Arsenal Banter Archive February 17 2017

17 Feb 2017 18:51:57
Can we please stop using man u as a comparison. When fergie left them, no manager could have made them better, he left when he was winning leagues, he left at the top, he chose to leave and the manager who came in was never going to do better than him. No comparison to arsenal.

17 Feb 2017 19:39:57
Come on steve your been a tad pedantic there mate. No one is comparing arsenal to united and Wenger to fergie (unless I've missed a daft comment) . With that train of thought you have missed a few out, he's different nationality united are from the north ones passive ones aggressive one likes young boys who keeps their mouths shut, fergie likes his boys so feisty that he has to hit them now and again.

I think the comparison that has been made is the fact that both clubs have/ are going to loose long serving managers that has become an institution and the transitional period could be problematic which you have to agree steve is a fairly accurate comparison! But let's hope that's where it ends and we don't take 3-4 years to get back to our former glory of top 4 and a few FA cups in a decade lol.

17 Feb 2017 20:07:05
Sano, how many times on here have we had to read, "be happy with what we have, just look at what happened to man u" we aren't in the position man u were when fergie left. My point is there isn't a comparison to them for people to make.

17 Feb 2017 20:15:46
Ive also just got the irony of the post, only 30 minutes late, i know i'm slow but! Lol.

17 Feb 2017 20:52:26
No steve I do agree we ain't in the possition that united were when fergie left! But it's relative to us maybe there 1st became 5th or 6th and our 4th might become 8th or 9th although I don't think even we will be daft enough to get a moyes and then follow him up with a previously successful manager past his time in van gouhl then eventually go for the right man in mourinho and I do think and always felt he was more a united type manager long before he was a Chelsea one. I remember the year Porto dumped united out of the CL and I was with my cousin in the pub and said he will be uniteds next manager.

Although that wasn't true exactly he now is. Now i always believed that after watching Dortmund in the CL final that klopp was wengers perfect successor but that will now never happen but hey ho.

18 Feb 2017 09:37:39
It's hardly fair cherry picking your distinctions. When it suits, it's all "look at Leicester". Well, I'm looking at Leicester and what I'm seeing is hardly something I'd be proud of as an Arsenal fan.

I get that as fans we are upset, and I get that as fans we will have opinions. However, just because opinions differ, doesn't make one less valid than the other.

What I categorically dislike is the ability for some to simply erase from memory what Wenger has achieved. What he has given over the last 2 decades. Like you, like me, he is an Arsenal man. He's given 20 years of blood, sweat and tears to Arsenal and my opinion is, the least we can do is show the man some respect.

I'm not going to sit here and say, "be careful what you wish for", because I'm not clairvoyant and I have no idea what the future holds for the club I love, BUT, I know I will always respect the man who has led us to greatness. He's earned it.

18 Feb 2017 10:55:38
I have the utmost respect for Wenger sharpie! It's just my bucket has finally fell over full of shizzle that's all. I won't call him names or hold up banners around the ground (I think that's shocking) but time for change.

18 Feb 2017 14:46:58
SLB, every era has to come to an end and I totally understand that. This whole baying for blood mentality is ridiculous to me. The name calling, the animosity, the total disrespect for a man that has lived Arsenal just the same as all of us is scandalous.

Whatever happens, change or no change, I can only hope our players man up because quite frankly they have been apathetic. They don't repay the loyalty shown to them by the manager or the fans.

17 Feb 2017 12:52:16
Hello eds if any of you would be willing, I would love your opinion, obviously a lot of factors so it would be a prediction, but do you think the more likely outcome of a new manager a swift galvanising effect and more chance of doing better than 4th, or a similar unpleasant transition period like utd have suffered and failing to make top 4 for a while? Thanks.

{Ed002's Note - A tough question, but .... Arsenal will be third in each of the first two seasons after the new manager takes over. In the first of those seasons they will suffer defeat in the League cup away to Newcastle in the third round, but they will have a good FA Cup run losing in the semi final to Chelsea.

Additionally they will make it to the quarter finals of the Champions League where they lose on away goals to Atletico Madrid. In the second year in charge we see a very different story with defeat to Porto in the last 16 of the Champions League, a suprise defeat to newly renamed (by their Chinese owners) Atletico Charlton in the third round (with Arsenal having Jody Barton sent off), but it all being offset a Europa League final win against Dinamo Kiev.

The third season will see a change with new player-manager Joey Barton instilling a zeal in the side that sees Arsenal press Millwall all the way to the Premier League title - falling only at the last hurdle against new nemesis Atletico Charlton with a one-all draw (with the Arsenal player manager being sent off).

Atletico Charlton manager, M. Wenger, will say after the game that it gives him no pleasure and he didn't see Atletico's clearly offside goal.}

17 Feb 2017 13:12:11
That absolutely cracked me up.

Kudos Ed.

17 Feb 2017 14:45:31
Love it Ed.

17 Feb 2017 14:57:07
Brilliant. Ed002. the new Ed025!

17 Feb 2017 15:02:59
I wonder how much you would get at the bookies.

17 Feb 2017 10:15:14
So wenger said he is definately going to manage next season. whether its going to be at arsenal or other club that's yet to be decided. personally this comes as a shock . so my question to ed-
1) this surely ends possiblity of wenger getting on arsenal board or becoming director if football?
2) which club in europe would hire him? psg? (not sure because they look good with emery)

{Ed002's Note - (1) Not if he were to stay one more season. (2) Why does it need to be in Europe? He is a very good manager (I appreciate the Arsenal fans don't agree with that) but the thing against him is his age.

And things can change.}

17 Feb 2017 11:13:08
Ed002 regardless of whether people want him to stay or go (Personally I'm on the fence with it) he is still a very very good manager in my opinion.

17 Feb 2017 11:23:33
The whole atmosphere is toxic at the moment! But like you say D16 if he were available there would be a few clubs licking their lips.

17 Feb 2017 11:24:42
There was never a doubt that Wenger will manage next season and I still believe he wants to manage at club level, opposed to International management. He has had a link to PSG for some time and I can still see him managing there. I believe the tide has turned and he will depart at the end of the season.

17 Feb 2017 17:02:49
He will manage an international side, like Japan, if he carried on.

17 Feb 2017 06:31:11
It looks very much like Wenger's time at Arsenal is coming to an end. I believe he intended going, but wanted us to have a good season, possibly winning a trophy, so he could leave on a high. If we finish top four and won the FA Cup, would this be enough to extend his Wenger's contract, assuming he wished to stay on.

17 Feb 2017 08:59:59
But what would be the point in another season mate? One more last 16 exit and season over by February for the road?
There is and has been a 4th place mentality running through Arsenal football club ever since we moved to the Emerirates, in the first years this was necessary because the stadium had to be paid for we all get that but subconsciously its become embedded in manager players board and the majority of fans alike.
If Per Mertesacker did what he did against against Stoke and Liverpool under Fergie or Mourinho once he would never have played under those managers again but under Arsene he was rewarded with the captaincy, what ever sort of example is that to the squad, it's not difficult to see why things have got as poor as they have.

Change should have come 3 years ago at the end of Arsenes last contract but it didn't and that's that but to delay the decision for yet another season would only make things worse in my opinion.
Our reputation is at a 30 year low big player's laugh at the prospect of joining us and our current squad is not up to a title challenge mentally or physically, the next manager has a massive job on his hands to make us competive again and it won't be a quick process for whoever comes in and putting it off for another season won't make it any easier either.
Spurs Liverpool Chelsea Utd City Everton are all in the ascendancy while we are at the very best stationary, it's long last time for change everyone knows it some just don't like the idea of it.

17 Feb 2017 10:28:10
Agree gunner great post. he's back.

17 Feb 2017 10:49:11
Hey John, where you been mate

Hope everything is cool.

17 Feb 2017 10:55:56
problem is will the new manager be backed if the transition goes poorly? i would hope the right manager could hit the ground running and instill a winning mentallity. but if we suffer like utd, our board aren't going to throw money at it like utd. admittedly that hasn't worked yet for them, but they will probobly keep spending til it does. i highly doubt we would. i think its time for change, but it could get worse before it gets better. look at city, they already had a much better squad than ours. got suposedly the best manager in the world in, spent heavily and aren't a lot better off than when they started.