Arsenal are still an elite club

As we're unlikely to see terraces again at football, this is the virtual equivalent where you can chat to your hearts content about all football matters and, obviously, Arsenal in particular. This forum encourages all Gooners to visit and contribute so please keep it respectful, clean and topical.
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Nos89
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Arsenal are still an elite club

Post by Nos89 »

Been reading a lot over the last few days that Arsenal are no longer an elite club within the Premier League. That is absolute bullshit. Admittedly, we are going through a rough stage. Tenth in the league only 9 wins in 31 games. It is a blip.
In 2015/16 Chelski finished 10th. Did not play in Europe for a season and then won the league cup and Premier League. Liverpool have also finished outside the European places a few times and they are considered and elite club. Don't get me started on our neighbours up the seven sisters.
We are still an elite club, we will always be an elite club. Something our current owner doesn't understand. We currently face a huge rebuilding of team and confidence, and next season face the absence of European football for the first time since the 1995/96 season. Unless we win the FA Cup. Considering the current global pandemic, will there even be European competition's next season in their current format?
It doesn't mean we are no longer an elite club. As supporters we just need to be patient during the rebuilding process.

Clash
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Re: Arsenal are still an elite club

Post by Clash »

The problem is Nos that far too many people at the club are not worthy of being at a club like Arsenal.

Our owner is not operating the way an owner of an elite club should, the managers we've appointed since Wenger left are not elite managers, the vast majority of the players we sign and retain are not players worthy of playing for an elite club and the ambition to prove our status as an elite club is just not there.

As for being patient during the rebuilding process, what makes you so sure there is a rebuilding process? I do not see a plan. I still think we are drifting.

We've been told to patient for more than a decade now and things have got worse in that time. I see no reason to believe the next decade will see any improvement. More likely to get worse still. Depressing as f--k but there you go :banghead:

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goonertux
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Re: Arsenal are still an elite club

Post by goonertux »

Very easy for an ‘elite’ club to fall off the radar. Just ask fans of Leeds, Forest, even Villa. All it takes is overspending (check), clueless owners (check), terrible purchases (check), overpaid players (check), and a lack of tactics and foresight (check). Future’s not looking too bright!

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SteveO 35
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Re: Arsenal are still an elite club

Post by SteveO 35 »

Who decides what the definition is of an 'elite club' then?

An elite club moved ground 14 years ago declaring that they were ready to compete with Europe's elite. We've made 2 European finals since then - lost both - and failed for the past few seasons to even qualify for the tournament that elite European clubs play in.

When faced with the chance to snare an elite manager in Ancelotti or Allegri, we opted for a man with no managerial experience

The only thing elite about this club are the ticket prizes and wage bill

As has been said elsewhere, if it's history that dictates you being an elite club then count in Wolves, Preston and Huddersfield

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augie
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Re: Arsenal are still an elite club

Post by augie »

Nos89 wrote:
Wed Jun 24, 2020 3:26 pm
Been reading a lot over the last few days that Arsenal are no longer an elite club within the Premier League. That is absolute bullshit. Admittedly, we are going through a rough stage. Tenth in the league only 9 wins in 31 games. It is a blip.
In 2015/16 Chelski finished 10th. Did not play in Europe for a season and then won the league cup and Premier League. Liverpool have also finished outside the European places a few times and they are considered and elite club. Don't get me started on our neighbours up the seven sisters.
We are still an elite club, we will always be an elite club. Something our current owner doesn't understand. We currently face a huge rebuilding of team and confidence, and next season face the absence of European football for the first time since the 1995/96 season. Unless we win the FA Cup. Considering the current global pandemic, will there even be European competition's next season in their current format?
It doesn't mean we are no longer an elite club. As supporters we just need to be patient during the rebuilding process.



1. Chavski turned it around after (a) appointing a successful proven manager and (b) spending the type of money required to make a team great again.

2. Victims fc had saleable assets (which we have none) which they flogged (countinho) and bought 2 top quality players (van dijk and alisson). I pick those deals out cos they are the standout one's, but they had other deals which seen them raise the money for a revamp, and that is something we cannot do. I argued last summer we should have sold auba to generate funds to buy 2 quality players in a similar ethos, but most fans were appalled at the idea and believed that we would be screwed without auba. I think it is fair to say that, regardless of his own individual performances, keeping him was the wrong thing for the team overall.

Anyway your whole "we are still an elite club" argument is totally ignoring our current situation - our current situation is that we have owners who have turned making sports franchises/clubs mediocre, into an art form. We as fans didnt pay enough attention to our american Gooners who warned us way back that kroenke's dont care about winning trophies - he has a soccer team and a basketball team who have been vanilla since he bought them, and the rams have only been successful in the past couple of seasons cos he was moving them to LA and he needs success to attract local fans. You say that kroenke doesnt understand that we are traditionally an elite club ....... I say to you that he doesnt care :roll: He has zero intention of investing money, and less than zero intention of selling the club, so how do you believe that we will still be an elite club ? Being elite isnt a divine right - we cant drift into an abyss and automatically expect to reclaim our position into 40 years time.

Gunner Rob
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Re: Arsenal are still an elite club

Post by Gunner Rob »

The brutal truth is that we haven’t been an elite club for several years now.

I have been one of the more optimistic posters on here the past couple of years but even I can see that what we are currently witnessing is not a blip.

We have a huge wage bill, no money being generated by gate receipts and an owner who will never put a penny into the club. You could argue we are in a worse state than some clubs in the lower leagues. Rebuilding ? Forget it. The contract extension to David Luiz today confirmed to me once again that there is no ambition at the club.

A few years ago on here I said that we were following the same path as Newcastle United.
They too have a huge fan base, like us a few years ago they won the FA Cup a few times in the 1950s and since then nothing. I think we are heading the same way - and even Newcastle are currently above us in the league.

falkirk goon
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Re: Arsenal are still an elite club

Post by falkirk goon »

We're not an elite club and haven't been in years..when that wiggy fucker took 100% control of us I knew the game was up for us :cry: The only way we are going now is down the way im afraid.

Gunner Rob
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Re: Arsenal are still an elite club

Post by Gunner Rob »

falkirk goon wrote:
Thu Jun 25, 2020 6:23 am
We're not an elite club and haven't been in years..when that wiggy fucker took 100% control of us I knew the game was up for us :cry: The only way we are going now is down the way im afraid.
I think what really brought it home to me is that during the lockdown there were a lot of our old matches played on TV, matches when we had proper teams - the 89 Anfield match, great games v Man Utd when Henry and Bergkamp were strutting their stuff.

To now - struggling to get in the top half of what these days is a pretty poor Premier League

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BFG4
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Re: Arsenal are still an elite club

Post by BFG4 »

I would argue that an elite club would never have presented top four finishes as success for more than a decade. An elite club would also not have given Wenger numerous pay increases during this period. Let's be honest, if the fans hadn't stayed away in their droves from the Emirates then Wenger would still be here. The mentality of the club is far from elite. An elite club would have had the foresight to know that squeezing into top four places every season and ignoring the chance to actually complete for titles would bite them in the ass as the more we stood still, others caught up and went by us. This mentality has led us to the position we are in today.

Jock Gooner
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Re: Arsenal are still an elite club

Post by Jock Gooner »

No, we are not.

Topside Northbank
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Re: Arsenal are still an elite club

Post by Topside Northbank »

No we are not,big name club but steadily on the decline one of the worst groups of players I can remember since the early 80's and certainly the worst group of defenders.

The only thing we are going to be called in the future is 'sleeping giant' because that is the way the club is heading bottom half of the table team.

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Nos89
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Re: Arsenal are still an elite club

Post by Nos89 »

I disagree wit the lot of you. We have been in the top division for 100 years. We are the third most successful English club. Arsenal are an institution an elite club. We are going through a rough moment, like we've done before, and we will rise out of it. No one would have thought 5 years ago Liverpool would win the league again.
If we don't qualify for Europe this season it will be the first time in 24 years that we haven't contested a European trophy. No other English club can make that claim and it is a record only matched and bettered by Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
I do agree we haven't got elite minded people currently at the club. They will go sooner rather than later, when they get found out by the person that takes over from Chips Keswick.

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TeeCee
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Re: Arsenal are still an elite club

Post by TeeCee »

Jesus mate, we are so far from elite it’s ridiculous!! Definition of elite is:
“a select group that is superior in terms of ability or qualities to the rest of a group or society.”

That is NOT Arsenal!!

We’ve spunked away about 300m in transfers over the last few years and the only player (aside from youngsters) who has any real worth is PEA. It’s not so much Wiggy, it’s the fuckwits that have been employed at Arsenal over the last few years. We are shit.

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IW8Goalmachine
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Re: Arsenal are still an elite club

Post by IW8Goalmachine »

Nos89 wrote:
Fri Jun 26, 2020 1:36 am
I disagree wit the lot of you. We have been in the top division for 100 years. We are the third most successful English club. Arsenal are an institution an elite club. We are going through a rough moment, like we've done before, and we will rise out of it. No one would have thought 5 years ago Liverpool would win the league again.
If we don't qualify for Europe this season it will be the first time in 24 years that we haven't contested a European trophy. No other English club can make that claim and it is a record only matched and bettered by Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
I do agree we haven't got elite minded people currently at the club. They will go sooner rather than later, when they get found out by the person that takes over from Chips Keswick.
You seriously believe that with wiggy as our owner.

Unless the club valuation goes down it will likely cost the guts of 2 billion to get rid of him. Who in their right mind would spend that

Almunia is a clown
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Re: Arsenal are still an elite club

Post by Almunia is a clown »

Nos89 wrote:
Fri Jun 26, 2020 1:36 am

If we don't qualify for Europe this season it will be the first time in 24 years that we haven't contested a European trophy. No other English club can make that claim and it is a record only matched and bettered by Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
24 consecutive years in Europe doesn't mean any more than getting 4th place or the calendar year trophy, it's just a desperate claim similar to Wenger & his apologists used for years. It's not as if we won any European cups during that period either. The Toilet Lids are still ahead of us in European trophies & that's what matters. :cussing:

As for 3rd most successful club, it's a very far back third place & we are in real danger of others catching us up on that score. :cussing:

We are going backwards, 16 years without a title & no sign of even making a challenge! :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:
Last edited by Almunia is a clown on Sat Jun 27, 2020 12:48 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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