The price of failure

[jrthgooner]

I have read lots of articles and heard lots of chat from peoploe about Arsene not spending money and it got me thinking about how much the squad that was selected yesterday actually cost us. As I am unsure of wages paid I am just going to look at transfer fees alone. So here goes:

Woj S - £500,000
Jenkinson - £1m
Per M - £10m
Tom V - £10m
Nacho - £10m
Walcott - £6m
Ramsey - £7m
Arteta - £10m
Wilshere - free
Cazorla - £16m
Giroud - £10m
Gervinho - £11m
Podolski - £10m
Ox - £8m
Cocquelin - £1m
Koscielny - £10m
Rosicky - £7m
Mannone - £500,000

Total - £128m

Looking at that list it disturbs me just how much Wenger has actually spent and how few of these players represent value for money. I would expect a side that cost that amount to be doing far better than it is especially since all but a few are experienced internationals.

The myth Wenger has no money is a joke because clearly he has had plenty and chosen to buy poor cheap versions of the great players we once had

[topgoon]

I have read lots of articles and heard lots of chat from peoploe about Arsene not spending money and it got me thinking about how much the squad that was selected yesterday actually cost us. As I am unsure of wages paid I am just going to look at transfer fees alone. So here goes:

Woj S - £500,000
Jenkinson - £1m
Per M - £10m
Tom V - £10m
Nacho - £8.6m
Walcott - £6m
Ramsey - £5m
Arteta - £7m
Wilshere - free
Cazorla - £16m
Giroud - £10m
Gervinho - £11m
Podolski - £10m, price was 10million in euros
Ox - £8m
Cocquelin - £1m
Koscielny - £8.5m
Rosicky - £7m
Mannone - £500,000

Total - £118.7m

Looking at that list it disturbs me just how much Wenger has actually spent and how few of these players represent value for money. I would expect a side that cost that amount to be doing far better than it is especially since all but a few are experienced internationals.

The myth Wenger has no money is a joke because clearly he has had plenty and chosen to buy poor cheap versions of the great players we once had

I corrected some of these from memory and from trawling around the net...NO not wikipedia.

It's the cost of a squad that you expect to be in the top 4. Bar Ramsey and Gervinho, the rest are good enough to place us where we need to be. We are blaming the tools not the workman. Case in point...Jonny Evans is no better than Koscielny yet has been made better this season through proper guidance and training.

[1989]

Did Mertestatue really cost 10 million pounds?


Great signing Wenker!

[MK Gould]

A good point. Easy to think sometimes that we aren't big spenders, but we just spread the love around the squad rather than invest big in individual players.

Shocking though that it looks likely that our transfer spend (largely funded by sales) and wage bill is on a par with Bayern's and substantially more than the like of Dortmund (and Spuds).....

[rodders999]

It's the cost of a squad that you expect to be in the top 4. Bar Ramsey and Gervinho, the rest are good enough to place us where we need to be. We are blaming the tools not the workman. Case in point...Jonny Evans is no better than Koscielny yet has been made better this season through proper guidance and training.

Excellent point. If Jonny Evans was at Arsenal he'd (1) be played out of position and (2) be utter utter sh1te. A good manager has the ability to make ok players good, good players brilliant and brilliant players superstars.

Wenger does all that, but in reverse

[Bradywasking]

There has been a fair few average players who were worked into a system at Old Trafford and as a result became winners. There always was a winning culture at that club , that is the first thing that needs to be addressed at Arsenal. Phil Jones is another that springs to mind. We moan about the lack of quality in our squad but our strongest starting team is not that inferior to Man United's , Man City's should actually be better than their neighbours but Rednose has them believing they are better than they are.
That can work against you in terms of believing you have arrived, a continuous problem at Liverpool , but at United it isn't allowed develope.
In our club the culture is to accept defeat, that comes from the manager using phrases like "jaded" in September. It gives the players a hiding place.

[topgoon]

There has been a fair few average players who were worked into a system at Old Trafford and as a result became winners. There always was a winning culture at that club , that is the first thing that needs to be addressed at Arsenal. Phil Jones is another that springs to mind. We moan about the lack of quality in our squad but our strongest starting team is not that inferior to Man United's , Man City's should actually be better than their neighbours but Rednose has them believing they are better than they are.
That can work against you in terms of believing you have arrived, a continuous problem at Liverpool , but at United it isn't allowed develope.
In our club the culture is to accept defeat, that comes from the manager using phrases like "jaded" in September. It gives the players a hiding place.

The sad thing is sometimes you want him to come out and just once say they were absolutely useless today but he knows full well they'll all turn round and say who's fault's that.

The rot's at the top, get rid of that and start again.

[kiwomya]

Did Mertestatue really cost 10 million pounds?

Great signing Wenker!

You change your mind like the wind. I remember you were all over Mertesacker when we signed him.

[clockender1]

there is no price for failure at The Arsenal.


its encouraged. it's rewarded on the pitch with contract extensions and pay rises. just like off the pitch....

a lot of those players play pretty well at international level when they're coached btw.

[Perryashburtongroves]

there is no price for failure at The Arsenal.


its encouraged. it's rewarded on the pitch with contract extensions and pay rises. just like off the pitch....

a lot of those players play pretty well at international level when they're coached btw.

Playing for Arsenal the footballing equivalent of bunking off work for weeks.

[1989]

Did Mertestatue really cost 10 million pounds?

Great signing Wenker!

You change your mind like the wind. I remember you were all over Mertesacker when we signed him.

I was, looking at his profile he did look like a good signing. I guess I was as clueless as Wenger, with the only difference being it was him who spent that on the German, not me.

[SCREAM AIM FIRE]

Did Mertestatue really cost 10 million pounds?

Great signing Wenker!

You change your mind like the wind. I remember you were all over Mertesacker when we signed him.

Wasn't we all though? Arsenal buying a German international defender? Quality, Just what we need...Or so we thought...

how the hell did such a shit player get over 80 caps for Germany?

[clockender1]

how the hell did such a shit player get over 80 caps for Germany?

by training that involved old fashioned techniques such as preparation, coaching, man marking and working as a unit.

now replaced by zonal marking. mental strength and belief.

and i'm not kidding either - anyone who saw TA6's early career will see what coaching can to do with a not very highly skilled young player to be honest. he had graft, guts and stamina, just no speed, ball control or turning ability.

but by learning to be a great communicator and anticipator, putting the hard work in every week, and always always knowing where his center half was - Bould, Keown or O'leary, and his full back, he became part of the greatest back four ever (Milan possibly excepted).

[northbank123]

Mertesacker would be an infinitely better player in a more disciplined team - he showed in our first 5 or so games this season that he can read the game well and in a deeper-lying defence where the midfield are pressing properly this is a valuable asset.

However, he is still a fucking pussy, woeful in the air considering his height and slow as fuck - he could never ever be a top PL defender.

[SCREAM AIM FIRE]

how the hell did such a shit player get over 80 caps for Germany?

by training that involved old fashioned techniques such as preparation, coaching, man marking and working as a unit.

now replaced by zonal marking. mental strength and belief.

and i'm not kidding either - anyone who saw TA6's early career will see what coaching can to do with a not very highly skilled young player to be honest. he had graft, guts and stamina, just no speed, ball control or turning ability.

but by learning to be a great communicator and anticipator, putting the hard work in every week, and always always knowing where his center half was - Bould, Keown or O'leary, and his full back, he became part of the greatest back four ever (Milan possibly excepted).

This is what I was insinuating lol...didn't realise I deleted what I put after for some reason

'He's clearly been hit with The Arsene effect'