It's a valuable consolation prize for me, but based on what we've seen against Swansea and Everton, it's not a lay-in from here by any means. If we can't score goals, and that's the way it's been for a month or so, there's no team we can beat, certainly no team that we're guaranteed to beat: Wigan, Sheffield United, Port Vale, Yeovil Town, anybody. When push comes to shove you'd like to think we have enough quality to find our way past Wigan. But we have to show something more than what we've done recently. Ramsey can't come back soon enough.
I wonder if PSG fails to win CL if AW winds up there given that he knows the owners. I suspect they're keeping Larry White on a short leash
I am in the middle. I would love for Wenger to finish his career here but with someone like Dein running the personnel (and medical staff) and money issues. Someone with balls. Leave Wenger to coaching and training the players. Obviously, the key to making this work is the relationship between the two.
I think what he meant (and the way he said it is probably the easiest way to represent it), is that the team looks like a bunch of per-pubescent suburbanites. The ones I used to smash growing up, because like people are realizing about Arsenal, we were faster and stronger in every position. It not even like they are making up for it in being hungry for the ball either. I'd like to see stats on 2nd balls we've won, but just going by the eye test I'm going to say less than 10%.
Having improved to being one of the best defensive teams in the league for a year the team has returned to laughable defensive displays in recent months. They are going backwards
It was interesting to look back at this defensive aspect. In 2013, Arsenal were elite in preventing the other team from shooting from high value zones. This was a key factor in Arsenal 'winning" the 2013 calendar year EPL. Suddenly they have regressed sharply to be worse than ever! I don't even think the problems are tactical because they look like the keystone cops out there whereas only 4 mths ago the defence was elite. We are seeing once more all the bad stuff like allowing the full backs to be isolated, losing all the midfield duels. Lack of concentration. Lack of confidence. They've lost their heads completely.
Podolski, Cazorla, Giroud, Arteta and Flamini aren't good enough for a title contender, Wenger has failed to see that and stubbornly refused to buy any players that would strengthen the team except Özil. If Wenger keeps on refusing to buy any players that actually strenghten the team (like Draxler, or Schneiderlin), he should just leave. This club wants to fight for the title, which is almost impossible with the players mentionend above.
I think those players have proven to be useful in the rotation - but ideally they would not all be playing at once. e.g. a team with Theo and Ramsey & Ozil is probably serviceable with Giroud & Arteta Flam was very valuable in the first half of the season in the rotation Podolski can chip in with goals against the shit teams. But that team yesterday lacks any standout performers.
Plenty of talk now about the FA Cup being a nice consolation for Wenger and he can walk off into the sunset and blah blah blah . . . Does anyone want to put money on us winning the cup at this point? I'm not looking past Wigan. I was pleased to see that Ramsey and Ox instantly made us look threatening in the final 3rd yesterday. They both have to start on Sunday because without goals, just picture the meltdown of Arsenal Nation next week when it's Wigan 2-0 at Wembley. "We must get back to basics." Thanks, Arsene. I'm inspired.
There is a reason that teams are not run by fans. Wenger is a pretty smart guy and will get things figured out, not only does he have the knowledge but he has the financial ability.
Wenger has been working with the same tools for years. He hasn't figured it out. In a season where Chelsea, City and United all replaced their managers and are trying to figure it out, (and succeeding)Wenger attempted to seize an opportunity. He splashed some of that financial ability on Ozil, he secured Champions League football via the 4th place playoff, appeased all of us fans who don't know how to run a team, and went right back to what Arsene Knows Best. And it was a good run. Arsene Knows Best bought us first place and hope. AKB put our thin squad in contention for 4 trophies yet again, and won us some great victories and some high times. AKB also brought us some tough defeats and some injuries to boot. AKB brought us Kim Kallstrom at a time when reinforcements were needed. AKB bet on Giroud and Bendtner and Sanogo to lead the line. AKB bet on Arteta and Flamini and Rosicky to become Wilshere and Ramsey and Walcott. Has the team bet on Wenger? And now we're back to the same place we were last season. And the season before. Its a broken record. Fool me once, Wenger, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times Mr. Wenger . . . I think the sentiment among the fan base is justified. If you're content with, "he'll figure things out" then I don't think you've been paying much attention to Arsenal Football Club, and I don't value your opinion.
Goonerblog said it best. I think Wenger is is Clough at Forest. Everyone knows what should happen but no one actually wants to do anything within the club. That is why I said, Arsene has to do it himself. I think he will walk away after this season with the FA Cup in hand.
Honest question: At this stage, is anyone left here (and I'm addressing proper gooners only) that is still convinced we should stick it out with AW? I kinda like arse2mouse's response to the usual arguments: you don’t get to ask, ‘okay, who should the next manager be?’, unless you were certain that a guy operating in Japan was 100% the correct choice last time around. Because none us were. Likewise, ‘be careful what you wish for’ isn’t a business plan. Operating on that basis – in fear of a change which is coming down the tracks anyway – represents a cowardly abrogation of responsibility by the hierarchy The other argument against change routinely made: “I don’t trust them to make the right choice”. Honestly, I’m not sure I trust them to tie their shoelaces. But I also don’t buy the idea that finding a good football manager, willing to accept a £7m pay cheque, at one of the highest profile clubs in the world, with a strong squad already in place, is some sort of insoluble Kobyashi Maru-style dilemma. Call Low. Call de Boer. Call Martinez. Don’t call Curbishley. Call Klopp. I bet they’d all pick up the phone.
thats too far Clough got his club relegated and was an alcoholic. For all of Arsene's failings, its not that bad. Not even close.
People say this a lot. What do you want him to do upstairs? I think it would be incredibly hard for the club to move forward and for another manager to come in while Wenger is still casting a shadow from upstairs.