As we're unlikely to see terraces again at football, this is the virtual equivalent where you can chat to your hearts content about all football matters and, obviously, Arsenal in particular. This forum encourages all Gooners to visit and contribute so please keep it respectful, clean and topical.
"When I started to play Anelka, everybody said: 'Why are you starting with Anelka, why not buy a striker?'"
"Sanogo is world champion of the Under-20s, if he was an English centre-forward and was world champion of the Under-20s, you would not ask me these questions."
Any doubts about Wenger being on an ego trip have been put to bed... Le Project isn't over yet...
On a serious note is he suggesting that it is for racial reasons that we are not happy with wakemeup ?? What the fcuk else can he mean when he suggests that the fans reaction would be different if he was English ? He has a fcuking cheek even suggesting that bullshit
Btw arsene, an English world champion..........
Clearly he's referring to nationality not race.
So we're talking xenophobia not racism then ? One and the same to me buddy
augie wrote:
So we're talking xenophobia not racism then ? One and the same to me buddy
You don't think English fans and media over-rate and hype English players? Surely Wenger's fault.
I agree that English players are often over-hyped but that, in my opinion, is not what he alluded to - he never mentioned the fact that wakemeup is under-rated cos of hype but suggested that it was down to nationality but as I said, that is my perception of what he said
augie wrote:
So we're talking xenophobia not racism then ? One and the same to me buddy
You don't think English fans and media over-rate and hype English players? Surely Wenger's fault.
Undoubtedly - ask any football fan and they'll concede the same.
But it's the way Wenger presents these excuses, he stretches credible points to the extreme and makes his views on the moronic nature of the fans and journalists who criticise him quite clear.
People do overrate English players and people would be more positive about Sanogo's prospects perhaps if he was English. But imagine an English Sanogo - a player who had played about 25 games in 5 years in League 1. I think people would still have some questions about him starting as a lone forward in our two biggest games of the year against Liverpool and Bayern.
Likewise with the transfer fee - Wenger said in the summer that people wouldn't complain if we had paid a lot of money for him. Again, people do associate price tag with quality to an extent. But again, people would have had serious serious questions about the deal, especially when it was followed up by not signing another striker and especially when we were being strongly linked with the likes of Higuain and Suarez.
It's insulting to people's intelligence and more importantly it's just complete bollocks.
"When I started to play Anelka, everybody said: 'Why are you starting with Anelka, why not buy a striker?'"
"Sanogo is world champion of the Under-20s, if he was an English centre-forward and was world champion of the Under-20s, you would not ask me these questions."
Any doubts about Wenger being on an ego trip have been put to bed... Le Project isn't over yet...
On a serious note is he suggesting that it is for racial reasons that we are not happy with wakemeup ?? What the fcuk else can he mean when he suggests that the fans reaction would be different if he was English ? He has a fcuking cheek even suggesting that bullshit
Btw arsene, an English world champion..........
Clearly he's referring to nationality not race.
So we're talking xenophobia not racism then ? One and the same to me buddy
Are you being serious mate? - I think you're trying way to hard to have a dig at Wenger. I don't think he's suggesting we are racist or xenophobic ... that's one help of a leap to make!
I think it's obvious what he means. He's simply saying that because Sanogo doesn't have the hype and reputation in England, he doesn't draw the same level of respect/excitement that perhaps an English player of the same level (i.e. world youth champion) would.
Whether you agree or not, I think it's easy to see what he means and, more importantly, I think Wenger can keep his head held high on this occasion. Not guilty. Case dismissed
I was only about 13 at the time but I remember being hyped to see Anelka because his reputation already proceeded him (and this was obviously in the days before Youtube,Twitter etc) and also if I remember correctly he struggled a little at the back end of 96/97 and start of 97/98 before exploding onto the scene with that goal vs Man Utd. As well as that Wenger had just come in and was beginning to make his mark so I think all fans would have had a lot more patience with a youngster brought in by him back then rather than right now where we are seeing a youngster who clearly has some potential but is being played ahead of a German international or a signing we should have made in the summer/January, and after a long period of trophyless years.
Anyway my point is Anelka clearly had something special about him even if he may have struggled to show it consistently initially, wheras Sanogo may improve but it is questionable whether he will ever be as good as the striker we require to make the difference at the very top level. We need that world class striker and if Sanogo is good enough he will show as much when his opportunities come along with rotation. To rely on him in massive games of the like we have had over the past week is hard to comprehend.
What the fcuk else can he mean when he suggests that the fans reaction would be different if he was English ? He has a fcuking cheek even suggesting that bullshit
- I think you're trying way to hard to have a dig at Wenger. I don't think he's suggesting we are racist or xenophobic 
... that's one help of a leap to make! 
