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.
VoiceOfReason wrote:Actually, I'd say Game 50 of the 49ers run was the turning point. If we'd gone up to OT and turned them over 3-0, I think we'd have had the confidence to win the league that year (and certainly wouldn't have started dropping points at home to the likes of Southampton and WBA).
If we won the title and secured back-to-back titles, we'd have been the country's top club and rightly could've attracted some of the world's best players. As it was, we limped to the FA Cup and Vieira and co. started banging on the door to leave. The next mistake was then AW having zero urgency to replace these players, filling the gaps with unproven teenagers who aren't fit for purpose.
^^
This. As soon as we lost that game it was like a completely different team. The squad seemed to lose all confidence and suddenly Bolton away became scary. We never recovered from that and we had to with Chelsea. You could say the turning point was when Abramovic bought Chelski.
Agree with this mate. Once the unbeaten streak was broken we didn't look the same. I guess the only way was down when you are on an unbeaten run like we were. We then lost a major part of the spine of the team when Vieira, Bergkamp, Pires, Cole & Campbell all departed in the following seasons.
Vieira was the biggest loss. I know his form was a bit patchy in his last season but he was still really effective for us. He was still scoring at least. I never thought it was Wenger who moved him on though. I always beleived Vieira just wanted another challenege before he retired.
Cannot disagree with any of the above, but if I'm honest leaving Highbury was the turning point. We have been like a different club in many ways since moving to the bowl.
Too many experienced players leaving in the summer of 2006, post-Paris.
The squad has never recovered from an experience point of view.
Closely followed by the decision not to buy Anelka from Bolton in the January 2008 transfer window, a decision made all the worse by the Eduardo injury a few weeks later.
I think every few years a chance has come for us to impose ourselves and we've always flunked it. The most obvious one was 2008 with Eduardo's leg break. That was the last Arsenal team to play consistently beautiful football but mentally we fell apart and physically we were shot through because we didn't have a big enough squad. If Wenger had bought a CB in January and kept/replaced Diarra at the same time, I think we'd have had enough to see us through and win the title. Then that great midfield we had was disbanded immediately.
Then there was Birmingham in 2011. I knew beforehand that we would lose and when I saw how terrified the players looked, my worst fears were confirmed. The fact that the team fell apart (and has arguably not recovered) says it all about our so-called mental strength.
I have always though that Bergkamps missed pen in 99 was a semi turning point. It seemed like we were destined for the treble and arsene woyld have won back to back titles as well
Also the sale of Vieira was the real turning point of Wenger from old Wenger to this new version we have noe
The sale was everything the past 8 years have been about nurturing talent and sellijg them on as soon as they vrumble thagwe need to be more ambitious little did we all know back that what would follow.
Also last one the biggest turning point the moving of the champions league positions from 2 to 4.
TheCook wrote:
Closely followed by the decision not to buy Anelka from Bolton in the January 2008 transfer window, a decision made all the worse by the Eduardo injury a few weeks later.
According to the newspapers at the time Anelka when at Bolton, was begging to come back to The Arsenal, yet Wenger just sat there & did nothing whilst many supporters just bitched & complained about any prospect of him returning.
The pragmatist in me believed we should have signed him at the time, but Wenger as usual just wanted to be weird & obstinate putting his own ego above the success of the club. I'm still convinced we would have won the league with Le Sulk but some fans would still even say today they would rather win nothing than sign proven quality such as Anelka in his prime!!!
Final straw for me was the Baked Bean Head CL semi 2nd Leg 2009 against the Mancs, the club haven't received a penny from me since, unless you count the away games receipts in the FA Cup!!!
The break up of the invincible team after the champions league final was far too quick and we subsequently replace it with project youth. Man Utd have always had three generations of players at their club, you'll have the bright young stars, the players playing at their prime and the veterans helping the younger ones along.
If you go back to 2008, You stick Vieira alongside Fabregas, Henry alongside the strikers Eduardo, Van Persie and Adebayor, Pires in the midfield and possibly Campbell at the back then that team suddenly looks like a title winning side and it is unlikely the points we lost after the Birmingham game of 2008 would have happened, likewise the meltdown in the champions league quarter final against Liverpool could've been avoided and who knows where we could've gone from there.
This Is The Daybreak wrote:The break up of the invincible team after the champions league final was far too quick and we subsequently replace it with project youth. Man Utd have always had three generations of players at their club, you'll have the bright young stars, the players playing at their prime and the veterans helping the younger ones along.
If you go back to 2008, You stick Vieira alongside Fabregas, Henry alongside the strikers Eduardo, Van Persie and Adebayor, Pires in the midfield and possibly Campbell at the back then that team suddenly looks like a title winning side and it is unlikely the points we lost after the Birmingham game of 2008 would have happened, likewise the meltdown in the champions league quarter final against Liverpool could've been avoided and who knows where we could've gone from there.
I've never agreed with the many people who praised Ferguson for "building" different teams - imo he didn't. It was always one conveyor belt and he never allowed them get to the situation where they had a poor balance and needed to rebuild almost from scratch in a way.
Even though the back 5 were all fairly similar age we would never have had early 2000s success had we got rid of them all within a season. Back then Wenger did things right - he looked to phase them out in turn and didn't let them go until they had sufficient replacements. First Sylvinho was brought in for left-back where we also had our best youth product in decades coming through at a brilliant time, then Lauren was brought in and took the load off Dixon who was struggling with injuries, then Campbell came in at centre-half and by the time Adams retired Toure was ready to step in with Keown providing able cover. Seaman unfortunately we never really replaced but we got the longest out of him we possibly could.
Modern-day Wenger would probably have got rid of them all within a year and the likes of Stepanovs, Wright and Cygan would have been first choice.
for me it ws not buying Xabi Alonso from Liverpool in 2008, reportedly because we were £1m shy of Liverpool's valuation (£1m being aprox one third of one home game gate receipts at the emirates)
in reality it was probably much earlier but thats when i realised the club put profit over success on the field
no. 1 is Perry Groves.... wrote:for me it ws not buying Xabi Alonso from Liverpool in 2008, reportedly because we were £1m shy of Liverpool's valuation (£1m being aprox one third of one home game gate receipts at the emirates)
in reality it was probably much earlier but thats when i realised the club put profit over success on the field
The story was we were only £200,000 short of their valuation, but I know this is going to sound odd, but I know that that is not the truth and the deal was very complex, and there was a reason we did not buy him linked to the complexity of the deal.
And I know that sounds like I am trying to make myself sound important by being in the know but honestly I found out about that deal when I was not supposed to.
Best turning point wasa in 1987 winning the second replay after Champagne Charlie was carried off and the mug announcer giving detailsd of the procudure for getting leaguer cup final tickets on the tannoy .
que ian allinson
que rocky
que mad mad celebrations in the days when we ruled the swamp and they wouldnt come near us !
