Post Wenger Dictatorship: Legitimate Title Challenge?

[SydneyGooner]

The last time we legitimately challenged was 2007/08 and its obviously never going to happen again while the fraud remains in charge so I wanted to ask how long do you think it will take to see a proper title challenge and how many managerial changes do you think will take place before we have one (if any)?

I can see Wenger seeing out his current contract and then signing a final two year contract extension that will ensure that we go the whole decade without challenging. Thus marking the 2010's as the only decade in our history, besides the 1960's, where we've failed to win a title since we won our maiden league title in 1931. Even if he did leave after his current contract ends his replacement (whoever he is) will need at least one to two seasons to sort us out and perhaps even a change of manager may be needed with the AKB's baying for blood if the results get messy. I hope I'm wrong but I honestly think we won't compete for the title this decade even with a change of manager maybe until 2019 at the earliest.

[augie]

Tbh it all depends on how soon he leaves - in my opinion we were a lot closer to challenging a few years ago than we are now and that is despite the lower standards of the league and despite us actually signing two top quality players. We all know that there are a few positions that we are badly lacking in quality, and we def all know that our tactics are utter dogshite, but one of my biggest concerns for the new manager is that he will also have to deal with a losing mentality. Le cock has built a squad where they vast majority have no winning pedigree and have no idea of how to seal the deal when success is close. Winning a league is a matter of endurance that requires team to pull out wins on those dark winter days when the team is not playing well - teams like that requires players with real leadership qualities who can drag that extra 5% from their team-mates when they are shattered and we dont have those players anymore

If wenker fcuked off in the summer then we might have a team worth challenging within a year or two if the right structure was put in place - if this malaise was allowed to continue into next season and beyond (heaven forbid) then we will be on our knees within 18 months because this club cannot survive the exodus of any more top players and sure as night follows day, sanchez and ozil will fcuk off

[markyp]

if he fucked off now we could win it next season such is the strength of our squad,this is what makes everything so unbearable knowing we have the men to do it but they aren't being properly deployed,the best squad in years is being cruelly and scandalously wasted

[arseofacrow]

if he fucked off now we could win it next season such is the strength of our squad,this is what makes everything so unbearable knowing we have the men to do it but they aren't being properly deployed,the best squad in years is being cruelly and scandalously wasted

The best squad in years? Doesn't make any sense considering our deficiencies.

[QuartzGooner]

The right new manager could make this a title winning team in his first season if given £40M to spend over a summer.

It needs:

New left back, centre-back and defensive midfielder.
More team shape and pressing work in training.

That can be done over half a season leading to a strong push for the title from January onwards.

[SteveO 35]

The right new manager could make this a title winning team in his first season if given £40M to spend over a summer.

It needs:

New left back, centre-back and defensive midfielder.
More team shape and pressing work in training.

That can be done over half a season leading to a strong push for the title from January onwards.

I think you need to throw a better goalkeeper into that equation too. I still think even then we don't have the 'two top class players in every position' in the way Chavski or City do, but we would certainly be closer than what we are now

[Ikechukwu1]

The right new manager could make this a title winning team in his first season if given £40M to spend over a summer.

It needs:

New left back, centre-back and defensive midfielder.
More team shape and pressing work in training.

That can be done over half a season leading to a strong push for the title from January onwards.

I think you need to throw a better goalkeeper into that equation too. I still think even then we don't have the 'two top class players in every position' in the way Chavski or City do, but we would certainly be closer than what we are now

I dont think we need a Striker. With Giroud and Welbeck we have that covered !!
So that's: centre back, top left back, too keeper, top DCM.
So with a little tinkering we arent far off maybe Arsene isnt so bad after all

[markyp]

if he fucked off now we could win it next season such is the strength of our squad,this is what makes everything so unbearable knowing we have the men to do it but they aren't being properly deployed,the best squad in years is being cruelly and scandalously wasted

The best squad in years? Doesn't make any sense considering our deficiencies.

our deficiencies are down too AW's lack of organisation and motivation as much as being short of a DM and CB ,but our current lot assembled properly could win the league I believe.we defend like amatuers because of Le Cocks blind ingnorance to our problems that hes created

[Mistical92]

I think we'd challenge within the next year, maybe two if we found it hard to find the quality at CD and DM. But that's what makes the last 5 or so years so painful, as has been mentioned above. The attacking midfield and striking is sorted, IMO the full-backs are sorted, Gibbs/Monreal and Debuchy/Bellerin are good 1st/2nd choices. Maybe Szczesny and Ospina could push each other for the no.1 and in doing so produce great performances. All it needs is a couple of centre backs (Per and Kos need rotating, or possibly Per may retire) and the elusive DM (Coquelin would be an adequate back-up IMO).

Filling in those two pieces and getting someone in who can organise defensively, because the goals we usually give away are due to stupid errors or at set-pieces. It's the hope that kills you.

[VoiceOfReason]

I'm not too sure, as it really depends on a) Wenger leaving, and b) Kroenke deciding that trophies are as important as financial success. We're going backwards at the moment, and to be perfectly honest, I can see us drifting until 2024 without another title, which will be a full 20 years since we last won it.

I wasn't particularly buying it, and I'm in no way trying to defend Wenger (understatement), but some would make the case of 2009/10 being a legitimate challenge.

[Gunner Rob]

an AKB will tell you that we challenged for the title last season....well until February.

[GoonerMuzz]

I've always been an advocate of the need for Wenger to leave sooner rather than later, the longer he stays the more damage he can do to the club and more importantly the team.

The problem as i see it is that although we have excellent players in some positions, good/great players in others and major deficiencies in some the whole team will need an overhaul, both mentally and physically after the trauma they have had inflicted on them over the past number of season this includes the back-room staff

A manager coming in at the end of the season can sometimes struggle to impose his way of doing things into a team until the new season is well under way because no matter how much time you spend on the training ground and how many videos you watch of your team its often not until you see them live in competative matches on the pitch you really get a chance to see them at their best or worst.

There is also the fact that some players we have will not fit into a new managers plans and some will not feel they fit with the new manager, i have the feeling this will be especially a problem should our next manager be a strict disciplinarian.

If Wenger were to leave at the end of this season we probably wont mount a serious challenge next season unless a good amount of funds are available and we get the right kind of manager. If he stays to the end of his contract the same problem exists and will be worse as i genuinely believe the team will be in an even worse state than currently because we will struggle to keep our best players if we aren't winning trophies (VT doesn't count), and we will struggle to bring in real top class players because i think Wengers star is getting lower and lower in the footballing world.

[Riotof91]

I don't see us winning trophies immediately after he leaves. It will take years to clean up the rot he's left in, awful medical department, substandard academy, loser mentality, poor scouting network etc. It's not just a simple case of finding a better coach.

Lets not forget he'll pick his successor as well, and Wenger has an AWFUL record of picking coaching staff, even when he was good, so you can probably write off the first 2/3 years after he's gone as well

[flash gunner]

Obviously depends on who the new manager is but with the right buys and a manager that can do tactics and motivate I don't think we're a million miles away

[augie]

I've always been an advocate of the need for Wenger to leave sooner rather than later, the longer he stays the more damage he can do to the club and more importantly the team.



There is also the fact that some players we have will not fit into a new managers plans and some will not feel they fit with the new manager, i have the feeling this will be especially a problem should our next manager be a strict disciplinarian.

If Wenger were to leave at the end of this season we probably wont mount a serious challenge next season unless a good amount of funds are available and we get the right kind of manager. If he stays to the end of his contract the same problem exists and will be worse as i genuinely believe the team will be in an even worse state than currently because we will struggle to keep our best players if we aren't winning trophies (VT doesn't count), and we will struggle to bring in real top class players because i think Wengers star is getting lower and lower in the footballing world.

We already have too many players that don't fit into the current managers strategies and that is despite the fact that it was him that bought them in the first place