Morning all,
Two rumours to begin with. One is that Barcelona are interested in signing Thomas Vermaelen in the summer, the second is David Moyes is being touted to replace Arsene Wenger, that is of course, according to The Daily Mail. Vermaelen, well if we do business with Barcelona ever again we must be mad but if they want our captain, they can have him. He’s becoming injury prone and he’s certainly been accident prone this season. Replace him with Sakho and we’d be fine.
Anyway, that’s all for the summer, a summer which could see many changes…….
Back to yesterday:
Firstly, that must be the lowest crowd of the year. I reckon about 45,000 and an atmosphere of complete indifference that gradually gave way to one of frustration and then anger. And they witnessed, for the first time ever under Arsene Wenger, our club being knocked out of the FA Cup by a side positioned lower than us in the league.
Ryder Cup hero and Arsenal fan Ian Poulter was far from amused, after the loss he tweeted:
‘Utter c**p Wenger that’s your lot you have to go, take a bow you’ve done an amazing job over the years but enough is enough …’
Just like in the Capital One Cup, Gervinho missed a golden opportunity to have made the end result so very different.
Arteta was guilty of missing a great chance but to be honest, those two weren’t alone.
Koscielny headed a chance wide early on and there was a small whisper for a penalty as a ball into the area from Rosicky appeared to hit the arm of Scott Dann.
Just before the half hour mark, Rosicky fired in a corner which Diaby met well but his header was well saved by Kean.
Vermaelen was the next to see his header from another rosicky corner, cause problems for Kean, but it wasn’t to be.
As half-time approached, we really should have gone in 1-0 to the good, a super ball from Rosicky into the path of Gervinho down the middle and towards their penalty area. All the Ivorian had to do was chip the keeper and make sure his shot was on target.
Hopeless!!
We had plenty of the ball in the first half but were back into our sideways style. Coquelin was an accident waiting to happen, Diaby quite frankly, looks better on the treatment table, Giroud was back to his “running in glue” style but Gervinho? What can you say about this bloke? A disaster as a footballer who I doubt could roll the ball across the line from 6 inches if he was the only bloke on the pitch. And yet, destined to become symbolic of Wenger’s last years perhaps.
Ok, so a poor first half, but no problem really.
Play with pace and forward momentum in the second half and the goals would come. That seemed to be Wenger’s plan anyway. The game kicks off again. No change. No matter how fast the ball was played out of defence, there was good old Abou to slow everything down to a snail’s pace and he twisted and turned, debating each option several times before pushing a three yard square pass too far and conceding possession for the hundredth time. His other thing today was to have such a bad first touch that he lost control, slipped over and gave it away. Truly awful.
Ok. Ten to fifteen minutes in and nothing has changed.
This is where you earn your money Wenger. Make the decision! Go on, make the bleeding decision. Well, you know the rest I am sure.
Our ancient manager, steeped in tradition of the five million games he has managed before, stared like rabbit in the headlights trying to preserve his players for Bayern Munich.
Then Chesney, tired of being a bit part player pushed the ball out to some lumbering Blackburn forward and 1 nil it was.
Cue Wenger remonstrating that some plank was wasting a few seconds. Arms waving wildly, he cut a truly pathetic figure and Diaby responded by slowing the game down to a crawl for the umpteenth time. Oh no. Too late. We lost.
I tell you, fine Gooners, yesterday was a shameful day for Arsenal Football Club.
Wenger rolled the dice and he is in danger of losing the bloody lot.
Beyond awful really. Just dire and really pathetic…
Thanks to Adam for the piece after the Gervinho photo…….
When will the blogs unite to arrange demonstrations and protests? been calling this for years… getting barred from post to post.. no pun intended.
Morning all.
Thanks Adam…
AKB Hater, let me know when your blog starts things off and I’ll think about following you!
Morning Rico. That piece was written from sheer frustration after I got home from the game. I do however find myself in total agreement with Ian Poulter. Arsene really has to go. His ideas and concepts of running a PL club are clearly outdated now. Don’t see Moyes there though myself.
Morning Adam. I can totally understand your frustration, I am quite bitter and angry about the way we have naffed things up against a side lower than us in the league. And this one at home. It’s simply not good enough.
I think Moyes will replace Fergie…
Mmmm. I imagine Man Utd would want a manager with both CL experience and a man used to dealing with big name players. Moyes strikes me as a bloke who gets the best out of average players. No bad thing I admit, but I don’t see him at Utd or Arsenal myself. Nothing is written in stone though.
It’s a shame Jupp Heynckes is as old as he is…..
But I think they will want a man to stay like Fergie has done… just a hunch…
Re Arsenal, well SK might like him as giving Moyes £20m a season is big money for him….
Who the fuck cares what Ian bloody Poulter says about Arsenal??
Since when does being a pro golfer qualify anyone to comment on Arsenal??
Pro golfer…..Arsenal expert……really guys??
What did Bergkamp or Henry say?
I am sure they would be none to complimentary on the performance, but we are scraping the bottom of the barrel to suggest a golfers opinion is worth more than any other Gooners!!!
In saying that, i have no issue with Wenger going, as long as the right replacement is brought in.
Suggestions??
Oh, let us get Poulter…he obviously is the right man for the job lol.
Morning all.
As the media today jump on the Arsene out bandwagon I just wish they would do some real investigative journalism and find out the truth of the real cause of the clubs demise. I cannot believe that it is all down to Wenger and I am sure that just scratching the surface and removing him is not the answer and will achieve nothing. There is a lot more to this story that is not being told, it needs to be bought to light and only then will our support be able to unite and lobby for the changes that will enable us to start the long climb back to where we need to be. It is a clandestine club and there are ulterior motives in the board room , they need to be exposed.
Put your house on it….Mourinho is Utds next manager…
He’s a huge Arsenal fan Scott and he has evry right to voice his opinion, just as you and I have!!
Potter, please, stop talking sense….it is much easier and convenient to blame Wenger….
Rico. Under that preposterous syrup Stan must have a business brain. He can see that dear old Arsene is, how shall I say this, ready for another challenge? And as Gooners we should encourage him in this. But the next manager of Arsenal is a massive decision that will involve courage and vision. I can see a few lines of thought. We all have our ideas. The only thing that is fast becoming a no-brainer is that this simply must be his last season.
Exactly Rico, but since when did an article revolve around a comment from me or you??
Tell him to write a post and maybe i will take notice!!
Potter – I am sure that they all have a part to play in what goes on, but yesterday was down to too many changes at once and playing Gervinho for too long.
Usmanov in for me to be the first step and I just pray he gets to that 30% soon and makes the right offer to Kroenke…
Potter. Care to expand? You go to the games. You see and feel what is happening. It isn’t as though it all started a few weeks ago.
Rico, i agree that the changes being made all at once was a massive mistake.
Still, they weren’t as bad as the one Szczsney made in parrying the ball straight back to the centre of the goal mouth.
Gervino must never play for us again.
Rico. The seeds of what is playing out were sown some time ago. Facts are facts and theories are just that. Ignore the usual idiots. Arsenal need a big, big change. Where is the evidence that they don’t?
Maybe Adam. Are you watching Sunday Supplement?
Scott, today’s article doesn’t focus around Poulter either…Just because you don’t seem to care about his view, others might so maybe you should understand that. Think of others for a change, its not always about you..
Rico. Even if Jabba gets to 30%, can you see Syrup selling out to him? Nice thought but….
No Rico. I can’t bring myself to watch anything like that at the moment. What is the general thrust? Go on, torture me. 🙂
Rico, stop being precious,…..i never even hinted at the fact it was about me, so that is ridiculous.
I asked why we should worry about his comment when Gooners worldwide have offered theirs.
Name dropping offers nothing constructive.
Do you honestly believe he can give better advice or opinions than some of the HH regulars??
I would suggest plenty on here know more about football and Arsenal than Ian Poulter.
Of course, that is simply my opinion.
Agreed Potter, there is far more to the decline than can be laid at Wenger’s door. What did go on when they sacked Dein? Why did they sack their most influential board member? The decline started there, at that point. Thereafter it was like watching the old guard explode one after the other, like lemmings off a cliff. What is the issue with England’s second richest resident? What made them sell out to Kronke? Etc etc. you’ve heard it all before.
What we meed is answers then maybe we can all understand the ” mission statement” and go with the brand in the belief that it can only get better, or not. It just can’t be about mamon, there’s more to it than that. Surely?
As for a Wenger replacement, your guess is as good as mine, but it won’t be Moyes, I think he may be off to Germany or to europe somewhere. Definitely not Arsenal.
Other runners, have a look around the lower leagues, there will be someone there who will be cheap to employ! The model of ffc is to pedalled at all costs!
God I’m fed up with posts and days like this!
Adam if I was to write an article on my suspicions of the background machinations of the club and the people that have gained financially from the clubs policy and demise without the full evidence I would probably be sued. I can’t prove it but I wish that our knee jerk journo’s would take it on themselves to do the real work and find out. Papers today and radio is all about headlines , until someone is prepared to work and finds out- the real story remains hidden. I can’;t afford to take them on in court but little bits about the share situation , the sale of shares from the board to Kroenke , the ignoring of Usmanov , the Dein – Fiszmann spat, the apparent u-turn of Bracewell Smith all makes one wonder just what is happening behind the scenes and usually when you are dealing with minor billionaires and millionaires money changes hands somewhere along the line.
Morning all,
I stayed in the pub after the game, was the best part of the day and certainly the most enjoyable…!
Hardly an unexpected result….. Again a team goes out with no urgency no tempo and no passion… It happens so often it’s not a surprise anymore. That result was laughable apart from the fact it wasn’t and isn’t funny.
Arrrggg Groundhog Day.
Wath, no urgency or passion?
We totally dominated them.
We are not good enough to finish a side off.
We are not good enough to deliver a simple pass , cross or finish to a move.
We are not good enough.
Why??
Is it Wenger?
Is it Kroenke?
Is it both?
Please,guys, it is not a lack of effort.
I don’t know Adam, I hope. Although those chatting on SS suggest we should not be wanting him to takeover…
Very mixed feeling amongst them all but most think he will go and we shouldn’t be asking for Jose…. Quite interesting really…
I really can’t be bothered Scott…
Potter. I hear what you say and in many ways you must be right in that there is a lot going on behind the scenes. But sometimes you just have to believe the evidence of your own eyes. There are just too many bad decisions being made on the playing side for me.
Can anyone suggest any changes right now that can have a positive affect on Arsenal??
Realistic changes, i mean.
One I have totally reversed on is getting the Russki in.
He can not be worse than Stan!
Ok Rico.
I am not surprised though.
Wavy, posts/days like today will happen when we play like we did yesterday…
Hi Wath, I had a double wammy, that result together with the inlaws… !!
Why make 7 bleedin changes?? It was a recipe for disaster and its not for the first time either….
At least you’ll get to see a good team on Tuesday night Adam about time you got some value for money hey?!?!
Morning in all…
Surprised about what??
Morning all,
You know you are fighting a cause biger than you Scott. 😉
Usmanov taking over? When a fundamental FA rule on club ownership has been changed just to stop AU taking over at 30%.?? The best he can do is be allowed to see the club accounts unless he goes to court to fight the cause which will end up making him unpopular at the FA. A man of his calibre knows what the FA is all about so he would not go there imho…
AW has to go and get replaced by Moyes because the media say Moyes is the best manager at getting a team with serious financial constraints to overacheive…? Really? The same media who remind us that ‘arry is a far superior manager than AW. I would rather make up my own mind.
The same media guru’s who are mostly spuds including Piers Morgan (the double agent) who claims to support Arsenal because his dad supports spuds….
Yes AW is no better than Rednose according to most people but that same manager has won only 2 out of 13 outings against ‘Maaurenho’. Hmmm. Not even thinking about all the other factors most would rather consider conspiracy because it is not intelligent to believe in such things…
Then there is the BIG matter of player wages most cling onto, but a brief look at the break down of where the salary goes shows less than 68% of our wages goes to playing and coaching staff. Manure,the chavs, spuds and even $hitty have a region of 80% of their total salary going to playing and coaching staff. The question is why a huge amount of our wages are siphoned off to non-playing personal?
Even Kenwright of Everton does not take wages but we have all our board members taking weekly salary.WHY? But some will say those factors do not pick a starting 11 that includes Gervinho… my answer is that yes 8 years and counting without trophies I keep hearing but considering that we have the 4th highest wage bills in this league but the least net spend amongst clubs in the last 20 years can we honestly say we underacheive?
Enjoy the rest of the weekend ladies and gents… and stay safe.
I simply cannot believe that the conspiracy theorists are yet again crawling out of the wood work!
That this is someones else fault than the managers, who by both his own admission and the boards has the money to buy players is shear ridicules. If you have any proof of this then shear it with us.
I on the other hand can point to numerous interviews with both Wenger and members of the board where the information coming out is cast iron proof that the demise of Arsenal over the last few years can be laid at Wengers door, he refuses to buy what is needed, cannot fix ongoing defensive problems, has developed a socialist wage structure (he said as much him self!) which under pays our best players and awards mediocre players with such wages that they wont leave even though there is no hope of first team football. Almunia anyone?
So please if you have any proof of the board having forced these high wages on our crap players, having scouted and bought them against Wengers will, having refused Wenger to buy good players instead of crap ones that in some cases have been written off the books, or indeed having been the team behind our defensive training then yet again I ask you to shear this information with us.
Morning Lee, I am dreading Tuesday….
The syrup doesn’t buy the players or pick the team or do tactics or motivate the team orpersevere players that are shit, does he??
Hi and bye Ts…
It often appears to me that the ancient concept of Arsenal, the institution, gets in the way of Arsenal the football club. The day we sold out to Kroenke the whole idea of the wood panelled boardroom filled with the whiff of Port and cigar smoke died. The realities are largely financial but the facts remain. We have an enormous wage bill and Arsenal are not getting value from that. We sell our best players, often to our biggest rivals. Wenger cannot motivate young millionaires to win crucial football matches. We have millions and millions of £’s that could have been used to strengthen several positions. We are wasting several hundred thousand quid a month on awful players or players like Arshavin who has problems at home and who nobody even considers any more, even though he is gobbling up about £90k a week.
My feeling is that Wenger cannot address the problems that are in many ways, of his making. Something has to change. Who could disagree with that simple statement?
Totally agree Adam the playing side is not functioning correctly. It is obvious that the squad as such is not good enough we carry too many passengers , my question is why ? I go to games yes , I hear things said around me and I realise that the support is split as to where to lay the blame. I saw an Arsenal on Arsenal fight over it at the final whistle . Things are bad there is a poor atmosphere in the stadium , it needs sorting but I believe that just removing Wenger is not enough. the problem goes deeper than that.
TT. Good post.
Sorry Scott have to agree with WATH, there was no effort or urgency until we conceded. Passing the balls sideways and playing pretty triangles in the centre of the park where the opposition are happy to let you have the ball is hardly what I would call domination. In short the team were complacent, like against Norwich, Bradford, Swansea etc, all games against ‘smaller teams’ that were supposedly forgone conclusions and you what the result was the same in each instance.
Socialist wage structure yet the fucker doesn’t mind his £134k pw does he?
Hi TT, one of the reporters on the Sunday Supplement this morning has suggested that Wenger has been refusing to spend money given to him. He said that this news has leaked over the last few months…..
potter re10:14 am I am totally with you there. Even the saviour/Madhi most bloggers want to take over our club has pointed out in almost every letter he has given about our club.
When I said that TH14 had been temporary barred from training with the club before the media printed that he had had dinner with AU in Russia, one or 2 people asked me what my proof was?…
Trying to play Barcelona style football with pricks like five head and Diaby in the team…..do me a favour ffs!!
TT, it is fact that Wenger must make a 20 million profit each season on transfers.
This has been repeated on numerous occasions.
Why is it you and plenty of other Gooners ignore this yet believe it when we are told Wenger can spend what he wants?
I agree Adam, something has to change, and this summer.
Breezy, how many shots on goal did we have compared to Blackburn?
What were the possession stats?
Again, our guys simply lack quality, not effort….well, not in this case.
Potter. I largely agree with that although I take a more simplified view. Wenger’s job is to win football matches and trophies and he gets handsomely paid to do that. Just looking at yesterday’s result. Is there blame to apportion for the disaster? Yes? Then who should get the blame? The players? Yes, of course. Wenger? Absolutely. Where is Kroenke’s culpability in yesterday’s turnout against the worst team I have seen at The Emirates this season?
I can’t stand the man or what he represents but I find it hard to blame him for Gervinho (for instance) who, according to Wenger, is the best player from Africa. And he certainly didn’t put Coquelin in at right back to have such a disastrous afternoon.
“Usmanov taking over? When a fundamental FA rule on club ownership has been changed just to stop AU taking over at 30%.?? The best he can do is be allowed to see the club accounts unless he goes to court to fight the cause which will end up making him unpopular at the FA.”
This is totally wrong. Nothing that the FA does can stop AU to mount a takeover at 30% or even before that. UK law is the boss not some petty rules that the FA set. Also AU cannot see the books when he reaches 30%, that was the change FA made, not to stop him mounting a takeover.
I heard that from really good source Rico…..£70m+ and he refused to strengthen!!! Saying that though he’d only of bought another wanker like Gervinho….
A way to realistically improve the team now, with only 12 leageue games to go and the number of cup games left governed by actual success, but in the FA Cup would have been limited to a likely 3. My radical plan would be……………………….play the fucking strongest team available!! Before anyone says but what if Jack had got injured etc – when I say play your strongest team, it obviously has to be players that are 100% fit.
I love all the behind the scenes conspiracy theory and do buy into it to some extent and it really is a shame we don’t and maybe won’t ever know the situation. In my opinion, if you are financially secure and keep taking the highest wage packet in the league and you then chose to not say anything or act on your thoughts and feelings of whatever is going on, then you are happy and complicit in, whatever it is thats going on. Therefore should be judged accordingly, and again in my opinion all parties are currently failing on a major scale.
With regards to Poulter, his opinion isn’t anymore importnat than anyone else’s but the passion and commitment he shows when participating in the team environment of The Ryder Cup – well lets say I wouldn’t mind seeing just half of that from our team on a weekly basis.
Ginge, i may be fighting a lost cause, but i believe in it, so you know i will keep fighting 🙂
I may be 100% wrong with my opinions, but i will not change them simply because others tell me too.
I am not a sheep.
I am not sure that is fact about Wenger having to make £20 on transfers….
Where is that written in stone?
Well Rico, i am glad someone took a bite.
Show me where it is written in stone he has had funds and refused to spend them!!
Both wides have been stated, but one of us know the truth.
Plenty just think they do.
TT. Another good post.
Surely the fact that Usmanov actually wants to mount a takeover is implicit in him buying up shares that he receives no dividend on? Does 30% not mean he is required to make a formal bid? A bid which is very likely to be declined.
The syrup has had it easy up until now as Wenger has essentially run the club. We will see if he is up to it when he has some real decisions to make, decisions that will ultimately be his responsibility.
Then there has to be some truth Lee and if so, then that’s enough, he needs to go.
Maybe he didn’t spend it because he wants the next manager to have the money…
Scott, that he makes profit on player sales is even more condemnation than not making them for a club of Arsenal stature. When Arsenal secured the loan for the stadium a clause was put in it BY THE BANKS! that money generated from player sales wold by 75% have to be put back into the playing staff…..and Wenger wasted it on high wages for some of the most awful players ever to where the red and white.
And yet again Scott, Wenger has come out on so many occasions that he can virtually buy what players he wants bar 3 or 4 of the top players, Messi and Ronaldo come to mind. The board has stated many times that there is money available when ever the manager sees the need to strengthen.
Yet he refuses to invest in players that can make a difference, or if he thinks players Like Santos, Park, Gervhino or Squid are what we need then he has totally lost it.
You see Lee that is the problem , your reliable source says one thing another reliable source says another. The club is shrouded in smoke and mirrors , we none of us know the truth we just have to make our own minds up on what we see. The problems on the pitch are easy and lay at the feet of the team manager the problems with the chequebook some believe to as well , others believe there is more control from the board room . We seem top heavy on chiefs , but seemingly we scrimp on the indians . WHY ?
Sorry Scott, but when a club has numerous revenue streams and numerous cost streams, surely it can’t be fact that Wenger has to derive a £20m profit from transfer dealings? I think the mortgage equates to £20m a year in payments or the interest or whatever (I am no expert and don’t claim to be), so yes that needs paying, and I know the Wenger quote you are referencing but for him to say that he has to fund the “mortgage” from the transfer market is just spin. I also think that quote came before the completion on various property deals and probably pre dates atleast 2 variances of the TV deal. And lets be honest the guy has wasted close to that figure on wages of players who are paid so far over their market value that we can’t get shot of them.
Ryan, fair comments.
I do not dismiss Poulters comments, but giving them more credibilty than any other Gooners is a case of name dropping imo.
We choose to ignore or quickly pass over the comments that Bergamp and Henry make offering support to Wenger yet hilight what a golfer says.
Can anyone seriously say this is logical or relevant??
On the “behind the scense” conspiracies….none of us know what truly happens behind the scenes and that raises most of the problems fans have with the club.
I tink d time as cum to sack dis gamble manager. Wenger is tiyard of d work. So urge d management of Arsenal to anoda coach chance.
Ok so I am wrong allegedly on the club ownership so explain why AU is still buying shares as Stan states he is here for the long haul and his record shows that he never sells his interests (franchise)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/mihirbose/2008/09/club_ownership_solving_the_uns.html
And also… Ownership of a Football Club What are the requirements for owning a football club?
Football is the biggest sport in England in terms of fan base but also in terms of commercial value meaning that it is an extremely attractive business enterprise for many wealthy businessmen. The top flight of football in England – the FA Premier League – has attracted huge amounts of investment in recent years with much of this being from overseas. One of the major problems with the ownership of football clubs has been the lack of transparency in the ownership and deals that are made etc. As a consequence of this since 2004 a test has been introduced in English football which all owners and directors must pass.
This is called the fit and proper test.
Strict Requirements
Since the introduction of the fit and proper test it has ensured that the ownership requirements for football clubs in England are the strictest of any industry throughout the country. The tests are deemed to go beyond any requirement of company law.
This is due to the previous requirements being the same as they were for any other company in England and Wales, therefore being governed by UK company law.
Prior to 2004 there was no test at all in relation to the ownership of a football club. Since 2004, however, there have still been many problems in relation to the ownership rules as for example one Premier League football club has had a total of 4 owners during one season leading to financial difficulties and eventual administration.
The Fit and Proper Test
One of the initial problems with the application of a fit and proper test for English football is that due to different bodies existing in the running and organisation of English football has led to different test being applied across different leagues.
Structure of English Football
The structure of English football is as follows:
The Football Association Premier League governs the Barclays Premier League
The Football League governs the Coca Cola Championship, League One and League Two
The Football Association governs the Blue Square Premier League and the lower leagues
The FA Premier League, the Football League and the FA all have different versions of the fit and proper test due to the FA Premier League strengthening theirs while the others did not.
The Test
One aspect which applies across all the different above bodies is that the fit and proper test must be passed by all directors of a football club and any owners who own a share of 30% or more.
Elements of the Test
There may be slight differences in the tests adopted by the different governing bodies; however, all fit and proper tests include the following elements:
Individuals will be disqualified from acting as directors or becoming an owner if they:
Are prohibited by law from being a director
Are involved or have the power to be involved in another football club
Have unspent criminal convictions
Are bankrupt
Have incurred administration twice as a director of the same or different football clubs
Inconsistencies
What are the differences between the different tests?
The tests from the above bodies differ in relation to the following elements:
The types of criminal convictions
A ban by another sporting body
The application of the test
The timing of the test
The types of criminal convictions
The tests established by the FA Premier League and the Football League prevent individuals from becoming directors or owners if they have unspent criminal convictions which relate to crimes of dishonesty or for a crime which resulted in an unsuspended sentence of twelve months or more imprisonment.
On the other hand the test applied by the Football Association only prevents individuals from becoming directors or owners if they have unspent criminal convictions which relate to crimes of dishonesty.
As a consequence this means that individuals convicted of criminal acts such as murder or rape do not fall foul of the fit and proper test and can take over or become directors of football clubs. This is extremely problematic considering the fact that football clubs are deemed to represent the local community especially when concerned with the lower and amateur leagues represented by the Football Association.
Ban by another Sporting Body
If an individual has been banned by a Sports Governing Body from any sport in relation to the administration of sport they will be deemed to fall foul of the fit and proper test for both by the Football League and Football Association. This requirement, however, is not a requirement under the fit and proper test established by the FA Premier League.
As a consequence of this an individual who may have been given a life ban from involvement in another sport will still be able to take control of a Premier League club.
The application of the test
Since the fit and proper test has been brought into the Premier League and Football League in 2004 it has applied to all instances prior to its inception when dealing with matters of administration. For example if a potential owner or director has been a director of a club which has gone into administration twice then he fill fail the fit and proper test regardless if one or both of these instances of administration were before the test was introduced.
The Football Association rules however, do not apply to instances of administration which occurred prior to the 1 February 2005. Therefore if an individual has been involved in two instances of administration with one happening before 2005 he would be deemed fit and proper under the FA’s test but not for the Premier League or Football League.
The Timing of the Test
When the test takes place also varies according to which body is applying the test. For example under the FA Premier League fit and proper test the test will be conducted prior to a takeover of a club being approved whereas under the Football Association and Football League fit and proper test will be undertaken once the takeover has happened.
This is a major problem as if a new owner of a football club is deemed to have failed the fit and proper test following the takeover the club would be thrown into financial turmoil as a new owner would be required immediately.
Possible Reform
Many believe that due to the above inconsistencies and despite the test for football being the most stringent for any UK industry that the test should be reformed to make it even stricter. There is, however, feeling that if this were to be the case then the new test would face challenge under European Union Law.
The first step, however, may be for the different bodies governing the different leagues in England to align the tests thus reducing the inconsistencies.
Look no one knows what is going on at the club with Wenger and the board, we all like to think our theories are the correct ones, but the ONLY fact we can work with here is that none of us know. So can everybody stop pretending that what they believe in is the truth.
Wenger made have the money, he may not.
We all want answers, and no one at the club will willing to give us those answers, and for that both the board and Wenger are equally to blame.
No-one is saying it is Scott, what I am saying is that is what is being leaked from the club and as Lee has just confirmed, he has heard that too from a reliable source…
Aside from all that, who played yesterday and how they played yesterday was down to AW. Wrong team, wrong tactics, wrong result..
I agree with Ryan, start strong and get the result before resting players, especially in the FA Cup, a trophy that most fans want us to win above the CL….
TT, i never suggested we can not buy Messi.
My question would be how many players must we sell to fund it!!
Every comment from anyone at Arsenal, including those from Wenger, raise more questions than they answer.
Again i ask why people choose to believe quotes that paint Wenger in a poor light while ignoring those that show him in a positive way.
Why do people want it all their own way to suit their own argument?
Agree TT – add all that wasted money up and we could have signed and paid, two top players who would make a difference
Rico, what is a “reliable source” .
Also, check the number of shots on goal we had, and explain the wrong tactics.
We had enough shots to win 5 games, but not being good enough to score can not be blamed on poor tactics.
Poor players, yes.
Poor purchases, yes.
AU…The Forbes write up tells us that he is in steel and an unscrupulous manipulator. This is a low key report from an unrepentant capitalist. Craig Murray was Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Uzbekistan. His view is rather more pungent [ Vicious Thug, Criminal, Racketeer, Heroin Trafficker and Accused Rapist ]. Even The Times is less than flattering. Read for yourself. Think for yourself. Decide for yourself but ask why he has to hire lawyers to stop people calling him a big time crook. He is named as a Jew at Jews who rob Russia which might or might not be right.
Russia-based Uzbek billionaire tries to hide criminal pastRussian billionaire of Uzbek origin Alisher Usmanov has tried to remove information on his criminal conviction in Uzbekistan from a Wikipedia article, but in vain.
Alisher Usmanov, whose wealth is estimated at over $18.1bn, has hired a British PR firm to clean up his biography.
The firm tried to correct information published on Wikipedia, according to The Times.
The newspaper said that the British RLM Finsbury PR firm had edited Usmanov’s biography in a Wikipedia article reporting of his threats against a blogger who had claimed that he was a “gangster and rackateer”.
Another landmark in his life – arrest and conviction in Uzbekistan in 1980 – did also disappear temporarily. In 2000, the country’s Supreme Court absolved him and revoked his conviction.
This was replaced by information on his charitable activities and collections of art and culture he had been built.
The newspaper asked RLM Finsbury to comment on the editing of Usmanov’s biography but instead received apologies.
The firm replied: “This was not done in the proper manner nor was this approach authorised by Mr Usmanov. We apologise for this and it will not happen again.”
Wikipedia’s founder Jimmy Wales said that he had been disappointed that PR firms or lobbyists believed they could do this, despite principles of openness and freedom of his website.
The rich also cry
Alisher Usmanov, a native of Uzbekistan’s Namangan Region, has succeeded in Russia and is now 28th richest man on Forbes’ rich list.
He is the general director of Gazprom Invest Holding and co-owner of London-based Arsenal FC, Russia’s Kommersant publishing house, MuzTV music channel and others.
However, his incredible wealth does not enable him to come clean of his past which, former British Ambassador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray said, was linked to crime – drug dealing and racketeering.
In 2007, Usmanov took measures to improve his image and made several expensive purchases of collections of art and culture and bought copyrights for Soviet-era cartoons to donate to Russia.
In order to win public sympathy in the UK where he is a frequent visitor now after the acquisition of Arsenal, he answered 37 questions set by the influential The Guardian newspaper but it produced opposite results.
The Guardian asked him questions about his conviction in Uzbekistan and how he had managed to get rid of it.
“All the charges I faced in 1980 proved to be trumped up. There was a rehabilitation order by the Uzbekistan Supreme Court admitting that the alleged crimes NEVER TOOK PLACE [respondent’s caps],” he replied.
“I really do not understand the necessity in discussing the false charges, disproved by the country’s Supreme Court. I would like to stress though that I was rehabilitated for the reason of no crime being committed, not because of my good conduct or lack of evidence. That’s why I won’t dwell on the issue once again, especially after having already explained it for the UK press,” he explained.
Answering the question about his conviction, Usmanov unwillingly contradicted his previous interviews that his conviction had been cancelled by former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, who is popular in the West.
In the interview with The Guardian, Usmanov also unveiled another truth about himself and said that he was acquainted with criminal figure Gafur Rakhimov because he was a neighbour of his parents.
My point after all this is simply that unless Stan wants to sell AU will not be allowed in. And from the little I know Arsenal PLC is doing very well and is going to turn into a cash cow in the next 2 years so I can not see why a business man will relinquish his opportunity just because emotional but RESPECTABLE fee paying fans say they do not want him.
Scott you are missing my point totally here….these quotes i refer to are not about Wenger….They were MADE by Wenger.
Tactics question is simple to answer, it’s called making changes off the bench, a lot earlier than he did….
Shots on goal defence, you sound like AW Scott….
Financial restrictions, whether they exist or not, do not explain purchases such as Santos, and any fair minded person would admit that.
They do or at least can explain the sale of Van Persie and others.
Are we weaker for signing poor players or selling top players?
This is what we need to know.
This is where the board need to show some balls and explain things.
If Wenger truly has funds to spend and the board want success, then why don’t they demand he buy players?
If he refuses, why don’t they sack him?
Scott tour 10:20…………
We totally dominated them…………? Yes and they are a shit team in the league below us should we not dominate them… we dominated possession and that was it…! Their keeper made two very good saves and the cross bar got hit apart from that did we even look like scoring..? No is the answer and yes there was no tempo no passion no urgency… We played tippy tappy rubbish in front of their parked bus and if you saw passion and tempo then we watched a different game.
We all know we not good enough we been saying it for years but what I find most annoying is the attitude of players who should be playing to prove a point and want a starting place in the first 11… very very few looked up for it.
I really can’t be arsed talking about it as it fucks up my weekend I got far better things to do than talk a bout players and attitudes that have not changed in years. We talk and we discuss because we care, shame the players manager and board don’t give a shit like we do.
Wankers the lot of em…!
TT, you miss my point…..Wenger has stated to all who choose to listen he must make a 20 million profit.
You yell me which comments are true!!!
Rico, shots on goal equals chances.
Chances SHOULD equal goals and results.
If we created less chances than Blackburn, your comment on tactics may be correct.
Arsenal’s financial figure will be released in 2wks, speculation is we now have £180m in our acct.
There are lots of things happening behind the curtains which we are not privilege to. I still believe AW will turn things around but he’s got this summer to pull the cats out of the bag. His summer transfer dealing will go a long way to determine if he stays or leaves.
We ‘ve got players who are contributing nothing to the team(squilly, arshavin et al). The problem is that AW is not ruthless enough. When players are not putting up count your losses and shift them out before they spread that mentality to others. We are just a soft touch.
The team he put out yesterday should have done the job but as usual we went the arsenal way(sloppy). It’s so heartbreaking to watch such an abject display from Diaby, Gerv, Ox etc.
Hoping for the best on tuesday. Bring on Bayern
Wath, i do not agree that the players and manager do not care.
The owner and board couldn’t give a shit though.
Success starts at the top.
Does the club have the unanimous and unreserved support from the board??
Without it, no matter who the manager is, or who we have on the playing roster, we are doomed.
We will probably come out and stick it to Bayern lol.
Well, maybe 🙂
wow the net is really pinging with Wenger stuff today haha
TT – you do well to keep up with AW’s quotes, one so often contradicts his previous comment….
Scott – when did you last see the miserable owner of this club at 2 games in a row – hope his money explodes right under his sorry spoilt ass
Hi Rico, Lee, WATH, TSGH, Scott and all you Gooners,
Not good yesterday was it? Possession, shots on goal etc, count for nothing when you lose a match. The Blackburn keeper had a dream game, and almost took on Arsenal single handidly. I agree that there were too many changes, and the individual error from our Keeper didn’t help, but we should be beating teams like Blackburn off the park.
Tuesday night will be interesting, sometimes results like yesterdays
galvanize some teams into putting on a performance that will make their fans proud again, but this team is Arsenal…. I fear a result that will do more damage for the teams confidence.
As for a replacement for Wenger, how about the Swansea Manager, Laudraup. He wouldn’t cost too much in wages, and attempts to play football in the right way.
no manager comes near Wenger for contradiction – no one
My comment on tactics is right imho Scott, tactics include player selection and AW got that wrong.
My opinion….
Hi emma and Marinello..
Laudrup is being tipped to replace Mankini at City….
Actually Arsenal’s accounts are a matter for public scrutiny so, in fact, we can know what the reserves are. But, while I suspect that the smoke and mirrors argument is largely put forward by those who cannot quite believe the decisions that “today’s” Wenger is making as opposed to the “old” Wenger, or should that be the Wenger of old, the facts remain.
I believe that Emma is right when she says we are a soft touch. We were horrible yesterday and didn’t even have any sort of ruthless professionalism to call on to get the job done as say, Man Utd certainly would have. Yes, there were a number of performances that were extremely bad but this is merely a continuation of the slow decline of our club over the past half dozen years and those players were hand picked by only one man.
Marinello, we were shit.
I said it, and stand by it.
My comments of shots on goal show we did have the tactics right, but the players were not good enough to get the job done.
Oz, Stan is a non event.
Dollars in are all he cares about.
Piss him off and the sun will start to shine over The Emirates again.
Agree Oz, man of many many words, but seldom do they make sense 😉
the focus seems to be on squad selection but in honesty in was nothing different from what ‘Wengers World Beaters’ serve up regularly now – if only they could believe ‘just how good they are’ *cough*
Scott those comments were referring to the mortgage which is well and truly covered. They were also made 3 years back. We now have huge cash reserves and have new sponsorship deals coming into existence and some of them will be front loaded.
There is no excuse anymore for him not to spend if there ever was one.
Money in the bank does not equate to money available to spend…..ask my wife 🙂
we are tired of geting negative result
TT, those comments are as relevant now as when they were made.
Explain why Wenger was ordered to sell RVP, or do you truly believe he did so by choice??
Please say you do not.
Totally agree Emma. But the question is why is money being kept back? I am not business savoy so I stand to be corrected as always but the little I know about the corporate world tells me money is being kept to booster the PLC or Holdindings PLC as it is known in the city.
And considering that allegedly Lady Smith and other former owners of other franchises Stan has purchased in the past are still not completely paid for… according to the FT then…
We keep hearing AW has money to spend but how much does he have? No one knows apart from D Law and the board but if you consider hard facts as documented by PV and CF in the last 10 years when AW has told those players he had money, the players claimed AW mentioned £25M in 2001 and £15M 3 years ago. So the question is do you have 12 or 13 JW10’s or you have 18 to 20 JW’s and Nancho’s to make a team.
The daily mirror reported in November than 90% of 2000 people surveyed wanted AW out asap. So if we extrapolate and project that result and take into consideration the views of bloggers on sites such as this then AW should have gone ages ago! I thought number was power?
Surely the likes of 2 or 4 people who are deemed to supporters of AW especially on this site should not be the cause of the reason why the clueless AW is still in his post
I have had Wenger pegged as a salesman for some years and i should know i employ enough of them hahah – all promise and no delivery but wants the world class pay anyway –
If we get top four, if Liverpool don’t which is looking unlikely, we should get in there and do everything to try and sign Suarez….
TT. One could also factor in the huge extra income from the mad TV deal. We are treading water but slipping under. Surely we should be looking up instead of always staring down?
And on club finances, is it not strange that if sales are not made we would be making a loss annually.
Those who care to comgb through the details by reading the statements also know far less than our wage bill goes to playing staff
http://www.arsenal.com/the-club/corporate-info/arsenal-holdings-financial-results
Rico. Can you really see Wenger doing that? Suarez? You can bet he has his eyes firmly set on the next big thing to come out of Africa. The next Gervinho in fact. 🙂
Hi Marinello. Hope all is well
Scott are you on the board? Can you please shear with us the inside information you allude to have regarding Wenger being ordered to sell? He has never himself come out and said so, if he had I would sure as hell have heard of it and every other literate gooner. I have not heard any member of the board saying this either..
TS. You are, in one sense right. The club needs a top to bottom reorganisation sure enough.
Rico, never.
I would rather Tevez than that litle prick, unless he promised to stop diving.
Oz, having been a salesman for a long time now, i hardly see Wenger as one.
More like a journo in that he tells us what he wants us to hear 🙂
Ginge, you have a way with words mate.
Well said.
Rico, top four looks a big ask from where i sit.
We are too inconsistent in our performances. I never know which team is going to turn up…… Neither does Wenger!
TT, once you show me proof that the sale of RVP was Wengers decision, i will provide what you ask for.
Since neither of us are sure, it is a stalemate.
Then again, i am simply offering up these rebuttals to claims you state are factual because i do not know, and that is my entire point.
TT. Actually, if you remember, after the RVP sale Wenger came out at a press conference and said it was his decision, a footballing decision.p, he added.
So when a manager such as Moyes says that he would rather finish 4th than win the FA cup and then goes and draws against a team who have won only 1’s in the league in 14 matches then that should tell fans where football is heading. When AW says it he is a bloody foriegner who does not respect or understand the traditions…
The last time I checked Everon were still the 4th most successful team in England and just shaded by AW’s earlier teams and wins before the last 8 years.
If Wenger ever writes an autobiography, lets hope he tells it with warts and all.
Any score predictions for Tuesday?
But Wenger is a liar so you all say hahahahaha!!
Oh that is right, we believe him when his comments are damning, but ignore him to suit our own argument.
What a shock lol.
Wenger leave arsenal u r a failure
3-1 win Marinello.
I always say it, and very seldom get it right 🙂
Ginge, lets replace Wenger who hasn’t won a trophy for 8 years with a guy who has NEVER won a con toss lol.
You could not make this crap up, cold you??
No I can’t Adam, but it may not be Wenger 😉
The day Wenger gets told to do anything would be the day the club finally grow some…
I am off to bed.
Keep fighting the good fight Ginge.
You are on the side of good 🙂
One footballing point I would like to make.. Rosicky should be getting more game time, far better than Diaby and Ramsey.
I agree scott Teves every day over Suarez
Looks like we are in our little bubble world. Usmanov take over will not happen. kroenke won’t be stupid enough to sell after we ‘ve survived the wilderness(building of the emirates stadium) and about entering into the promise land of financial prosperity (TV deals, emirates, nike + amount in reserves etc). No brainer
The infrastructure is in place but the structure(board&management) is what is worrying
2-1 to us. Marinello
And AW also said the fail will make or break him. So when AW makes a statement such as
‘But what is painful is to see United so far in front of us,’ he said. ‘We knew when we sold him to United that would be the case.’ can people truly and honestly believe that it was AW’s decision to sell.
The same way Nasri was announced on the team sheet before the Udineese match but Stan flew into the country on the Friday mourning and a deal was agreed with $hitty.
Ts, I am not sure anyone has accused AW of being what you suggest..
Bayern will play well Marinello, there is my prediction 😉
Footballing reasons! Ha ha what a fucking joke!!!
Possession,corners and shots on target brilliant BUT that wins you fuck all……
Night Scott. Later.
Emma and considering IG has led a brigade to win the latest FA FFP, I totally agree the outlook looks bleak on the prospects of AU taking over.
And considering that HM Ambassador to Uz said AU is a criminal and the FA ruling says no one with any conviction can own a club (rule made in 2004) please can someone explain why I was wrong to say the best AU can do is be allowed to look at the books.
tsGH – If he gets to the 30% mark, that is the only thing he will be allowed to do(look at the books)
Wenger has lost the plot. The stats tell the story. It has been like that all the time/ The gunners are laways dominant but end up losing. Whatever for. I rather be less dominant and win.
Who is suggesting replace Wenger with that kind of man Scott??
Certainly no-one on here this morning….
Esp, agree on Tomas, but I doubt he will now, there’s no chance he will face Bayern unless injury hits our midfield and same could be said for our remaining league fixtures….
I’m not expecting us to progress in the CL….
pork pie and salad – arrghh life is good again 🙂
Maybe not in this instance Rico,but every day I read that AW is in bed to make £7m by selling the likes of RVP and replacing them with Gerv because most people fall for the headlines instead of spending 10 minutes to read the facts to form their own opinions.
Emma, is it not interesting that even Roman has agreed to the FFP ruling when the money coming in is about to quadruple? I guess even he is thinking about himself. The same reason Tony Fernades is probably desperate for ‘srry to keep QPR in this league so he can take/make some money for all his troubles.
Football is like politics, the needs of the people who make the leaders who they are are not being met because in the end it is all about money. Fans want trophies but a day in Wembley does not make jack all interest to the owners but top 4 does. Fact.
The same way politicians would rather fight wars than pay for the sick… because wars makes MONEY.
Same here Marinello….
emma, don’t think that is a cert about him looking at the books…
Exactly Lee, in fact it makes the loss seem worse, how did those players miss so many chances.
And why wait until 70 mins to change things….
Wenger is very lucky and things do tend to drop his way, so an off the money performance from BM wouldn’t surprise me at all Rico – its something different so the players shouldn’t be relying on Wenger obvious lack of motivational talents – oh god can you imagine his press if we beat them hahaha 8 years forgotten in one game
Small mercies.
tsCh – he makes money for them any way he can and will continue to do that whether the team suffers (as it has for years) or not. He’s not stupid, fans won’t get him sacked the board might. His wages have blown out over the last few years and we’re showing a near 40m profit on transfers over that time – its no coincidence, scum bags all of them
I still believe what is happening now is the storm before the calm. But all depends on what AW does in the summer I guess.
The problem we had yesterday was the transition from the midfield to the attack. Diaby held too long to the ball, made a lot of misplaced and sideways passes. There was no urgency in his decision making to release the ball quickly enough thereby allowing the Blackburn players to maintain a structured shape in defence. The only time the ball was moved quickly was when Gerv. was on one to one with the keeper and we knew what happened. AW should have made the changes earlier but when he did instead of taking diaby off he made the wrong decision bringing off rosicky. It’s all gone now. Looking forward to another “B”ayern after Bradford and Blackburn. Hoping there will be a reaction from the players. I believe we can beat them
Scott. 10:59. How can we not blame Wenger for tactics when his best strikers are playing on the wings. Put Theo or Podolski in attack yesterday instead of the Midfielder/Support striker Giroud that he bought to replace the most prolific striker Arsenal has had in like five years. Wenger was our greatest fortune, now he our greatest MISFORTUNE. Get over it. And old senile one please dont let the door hit you on your way out. Wenger out…WHOLEHEARTEDLY.
Emma – i have read this ‘all depends on the summer’ so many times its just plain painful now – the same will happen this summer as every other – beating BM actually proves nothing cause the following week we will be embarrassing ourselves again, you know it – its all to familiar now
I would think that most teams who come to the Emirates to play, fancy their chances to get a result lately. Yesterday, it was Blackburn in the cup. A one off match, where the under dog always has a chance. I never know what to expect anymore from our team. Sometimes, they are capable of passing any team off the park, and look something else. We, as fans then get carried away with that one off performance, expect the same in the next game, and then we give a performance where we have the majority of possession, but it counts for nothing, if you cannot hit the back of the net….
Lets hope that Wenger and Bould get the team in today, fire them up and we get a performance against the germans, that we are proud of.
It will be a funny old atmosphere at the Emirates Oz, we sure need BM to have an off night and no Gerv anywhere near the team either….
I was at the game yesterday , time to clear out the dead wood , Diaby , Rosicky , and the rest , we were too slow till the last 10 mins , why cant we play like that all the time , i would have had walcot , santi and wiltshire on from the start and get the game won then take them off , a lot off angry fans yesterday putting the blame on wenger , is it his fault or the boards and the paying of the new stadium , wenger has done a very good job to keep the club where it is but the yank owner runs the show and its a business, wenger the players like you and me want to win so time to get david dein back and the russian in to spent the money , change the manager is an option , but who is better and wants to come to arsenal , wenger should speak up and tell the truth but he wont , he is the best coach but needs to be ruthless like Alex Ferguson , but is it in his make up , fergie would not put up with losers or big heads , without knowing all the facts what is the answer ?
I think it all depends on how/where we finish the season emma.
2nd place is up for grabs…..
Getting knock out of the two cups by lower league teams is enough for AW to get sack, i can’t believe people in their right mind still trying to put the blame on something/someone else, with all due respect you all are a part of the problem. AW is a dead man walking so AW supporters need to give this shit up, it becoming hilarious
rico – Gerv had the chance to show he has turned a new leaf but wasted it. We might not see him again this season bar injuries to key players. Arsenal should be ruthless during the summer. There should be a clear-out of players starting with Gerv, Coq, fabianski, mannone etc.
Rico, I agree with you about Gerv. Maybe he looks good in training, but when he plays in a match its woeful. The Germans are walking their League, just have to hope for an off night from them and for us to get an early goal, and then build on it. Cannot have Bayern getting an early one, otherwise thats it, all over.
TSGH: All good over here. How are you Sir?
Rico, keep up the good work with your probing blogs, at the end of the day, we all have one thing in common, we are all Arsenal supporters, and this site gives us the chance to air our views. None of us know what goes on behind the scenes with Stan and Peter Hill Wood, and never will. But its nice to have a place to go, speak ones thoughts and listen to other fans views.
@emma coq is better footballer than ramsey, jenks, frim, ox and diaby in any position, he just need a run of games
I agree emma but we say this every time a transfer window approaches. But, looking at all those who have been allowed to leave on loan, and those coming to an end of their contract in the summer, we could finally see a huge clearout..
If Wenger wants to stay, wants to improve things and make us a force again, he really needs to stop protecting these players, get ruthless and get rid…
After all, they are hardly looking after him are they….
Thanks Marinello, I’ll try 😉
Gdna, but Coq only ever be a squad player imho, will he accept that, or will he move on for his own sake….
Gerv was always like that watch highlights of him playing in the world cup, Africa is just not the place for talent anymore, germany and spain is where its happening but AW don’t buy stars he make them according to DD…wow
DNA – I just don’t like the way he flies into tackles
rico coq is the best squad player at afc, a better manager would know how to handle a player like coq, he would be a better choice at left back against Bayern than verm, trust me on that 1
emma u have to realize i’m a winner anything to make afc win a trophy i’m down for it, i can manage any tackle, gangster for life
Gdna, that’s a bit harsh really, considering he has not long ago signed Cazorla, Monreal, Podolski and Merts….
AW does seem to be looking more to Germany and Spain, so have to give him that.
Also, we have Eisfeld coming through and he looks a quality player.
That’s just your own view though Gdna, one which not everyone agrees with.
He has a long way to go to prove himself imho….
Best signing we could make would be to get David Dein back and get things sorted.
rico did you read the comments from DD last week?
About making stars Gdna? If so, isn’t that all old news?
But if not, no I didn’t read them…
Welcome shep, that isn’t going to happen all the time SK is the majority shareholder…..
Off for an hour, laters….
good morning all
TSGH , if your going by the comments made by Craig Murray read his WIKI* page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Murray. I would be careful about thinking his comments are those of a reliable witness.
I read in the http://www.eurosport.com what the english newspapers wrote today
Vey good Potter, this is the type of things I enjoy reading.
‘….. In September 2007, Murray expressed views on the character of Alisher Usmanov, Russia’s 18th richest man,[45] following Usmanov’s investment in Arsenal Football Club[46] but the post[47] had to be removed from his web site following an intervention from Usmanov’s lawyers, Schillings, who threatened his webhost. Despite Murray’s repeated assertions that he was happy to defend his statements in court, Schillings declined to sue Murray but concentrated on stamping out the story by threatening hosting companies who had no interest in defending the case. Under further pressure from Usmanov’s lawyers, the hosting company Fasthosts decided to permanently close the server for the web site on 20 September 2007, an action that also had the effect of deleting several other related and non-related political blogs.[48] A campaign by bloggers against Usmanov’s legal pressure ensued, and Murray’s website has since returned.[cite]’. Very interesting
Of course I do not believe any thing published. However, in Murray’s case he renegaded on the establishment by making comments men or personal of his stature should not even be contemplating.
It is said that a few people working in certain govt establishments resigns due to having such views.
For instance, questions such as what do you think of the governments views on Gilbrator or the Falklands are asked certain recruits hoping to take certain positions now. 😉
You people give me a right f*cking migraine. Bottom line is, my chin feels rough and needs a shave.
…Of course I do not believe everything published. I meant
I can sympathise and understand those Gooners who are bemoaning the amount of changes in personnel that AW made yesterday. But with respect, I don’t think that those changes are a major reason for our defeat.
That team should have been able to beat Blackburn by at least 3 cleat goals, notwithstanding the inclusion of Gervinho.
the changes were normaly. The team was able to won the game.Three mistakes were doneand we were aout for the FA Cup
Mankini didn’t take Leeds lightly then…..
Just why they are in the next round……
Afternoon folks….
But city has a bigger squad. However, Arsenal with yesterday line-up couldn’t win?
Hello, all. Still majorly pissed off. The same mistakes ad infinitum. We were undone by complacency and a general lack of motivation. These days, I watch our club, and feel like we care more than those on the pitch.
liverpoll 3-0 Swansea
Our squad is big JM, it’s just after the first 15, we are average…
Hi agag, so am I, furious!
That’s the way it’s been for a long time Rico , We have a group of players that can beat anyone , but also when we bring in passengers they weaken us too much. The way they performed yesterday only Rosicky of those that came in can be considered to have merited his inclusion.
No two ways about it, rico. We’ve become so painfully ordinary. The flaws in our club are so glaring, one wonders why this Board and our coach just won’t address them.
Losers mentality running through the squad….the manager calls fourth a trophy, there lies the biggest problem! Sorry Arsene you were once great but things have moved on and you haven’t…….
I know Potter, and that is why some of us get so frustrated.
AW claims to be on a budget, but isn’t it better to have one good quality signing rather that three average/less than average signings..?
Take santos for an example, he cost us just over £6 million, he is no better than Jernade Meade so why bother in the first place.
We always claim to be a well run club but I’m sorry, I strongly disagree. We waste thousands of pounds signing rubbish and paying them well over the odds….
And as AW has admitted, that is all down to him…..
rico, for me a big squad haven’t 30 players; has 22/23 players with quality,2 players for position able for replace when we need
I agree with Lee agag, we don’t have players who know how to win.
We could say that goes back to when so many winners in our squad were allowed to leave so quickly…
One day we had a team who knew how to win, the next, nothing…
I know some don’t like to talk about RvP but since he has joined manure, his game has gone up a notch, and that’s because he’s at a club where winning in in the air they breathe…
Or not knowing when they are beaten…..
JM, I agree, but we have never had that under AW, and we certainly don’t have that now, nowhere near…
RICO, in my view, if the team had had a few more like Yennaris,, Eisfeld and Gnabry in it, could have done any worse?
Those youngsters certainly wouldn’t have needed motivating…
Funny how Wenger picked two strong sides vs Bradford & Blackburn and both occasions those teams failed to raise themselves about average…
No is my answer Ak. But I’d have much rather we started with pace and precision in our passing.
When we don’t have that, we lose…
No Santi, no Jack, No Theo…. No all three lost us that game… In my humble opinion of course….
Good night, guys. 🙂
“Santos”, rico? 😛
the solution his not have winner players but the opposite: players who want to win titles, figth for them and be youngers. In my point of view, Arsenal politic his in the rigth way. Miss something in the back. i’m quite sure we don’t give an special importance to dvds of others teams.
I meant Santi agag 😉 Nighty to you, rest well and take care….
Evening all. Feeling better about the direction our club is heading in Rico?
Bit of both would be ideal JM….
No Adam, good evening to you….
Off to get dinner, back shortly….
Rico. So do you believe that Arsene might walk away at the season’s end?
I thought the story about him and Bould was quite disturbing? Coming from Kevin Witcher it has to have legs too.
Whitcher I mean. Apologies.
i don’t see the “in AW we trust” crowed here!! don’t worry they will come out after the top four miss…))…funny I was on my way to the Loo when I heard the commentator saying “who expected this after the goal”, well I raised my hand…)
I do Adam, IF we don’t finish in the top 4….
What story??
On line gooner calling for protest :-
Online Ed: The ‘Wenger Out’ camp now seems to be in the majority
That Arsenal have been eliminated from both domestic cups by lower league opposition this season – for the first time under Arsene Wenger in each competition – is symptomatic of the gradual decline the team are suffering. Previously, a shadow team like the one played against Blackburn yesterday would have had enough about them to maintain the club’s interest in the FA Cup. However, the depth of the squad is gradually declining with the sale of the better players to maintain profit, and their replacement with inferior options. The chickens are coming home to roost.
#wenger out was trending on twitter after the yesterday’s cup exit, and one interesting tweet by TheRealGunner read as follows – Since our last trophy in 2005, We sold 79 players who brought 52 trophies to their new teams and Wenger made 40 million pounds! Wenger OUT. I cannot verify the accuracy of this statement, but I could believe it. Robin van Persie will almost certainly add to that number in May and Cesc Fabregas will also pick up at least a title winner’s medal. (Ed’s note – Took this from Twitter and the name above the tweet reads as TheRealGunner @AmrGunner1 – there is also a Jules Wheeler @TheRealGunner who some think was responsible for this tweet. Not the case – my apologies to Jules for any confusion and my lack of knowledge of twitter (why two names anyway?) – our publisher does the gooner twitter feed as it is not a world I populate that much)
Arsenal are in a spiral of slow painful decline, a club where complacency is king and change is desperately needed. There was apparently a huge training ground bust up in front of the squad between Wenger and Steve Bould during the week when Bould wanted to do some specific work with the players, but the manager told him he couldn’t. Everyone is under orders to hush it up, but too many saw it and the story has leaked. Bould took the job as Wenger’s number two (having turned it down in the summer of 2011) on the assurance that he would be allowed to have some genuine coaching input. This happened for a few weeks before the manager became fed up of Bould getting the credit for the team’s improved early season resilience, and his ego decided enough was enough. Fitness coach Tony Colbert took a training session when Wenger was ill during the autumn, rather then Bould.
Look at the contrast with Manchester United – a club that also has debts – but also a board that realises winning trophies will lead to increased profits. Alex Ferguson leaves training sessions to his coaching team – which is periodically changed to freshen things up. There is a real hunger amongst the players during a match to compete and win games, something I do not always see at Arsenal. Would a figure such as Sebastien Squillaci be indulged at Old Trafford? Do you think if, say, Jose Mourinho was in charge at Arsenal, the player would have turned down a loan move to Brighton? His life would be so miserable he would either be upping his game to compete for a first team place or take the opportunity to get out at the first chance. Instead, he is allowed to exist in a highly paid comfort zone.
As for the game itself, Arsenal were fairly lacklustre to say the least. Blackburn offered little except some determined defending, but the home team had so much possession that chances were created. They tended to go wide or straight at the keeper, with the exception of Rosicky’s effort that hit the bar. The best opportunity fell just before the interval to Gervinho, a serial misser of chances who is a classic example of how the quality of the squad has been allowed to decline. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain seems to have had the fire he was demonstrating a year ago coached out of him. His development actually appears to be in regression under Wenger. Abou Diaby lost possession an awful lot and the team lacked any cohesion or drive. There was never any doubt that the manager was prioritising Tuesday night’s first leg against Bayern, but the players who started should have easily had enough in them to win this tie. It was still 0-0 when Wilshere, Walcott and Cazorla were introduced.
Then, Blackburn demonstrated the benefits of taking pot shots at the keeper, scoring from a rebound. Arsenal do not shoot enough, too often preferring to pass when within range of goal. So few goals from rebounds. It is a weakness in their attacking game borne of the manager’s obsession with the purity of possession football.
So where do we go from here? People talk about a Chelsea style run of fortune to win the Champions League, but with the team’s weakness in defensive organisation and an error-prone keeper, I just don’t see it. The Gunners have not eliminated a genuine top side in Europe since 2008. I suspect what we are about to experience is the traditional groundhog day feel of the third and final cup elimination of the campaign and the concentration on that precious top four spot. The club’s annual figures will once again show profit thanks to the sale of Robin van Persie. So objective achieved. Arsenal are a fantastic business because they are able to make money selling something that disappoints their customers, who keep coming back for more. As a sporting concern, they are no longer serious contenders, their targets and ambitions on field far lesser that other teams of a similar financial stature. They are pushing very, very hard for a version of financial fair play to be introduced in the Premier League. All the clubs want it, Ivan Gazidis maintains. Well if they did, then 14 of them would vote for it and it would come into being.
Anyway, the manager is a busted flush and the board are not going to end his tenure, so it is down to the fans. If supporters are chanting inside the stadium against Wenger on a habitual basis and fights are breaking out in the crowd over the issue, that is going to be very poor PR for the Arsenal brand. That would force action. It’s horrible to have to do, but needs must. I imagine also that the Black Scarf Movement – having resisted the opportunity to call for the manager’s head so far – might reconsider and get even bigger numbers on their next march. It does need a concerted campaign to effect change.
One idea that came to me yesterday evening is to imitate the Chelsea fans who chanted for Robert Di Matteo at 16 minutes in every game after his dismissal. It may be worth waiting until Tuesday night has indicated whether there is any chance of progression in Europe, but if not, we can safely say it will be eight years without a trophy. Perhaps the Villa game next weekend might be the time to start something. Maybe when 8 minutes of the game have been played (the countdown clock will be at 37.00), a ‘Wenger Out’ chant should begin amongst those who want to effect change. Simplest I guess would be to the tune of the old Alan Smith (or sometimes Lee Dixon) chant. If you get lamped as a result, remember that CCTV is recorded of everyone at every moment during the match. So the AKB that objects to your right to freedom of expression can be removed by the police for assault before half time, assuming you wish to press charges rather than hit them back.
Let’s be honest, it is horrible that it has come to this state of affairs, where fans are being forced to chant against a man who has given so much to the club, but whose time has moved on. But I can see no other way of effecting much needed change and halting the slow tortuous spiral of decline. I would also welcome any Wenger supporter who still believes he is doing a good job and that he can turn things around to submit an article for publication on this website. We are an open church here at The Gooner. But we simply do not get this type of article submitted these days, perhaps because the arguments are more difficult to justify, who knows? There are still people who believe Wenger is the best man for the job. If you are happy with a top four spot and no trophies for the money we are paying and the supposed stature of our club, then fair enough. I think we should be doing better, and my belief for the reason we are not is that things have gone very stale. Sadly, Arsene Wenger is not going to change his ways now, so the day has come when – if the majority of supporters agree that change is needed – it is the fans that have to force change.
And for those who ask – who would you get to replace Arsene? – for an annual salary of £7.75 million a year, the answer is pretty much anyone you care to think of. What the club actually needs is a Jose Mourinho (you want Arsenal to defend again? The deadwood cleared? Remember siege mentality? Trophies?), but I suspect the board are way too conservative for that.
Anyway, ‘Wenger Out’ when the countdown clock on the videoscreen hits 37 minutes each first half for the rest of the season (i.e. 8 minutes have been played), starting at the Villa game. We can’t change the board, but we can force them to take action to address the decline on the field. Just a thought, an idea. Remember, no pain, no gain. No-one knows what a future would hold without Arsene Wenger, except for one thing. Hope might return. And football supporters need at least that.
17th February 2013 – Source: http://onlinegooner.com/article.php?sec … ial&id=417
The one that Potter has reprinted Rico. Whitcher has his own opinions as to possible ways forward and I personally don’t share them, but the Bould episode makes sense.
I think what we are seeing is that perfectly reasonable supporters have just had it and are suggesting radical actions because they don’t believe that Wenger will go either voluntarily or by way of the sack. They do this because they care-desperately.
This makes them angry. Do they have the right or have they been spoiled with the club’s past success?
I have my own feelings and obviously others have theirs but I haven’t heard one persuasive case for Wenger sticking around that I can see any sense or reason in. I have however read a lot of real silliness, but precious little logic.
That the club is in decline is obvious to me. If you think that it isn’t then please explain. The whole place has an almost inevitable air of depression hanging over it. A kind of faded splendour. I think it has got much worse over the last six months and such the rate of such declines can become exponential but they don’t have to be terminal.
Gazidis should ask himself, every morning,”Is the club going in the right direction and does it have the ambition to be the best?” Just saying that you want to be the best really doesn’t count any more. If he is really honest with himself then he surely must answer that question in the negative. What comes next will be hard but that goes with the territory.
What a sad state of affairs…
But again, the people to blame, are the Board, who have once more shown a lack of leadership and direction…
As long as those self-satisfied buffoons remain, nothing will truly change or improve…
And if David Dein objects, then maybe he should have a word in the ear of his son…
Hi Kev. I read the stuff by Dein about Wenger making players into world class stars and he seemed to be caught in a time loop. Didn’t that all stop a while ago?
You are right though in the sense that the board hold sway. Like you I have no faith in them though. Leadership and direction would be nice wouldn’t it?
Morning all.
Evening Adam…
We are a rudderless ship, minus a captain, because that useless tosser is probably roping a steer on one if his ranches, fantasising that he’s John Wayne..
Hill-Wood is a geriatric idiot, who should be in a care-home, not a Boardroom.
His mates, Harris & Keswick, are parasites…
Ken Friar has no opinion as he concentrates on holding on to his nice little job.
Gazides has no power… He is a spin merchant…
Morning Scott…
Excuse me, I have to do some work. 😉
That article had some very relevant points, but also some point blank lies or at the very least, inaccuracies.
I am not sure if the author even watched the game judging by his comments on Blackburn taking potshots and we being unwilling to shoot…..check the stats!
Still, anything to get the authors point across.
On the flip side, plenty of what he said was very good and logical.
I do not know of too many people at all who have stated Wenger must stay though.
There are a few one here, like me, who simply question exactly who is at fault for the clubs decline, and would changing the manager fix the issues.
Still, the knockers will never let the truth get in the way of i posing their opinion, or whilst tearing apart the opinion of others.
Hi Kev.
Start at the top….change the owner.
If that doesn’t do anything, piss Ivan off, then Wenger and so on, and so forth.
QED I think. See ya Kev.
Thanks Potter/Adam..
I’m unsure of who to blame. Kroenke is so far away it’s hard to believe he cares, Wenger does things that I really don’t always understand and between the lot of them, they are driving me to distraction…..
Hi Rico. We can only really guess at what Kroenke thinks or believes or does. But the evidence of Wenger’s current situation was there for all to see yesterday. Kroenke, Gazidis or Hill-Wood did not pick or prepare that team, nor the one that rolled over at the mighty Bradford. The club is stale. You must be able to smell that, even in Berkshire.
Over this season we have all aired our opinion on wenger,
those of us who think he has had his day after maybe 8years of not winning a major trophy and not spending our money to buy quality player’s,would I imagine like to tell him that.
So my fellow gooner’s
Thank god we have some famous gooners
yer ..just like us,
who are able to get the message to wenger.
Because one thing I do know
wenger(7million) could’nt give a shit.
There is a certain whiff here in Berkshire Adam 😉
What you saying fred 😉
Had we won, we’d be heading to Millwall…..
We have plenty suggesting that the purse strings should be opened to pay players 150k a week, yet then complain that the manager earns too much.
Sorry, but that is ridiculous.
Players can be replaced much easier than a manager.
Do any of our players contribute more and put more into Arsenal than our manager?
Whether he is doing a good job or not is another issue, but a manager of a big club deserves more than any player.
Not really sure any fans expect us to pay players £150K a week Scott, certainly not on here. Think you may have imagined that 😉
Wenger will cost the club 7million…….
remaining one year left on his contract
Stan the man will cost somebody 850,million.
Not hard to work out is it.
He’ll sign a new one fred, you just wait and see…..
Fred, Stan is the cancer at our club.
We only need look at other clubs he owns to know they simply tick over, with little or no ambition to succeed, while making him a pretty penny.
Rico, i should explain….people though Theo should get 100k a week, so i naturally assumed they’d believe a decent player would get 150 🙂
Kidding, your boy has certainly stepped up this season, and credit to you for sticking solid.
I’am not so sure rico,
the pain on his face during recent games tell’s it’s own story.
I just wish he would go gracefully,because deepdown we all love him,
Don’t we.
I know scott
But we need to change,it has to be the manager.
Rico, i honestly hope Wenger does not renew.
As much as i stand by the man and do not believe he is at fault to the extent others do, i do think he holds things together allowing Stan and the board to keep the club rumbling along.
I never, ever thought i would say this, but maybe the club needs a season where it flops massively to wake them up.
I think no new manager, no matter who they are, will keep us in top 4 unless big dollars are spent, and it may well take a season finishing tenth or twelth to force them to spend.
Not a word I would associate with Kroenke really Scott, that bastard disease kills…. But….
I think we all assume that Kroenke is the baddie but what if that stuff about him giving AW money to spend in Jan was true??
You so often suggest that fans are quick to believe what is written when it suits them, but, and not wishing to sound rude, but you do the same, but in support of Wenger….
It cuts both ways….
fred, Wenger has had that pain on his face since the day Thierry Henry left for Barcelona
Theo has a long way to go Scott, but he’s certainly better…. Much better….
Rico,
Sorry, but i can’t agree with those comments.
I admit on a regular basis to not knowing what happens and who truly is at fault, but unlike most, i give Wenger the benefit of the doubt.
Plenty on here carry on as if they do know the truth.
If Wenger was truly given cash to spend and didn’t think we needed to though, then he truly has lost it.
It is the secrecy and the unknown that makes things so hard to take for all of us.
I don’t like player’s getting boooed.
I have to be honest I never thought I would ever see wenger boooooooed and the chants of wenger out.
Most of the fans have had enough,
for a lot fans it’s tribel,lived and breathed 7 days a week,a lot of younger supporters only know success,and the anger has built up to now.
Us older fans see whats wrong with the team,and rightly or wrongly think we know.
Wenger can’t be right,
Either way as the manager he has a right to come clean and tell us,if not he must suffer the consequence’s
Hey ho, I thought you would say that Scott….
Why do you not give Kroenke the benefit of the doubt?
fred, the amount of times Wenger contradicts himself, even if he did tell us his view of what has gone on, how do we know it’s true??
Your right rico,
You know if we came out with all that crap,our family’s would have us sectioned.
On that note,I think I’ve said enough.
Good-night all
They sure would fred…
But some choose to believe every word from Arsene Wenger.
Some choose to see no good in Stan Kroenke or Ivan Gazidis…
Reality is, we all read what we read, yet none of us know the truth.
But what is clear, is what goes on on the pitch.
And Saturday, that wasn’t good, and yet I truly thought we’d turned a corner.
I still do, but that corner was with the right players on the pitch, not with the ones who faced Blackburn….
Well, it’s getting late for me here so that’s me done for the day….
Night all……
Dg, hope you chin is all shaved and smooth by now ;)…..
Hiya Rico. Just back from pasta.
Maybe tomorrow everything will seem better?
No it won’t be Adam, it won’t be for a while….. 🙁
I know Rico. I do, honestly. 🙂
Anyway, I am off to watch some TV or listen to some music. Night Rico. 🙂
Night Adam ….
Rico, its ia fair call, but judging by everything Stan has done, both at Arsenal and his other clubs, i think it is fair to say he is interested in making money.
Wenger gets the benefit of the doubt because i believe his heart is in the club, and he truly does what he thinks is right for Arsenal.
They are just my thoughts, and again, i wish i knew the facts.
I wish we all did.
I don’t know a single person who believes everything Wenger says though lol
But Scott, most worm turns at some stage…
How do we not know that this is the one thing SK wants to get right??
I’m not saying it is but…..
I don’t think anyone suggests that Wenger doesn’t do what he believes is right for the club. The problem is, he is living back in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. The game has moved on since then…,,.
But has his ideas???
The real thing that narks me, is his inability to ask for help, or accept help. If he could, we’d be so so much better….
Scott says
‘I don’t know a single person who believes everything Wenger says though’ lol
I do Scott, and that is Arsene Wenger…
Def gone now…
Night all
ARSE WENGER TOLERATES MEDIOCRITY WITH 3RD GRADE PLAYERS, THAT’S WHY THE STUPID RESULTS!
Rico, if only we knew Stans intentions, we could all make a decent assessment.
Night Rico.
stop attending matches, stop pumping money in to stans pocket . . . TAKE A STAND…
i don’t blame Wenger entirely, however it is well obvious to a fair few fans like myself not just since yesterday but since a good fair few years, 3 shall we say it ? yep, lack of a quality goal keeper.
Szcny (don’t mind the spellings) but i honestly feel he is one of the worst goal keepers in Europe…he cost us the final vs Birmingham in a cup final not so long ago….he keeps costing us games week in week out…having 1 decent game every 6 months doesn’t make one a decent keeper.
Arsene Faith in him is Appalling, the guy is no longer a first choice goal keeper for Poland anymore says it all really.
i would be very surprised if we don’t get a decent keeper come this summer and still have this useless , over rated and arrogant pair of hands and legs standing in goal next season. (let us hope and pray)
Kel, i am in Oz so obviously don’t attend matches, but the problem those who have forked out for ST’s have already paid their money, so will staying away really achieve anything?
I think Wenger has reached the enof his tether. His arrogance and refusal to delegate is responsible for the curret malaise.Sometime ago he declined the services of a defence coach.I know he has Bould this season but if reports of a rift between he and the former defender are true,it will confirm he wants to have total control.With total control comes 100% accountability.
He has refuse d to get a top class gk trusting the young ones who have been proven time and again not of the required std.If Arsenal really want to be atop team ,they shd let him go anywhere he wants. His stock has fallen unless he can win the cl.,
Morning all,
Why can no other manager replace Wenger? Surely new ideas will work with what we have. A man manager that is more authoritarian and get rid of the socialist rubbish Wenger has instilled. We all can see our problem is width, we have no wingers, no one trys to beat the full back, all want to cut inside compacting our game even further. Our wing backs can’t cross for shit and are required to overlap to create width but leaves gaps behind them.
What happened to wenger offering youngsters a chance? We can use Gnarby and call back Miyacchi. Give us pace and width.
Brad, Miyaichi has been injured most of the season but your spot on with lack of width…. Parking the bus is easy for teams as we just play in front of them and try tippy tappy through them which 99% of the time is doomed to failure… width and get behind the full backs… Not rocket science is it…!
Good Morning my Esteemed Fellow Gunners.
I am still trying to figure out last Saturday’s number one FARCE.
We had enough chances to win till the semifinal at least.
I read through your comments………..believe me tactics are slightly to blame. (well the 1st corner farce when no one went forward to take it is another matter…..that was a farce in itself). But here above someone mentioned that we do not play with width. And he is absolutely right. I think its wrong to have the fullbacks keeping width. It has to wingers. I follow practically all our, Barca’s and Bayern together with Ajax matches and its always the wingers who keep the width not the fullbacks. The fullbacks cut inside but stay outside the penalty area around the 35 metre mark away from the goal. In that way the team keeps width but the defenders are nearer to their goal in case of a breakaway.
But at the end of the day we created enough chances to win more than one game.
The players playing out there were all nationals bar Coquelin and Arteta (who can be considered an international player anyway). So we cannot say they are third rate. Their mentality might be third rate but certainly they should have won handsomely.
Hiya Watty. How are you mate?
Morning all…..
The only player with width Wath was Santos 😉
I am fine Dev how’s you mate….?
Rico go wash your mouth out, never mention that name around here again…!
Good morning all,
Excellent analysis as always Dev. Just to add to add to your point about fullbacks giving width or not, what I do notice with the teams that play attacking football like BVB, Barca and even RM is that they all attack with only one full back at a time. So as a example Alves goes forward so Alba stays at least behind the final third. Teams that attack with both fullbacks like FC Bayern only do that when Martinez is in the side holding to ensure they have at least 3 players in defensive positions at all time.
Unfortunately, AW does the same when we hit a bad patch to win games but then fall back to using the same kamikaze tactics when we put 2 or 3 wins together and then we end up having a shock defeat so we start from scratch again.
——————————
On Bould not being allowed to coach the defence, is that a conspiracy or hard facts? First of all what credentials does Bould have apart from his time as part of allegedly a very good defence in the mid 90’s. If being a good defender makes a good coach then why was Baresi arguably the best defender so useless a defensive coach in the italian league?
Those who use to keep up with reserve football know Bould had one of the worst defensive record at u-18. And Big Tony also had a very poor defensive record as a manager at Portsmouth, youth Dutch football and even when he had the richest owner at FC Gabal he had a poor defensive record. Hard Facts.
Tony could not even stop a good Wycombe team from getting relegated.
🙄 Wath, and there was me thinking that was funny …. 😉
Could have and should have devil….
But we didn’t…..
New Post up….
True about Bould ts but changing the coach should bring new ideas and freshness. Man U may have kept the same manager but the coaches have changed from McClaren, Kidd, Quaros (however that’s spelt) to allow for the way of play to evolve. We do the same old shit expecting different results.
Amazing to see how detremental changing the goal keeping coach is to Schezny’s performances.
Moaning all…
Another sunny but cold morning…
Another day of Arsenal hand-wringing…
Nothing will change, we’ve already had the first rumours, lies about Wenger being given £70 million to spend this summer…
Ha ha fcuking ha. You couldn’t make that shite up.
Lata…
Morning Ak, somethings will never change eh…..
scott, yes it will imo