SHOULD WENGER BE UNDER MORE PRESSURE

[green gooner]

Fabby you are a complete nutter mate But you are some craic

I think you should say Wenger was a winner rather than he is a winner In fact a Whiner would be more like it as bad luck would appear to be his best defence these days

[lowerwest]

No not the awful food at the Emirates...was having this exact conversation the other day.
Is Wenger too comfortable at Arsenal? Probably at no other big club would they just be happy with playing nice football with little end product.Yes its 3 years but i defy anyone to take much pleasure about how we played in the FA Cup final in 2005.
Are the board happy for our manager to spend little and pull out some more gems for peanuts? Absolutely the mixed messages coming out are shocking. Yes we have money and no we arent going to spend it.
Are we going to make do with a paper thin squad ignoring obvious areas of concern? Looks like it. Wenger is ignoring the goalkeeper and centre half areas & saying we will bring in 1 or 2 players. I will believe it when i see it.

[BT]

If the fans put pressure on anyone it should be the board.

What frustrates me is this 'long term vision' argument that they keep throwing about. Yes that's true to an extent but by behaving the way they do i think they're actually beign incredibly short sighted. The longer we are without a trophy/'under paying' our players, the more who will leave, the weaker the team becomes and the worse our reputation becomes as a club to join. If they invested a bit more short term, and we won something, then we'd have the subsequent sponsorship and tv money that comes with that, allowing us to continue to build while paying off the debts.

A player like Villa will pay for themselves if they get us a trophy.

I think Wenger is the best man for the job but I can see him leaving at the end of his contract with a substantially weaker team and a disappointing end to his reign.

Lastly, I don't see why investing in a few experienced players can hurt. Wenger proved with the defence he inherited that he can get the best out of older players, they'd be cheaper than those in their prime, they'd be less bothered about being in the starting 11 a la Diarra and though a short term solution, if it meant winning something, it would be worth it for the added revenue and continuing glorious reputation we'd have while we bring through the younger players who can only benefit from having more experienced players around - all of which is short term action that would show more long term vision than spending £15mill on a 20 year old like Nasri.

[Magic Merse]

A player like Villa will pay for themselves if they get us a trophy.

I think that's the kind of philosophy that put leeds where they are today

[BT]

A player like Villa will pay for themselves if they get us a trophy.

I think that's the kind of philosophy that put leeds where they are today

Clearly its not as straight forward as that but then they didn't have someone like Wenger at the helm, nor the solid foundations that we have. I just think there's no point selling off our best players, buying only youngsters to replace them because Wenger doesnt want to 'kill' the confidence of others and then them always being 2-5 years off being mature enough to win something.

[Fabby is a Foot (Leg-end)]

No not the awful food at the Emirates...was having this exact conversation the other day.
Is Wenger too comfortable at Arsenal? Probably at no other big club would they just be happy with playing nice football with little end product.Yes its 3 years but i defy anyone to take much pleasure about how we played in the FA Cup final in 2005.
Are the board happy for our manager to spend little and pull out some more gems for peanuts? Absolutely the mixed messages coming out are shocking. Yes we have money and no we arent going to spend it.
Are we going to make do with a paper thin squad ignoring obvious areas of concern? Looks like it. Wenger is ignoring the goalkeeper and centre half areas & saying we will bring in 1 or 2 players. I will believe it when i see it.

This all comes back to the money arguement again. At no other big club would three years without a trophy acceptable? The board know how much to expect of the playing budget and wage structure we have. How far down the leagues would you have to go to find a club that regulaly makes a profit on transfers? Prob into the Championship or even league 1!

Buying player with money you don't have assuming you will win something is ridiculaous, whats more the financial difference between us an Manure last season from the CL? About £5m.

I also get frustrated when people say put pressure on the board. To do what? Buy the player you want? Spend as much as everyone else? The club has a strategy that they have been very clear about. Yes there is money to spend this year (about £15m left by my clac) will AW spend it if he can not get a player he values at the right price? No and good IMO I don't want to see the club waste money just to be seen to be buying players!

[REB]

A player like Villa will pay for themselves if they get us a trophy.

I think that's the kind of philosophy that put leeds where they are today

big difference between us and leeds,, money in for one thing

[thatgooner]

Wenger is under pressure from himself. AW loves this club and therefore has an enormous desire to win.
So should the board or fans be gettin on his back?? No, because, IMO, it doesnt help anyone!!

[augie]

No not the awful food at the Emirates...was having this exact conversation the other day.
Is Wenger too comfortable at Arsenal? Probably at no other big club would they just be happy with playing nice football with little end product.Yes its 3 years but i defy anyone to take much pleasure about how we played in the FA Cup final in 2005.
Are the board happy for our manager to spend little and pull out some more gems for peanuts? Absolutely the mixed messages coming out are shocking. Yes we have money and no we arent going to spend it.
Are we going to make do with a paper thin squad ignoring obvious areas of concern? Looks like it. Wenger is ignoring the goalkeeper and centre half areas & saying we will bring in 1 or 2 players. I will believe it when i see it.

This all comes back to the money arguement again. At no other big club would three years without a trophy acceptable? The board know how much to expect of the playing budget and wage structure we have. How far down the leagues would you have to go to find a club that regulaly makes a profit on transfers? Prob into the Championship or even league 1!

Buying player with money you don't have assuming you will win something is ridiculaous, whats more the financial difference between us an Manure last season from the CL? About £5m.

I also get frustrated when people say put pressure on the board. To do what? Buy the player you want? Spend as much as everyone else? The club has a strategy that they have been very clear about. Yes there is money to spend this year (about £15m left by my clac) will AW spend it if he can not get a player he values at the right price? No and good IMO I don't want to see the club waste money just to be seen to be buying players!

Fabby, I dont know where you are getting your figures from but lets say for a minute that you are bang on the money and wenger has £15m to spend - are you honestly saying that with that money wenger cannot buy a better keeper and a centre back that can and will head the fucking ball ??? If you still answer no then wenger should go because I could probably find him 10 better keepers without spending a bloody fortune or going for big names and I dont have the scouting network that wenger is meant to have

You never buy players assuming you are going to win something as a result of those buys however you do buy when it is possible to buy a player that is better than the player currently in that position - in other words to upgrade your team. I am fed up making do with players like almunia & eboue(as a winger at least) who are not good enough or a partnership of kolo+gallas which does not work cos of wenger's misplaced loyalty to players who are not good enough and invariably will slap him in the face with that loyalty It is costing a bloody fortune every season for me and thousands like me to attend matches,buy crappy merchandise and programmes etc and see minimal financial investment in the first team (not reserves and youths) When you sit down and think about it we the fans have contributed far far more financially to this club than any of our board members have ever done and yet they wont dip their hands into their own pockets or bring in outside investment to fund new players even once - you can see how all this period without success is proof that their club plans are right on line cant you

I think one of the reasons why wenger is escaping pressure from the fans is that nobody is sure if he has funds available and wont spend it or if we havent even got a pot to piss in. Both the board and wenger are playing on that uncertainty and are getting more breathing room as a result but we the fans are not allowed to know the story at our club - it says it all when you see that shareholders(that actually own more shares than our chairman ) must submit their questions for the club agm in advance and the club will screen what questions are allowed to be asked. Can you name any other industry in the world that would allow that type of bullshit to go on ?

[26may1989]

it says it all when you see that shareholders(that actually own more shares than our chairman ) must submit their questions for the club agm in advance and the club will screen what questions are allowed to be asked. Can you name any other industry in the world that would allow that type of bullshit to go on ?

Standard practice, it happens with all sorts of companies, in all sorts of industries.

[Fabby is a Foot (Leg-end)]

No not the awful food at the Emirates...was having this exact conversation the other day.
Is Wenger too comfortable at Arsenal? Probably at no other big club would they just be happy with playing nice football with little end product.Yes its 3 years but i defy anyone to take much pleasure about how we played in the FA Cup final in 2005.
Are the board happy for our manager to spend little and pull out some more gems for peanuts? Absolutely the mixed messages coming out are shocking. Yes we have money and no we arent going to spend it.
Are we going to make do with a paper thin squad ignoring obvious areas of concern? Looks like it. Wenger is ignoring the goalkeeper and centre half areas & saying we will bring in 1 or 2 players. I will believe it when i see it.

This all comes back to the money arguement again. At no other big club would three years without a trophy acceptable? The board know how much to expect of the playing budget and wage structure we have. How far down the leagues would you have to go to find a club that regulaly makes a profit on transfers? Prob into the Championship or even league 1!

Buying player with money you don't have assuming you will win something is ridiculaous, whats more the financial difference between us an Manure last season from the CL? About £5m.

I also get frustrated when people say put pressure on the board. To do what? Buy the player you want? Spend as much as everyone else? The club has a strategy that they have been very clear about. Yes there is money to spend this year (about £15m left by my clac) will AW spend it if he can not get a player he values at the right price? No and good IMO I don't want to see the club waste money just to be seen to be buying players!

Fabby, I dont know where you are getting your figures from but lets say for a minute that you are bang on the money and wenger has £15m to spend - are you honestly saying that with that money wenger cannot buy a better keeper and a centre back that can and will head the fucking ball ??? If you still answer no then wenger should go because I could probably find him 10 better keepers without spending a bloody fortune or going for big names and I dont have the scouting network that wenger is meant to have

You never buy players assuming you are going to win something as a result of those buys however you do buy when it is possible to buy a player that is better than the player currently in that position - in other words to upgrade your team. I am fed up making do with players like almunia & eboue(as a winger at least) who are not good enough or a partnership of kolo+gallas which does not work cos of wenger's misplaced loyalty to players who are not good enough and invariably will slap him in the face with that loyalty It is costing a bloody fortune every season for me and thousands like me to attend matches,buy crappy merchandise and programmes etc and see minimal financial investment in the first team (not reserves and youths) When you sit down and think about it we the fans have contributed far far more financially to this club than any of our board members have ever done and yet they wont dip their hands into their own pockets or bring in outside investment to fund new players even once - you can see how all this period without success is proof that their club plans are right on line cant you

I think one of the reasons why wenger is escaping pressure from the fans is that nobody is sure if he has funds available and wont spend it or if we havent even got a pot to piss in. Both the board and wenger are playing on that uncertainty and are getting more breathing room as a result but we the fans are not allowed to know the story at our club - it says it all when you see that shareholders(that actually own more shares than our chairman ) must submit their questions for the club agm in advance and the club will screen what questions are allowed to be asked. Can you name any other industry in the world that would allow that type of bullshit to go on ?

My calculation of around £15m left to spend is that we (reportedly) has £20m at start of summer. We sold Helb and Giberto and we have brought Ramsey for £5m and Nasri for £11m. I make that about £15m but we will never really know how much is available.

I am not saying you could not buy a goalkeeper and a defender for £15m. I am saying that AW (and I agree) thinks that Almunia is good enough. Yes we might need a defender but a holding midfielder is more important.

Can we buy a decent i.e. first team not squad player defender and midfielder for £15m (if that is what is avaialble)? I doubt it!

Will AW buy anyone that he thinks is overpriced? No and I agree with that - it makes financial sense. I also have contributed financially to the club and that in part is why I do not want to see the club for the sake for spending rather than for a good player at the rright price.

The comment about buying players on the assumption of winning stuff was with regard to David Villa and his trnasfer fee would be covered by winning trophies. This is a dangerous game to start playing.

[Galasso]

Can we buy a decent i.e. first team not squad player defender and midfielder for £15m (if that is what is avaialble)?...

Yes.

I doubt if we have spent more than £5m on a central midfielder in the time that AW has been with the club. And with our scouting network and the fact that the manager is unlikely to go for a big name.

Vidic cost manu £7m

Perhaps a commanding centre back would bring out the best in Manuel

[Fabby is a Foot (Leg-end)]

Can we buy a decent i.e. first team not squad player defender and midfielder for £15m (if that is what is avaialble)?...

Yes.

I doubt if we have spent more than £5m on a central midfielder in the time that AW has been with the club. And with our scouting network and the fact that the manager is unlikely to go for a big name.

Vidic cost manu £7m

Perhaps a commanding centre back would bring out the best in Manuel

If we can then great, we all agree it is needed. i am not sure that we would not be adding more squad players though.

[donaldo]

Yes of course he should be under more pressure.When Wenger last won the title in 2004 the team included proven great players like PV4,Pires,Henry,and Bergkamp.These players just have not been replaced.At the moment only Cesc can be called greatWenger has put all his eggs in the youth basket.With the exception of Gallas when was the last over 25 player we signed? Wenger made the crazy comment last season that football is not all about winning,His failure to sign a top class keeper and a commanding CH smacks of stubborness.His excuses are wearing thin,he says we lost the title because of refereeing decisions and injuries not because our squad was too weak.Just look how the youngsters played in the two big games of last season v the Spuds in the semi and Man utd in the FA cup our kids were mullered.Arsene refuses to buy any experience which was sadly lacking in the run in which is amazing when he let Adams Keown Dixon and Bergkamp play into there mid thirties.Man Utd have old heads like Scholes and Giggs who have been there and done it who do we have?

We cant keep saying be Arsene Knows and everything will turn out fine because Man utd and Chelski wont stand still.

[26may1989]

I doubt if we have spent more than £5m on a central midfielder in the time that AW has been with the club.

In terms of the transfer fee paid to another club, you're probably right, but signing Sol on a Bosman was based on a contract that gave the player much of the financial benefit that otherwise would have gone to the selling club, and I would reckon that premium element was worth more than £5m.

But I agree, forking out a decent sum of money for the right centre-back would be a good idea. The trouble is there don't appear to be many candidates. They're either not available (Lucio, Dunne, Davies), too short (Richards), too old (Dunne again) or not good enough (Mertesacker). There's Cuellar at Rangers, but there's been no talk of him moving. There must be others we don't the names of, but still, the possibilities look very thin.

Not being that tall, he's not the answer, but I wouldn't be surprised if Wenger recruited Thuram as player-coach, and sought to bring Nordtveit on over the next couple of years.