18 Aug 2013 12:53:29
Nick - the issue is Wenger is pushing himself out. His pure indifference to anyones opinions beyond his own, his seeming disinterest in the fans, is making a noose for his own neck. He seems, and the management seem to forget that AFC for all intents and purposes answers to the fans. They are the stewards who are given charge to run it. It will always come down to fans, results as to what happens.

Wenger has had three very bad windows. 1st when he catagorically denied Nasri and Fabs would go, saying 'if I let that happen we are not a big club', then they walked. Next year the club failed to tie RVP down, Giroud and Podolski came in, but he went, meaning Wenger likely knew he was off, and then Song was sold for what I assume was insubordination (?) or cash offer, never replaced properly, never explained. Then this season the CEO mouths off about spending £70 million, nothing done, all targets go elsewhere, Jovetic, Higuain, Gustavo, the Suarez debacle. Nothing to show, now this.

It really is 3 years of not seeming to have any kind of strategic plan when it comes to the squad. The strategic plan at Arsenal does seem to boil down to events management, staffing, economics, international branding etc.

I wish they looked at the team and gave it the same effort as the corporation.

I am a Wenger fan. I've stuck by him, but I will be interested to see what happens next. It's the last chance saloon, and it's his arrogance that has brought him here, that and the board's interest in money more than football. We expect better from Arsenal, and deserve more.

1.) 18 Aug 2013
Good post

2.) 18 Aug 2013
I think this is a very good post and I can relate. Us the fans really deserve answers. Especially us true fans who have sat there keeping faith and being calm.

3.) 18 Aug 2013
Its not the last chance saloon, that has longed passed, with about 60-75% of my Gooners friends admitting they want him gone, and myself and another friend in agreement that we actually need a europa league season, a season for a new fresh manager, who will spend the money at his disposal, to get some youth players lower european experience and regroup as a team and rebuild momentum moving forward instead of this constant fourth place scabble that shouldn't be.

4.) 18 Aug 2013
It appears to me that all big-names do not want to join Arsenal. So they'd join teams like Napoli and Wolfsburg (I believe they are good clubs but Arsenal should be bigger) Because of the wage limitation? Personally, I do think it is a big factor. Players nowadays may not just play for enthusiasm in football, they want $$$$!

5.) 18 Aug 2013
I am an Arsene fan, he turned us from Boring, Boring Arsenal to the greatest passing football team this country had every seen and that is a fact

He bought in unknown players and turned them into legends another fact.

However that same scouting process he is using, is now known by everyone else - Chelsea, Man City, The Yides to name but 3 - who are ALL offering more money to these players.MUCH MORE MONEY.

Arsene needs to stop REBUILDING and get to BUILT. The guy is messing up his own legacy, because he feels HE knows best???8 years Arsene, proves you don't. I really don't want to see you leave but fail to get us Champion League and fail to win the next Premier League game and I can't see anything else for us but to let you go

And let's be fair, yesterday what could have gone wrong did. They were NOT penalties, injuries forced subs, Koc did not deserve to be sent off - that referee will not be doing a premier League game for awhile as he was very bad - and the 3rd we were chasing an equaliser and they broke on us, however even after all that, we Should never have been in this situation, how may times have teams come to us and done one of 2 things. Park the bus and/or kicked us all over the park? Come an Asrene, you need to get MEN as we are a bunch of BOYS, trying to live in the greatest League in the world and I am afraid its not working any more

Sammy Nelson the greatest left back

6.) 18 Aug 2013
I appreciate your views, and they are indeed views held by many, but I think the bigger picture that Wenger talks so much about, is something that we genuinely do need to be aware of. We are in the strongest position that we have been for years, and are in the position financially to 'play with the big boys' so to speak, however, the number of posted here that seem to blame Wenger for the missed transfers are looking to simply at media speculation without considering the real heart of the individual context. No Higuain, but it seems that Real were the issue behind that. No Gustavo, but how can Wenger convince someone to leave a country that he is settled in? You can't really blame Wenger for that. Likewise, those who are annoyed at Wenger talking up the chances and the squad - what would you rather, that in public he comes out and derides the squad and the chances of silverware? The clamour for his head would be even bigger. Football is a difficult business, and us the armchair pundits only know so much. Success has indeed come to other clubs, but in a such a way that I am not sure, if faced with the reality of fair weather billionaire owners, we would really want the same for our club.
Yes, we lost players, but do you actually think that Wenger did not try to keep them? If someone wants to go, they go, they force the hand of the club and they get their move. Yes, perhaps had we won more, this may not have been the case, but with the unrealistic wages that are mooted as being paid to these players, I would not risk the long term security of our club for a marquee player that in reality, would guarantee nothing.
I like you all want to win something, for me as a fan, but also for Wenger and the club, he has done more for English football than anyone in recent history, and should be judged on that and not a poor result against Villa. We have two weeks remaining in the window, and eight months left of the season, let's judge him than and not now, and should it be another year either trophy-less, or without a champions league spot, then I may agree with the Wenger naysayers, however, until then, and with faith in my heart, I still say, 'In Wenger we trust'.

7.) 18 Aug 2013
Just to some up song was sold purely so wenger could balance the books an turn a profit, we had bought it giroud pold. an cazorla. RVP sale didn't cover the money we spent out so another player had to be sold to put us back into the black because after all we much rather profits than trophies lol

8.) 18 Aug 2013
Very good post by the way, and its a glaring fact he needs to go and will do after this season. you are right, they want to make a rubbish load of money from our past success, no money goes back into the team, wenger contradicts himself. did you hear him after villa when the press pushed him about buying players to which in the end he said yea yea yea its all good saying buy players, but when I ask you who, that becomes another problem. WHAT A LOAD OF RUBBISH. he says the players have to be a certain quality to play for us, ANOTHER CONTRADICTION. so going on this let's take kondogbia, abdulrahman, bernard, jovetic, and even jackson martinez, there is 5 players all better than what currently play for us, most who have buy out clauses yet we get nothing. he is ful of rubbish and the board are complete degenrate pricks, arsenal are done for as far as being what we were.

9.) 18 Aug 2013
Canning 84,

That is NOT true my friend, Song wanted OUT and we sold him, the last season he was here he was sulking over money, so please be factual

10.) 18 Aug 2013
18 Aug 2013 18:50:04
@babygorilla

we are in the best posistion we have ever been! . what with 13 senior players? with a squad so thin 1 more injury and they be handing out boots outside the emirates.
we can compete with the big boy with our new financial firepower so why haven't we, don't say we get priced out because let's be fair we don't bid enough in first place to be priced out, an you say about clubs paying stupid wages didn't ivan say sure we can buy rooney an pay his wages he on now, bold statment, you trust in wenger I for one will never disagree with what he has brought to the pl an what he has dome for arsenal in those early years, but past 8 seasons what has he done? what have the board done?

11.) 18 Aug 2013
To be honest with you, I actually don't care about the 8 year drought. There are clubs out there that have a bigger drought than uss. Not saying I don't care about trophies, its just not my biggest concern.

All I care about is improving and fixing our flaws. If we sign good players and still come up short, then so be it. That's a lot better than signing no one like right now.

12.) 18 Aug 2013
You know, shoot me down as I don't really care anymore about football. It's been sucked right out of me after firstly reading Gazidis' comments stating, "We have at least 70 million to spend and we can now compete".

I had hoped we got beaten by Villa yesterday because I believe that with A Wenger's ignorance we are going downward! I wholeheartedly believe Wenger ignorantly thought, as we had 12 games at the end of the season unbeaten, that this squad could cut it. It all hindered on last seasons end performances where we weren't great and narrowly got fourth. I remember seeing the cheers on Arsenal faces at the end of the game when we knew we'd qualified for the Champs League; it's a shame because we celebrated like the EPL was ours, that there were no problems and we were happy. Eight years without a trophy and most were aiming for that top four spot.

I did read in June or July that Wenger stated we wouldn't compete for the EPL for at least two or three seasons?! I didn't take the bait when we bid for Suarez knowing full well that Liverpool wouldn't be us. Selling our best player to a team who's up there like ourselves.

All was forgotten when we had our fourth spot! Everybody came round to the idea of giving AW another year to see. Now realisation hits in when we lost to Villa.

Yes, he's been an incredible manager and the best to date but it's gone stale.

Two or three more years to the EPL? We were promised so much and given so little. I haven't been to the game for four years now, I haven't bought a shirt and I wouldn't put money into their greedy pockets.

Is this Kroenke's influence and AW is following suit as normal. Surely, Gazidis wouldn't come out publicly and announce that were going to spend big on signings and compete? Otherwise, like he does now, he has egg all on his face. Strange.

It's a joke and I can only hope the next couple of weeks bare fruit, which they will, but will be the normal standard of players. Rush buys again.

Ashley Williams. I watched him yesterday. In my opinion should perhaps be looked upon.

13.) 18 Aug 2013
Sammy

yer song wanted more money because he wanted a new contract, so we either let there contract run down till a the lasts few month or god help they should ask for a improved contact or they will get sold. you can go around an say this an that, the financial aspect was a big part to, imagine god for bid we spent more than we earnt,

wenger ain't bought anyome yet an let's be fair we prob will obly spend max of £15-£20 mil because that what we have made sellung anterminating contracts

14.) 19 Aug 2013
Canning84,

The building on the emirates played a massive part to the dismantlement of that team
* the Whore for The Pold
* Cashley for Clichy*
* Helb for Nasri
* Clichy for Gibbs*
* Nasri for Carzola
* Flamini for Ramsey**
* RVP for Giroud
* Fabergas for Wiltshire*
* Song for frimong*
* Toure and Gallas - #Vermalaan, Pers and #Kos
* Home grown
# Were not known players
** brought in as a teenager

And from that list of names Helb and Nasri were the only ones that cost us any real money.The Whore, Cashley, Flamini, RVP, Fabergas, Song Toure came from our system before making an impact on the 1st team

All these players wanted more money, that we did not have due to repaying for the stadium, they ALL stated they was off and was NOT going to stay, so Arsene had no choice but to rebuild. However he tried/trying to rebuild base on his scouting network - which was once the best in the world and exclusive to him alone, however everyone else knows about it and is offering considerable more then us.

Chelsea - Oscar, Mata to name but 2 that was coming to us, Man City as well have a few of our signing thanks to Marwood and Veria, taping into Arsene network links

The current team we have I believe will come good, however these are boys playing against MEN. Maybe in 2 - 3 seasons time this will be the team to win something, but they need HELP now or else, Arsene will lose his job and we will be the butt of every Premier League club - I can hear it now. How the Mighty have fallen. I can't TAKE THAT :-(

Sammy Nelson the greatest left back