Ok so I suggest we release every player and close the club down, unless we are prepared to pay every player 250k and spend 100 million on transfers, get a grip. The club is living within its means, yes we could buy a few more players, but what the **** are you and RVP expecting? Will we go out and buy messi and ronaldo? Seems to me some fans won't be happy unless we do buy these players or bankrupt the club trying to compete. Get a grip on reality please and stop talking rubbish.
Try to be reasonable. The point is, if the Club has the ability but are being over cautious, or have simply made mistakes - like wage parity etc. - that are hindering the investment in first team players in the hopes that some of the youngsters can be sold for a profit later, that's counter-intuitive to winning trophies. The amount that Arsenal invest in 5 youngsters who MIGHT make it is enough to pay one or two top players who have ALREADY MADE IT. You can see vP's point, he's fed up of waiting around for this supposed "Golden Generation" which never arrives because players get bored of waiting for it to arrive and disappear.
I understand what you are saying, and I agree with a lot of it, but my original exaggerated point was to highlight that some people just think we have to go and spend spend spend, and if we don't match city the board are showing a lack of ambition. The experiment with youth has failed, I'm not going to criticise the club for tying it because it was worth a go, especially when we had to pay for the stadium. But other people have to be reasonable on the other side, constantly criticising but never actually coming up with a valid realistic point. Buy players? Ok which ones and for what price, the transfer market seem to have slowed down and there have been very few big deals so far. I think we have done ok so far with gould and podolski, maybe need 1 more player in midfield if we keep RVP, I think he will end up staying till the end of his contract as no other club seems that interested in him.
What a load of rubbish. We werent soo financially constricted we actually HAD to sell Fabregas, Nasri, Adebayor etc.. Also if you read my posts, I've constantly said we DONT need to 'spend big' - We just have to stop selling our best players.
I assume you mean until the end of Season, as he's not signed a new contract. If Arsenal ask too much, or try to sell him to a club he doesn't fancy, then he may stay. However that would be short sighted by the board, as if he's not sold during the Window he can sign a pre-contract for whoever he wants in January and the club's chances of getting any kind of fee in a January sale of a cup tied player will be virtually nill.
Whoever he likes, but not an epl club as they have to wait a month before his contract his up because they are in the same league
You talk like our players are slaves and that Arsenal decide who to sell. Really these days, unless you pay a player the top money - over 200K/week, there is no real way to make any player stay at a club. That isn't being a selling club or a lack of ambition, that is just a lack of money. RVP is not worth 200K/week in my opinion. I suppose we could break or bank and not sign anyone this year, to raise his salary and everyone else who might think of leaving, but i think Arsenal are showing more ambition by NOT paying him to stay and signing new players instead. I am immensely more hopeful for this season without RvP than I would be with RvP. When we have him in the team, I don't like the way we play. I think we are too predictable and too reliant on him. I think selling him is a good idea, he is old, a crock, and makes us too one-dimensional. The ONLY player I have regretted losing over the last few years is Fabregas, and even then I think the club did the right thing there, in a difficult situation.
Yes, but lets face it, he will be knocking on the door of 30 then and will have wasted the best value year, he has to offer a club (this season) after that, his value drops, particularly if he doesn't play as much. This is a big game of chicken with RvP. It would be bad for the club and RvP if he is not sold ths window, but the club can afford to take the loss, more than RvP can. Again I think this goes against the jibe that Arsenal are a selling club. It is saying that Arsenal only sell if they get good value. If we don't get good value, he can play out his contract, or rot in hell, either way, he isn't leaving.
Indeed. We should hold out for minimum £25M, preferably £30M or it'll be up to VP to prove his worth with the club. If he doesn't put the effort in, then he rots in the reserves for a year. Then we'll see how much he can earn.
I haven't read through the thread, but I hope PHW stick to his word and keeps RVP at Arsenal. **** owes us and slagging off the club was not very clever of him at all. I don't really care if some 'more money than sense' club comes in with a £25m bid - **** em. He's our best player and is worth much more to us than any transfer fee. We need him next season. Otherwise I think Podolski and Giroud are going to struggle (initially at least) and people will get on their backs and start the usual slagging off the club for selling our best player and not replacing him. As far as I can see RVP is irreplaceable at the moment. We would be far weaker without him. The club need to make a stand this summer and tell him that he's not for sale and hold him to his contract with us.
Well, I find myself in the unusual situation where I disagree with you. I think Podolski and Giroud will hit the ground running and we will have forgotten RvP by Christmas. I think that if we sell RvP and there is a good chance we will, that we will have another striker as well. For me, these are exciting days at Arsenal. I am so much happier than I would have been if we had just kept RvP and got nobody in.
Fair enough. I have to admit that it does look like the board are willing to splash some readies this summer. But RVP is still our best player and I think it's a bit optimistic to expect Pod and Giroud to hit the ground running. I think they will be far more effective playing alongside him. It's my strong opinion that RVP owes Arsenal big time. We have stuck by him through thick and thin, he should show a bit more loyalty and humility to the people who have stuck by him and paid his wages during the dark days.
the present Board were not here when RVP had his worst days - they are mostly johnnie-come-latelys. AW has stuck by him, and although many fans got tired of the years of endless injury issues - we all seem to have found a major hero last season. Now he has drawn attention to the lack of ambition, as he sees it, I do have some sympathy with his plight. Stick it out and win nothing or finish his career where he certainly might win things.
I think you'll find the majority of the board have been there for all of RVP's career.The only two who haven't are Kroenke & Gazidis
the others are Lord Harris, Sir Chips Keswick, Ken Friar and our beloved Chair -PHW. RVP signed in May 2004 - I thought your 2 and my first 2 were not non-Execs then. Kroenke announced as a Director Sept 2008 after initially investing in April 2007. Lord Harris joined the Board Nov 2005. Ken Friar joined the Board in May 2008. Gazidis joined in Jan 2009.
The way you lot have turned on our most stellar performer for as long as I can remember just takes my breath away. Bloody hell - you lap up the ****e from his arse one minute, and are driving nails in him on the cross the next. What a bunch of 'supporters' you are - he's well out of it with guys like you.
Read PISKIE's comment those are my thoughts exactly. I support every player who wants to play for the club irrespective of how good/bad they are. I also have respect for cesc bcse his circumstances were different. I'm not the kind who would jeer Rvp I simply want him to leave the club. No fun supporting a player who wants to leave no matter how many goals he's banged in.
I agree on the Van Persie isssue but I think if Wenger plays Podolski centrally he wont struggle at all. (and Wenger has just indicated that this will probably be the case) Giroud I'm not sure about, he's a good player but may take some time. Van Persie is sheer quality now though and the thing about him is that if he can get over his injury issues he's capable of playing the Berkamp role once his pace deteriorates . So he could in fact still have quite a long career ahead of him.
