We dont have money to spend!!!!!

[topgoon]

Then he needs to do a fat spanish waiter and stop being the foil for the board. Tell us the truth, say how skint we are.

The difference between this team and Graham's team is not the money.

The ingredients are there to do better. Yesterday is a point in fact. Dogbreath didn't have to work too hard to get his 2 goals. I know like every one else I've posted we should buy decent players but it would not have stopped those goals because the Verminator and Billy good defenders as they are, get no help from the team besides Song. They do not defend well as a team. With our team we won't always win games but we shouldn't be so easy to defeat. How hard di United and Chelsea work in all four games to beat us, not very.

If we can't defend it's the manager and coaches fault and no amount of money will solve that problem.

[1989]

The money may be there, doesn't mean the board will let him have it

The board are ready to give him the world mate. They are desperate to hang on to him. They would never refuse to give him the dosh incase he'd want out.

[Jumpers For Goalposts]

We had to increase capacity from 38,000 but why did the new stadium have to cost quite so much??

Spending £400million on a new stadium and then leaving too little money for new players would be like me getting a huge loan, lashing it all on a new Bentley and then having no money for fuel, insurance, servicing ------- or food for the wife and kids.

If I did that I'd expect people to say that I'd got my priorities wrong . . . . .

[brazilianGOONER]

They do not defend well as a team.

exactly what i think mate. when chelsea don't have the ball, you see ALL their players fighting to get it back. lumpard, mikel, the fullbacks, bollock, malouda, even dogbreath, they all work like defenders to get the ball back, something we don't see with arshavin, nasri and rosicky, for example. not only the offensive players do work hard to get the ball back, they are GOOD at it, probably because they do it in training.

whenever nasri or arshavin try to tackle someone i feel embarassed

[rigsby]

The board are ready to give him the world mate. They are desperate to hang on to him. They would never refuse to give him the dosh incase he'd want out

Really? The board have always run Arsenal stringently, and lets not kid ourselves, Wenger has been close to leaving us before, its the mans loyalty to Arsenal that has kept him there. I don't doubt that Wenger has a big belief in what he is doing, stupidly so, and yes some money has been made available to him. But he's also stated that he needs to sell every season, I can't see Ferguson sticking around if he was told that, could you?

[djhdjh]

This desperate cry of 'we have no money' from the Wenger die hards, based seemingly on little other than what they want to believe and in contradiction of the man himself (although whether that figure of £30m includes wages or not I guess is questionable). The hope is that if they convince us we have no money people will kneel down in front of AW again.

I think he should go at the end of the season if we aren't within two wins of the title or reached the Champions League final regardless of the money situation. A manager who could teach this squad to defend, not even particularly brilliantly but just the simple basics, and could think of a Plan B, could do more just with the current squad. Or they could create a fair bit of revenue for wages and transfers by selling some of the rubbish and still break even while signing some new players. Wenger said judge me this season (like others). He didn't mention money. I'm only following his orders come May.

[VforVictory]

Board set combined transfer and wage budget each season but it is up to Wenger to do with he pleases with budget.
He has gone for youth policy which is ok up to a point but IMO he has chosen not to buy enough experienced players and so we are seeing poor results on the pitch.
Wenger goes to board meetings and advises on a lot more than just players he has transformed club in way no other manager has since Herbert Chapman.

[GallasFC]

I'm pretty sure Wenger has atleast half of the 30m to spend. Year in year out we've been going like for like ie Hleb goes Nasri comes in etc and it's always 1-1 and always balances the books well this year wenger earnt 42m in sales now lets take away 15m for AA because that was an early purchase and we've still got like 27m in the green. There is no way 27m has been gobbled up by the club when the stadium is on mortgage. I mean if I had a mortgage I wouldn't cancel my subscription to sky sports and give it to my loaner because it wouldn't be counted it's ona per month bases. Wenger genuinely does not know who to bring in and his mind is only on YOUTH. It's always youth this young that he's obsessed with it.

[rigsby]

Btw djhdjh I'm not defending Wenger, maybe you should read what I wrote.

[digger]

We had to increase capacity from 38,000 but why did the new stadium have to cost quite so much??

Spending £400million on a new stadium and then leaving too little money for new players would be like me getting a huge loan, lashing it all on a new Bentley and then having no money for fuel, insurance, servicing ------- or food for the wife and kids.

If I did that I'd expect people to say that I'd got my priorities wrong . . . . .

We could have built a stadium nearer the M25 for half the money. I'm sure people would forgive an extra 15 mins on the tube if we were successful on the pitch.

And we have got money. Every financial assesement from any top economist suggests there is money to spend. Even with the board being prudent, I can't imagine they'd literally not offer Wenger a penny to spend in January. We've raised something like £40m in transfer profits in the last 6 months, £20m would be a token "thank you" to their precious manager.

No, this all points to Wenger trying to build on his (admirable) quality of picking players up for peanuts and selling them as a superstar (you'll have all noticed the Sky commentator gushing about Anelka's £20m yesterday). He's had his fingers burned with the few "big" names he's signed... Wiltord and Reyes weren't exactly flops, but big names who didn't cut the mustard. Jury's still out on Walcott and Arshavin, but I know he's got a lot of fans on here.... the best way for Wenger to gain admiration from Wenger and the Arsenal board is to sign kids and hope they turn out to be as good as Fabregas. That doesn't look like it's worked.

[SPUDMASHER]

It is written into the financing agreements that a given percentage of our income has to be made available to the manager for team matters. This was reported at the time by the finance company, not the club. How much is debatable but to say it isn't there is nonsense.

[djhdjh]

Btw djhdjh I'm not defending Wenger, maybe you should read what I wrote.

You didn't start the thread. The point I was making is that the general point of this thread in the mind of the person who started was seemingly to defend Wenger on the grounds of our finances. I'm saying I don't see it as an excuse in these circumstances.

[augie]

It's "lets defend wenger at all costs" time now is it ? I wondered how long it would take for somebody to start a thread making excuses for le professor

Firstly, if wenger has no money but is claiming that he does then he is complicite in their lies/bullshit to the fans and that makes him as guilty in my eyes as they are. If he thinks that his past achievements will shelter him from major fan revolt over not spending then he is sadly mistaken cos whatever about the club having no money we the fans have been badly hit financially too and are not going to keep throwing away our funds to facilitate their bullshit

Secondly the lack of funds hasnt stopped wenger making multi-millionaires out of our latest bunch of over-hyped and unproven rookies has it ? In a very similar scenario to the fat benitez who moans about lack of funds but then splashes out 17m for a full back, if funds are tight then you dont go throwing it about like confetti to all these kids who have yet to prove that they have what it takes.
Lastly wenger's weaknesses that are being highlighted stretch further than his refusal to spend money - he is tactically woefully inept, his inability to coach fundementals like defending or his refusal to do so cos it is not in keeping with his gameplan and his total inability to judge his own players (almunia, bedtner, diaby to name but a few) is sackable on its own I refuse to believe that huntelaar was not obtainable on loan last month and there is no way, no matter how bad our finances may be, that we couldnt afford to sign the guy on loan but instead wenger decided that he didnt need a striker cos bedtner was back but he then left him on the bench for both big games Ever heard the saying 6 pointer games arsene ? These are games against your rivals that the difference between winning and losing is a 6pt swing and you could not afford to lose them so if the big dane wasnt going to be ready for the biggest run of games this season why not sign the dutchie ?

Way too many willing to make excuses for way too many fcuk ups

[SPUDMASHER]

Btw djhdjh I'm not defending Wenger, maybe you should read what I wrote.

You didn't start the thread. The point I was making is that the general point of this thread in the mind of the person who started was seemingly to defend Wenger on the grounds of our finances. I'm saying I don't see it as an excuse in these circumstances.

And I would agree with you. Let's be honest here. Last season a couple of fans criticised Wenger at the AGM. He hinted that he might quit as a result. That's hinted, ever so slightly! Suddenly everyone was bending over backwards for him to stay and telling him what a top fella he was. The guy has immense power at this club. Does anyone really think that the club would risk his departure by denying him transfer funds????? If you do, then you'd have to be mad.

[Carw2005]

Alot more than 30mill should be available.. Wenger has made profit on players for over 10 years as well as champs league football for ten years.. We should have money. SPEND IT!