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.
Had the pleasure of listening to TalkSport in the car on the way to work this morning and Danny Kelly (chief Scummer) was doing the press review with Arsene's Little Helper (copyright Baba ), John Cross:
Cross: "I just thought what a strange time to hold up the banner after a week in which they qualified for the last 16 of the CL again, and went back into the top four......I mean blimey! Would you call these people supporters? For me, I'd say 'no' "
Kelly: "Its a bit like we were discussing about Gerrard at Liverpool isn't it John.......it should be Wenger who decides when he should leave the club"
ONE ARSENE WENGER.......THERE'S ONLY ONE ARSENE WENGER
"Suggestions that the words on the banner represented the writing on the wall over his future were defiantly banished with a promise that he would change neither his managerial style nor tactics.
“I can do my job,” he said. “I do my job with total commitment, I would like you to live with me and see for seven days what kind of work we produce, and you will see that it is total commitment. I don’t mind [if people don’t accept my style]. I do what I love, but I think I do it with honesty.”
Is he hurt by the fans’ criticism? “No. Honestly, no. I started to manage a team at the top level in 1983. If I am completely useless tactically, I am a genius [because] I can hide it very well.”
Suggestions that the words on the banner represented the writing on the wall over his future were defiantly banished with a promise that he would change neither his managerial style nor tactics.
“I can do my job,” he said. “I do my job with total commitment, I would like you to live with me and see for seven days what kind of work we produce, and you will see that it is total commitment. I don’t mind [if people don’t accept my style]. I do what I love, but I think I do it with honesty.”
Seems "This mans not for turning". Of course hes known for his stubbornness, shades of the first woman primeminister methinks
He was certainly well irritated by the questioning over it, interview post match here
well done the banner boys - more of the same at Stoke?
the flip flopping in the press is bemusing.
you have to think though that a lot of them are anti Arsenal - Lawrenson, McManaman, Owen for example and so whilst it is fun for them to slate Wenger and Arsenal one week they might be worried in case he does actually go/get sacked. Obviously they won't want him to actually leave and will defend his record to ensure that.
a Chelsea supporting work colleague is like this too.
usually it is ha ha ha Wenger. when I said that a protest was planned last week he goes you dont want him to actually leave though - that would be terrible. yeah terrible for Chelsea maybe...that is maybe what we are up against with the press.
MyOldMan wrote:I need to say this and go agianst the great majority but it's time for Wenger to go. I'm tired of his stuborn attitude towards transfers and the costant refusal to sort out contracts before the time,for not building on our strongest team. We are always playing catch up replacing players lost and have never truly replaced the defence and midfield of old.
We need change I would love wenger just to get a proper keeper of which we have not had since Seaman. Why does he refuse to buy experience even if it's for a few seasons?
We had the best out of Wenger time for change. Now we need to get a billionare takeover and a new manager. Even if Wenger had the money he would still be getting kids and unknowns. I'm tired of unknowns with potential give me names to get excited about. Not since Bergkamp have a felt that thrill from a signing and excitement that the paying fans deserve.
Thank you Arsene for giving me the best years of Arsenal but it's time for a new beggining. You can only re-build teams a number of times before you start ruining the foundations and I fear that is whats happening to the club we love.
This is the first post on this thread. Was going to highlight the most striking points but in fact it is all valid. Would be great if the John Crosses, Steve MacManamans and Talksports of the world could see the date this was posted.
Last edited by Bradywasking on Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
pressure on Wenger needs to be kept up.
I still think this is a very dodgy period for him.
he has had his usual 2 easy games to relieve some pressure but the next couple will be tough considering our injury situation.
I take it that banner can't be smuggled into the Emirates? if not then any chance of it being shown outside the ground either before or after an upcoming match?
Gunner Rob wrote:well done the banner boys - more of the same at Stoke?
the flip flopping in the press is bemusing.
you have to think though that a lot of them are anti Arsenal - Lawrenson, McManaman, Owen for example and so whilst it is fun for them to slate Wenger and Arsenal one week they might be worried in case he does actually go/get sacked. Obviously they won't want him to actually leave and will defend his record to ensure that.
a Chelsea supporting work colleague is like this too.
usually it is ha ha ha Wenger. when I said that a protest was planned last week he goes you dont want him to actually leave though - that would be terrible. yeah terrible for Chelsea maybe...that is maybe what we are up against with the press.
This is what pisses me off most about the media, they love to slate Arsenal, they love to sit in judgement and spout endless cliches, but dare point out who and what is so fucking blindingly obviously the fault for our ineptitude and we are painted as ungrateful spoiled brats. ..Maybe for them Arsene is the gift that keeps on giving.
His comments in the interview just confirm what we already knew. He'll go when he is ready, not before, and he doesn't give a fuck what any of us think!
Robsy wrote:There was an atmosphere in the stands on Saturday that I've not seen before, gooners arguing with each other (saw a couple of fights nearly kick off); anger, real anger from lots of people aimed in lots of different directions (players mainly) and towards the end support beginning to wane (even saw people leaving early).
This isn't good for the team or Wenger, if performances like Fulham continue I can see some of the frustrations turn towards Wenger on matchday (rather than just online, which doesn't really count does it.)
I have also looked at the early posts on this thread.
this is a good one from August 2008
taken a bit of time for the frustrations to come out really hasnt it
The Curbishley verdict on SSN. He hints at Wenger staying too long but says the banner is wrong , says the dissenters /banner carriers are obviously only supporting Arsenal six years so don't know what Wenger has done for the club (paraphrasing here.)
Arsenal fans do not understand that Wenger delivered so much including the stadium, they have to accept bad times because of the stadium. Paraphrasing Curbishley again... The point is the stadium, challenging and winning with 38,000 seats, also rans with 60,000 . And the point is not the stadium, Wenger went into a comfort zone in believing we couldn't expect to challenge Chelsea because they became rich overnight.
I doff my cap to the banner boys. Wide spread media attention, I even had a guy come up to me in work this morning who knows the square root of F all about football bar the fact I support The Arsenal and even he had heard there was a dissenting banner shown at the weekend.
SPUDMASHER wrote:His comments in the interview just confirm what we already knew. He'll go when he is ready, not before, and he doesn't give a fuck what any of us think!
if I got paid £8 million a year to sit on a bench wearing a duvet each week, to spend the summer playing beach football in Brazil and to pick a team based on playing Championship Manager then I probably would act like this too to be fair
I suppose the question is at what point does the Wenger problem become the problem of the board at Arsenal?
at the moment they just hide behind the manager. they do nothing. they don't plan for the future. Wenger is only a short term issue. there will be bigger problems ahead.
Whilst I’m more than ready for change I do raise the question of what getting rid of Wenger will actually improve? The boards hidden agenda will remain the same.
I spoke with a Chelsea fan at length recently about how a large proportion of fans are sick and tired of Wenger’s transfer policies, failure to strengthen in key areas, tactical ineptitude, playing players out of position, rigid wage structure and generally lack of a challenge at the very top. But what he rightly pointed out is how can we expect to compete with the oil money of Sheik Mansour and Roman Abramovich? The sad reality is the top 3 places will be dominated by City, Chelsea and Utd for years to come. I think ultimately fans are sick and tired of being fed this illusion that we can compete at the very top but actually paying top dollar to watch a mediocre team struggle. I would have some respect for Wenger if he came out and spoke the truth but he is happy to rake in his 7mil a year and be the board's puppet. The prices we pay should reflect that of the performances we see on the pitch and that of the team’s season expectations (which is to get in the top 4 every year). It’s the lack of transparency which is my biggest gripe. The board cannot honestly expect us to a) believe that the current squad is good enough to win the PL / CL and b) that we can actually compete for players with the financial clout of the elite teams. Even with a manager who could motivate and squeeze the best out of each player every game (as fergie did in his final year) I still don’t think it would be enough. The squad is not good enough. City, Chelsea and Utd have players better than us every area of the pitch (excluding Utd’s defence and Sanchez). We are 4th richest club in the PL is it any coincidence we are 4th every year? I don't think so, you get what you pay for in the modern game.
I fear even with Wenger out we will still be in a similar position if not worse although I’m ready to run the risk for the sake of change. The truth is the success of Klopp & Simeone at clubs with limited resources were one-offs and it remains to be seen whether the same feat could be replicated in the PL, It would require something miraculous. I’m not convinced anyone could pull it off, not the way football is. Do we think Pep, Mourinho or Klopp would be winning titles with this Arsenal team?
Football has become so predictable that until the football governing bodies actually do something it will remain so. Chelsea & City have both worked out ways around FFP restrictions, Chelsea snapping the best young talent around the world then selling for a profit (e.g Romelu Lukaku) and City who aim to own 5 clubs around the world so they can still sign players for those clubs but they can loan them in instead (something along those lines). Money talks and these clubs employ staff to devise ways round these pathetic FFP rules.
A protest is all well and good, we get Wenger out but then what? What is the long term goal here? Do we want Usmanov’s dirty money in order to compete?
I cannot realistically see us challening for titles anytime soon (with or without Wenger). Sorry to be pessimistic but that is the reality.
), John Cross:
for that
