THE WENGER THREAD

[augie]

The fact is, and this is indisputable, that season ticket renewals were massively down and supporter unrest was increasing and the club needed to do something to quell the unrest - I would compare it to manure's situation right now in that they probably overpaid (slightly) for mata but as a club they needed a big signing to lift the spirits of everyone and also to make a show of ambition to remind everyone that they are a big club still. Maybe earlier in the transfer window we baulked at the transfer fee we were quoted for ozil but desperation at the end forced us to pay the price ?

If we buy nobody this transfer window then it should, in my opinion at least, turn the die hard akb against le cock - for me it would make a definitive statement saying that he is only willing to buy in January if the vt is in doubt and that to buy when you have a real possibility of winning trophies does not come into his mindset. Forget all this bollox about top players not being available this month, does he really believe that there is nobody available that could improve our chances of winning a trophy this season ? Who gives a fcuk if he is cup tied in Europe ? Who gives a fcuk if he is over 30 years old ? Who gives a fcuk if he is not top top quality ? At the end of the day if he is a better striker than giroud and is a more lethal goalscorer then he can make a positive difference this season and that is where our thoughts should be focused right now. If in the summer we buy a better player for that position then so be it because if a new striker helps us win a trophy this season then he will more than pay for his transfer fee

[armchair]

Honestly.
If you think Wenger (given his history and views on the transfer market) went out and spent 42 mill on Ozil after pretending to try to buy Rooney, Suarez, Higuain.....
Well, honestly....

[augie]

Honestly.
If you think Wenger (given his history and views on the transfer market) went out and spent 42 mill on Ozil after pretending to try to buy Rooney, Suarez, Higuain.....
Well, honestly....

Me ???

[SteveO 35]

It was a silly moan.

If he really had a bit of testicular fortitude, he'd have just blurted out that, that *word censored* Mourinho is running scared, as shown by this latest stunt.

Anybody who thinks that Ozil signing shows Wenger has changed should have been given a rude awakening by his comments.

United are 14 points behind us and no threat to the title and Chelsea's squad has been weakened by the sale of a very good player. Yet the bloke can't resist a fucking moan about something that has fuck all to do with him/us. He is absolutely obsessed with transfers and money in football (despite pocketing a truly disgusting amount in return for 0 trophies in 8 seasons and counting) and his rant shows he is still incredibly stubborn and more obsessed with being morally victorious than actually winning.

And anyone who thinks Wenger isn't a panic buyer should examine the evidence as it backs-up why Ozil was bought

1. Virtual trophy under serious threat for the first time in season 08/09, with five defeats pre-Christmas including a 3-0 drubbing at City. January comes - buys Arshavin

2. August 2011 - hammered 8-2 at United and hovering outside the relegation zone after 3 games and facing a major fan backlash. Goes on the mad trolley dash signing on the plus side Arteta and Mertesacker but also fucking Santos and Park

3. Start of this season - hostile atmosphere having lost 1-3 at home to Villa....rushes out and buys Ozil

Now of course in January 2014 we sit top of the pile and barring a disaster the virtual trophy is safe once more; the very yardstick by which There's Only One is measured. So he reverts to type and buys nobody banging on about our big squad and young talent like Sanogo

Only when the VT next comes under serious threat (and it will again in a season not too far from now) will he open the chequebook once more.

To be honest the whole debate about whether this player or that player was signed by Wenger or the board is a moot point because Wiggy, Slimeball and the Self Harmer all crave the Be All and End All for their own means, so they are joined at the hip as far as the panic buys go

You've gotta remember that Wenger doesn't call these press conferences to talk about this shit. He's asked questions by the media and he's gives an opinion and I think most people understand what he was getting at. Nice to see Mourinho has matured and doesn't starting retaliating by dragging up a completely different subject....oh wait..

I don't agree about panic buying though . You have to look at the exact circumstances at those times. The amount of injuries in Jan 2009 (whilst we were on a really good run if I remember correctly), Nasri telling the club he wanted to leave late in the window in 2011... and the injuries, Wilshire long term etc.

It's been said loads of times, enquires had already taken place to sign Ozil earlier in the window but because Madrid changed manager it took time. I don't agree you can panic buy a £42M player in a matter of a day or two - plus you're talking about Arsenal who hadn't spent anywhere near that before. The team were in worse shape in 2011 so why didn't we panic buy a £40M+ player then?

We did panic buy in Summer 2011 after we got fucking pasted at OT and were playing the likes of Frim-mong against Liverpool and chucking Traore, Lansbury, Djourou and Jenkinson to the wolves in the most humiliating defeat of 100 years. By the time the January window came around we were on a better run and within spitting distance of the VT, so that's why he didn't buy then (plus the fact he panic bought 5 players only a few months previously).

You can panic buy a player in an instant if you have the money. On the final day of the window we could launch a 50m bid for someone if we liked and not many clubs around the world could turn that down

He doesn't panic buy if real trophies are in sight.....he panic buys when that fucking horrible European thingy is starting to disappear from view

[armchair]

Honestly.
If you think Wenger (given his history and views on the transfer market) went out and spent 42 mill on Ozil after pretending to try to buy Rooney, Suarez, Higuain.....
Well, honestly....

Me ???

No Augie. Not aimed at you.

[SteveO 35]

[Steve_I]

many a thingy said in whatsit.


Still for

[TeeCee]

I don't think Ozil was a panic buy, it was a carefully planned but desperate act imo. Every transfer Wonga makes is made with finances in mind. Arsenal clearly sold/gave away at boot sales, a lot of dead wood last summer to clear the wages to make a big signing possible (probably thinking it was Suarez). ST sales and box renewals were very slow and fan unrest was rising, it really didn't look good for the corporate side of things so they knew they had to bring in someone big (Wonga doesn't like to make many changes to his squad at any time). So after saving multiple millions on wages of those players they got rid of, they were able to budget for the Ozil transfer/wages (spreading the cost over the course of his contract with the likelihood of recouperating at least 30m when Ozil is sold). It was a financial decision but with a huge benefit to the playing side.
That money has now gone and there's not a chance in hell of any more being spent until the summer, when Arsenal FC will revert to signing Ligue 1 or 2 players for fairly small money (fairly small to most but hugely overspending on mediocre players).
A leopard does not change his spots. Wonga has not changed at all, this season was all about looking good enough to earn a huge wage rise and a new contract for the dictator whilst maintaining a top 4 place. Job done.

[afcforever]

Im not Wengers biggest fan, but I cant see how anyone can go against him at this moment. Top of the league, still in the f a cup and CL.
We have a fantastic squad, stadiums built, things will only get better.
Hopefully we will sign a top class striker.

[northbank123]

Im not Wengers biggest fan, but I cant see how anyone can go against him at this moment. Top of the league, still in the f a cup and CL.
We have a fantastic squad, stadiums built, things will only get better.
Hopefully we will sign a top class striker.

But we were in this position in 2008 and we were also top at this point in 2010 and we faded without trace both seasons. We've also not beaten a top team in any knockout competition since we moved from Highbury. Finally - and most importantly because it's not dwelling on the past - our striking options are an embarrassment and simply won't drag us through enough (if any) games when the tough gets going. Agree or disagree with the scepticism it's certainly not baseless.

Last two years we've had a lot of people telling us to reserve judgement until May when we've been knocking round in 5th-7th for large early parts of the season and now a lot of people seem to be under the impression that trophies are won in Jan!

As I've said on numerous occasions I would love nothing more than for myself to be proved monumentally wrong in my ongoing views on Wenger but I don't believe that any of our major 3 flaws have been addressed.

[armchair]

Im not Wengers biggest fan, but I cant see how anyone can go against him at this moment. Top of the league, still in the f a cup and CL.
We have a fantastic squad, stadiums built, things will only get better.
Hopefully we will sign a top class striker.

Yet again -
Why do Wenger supporters feel the need to say this........?
"I'm not an AKB but......"

[kiwomya]

Im not Wengers biggest fan, but I cant see how anyone can go against him at this moment. Top of the league, still in the f a cup and CL.
We have a fantastic squad, stadiums built, things will only get better.
Hopefully we will sign a top class striker.

Yet again -
Why do Wenger supporters feel the need to say this........?
"I'm not an AKB but......"

Maybe because some people try to appease the mob on here that can't get Wenger off of their mind.

[armchair]

Im not Wengers biggest fan, but I cant see how anyone can go against him at this moment. Top of the league, still in the f a cup and CL.
We have a fantastic squad, stadiums built, things will only get better.
Hopefully we will sign a top class striker.

Yet again -
Why do Wenger supporters feel the need to say this........?
"I'm not an AKB but......"

Maybe because some people try to appease the mob on here that can't get Wenger off of their mind.

What mob?
You mean augie?

[Theoperator]

Im not Wengers biggest fan, but I cant see how anyone can go against him at this moment. Top of the league, still in the f a cup and CL.
We have a fantastic squad, stadiums built, things will only get better.
Hopefully we will sign a top class striker.

Yet again -
Why do Wenger supporters feel the need to say this........?
"I'm not an AKB but......"

Maybe because some people try to appease the mob on here that can't get Wenger off of their mind.

What mob?
You mean augie?

Didnt see the AKB word used at all

There is a clear majority of postings recently that are againt him, as you well know

Interesting poll of the Arsenal Supporters Trust from 2011/12 season, Im sure its probably been referred to elsewhere, but shows its an uphill struggle to get any change

http://www.arsenaltrust.org/activity/fans-survey

19. Do you think it is more important that Arsenal qualify for the Champions League rather than win one or
both of the domestic cups (FA Cup/League Cup)?
Yes: No: No View:
76% 18% 6%

So its official the VT is the most important one

I am guessing that the big point is that the VT brings in more revenues, in other words with the supporters Trust feeling that the VT is the number one target why is the manager going to change direction

[LDB]

I am happy when we win. I am not happy when we lose.

I simply don't understand why people persist with getting wound up about the manager when we've not lost more then a handful of games in the last 12 months. If a new manager had come in a year ago and had this run he'd be the new messiah.

This is not the 2008 team, or the 2010 team just like it's not the 2004 team.