eggs…

    The agents of Ozil, Mustafi, Kolasinac, Xhaka and the thief who represents Mkhitarayan will start to get twitchy as their deals run down.
    There’s not a lot for them to earn from slowly expiring contracts.
    They’ll probably try to arrange some kind of a deal – a transfer or new contract, as the deals enter there last year, but the club should get rid of them off, no more commission to those thieving twits imo, just let’s their deals expire and bin them off. useless the 5 of them…

  19. allezkev says:

    Might mean that Koscielny leaves, Monreal becomes regular centre back in his place and Tierney shares left back duties with Kolasinac…

  20. Wavy says:

    Sounds about right Kev. And everybody’s happy? We’ll see how it all unfolds…….

    If Tierrny signs I suppose he thinks the Arsenal is bigger and better than Celtic. Or will he end up at Napoli?

    Ah well, tomorrow is another day😊

  21. rico says:

    Akan, Ozil doesn’t seem to like a bit of hard work though does he? Good coaches get players working hard. Not that I’m suggesting Emery is perfect, far from it. £2m for Jeff is about right isn’t it? Young, unproved and clearly other clubs weren’t knocking down the door for him otherwise he’d have gone for more.

  22. rico says:

    Thanks Kev. I’m with you, the sooner these hanger ons are long gone the better. We need players who want to be at the club, not for what’s in their pay packet. If we could afford to, I’d stick them all in the reserves but we can’t I guess so Emery has to find a way with them if they’re still here next season.

  23. Adam says:

    Morning Rico. Surely things must start moving sooner or later? At the moment we’re in worse shape than last season perhaps with, as you call them, the ‘hanger-ons’ still bleeding the club dry through contracts that were awarded by madmen.

  24. Adam says:

    Personally I am all for performance-related incentive payments rather than the nonsense framework Arsenal seem to abide by.

  25. Cicero says:

    ‘mornng all just a quickie, would we be better off letting Koscielny go for free and getting his £4.68 million wages off the books or holding out for a fee which probably won’t be much more than £5 million? With the risk that he will still be hanging around all next season.

  26. rico says:

    But why should we Cicero? Not many other clubs would let a player go for free when he has a year left on his contract. We’ve got to get rid of this soft approach with players imo.

  27. Adam says:

    Agreed Rico. Kos knows his situation perfectly. We simply must get a transfer fee for him. No more freebies and no more getting mugged off I reckon.

  28. rico says:

    Sorry Adam, Internet crashed thanks to a few rumblings..

    Ditto. We moan when players leave for free so how can we not support the club in this situation. I really hope it’s the start of something.

  29. VCC says:

    £25m for Tierney……. does anyone know who our negotiators are?

    It’s no wonder Stan Kroenke doesn’t give us much money for transfers, nor would I.

    The way our staff work is madness.

    We have simply turned into a shambles of a football club, with the powers that be being totally inept.

  30. Cicero says:

    Rico I get it that Arsenal don’t want to appear a soft touch by letting players go for free while still under contract. But the reality is, in Koscielny’s case, we are not going to get much more than a season’s wages for him in a transfer deal and we don’t want him hanging around the club for another season.

    Yes the club have announced that there will be no more players running down their contracts but there must be room to manoeuvre. Rules are made for the guidance of wise men and the obedience of fools. 😉

  31. allezkev says:

    Afternoon Gooners
    Afternoon Rico

    I don’t know about you lot, but I can’t wait to see the Gunners strutting their stuff on the memorably named DICK’s Sporting Goods Park, what a name, tells you all you need to know about Uncle Enos

  32. allezkev says:

    Arsenal fans are never happy are they (are we)…

    The same people who complained that Arsenal are tightwads and don’t spend money are now complaining that Arsenal are wasting money on Tierney – a sick note!

    I give up…. 🙄

  33. rico says:

    Afternoon Kev, I personally believe that £25m should get the player, plus, if we do, it blows the £45m budget rumour out of the water…

  34. Sohara says:

    Seems like Spurs are after Saliba, offerring more money and more upfront, so looks unlikely that we will get this done now, so Kos wants to go to France, should we offer Kos in thei deal, that may sway St Etienne a bit. I believe our deal is actually with the lawyers, & Saliba wants to come to us, but the club will go for the best deal for them , and they want Kos ….what do you all think?

  35. allezkev says:

    I’d quite happily take a couple or three more South American’s.

    When we’ve gone for established players from there we’ve usually done ok.

  36. rico says:

    South American players for me too, they are usually grafters. Unlike some of the wimps we have. With the odd exception of course.

  37. Sohara says:

    Just read that Saliba’s agent has taken The Arsenal shirt on Saliba’s Instagram page down just now,,,not a good sign

  38. allezkev says:

    Tbh, if Saliba or his agent chooses the Scum, then good riddance…

    Personally I’m disappointed that we didn’t go for Joachim Andersen of Sampdoria, I think he’s moving for €30m and we could have him now!

  39. Cicero says:

    England win in an amazing finish and Hamilton waltzes home in the British Grand Prix. Congratulations to all concerned.

    Good night Gooners…..everywhere.

  40. Wavy says:

    It seems that our hard bargaining ‘dream team’ of recruitment may have lost Tiernny. That’s three defenders in a week! kozzer, a Vonnegut’s. Saliba a scum and Tiernny too expensive.
    The transfer window is not very forthcoming or fruitful to the newly restructured buying machine.
    We seem to have become a bit of a lost cause in the buying stakes.

    Oh to be an Arsenal fan……..I’m really enjoying this…….or not. I’m certainly not impressed so far.

  41. ScottfromOz says:

    Morning all.
    A little luck goes a long way in sport, but your lads took full advantage so hats off.
    What a game!!!

  42. Cicero says:

    Now we’re chasing Dani Alves who is a free agent after leaving PSG. It shouldn’t be a long chase as he’s well over the hill at 36.

    Is that a true reflection of where Arsenal stand these days?

  43. potter says:

    Today sees the launch of a campaign to make Stan Kroenke and KSE sit up and take notice at the concerns of the majority of the Arsenal fans. This has not been effective or possible in the past because the fan base and the influential groups who represent, write or talk about our great football club have been disparate or solo voices. However, in recent weeks many such groups have resolved to join hands in a show of unity to endeavour to make the man who owns 100% of the institution we all love see just how much we care for its future.

    The letter below is being presented to KSE today. It asks our owner to take note of our history, our management, our ambition and ultimately our future and to demonstrate to us all than he can listen and take on board the sentiment and change how he runs Arsenal FC.

    The signatories of the letter ask you to share the letter with the hashtag below. Are you with us?


    #WeCareDoYou

    As Arsenal fans we have watched with frustration as the team’s football performances have declined over the past decade. When Stan Kroenke began buying Arsenal shares the club had just competed in a first Champions League final. Twelve years on, Arsenal are about to play in the Europa League for the third year running.

    Off the pitch, fans have never felt more marginalised, less listened to or valued. This was sadly illustrated when Stan Kroenke forcibly bought out the last remaining supporter- shareholders without even a word of appreciation for their custodianship role in the club. It feels as though Arsenal is at a crossroads. Things need to change.

    What all of us as signatories to this statement want to see is meaningful action by Stan Kroenke to reinvigorate our football club.

    This requires work to strengthen the club’s board and football executive and to once again make Arsenal a place where fans have a real sense of belonging.

    Change needs to start with better leadership. In his takeover document Stan Kroenke said:

    ‘KSE’s ambitions for the club are to see it competing consistently to win the Premier League
    and the Champions League.’

    We see little evidence of how this is to be achieved. Instead our club feels like an investment vehicle, personified by the owner’s statement that he didn’t buy Arsenal to win trophies.

    It is sad that an institution like Arsenal FC has such passive ownership. All of us want to see a clear sense of purpose and direction. KSE should start by being more open and accountable and explain how they intend to achieve the goal of winning the game’s major trophies.

    If Stan Kroenke is going to be absent from London he needs to make sure the board he delegates to is fit for purpose.

    There is a desperate need for some new and dynamic appointments. The addition of independently-minded directors can act as a genuine check and balance on the owner.
    Ideal candidates would have football and commercial expertise relevant to the needs of a football club in 2019, and ideally some ‘Arsenal DNA’.

    Arsenal have invested money in recent years, but their approach to both buying players and paying wages looks uncoordinated and appears to lack strategy. There has also been a lot of turnover in the senior football personnel. A strong board would be proactively managing this.

    On a matchday the Emirates Stadium can be a soulless place. The atmosphere is poor and there are thousands of empty seats blighting almost every game. If Arsenal really cared they would make sure seats weren’t left empty by investing in an improved ticketing system and actively supporting initiatives like safe standing. The club uses the strapline ‘Always ahead of the game’. It would be good to see action to demonstrate this.

    Finally, the very fabric of football in England and across Europe is at threat from proposals for a European Super League.

    These moves are driven by the greed of a few so–called elite clubs who want guaranteed entry into top–level European competition every year. Why care if you finish fifth or lower if automatic qualification is guaranteed? Arsenal and the other clubs involved should understand that fans do not want more meaningless group stage fixtures designed only to rake in more broadcast and ticketing revenue. You could call it the ‘franchisation’ of European Football. Arsenal should immediately clarify they will have no part in this.

    As Arsenal Supporters, we care deeply. We would like to hear from our club and see actions that demonstrate that they do too. The first opportunity comes when the Managing Director and Head of Football speak to invited supporters on July 25th. We urge them to address the issues raised here. We will watch with interest.

    Signatories:

    Arseblog
    Arsenal Armed Forces Supporters Club
    Arsenal Supporters’ Trust (AST)
    Black Scarf Movement (BSM)
    Gooner Fanzine
    Goonerholic
    Gunnerblog
    Gunners Town
    Highbury Squad
    Hugh Wizzy
    Le Grove
    REDACTION
    She Wore A Yellow Ribbon
    The Highbury Library
    You Are My Arsenal Blog
    7am Kick Off

    Monday 15 July 2019
    Share this:

  44. Le Coq Monster says:

    Morning all
    Just seen a photo on facebook with Josh(wearing a Rams shirt), Edu, VV and RS having a laugh and joke on tour in the good old US of A……………………….obviously they have Doris the tea lady and Ethel the cleaner in deep negotiations for Terney and Saliba !

  45. potter says:

    Good it’s about time we had some common sense on display. Neil lennon will soon capitulate when that feather duster starts aiming for him.

  46. Adam says:

    Morning Rico. Is this a sign-able petition?
    Still, I’ve been calling for fan action for ages but the sense of apathy has been overwhelming.

  47. ScottfromOz says:

    Morning all.
    I’ve been blaming Stan for years but too many wasted time blaming Arsene, imo.
    The man at the very top is responsible, not his employees but Stan flew under the radar.
    5-6 years accusing and blaming Wenger, 5-6 years wasted.
    Meanwhile, the share price just continued to rise.

  48. rico says:

    Morning Adam, I don’t know, I certainly wish it was.

    Scott, many of us here blamed both which at the time was probably the most balanced view I’d have thought.

  49. ScottfromOz says:

    Rico,
    Most blamed Arsene.
    He was the ego tripping, power hungry decision maker and Stan left everything to him.
    That was the most common opinion throughout the world of Arsenal fans.
    I blamed Stan because he sat back and allowed everything to unravel, and that included leaving Arsène, who made more than his share of mistakes, to do what he pleased.
    I’m sure if you checked back, you’d find many more negative comments and posts about Arsène to every 1 about Stan.

  50. ScottfromOz says:

    That’s different to actually blaming him for the club’s woes though, Rico.
    Time is proving more and more that Stan has been the main problem for a long time.

  51. rico says:

    I don’t see any point in going on about who was right/wrong etc Scott. I think it’s good that this has been done and Kroenke listens to the fans and speaks.

    But other than invest in other areas, he still can’t give the board more money to spend I’m sure.

  52. allezkev says:

    Afternoon Gooners

    Afternoon Rico…

    Not sure I make of that statement, does it go far enough?
    I guess it’s the first shot across the bows of KSE, but Kroenke isn’t going to react to words.
    Money is all he cares about, empty seats in the Emirates showed that it’s the clubs image and the finance that flows from it that has the real leverage on Enos.

    Losing out on Vonnegut is really the last straw…

  53. allezkev says:

    Most Arsenal fans are suckers, one minute we’re all moaning the next hundreds are rushing out and buying the new shirt, Kroenke and his acolytes see this and just think that Arsenal fans are easily duped – and we are tbh, I know I am.
    A couple of signings and this new movement will mostly wither away.

  54. allezkev says:

    It’s gotta be more than that Rico, Arsenal fans are too conservative, we don’t want to make a fuss.

  55. allezkev says:

    You hit him in his pocket, that’s all he understands, it’s all he cares about.
    Forget Josh, he’s just like his old man…

    I wouldn’t spend any money in the stadium, don’t use any of their food outlets, don’t have a bet, don’t buy a beer and don’t get the shirt at the club shop, if you want a shirt go to another outlet.
    But fans won’t do that, we’re suckers and he knows it…

  56. ScottfromOz says:

    Rico, why is the blame game suddenly not worthwhile, after years of fans pointing the finger at Arsene?
    Surely the time has come to admit that while he was an issue, he wasn’t the main one.
    Stan was the main problem.
    Stan is the current problem and he will remain the problem.
    Kev, In all seriousness, I don’t agree we are easily duped, but the Yank knows full well we will put our frustration aside and support the club, regardless, and that includes ST holders and shirt buyers.

  57. allezkev says:

    But we are Scott, if Arsenal complete the signing of Tierney, Saliba and say Everton, then how much of the #wecare,do you, will you be hearing.

    Ultimately nothing will really change Scott, but once Wan Bissaka and Harry Mc are settled, you can forget finishing above the Mancs…

    So a 4th season in the Europa is staring us in the face and who’ll get the blame, Enos or Emery?

    But who is responsible for hiring the guys who make the decisions?

  58. ScottfromOz says:

    Kev, Stan, imo, is responsible
    For everything.
    Even when he leaves the decisions to others, as he’s always done, I still say he’s responsible.
    The buck stops with him, imo:

  59. rico says:

    In which case were snookered Kev because unless fans stay away from the stadium in mass, we’ll carry on carrying on.

    I’m not quite as pessimistic as others though.. 😂

  60. ScottfromOz says:

    I really do hope you’re right, Rico, and we are in better shape than it appears.
    Surely, none of us want to see the club struggle.
    Stan and co, surprise us all, please 🙂

  61. allezkev says:

    Let’s see where we are after say 5 games or 10 games, a couple of poor results, lose to the Scum and then we’ll see, but Emery will carry the can and Enos will be Teflon as usual…

  62. rico says:

    Scott. You’ve got the wrong end of the stick. I didn’t mean Kroenke/Wenger, I meant you and me etc. Who was right/wrong.

  63. ScottfromOz says:

    Fair enough, Rico.
    I just want to see Stan do something, anything to try and improve the club.
    Show us something!!

  64. RA says:

    Hi Everyone, and thank you all for your comments — they show you care — even if Stan doesn’t.

    Kev, I think that far from fighting to stay in the top 6, we might be desperately hanging on to get into the top 8 or 9, with Wolves, Everton and Leicester potentially giving us a kicking ( no pun intended).

    It is difficult to accept that we are becoming a third rate club who cannot even fund transfers for so-so players that the top European and ECL clubs look down on.

  65. Le Coq Monster says:

    I`d rather blame the real offender !……………………….Dr (Franken)Dein………………he created the monster Kroenkenstein !

  66. Hobart says:

    Something fishy is going on somewhere in the management of the club. Since Wenger has left there have been several strange reports of ‘communication breakdowns’ or ‘discontent’.

    I’m not sure if it’s a structural thing, or an individual screwing up but somethings wrong.

    The Jeff, Ozil, Koscielny, Chambers, Bielik, Amaechi, Osei-Tutu, and Ramsey. They’ve all commented at one point or another about a lack of clarity or communication about things.

  67. allezkev says:

    Tbh Red, my feelings about next season and where we’ll finish, changes from day to day.
    If Ole and Frank have average seasons, we could steal 4th.
    I know that Wolves, Everton and Leicester are getting hyped up, but I’m not so sure?
    Silva at Everton wouldn’t fill me with a load of confidence, his teams tend to play a defensive brand of football and that’ll only take you so far.

    The guy at Wolves had a stellar first season, his team surprised a lot of opponents especially among the top sides and if he can follow that up this season then Wolves will be a big threat, but following it up is easier said than done when everyone knows what you’re up too…

    Leicester worry me, the man with the best set of teeth in football is a smart operator. He’ll have a nice wedge to play with post Mcguire and it’s rumoured that he’s after Dunk and if he gets him it’ll leave him a nice chunk to still strengthen in other areas.

    We have about 3 weeks to conclude our business, that’s the same for everyone else. Let’s see where we are at the end of the month before thinking about jumping off Mount Rushmore….

  68. Sohara says:

    I agree with you Allezkev, I feel Leicester is the ‘danger’ club after Chelsea & Man U. He has a good squad and he has bought well. But I still think Chelsea and Man U our biggest ‘threats’ for 4th place. We have to get a Ramsey replacement and a CB , perhaps a winger . But if we can keep Auba & Laca we have some ammunition up front . Getting Holding back will be a BIG bonus and Chambers has improved last year at Fulham. We are all a bit down at the moment, but we did finish 5th and we did get to the final of the Europa . It will most probably be Man U and us next year ( hopefully) we have TWO chances of CL again. All is not lost , it just feels that way at the moment. Once the footie starts & we see who comes in, we will all feel better I HOPE

  69. Cicero says:

    Academy goalkeeper Dejan Iliev has gone out on loan to Slovak Super League side SKF Sered until the end of the season.

  70. allezkev says:

    Next game; Arsenal vs Bayern, Thursday, 18th July.

    Only two days, to recover and rotate.
    No doubt Emery will pick an entirely different starting XI.

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