THE WENGER THREAD

[kiwomya]

The substitution that sums it all up today

Carl Jenkinson- working hard for the team and putting in some cracking crosses- substituted off so that we end up playing Ramsey at RB.

No words really need to be said

I would suggest Jenkinson's fitness isn't up to scratch yet.

No evidence whatsoever to suggest that was the case.

I think he's played about 5 games since October for a start.

Played an hour against Sunderland and only went off due to red card. Played 75 minutes against Villa and only went off because we were chasing a goal. Plus since he was dropped for Sagna's return the only other two league games he's played he lasted 90 minutes. No need for him to go off before the hour mark today on fitness grounds, just one of Wenger's pre-meditated substitutions.

I'm not Ramsey's biggest fan but there were people out there doing a worse job than him today, likewise with Jenkinson - to change both of them was crazy.

I honestly don't think anyone apart from the coaching staff can accurately say whether or not he's fit enough to last 90 minutes. I just suggested that could have been why he was taken off. I assume to the same with Podolski.

[defleppardisking]

If he has been at chelsea, man u or man city, he would have been sacked long time ago

Or Real Madrid or any top club. All the bollocks that was made out of his loyalty to the club when the reality is that he knows no other leading club in world football would allow him 8 years without a trophy.

When we miss out on the CL what little stat will he fall back on this time? The stuff about never finishing below Spurs, never losing to a team from a lower division, 13 odd consecutive years of CL Group stage qualification etc etc.....all gone up in smoke

I know.....in 16 years we have never lost by 10 goals in a game which shows 'remarkable consistency and resilience'

Ya and look what we have become after we moved to the emirates. We have become worse and now we are competing for CL spot instead of league title. And we have spuds fans wanting wenger to stay. Pathetic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[northbank123]

Maybe he wasn't but there's absolutely no evidence to say he wasn't - he's not been taken off through lack of fitness before and this is his 3rd league game on the bounce. He wasn't flagging whatsoever out there.

Likewise with Podolski - how has a guy with so much experience that's used to playing every week plus 100+ international games too suddenly gone from being fine to not fit enough to start at all?

In reality Wenger has just changed his mind on Podolski from seeing him as a good winger and undroppable to thinking he should be left on the bench every game regardless of how the starting XI are playing and how he does off the bench. Just typical stubborn pre-meditated thinking. Likewise Giroud couldn't get a start earlier this season when he'd looked fairly lively yet despite being woeful for the last 3 games (at least) he finds himself starting at WHL.

[armchair]

Fukin hilarious if it wasn't so fukin annoying.......

Niall Quinn says that if Wenger gets us top four this season it'll be his best ever achievement.

[defleppardisking]

Maybe he is trying to be sarcastic

[tel]

Fukin hilarious if it wasn't so fukin annoying.......

Niall Quinn says that if Wenger gets us top four this season it'll be his best ever achievement.

Niall Quinn is a complete cock, useless player, useless pundit. It's as if Sky are trying to help the disadvantaged by having him on TV.

Wenger Out

[mcdowell42]

Fukin hilarious if it wasn't so fukin annoying.......

Niall Quinn says that if Wenger gets us top four this season it'll be his best ever achievement.

Redknapp said something similar

[northbank123]

Fukin hilarious if it wasn't so fukin annoying.......

Niall Quinn says that if Wenger gets us top four this season it'll be his best ever achievement.

Redknapp said something similar

There are so many tools on TV but Redknapp takes the cake - blurts out fan-friendly bollocks whilst offering zero insight into the real issues.

[kiwomya]

Fukin hilarious if it wasn't so fukin annoying.......

Niall Quinn says that if Wenger gets us top four this season it'll be his best ever achievement.

Redknapp said something similar

There are so many tools on TV but Redknapp takes the cake - blurts out fan-friendly bollocks whilst offering zero insight into the real issues.

Couldn't agree more mate. As if being average/shit during his career wasn't enough, he still thinks he can talk about "the game". The fucking idiot should have a doctors segment on morning TV talking about how comfortable the treatment tables are.

[burg hohenzollern]

It would still not surprise me if we DID manage to finish 4th, although I sincerely hope we don't. Next few fixtures for the Spuds are difficult, whilst we could pick up a lot of points from the next 6. The defence is a genuine embarrasement. Is there honestly ANY coaching that takes place at the training ground?

[TeeCee]

We are fucked, no CL for us, thank fuck. I want to hear Wenger's excuses when we finish 5th or 6th.

[Fever Pitch]

There are only 2 ways "change" will come in the short term. If Usmanov / Arabs takeover the Board or the fans revolt against W@nger.
The 8 years of deterioration should be enough to make the fans constructively plan for a change....how do we get this properly moving ??

[dPmunky]

how and why are we still holding on to this "tactical" formation that we dont have players to fit in it? giroud has nowhere NEAR the speed required to be the lone striker and yet game after game he starts in that role. Feo is constantly cheating in from the wing leaving us a exposed on the right. how is this not seen and corrected by someone who has "30 years experience" when i'm just some yank arsehole and have seen it all season!?!

players who attack space and run at defenders (rosicky and chamberlain) cant seem to get any playing time yet we've got a team full of guys out there that as soon as they get into trouble, back to szcesney it goes. again, how is this not coached during the week?? it's frustrating to watch for about the 3rd year, where the season plays out the exact same way. defensive weakness, out coached, and looking as if we have no WILL to win. i realize it's been 8 years but some were better then others. but the last 3 have been consistent almost mirror images of each other.

if this team played the 90 minutes like they did the last 10-15 minutes, scrambling, hustling, pushing those fucks back against the wall, we could have won. but alas we continue to go 1 or 2 down before we wake up and realize we're a football team and then out of nowhere, multiple times this season, go on these hellatious scoring runs putting in 2,3, or 4 in a matter of 10-15 minutes. i know the talent and skill is there....where is the leadership!???

whatever is going on has been going on for years now and i only see being able to blame the manager. thanks for the memories but that's what they are... memories of a golden era that has no sight on the horizon of coming back anytime soon. i'd honestly stick it out if i believed that what he was doing would make us better in the future but years of the exact same scenarios playing out show me he has lost touch and that what we are seeing IS HIS PLAN and it isnt working. Wenger out.

[Grumpypom]

You know we have reached rock bottom when the Spuds are chanting for Wenker to stay.

Embarrassing.

[northbank123]

Agree about Feo cheating - seems like he's basically decided to play himself up front most of the time. Jenkinson looked a bit nervous in possession today but how many times did he look up and Walcott wasn't giving him an option at all because he was either languishing up front or looking for the ball over the top?

And he had a poor game today by his high standards but what a masterstroke to make Jack play as an auxiliary centre-half in the last 15 minutes so that Mertesacker could stand up top and watch their centre-halves show him how to win a header? Our 'Plan B' is to disregard anything we might be good at and lump the ball forward - didn't even nearly create a single chance by doing so.