What needs to happen to prove Wenger right?

[USMartin]

Hold on, lets change this around. What does Wenger have to do to prove us Wrong?

Well there is what he did from 1998-2005 spending 5 million pounds a year instead of taking in 5 million pounds a year. There are the comments he has made over the years that the youth policy was directly a response to the lack of funding available to him as a result of the Highbury redevelopment more than the repayment of the stadium loan. There were his comments about being forced to sell key players every year in part at least to provide funds to repay the debt, and more recently that this spending policy could go another 20 years and my guess that would be well beyond his tenure as manager.

There are also his comments on the club website stating that higher transfer fees directly are tied to higher wages (exactly what I think the new wage structure was designed to remove the possibility of).

And my guess is that he could not get anothert job at a top club on the wages he has made recently wehere he is under no pressure whatsoever (as Mr. Hill-Wood confirmed again recently) to do any better than keep us in the top four. That is why he is not another club that could provide him some more financial support now.

[Chippy]

Oh fuck off!!

[Peeman]

In my opinion if we do win league or anything else (which I do think we have a good chance of doing) I don't think it will be because of Wenger - It would be in spite of Wenger. Even the biggest of Rosetinters would have to admit we needed to add to the squad in transfer window but alas he didn't again . Lets hope this time he can get away with it

Oh dear

I think if we won the league Peeman, you would have to give due credit to Wenger, there's no way round it.

Stupid to say otherwise.

I still stand by my original post. Obviously the man would deserve the credit if we win it (and i'm sure he'll get it and take it). My point is after todays result, performance, injuries and suspension that it still is very possible to win the league and after his failure to add to squad surely if we do go on to win the league it would be despite the fact he didn't add to squad when it clearly was a must.

[northbankbren]

The only opinion US martin has is we dont buy players because the board are poor, yet all evidence points to this being wrong. He seems to forget that this is a Wenger wage structure. But Im sure will go off in some random direction on the board in response to this. Its up to the manager to spend on players. Its HIM who choses not to spend.

US CHOOSES not to see this, I think the term is: likes the attention.

Although the mods seem to support him with the whole free speach, he has opinion. He is a guarenteed WUM.

[USMartin]

The only opinion US martin has is we dont buy players because the board are poor, yet all evidence points to this being wrong. He seems to forget that this is a Wenger wage structure. But Im sure will go off in some random direction on the board in response to this. Its up to the manager to spend on players. Its HIM who choses not to spend.

US CHOOSES not to see this, I think the term is: likes the attention.

Although the mods seem to support him with the whole free speach, he has opinion. He is a guarenteed WUM.

Call me what you want but where is your evidence that this is a Wenger wage structure? The only club officials who have in fact commented on it, and neither of them referred to it being a wage structure and Dan Fiszman and Ivan Gazidis. Dan Fiszman famously defended our wage structure staing we were good payers and paid almost as much as Manchester United which ijn fact was ture but said our wage structure featured less of the extremes as he put it.

In other words we paid players at the bottom end of our wage structure - such as Denilson and Bendtner - more compared to their counterparts at United while the best players such as Cesc and van Persie are significantly underpaid compared to similar players at United. And given that we know the Board has final approval over all financial decisions and policies they almost certainly approved if not conceived this policy themselves , and surely they could have rejected it if it was not their idea as it clearly would weaken our ability to build a better side than we have.

The second set of comments came from Ivan Gazidis who defended the bizarre policy by stating we were operpaying these players to protect their investment value and he acknowledgeed the contracts often in fact rewarded if not encouraged underachievement in many cases. Now while he may have an economics degree since when is protecting the investment value of football players part of Arsene Wenger or any other manager's job?

[USMartin]

What's more is let's says it was the manager's wage structure , isn't that suggesting the Board whose competence we both acknowledge - despite you insisting again I do not - in fact are reliant upon Arsene Wenger for the success of their business policies, and thus are not as competent a Board as you - or I - believe, and that they cannot run the club effectively on their own and their success is purely dependent on Mr. Wenger and his policies?

I mean a huge component to our current success is our lack of spending which in part is down to this wage structure. And since you give our Board complete credit for our currently strong financial position then how do you explain that they had nopthign whatsoever to do with the conception of key policies that have brought the club to this position? Or is the Board less competent than you have insisted? Are they just really really lucky?

[USMartin]

The only opinion US martin has is we dont buy players because the board are poor, yet all evidence points to this being wrong. He seems to forget that this is a Wenger wage structure. But Im sure will go off in some random direction on the board in response to this. Its up to the manager to spend on players. Its HIM who choses not to spend.

US CHOOSES not to see this, I think the term is: likes the attention.

Although the mods seem to support him with the whole free speach, he has opinion. He is a guarenteed WUM.

Call me what you want but where is your evidence that this is a Wenger wage structure? The only club officials who have in fact commented on it, and neither of them referred to it being a wage structure and Dan Fiszman and Ivan Gazidis. Dan Fiszman famously defended our wage structure staing we were good payers and paid almost as much as Manchester United which ijn fact was ture but said our wage structure featured less of the extremes as he put it.

In other words we paid players at the bottom end of our wage structure - such as Denilson Bendtner - more compared to their counterparts at United while the best players such as Cesc and van Persie are significantly underpaid compared to similar players at United. And given that we know the Board has final approval over all financial decisions and policies they almost certainly approved if not conceived this policy themselves , and surely they could have rejected it if it was not their idea as it clearly would weaken our ability to build a better side than we have.

The second set of comments came from Ivan Gazidis who defended the bizarre policy by stating we were operpaying these players to protect their investment value and he acknowledgeed the contracts often in fact rewarded if not encouraged underachievement in many cases. Now while he may have an economics degree since when is protecting the investment value of football players part of Arsene Wenger or any other manager's job?

[northbankbren]

US WHERE IS YOUR EVIDENCE THAT WENGER DOESNT RUN THE WAGE STRUCTURE????

DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE EVERYTHING BOARD MEMBERS SAY PUBLICLY TO THE PRESS IS TRUE?????

TUT TUT

[USMartin]

US WHERE IS YOUR EVIDENCE THAT WENGER DOESNT RUN THE WAGE STRUCTURE????

DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE EVERYTHING BOARD MEMBERS SAY PUBLICLY TO THE PRESS IS TRUE?????

TUT TUT

So the Board beindg dishonest is used to defend the honor - too rich

First off look at the Ashley Cole case - where the Premier League Investigators even as they ruled in Arsenal's favor on the issues of the rules - still stated the Arsenal Board decided not to pay the wages that David Dein an Arsene Wenger had negotiated with Jonathan Barnett on behalf of Ashley Cole.

First off are you suggesting that the financial sucees of the past several years has been purely coincidental rather than due to the bBoard's mamagement? Indeed if you believe the manager's refusal to spend money and setting a wage structure which made spending more money on better players more difficult is the reason for that financial health than isn;'t that suggesting the Board have not competently managed the club as a business but relied on Arsene Wenger to do so for him?

Which is it - are the Board as terrific business men as you suggest - and I agree - or just lucky buggers totally reliant on Arsene Wenger? It can be one or the other but not both.

[northbankbren]

US WHERE IS YOUR EVIDENCE THAT WENGER DOESNT RUN THE WAGE STRUCTURE????

DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE EVERYTHING BOARD MEMBERS SAY PUBLICLY TO THE PRESS IS TRUE?????

TUT TUT

So the Board beindg dishonest is used to defend the honor - too rich

First off look at the Ashley Cole case - where the Premier League Investigators even as they ruled in Arsenal's favor on the issues of the rules - still stated the Arsenal Board decided not to pay the wages that David Dein an Arsene Wenger had negotiated with Jonathan Barnett on behalf of Ashley Cole.

First off are you suggesting that the financial sucees of the past several years has been purely coincidental rather than due to the bBoard's mamagement? Indeed if you believe the manager's refusal to spend money and setting a wage structure which made spending more money on better players more difficult is the reason for that financial health than isn;'t that suggesting the Board have not competently managed the club as a business but relied on Arsene Wenger to do so for him?

Which is it - are the Board as terrific business men as you suggest - and I agree - or just lucky buggers totally reliant on Arsene Wenger? It can be one or the other but not both.

Can you please clarify the question, because that is a lot to get through.

The tiny last paragraph i got. The board yes are lucky buggers. Most have been long term and are now reaping the rewards of little cost. No they are not reliant on Arsene Wenger but have clearly taken him im as a type of ambassador of the club. He created this era so to speak. He's the most successfull manager EVER and treated him as such. Reliant isnt the word...trusting would be more accurate. This is the "wenger era" he has a say in everything football. He had a say in the stadium design which was changed because he wasnt satisfyed with the original design. And he himself has created a youth/transfer policy for the club which they are clearly living by. Prove me wrong

[USMartin]

US WHERE IS YOUR EVIDENCE THAT WENGER DOESNT RUN THE WAGE STRUCTURE????

DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE EVERYTHING BOARD MEMBERS SAY PUBLICLY TO THE PRESS IS TRUE?????

TUT TUT

So the Board beindg dishonest is used to defend the honor - too rich

First off look at the Ashley Cole case - where the Premier League Investigators even as they ruled in Arsenal's favor on the issues of the rules - still stated the Arsenal Board decided not to pay the wages that David Dein an Arsene Wenger had negotiated with Jonathan Barnett on behalf of Ashley Cole.

First off are you suggesting that the financial sucees of the past several years has been purely coincidental rather than due to the bBoard's mamagement? Indeed if you believe the manager's refusal to spend money and setting a wage structure which made spending more money on better players more difficult is the reason for that financial health than isn;'t that suggesting the Board have not competently managed the club as a business but relied on Arsene Wenger to do so for him?

Which is it - are the Board as terrific business men as you suggest - and I agree - or just lucky buggers totally reliant on Arsene Wenger? It can be one or the other but not both.

Can you please clarify the question, because that is a lot to get through.

The tiny last paragraph i got. The board yes are lucky buggers. Most have been long term and are now reaping the rewards of little cost. No they are not reliant on Arsene Wenger but have clearly taken him im as a type of ambassador of the club. He created this era so to speak. He's the most successfull manager EVER and treated him as such. Reliant isnt the word...trusting would be more accurate. This is the "wenger era" he has a say in everything football. He had a say in the stadium design which was changed because he wasnt satisfyed with the original design. And he himself has created a youth/transfer policy for the club which they are clearly living by. Prove me wrong

So you are saying the Board whose business judgment is so brilliant and so much better than any other Board had nothing whatsoever to do with the key policies that have made them so successful - in a business sense only - since 2006? That withoutn Arsene Wenger the Board would have spent significantly more than we have on the football team and thus perhaps their business policies wouldn't have been so brilliant?

Are you really saying we should be grateful to have such a competent Board but that their most effective business decisions weren't actually made by them?

[USMartin]

As to your question if Mr. Wenger came up with the wage structure himself and the Board didn't agree why hasn't he been sacked or ordered to junk the structure? Arsene Wenger himself has said more than once that the sole basis for adapting the youth policy was because money that had previously been made available to him was no longer going to be.

And the reason for that was the decision to redevelop Highbury instead of selling it, and that was the Board's decision alone. Amy Lawrence confirmed as much in 2006.

[mcdowell42]

Oh fuck off!!

if only it was that easy

[Chippy]

Oh fuck off!!

if only it was that easy

It would be a lot easier if people didn't keep taking his bait!

[highburyJD]

So Wenger hasn't bought. He thinks we have enough in the squad. IMO the following needs to happen to allow us to win the League / Champions League.

1- Vermaelen comes back from injury in 2-3 weeks and slots straight back into the team.
2- Kos and Djourou stay fit and play well in each game.
3- Fabregas and VP stay fit for the whole season.
4- Arshavin returns to form.
5- Nasri is only out for 3 weeks and does not have a recurrence.
6- Scezsney stays No 1 for the rest of the season and doesn't drop any clangers.
7- Song and Wilshere stay fit for the rest of the season
8- Bendtner, Chamakh and co chip in with important goals when needed.
9- Theo stays fit as our 'impact man'.
10- Chelsea take points off United (probably need to beat them twice).
11- We either beat Barcelona or don't go into one of our normal slumps if we get knocked out.
12- We win the Carling Cup.

Can we realistically see all of this happening?

so far
1- nope still 3 weeks away
2- the only time we've missed JD was HT v Newcastle and that didn't go so well...
3- neither injured yet (each skipped an international midweek friendly)
4- hell yes
5- he's back, fingers crossed on recurrence
6- still fit, no clangers so far
7- well, Song was missed v Newcastle, he was really missed
8- v O's, stoke, Sunderland + brum would be great
9- doing even better than that imo, good to have him Nas + AA to rotate for 3 positions
10- their on pretty poor form but out ht cup means they can focus on the league. Lets hope Torres can continue his good record v ManUre
11- we've won one leg so at least have avoided humiliation
12- lets see