THE WENGER THREAD

[MrT]

Time for the uncomfortable truth, if you are in any way shape or form, financially supporting the regime you are contributing to the death of the club.

Spare me the ''I love the club'' or ''I'm an old school gooner through thick and thin'' or ''My kids want to go'' SHITE. If you renew your ST, membership, or buy any sort of merchandise that feeds into the club you are responsible for the continuing decline.

Even most of the so called WOBs on the protest walked straight into the ground after each march, what a joke. Money is the only language these people understand.

Christ. Not this again.
I renew my membership because I like to go and watch MY team with my mates. Yes its shit at times (too many times), but I choose to go and bollocks to anyone who tries to tell me otherwise.

Yes, I understand that we are paying into the club and that's not ideal.
But I don't judge people who choose not to go. Even though I think, if all the people who stopped going because they were unhappy...actually did something rather than just give up, then maybe, just maybe, we wouldn't be having this debate yet AGAIN.

The truth is often a cold bitter pill to swallow.

If you are unhappy with a particular company, said company mugs off the customers each year, talks down to them arrogantly, achieves little, has customers fighting each other and you still give them money? You're an eternal fool and you're more than welcome to the shite.

It's your money, I couldn't give a rats arse what you spend it on but don't come here to bitch and moan at the state of the club when you financially support it each year.

[Tollgoon]

The elephant in the room, not that anyone at Arsene Fc will eve reveal it, but I'm convinced Wanker is on a bonus and shares for whatever profit we make at the end of the season. It would make perfect sense, plus he gets to play the holier than thou card, that he'll only spend within their means. Is that why he's on £10 mil. For failure. No it's because he's the perfect business manager de facto CEO for Wiggy, and takes the heat for him as well. match made in hell. For us

[wilko49er]

Nicked from elsewhere!
LEAKED: Full transcript from Arsenal Board Meeting
3 Replies
Arsenal Holdings plc Board Meeting

31st May 2017

**Transcript**

Agenda

Arsene Wenger’s new contact

Ivan Gazidis’s changes

Player recruitment

AOB

AW = Arsene Wenger
SK = Stan Kroenke
IG = Ivan Gazidis
TR = The Rest
Apologies: Josh Kroenke

Item 1 – Arsene Wenger’s new contact

SK: I have agreed with Arsene a new 2 year contract, any objections?
IG: I object SK: Arsene how do you find the objection?
AW: Overruled
SK: That’s agreed then, sign there Arsene
TR: *Snoring sounds*

Item 2 –Ivan Gazidis’s changes

IG: I want a director of football, a new medical team, a clear out of the deadwood and 2 new board members with football knowledge
SK: What do you think Arsene? AW: No to all of it especially the board members with football knowledge
SK: Not even John Cross?
AW: Who?
IG: If nothing changes I’ll resign, the MLS want me
SK & AW: OK, bye

Item 3 – Player recruitment

SK: Who do you want Arsene?
AW: What is the budget?
SK: £40m + £1
AW: Can we call it a warchest?
SK: Yes
AW: I know this great African kid in Belgium
SK: Anyone else?
AW: Ok, I’ll make derisory bids then say we tried to sign every world class player
SK: Will they affect the share price?
AW: No, but I’ll ask Ivan
IG: Waaa! Waaa! Waaa! I can’t hear you *IG has fingers in ears*
AW: It won’t, if it does I’ll sell our best players to Manchester City
SK: – Agreed TR: *Snoring sounds*

Item 4 – AOB

SK: Any more for any more?
IG: I resign
SK & AW: are you still here?
SK: Any news on commercial deals?
AW: don’t need them, we can fleece the fans, sorry customers, one thing though…
SK: What’s that Arsene?
AW: The press to be censored so they only say nice things about me, those bloody broken crests they use…
SK: You mean John Cross?
AW: Who?
SK: Never mind, anything else?
AW: Yes – we tell the fans 5th is the new first and they should be happy they get to pay the highest ticket prices in Europe to witness our mental strength
SK: Whatever you say Arsene, you’re the boss just keep my share price up, nothing else matters
AW: Yes Stan I am the boss
TR: *Snoring sounds*

*Meeting Ends*

[Tomáš]

So my fellow friends two more years to go
From the German Kicker page
http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/intl ... jahre.html
Arsenal: Wenger extended by two years

The Arsene Wenger era at FC Arsenal is a continuation, the 67-year-old has extended his contract with the Londoners for another two years until 2019 - the coming season will be the 22nd To be a coach of the Gunners.

Since September 1996, when Wenger followed Arsenal's dismissed Bruce Rioch, he is now on the coach's bench at the main cities. Under the direction of the French, successes soon became apparent. Already in his second year, he led the club to the championship, a feat that he repeated twice in the beginning of the new millennium (2002, 2004).
In his era, a total of seven triumphs fell in the FA Cup, most recently this season. However, Wenger lost the big litter, but the UEFA Champions League was still a 2006 final (1: 2 against Barcelona).
Again and again criticism: "No New Contract"

In the recent past, Wenger has repeatedly been criticized by the fans for lack of success - for too long, parts of the fans have been struggling for the championship title since 2004, and Arsenal has also been defeated in the Champions League since 2010 , Lastly, in the course of a protest march, the supporters sent a clear signal on posters ("No New Contract") in front of the Munich Round of 16 against Bayern Munich in early March. The fact that it was time for Wenger to go, had been demanded by critics of the trainer routines already in February in the face of the then new Treaty of the club.
At Wenger, the hostility came on deaf ears. "It's not about me, it's about Arsenal." In the next two years, both will continue.


Cheers,
Thomas

[silus]

Time for the uncomfortable truth, if you are in any way shape or form, financially supporting the regime you are contributing to the death of the club.

Spare me the ''I love the club'' or ''I'm an old school gooner through thick and thin'' or ''My kids want to go'' SHITE. If you renew your ST, membership, or buy any sort of merchandise that feeds into the club you are responsible for the continuing decline.

Even most of the so called WOBs on the protest walked straight into the ground after each march, what a joke. Money is the only language these people understand.

Christ. Not this again.
I renew my membership because I like to go and watch MY team with my mates. Yes its shit at times (too many times), but I choose to go and bollocks to anyone who tries to tell me otherwise.

Yes, I understand that we are paying into the club and that's not ideal.
But I don't judge people who choose not to go. Even though I think, if all the people who stopped going because they were unhappy...actually did something rather than just give up, then maybe, just maybe, we wouldn't be having this debate yet AGAIN.

The truth is often a cold bitter pill to swallow.

If you are unhappy with a particular company, said company mugs off the customers each year, talks down to them arrogantly, achieves little, has customers fighting each other and you still give them money? You're an eternal fool and you're more than welcome to the shite.

It's your money, I couldn't give a rats arse what you spend it on but don't come here to bitch and moan at the state of the club when you financially support it each year.

No need to get personal.
If you've given up why bother coming on here to "bitch and moan" yourself. Has it acheived anything?

[SteveO 35]

What a proud day - Sky showing all the clips of when we were great. Nice to see Tony Adams, Sylvain Wiltord, Marc Overmars and Emmanuel Petit again! Fuck me - we're almost as sad the Mickeys these days banging on about history

Ivan Gazidis reading a pre-prepared script like Kroenke's puppet......which of course he is! Doesn't agree with the decision apparently but will still trip out the same shit about wanting to make us competitive and challenge for the title and top European prizes. Lol - no wonder everyone else laughs at us. You could have read out the same shit everytime Shit for Brains has signed a contract extension

[General]

Time for the uncomfortable truth, if you are in any way shape or form, financially supporting the regime you are contributing to the death of the club.

Spare me the ''I love the club'' or ''I'm an old school gooner through thick and thin'' or ''My kids want to go'' SHITE. If you renew your ST, membership, or buy any sort of merchandise that feeds into the club you are responsible for the continuing decline.

Even most of the so called WOBs on the protest walked straight into the ground after each march, what a joke. Money is the only language these people understand.

Mr T its not uncomfortable because it simply isn't the truth ,the club can fill the ground with rich tourists every week if they want and not a single shit will be given .Your being dramatic but not realistic

Nope. It's an assumption to think tourists will automatically snap up tickets. They didn't seem too interested in the match against Sunderland, did they?

AKB + Tourists will always fill the stadium to capacity or close to capacity. The club only cares about tickets sold and despite the vast number of empty seats against Sunderland, tickets sold was close to full capacity. There's this ongoing misconception that by giving up STs and memberships the club will somehow be hit financially. Apart from the club readily finding someone to take your place, the cash injection from TV and broadcasting rights has pretty much killed the reliance on matchday revenue. They've continually brushed aside empty seats by citing tickets sold and this is not going to change for the forceeable future.

I remember meeting an Austrian chap during the Bayern protests and despite being vehemently opposed to Wenger he wasn't going to fly over just to protest. He went to the game and spent a considerable sum in the armoury. There are many fans like him flying over every game and filing the club's coffers. We make more money from matchday income than any other club in the world and the club could easily afford to take a hit.

[SteveO 35]

Time for the uncomfortable truth, if you are in any way shape or form, financially supporting the regime you are contributing to the death of the club.

Spare me the ''I love the club'' or ''I'm an old school gooner through thick and thin'' or ''My kids want to go'' SHITE. If you renew your ST, membership, or buy any sort of merchandise that feeds into the club you are responsible for the continuing decline.

Even most of the so called WOBs on the protest walked straight into the ground after each march, what a joke. Money is the only language these people understand.

Mr T its not uncomfortable because it simply isn't the truth ,the club can fill the ground with rich tourists every week if they want and not a single shit will be given .Your being dramatic but not realistic

Nope. It's an assumption to think tourists will automatically snap up tickets. They didn't seem too interested in the match against Sunderland, did they?

AKB + Tourists will always fill the stadium to capacity or close to capacity. The club only cares about tickets sold and despite the vast number of empty seats against Sunderland, tickets sold was close to full capacity. There's this ongoing misconception that by giving up STs and memberships the club will somehow be hit financially. Apart from the club readily finding someone to take your place, the cash injection from TV and broadcasting rights has pretty much killed the reliance on matchday revenue. They've continually brushed aside empty seats by citing tickets sold and this is not going to change for the forceeable future.

I remember meeting an Austrian chap during the Bayern protests and despite being vehemently opposed to Wenger he wasn't going to fly over just to protest. He went to the game and spent a considerable sum in the armoury. There are many fans like him flying over every game and filing the club's coffers. We make more money from matchday income than any other club in the world and the club could easily afford to take a hit.

The truth is between the two extremes

The club will always sell out for the Grade A tourist games. However as Mr T says there wasn't too much interest in a dead rubber against Sunderland and I doubt we will see more than 40,000 in there for any of the Thursday night games unless we get to the last eight and draw a team of international stature. Similarly when the Grade B / C games are moved to Sunday, which will be happening all to frequently, I doubt those AKB day trippers will be flocking to see Bournemouth, Burnley and Watford. So, you have a vote - go or don't go. If you don't go, then there will be 10 for every 1 of you wanting to go to see Chavski, ManUre or the Scum.......but I'm not so sure there will be for the games I mentioned above, and that will intensify with a shit transfer window and poor start

[Redarmy]

Time for the uncomfortable truth, if you are in any way shape or form, financially supporting the regime you are contributing to the death of the club.

Spare me the ''I love the club'' or ''I'm an old school gooner through thick and thin'' or ''My kids want to go'' SHITE. If you renew your ST, membership, or buy any sort of merchandise that feeds into the club you are responsible for the continuing decline.

Even most of the so called WOBs on the protest walked straight into the ground after each march, what a joke. Money is the only language these people understand.

Mr T its not uncomfortable because it simply isn't the truth ,the club can fill the ground with rich tourists every week if they want and not a single shit will be given .Your being dramatic but not realistic

True its happening already, but these new fans are fickle, not loyal, just as likely to go and see scum next year, or whenever the new shithole is built
tourists and corporates will disappear overnight

[General]

Time for the uncomfortable truth, if you are in any way shape or form, financially supporting the regime you are contributing to the death of the club.

Spare me the ''I love the club'' or ''I'm an old school gooner through thick and thin'' or ''My kids want to go'' SHITE. If you renew your ST, membership, or buy any sort of merchandise that feeds into the club you are responsible for the continuing decline.

Even most of the so called WOBs on the protest walked straight into the ground after each march, what a joke. Money is the only language these people understand.

Mr T its not uncomfortable because it simply isn't the truth ,the club can fill the ground with rich tourists every week if they want and not a single shit will be given .Your being dramatic but not realistic

Nope. It's an assumption to think tourists will automatically snap up tickets. They didn't seem too interested in the match against Sunderland, did they?

AKB + Tourists will always fill the stadium to capacity or close to capacity. The club only cares about tickets sold and despite the vast number of empty seats against Sunderland, tickets sold was close to full capacity. There's this ongoing misconception that by giving up STs and memberships the club will somehow be hit financially. Apart from the club readily finding someone to take your place, the cash injection from TV and broadcasting rights has pretty much killed the reliance on matchday revenue. They've continually brushed aside empty seats by citing tickets sold and this is not going to change for the forceeable future.

I remember meeting an Austrian chap during the Bayern protests and despite being vehemently opposed to Wenger he wasn't going to fly over just to protest. He went to the game and spent a considerable sum in the armoury. There are many fans like him flying over every game and filing the club's coffers. We make more money from matchday income than any other club in the world and the club could easily afford to take a hit.

The truth is between the two extremes

The club will always sell out for the Grade A tourist games. However as Mr T says there wasn't too much interest in a dead rubber against Sunderland and I doubt we will see more than 40,000 in there for any of the Thursday night games unless we get to the last eight and draw a team of international stature. Similarly when the Grade B / C games are moved to Sunday, which will be happening all to frequently, I doubt those AKB day trippers will be flocking to see Bournemouth, Burnley and Watford. So, you have a vote - go or don't go. If you don't go, then there will be 10 for every 1 of you wanting to go to see Chavski, ManUre or the Scum.......but I'm not so sure there will be for the games I mentioned above, and that will intensify with a shit transfer window and poor start

There are no extremes here. 59,510 tickets were sold against Sunderland. The club couldn't care less if people don't take up their seats. What actually worries them is those who turn up and leave in their droves like it happened against Bayern as it distracts the team. Wenger would happily play in a half empty stadium and blame it on some force majeur event. I've had this debate for years and nothing has changed. We have about 40k season ticket holders and about 90k on the waiting list. That's the reality.

[Sally Cinnamon]

My first post on the forum, a few thoughts on new Wenger deal:

Any respect I had for him is gone. The most selfish, egoistic decision in the history of Arsenal. He has failed to make us properly challenge for the league for the last 12 years. He has got to the semi finals of the Champions League twice in 20 odd seasons. The players and coaching staff have changed, but the only consistency to our failure is Wenger. He is deluding himself if he thinks he can still make us challenge. His time is up, everyone can see that. Except for him, and the board who are too short sighted to devise a succession plan and were content to let Wenger carry on the mediocrity to cover up their shortcomings. They do not have the b*llocks to tell him that he is finished. They do not have the b*llocks to even challenge him on anything. He makes the final decisions, and they silently nod their heads and go along with it. If he doesn't have a plan then they still don't challenge him, as admitted by the chairman. He is an egomaniac who thinks he is bigger than the club, and wants to keep carrying on. How long will it go on for? We have had 3 years of failure since he signed his last contract. Will 2 more years of the same mistakes and failures make him realise he is finished? By that time it'll probably be too late. We will have sunk even lower as a club. The new manager won't be able to make us challenge. His delusion is literally destroying our club.

Anyone who supports him is contributing to our demise. He is not bigger than the club. You can support the club and want the manager to go. People only want him to stay due to sentiment. If only they felt more sentimental about the actual club they support.

[Swiss Tony Adams]

te]

The truth is between the two extremes

The club will always sell out for the Grade A tourist games. However as Mr T says there wasn't too much interest in a dead rubber against Sunderland and I doubt we will see more than 40,000 in there for any of the Thursday night games unless we get to the last eight and draw a team of international stature.

Well, sadly the attendance ( tickets sold ) was 59,510, so all but a handful of tickets sold. Bottom line.

Sadly the group stage tickets for the Europa League are also already sold, and as soon as it gets to the KO stage the tourists will come, as will other fans who want the chance to see Arsenal win in Europe again. If we get a big team the fans will come, but if we get a smaller team and there's the chance for Arsenal to get to the quarters/semi, and then to the final this will also attract fans/customers.
Also fuck all else to do on a Thursday in London from a footballing perspective, so the chance to see The Arsenal will still be interesting.

Even if a couple of games of the Europa League are 'half-empty' it will not matter. The tickets were sold and the share prices are going up.

Plus there is going to be a huge hype about The Arsenal competing in Europe, with a real chance to win a Cup, exactly as it was with Man United this season. Obviously there is also the holy grail of the CL place to play for, so the spin will be relatively easy this next season, even if we're out of the top 6 places after Xmas, which sadly is unlikely as we will do our normal routine of playing well when it doesn't matter and picking up points, and the other top teams will have CL ( and media ) pressure on them.

[Globalgunner]

I dont understand the sentimentality about going or not. If you do not like what is happening at the club then you should not continue to support the regime that promotes your unhappiness. Why pay for something you dont like?. If a Pub or supermarket was selling you crap for top dollar would you continue to patronise based on sentimentality. If you continue to go because you dont want to lose your ST, in effect you dont want to get any real value for your ticket. you are only doing it so that someone else doesn't take what you think is yours. This team will continue to slide down the league the longer Wenger is in charge. Will you still be cheering them on when we finish 10th in the league and Everton, West Ham and Newcastle finish above us.
Sacrifice is hard, but if is important, you make it. This club wont receive a penny from me till the fraud is gone

[GoonerMuzz]

Time for the uncomfortable truth, if you are in any way shape or form, financially supporting the regime you are contributing to the death of the club.

Spare me the ''I love the club'' or ''I'm an old school gooner through thick and thin'' or ''My kids want to go'' SHITE. If you renew your ST, membership, or buy any sort of merchandise that feeds into the club you are responsible for the continuing decline.

Even most of the so called WOBs on the protest walked straight into the ground after each march, what a joke. Money is the only language these people understand.

Mr T its not uncomfortable because it simply isn't the truth ,the club can fill the ground with rich tourists every week if they want and not a single shit will be given .Your being dramatic but not realistic

True its happening already, but these new fans are fickle, not loyal, just as likely to go and see scum next year, or whenever the new shithole is built
tourists and corporates will disappear overnight

There's a lot of truth in this and what SteveO said, yes they're able to fill the stadium at the moment with tourists and corporates but i'm not so sure so many people will continue to do so. Lets be quite frank, our Clubs stature outside our own rosetinted glasses outlook has been on the wain for the last few years and the longer it goes on that we neither succeed in the CL or EPL then our pull for these types of fans will get less, there are other clubs on the up who will be more interesting to visit within a few years.

I'm not totally convinced that unless things drastically improve within this contract period that Arsenal will remain the massive football club it is in comparison to our London rivals. London is London and it makes very little difference to a tourist if you take in an Arsenal match at the boring old Emirates bowl or the shiny new Swamp the season after next or Chelsea's new stadium if it ever gets built.

There is also the fact that immaterial of being in London we are falling further behind the Spuds and Chelsea. People said, myself included,that the Spuds wouldn't do it again this season well we were proved wrong and if i'm pushed on it we were fucking lucky last season to pip them, next season even if less season tickets were sold i doubt it will make much difference in revenue, but if we ended up 5/6th again and a second season out of the CL then i think it would have an impact on ticket sales.

I'm 100% convinced now that going after Wenger in protests is pointless but i do believe that protests against the running of the club itself is more likely to pull in people to support it. Arsene is one man and Stan and the board are quite happy to hide behind him, if you go after the regime itself the Corporate support is undermined and sponsors etc are less likely to ignore that because they are less like to stick behind a toxic brand whereas protests again one man mean can easily be spun by the PR whores.

I know certain people will disagree with this but we're each entitled to our opinion and views and maybe it is time the way you are approaching the issue of Wenger is adjusted to suit more squeamish fans

[SteveO 35]

I dont understand the sentimentality about going or not. If you do not like what is happening at the club then you should not continue to support the regime that promotes your unhappiness. Why pay for something you dont like?. If a Pub or supermarket was selling you crap for top dollar would you continue to patronise based on sentimentality. If you continue to go because you dont want to lose your ST, in effect you dont want to get any real value for your ticket. you are only doing it so that someone else doesn't take what you think is yours. This team will continue to slide down the league the longer Wenger is in charge. Will you still be cheering them on when we finish 10th in the league and Everton, West Ham and Newcastle finish above us.
Sacrifice is hard, but if is important, you make it. This club wont receive a penny from me till the fraud is gone

Well exactly - if you keep renewing then the waiting list will always be 90,000 or so won't it. Funny when I was watching Arsenal in the early to mid 80s and we were a mid-upper table team, I don't remember there being a massive waiting list. Football may have changed but if we were to spend years outside of the CL I don't believe that ST waiting list would grow. People would give up STs and those that have waited would think "fuck that". Of course, if nobody is brave enough to start the process then indeed, you are forever feeding the regime.

I bet Aston Villa had a waiting list for season tickets once upon a time, and I believe the Scum have now. You can pick a seat at Villa now and in the 90s you could with the Scum.

I dream about finishing 12th, Kroenke eventually giving up the dream, Shit for Brains fucking off and starting all over again. If there's only 30,000 of us in the ground who want to believe in something again it will just prove to me that the other 30,000 were here for a visit !