THE WENGER THREAD

[markyp]

totally agree with DB10 here,podolski was wasted and would have been a massive hit deployed properly

[OneBardGooner]

On Podolski: I don't agree with his departure. I think it's bullshit especially considering Arsenal now effectively have just 2 first team strikers and they're both mediocre and couldn't finish their dinner. On that point totally agree.
Now. What I don't agree with is this fallacy that Podolski is "class" and would have smashed it if played in his proper position. Podolski went to Bayern and was played in his proper position, up front, ahead of Deisler. He was shocking, got booted out pretty quick.

Absolute tosh, Baba. But hey, why let the FACTs influence what you post, huh? Podolski was NEVER a regular starter “in his proper position” at Bayern, so how you can possibly judge him to have been “shocking” is beyond me. The actual FACTs are he made only 33 starts in three seasons, as opposed to 38 appearances from the bench. Another FACT is he still managed to score 15 goals. At Arsenal he scored 31 from only 55 starts and 27 sub appearances (whilst, let’s not forget, being played out of position). ANY striker that can do that without a regular run to build fitness, sharpness and most importantly, confidence is “class” in my book and deserves a chance to do it with a regular run in the team and in his favoured position in a system that plays to his strengths. Also, half way through that first season at Bayern he suffered a serious ankle injury in training and missed 6 weeks.

Went back to Koln, scores a few goals...in a team that gets relegated.

And then scored 24 to help them come straight back up. But again, irrelevant. Teams very rarely get relegated because their striker scored 51 goals in 85 appearances, you’ll probably find there were other issues there, huh?

His international goal record is often brought up in mitigation but he's not scored a single competitive goal against a top 10 side ever. His stats are massively skewed by qualifiers v Luxembourg, San Marino etc.

Again purely subjective tosh. You could make that comment about most international players. By the very nature of interlull football the majority of top teams' games are against minnows or, at least, lesser sides. 48 goals from 120 odd matches is still top notch at that level. Nice that you also ignore the FACT he is still Germany’s third highest scoring player; level with Voller and Klinsmann and ahead of legends like Rummenegge, Ballack and Bierhoff.

Joachim Low was on record as saying over a year ago that Klose needed a natural successor. Klose is old and knackered. Yet when Germany went to the WC, how many knockout matches did Podolski start? Answer: zero. How many minutes did he play in total? Less than 30. This isn't no mug manager, it's WC winning FIFA Coach of the Year Joachim Low.

“Klose is old and knackered”. Stop. Klose even at 36 was a fantastic goal poacher, a complete and deadly striker. But again this is irrelevant to the argument. Germany had a huge squad brim full of serious talent. No one is saying Pod is the best striker in the world, but he was the best striker we had at The Arsenal over the last 2 seasons. So the FACT he wasn’t chosen ahead of the more proven, experienced and fancied Klose, doesn’t make him less a player or less an option for Arsenal. Pod getting limited time at the WC has to also be seen in relation to Low’s system (basically a flexible 4-2-3-1) where he also had Muller as an option to move forward from his AM role to play as a striker and also the option to use the “German Messi” Goetze as a “false 9”.

As for Low – he won the WC so now he is infallible and every single choice he makes is right? Well, hey - Arsene Wenger, the man you only post shite about has won more than Low, has won 2 Doubles and achieved an unbeaten PL season in the toughest league in the world, so everything he does must be right too, huh? No? Not a FACT?

In short Podolski definitely had a role to play at Arsenal but he basically wouldn't get anywhere near the top 6 sides in Europe which is where Arsenal should be aiming for. Benzema, Tevez, Lewandowski, Reus...that's the level of gettable striker we should have looked to. Was a mistake signing him in first place IMO

Again, totally subjective and irrelevant. Who are the “top 6 sides in Europe”? What’s your criteria? But aside from that, even if Pod wouldn’t get into this hypothetical “top 6 sides in Europe”, what relevance does that have to Arsenal? We are nowhere near the top 10 sides in Europe (by ANY criteria). The fact is Podolski wasn’t a bad signing. The way he was misused and wasted was bad management.

Admit it Baba you just got Totally Bitch Slapped.

[Yankee_Gooner_Dandee]

shots fired

[Blood_Gooner]

The senile one spouting his usual load of tosh. Does the fuckwit realise he keeps on spouting the same shit every transfer window?

We are out in the market and we are working very hard every day. All our scouts and our people are working very hard to find a defender.

[Chippy]

He really is utterly deluded.

“Last year, we did not win the championship only for that reason [the away losses],” Wenger said. “We did not perform in the top away games. I believe we have the potential now to be much more stable and to show that we can do it.”

[mcdowell42]

Oooooooooh baba,

[BFG4]

In terms of Henry's move to Barca, i don't think anyone could complain, as he had been at the club for 8 years, and seen we were going into decline, so decided to join one of the best teams in the world. The issue with Henry is him telling fans to accept mediocrity when he didn't, not only is that hypocritical, but I find it insulting to my intelligence that he feels that because of who he is, he can talks bollocks, and no fan will question it.

I respect his decision to leave and if he left because he seen the decline coming then I would actually applaud his decision, but what pisses me off is the fact that fans still slate PV4 and cesc for their attitude/performances in the year before they left, when henry's attitude was no different. I remember that in the month before paris 2006 all the talk was about the impending henry transfer to barca - at the time the talk in the media was all "will he or wont he leave" and it was as if the club would have no say in whether he stayed or left

Probably the same people who abuse Ian Wright on twitter for being critical of the club, yet idolise Henry. Nobody should fool themselves, Henry stayed for 8 years because were successful, he would have left long before that if we weren't. Wright stayed for 7 years, and in that time despite cup success, we never came close to even challenging for the title pre-Wenger. Id say Wright accepted he wasn't going to win the title, especially when you consider finishing in a Uefa cup spot was seen as success before Wenger came along.

[DB10GOONER]

I presume you'll be happy for Abou to stay on though mate?

Baked bean head is gone at the end of the season mon ami and I am going to create the mother of all t1tty threads to celebrate. Le Fraud has made this injury prone, sick note, no mark into a multi millionaire and finally getting shot of him will make my summer.

If THAT happens it's a fucking win / win for me!!

But let's be honest Rodders, would you sack your own son? No? Neither will Arsene.

Also; "Baked Bean Head"?

I will never be able to look at Abou Son-Of-Wenger again without seeing that image!

[Ikechukwu1]

I was going to respond to the DB10 comment about Podolski but then I saw he put Podolski, Muller and Bierhoff in the same sentence!
Look dude. Podolski was better than Wiroud but I maintain he isn't good enough. Your argument that "he was never given a proper run at Bayern" is kinda making my point for me: he was never given a run because his attitude was shocking and he wasn't good enough it really is as simple as that! Why spend that money on him and not give him a chance?
His international record isn't subjective - he's either scored in big matches or not. I cited his absolute lack of contribution in the WC, and the fact that he was abysmal despite being given the famous "run of games" in the Euros. No response to that?
I mean considering he's the 3rd highest German scorer of all time, it's a bit weird he flopped at Bayern?
This "rub of games" thing is an argument I don't get. If you're good enough, you play. Simple. No matter where you are.
Example: Arsenal fans slate Park - but why? Was Choo-Young-To-Drink really shite? How can u make that judgment since he "never got a run" of games?
Who are the top 6 teams in Europe? Well, actually that isn't subjective: Real, Barca, Chelski, Atletico are unquestionably in that group. Would Pod get a game at either? No.
I once again, refute the Podolski "class" description

[markyp]

I was going to respond to the DB10 comment about Podolski but then I saw he put Podolski, Muller and Bierhoff in the same sentence!
Look dude. Podolski was better than Wiroud but I maintain he isn't good enough. Your argument that "he was never given a proper run at Bayern" is kinda making my point for me: he was never given a run because his attitude was shocking and he wasn't good enough it really is as simple as that! Why spend that money on him and not give him a chance?
His international record isn't subjective - he's either scored in big matches or not. I cited his absolute lack of contribution in the WC, and the fact that he was abysmal despite being given the famous "run of games" in the Euros. No response to that?
I mean considering he's the 3rd highest German scorer of all time, it's a bit weird he flopped at Bayern?
This "rub of games" thing is an argument I don't get. If you're good enough, you play. Simple. No matter where you are.
Example: Arsenal fans slate Park - but why? Was Choo-Young-To-Drink really shite? How can u make that judgment since he "never got a run" of games?
Who are the top 6 teams in Europe? Well, actually that isn't subjective: Real, Barca, Chelski, Atletico are unquestionably in that group. Would Pod get a game at either? No.
I once again, refute the Podolski "class" description

the thing with Pod is that he is a very difficult player to accomadate,hes not quick,hes not tall so cant play as a target man,he doesn't run back much which seems to be a must of a modern footballer,in fact he is a one trick pony which is his hammer of a left foot,a natural finisher.considering all his handicaps in the modern game his goal scoring record for Germany is good and considering his time with us was as a bit part player his tally was awesome,stats like this dont repeat themselves over and over with average players,Pod could and would have been a star with us if deployed properly.

[BFG4]

I was going to respond to the DB10 comment about Podolski but then I saw he put Podolski, Muller and Bierhoff in the same sentence!
Look dude. Podolski was better than Wiroud but I maintain he isn't good enough. Your argument that "he was never given a proper run at Bayern" is kinda making my point for me: he was never given a run because his attitude was shocking and he wasn't good enough it really is as simple as that! Why spend that money on him and not give him a chance?
His international record isn't subjective - he's either scored in big matches or not. I cited his absolute lack of contribution in the WC, and the fact that he was abysmal despite being given the famous "run of games" in the Euros. No response to that?
I mean considering he's the 3rd highest German scorer of all time, it's a bit weird he flopped at Bayern?
This "rub of games" thing is an argument I don't get. If you're good enough, you play. Simple. No matter where you are.
Example: Arsenal fans slate Park - but why? Was Choo-Young-To-Drink really shite? How can u make that judgment since he "never got a run" of games?
Who are the top 6 teams in Europe? Well, actually that isn't subjective: Real, Barca, Chelski, Atletico are unquestionably in that group. Would Pod get a game at either? No.
I once again, refute the Podolski "class" description

As someone so anti-Wenger, I think your letting him off too easily. Podolski was in a similar situation to Arshavin and Ozil, brought to the club with a big reputation, and then put out of position by our crackpot manager. You could count on one hand the amount of times Podolski got the chance to play through the middle, and when given the chance to play alongside Giroud, he looked quality(West ham away last season springs to mind). He was ruined by Wenger. Ozil has looked shit because he is being played out of position, and will probably be gone in a year or two, and no one in the media will question how another player was ruined by Wenger.

[LaughingGooner]

He was ruined by Wenger. Ozil has looked shit because he is being played out of position, and will probably be gone in a year or two, and no one in the media will question how another player was ruined by Wenger.


That is fucking hilarious, the ideas wenger ruined him.

He's a lazy *word censored* and will be found out v soon at Inter, he'll be warming their bench before you know it.
He wouldn't even make our bench.

[clockender1]

He really is utterly deluded.

“Last year, we did not win the championship only for that reason [the away losses],” Wenger said. “We did not perform in the top away games. I believe we have the potential now to be much more stable and to show that we can do it.”

swansea and norwich are obviously "top' teams now. and the the 2 pts dropped at home to an abysmal united don't count either.

wenger is just a glorified used car salesman.

he'll saying old shite to keep the $$$'s rolling in.

[StuartL]

The senile one spouting his usual load of tosh. Does the fuckwit realise he keeps on spouting the same shit every transfer window?

We are out in the market and we are working very hard every day. All our scouts and our people are working very hard to find a defender.

Just a thought but shouldn't our scouts have already identified the targets ?
You know, from the summer when we sold TV4 and would " certainly" replace him

So all the dossier's and reports are already done - we just need to do the tricky bit of submitting an acceptable bid.

Unless Wenker is looking for another project ?

[augie]

The senile one spouting his usual load of tosh. Does the fuckwit realise he keeps on spouting the same shit every transfer window?

We are out in the market and we are working very hard every day. All our scouts and our people are working very hard to find a defender.

Just a thought but shouldn't our scouts have already identified the targets ?
You know, from the summer when we sold TV4 and would " certainly" replace him

So all the dossier's and reports are already done - we just need to do the tricky bit of submitting an acceptable bid.

Unless Wenker is looking for another project ?

Really and truly our inactivity is shameful when you consider the farcical shortage of defenders we have in the club
Instead of buying a quality centre back or defensive midfielder to go into the team, this French c.unt will look to buy cheap back ups like reid or mings or the 17 year old we bought today - as I have said a million times before, le cock doesn't want to buy genuine competition for his established players in case it leads to unrest in the squad. In his eyes it is better to have cheap back ups who know their place in the squad and wont ruffle any feathers of the "senior players" who can then relax and play better football as a result - how can one even begin to jusify/explain that logic ?