The Highbury Spy: I’ve had enough! (19/3)

[gooner.ed]

usual thread starter... the spy tells me he expects some negative reaction. only thing i will say is this. you can't deny the man is passionate about his football...

[into the red]

Ha Ha, spoken like a real fan. I enjoyed this piece, a good few home truths in there, and said with real feeling. Yes, i think we all believe that somehow it's all going to gel and we will have a team to compare with Les Invincibles. Wenger is very good at talking this up. But the spy is right - ever week brings evidence to the contrary. Tactically he does seem all over the place, and his subs have ever since he arrived been particularly inept. His qualities have always been about finding new or hidden talent, though we tend to forget the huge list of people he has bought and who haven't made the grade - Jeffers, Luntz, Cygan, Pennant etc etc. You can forgive him a lot for what he has brought the club, but one thing I do agree on: the endless litany of feeble excuses is getting very tedious, and doesn't do him any favours. Calling linesmen liars is not very clever either, and this detracted from the potentially good case the club had over mistaken identity. Arsene, you need a good long rest, mate. And the players need to get off their cloud and show that they can put the effort in when things are against them - they don't convince on that score, save a few honourable exceptions.

[shiftygooner]

You are not the only one pissed off Highbury Spy, but be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Remember we went 3 seasons without a trophy after the 98 double and then came back. There are many reasons for the present debacle and they are not all Wengers fault.
Quite a few of the players of the last two seasons are clearly not good enough. Hleb and Rosicky combined are not equal to Pires. Some of the tactics we employ are hard to understand too, but until we have the financial muscle to compete with the top two (or even the top 8!) we will find it hard to improve our league placing.
I think you will find that when we have better players the tactics will seem to improve too. The simple fact is no matter what Wenger does at the moment we do not have anyone in the team who can score goals or change the game from the bench. And until we have the funds to buy better players every season rather than pay off debts, we will struggle.
Russian, American or Arab billionaire anyone?

[stixx]

I agree 100% with the spy!

I've got to say its really great to get other gooners though thinking it's not all Wengers fault. Last time I looked, he is the one who picks the team, buys the players and keeps comming out with the same old driville about potential.

If we have no money, then the importance of how the money we DO HAVE is spent is even MORE important. I mean crikey! £10m on Hleb, never will this guy live up to any misplaced potential and £7m for Adebeyor and don't even get me started on Baptista!!, even at their best they would struggle to score as much as Pires did each season. AND..AND if we still have no money and will have no money after moving to the Emirates, then what was the point??? I really do not believe all that tosh!

I think that Arsene wants to build a team on undiscovered talent and show that its not all about money and that's admirable and in the era of only Manure to contend with, I think it was viable. Now, with Chelski and other teams (Liverpool etc) pumping more funds in, if we continue at this rate I think a top 4 finish could be the best we can go for next season as well and I would be suprised if the Emirates will be full the following season.

Unfortunately Arsene has always been a reactionary manager and he only tends to learn from enforced experiences. I got slightly optimistic when he went on about 'Super, super players' last week, only to have that dashed by him comming out and saying that we have all the players we need!!

One final thing, I'm not usually saying that Andy Gray on Sky has any sense comming out of his hole, BUT when playing Everton he mentioned that these continuous experiences where the youngsters keep getting beaten could affect them long term and that really is a true worry, you only have to look at past potential which never got fulfilled like Manninger & Senderos!

[tenementfunster5]

Hey guys whats with all the anger. Yes this season has been extremely dissapointing but come on lets have a bit of time to think sensibly. Blaming everthing on Wenger is totally blinkered. The problem is not the manager the problem is the players. Wenger cannot pur the ball in the net for the players. They are the ones who have been inept infront of goal not Wenger. And as for Wallcott HE IS JUST A KID lay off. we bought Henry at 23 Theo has 6 years on him. He needs to learn. Do yoy think that Henry was the finished article at that age. Hell No. He was a raw talented kid just like the boy is. He can be the new Henry he Will be a fantastic player for the club.

I bet we didn't think Wenger was poor tacticly when we beat Madrid in the Bernabeau or Juve at home or got us to the final.

I thought the Highbury Spy was a 'true gooner' that would never turn on the team in such a way. Think it sucks that we have a bad spell and Arsenal 'fans' are jumping on the teams back. I thought we were a different breed of football fan. Maybe I was wrong. I sincerly hope that with the benefit of time the Spy will calm down a bit and return to the Arsenal supporting, sing the praises of the team fan he has been in the past.

[The Ginge]

Yet another Cup Final.
Another top 3 finish on the cards.
The most exciting young team in Europe evolving right in front of our eyes.
The best football played in Europe.

And this is a bad season.
My god.

When I think back to some to the "real" rubbish I have had to watch as an Arsenal fan back in the 80's and then I read people moaning about what we have in the present day, I give up.

Only one team can win the title each season, only one team IN EUROPE can win the CL each season. And we are a set of fans who are lucky enough to now follow a club who is constantly involved. And it's not enough. Fucking hell.

Remember those heady days when Rioch got us into the UEFA Cup on the final day of the season and we all thought that was great...My god, what on earth would you all do now if we had to go back to settling for that to class the season as a success.

This season has been frustrating, Wenger isn't beyond cristisim and we have struggled to score goals this season, as well as finish teams off.
But here we are watching Wenger's 3rd great team come to life and it's not enough. I am sure there will be a few tweaks before it's all in place but for crying out loud, how many clubs can have a season of transition like this and still be looking at a top 3 finish AND a cup final.

Man Alive, if people really are at the end of their tether with what they are seeing at the moment... well I don't really know what to say. Just think yourselves lucky that you don't support any of the 89 teams below us. We would have to put you on suicide watch.

[donaldo]

Hey Highbury Spy if Wenger had spent £250 million like Chelski have done i could understand your complaint. For all the money they have spent they WONT win the league this year. What the Spy is saying is what the Manure supporters were saying at the end of last season about Fergie, that he had lost the plot and that his signings were poor. Those same supporters have crawled back into the woodwork
If Wenger was to go he would be snapped up straight away by Real Madrid or Barcelona and he would take with him Fabregas and Henry. The Arsenal empire would crumble and there would be lots of empty seats at Ashburton.
Finishing 3rd is not a disaster.
AND WE DO PLAY THE BEST FOOTBALL IN EUROPE MAYBE THE SPY MISSES THE GOOD OLD DAYS OF DON HOWE

[Cunts]

Quite how a 21 year old Ashley Young is the same age as a 17 year old Theo Walcott I don't know...

And Baptista was gash against Everton. Diaby outperformed him with ease.

[Gooner_mojo]

Yet another Cup Final.
Another top 3 finish on the cards.
The most exciting young team in Europe evolving right in front of our eyes.
The best football played in Europe.

And this is a bad season.
My god.

When I think back to some to the "real" rubbish I have had to watch as an Arsenal fan back in the 80's and then I read people moaning about what we have in the present day, I give up.

Only one team can win the title each season, only one team IN EUROPE can win the CL each season. And we are a set of fans who are lucky enough to now follow a club who is constantly involved. And it's not enough. Fucking hell.

Remember those heady days when Rioch got us into the UEFA Cup on the final day of the season and we all thought that was great...My god, what on earth would you all do now if we had to go back to settling for that to class the season as a success.

This season has been frustrating, Wenger isn't beyond cristisim and we have struggled to score goals this season, as well as finish teams off.
But here we are watching Wenger's 3rd great team come to life and it's not enough. I am sure there will be a few tweaks before it's all in place but for crying out loud, how many clubs can have a season of transition like this and still be looking at a top 3 finish AND a cup final.

Man Alive, if people really are at the end of their tether with what they are seeing at the moment... well I don't really know what to say. Just think yourselves lucky that you don't support any of the 89 teams below us. We would have to put you on suicide watch.

Brilliantly said mate. Was going to say the same thing but you've said it for me but only better. Some people just don't know how lucky they are.

[persie_wonderland]

Yeah totally agree with most of this article but hey come on, have you forgotten the injuries we've had this season. I mean come on! Against Everton we dominated a lot of the game and we just missed the cutting edge in front of goal. Which is not surprising considering our first 3 choice strikers were all out with injuries or suspensions. Henry has been in and out all season and still scored 14 goals in 30 games.

Baptiste is not a striker, yes he is brazilian but lets not kid ourselves. And alliadiere just cant cut it in the premiership. He has had his chance. We'd of sold him in the window if RVP hadn't got injured.

When you dominate games in football, unless you score, the longer the game goes the more you invite the opposition to be more adventurous. Its just simple football psycology.

What I do agree with is that the midfield isn't helping out in the goal department. Hleb has to fix up. Freddie is finished and Rosicky might still come good next season.

Next season looks bright. I hope we can keep Henry and RVP fit for most of next season. Lets not forget that if ManU had lost Ronaldo and Rooney or Chelsea had lost Drogba they would of struggled too.

bring on 2007/2008

[goonersteward]

Like the way the Spy moans about Wengers CL tactics in the final. Despite the fact he got us to it. 1st London club there ever WHAT.

As for taking best players off (bar Thierry, already disproving his point) what about bring on subs who change games and score equalisers & winners?

Was the Spy moaning about Diaby being on against Villa? thought not.

I agree about Gilberto being in the back four. I don't get it either. How you can call him a c**t I don't know, since you're also on about midfielders chipping in with goals.

Why you're starting on Pat Rice I don't know. Like picking on Wenger's tactics, was this an issue in 98, 02 or during the invincible period? thought not. Wasn't Rice lurking when we pulled off the 1st domestic Cup double in 93? want him out then?

Adebayors great. He pops up with important goals and teams struggle to contain him. I wonder if you wanted him shipped out after Old Trafford earlier in the year?

You'd rather be successful and hated like Chel$ki?

You sir are a mong.

Wengers won as many titles at Arsenal as they have in their entire history. Same with the F.A Cup. And he's done it without being financially doped up with Russian Mafia Blood Money.

Short sighted twunts like you do my nut it. Arsene knows, you don't. He's earned the right to one bad season with so many first teamers leaving, stadium upheaval and just plain simple bad luck. This whole squad will learn from this season and become fearsome next year. And I for one will be laughing as you and your columns start knocking one out over him again.

[gunner67]

Well said goonersteward!!

[goonersteward]

cheers man.

It's views like his ( no doubt shared by many of those "fans" who left as soon as PSV scored ) who just get on my tits. How many people would've banked on two doubles and regular trips to Finals a decade ago?

Don't get me wrong, it's really strange to have our season all but over in early March, but it's one thing to be disappointed and another entirely to start baying for blood!

One good thing about his article was that it made a long time lurker sign up finally

[AndyG]

You simply cannot argue with The Spy here, week after week we have 20 or more shots at goal of which 15 must be on target and yet we never score more than 2, then the opposition have one shot on target and it goes in, what do these guys on £60,000+ a week do at training every day?

Do they get Jens to practice shot stopping?, do they practice how to take or defend corners?, do they practice one-on ones?, on the last 2 years evidence clearly not, now for all the pretty football displayed every week how many games can you really say you have been happy with?, Hleb continually dissapoints, Eboue is a liability, Freddie is past it, Senderos has the mobility of a subbuteo player...the flaws go on and on.

Now with the money already available to the Blue Scum, Man Spew and Real Merseyside, can you really see anything to look forward to?

[goonersteward]

never score more than 2? so bolton didn't let in 3 in the cup (freddie was so past it that day!) and I wonder how much of Blackburns no ball strategy at the Emirates Cup tie was influenced by a certain 6-2 tonking? And i'm sure Watford, Sheffield United would've been happy at only conceding 2 at ours, let alone Reading in their own backyard as part of the home and away double we completed against them (remember that we're the only team to do that this season so far..)

Crazy Jens will always be Crazy Jens. No one asked if he practiced penalty saves last season after Villareal. Or our defensive frailties when we kept clean sheets galore on our way to Paris. Ooh hey since we're going back 2 years, how scrappy was our defending against Man Ure in Cardiff 2005? could you speak up please?

maybe our defenders are too busy weighing in with the odd goal here and there (Liverpool in the league, anyone?) to defend set pieces perfectly.

And yeah our one on ones have always been shocking. Tell that to Real Madrid.

I'm not a fan of eboue (nice crosses, shame about the histronics), so you'll get no argument there. Hlebs in a bad patch. Senderos isn't a right back and whilst he's not Mr Mobile he tends to cover Kolo in the air and once he's over his Drogbaphobia he'll be a tasty centre back.

You mention all the money available to the rest of the top four, so all the more reason to take pride in the fact we're not taken over.

So you want stuff to look forward to? here goes a quick Top Ten off the top off my head....

1) Players (and fans) being used to the Wengerdome in 07/08. By blooding lots of kids and new players at the same time as bedding down in a new stadium, Wenger's pulled off a masterstroke. He's got all the transitionary confusion out of the way at the same time. Now we just need the fans to get their jaws off the floor, their air in their lungs and their arses on their seats for a full 90 minutes and it'll all be shiny.

2) Henry recovering from his only real injury hit season with us. Not losing RVP or Gallas for months would be nice too.

3) The youngsters taking what they've learnt from the Carling Cup into each and every match. Don't tell me you were this mardy after we knocked S**rs out. Or when Walcott put us 1 up at Cardiff.

4) Baptista being bought and then playing without worrying each game will be his last.

5) Fabregas wearing his Dinamo Zagreb shooting boots next season.

6) Fran Merida, Jay Simpson and Vincent Van Den Burg. The future's bright, the future's red and white.

7) Not having to deal with situations like Reyes and Cole at the start of next season. Not to mention no World Cup to deplete our players. A proper break followed by a clear pre-season.

Fans staying til the end so if we go behind in Europe matches end like Shaktar Donetsk instead of PSV.

9) Taking away games against teams in the bottom half of the table as seriously as trips to the Bridge or Old Trafford. This is the only real problem as far as i'm concerned.

10) Keeping up our unbeaten run against Spurs. Hell, staying unbeaten at home ain't too bad. Who else has never lost at their Stadium?


There's plenty to look forward to. Just depends how you see it.