THE WENGER THREAD

[northbank123]

The board clearly penny-pinch when it comes to managers, it's not like Wenger is the best-paid around. Wait, he is???

And Martinez doesn't vary his playing style? Compared to Wenger he's a tactical enigma.

[turricaned]

The board clearly penny-pinch when it comes to managers, it's not like Wenger is the best-paid around. Wait, he is???.

I thought he was 4th in world pay rankings at the moment, behind Guardiola, Mourinho and Lippi... And unlike those, he's been there 17 years or so, so there's likely some of that at play.

[EDIT : Not to mention that there hasn't exactly been an orderly queue forming to take over, given that AW hasn't inked the deal yet. Wonder why that might be? ]

[Henry Norris 1913]

our penny pinching board that fork out 7m a year for one of the most under performing managers in the world and saddled wenger with 42m ozil

[turricaned]

Having watched Özil in the latter half of the season I'd say he's shaping up to be a pretty good buy - expecting big things next season. Again, I don't buy that the board forced him on AW, given that AW took such a personal interest in bringing him to the club.

Also, I'm not saying AW has been brilliant. That said, to the best of my knowledge, I can't think of any other PL manager who has been in the position he was put in financially between 2003 and 2013.

(Not an excuse, before I get piled on - just saying I can't think of anyone in that position...)

[northbank123]

Having watched Özil in the latter half of the season I'd say he's shaping up to be a pretty good buy - expecting big things next season. Again, I don't buy that the board forced him on AW, given that AW took such a personal interest in bringing him to the club.

Also, I'm not saying AW has been brilliant. That said, to the best of my knowledge, I can't think of any other PL manager who has been in the position he was put in financially between 2003 and 2013.

Agreed. How many managers have been in a position where they can substantially increase the wage bill every year despite the squad substantially weakening?

Whatever your view on board constraints and Wenger's own reticence to spend, over the two previous seasons we pipped Spurs each time despite spending £50m more on wages. Take that money off the wage bill and put it in a transfer pot.

Extra TV money? Extra sponsorship money? Excellent, let's spend it on brand-spanking new deals for Sanogo, Giroud, Monreal and Wenger. Ramsey is also due his annual pay raise, although he's probably earned it for once so best hold off.

[turricaned]

Agreed. How many managers have been in a position where they can substantially increase the wage bill every year despite the squad substantially weakening?
...
Whatever your view on board constraints and Wenger's own reticence to spend, over the two previous seasons we pipped Spurs each time despite spending £50m more on wages. Take that money off the wage bill and put it in a transfer pot.

Arguably because not increasing the wage bill would have resulted in more players leaving - a problem that got worse over the 10 years since the "buy low, sell high" policy was instated. First with Abramovich and Chelsea, then with Sheikh Mansour at City. I read that the policy as defined by the board and with AW's consent was to apply strictly to incoming transfers - possibly for some financial aspect I don't wot of.

Excellent, let's spend it on brand-spanking new deals for Sanogo, Giroud, Monreal and Wenger. Ramsey is also due his annual pay raise, although he's probably earned it for once so best hold off.

And Özil, and hopefully a decent striker with no contemptible attitude problem in the coming window. Being pissed off with AW is one thing, but ignoring the fact that the situation financially has changed and that AW has at least begun to flex it is being a bit myopic IMO.

[northbank123]

Yes not tying up Denilson, Almunia, Bendtner, Flappy etc to long-term contracts might have resulted in them going, what a crying shame that would have been.

And thank God we broke our policy of only offering one-year contracts to over-30s even if it meant treating Bergkamp and Pires like shit to tie down Squillaci and Silvestre for their best years.

[OneBardGooner]

Martinez for me. Intelligent, hungry, respectful, respected, understands both strategy and tactics. Not saying he'd be a guaranteed success but certainly worth a 3 year contract to see what he might achieve.

There is absolutely no guarantee that Arsene's successor would be successful no matter who they are, but that shouldn't scare us from at least trying someone new.

Wenger has stagnated and his team selections are now easily countered by too many managers/teams. His refusal to properly prepare and adapt his team for the big Top 6 matches (allied to his myopic ignoring of the fact of player injury/fatigue/loss of form every season) cost us the league this season in it's most winnable season for a long time.

I bet Martinez would achieve more in three years than wenger in five with the present crop of players.

[StuartL]

Has anyone else considered that dear old Wenker is awaiting the World Cup to see of he is offered job managing a country ?

I think he has previously said that it was something that interested him.

As he is effectively a free agent in a month or so why aren't all the top, top clubs around Europe (who is apparently turned his back on time and time again ) all making him offers that he can't refuse ?

Busted flush anyone ?

[turricaned]

A bit difficult to gauge, seeing as AW's going to have at most three seasons (including this one) with the current squad (or thereabouts). More to the point, Martinez's usual tactics with Everton aren't all that dissimilar to AW's - narrow possession play with a tendency for the full-backs to run forward - in fact Martinez is something of an admirer of AW.

Arguably having Lukaku on loan has boosted Everton's ability to punch above their weight somewhat, but we only lost one of three matches against them (during the injury crisis) and beat them 4-1 in the FA Cup quarters.

Passing for the sake of passing can get tiresome, but I have to wonder if some of you guys aren't just wanting to replace Wenger for the sake of replacing Wenger.

@StuartL - with respect, that's one of the daftest theories I've heard yet. It could just be that the guy's getting on a bit, and, as he has stated several times, he intends to finish his management career at Arsenal. He's most likely going to Brazil to do a bit of personal scouting.

@northbank123 - I think he was more worried about losing players of the calibre of Walcott, Wilshere and Ramsey the way he lost Nasri, Clichy, Adebayor, etc. (I mention those three because money was more of a factor - notably they all went to Man City).

[the playing mantis]

So you will agree then that some of his performances before the injury were not what you would expect from a £40 million pound player?

For any player who had missed pre-season training. In fact that's part of the reason why I remain unconvinced that Suarez would have had the impact some folks are assuming. More to the point, I suspect that AW knew that the Özil move was a possibility back in August (when that article was published), but was under an NDA to keep schtum, lest he miss the opportunity.

[EDIT : Deluded? You can't have it both ways. In your own words, Özil's physical contribution in the first half of the season was mostly so-so (the psychological boost to the rest of the squad aside). And yet it was during that first half of the season that we topped the PL table for around four months. Logically speaking that does tend to indicate that AW might not have been far off the mark with that comment. ]

cos that had nothing to do with the fixture list did it...and it didnt all implode when we had to play the better teams.

suarz would inhibit walcott, poldi etc as hes a lonewolf? wtf, just like he inhibited sterling, coutinho and sturridge...jeez pal think before you post some of ur wumming

thats its please dont keep feeding this wum chaps.

[the playing mantis]

The same AVB who got sacked at chelsea,then the sack at spurs.i can really see him at the emirates

Given that the board is the source of all the penny-pinching, it's a nightmare I've had a few times. The list above is for the most part a dream list, but to be honest, I can't see Real sacking Ancelotti over one result - even a major one - given the squad he's helped build, which is impressive. You're not going to get Simeone out of Atletico for love nor money, and Guardiola at BM has shown himself to be somewhat less adaptable than we'd like. Martinez has had a good year at Everton, but I haven't seen him vary his playing style much, and that style wouldn't suit our squad as it stands.

In two years the landscape may well have changed, but my reason for giving AW the benefit of the doubt for at least another year is in part based on the fact that most of the potential successors we'd like to see are too well entrenched in their current employment.

how do you know this????????????????????????????????????????????/

[the playing mantis]

The same AVB who got sacked at chelsea,then the sack at spurs.i can really see him at the emirates

Given that the board is the source of all the penny-pinching, it's a nightmare I've had a few times. The list above is for the most part a dream list, but to be honest, I can't see Real sacking Ancelotti over one result - even a major one - given the squad he's helped build, which is impressive. You're not going to get Simeone out of Atletico for love nor money, and Guardiola at BM has shown himself to be somewhat less adaptable than we'd like. Martinez has had a good year at Everton, but I haven't seen him vary his playing style much, and that style wouldn't suit our squad as it stands.

In two years the landscape may well have changed, but my reason for giving AW the benefit of the doubt for at least another year is in part based on the fact that most of the potential successors we'd like to see are too well entrenched in their current employment.

what are you talking about, one result, if he wins nothing its not 1 result. do you actually have any football knowledge, because real always stick with managers who win f all, even those that win the league arent safe....jeez

[the playing mantis]

And if moderate contributions against dross teams like Newcastle and Hull are 'the best' we can expect from a £42m player we've been mugged off.

With all due respect, "Moderate contributions" my @rse. In these instances it was against Hull and Newcastle, but that kind of play would be just as effective against sterner opposition.

please provide evidence of this.

why were they not moderate? against 2 teams with 0 left to play for just going through the motions

[foxinthebox2001]

I posted a few days back that Bobby Gould had got the pro Wenger spin started on Talkshite.
Today it was Tony Adams turn, and oddly he used exactly the same reference, 'if it aint' broke, don't fix it' as Gould.
Coincidence?
Maybe the club has sent out a brief note to all ex players, along the lines of 'stay on board if you wan't your complimentary seats next season.'
But with Adams I got a sense he was holding back a little.