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The paying off of the stadium debt and the tsunami of cash coming into the club have been an absolute disaster for Wenger. As pointed out by Swiss Ramble:
'Arsenal have more cash than any other club in world football'
If only the money could have been discretely transferred to a Panamanian account nobody would be asking all these impertinent questions about winning titles.
To be fair I don't blame them. Wenger insists on playing the same style with the same kind of players for how many seasons now? He's been 3 players short of a title since 2005 and never addressed the problem and I reckon Leicester showing how its done, means he's out of excuses. Last summer he only brought in Cech. The rest of the team are the same powder puff, selfy loving fancy Dans who go missing when the going gets tough.
I reckon Arsenal fans wouldn't mind missing CL football next season (they never get beyond the the last 16 nowadays anyway) if it means Wenger gets replaced. Their a big enough club to get any manager their heart desires and yet the club stick with Wenger because they don't have the balls to do something different. Their fans are certainly paying enough dough to warrant an opportunity to make it clear they've had enough of it.
They should learn to exist in the real world. No one has a divine right to succeed, only one team can a trophy and their are only four chances each year.
Their style of play is entertaining, the club has moved forward off the pitch and they have won a couple of FA Cups recently, as well as finishing top four and reaching the second stage of the Champions League every year.
Stop being such bloody greedy children and start to appreciate what you have. Just look at some of the other clubs who thought their manager had taken them as far as he could!
I still think of Arsenal as being dullards. I don't give a f**k that for a while they were really good and exciting. So were Newcastle in 1996, doesn't mean that historically they aren't liquid shit.
Their fans? F**k them.
Talksport c*nts, frankly. Wenger in! Wenger out! They can suck my dad's cock.
Stefan Moore, Stefan Moore running down the wing. Stefan Moore, Stefan Moore running down the wing. He runs like a cheetah, his crosses couldn't be sweeter. Stefan Moore. Stefan Moore. Stefan Moore.
They should learn to exist in the real world. No one has a divine right to succeed, only one team can a trophy and their are only four chances each year.
Their style of play is entertaining, the club has moved forward off the pitch and they have won a couple of FA Cups recently, as well as finishing top four and reaching the second stage of the Champions League every year.
Stop being such bloody greedy children and start to appreciate what you have. Just look at some of the other clubs who thought their manager had taken them as far as he could!
All that of course but I don't think your average fan really gives a sh*t about moving forward off the field and that the club now has wonderful corporate facilities with the finest chef writing the menu's.
Personally I'd rip your arm from its socket just for a slice of what WBA have been doing but I guess for an Arsenal fan, they feel they could be doing a whole lot better and aren't because of the man in charge who oddly, can't see the wood for the trees.
All that of course but I don't think your average fan really gives a sh*t about moving forward off the field and that the club now has wonderful corporate facilities with the finest chef writing the menu's.
Personally I'd rip your arm from its socket just for a slice of what WBA have been doing but I guess for an Arsenal fan, they feel they could be doing a whole lot better and aren't because of the man in charge who oddly, can't see the wood for the trees.
Thanks Toast but I was referring more to the new stadium and revenue streams rather than the menues! I do take the point though.
I think it's a really interesting conundrum, Leicester this season has put huge pressure on, but perhaps more pertinent the drive forward from Tottenham since Pochettino's arrival has probably had more of an impact. Conversely the troubles at Man United since Ferguson retired shows the perils of changing things if you don't have too.
I think that in many ways Wenger hasn't updated himself in years, he hasn't shaken up his backroom staff and everyone is cosy and comfy and whilst the money rolls in, CL money comes in, Silent Stan will be happy. I think he has what he thinks are principles but in reality he's simply stuck in a rut, and so are Arsenal. However next season could be far far tougher, Leicester will drop away inevitably but Chelsea, Man United, Man City and Spurs will all ve up there, then there is Jurgen Klopp at a revitalised Liverpool - Top 4 might be a stretch next season, never mind the title, and I don't think Wenger really has that desire to really change,and evolve, he hasn't really in the past 10 years and there is little to suggest he will do so now. A season ticket at Arsenal is very very expensive and people are getting fedf up, however change may not change them in the right direction either...
It is a stick or twist situation. He has gone stale, which I think is a shame, as of the top clubs I like them best. Did some building work in London schools and arsenal were by far the best club in the community, and a lot of that was down to Wenger. I don't think spending big is what they need either, they just need a couple of nasty bastards at centre back and midfield. Look at Wes Morgan, Neverr played above the championship, but been brilliant this year. Surprised Steve boulld hasn't sorted them out, but when the pressure is on they are weak as piss. Alternatively if they do change and mess up you can end up like Leeds, so the fans do come across as whingeing bastards
All that of course but I don't think your average fan really gives a sh*t about moving forward off the field and that the club now has wonderful corporate facilities with the finest chef writing the menu's.
Personally I'd rip your arm from its socket just for a slice of what WBA have been doing but I guess for an Arsenal fan, they feel they could be doing a whole lot better and aren't because of the man in charge who oddly, can't see the wood for the trees.
On the food thing...in an article written five years ago 'AKB or AMG? That Could Depend On Your Bank Balance!' the author did raise the question of whether winning anything was that important to the corporates:
'The last five or six seasons have seen a new breed of football fan arrive at our club and it is these ‘fans’ that hold the key as to why the above debate even exists. Whilst these ‘fans’ are happy to pay out a minimum of £3000 a season which is the cost of a basic club level season ticket not including extras like meals etc then the club we support will be more than happy to continue along the same old lines of ‘top four will do’ season after season.
The regular admission tickets are important to the club, they are its bread and butter if you like but what really matters these days is not the average Joe who sits in row seven of the lower tier and pays a relatively minor £900 or so a season for doing so. It is the big time Charlie who pays around £40,000 a season to be a full blooded annual member of the Diamond Club that the club we all support really cares about keeping happy.
For a large number of people that pay out this sort of money per season the end result on the field of play is far from what is on their minds when filling in the credit card details on the renewal slip every season. They have businesses and clients to entertain, ‘come down to the game this Saturday and we’ll have a five course a la Carte meal beforehand with some bubbly to celebrate the deal we have just done’. The result for these ‘fans’ is of such secondary importance that unless the opposition fits the bill in terms of making the game itself something of an event they regularly don’t bother attending and the seats go unused. The kudos gained in inviting clients to attend a regulation home league game with Wolves isn’t quite the same as getting the same clients to attend the Champions League game with Barcelona, hence the lack of atmosphere and rows and rows of empty seats at our stadium in recent times. You can hear them now after this season’s 3-2 home defeat to Spurs - ‘we lost the game today did we? Someone told me it was a local derby, oh well pass me the chardonnay would you old bean, terribly parched’.' http://onlinegooner.com/article.php?section=exclusive&id=2156
So the paradox is that it is actually the Johnny-come-latelys who are less likely to be 'glory hunters' - they get a good meal win or lose. For them the Emirates is just like Westfields...except there is a pitch attached to the restaurants.
Of course you could argue that the battle was lost decades ago when David Dein cleared out the locals from the North Bank at Highbury.
But apart from a debt free stadium, lots more fans, an attractive playing style, top 4 finishes every season, champions league football every season, FA cup wins and a debt free club... what has Wenger ever done for Arsenal?
But apart from a debt free stadium, lots more fans, an attractive playing style, top 4 finishes every season, champions league football every season, FA cup wins and a debt free club... what has Wenger ever done for Arsenal?
All sensible points. But if I may quote myself (always a bad sign) from when we last played Arsenal:
'I have no problem with the AKBs who are wary of getting rid of Wenger and frankly admit that coming fourth is their goal. There they are perfectly rational. They only become irrational when they imagine that, but for a few injuries, Arsenal are a whisker away from winning the League with Wenger.' http://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/queensparkrangers/news/37272/the-endless-p
In more than ten years they've never properly replaced Campbell at centre back and Vieira in midfield from the invincibles team.
yes, he is too loyal to his players for his own good. But I think he has tried but I think his problem is that he has tried to sign the best available players (Suarez, Benzema) and when he has not got them not tried to sign players that are slightly better than what he has.
But Arsenal fans will long for the days of Wenger, when they realise that without him, things are always going to be pretty hard against these others clubs bankrolled by oligarchs
They have been pretty average in the past as well. Before football was invented (c sky) Big club in the 30's and won a few trophies in the years immediately after the war. However, after winning the League in 1952 they didn't win anything until the Fairs Cup (UEFA) in 1969 followed by the double two years later. In fact the only thing they finished second in was the League Cup in the 60's.
If they want to whinge about anything then it should be the ticket prices! If the stadium is paid for and they are debt free then, surely they could be more realistic for the ordinary fan.
Wenger refuses to acknowledge the weaknesses in his team and I'm not sure he's taking them forward any more. If I was an Arsenal fan I'd be very concerned about missing out on top 4 next season and may support the calls for him to go. However, it's very easy to say he needs to go but as Man Utd have found out, it's very difficult to find a replacement.
What would also worry me if I was an Arsenal fan is that it seems to be accepted that Wenger will decide when he goes which I'd have several issues with: 1) There's no pressure on him to succeed from his superiors. 2) You're relying on him to know when to go, considering his stubbornness and inability to see the weaknesses in his own team I wouldn't have faith in him knowing when he's taking the team/club backwards. 3) That doesn't really allow the board to plan for his replacement, is Wenger going to pick his own replacement?!?
I certainly don't feel sympathy for Arsenal fans, but I can understand both sides of the argument.
He's not going to turn things around now and with one season left, if they start poorly, the players are going to adopt a mindset of 'well he's off in the summer' and their season will slide away as this has.
Of the many issues facing Arsenal; if he goes next summer, how much cash do you give him for the forthcoming pre-season?
As we have seen, albeit with a faster revolving managerial door; new manager comes in and decides the players the last bloke bought are gash and then you're left with the cast of extras from Zulu all sat around drawing big salaries and doing feck all.
Luckily for their next manager, he hasn't got the challenges Moyes had when he took over at United in terms of years of pot winning to contend with. While I expect they will look overseas, a good season down on the south coast and they could look at Koeman. Same might be said of Eddie Howe if Bournemouth do well and he fancies the challenge....Laurent Blanc it is then!!
'Always In Motion' by John Honney available on amazon.co.uk