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.
Boomer wrote:
So to sum up although we're still without silverware we're not actually that bad. It could be worse, we could be Sp*ds!
Or Newcastle or Leeds.That is a load of Bollox
We are not the Spuds and never will be.We are supposed to be one of europes elite.We should be comparing ourselves with the big 3 not that shower down the road
The truth is in 5 years we have gone from the invincibles to a club that is happy to finish 4th with cup run thrown in along the way.
Boomer wrote:
So to sum up although we're still without silverware we're not actually that bad. It could be worse, we could be Sp*ds!
Or Newcastle or Leeds.That is a load of Bollox
We are not the Spuds and never will be.We are supposed to be one of europes elite.We should be comparing ourselves with the big 3 not that shower down the road
The truth is in 5 years we have gone from the invincibles to a club that is happy to finish 4th with cup run thrown in along the way.
That Sp*ds bit was a light hearted joke! chin up.
We've know for a while that things will go backward before it can advance.
Considering the limitations the AW has to work with over the last 5 years in 'trimming' down the costs, yes I'm am happy with 4th. We still one of the top four.
Remember at the start of the season. Everyone thought we'd eventually drop out of that pack.
Boomer wrote:
So to sum up although we're still without silverware we're not actually that bad. It could be worse, we could be Sp*ds!
Or Newcastle or Leeds.That is a load of Bollox
We are not the Spuds and never will be.We are supposed to be one of europes elite.We should be comparing ourselves with the big 3 not that shower down the road
The truth is in 5 years we have gone from the invincibles to a club that is happy to finish 4th with cup run thrown in along the way.
That Sp*ds bit was a light hearted joke! chin up.
We've know for a while that things will go backward before it can advance.
Considering the limitations the AW has to work with over the last 5 years in 'trimming' down the costs, yes I'm am happy with 4th. We still one of the top four.
Remember at the start of the season. Everyone thought we'd eventually drop out of that pack.
what this season has shown is we are not good enough to challenge the top 3 but not bad enough to finish outside the top 4.And that is just perfect for our board.No trophies but £40m from the CL
Boomer wrote:
So to sum up although we're still without silverware we're not actually that bad. It could be worse, we could be Sp*ds!
Or Newcastle or Leeds.That is a load of Bollox
We are not the Spuds and never will be.We are supposed to be one of europes elite.We should be comparing ourselves with the big 3 not that shower down the road
The truth is in 5 years we have gone from the invincibles to a club that is happy to finish 4th with cup run thrown in along the way.
That Sp*ds bit was a light hearted joke! chin up.
We've know for a while that things will go backward before it can advance.
Considering the limitations the AW has to work with over the last 5 years in 'trimming' down the costs, yes I'm am happy with 4th. We still one of the top four.
Remember at the start of the season. Everyone thought we'd eventually drop out of that pack.
what this season has shown is we are not good enough to challenge the top 3 but not bad enough to finish outside the top 4.And that is just perfect for our board.No trophies but £40m from the CL
but we knew that over 2 years ago....
That CL money (if that figures correct) would be halfed to pay for the stadium loan.
There's no sponsor money as that was paid and used up front.
So we live off gates and cup prize money.
I think next year is the last season (under the current contract) for Nike.
Things should have improved by then and yes that the start of the 10/11 season. If I'm right.
i admired your optomism.But will Wenger go out and buy the quality players we lack or will he stick with the average ones we have now(ie Diaby Denilson,Eboue and Bendtner)I have come to the conculsion if we gave Wenger a £100m to spend he would spend just £5m on two 17 year olds.And that is the problem.He wants to buy players that May develop into good players instead of buying players who are good NOW .
i admired your optomism.But will Wenger go out and buy the quality players we lack or will he stick with the average ones we have now(ie Diaby Denilson,Eboue and Bendtner)I have come to the conculsion if we gave Wenger a £100m to spend he would spend just £5m on two 17 year olds.And that is the problem.He wants to buy players that May develop into good players instead of buying players who are good NOW .
I'd like to think he would.
Look at the players he bought when he arrived and a few season after that. You'll see he has spent and would spend on quality.
I don't like looking back to the past but since 2006 he's had to make changes to his strategy and made shrewd signings and has invested heavily on youth this is to the scarifice on 'ready' quality.
I do agree that he doe this to much and on overkill. He's no miricle worker as saturday proved.
However, there's no better coach at producing players (young and unknown) then Wenger.
BT wrote:As with everyone else, there were so many things that baffled me yesterday.
I can - if I'm being very open minded - see why he left Arshavin out because Hiddink said in the programme that he would 'be sure to neutralise the threat of AA'.
But we should have played to our strengths. Arshavin was fully rested and is one of the best at set pieces.
And still, that doesnt excuse why he didnt play Nasri and Song, who is in the form of his life and much better than Diaby and winning those midfield battles.
Secondly, yes the pitch was bad but everyone knew Chelsea would do their usual hoof upfield to Drogba to overcome that. What I don't understand is why we didnt have Eduardo on the bench because he is surely one of the few players we have who we can play to in a similar way and who is largely responsible for us being in the semi final.
I dont think its worth going over the defence issue because there was little choice and we all know Almunia isnt the cup keeper. I think we really missed Gallas who always raises his game for Chelsea.
And mostly i'm just pissed off that our winning streak has ended because Wenger was so cowardly and that this has damaged the harmony and confidence that we'd just found. He goes on about not wanting to 'kill off' players but throwing them into games like that when they're not ready or surrounded by experienced players kills their confidence more than anything.
All that said, I wouldnt want him to go yet - on wednesday i was immensely proud of this team - but yet again I think maybe he needs a number two with some tactical nous or at least someone questioning him on such occasions.
If that bit is true BT then there couldn't be a bigger indictment of Wenger's lack of courage as well as tactical nouse!!
100% agree with the rest of what you wrote though.
From a footballing point of view there is no point producing/finding youngsters if they are not going to reach their peak with us. It might sustain the club financially in the short term but will result in a decline on and off the field in the long term. That is the difference between the early Wenger years and now. He rescued Vieira and Henry from obscurity and we saw the best of them. Now players are starting to leave in their mid 20’s, just when they are in theory getting towards their peak.
Tim Vickery, who writes about South American football, wrote this week that players have been leaving for a better deal for so long that the best teams in Argentina and Brazil now model their club with that in mind. Wenger is doing the same, he thinks the next batch is always going to be world beaters but always has another bunch coming through to replace them.
I can just imagine in a couple of years Wenger selling Arshavin “otherwise it will kill Wilshereâ€
[quote="Skooner"]From a footballing point of view there is no point producing/finding youngsters if they are not going to reach their peak with us. It might sustain the club financially in the short term but will result in a decline on and off the field in the long term. That is the difference between the early Wenger years and now. He rescued Vieira and Henry from obscurity and we saw the best of them. Now players are starting to leave in their mid 20’s, just when they are in theory getting towards their peak.
Tim Vickery, who writes about South American football, wrote this week that players have been leaving for a better deal for so long that the best teams in Argentina and Brazil now model their club with that in mind. Wenger is doing the same, he thinks the next batch is always going to be world beaters but always has another bunch coming through to replace them.
I can just imagine in a couple of years Wenger selling Arshavin “otherwise it will kill Wilshereâ€
