THE WENGER THREAD

[officepest]

Any claims of “tiredness” should be dismissed as bullshit. We have a massive squad now; imbalanced, yes, but massive.

Any failure to score in three successive home games should be blamed on our consistent one-dimensional tactics. We are so easy to play against sometimes it’s not funny.

[officepest]

Last years cup final was one of the great days and I know this is hypothetical as fuck but if I was given the choice of losing to Villa and starting the season with a new manager or winning and having another season of Le Fraud then I'd take the hit all day long.

I cannot do another year of this fucking torture.

Don’t do it to yourself, Rodders.

You know that even if we lose 17-0 Wenger won’t walk away; he’d have to be caught publicly buggering the Queen to even consider his position.

[hartson]

and not a single boo at f/t or h/t, not a single chant of 'Wenger out', starting to think that this type of absolute capitulation is acceptable. even if your boss is the most inept, non tactical, passionless piece of old dried spunk on an old Kleenex, as a player or a team you should have the professional pride and will to beat waste of league place teams like Sunderland and Swansea

[Offside]

Running out of steam just in time for an epic FA Cup Final capitulation against Villa.

[rodders999]

Running out of steam just in time for an epic FA Cup Final capitulation against Villa.

Yep. Heading into a cup final with a glut of players hopelessly out of form and according to L'Asshole "a leeeeetle bid jaded" is hardly ideal preparation. Now I haven't a TV licence let alone a UEFA coaching licence but if Cazorla, Ozil, Sanchez and Giroud are all tired and playing like horse shit maybe it's not the best idea to play them every single game which surely would benefit the team AND the player. The manager is a fraud and the sooner we are rid the better.

[augie]

and not a single boo at f/t or h/t, not a single chant of 'Wenger out', starting to think that this type of absolute capitulation is acceptable. even if your boss is the most inept, non tactical, passionless piece of old dried spunk on an old Kleenex, as a player or a team you should have the professional pride and will to beat waste of league place teams like Sunderland and Swansea

I thought that I heard a few boo's at full time

[augie]

To sum up this league season -

early in the season when we were fancied to build on fa cup win and be real challengers > shit ourselves and display relegation like form

mid season when our hopes of winning the league are long gone > blistering form sweeping all before them

end of season run in when we have a real chance of finishing 2nd > diabolical form culminating with an inability to score goals

champs league can be summed up by mentioning that we got the easiest draw humanly possible and when we were favourites to win, we shit ourselves and only redeemed ourselves after we were as good as gone and when monaco sat back


This is the season when many have spoken publicly about the progress we have made - even if we disregard the arguement of whether league points or position equals progress, we cannot ignore the fact that our ability to deal with opposition tactics like last night and swansea has not improved a jot in the last 3 seasons This should be basic tactics and our failure to combat it shows a total lack of adaptability by our manager, and I would argue that it shows a massive lack of intelligence

I used to think like rodders when he says that sacrificing the fa cup to speed up le cocks departure would be a very welcome trade, but nothing it appears will see the club get rid of this french c.unt so what is the point in tormenting myself thinking about it All the while that this shit continues, the wenker fans will sit back and bask in the glow of another cup victory (and we will beat villa) and proclaim it to be another successful season

[rodders999]

This team shit it's pants when faced with the prospect of finishing second. Imagine the cluster fucks they'd muster up if by some freak they were ever involved in a title run in.

[begeegs]

This is the season when many have spoken publicly about the progress we have made - even if we disregard the arguement of whether league points or position equals progress, we cannot ignore the fact that our ability to deal with opposition tactics like last night and swansea has not improved a jot in the last 3 seasons This should be basic tactics and our failure to combat it shows a total lack of adaptability by our manager, and I would argue that it shows a massive lack of intelligence

I used to think like rodders when he says that sacrificing the fa cup to speed up le cocks departure would be a very welcome trade, but nothing it appears will see the club get rid of this french c.unt so what is the point in tormenting myself thinking about it All the while that this shit continues, the wenker fans will sit back and bask in the glow of another cup victory (and we will beat villa) and proclaim it to be another successful season

To be fair, if we retain the FA Cup, it is better than last year - just. However, Wenger cannot deal with the opposition sitting deep and breaking at pace since the days of the Henry/Pires/etc. If he could crack this, he'd have a chance at bigger trophies. Playing 5-a-side one touch football is great against most teams with the players that we have, but it relies on having space to run into. When you don't have that space, you need to draw defenders out of the box by trying different things. This is something that we really don't have in our locker and never have. That is a damning indictment against Wenger and really one of the principle reasons that I cannot wait until he is out the door. I get that some days that you can have an off day, but 18 years at Arsenal and he still hasn't figured out how to beat teams that do this, let alone when Chelsea do it. It is poor management.

That being said, you can see what will happen next year with his line-up from last night. Shoe-horning players out of position to get in the team at the sacrifice of width and balance. When I saw that last night, I knew that we would draw at best because we'd be so exposed on the counter and without Ospina, it would have happened. So, no defensive midfielder coming in this summer because he will go out and buy another number 10 or a wide forward. And I reckon that Theo is off (not that I think that we couldn't improve on him - Reus please).

[Gunner Rob]

This is the season when many have spoken publicly about the progress we have made - even if we disregard the arguement of whether league points or position equals progress, we cannot ignore the fact that our ability to deal with opposition tactics like last night and swansea has not improved a jot in the last 3 seasons This should be basic tactics and our failure to combat it shows a total lack of adaptability by our manager, and I would argue that it shows a massive lack of intelligence

I used to think like rodders when he says that sacrificing the fa cup to speed up le cocks departure would be a very welcome trade, but nothing it appears will see the club get rid of this french c.unt so what is the point in tormenting myself thinking about it All the while that this shit continues, the wenker fans will sit back and bask in the glow of another cup victory (and we will beat villa) and proclaim it to be another successful season

To be fair, if we retain the FA Cup, it is better than last year - just.

why is it better????
we are playing as badly as we did last season, we will just finsih 3rd not 4th due to the declining quality in the PL.
we will have at least 4 points less than last season. we need to score again to have scored as many league goals as last season.
we have a striker that is so utterly useless that last night our midfielders seemed reluctant to pass to him
we have a manager that moans that the players are tired but refuses to rotate the squad.

but yes in the programme last night our "captain" Arteta claims that progress has been made this season.
and you know what if it is said enough times then enough of the brain dead support start to believe it.

[augie]

This is the season when many have spoken publicly about the progress we have made - even if we disregard the arguement of whether league points or position equals progress, we cannot ignore the fact that our ability to deal with opposition tactics like last night and swansea has not improved a jot in the last 3 seasons This should be basic tactics and our failure to combat it shows a total lack of adaptability by our manager, and I would argue that it shows a massive lack of intelligence

I used to think like rodders when he says that sacrificing the fa cup to speed up le cocks departure would be a very welcome trade, but nothing it appears will see the club get rid of this french c.unt so what is the point in tormenting myself thinking about it All the while that this shit continues, the wenker fans will sit back and bask in the glow of another cup victory (and we will beat villa) and proclaim it to be another successful season

To be fair, if we retain the FA Cup, it is better than last year - just. However, Wenger cannot deal with the opposition sitting deep and breaking at pace since the days of the Henry/Pires/etc. If he could crack this, he'd have a chance at bigger trophies. Playing 5-a-side one touch football is great against most teams with the players that we have, but it relies on having space to run into. When you don't have that space, you need to draw defenders out of the box by trying different things. This is something that we really don't have in our locker and never have. That is a damning indictment against Wenger and really one of the principle reasons that I cannot wait until he is out the door. I get that some days that you can have an off day, but 18 years at Arsenal and he still hasn't figured out how to beat teams that do this, let alone when Chelsea do it. It is poor management.

That being said, you can see what will happen next year with his line-up from last night. Shoe-horning players out of position to get in the team at the sacrifice of width and balance. When I saw that last night, I knew that we would draw at best because we'd be so exposed on the counter and without Ospina, it would have happened. So, no defensive midfielder coming in this summer because he will go out and buy another number 10 or a wide forward. And I reckon that Theo is off (not that I think that we couldn't improve on him - Reus please).

Last season to win the fa cup we had to beat the scum, the victims and the toffee's albeit that they were all home games - this season we have beaten the worst manure team in over a decade, a hull side on verge of relegation and of course 3 championship teams, so I would argue that your suggestion that winning the cup this season is better than last season is totally questionable

[begeegs]

To be fair, if we retain the FA Cup, it is better than last year - just.

why is it better????
we are playing as badly as we did last season, we will just finsih 3rd not 4th due to the declining quality in the PL.
we will have at least 4 points less than last season. we need to score again to have scored as many league goals as last season.
we have a striker that is so utterly useless that last night our midfielders seemed reluctant to pass to him
we have a manager that moans that the players are tired but refuses to rotate the squad.

but yes in the programme last night our "captain" Arteta claims that progress has been made this season.
and you know what if it is said enough times then enough of the brain dead support start to believe it.

As I said - just (which would generally mean barely) and only because we will likely finish 3rd and retain the FA Cup. If we don't retain the cup, then no - progress, but regression despite having a better squad than last year.

I am not going to sit and analyse what are probably subjective impressions based upon statistics nor get bent out of shape about the deficiencies of Wenger when it has been well trodden in this thread. I have accepted that this clown will be here for 2 more years and I ain't going back to the Emirates until he is gone. Nothing that we can think or do will change that unless he fails to meet his mandate of CL Qualification which I also can't see happening. With Sterling likely gone from Liverpool and Spuds treading water, who is going to make up the ground? Two more years of bottling games of real magnitude - CL knockouts or games where we need points (unless it is to the 4th placed trophy).

[begeegs]

Last season to win the fa cup we had to beat the scum, the victims and the toffee's albeit that they were all home games - this season we have beaten the worst manure team in over a decade, a hull side on verge of relegation and of course 3 championship teams, so I would argue that your suggestion that winning the cup this season is better than last season is totally questionable

If we retain the cup and finish 3rd, it will be a better season than last year - but only just. That is all I mean. I think that with the squad that we have, we should be challenging for the title. We aren't. But it is an improvement, but again - only just.

(Also, I think that the worst Man Utd side in a long while was Moyes side and not this one)

[SPUDMASHER]

I've said this before but essentially the topic of 'progress' is purely subjective.
I've seen signs this season that the team is in general getting better but I've also seen signs that some of the age old problems remain. Overall I think we are better than last year but not by great margins.
I don't subscribe to the view that a season where we finish third in the league and win the FA Cup (provided that we do) is a failure. It isn't as successful as it could be but it is still not a bad season none the less.

With regard to the departure of Wenger, I think those that want this to happen now are going to be disappointed. You may as well get used to him being here because he is going nowhere soon. Like Augie says, there is no point in getting yourselves worked up about it because you cannot change it. A unanimous 60,000 spectator protest wouldn't work so bleating on about him on an internet forum isn't going to. It must be very frustrating for those with such strong feelings about him. Personally I'm a bit 'middle of the road' on the subject of AW. I see his strengths and weaknesses and accept that he is our manager. It's that simple. I could never hate him because of the great times he has brought us in the past. I do wish he would be less rigid though and accept that the methods employed during those days will no longer work and he needs to adapt.

let's look forward to next season with hopefully a squad that has been strengthened in the right places and start it all over again.

[kiwomya]

This is the season when many have spoken publicly about the progress we have made - even if we disregard the arguement of whether league points or position equals progress, we cannot ignore the fact that our ability to deal with opposition tactics like last night and swansea has not improved a jot in the last 3 seasons This should be basic tactics and our failure to combat it shows a total lack of adaptability by our manager, and I would argue that it shows a massive lack of intelligence

I used to think like rodders when he says that sacrificing the fa cup to speed up le cocks departure would be a very welcome trade, but nothing it appears will see the club get rid of this french c.unt so what is the point in tormenting myself thinking about it All the while that this shit continues, the wenker fans will sit back and bask in the glow of another cup victory (and we will beat villa) and proclaim it to be another successful season

To be fair, if we retain the FA Cup, it is better than last year - just. However, Wenger cannot deal with the opposition sitting deep and breaking at pace since the days of the Henry/Pires/etc. If he could crack this, he'd have a chance at bigger trophies. Playing 5-a-side one touch football is great against most teams with the players that we have, but it relies on having space to run into. When you don't have that space, you need to draw defenders out of the box by trying different things. This is something that we really don't have in our locker and never have. That is a damning indictment against Wenger and really one of the principle reasons that I cannot wait until he is out the door. I get that some days that you can have an off day, but 18 years at Arsenal and he still hasn't figured out how to beat teams that do this, let alone when Chelsea do it. It is poor management.

That being said, you can see what will happen next year with his line-up from last night. Shoe-horning players out of position to get in the team at the sacrifice of width and balance. When I saw that last night, I knew that we would draw at best because we'd be so exposed on the counter and without Ospina, it would have happened. So, no defensive midfielder coming in this summer because he will go out and buy another number 10 or a wide forward. And I reckon that Theo is off (not that I think that we couldn't improve on him - Reus please).

Last season to win the fa cup we had to beat the scum, the victims and the toffee's albeit that they were all home games - this season we have beaten the worst manure team in over a decade, a hull side on verge of relegation and of course 3 championship teams, so I would argue that your suggestion that winning the cup this season is better than last season is totally questionable

You question the quality of the teams we have beaten in the cup yet Chelsea were dumped out by Bradford and City lost 2-0 to Boro.