Jumpers For Goalposts wrote: ↑Fri Jan 12, 2018 10:13 am
DB10GOONER wrote: ↑Fri Jan 12, 2018 8:47 am
Bob Bayliss wrote: ↑Fri Jan 12, 2018 7:34 am
If we've learned anything from the last 5 years it is that whether or not the Arsenal fans are behind our manager is irrelevant to whether he stays or goes.
This ^^^ 100% bang on the money.
Unfortunately.
Sorry lads but that is just an excuse to do nothing.
You saw the amount of publicity that the protests achieved last season. You saw how uncomfortable and annoyed Wenger was whenever he was asked about it. You've seen that since then, Wenger is routinely criticised in public where he wasn't before. And that was achieved with just 2 planes, a light and banner show around London, 4 of us at London Colney and 4 protest marches, the biggest of which was 1,000 angry Gooners.
I and others opened ourselves up to ridicule and criticism by attempting those protests but it was a price well worth paying. I'll do it again tomorrow and the next day, if it helps to shift the useless, arrogant Specialist in Failure. FFS - the marches were more fun than 99% of our matches since 2006.
This inaction is what is keeping Wenger in his job. In the modern world, with instant news 24 hours a day and social media, big enough protests could not be ignored. Bad publicity has brought down so many arrogant men who thought they were untouchable.
If we do achieve protest marches of 5,000 Gooners and Wenger sails serenely on - I'll accept I was wrong. But until then I'm going to keep saying - don't be defeatist. Let's try. We're football fans; making lots of noise is what we do. Let's use our collective power and see if we can shift him.
Surely it's got to be worth a try?
Sorry, I'm never going to agree with you on that. The ONLY thing keeping Wenger in his job is his boss, the owner, Wiggy Kroenke. The owner - the ONLY person with the power to sack Wenger - gives less than zero fucks about what fans think or want, cares even less about the media perception of him (this is a man that evicted people from their homes leading to one of those people committing suicide and the resultant public bad press affected him not in the slightest) and will never care about those things.
Wenger? He looked "uncomfortable and annoyed"? Again, sorry, but if you think annoying him and making him look uncomfortable is going to get him sacked or make him suddenly resign then I'm afraid you are very very wrong. Getting pissed off at people doesn't equate to thinking "time for me to go then".
He is far more likely to dig his heels in as a reaction to bad press or fan protests than he is to resign.
Also, tbh I think most people would take offense to the comment "
Sorry lads but that is just an excuse to do nothing". No one on here is obliged to make excuses to you or anyone else, mate. Many people have made a far bigger sacrifice than giving up some time and money to protest by bycotting the club entirely, bycotting something that has been a huge part of their life for decades in some cases. I'm not trying to denigrate or belittle the protest there either. But choosing how to actually object or respond to the malaise at our club is their right. And many feel the right thing to do is stop giving the regime money.
This was a problem a couple of seasons ago when one of the protesters in particular just alienated prospective recruits to the marches by insulting them and adopting a "holier than thou" attitude. Not everyone agrees that the protest is the way to go. You guys have to accept that and stop alienating fellow Gooners just because you are frustrated. You are not helping your own cause.
I agree the protests are worth a try (anything is at this stage) but I don't agree they will work and I'll never agree that insulting and patronising possible recruits will be of any benefit to the protests.
I don't want to get into a bitching session with you, mate - as I do admire the effort some of you put in to the protests and fly-overs etc - but this has been festering on here for months now and I just think someone had to say it.