Even Tony Adams reckons we're a feeder club

[franksav63]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... olicy.html


Stop selling! Arsenal legend Adams slams Wenger's transfer policy

Former Arsenal captain Tony Adams admits it is 'hard to take' seeing his old club continue to sell their best players - and questioned if that policy can see them compete again for trophies.

The 45-year-old spent almost 20 seasons at Highbury, winning the Double twice under Arsene Wenger.

Adams believes allowing the likes of Samir Nasri, Cesc Fabregas, Alex Song and captain Robin van Persie to move to rival teams goes against everything they were trying to build for the future, claiming it made them nothing more than a 'feeder club'.

Speaking in the London Evening Standard, Adams said: 'It sends out all the wrong messages for me, being a selling club.

'Piece by piece for seven years, it chips away at your credibility. Selling your best players is part of that.

'I very much see Arsenal as the biggest club in the world, so I can't understand why anybody would want to play anywhere else - but I can understand it was very different for me.

'I had people in the boardroom who were very ambitious and wanted to win like me - that's easy then, your contract goes in front of you and you sign it because you are all pulling in the same direction.

'Robin wants to win and he thinks that he can win things with Manchester United and he can't with Arsenal. That is hard to take.

'I am looking at it not as an ex-player or pundit, but as a fan and giving what the fans are thinking and feeling.'

Adams former defensive partner Steve Bould has moved into the Arsenal dugout as assistant manager this season following the retirement of Pat Rice.

The Gunners have since conceded only once in their four unbeaten Barclays Premier League games.

Adams, though, feels Arsenal's impetus will always be on the attack.

'The problem for me in the last seven years is the defensive vulnerabilities as a team - the goalkeeper, the back four, even the central midfield players, the mentality of the team,' he said.

'I don't think they are a team that are set up to do what Chelsea did last year in the Champions League and I don't think Arsene wants to.

'I don't want to put these current players down because they are fantastic, but we used to train constantly with [manager] George [Graham].

We worked at it. We went out there and did it every minute, morning and afternoon. It used to drive us insane but on a Saturday you would know it inside out.

'Year in, year out the team with the best defence win the league and we saw the team with the best defence win the Champions League, so it makes you wonder why a lot of teams aren't focusing more on defending.

'It's a European thing. I have said it to Arsene - 'your full-backs are playing like wingers'. Teams were exploiting it at the Emirates and it was a massive flaw.

'Arsene would say, "I know". I think he recognises that's a problem. Whether he does anything about it...'

Former Portsmouth boss Adams is working in Azerbaijan as an advisor to Gabala FC, whom he also briefly managed last season, and will start a stint as a TV pundit for Tuesday night's Champions League Group B opener in Montpellier.

While Adams expects the French champions to offer little trouble for the Gunners, he feels the European Cup remains out of their reach.

'I expect them to score goals, but they cannot win the Champions League with their current mentality,' he said.

'I hope they prove me wrong, but against the better teams I think they will fall short again.

'I am not alone here - I think most of the Arsenal fans would agree with me.

'Strange things happen, like Chelsea winning with not the greatest team in the world, but they did have the whole team fighting to keep clean sheets.

'To actually think you are going to play Barcelona or Real Madrid off the pitch... I don't think this team are good enough to do that.'

++++

Apologies if this has been posted somewhere else but hard hitting stuff, I was going to put on the Arsene thread but thought it deserved a thread of its own!!!

[Babatunde]

Tony Adams = LEGEND.
He's spot on.

[Bendtners Drinking Buddy]

Its game day so im not gunan go into it all....but i think we look much more of a TEAM this year, more than we have in a long time. Most people slagged Song off...now hes gone same people say we are selling our bets players? zzz

I love Adams as a footballer, not many better. But he isnt afraid to run his mouth off talking elaborated nonsense.

Lets trust his managerial word for it shall we "ex manager of Portsmouth, now in Azabjan"

[brazilianGOONER]

absolute legend of a player, but the only thing he's managed to prove with his post-playing career is... well... nothing.

not that i disagree with him on the selling the best players bit, but i'll take adams' opinion as i take any other ex-player's.

let's not forget that the world's greatest player ever before Dennis (Pelé, obviously) has probably the most stupid ideas and manages to be wrong in every single prediction he makes

[Gunnersaurus]

He's saying what everyone knows but does he really need to say it in the media?

Reads like someone is jealous Bould is no 2 and he ain't.

[OneBardGooner]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... olicy.html


Stop selling! Arsenal legend Adams slams Wenger's transfer policy

Former Arsenal captain Tony Adams admits it is 'hard to take' seeing his old club continue to sell their best players - and questioned if that policy can see them compete again for trophies.

The 45-year-old spent almost 20 seasons at Highbury, winning the Double twice under Arsene Wenger.

Adams believes allowing the likes of Samir Nasri, Cesc Fabregas, Alex Song and captain Robin van Persie to move to rival teams goes against everything they were trying to build for the future, claiming it made them nothing more than a 'feeder club'.

Speaking in the London Evening Standard, Adams said: 'It sends out all the wrong messages for me, being a selling club.

'Piece by piece for seven years, it chips away at your credibility. Selling your best players is part of that.

'I very much see Arsenal as the biggest club in the world, so I can't understand why anybody would want to play anywhere else - but I can understand it was very different for me.

'I had people in the boardroom who were very ambitious and wanted to win like me - that's easy then, your contract goes in front of you and you sign it because you are all pulling in the same direction.

'Robin wants to win and he thinks that he can win things with Manchester United and he can't with Arsenal. That is hard to take.

'I am looking at it not as an ex-player or pundit, but as a fan and giving what the fans are thinking and feeling.'

Adams former defensive partner Steve Bould has moved into the Arsenal dugout as assistant manager this season following the retirement of Pat Rice.

The Gunners have since conceded only once in their four unbeaten Barclays Premier League games.

Adams, though, feels Arsenal's impetus will always be on the attack.

'The problem for me in the last seven years is the defensive vulnerabilities as a team - the goalkeeper, the back four, even the central midfield players, the mentality of the team,' he said.

'I don't think they are a team that are set up to do what Chelsea did last year in the Champions League and I don't think Arsene wants to.

'I don't want to put these current players down because they are fantastic, but we used to train constantly with [manager] George [Graham].

We worked at it. We went out there and did it every minute, morning and afternoon. It used to drive us insane but on a Saturday you would know it inside out.

'Year in, year out the team with the best defence win the league and we saw the team with the best defence win the Champions League, so it makes you wonder why a lot of teams aren't focusing more on defending.

'It's a European thing. I have said it to Arsene - 'your full-backs are playing like wingers'. Teams were exploiting it at the Emirates and it was a massive flaw.

'Arsene would say, "I know". I think he recognises that's a problem. Whether he does anything about it...'

Former Portsmouth boss Adams is working in Azerbaijan as an advisor to Gabala FC, whom he also briefly managed last season, and will start a stint as a TV pundit for Tuesday night's Champions League Group B opener in Montpellier.

While Adams expects the French champions to offer little trouble for the Gunners, he feels the European Cup remains out of their reach.

'I expect them to score goals, but they cannot win the Champions League with their current mentality,' he said.

'I hope they prove me wrong, but against the better teams I think they will fall short again.

'I am not alone here - I think most of the Arsenal fans would agree with me.

'Strange things happen, like Chelsea winning with not the greatest team in the world, but they did have the whole team fighting to keep clean sheets.

'To actually think you are going to play Barcelona or Real Madrid off the pitch... I don't think this team are good enough to do that.'

++++

Apologies if this has been posted somewhere else but hard hitting stuff, I was going to put on the Arsene thread but thought it deserved a thread of its own!!!

There is a very good reason he is called and referred to as MR ARSENAL - Somehting None of the board or wenger etc will ever be honoured with...and so they should take heed of what he has said.

Tony (Mr Arsenal) Adams = Legend...and he speaks THE TRUTH.

[Barriecuda]

Managerial success or not, you can't argue with the fact that nobody liked losing Cesc, Nasri, or RVP to "rival" teams (CL and EPL opponents respectively).

[rudytel]

A legend in our defence...Out of sorts in Sky's pundit chair

[clockender1]

its funny, a few years ago in his biography he said Arsenal was just a job and that he was a West Ham fan.

Now he needs a job, he's Mr Arsenal. I will always love him for how he led us right from the early days but he is a knob.

I thought earlier that he must be gutted to see Bouldy as Number 2, when he had dreams of being the boss.

That said, this part is spot on :

'The problem for me in the last seven years is the defensive vulnerabilities as a team - the goalkeeper, the back four, even the central midfield players, the mentality of the team,' he said.

as is the follow on comment about the best defence winning the league.

Big Tone knows his defending. and he someday might make a great defensive coach but we've got Bouldy - and we don't CARE !!!!!!!!!!!!

[northbank123]

A legend in our defence...Out of sorts in Sky's pundit chair

Agree. What he gave for the club was never anything less than 100% (even when pissed) and whoever he grew up supporting as a kid he clearly fucking cared about the club as much as any other player I've ever seen, and still does.

Real pity that it turns out he's a fucking shit manager (and not naturally suited to punditry by the looks of it), but in this instance it makes his assessment of the club no less correct.

[flash gunner]

A mental case maybe but he is not wrong

[Red Member]

One point that he makes but won't be acknowledged on here is that he still backs Arsene Wenger.

[DB10GOONER]

One point that he makes but won't be acknowledged on here is that he still backs Arsene Wenger.

What a stupid thing to write. Why wouldn't it be acknowledged? What difference does it make?

[rigsby]

Sort of an odd time to come out with this though, when the teams on a good run.

I love Tony, and he makes some good points, but there is a time and a place and a WAY to criticise without rubbing our faces in it again.

[GranadaJoe]

A legend as a player and I know he's speaking from the heartbut as a pundit he's not very insightful and often not very logical.