Listening back to Arsene's post-match thoughts and with only 90 seconds of audio, he managed to rattle out so many excuses: - our busy schedule; okay, that's fine but how many years have you been this club's manager? He knows how many competitions we are involved in and how stretched we get so why didn't you sign some faces, atleast temporarily, to plug the holes? - 'three very difficult pitches' - well, it was actually 2 'very difficult pitches'. We've just played Sunderland a week before on the SAME PITCH. It's not like they're playing in a swamp or on lava, it is grass Arsene! The Sunderland players weren't affected by the pitch and they played some nice stuff at times. We didn't even change our tactics to combat this supposed 'difficult' pitch. - the penalty being a 'crucial point' and '100%' - whether it was 100% a penalty is one matter but calling it a crucial factor in the game is slightly ridiculous. It was in the first half. If we'd been battering down the Sunderland defence with shot after shot and then had that decision turned down, then I'd let him say it was a crucial decision. Truth is though, that decision came in one rare spell of attacking intent in the first half. If the player's morale is seriously affected by ONE so-so decision, then they should grow up. - unluckiness, particularly with injuries - I'd say this is the only thing he can really moan about because it must be just as annoying for him to see Coquelin go off early, as it is for us. But you do have to question all the injuries we get. Wenger's post match interviews are known for having the same buzz-words such as 'resilience', 'determination' and 'commitment' but I thought after he slammed the team in Milan, he'd do the same against Sunderland. So to see him revert back to the same old default post match comments is really frustrating. I don't want him to point out a player and say, 'he's ****!' but some kindof realisation that this isn't good enough would suffice!
He is becoming such an embarrassment. Our failures have nothing to do with anything he mentions here.
Pretty much the same has Tony Pulis, blaming everyone and everything for his own short comings. It just makes them look stupid to be fair. You only have to look at Scumderland to see how a new manager breathes fresh air into a side. I believe both our clubs require this to see the players better motivated!
the cruise liner captain ' tell them the lights failed because the generator has gone wrong.' sound familiar?
Sorry these excuses seem a little pathetic from Wenger. The point of having a squad Arsene is to combat against injuries and multiple games. The real problem Arsene is the players on the bench are not good enough. It not only freaks you out but freaks us out when one of these guys have to be wheeled onto the pitch. Having to see players like Squilachi, Dujourou, Arshavin or any others is what the real problem is. These are YOUR players, that YOU bought, NO ONE ELSES BOUGHT them remember that! Seriously, 7 years without a trophy and the same old excuses, really? Rememer what Fergie has done with a squad riddled with injuries and past it players? He won the league last year and he is challenging again this year. We have been knocked out of every tournament and out of the league, and its only February. These are facts Mr Wenger, not your petty moans.
I was at the game yesterday and to be fair the pitch was terrible, but it was the same for Sunderland and Wenger keeps telling us how technically gifted our players are, they should be able to cope with it. What I saw was this (no particular order just a cathartic release of my opinions about the team display): Squillaci - is not, has never been and will never be Premiership level player (would struggle in my over 40s league) Djourou - his touch is awful and he panics like crazy when any pressure is applied Sagna - seems to struggle with his touch also. Not the player he was even just a couple of years ago Song - seems to fall over quite a lot for a midfielder TV5 - genuine quality player, but it's clear that he's not sure of the people around him The OX - not his best yesterday - but he's young, exciting and put in a good shift. Chased back and tried to get stuck in (was the only one!!) Walcott - Wenger can do no more for him - needs to let him go. Maybe he'll develop elsewhere - would be a good shout for Newcastle / A Villa / Everton / etc. Not top 4 material on current performances. Gervinho - ??? Really not sure. Flashes of speed, touch and dribbling but lacks end product. Still I'd keep him for sure. RvP - let him go. He needs the chance at one last big contract. He's served his time, done what he can and deserves to put some silverware in his cabinet. Can't see him doing that with Arsenal. Good luck to the guy. If he stays - brilliant, but let's not get at him if he decides to move on. Not at his best yesterday, but he survived on scraps. Fabianski - did nothing wrong as far as i could tell Ramsey - okay yesterday - fell over a bit too much but did get crowded out and couldn't pick many inciscive passes. Arteta - industrious but again not very dynamic. was happy to keep the ball and pass sideways. (Not necessarily a critisism - it just doesn't help when there's no-one making decent runs!!) Coq - not long enough to get into the game. The overall play was poor. Lots of possession (as expected) but not in dangerous areas. Players afraid to shoot on sight of goal - even when chasing the game. Defensively fragile when Sunderland chased them down. Didn't look comfortable. It was a clear tactic and we couldn't counter it with the quick passing that allows defenders to pass through to midfield quickly enough to avert the danger. Lots of times our defenders were forced to turn towards our own goal and off-load. No real urgency in the team display - at no point did it feel like we were applying concerted pressure on Sunderland anywhere on the pitch - let alone up front. I think they worked harder than us and deservedly won the game. Can't complain about the injuries too much - these things happen (why is it always us???). The penalty shout again is one of those that you sometimes get (but they had a handball shout too). I was bitterly dissappointed - (my girlfriend is a Sunderland fan and I had to do a nighshift after the game too - what fun I had). Anyway that's how I saw it. Do I still support Arsenal - course I do. Did I really think that we would win the FA Cup? Course I didn't. Do I think we'll beat Milan 5 - 0? You're joking right?? Can we finish fourth? Absolutley. Will we? I'll take the fifth ammendment on that one. Spend some money Arsene - have a clearout. Get some fresh legs in and more importantly have a look around your backroom staff and get some new talent in there. People that have played the game recently and understand how things have changed and what's needed to create a balance between youth and experience, strength and guile, speed and patience, adventurousness and pragmatism........ But most of all don't treat us like idiots - we can see the reasons for our decline. Lets not make out that the Emperor really is wearing clothes after all. We can all see that he's butt naked, freezing his arse off and he wants to cover his shame
I think not only us but the players too have lost faith. Had we been winners over the past years would the likes of Fabregas and Nasri have departed? As E61886 says, if RvP wants to go then we should not stand in his way. Having taken his name as my alias naturally I would love him to stay but I would not wish for him to remain out of loyalty and lose what could be his final chance of a medal haul. If we bring in a bunch of players who will get us back on top then yes, I do hope he stays. A number of our others players though should go and Arsene should also consider making way for fresh ideas too. Take a look at Martin O'Neill. He's injected life into Sunderland and under Ole' 'Arry even our North London rivals have been building steadily year on year. In that same time we have engaged the reverse gear and clung onto fourth place. If nothing of note happens this summer, then we won't even be a top 7 side. Sunderland will have overtaken us.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17088995 Over the last few days, the cry babies have been posting comments from ex Arsenal players (including Petit) to try and justify getting rid of Wenger. Well ladies, here is Mr Petit saying that getting rid of Wenger would be "the biggest mistake". So, is Petit someone we should listen to or not? You can't have it both ways, although some of you probably do when in the privacy of your own homes...
glad wumpoles around .... wheres piskie ... here goes .... Would Wenger like to overlay his personal view that players must be young and upcoming etc to the tiers of club mgt and say to himself i don't fit that model, pat rice certainly does not fit it and my mates don't fit it.. he should be saying this club needs a manager who might be good next year or the year after and who is young ... if its ok for the players then its ok for the manager to be in that mould. AVB fits the wenger profile of a our next mgr .. young, considered by most to be potentially great ... results and performances point to the contray but who cares hide behind he's young and will be better next year excuse wenger has perfected since 2005 .... wenger should make way for avb if he truely belives The "in young we trust" rubbish, things probably won't improve but who cares wenger the god gets his own way again so all is happy in the world. you reap what you sow (always) invest in good players who can play (of any age to be fair) .. give them a frame work, leadership and organisation and success will usually follow or at least really competing will ensue ..... invest in mediocre players (but tell people they are great) give them a framework and leadership .. it won't be enough to cross that success line if they are not good enough to start with. we cannot and must stop blaming the players, if they are doing their best and are simply not good enough, hold up our hands and say it ... denilson 200 games almunia 200 games eboue 130, archavin .. god knows how many he's got ... these coupled with sundry other players have been held up as better then anything wengers worked with (his words) they are giving the results/performances their talents can give nothing more, nothing less. I therefore blame the people who put them on the pitch week in week out .. wenger heads this list as the manager who took all the applause c96-05. Has wenger shown he will alter things? .. no we are still linked with potentiallly great, usually french, embryos and injury prone weaklings ... if wenger saw another henry out there does anyone belive he would truly recogonise the talent anymore? and if he did would he attract them with join me and at 21 you'd be the oldest in the squad and oh you don't mind playing on thursday evening live on channel five do you?, oh you do mind, er sorry better got to a team in the champs league then. oh and note to wenger ... you don't need to be a football manager to comment on "our" national game or the team you support loyally through the years .. football has been debated in the pubs, the pits the trenches, classrooms and the workplace for over a 100 years .. to suggest you can only criticise if you have managed in the champs league says more about your lack of class lack of humilty and total lack of current skills then anything an irate unhappy fan or headline hungry media hack managment can say or do. Funny how when he had men (sorry winners) he handled himself with class and decorum, now he is leading medicore kids he looks and sounds like a manager who is lost and spiralling backwards .. sad to see but if he keeps making comments like he did in his last press conf then it won't be sad to see him humilated it will be rough justice and good to see him go with no fanfare. Thanks for the memories for sure but not sad to see this guy move on anymore. I will support the club and players as always I don't need an ignorant ref baiter to tell me to get behind the club i was behind it years before he arrived here and wll be after he's gone.. will i belive they are good enough to succeed .. no, as a free thinker wengers rhetoric just does not wash on me, that does not make me disloyal? i think not. as a good manager of old im sure wenger is well versed in the making big differcult decisions in the best interests of the club ... when he's signed or let go players etc .. well time to reflect this on himself .. its big and its differcult but all things point to one happy conclusion and something in the best interests of the club. "joe le taxi for wenger"
There is absolutely no point to talk about individual players, current form, schedule, pitches and injuries. It is time to look at the bigger picture and reassess the way: 1) the club money being spent, 2) the squad being built, 3) players being paid 4) game strategies being employed. There are huge question marks on all these 4 accounts.
and why has Usmanov bought more shares to have 30% ?? - a look at the accounts in detail.? - he should also get a seat on the Board !!
Pretty funny that we just got tanked 4-0 by a side where they dont make people leave till they are 40 instead of 30! Remember zidane dominating in the late stages of 2006? Wenger would of sold him 3 years before that. Giggs is still quality for united. Wenger would of sold him 7 years ago (or 4 premier leagues and a champions league ago). Javier Zanetti. 39 years old or something. Was incredible in 2009 when inter won the treble. Wenger needs to wake up and realise that players can often perform at the top level till they are into their late 30's
Wenger has no problem keeping players well into their 30's,Adams,Bergkamp etc etc.The only thing is he'll only give them one year contracts
You are going back several years for those examples. Now he just ships them out. And the 1 year rule for a 30 year old is just madness. Its an insult.
whislt winning it covers up all the cracks or madcap policies, they are exposed and debated when you start to lose, thats why wenger is getting it in the neck. the old adage is usally true "if your good enough .. your old enough" wenger agrees with this as long as the old enough is 18-22 ... its balence we have missed ,,, ramsey is a good player .. (he';s played about 40 games as has wilshire) but he would learn along side an older player ... cesc played with viera for about a dozen games then as a kid cesc is asked to lead the fight and gets other kids around him ..that led to his barca transfer, im afriad hes probably learned more in 3 months at barca then the last 3 years with us ... hope im wrong but i bet whens he benched he works hard to get back .. at arsenal hes first choice evne if he lost half his right letg. if we get the mix right then things click .. laugh me down but i can see ramsey being our captain one day or playing for man utd .. yes he's looked ropey recently but he shows soemthing in his play his personality etc, can't put me finger on it but the same feeling as when we wathced henry miss all those one on ones (at wembley mostly) before he became a true legend. but why is he being asked to make us great at 21 yrs old and after a broken leg? and with younger players around him or Arteta/rosciky!!!! ... if we play it right he and wilshire along side a yaya toure for eg would have been better then thinking song is the ansa .. song is good but who has song learned from?, has he really stepped up?, again not his fault hes a kid in a mans game with kids along side him .. development is bound to be slow. saf recognised it for his team and hence scholes comes back ... not saying we need viera but we need someone/s soon or the kids will loose heart completly and finsh off thier careers elsewhere confirming the feeder club some think we are.
