Substitutions amongst other things!

[Rad]

Clueless Wenger again loses the plot with his subs against Blackburn. Arshavin comes off when he was playing one of his better games. Then Nas and Theo come off leaving us without any width whatsoever forcing the limping Song ( who was injured prior to Arshavin coming off) to be the ball carrier and defensive midfielder when we didn't need one as BRFC didn't venture beyond the half way line. To watch Barry Bentfoot on the wing trying to ping balls in to the box is a joke. The subs always seem to happen at the same time leaving no time for players to adapt to the pace of the game (the one exception to this was away at WBA when he actually hoiked DeNILNILson at the half - which actually worked).

The side has no shape as it is, let alone after the crazy substitutions and Wenger even admitted to being predictable against BRFC. We are predictable every game as he has no plan B. Even BRFC knew to double up on Theo to negate his pace and then stuck the Berlin wall across the midfield denying us time and space. Fergie knows how to change tactics and this is Wenger's achilles heel. He doesn't adapt to the opposition and his training methods suggest he relies too much on five a side games at London Colney. Our set pieces are awful. What was the free kick all about that RVP and Cesc conspired to mess up late into the game on Saturday?

Apart from that where is the desire? I'm sure most of us have played football at one level or another and wanted to win every game. With the league still a possibility why is there a lack of belief in the team and no will to win from the majority?

I think Wenger has lost the dressing room and there is no pressure on the players to win a first team place as there is no competition for places. The millionaires seem comfortable to pick up their wages, be told they are mentally strong, receive a hug from Eboue on the way on and off the pitch and to be bereft of criticism.

On the last home game of the season fans should show their disgust by walking out on the "lap of honour".

[Barriecuda]

The subs always seem to happen at the same time leaving no time for players to adapt to the pace of the game (the one exception to this was away at WBA when he actually hoiked DeNILNILson at the half - which actually worked).

Totally agree with this; it frustrates me to no end.

Bendtner came on at 77 (or 79) vs Blackburn. He immediately gave us an extra threat on corner kicks. I said to myself "great, that's two attempts worth of time". He got 3 in that time and really added a needed dimension to the attack.

Now had he come on at 60 or so, might have been a different story.

Wenger is notorious for waiting far too late to make substitutions to impact the game. Against Blackburn I said to my mate "if we don't score in the first 30 minutes, this game is going to get ugly for us" - sure enough, I was right. It's so glaringly obvious that Arsenal start to overplay the ball and lose total confidence if they haven't scored after about half an hour at home. It shouldn't take til nearly 80 minutes to realize "hey I should make a change". As well, I thought Arshavin had been by far our best threat when he got pulled off relatively early. That was a strange one.

[psychoangus]

Even Arshavin on his official page doesn't understand why he was taken off.

[AFC1886]

What I dont understand is when Chamakh was ready to come on, we waited to take our corner first, so he could come on for Theo. Wouldn't he have been more useful from the corner??

[1989]

Even Arshavin on his official page doesn't understand why he was taken off.

I honestly think the players have lost faith in him as manager.

If you think this is the maximum our players can give, you're wrong. They're capable of much, much more.

When you look at Cesc's attitude after he came on against Blackburn, it was clear his faith was gone.

He has lost the dressing room but the players have so much respect for him that they wouldn't dare criticize him out in public.

[Jumpers For Goalposts]

It all comes down to this -

Football has moved on but Arsene hasn't been able to move with it!

[Perryashburtongroves]

all comes down to this -

Football has moved on but Arsene hasn't been able to move with it!

Bang on the money, mate. I've been thinking this for about two/three years now. Once the money situation changed with Chavsea and Man City, he was outdated. His mode of management had expired and he couldn't adapt. If you look back to his comments from about 2005 onwards he's become more and more obsessed with chavsea and city, I honestly think he thought it would all blow over and that he would be the shining light that saved football through his ways and means. As more and more money has poured in, his methods have become more and more redundant- who gives a shit if some African or French player becomes good in five years when you have enough money to buy the finished article now? It also goes hand in hand with the media giving him less and less attention- he loved it when everybody raved about his eye for a talent but the lack of development in his sides since 2004 has meant that people have got bored with him and his ideas.
George Graham was much the same- an absolute genius at motivating and scaring the shit out of players in an era when the clubs still held the power but once the money came in from the Premiership and Sky and players got more powerful, the agents got into their stride and the foreign market got more and more important, he was done for as he couldn't adapt nor understand why mehtods he had used for years no longer worked.