THE WENGER THREAD

[StuartL]

He is more than happy to talk about other teams, issues that don't concern him and voice opinion about what is wrong with the game in general, but doesn't think that we, the paying public (fans to you and me) deserve even the slightest bit of respect.

[SteveO 35]

He is more than happy to talk about other teams, issues that don't concern him and voice opinion about what is wrong with the game in general, but doesn't think that we, the paying public (fans to you and me) deserve even the slightest bit of respect.

That's hit the nail on the head mate. Quite prepared to spend hours on end rambling on about financial fair play, how the football calendar should be redrawn to play in the Summer, when the transfer window should begin and end etc, but yet explaining basic decisions that impact upon his own job and paying customers are met with the '30 years working in football response'

He's like a London cabbie - an opinion on everything, an ability to bore you senseless about it for hours on end and yet unable to explain how a journey that should have taken 15 mins took an hour and an £80 fare

[Vinny1967]

He is more than happy to talk about other teams, issues that don't concern him and voice opinion about what is wrong with the game in general, but doesn't think that we, the paying public (fans to you and me) deserve even the slightest bit of respect.

Yeah I agree with most of what you said Stuart. The fans who paid their moneys deserved a bit more respect than the answers he gave yesterday.

[I Hate Hleb]

.... Arsene Wenger isn't like countless other managers. This is by no means a defence but another opinion. If Wenger was a manager like the ones that drop in and out of the game year after year then he wouldn't have been Arsenal manager for this amount of time. Whether you like him or not, he is not just another run of the mill manager.

He's managed to get away with comments about poor performances because regularly the club turns itself around in the season. That was what he was getting at in that press conference as well when he referred to comments from the press last season.

So people like Fergie and Mourinho and countless others that have used that method are also 'run of the mill', are they? Or do you, like Wenger, only want to use examples or statistics that suit your side of the argument? It's just another excuse and defending the undefendable - regardless of how much you try and deny it.

[northbank123]

He's managed to get away with comments about poor performances because regularly the club turns itself around in the season. That was what he was getting at in that press conference as well when he referred to comments from the press last season.

That's part of the problem tbh. People question why we are, yet again, out of the title race by the end of September (if indeed we were ever in it). Wenger just responds by pointing out that we've done this the last few years and just about to scrape CL qualification. The man thinks it's completely acceptable to start fucking woefully (including our annual embarrassment at Old Trafford) because we'll possibly end up scraping 4th and therefore he doesn't have to answer any questions about our poor form.

Top four is so obviously the extent of his ambition and regarded by him as a huge success. And therein lies the problem.

[armchair]

ESPN yesterday

John Barnes - "I'm 100% behind Arsene Wenger because of what he has done for Arsenal Football Club"

Tony Adams - "If he (Wenger) gets top four this season he'll have done a marvelous job"

Kevin Keegan - (To those calling for change) "Be careful what you wish for"

[I Hate Hleb]

ESPN yesterday

John Barnes - "I'm 100% behind Arsene Wenger because of what he has done for Arsenal Football Club"

Yeah Barnesy, just like the AKB's it's because of 'what he's done' - past tense - and not because of 'what he is doing'!!

Tony Adams - "If he (Wenger) gets top four this season he'll have done a marvelous job"

That's because along with a lot of gooners TA fears we are not even good enough to get top 4!!

Kevin Keegan - (To those calling for change) "Be careful what you wish for"

Yeah. Don't bother daring to dream about better days. That saying is fast become the axiom of the coward!!

[I Hate Hleb]

On the Sunday supplement Oliver Kay already has said arsenal fans yesterday were disrespectful towards him,now martin lipton is licking his arse and saying its ludicrous tht fans were telling him he doesnt know what hes doing,and we will miss him when hes gone.Sam Wallace talking sense though and says its right he should be questioned,he disagrees with what ivan is earning without actually mentioning names .

Patrick Barclay will probably want to bring back the death penalty if anyone was proven to be disrespectful to Arsene.

Not quite but more of the 'who are the fans to question this great man' type words from a journalist whose opinion I normally respect but, when it comes to the topic of Wenger, tends to talk nonsense.

http://www.newsnow.co.uk/A/612170842?-19387:844

[OneBardGooner]

He is more than happy to talk about other teams, issues that don't concern him and voice opinion about what is wrong with the game in general, but doesn't think that we, the paying public (fans to you and me) deserve even the slightest bit of respect.

Yeah I agree with most of what you said Stuart. The fans who paid their moneys deserved a bit more respect than the answers he gave yesterday.

Him, the board and the players are so out of touch with 'Reality' (ie The Fans and how they have to work long hours to afford the tickets and all the travel expenses ) to follow a team they will follow long after he and the rest of the wankers have gone...he/they just do NOT get it...the club is part of our growing up, it's in our blood - why else would we put up with such shyte... they really don't get it that Arsenal is another part of our life, family and everyday...to wenker & co it's just a job...

[I Hate Hleb]

That's why ultimately the only course of action that has any chance of making them aware is mass non-attendance of matches - painful as that might be for some gooners to do. However, if it's the only realistic way of getting a change in direction and our opinions taken seriously - as opposed to the lip service they usually pay the fans - then I believe it's a sacrifice worth making.

[Revgoon89]

Gotta love the blantant hypocrasy from Arsene though. He says how the fans have the right to their opinion and how he wants to listen to them, but then utterly insults them when they attempt to express it. Granted the press were trying to bait him and he fell for it, but he acts like an entitled kid who fails to see that people are getting sick of him. It's becomming more disgraceful each day.

Mass non-attendance or a walk out would work for me, if enough people would do it.

[g88ner]

Patrick Barclay:

For Arsenal followers to imply some diminution in Wenger’s judgment — I assume they thought he was quite good when winning Doubles and so on — went too far.

Predictable. In order to defend Wenger's judgment, he brings up his successes between 1998-2004... does he even realise we're now only a few weeks away from 2013?? - how many years can one live off past glories?

The £40million Wenger is understood to have for the January window should be spent on, at most, two players.

One more top notcher would make a difference. But don’t imagine that this argument — or any — would come as news to Wenger. He knows what he’s doing.

Yes, Patrick - lets put all evidence from past transfer windows to one side, and blindly assume this window will be different!

I wish I had your confidence that this £40m you speak of will be spent, Patrick... but if it's not, will you change your views? or will you move the goalposts and continue to belittle the frustration of the fans? - I think we all know the answer to that one...

[DB10GOONER]

Barclay saying; “For Arsenal followers to imply some diminution in Wenger’s judgment — I assume they thought he was quite good when winning Doubles and so on — went too far” is just fucking ridiculous. He seems to think we have only suddenly had a problem with Wenger out of the blue, with no point of reference. Yet he actually clearly quotes that point of reference himself, the gobshite!!

Yes we did think he was quite good when he was winning Doubles and so on, that is a bit fucking obvious and self-explanatory for the love of Christ, but we now think he is not quite good because he has failed to win ANYTHING for 7 years, all because he has repeatedly failed to address very obvious problems with the squad!

Thus he has VERY CLEARLY DEMONSTRATED DIMINUATION IN HIS JUDGEMENT, BARCLAY YOU FUCKING SPACKER – THAT’S THE WHOLE POINT FOR FUCKS SAKE!!



I'm sure there were people that thought Tony Blair was doing a good job in those first few months/years of being PM, but does that mean he should still be PM now? Because he once (years ago) did a good job? Fucking mental way to look at things...

[mikeyb772001]

Barclay saying; “For Arsenal followers to imply some diminution in Wenger’s judgment — I assume they thought he was quite good when winning Doubles and so on — went too far” is just fucking ridiculous. He seems to think we have only suddenly had a problem with Wenger out of the blue, with no point of reference. Yet he actually clearly quotes that point of reference himself, the gobshite!!

Yes we did think he was quite good when he was winning Doubles and so on, that is a bit fucking obvious and self-explanatory for the love of Christ, but we now think he is not quite good because he has failed to win ANYTHING for 7 years, all because he has repeatedly failed to address very obvious problems with the squad!

Thus he has VERY CLEARLY DEMONSTRATED DIMINUATION IN HIS JUDGEMENT, BARCLAY YOU FUCKING SPACKER – THAT’S THE WHOLE POINT FOR FUCKS SAKE!!



I'm sure there were people that thought Tony Blair was doing a good job in those first few months/years of being PM, but does that mean he should still be PM now? Because he once (years ago) did a good job? Fucking mental way to look at things...

maggie should still be in charge

[northbank123]

What's fucking ridiculous about all the FFP bollocks is that people make out like we're the only ones who'll comply. Aside from a few notable examples, pretty much all the clubs would comply atm. Fucking hell, United would quite comfortably and they're not sacrificing footballing success. They're an example that it's not a case of success OR compliance.

Barclay sums up in that article his rationale: he won two doubles and a league unbeaten so his judgement can never be called into question. Once you establish that that's your basic reasoning there's no point writing anything else.