Morning all.
I guess we have two choices.
- Moan, then moan some more.
- Cheer up a bit and see how things pan out. Then moan..
Reality is, that’s our only two options isn’t it? What’s done is done, or not in Arsenal’s case and now it’s about Arsene Wenger getting the best out of who he has.
And that’s where it gets tricky imo.
Will he again run players into the ground before rotating, will he carry on with the same old timed substitutions each match regardless of what unfolds as a game is being played out and will he continue to play his ‘favourites’ regardless of who we face?
And what about tactics, will he be pragmatic against sides like City, Chelsea, Utd etc away from home? Or will he carry on with his view that the best way to defend is by attacking?
Last season we saw a bit of that ‘pragmatic’ football, especially during the second half of the season away from home. The best perhaps being at The Etihad, but will he introduce that kind of football into the Champions League, which if he did, might actually see us go further in the competition. Anderlecht at home anyone? 3-0 up, 3-3 at the end. A result which cost us top spot in the group and what about the way he approached the home fixture against Monaco, if we are to improve in the big competition we have to be a lot more organised defensively at The Emirates.
And somehow, this team needs to start scoring goals as we can’t rely on the opposition to keep getting them for us. Ollie, Alexis, Ozil, Walcott, OC and Ramsey are the main players who get opportunities and they’ve got to start taking them. Possession is great, but only goals count…
Talking of which, did anyone see Ainsley Maitland-Niles screamer from twenty five yards out last night? Apparently it was pretty special and secured the 3-2 victory over Germany for the England under 19 side.
In the other internationals:
Mesut Ozil has clearly recovered from his little injury as he helped Germany beat Poland 3-1, Laurent Koscielny was part of the French side which beat Portugal 1-0 (Ollie came on right at the end but Debuchy watched from the bench) and the previous evening, Aaron Ramsey and his Welsh team-mates all but secured Euro qualification with a 1-0 victory over Cyprus.
Petr Cech was also a winner as the Czech Republic beat Kazakhstan 2-1. Calum Chambers also got more playing time for England as the under 21’s beat an under 23 side from USA. The more time he gets, the better it is for Arsenal.
Tonight it’s England as they face San Marino. Gibbs, Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain could be involved in a match which should see plenty of goals.. Spain play too with Monreal and Cazorla both in the squad and Gabriel may turn out for Brazil as they face Joel Campbell’s Costa Rico….
David Ospina should be between the sticks as Columbia face Peru and finally, Alexis Sanchez and Chile face Paraguay – both matches are friendlies.
Fingers crossed no injuries….
That’s it for Saturday, see you in the comments for a good old moan…..
Support the team as is and pray we don’t get any more injuries. COYG!
Can Arsene Wenger change? No. Old people don’t tend to change their ways. What next Arsenal fans? More of the same. Arsenal is now a money-making vehicle for Kroenke. The winning of trophies should be paramount, but it’s not. The board made a massive mistake in thinking we could be at the level of the big boys by building a bigger stadium and create more money for the club. Yes, we needed more money – but it’s the rich oligarchs who provide it, not the fanbase. As Wenger admitted, FFP is dead. Kroenke won’t bankroll us. We’re bankrolling him! Get him out and get a multi-billionaire to splash the cash – and take us, within a season, to the next level. Don’t be proud of self-suffiency – that’s outdated. The world has moved on.
Hi Rico,
Good post with thought provoking comments.
I believe that this season will pan out now very much like the last one. The squad is what it is, thanks to Arsene. We have to hope that we get few injuries to key players and rotate when needs must.
As Terry said and the old quote springs to mind “a leopard cannot change its spots” and Wenger is too stubborn to change or listen to anyone, and the Board are happy with the tight financial ship that Arsene skippers.
Just hope that some of the key players do not get disenchanted and decide to leave after another season of not quite achieving what they believed they could.
Let’s get behind the team, as once on the field of play, support from the fans can be worth so much to a player and do their confidence the world of good.
Rico, off to see my two sons support Culture Club tonight at the Apollo Hammersmith. Band is now called Brando.
It’s been a long journey…
Good post Rico…
Morning Adam…
Nice one Marinello…
This is a season that promised so much, but it looks as if we are in for much the same as usual…
I’m not so much surprised, but a little disappointed all the same.
Nothing will change with Kroenke in charge.
Maybe we, as Arsenal fans, have to stop fooling ourselves and accept that where we are, is where we’re gonna be for the foreseeable future…
Moaning is good as it allows us to let off steam, but nothing is gonna be changed by moaning alone…
Only if you hit the club in the pocket, will there be a reaction…
But that’s what’s wrong with out club.
As that would mirror the reaction to that infamous 8-2 defeat.
We need the club to act in an ambitious manner and not to act after the event…
Hi Marinello, like you, more of the same expected here…
Fab re your boys and Culture Club, should be a cracking evening….
Good post, morning.
Many of us gave AW the benefit of the doubt so many times. Mellowed after the Cup wins. But if we are not in top three this year, that must be it. No excuses about injuries, that will be laughed at.
Welcome Terry.. Somewhere in between would be good for me, Kroenke t dip into his pocket and make sure his employer spends it!
Well said Kev..
Good comments Kev.
We all want to see the team achieve and this only comes with consistent displays against whoever is put in front of them. To do this and with the amount of games played, we need a slightly stronger squad, as we all know.
Let’s hope that all players on international duty come back fit.
On a note of fitness, did “sick note” sign for WBA?
Looking forward to the gig tonight Rico.
I get more nervous for my boys. They can’t wait.
Andrew, thought we’d kick on after the first one, even more so after the second but looks like we’re standing still now which in theory, means going backwards as others are pushing on…
I bet they can’t wait Marinello, you must be very proud…
More like can Arsene get worse?
Terry, yeah Kroenke got to go. There is no positive impact he is exerting on our beloved Arsenal.
I think we don’t need a sugar daddy to pump in his billions. The club can easily afford £85m-£100m for transfers and investments. All we need is a savvy manager/director of football who doesn’t hang upthe phone when he is hit with a price tag.
I am Rico.
I believed that after the two cup finals the winning mentality was starting to rub off on the players as a group. Winning 2 FA cups back to back is a fine achievement along with 3rd spot. But I believe that all professional sports people want to play and perform on the biggest stage and be remembered for what trophies they won in their career.
With a few additions, Arsenal could go on and challenge City etc and become a force to be reckoned with. Would also be nice to see some home grown youngsters break into the first team. After all, having an academy within the club is an expensive resource if all we do is train and improve the player and then move them out.
Hi Rico
I don’t think we can blame Kronke, this is all on Arsene’s head, and I don’t think he will change. Just spending money isn’t the answer, look at Di Maria, Falcao and Cuadrado – there are many others as well and Arsene hasn’t made many of these mistakes recently.
Loans have left us very thin, I think Chuba in particular was a mistake with Danny’s problems.
As an optimist, we have a better team now (with Chec) than we had at the end of last season when we won the second half of the league.
Lets see how many Cuadrados have been signed before we finally condemn Arsene’s policy.
Good morning everyone. Talking about putting things in perspective, has anyone read this piece on Arsene and Arsenal’s transfer dealing in Dailymail. Read it and make up your mind what you will of the rest of our season… http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3222231/Arsenal-right-hide-Danny-Welbeck-injury-better-window-Premier-League-club.html
Sadly, Kroenke looks like he’s here to stay…
Can you get me Boy George’s autograph Marinello… 😉
Hi Brian, I blame them all, Kroenke, Wenger and the board but the man at the top could do something to change things. If he wanted to, but I doubt he does as long as the club are making money…
Imbued Man. I suspect that is a sponsored article.
As we have all (well, most of us) been saying, Arsene has rolled the dice and made a decision that seems to be considered somewhere between genius and madness. If it pays off he will be lauded. If not then where does that leave him? In the eyes of Kroenke nothing will change. In the eyes of the fans I suspect it will be somewhat different.
With this one, logic has gone out of the window as you simply cannot sustain charging fans the highest ticket prices in the world of football and not competing although it is a well-known Kroenke tactic. We’ve done that for far too long. The Emirates will take up the slack with the selfie, texting loving foreign tourists that buy the food and the merchandise and real fans will have a serious decision to make.
My estimation is that Kroenke will not care one bit as, to him, a pound is a pound no matter where it comes from.
Adam, madness imo, utter madness.
I am leaning that way too Rico. 🙂
Not sure what all the fuss is about as they’ve won the cup two season in a row and qualified for the CL for the best part of twenty. Only one team can win the league each season and the ones that have, over the last decade or so, have been better than us. The clubs involved have, for various reasons, been able to spend considerably more on not only player recruitment but the wages that go with them. Under the circumstances Arsenal have done about as well they could be expected to. It’s easy to blame Wenger, especially if you don’t know what you’re on about.
Is it possible to buy any player in the Russian market and be able to play soon is possible?
Well… Adam (and Rico). I’m sure it is clear what side of the divide I am even if I don’t consider Wenger infallible. I see his faults because I’m objective enough to judge for myself, and because of opinions of other fans like you who might see things differently.
What am I saying? Don’t just condemn an article that presented facts and perspective as ‘sponsored’. Read with an open mind, My posting it wasn’t to sway anyone’s mind from East to West, but to perhaps make us see some sides of Wenger’s thinking, or at least give him the benefit of the doubt. Overall, the man has done wonders for AFC just as my compatriot Tai posited some days ago. Hence, we should never be too critical or far-right of Wenger’s judgement in the present.
Again, there is even nothing wrong in an article being sponsored provided it doesn’t contain lies – Some people can present our stories better than us. And I suspect that the strength of the article is what made you take such an extreme suspicion of it as being ‘possibly sponsored’.
To cap up what the article said, Would you rather Arsenal were Utd, Spurs or LFC in this transfer window, this season or over the past 2 or 3 seasons?
Lastly, to gauge if fans saw the article as sponsored, maybe you should read through the comments. A vast majority said ‘they felt a lot better about our situation and prospects.
Let’s hope he turns out to be a genius though Adam… 😉
I could understand all the ‘it would make a striker signing more expensive’ stuff if he’d actually signed someone but he didn’t and the reason is more likely to be because he left it too darn late!
rico, with a week to go in the transfer window some of us were told we only moaned for the sake of moaning, that there was still time for Arsene to bring in a couple of players and if he didn’t then moan all we want so I think I’ll continue to exercise my right to moan if that’s ok !
Why not moan Mick….?
If it’s good enough for Wath, it’s good enough for you….
Moan away Micko, I am… 😉
Things to do so catch up later..
Terry, he’s getting on a bit but not to the point where he’s coming out for games with his trousers up around his nipples lol, isn’t it his 20th anniversary next season, that’s a long time in fooball, especially at one club, maybe the perfect time for younger more modern day manager to come in and stamp his mark on the team.
Kev, I’m quite happy to be labelled a poor man’s Wath, no-one comes close.
Your right as usual Mick…
They broke the mould when they made Wath…
He’s quite unique… 🙂
We all know what Arsene has not only done for Arsenal but for the game itself in terms of training, dietary and nutritional benefits but I believe that the time has to come soon where the Board have to prepare for life after Wenger. They must be scratching their arses on that one…
Could this provide Arsenal fans with insight into Wenger’s mindset and why he does things the way he does?
Arsene Wenger is a Player’s Manager not a Fan’s Manager
by Josh Sippie
In the midst of everyone kicking the dead horse that is Arsenal’s transfer inactivity, one man has done the unpopular thing and defended Arsene Wenger for who he is and what he has done.
John Hartson has spoken out about why Arsene Wenger did the right thing in not overloading his squad with unnecessary players. Here is the quote (from talkSPORT):
“Why would he buy just for the sake of buying? Why would he just add numbers to give himself a problem and put players on the bench and pay them astronomical wages? I totally understand why Wenger has not bought. The Danny Welbeck situation is unfortunate now he has to go in for a knee operation. You look at Liverpool, and how much did they need Danny Ings? They signed him for a free, but what’s the point, Danny Ings has hardly kicked a ball for Liverpool That’s not the way Wenger works. He protects the club’s money, he doesn’t just go out and buy bang-average players. If you’re going to get into his team, you’ve got to improve it and you’ve got to be better than what he’s got.”
He went on:
“We’ve all criticised Arsenal and would like to see them be a bit more active in the transfer market – he hasn’t been. He’s won two FA Cups on the bounce and they keep finishing in the top four. They’re not as strong as Man City or Chelsea, but Arsene Wenger keeps producing and keeps building teams. He’s not going to buy players just to add the group. You’ve got to bring in players that are going to enhance the team.”
It exemplifies the fact that Arsene Wenger is predominantly a player’s manager and not a fan’s manager.
There are pros and cons to this, just like there is to anything else. We will tackle the pros first.
More from Pain in the Arsenal
Arsene Wenger is always going to give his players every chance in the world (unless your name is Joel Campbell). Sometimes it will be painful how many chances someone gets but before all is said and done there will be no questioning if someone could have made it or not (unlike Angel Di Maria).
Another pro is that the players have faith in the manager just as much as he has faith in them. Take for instance the last few years. Arsenal have not had the greatest results aside from two FA Cup titles and yet Wenger still managed to wrangle in Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez. Those are two of the best at what they do.
Not only that, but he has maintained them. Why? Because players want to play for Wenger. Both Ozil and Sanchez cited that as a major reason why they chose Arsenal over other potential suitors.
Another pro is that we get to see players develop in our system. Wenger traditionally buys young and builds players as opposed to buying final products. Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Francis Coquelin – these are all guys that have been with Arsenal for quite some time. By building a player rather than buying you get the added side affect of them wanting to win for the club just as much as they want to win for themselves.
But then there are cons. When there are gaping holes in the squad, Wenger would prefer to plug the gaps with the resources at hand before overspending, as we saw this transfer window (although the holes in the squad are not gaping by any means).
Fans enjoy signings. They enjoy big name guys coming to the club, especially when everyone else is doing it. Everyone is a conformist deep down. Arsene Wenger does not give that satisfaction. He does not buy just to buy. As such, banners of “Wenger must go” will be alive and well at the Emirates this year. That is, until this team kicks it in gear and proves their worth.
Sure, there should be some acknowledgment on Wenger’s side that he needs to appease the fans, but winning trophies is more important than wasting money. The best way that Wenger feels he can win trophies is by doing exactly what he is doing. That is how he is going to please the fans.
Evening Rico and all
Very quiet on here today
Did you ban everyone
Solid post Rico
Rejoice wenger had the funds to go out and buy better quality than what we had
As much as i admire coquelin there is better out there
Did we even try to buy a forward
Its simple, you pay the market value, wenger shpuld not be getting involved the transfer process, hes the manager not the CEO
Spot on Marinello…
Read that earlier Rejoice. Just another fan who had come to expect little from AW is is happy to settle for excuses… Not me…
Evening Mg, always quiet during international football….
Perhaps it would be busier had we had a few new signings to talk about in anticipation of their debuts….
Night all.
ENJOYED THIS POST.
V.Good post from “rejoice “
Rejoice, banners of “Wenger Must Go” would only get you as far as the turnstiles, “In Wenger We Trust” would probably get you on Match of the Day !
Well done Feo but probably should of gobbled yourself up a hattrick today, England are the first team to qualify for the Euro’s next summer……zzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Dublin, hope the heads ok mate, sweet dreams !
Rejoice :- re your quote, although the holes in the squad are not as gaping by any means.
This is the problem. There are gaps which have been there for some time and they have not been addressed because Wenger doesn’t see them. There is none so blind as those that fall for the clubs propaganda and take it down hook line and sinker. Wenger and Gazidis are consumate politicians they have no need for spin doctors.
GE all, i wish this international break last until May.
Morning All
Theo got a couple of good goals yesterday, all be it, against a tiring pub team, but that should boost his confidence.
Morning Kev and all..
New post up..