northbank123 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 16, 2019 12:15 pm
Still have a significant degree of patience with him.
Everybody is starting sentences with “I know he had a tough job but...” - respectfully I think a lot of people are just saying this words without appreciating it.
We were a complete fucking disgrace last season - 63 points, 4 away wins and would have been even worse this year. Our defence has been awful for ages - both personnel-wise and just defensive ability - and Cech, Mustafi and Xhaka (DM) have been playing week in week out for years. Then this year we can’t even finish the game with the same side we started (never mind start the same team consistently) because of injuries - Holding, Koscielny and Bellerin have all had long term injuries this season, Monreal and Sokratis have both missed chunks. Hardly conducive to the huge task of turning around a decade’s worth of shit.
We have played shit slow insipid football for years and have relied on Sanchez scoring a goal every other game and even last season Aubameyang banging them in second half of the season to even scrape above the likes of Burnley. We would be better off without Ozil in the squad as wherever you put the blame then it’s clear that by the end of the summer he is fed up at Arsenal and pissed off at football and the world. His wages are a massive massive problem with disharmony and signing players, and the Ramsey contract situation is just the latest debacle.
I think he’s done very well in the transfer market, we have shown in big games at home that we are capable of looking like a side who can stand up to the better sides around like Liverpool, Spurs and Chelsea. We’ve shown a bit more fight and a bit less panic, and will end the season probably 7-8 points better off than last year (rather than probably a few points worse off if Wenger had been here).
He hasn’t done enough on the defence, despite the extreme mitigating circumstances of what he hasinherited and injuries. Continuing to pick Mkhitaryan, Iwobi, Xhaka and Cech at all is unjustifiable.
I’m not giving him complete blind faith but a huge number of people talking about how long it would take to scour Wenger’s philosophy from every book and cranny seem to have towed back on that significantly.
I agree with a lot of what you have posted.
No doubt we were never going to bounce back to be challengers with this squad whoever took charge,Pep Guardiola would imo not be able to get more than Emery has out of this squad in terms of league position,frankly we are average and with 12 games left we still have a chance of making the top 4.
January and the lack of activity certainly didn't help either,loan signings only,farcical.
Injuries withstanding I think the frustration has stemmed from justifiably seeing the early shoots of recovery stalling in terms of performance and direction.The early part of the season we had the unbeaten run,some fortunate results for sure but there did look to be more resilience in the side,especially away from home where we all know we have been an easy touch for many seasons.
The recent performances have been very poor fortunately I didn't see Thursday nights debacle and have been told it was beyond bad,I watched the Huddersfield game and Cardiff before that and apart from the wins the reality we struggled to beat either and that was worrying to see.The away performances especially have been disjointed and however you dress it up the constant formation changes have baffled me along with the slow starts to almost every game.
If we go out on Thursday the rest of the season consist's of an outside imo chance of top 4 and a summer where if we don't make some decent signings it really won't matter who is coaching or managing the team because players like Mustafi,Xhaka,Iwobi let alone some of the squad players are simply well below the quality required.
If we haven't got an owner who will invest which he won't,if we have obviously players that have let us down time and again,making the same mistakes again and again why not play young guys like Mavrapanos instead of players like Mustafi because I for one would rather find out if some of the younger ones can step up.
I would not of loaned ESR he would at least be used as a regular sub and next season again give guys like Nelson minutes in the first team because I would rather have a go with potential than those that have been and failed us time and again.