Arsenal v Norwich - Saturday 30th April 2016 @ 17:15pm

[NickF]

Saw this on another forum:

The general impression I got from those sitting around me was that the majority wanted nothing to do with the protest but also wanted to see AW leave,or Infact not sign another contract but they all did say that AW deserves a bit of respect for all that he has done for us.

So there are fans that want him out, but won't do anything about it.

[milesgooner]

I come from a different school of thought to most on here. I'm sure you would like proven winners like Mourinho or Simeone, but I don't think either of them are right for Arsenal. This club was built on class and tradition when the pair of them are a couple of 'win at all cost' cheats. That will probably have you lot laughing.
I don't remember him blaming the fans, he said the mixed atmosphere had had an affect on the team. The press and the anti Wenger crowd have blown this up into a bigger deal.
I think nobody fully appreciates that sometimes as a manager you have to say things you don't believe to try and keep team spirit etc.
Wenger will not be offered a new contract if we don't win the league or the the champions league next year, and the moderate fans like me will not give him any more slack. It's shit or bust.
And by the way I wouldn't be sorry to see him go at the end of the season. I just don't think calling him a c**t like many do on here is a particularly clever thing to do.
Anyway let's agree to differ - I've just seen we've almost guaranteed the top 4 trophy

[OneBardGooner]

I agree that everyone has the right to protest without being grief for it and that's why the majority didn't get involved with petty squabbles. Not sure what Wenger's done in my eyes to disrespect the fans or the traditions of the club. I'd prefer him to evaluate this season honestly and resign if he doesn't have the fight (I don't think that's likely). If he does have the appetite he needs to admit the failures of this season and go for broke (not sure that's likely either!)


1. If he doesn't his position will be untenable and the negative atmosphere will force him out before next season ends.

2.Obviously I'd prefer it if we sold the dead wood and spent that money and an additional £100m on new players and won the league.

1. Me, You The World and His Dog Know 1,000% for sure he NEVER will admit when he is in the Wrong - He never has - So why should he suddenly start now....His ego is out of control. For a supposedly 'honourable' man he is duplicitous in all he says - changing his version of things from week to week to suit his own arrogant viewpoint/s. He is dismissive of all others around him (Especially the fans) He is like a petulant child and at the slightest criticism throws his toys out the pram - Remember when Jacqui Oatley questioned him - He got very narky and since that post-match interview she has been removed from all journalistic duties at the bowl - Not a coincidence I would strongly suggest.

2. The reason we are (and have been many times previously been) stuck with the deadwood - Is because of Wenger - He signs average players/unproven players on very long contracts and high wages - then no one is willing to take them off our hands - Bendtner, Arteta, Gibbs, Denilson, Santos, Ebuoe are just a few that come to mind....

As someone adroitly said yesterday after the game 'Wenger is the Mugabe of The Football World' - He is a despot who earns £8.3 million a year! For failing - Anyone daring to oppose or question him, his methods etc etc - Is 'removed', which is why it is sad that Steve Bould should be 'Mute' when we all hoped he would bring his knowledge and expertise of defending to the club/squad...but it is now well understood that 'Arsenal do not practise defending'

Anyone who cannot 'see' that Wenger is well past his sell by date is either blind, foolish or in denial.

[scotgooner]

I was at the game yesterday, unlike most of the people on this forum. There were no more than 3 or 4 thousand protesters after 12 minutes and about 500 after 78. So I'd say about 10% max bearing in mind the approx 45k attendance. I think you are in danger of living in the online gooner/twitter bubble that thinks that the view on here is an accurate representation of what the average Arsenal going fan thinks. I think you'll find far more people are In favour of some kind of change but thought the crappy placard display was a pretty classless way of showing it. The singing in favour of AW was mostly an anti demo reaction than a ringing endorsement. Most of the long term season ticket holders like myself have seen rubbish performances over long spells in the the last 40 years and tend to have a more level headed outlook on the current situation. The change will happen more slowly than people on here would like, but will happen if we continue the current decline. I'd suggest AW will have one last season unless we fall outside the top 4 this season when I think he could go. Even the mild mannered will have had enough if more of the same is provided next year. I suggest if you want change you start putting your hands in your pocket to pay for a ticket to joint the protest brigade. As it stands the phrase 'Empty vessels make the most noise' resonates on here. As for people 'fronting up' others in the crowd, I think it's pathetic on both sides.

Piss off you arrogant little freak.

[NickF]

Wenger will not be offered a new contract if we don't win the league or the the champions league next year, and the moderate fans like me will not give him any more slack. It's shit or bust.
And by the way I wouldn't be sorry to see him go at the end of the season. I just don't think calling him a c**t like many do on here is a particularly clever thing to do.

Moderate fans have been giving him slack for the 6-8 years so I don't really see this changing next year.
It will be the same old excuses.

[milesgooner]

Welcome scotgooner. A perfectly well balanced argument there from another regular at the Emirates........and by the way I'm 6'4".

[Red Snapper]

Welcome scotgooner. A perfectly well balanced argument there from another regular at the Emirates........and by the way I'm 6'4".

[northbank123]

I come from a different school of thought to most on here. I'm sure you would like proven winners like Mourinho or Simeone, but I don't think either of them are right for Arsenal. This club was built on class and tradition when the pair of them are a couple of 'win at all cost' cheats. That will probably have you lot laughing.
I don't remember him blaming the fans, he said the mixed atmosphere had had an affect on the team. The press and the anti Wenger crowd have blown this up into a bigger deal.
I think nobody fully appreciates that sometimes as a manager you have to say things you don't believe to try and keep team spirit etc.
Wenger will not be offered a new contract if we don't win the league or the the champions league next year, and the moderate fans like me will not give him any more slack. It's shit or bust.
And by the way I wouldn't be sorry to see him go at the end of the season. I just don't think calling him a c**t like many do on here is a particularly clever thing to do.
Anyway let's agree to differ - I've just seen we've almost guaranteed the top 4 trophy

Wenger is a de facto director, and continues to deliver exactly what Kroenke wants - maximum financial return for as little expenditure as he can try and justify.

The board fully agrees with and supports Wenger's view that 4th place is essential and anything above that is a bonus.

They're not going to suddenly turn round, change their view and turn on Wenger. Not a chance in hell will they cut him loose at the end of next year and thinking otherwise is extremely naive.

[Topside Northbank]

Well what we have is a divided fan base it has been brewing for several seasons and it is not getting better anytime soon.

The man in charge has had plenty of opportunities to put right our obvious on pitch weaknesses mainly the spine of the team CB,CM and CF.He should of gone seasons ago blind faith in a system and players that doesn't work in the pressure games.The football we now play predictable and easy to set up against,tactically flawed along with negligence in the market.

The only club in the top divisions in Europe not to strengthen our outfield playing squad was us this summer....£200m sitting in a bank account when even OGL most ardent followers have booed the team off the pitch after inept performances this season so who are they blaming just the players?Who picks them,who bought them and who sets them up to play the possession based football with no cutting edge,pace or end product?

A football club's best assets should be on the pitch not in a bank account OGL talks more like a politician or economist than a football manager.He still convinces so many gullible fans with his spin,he questions everyone else's performances but never his own.

[SteveO 35]

Spoke to a mate who was sitting in the family enclosure yesterday with his lad and he reckons those with the banners were mostly spotty yoof who'd had too many shandys and were drowned out easily by chants of There's Only One Arsene Wenger

As for the match itself, nice to see the customary subbing of Iwobi just to stick two fingers up at the fans. Another 60 minutes of absolutely tedious shite served up, with the Lamppost plunging new depths of crapness up front, whilst Mister Twirly did his usual cheap surrendering of possession act in midfield.

If he plays Ramsey and Giroud from the start we lose at City - not that I particularly give a shit - but the re-introduction of these two has had a massive detrimental effect on the team. I actually thought at Everton we played some decent football, but TO1AW is determined to shut out what every fan can see and stick with those two useless goons for the remainder of the season

I watched both matches today on Sky and the highlights from all the other games yesterday, and we are safely the most boring team in the division right now....possibly the slowest too

[Jumpers For Goalposts]

Miles Gooner - you're far more eloquent and pragmatic than 99.99% of AKBs but, like the rest of them, you haven't put forward a convincing argument as to why you still respect Wenger, especially after the disrespect he has shown us recently.

Also - have you considered that when he finally leaves us (please God), his successor will inherit a worse situation than he did???

When he arrived we had won the League twice in the previous 7 years, we had won a Cup double 3 years before and we had been in 2 European finals in the 2 years before his arrival winning one of them. Wenger can't get us anywhere near a European final now can he?

We were the third most successful English team in history when he arrived, not some lower division outfit that he transformed.

Whatever legacy he may have had is diminished by the day with the limp, pathetic performances that he continues to oversee and if you're happy to pay thousands per season to watch that then you must have far deeper pockets than I have.

[northbank123]

Giroud motioning to quiet the crowd after his assist despite having scored exactly 0 goals in 15 PL games at the business end of the season sums up the arrogant attitude on a bloke who has no right to be anywhere near first choice at a club purporting to be title contenders.

Watching him lazily lumber about with the pace of an Austin Allegro (and I'm not talking vanden plas) and the touch of an elephant, it shouldn't take too much head-scratching to figure out why we have been nowhere near the title in the four years he has been here whilst we have watched the likes of van Persie, Aguero, Suarez, Costa, Kane and Vardy have banged in goals for fun for rivals.

[milesgooner]

Jumpers for goalposts - believe it or not I don't consider myself to be a an AKB, just someone that believes in treating people with a bit of decency. Like I say if AW does go at the end of the end of this season or more likely the next I won't be upset. I remember the George Graham years as a mixed bag - the original thrill of winning things followed by a few years of turgid football (rather like Saturday!). Let's not forget George's legacy was tarnished by this and the fact he took bungs, but he's still revered by most gooners. The same will happen with AW, his legacy in the short term will suffer but in the long term he will be regarded as perhaps the greatest modern day AFC manager ever. I just wasn't in favour of the protests during the game on Saturday. Any new manager will take over a team in the top 4 (probably). I don't think there are many opportunities that arise like that in world football.

[Gunner Rob]

Jumpers for goalposts - believe it or not I don't consider myself to be a an AKB, just someone that believes in treating people with a bit of decency. Like I say if AW does go at the end of the end of this season or more likely the next I won't be upset. I remember the George Graham years as a mixed bag - the original thrill of winning things followed by a few years of turgid football (rather like Saturday!). Let's not forget George's legacy was tarnished by this and the fact he took bungs, but he's still revered by most gooners. The same will happen with AW, his legacy in the short term will suffer but in the long term he will be regarded as perhaps the greatest modern day AFC manager ever. I just wasn't in favour of the protests during the game on Saturday. Any new manager will take over a team in the top 4 (probably). I don't think there are many opportunities that arise like that in world football.

You sadly sum up everything that is wrong at Arsenal. You say you won't be upset if Wenger goes at the end of this or next season so at the back of your mind you think that change might be necessary. However your timidity prevents you from doing anything about it. This in turn leads to Wenger continuing, he has no one to tell him otherwise. Yourself and others like you are responsible for assisting in the decline of a once great football club. Deep down you know that Wenger will never compete for the title again but yet you allow him to stagger on, to tarnish his legacy. Who is being kinder to Wenger? -the people holding banners hoping to remove him or yourself doing nothing? have a think about that will you.

[officepest]

Welcome scotgooner. A perfectly well balanced argument there from another regular at the Emirates........and by the way I'm 6'4".