Arsene Wenger - What Stage Are You At?

[silus]

Went for 4 but am realistically another shit transfer window away from 5

[officepest]

Won't block quote G88ner's last post but that's pretty much nail-on-the-head for me.

I've been a 4 for years now and simply want him to resign as he is in danger of completely losing the plot. He pronounces on every football matter known to man but refuses to accept any valid criticism of his policies.

For example, he bangs on about FFP whilst failing to mention he managed Monaco, a club in a tax haven that plays in front of fewer fans than a lot of 3rd division sides. Where was his concern for living by one's means then?

He adapts his agenda to fit whichever situation he finds himself in which is far from the principled professor image he likes to cultivate.

Thanks for the trophies, the great teams and some fantastic memories but please, just find another well-paid job elsewhere.

[skipper]

if we were managerless and Arsene had never managed us but was available with his current record but from a different club, we'd be wanting him - is a view of mine)

Just out of interest, which current record are you referring to?

Are you including 1998-2006 in that? or concentrating on the matter at hand i.e. the alarming decline over recent seasons?

Because if you turn your agrument on it's head, and ask if Wenger had left after the Champions League final in 2006 and was replaced by a manager (lets call him John Smith) who then went on to win nothing for the next 6 years, replaced all of our experienced players with a youth project that didn't really work, oversaw a staggering decline in quality, a decline in defensive stability (we conceded a whopping 49 last season! - and not much better in the 3 previous seasons either), and had overseen an 8-2 defeat at Old Trafford, as well as having the worst start to a season in 17 years last year, and worst start in 18 years this season, would you still be happy to retain him as manager?

And what if we'd gone from signing gems like Henry, Pires, Anelka, Cesc, RvP, Vieira, etc. (all pre-2006) and instead 'John Smith' was bringing through (and endlessly playing) players of lesser talent and lesser character, would you be ok with that?

And what if, together with this staggering decline, our entertainment value had also plummeted at the same rate as our ticket prices went up? and what if he was tactically naive, and spent most of the games berating the 4th official, and talking nonsense in interviews? what if he'd insisted on getting players like Bendtner, Denilson, Chamakh, Squillaci, Almunia, etc. on long contracts that make them dead-weights... and what if he over-relied on injury prone players that constantly handicapped us when they inevitably spend months on the sidelines? and what if he'd removed any sign of leadership from the team? and... ah, you get the idea.

Personally, I think people are [understandably] unable to seperate the great Wenger from the John Smith bloke but for me, he used to be top quality champagne, bubbling and fizzing away in all his glory... now he's a flat, watered down, pint of John Smith's

Brilliant post

[Steve_I]

Heck, a problem with being on the lonely side of the fence is that there's a heck of a lot of balls to throw back to the crowded side. Off to gym then for beer (it balances out I think )and will try respond to various points on return.

[I Hate Hleb]

Heck, a problem with being on the lonely side of the fence is that there's a heck of a lot of balls to throw back to the crowded side.

It's a tough job admittedly Steve_I but not an impossible one. Take heart from the fact that a few years back augie was in exactly the same position. Indeed, the general consensus was that he was an unnecessarily pessimistic nutter!! The majority have reluctantly been turned round to his point of view (NOT a euphemism!!) by events on and off the field and we're all 'Augieites' now!!

[Chippy]

I predict that by the end of the January transfer window we'll be discussing whether to ban Steve I for his anti-Wenger statements. The dark side is strong on this site.

[g88ner]

Heck, a problem with being on the lonely side of the fence is that there's a heck of a lot of balls to throw back to the crowded side.

[goonerwalker]

AW clearly has his faults and must take a share of the blame for us not currently being in a postion to challenge for the title, but to say he is 'poisioning the club' is simply ridiculous. To lack any respect for the man after what he has achieved for us is ungrateful and very short-sighted. I'm not an AKB but I have the decency to accept that he's still a good manager. Anyway, for me the greater evil is the board, who's exploitation of Arsenal's fanbase through their charging of extortionate ticket prices and complete disresgard for the fans' thoughts and priorities are killing our club more than any manager could

[armchair]

AW clearly has his faults and must take a share of the blame for us not currently being in a postion to challenge for the title, but to say he is 'poisioning the club' is simply ridiculous. To lack any respect for the man after what he has achieved for us is ungrateful and very short-sighted. I'm not an AKB but I have the decency to accept that he's still a good manager. Anyway, for me the greater evil is the board, who's exploitation of Arsenal's fanbase through their charging of extortionate ticket prices and complete disresgard for the fans' thoughts and priorities are killing our club more than any manager could

Why does - "I'm not an AKB" always have to be followed by "but"?

[goonerwalker]

AW clearly has his faults and must take a share of the blame for us not currently being in a postion to challenge for the title, but to say he is 'poisioning the club' is simply ridiculous. To lack any respect for the man after what he has achieved for us is ungrateful and very short-sighted. I'm not an AKB but I have the decency to accept that he's still a good manager. Anyway, for me the greater evil is the board, who's exploitation of Arsenal's fanbase through their charging of extortionate ticket prices and complete disresgard for the fans' thoughts and priorities are killing our club more than any manager could

Why does - "I'm not an AKB" always have to be followed by "but"?

Do we really have to be so narrow-minded as to say that all Gooners have to either think Wenger is a God or that he is evil? I'm not an AKB but I do have a lot of respect for AW, is that not a reasonable stance to take?

[armchair]

AW clearly has his faults and must take a share of the blame for us not currently being in a postion to challenge for the title, but to say he is 'poisioning the club' is simply ridiculous. To lack any respect for the man after what he has achieved for us is ungrateful and very short-sighted. I'm not an AKB but I have the decency to accept that he's still a good manager. Anyway, for me the greater evil is the board, who's exploitation of Arsenal's fanbase through their charging of extortionate ticket prices and complete disresgard for the fans' thoughts and priorities are killing our club more than any manager could

Why does - "I'm not an AKB" always have to be followed by "but"?

Do we really have to be so narrow-minded as to say that all Gooners have to either think Wenger is a God or that he is evil? I'm not an AKB but I do have a lot of respect for AW, is that not a reasonable stance to take?

[goonerwalker]

AW clearly has his faults and must take a share of the blame for us not currently being in a postion to challenge for the title, but to say he is 'poisioning the club' is simply ridiculous. To lack any respect for the man after what he has achieved for us is ungrateful and very short-sighted. I'm not an AKB but I have the decency to accept that he's still a good manager. Anyway, for me the greater evil is the board, who's exploitation of Arsenal's fanbase through their charging of extortionate ticket prices and complete disresgard for the fans' thoughts and priorities are killing our club more than any manager could

Why does - "I'm not an AKB" always have to be followed by "but"?

Do we really have to be so narrow-minded as to say that all Gooners have to either think Wenger is a God or that he is evil? I'm not an AKB but I do have a lot of respect for AW, is that not a reasonable stance to take?

Im just emphasising that fans can be somewhere in between the two extremes, and that some of us do have more complex thoughts than the many stubborn and moronic AMGs and AKBs

[Henry Norris 1913]

FUCK OFF AKB

we don't want your sort

[MM99]

AW clearly has his faults and must take a share of the blame for us not currently being in a postion to challenge for the title, but to say he is 'poisioning the club' is simply ridiculous. To lack any respect for the man after what he has achieved for us is ungrateful and very short-sighted. I'm not an AKB but I have the decency to accept that he's still a good manager. Anyway, for me the greater evil is the board, who's exploitation of Arsenal's fanbase through their charging of extortionate ticket prices and complete disresgard for the fans' thoughts and priorities are killing our club more than any manager could

Why does - "I'm not an AKB" always have to be followed by "but"?

Because as soon as someone mentions anything that resembles a defence for Wenger people like you assume that they think the sun shines out his arse; therefore, posters who are in the middle of the spectrum feel as though they need to show that they do realise Wenger isn't all-great even though in the given topic they're siding with him.

[goonerwalker]

Why does - "I'm not an AKB" always have to be followed by "but"? [/quote]

Do we really have to be so narrow-minded as to say that all Gooners have to either think Wenger is a God or that he is evil? I'm not an AKB but I do have a lot of respect for AW, is that not a reasonable stance to take?[/quote]

[/quote]

Im just emphasising that fans can be somewhere in between the two extremes, and that some of us do have more complex thoughts than the many stubborn and moronic AMGs and AKBs[/quote]

I know mate but still every time you see "I'm not an AKB" its followed by "but"

I posted this on another thread. Its my definition of AKB, and WOB. ....................

It really is quite simple.............
If you think Wenger should leave or be sacked you're WOB......
If you dont you're AKB.

Now I dont mind being called WOB but it seems theres AKB's who dont like being called AKB. In fact I've yet to meet an AKB who admits it. They always say......."I'm not an AKB but.........."


Now I know theres those who may say.."I know Wenger isn't perfect. Not good with tactics. Defence. Plan B, etc etc , I recognise these failings so therefore I am not an AKB"
Well yes, literally you know that Arsene doesn't always "know" but in my opinion you're still an "AKB" if you want him to stay.

Now dont get me wrong. I disagree with the AKB and their opinions but I'll fight to the death for their right to have those beliefs.

[/quote]

Ok I get your point mate. I just don't think its as simple as grouping people into 2 categories. Within what you define as AKBs and AMGs there will be people with hugely differing opinions, so to place all of them in one group would be to not respect their clear diffrence of opinion