Our wage structure? Wenger is on £7m a year! He is a hypocrite when it comes to players and their wages as he is more than happy to exploit the market rates for top managers. This reverence for the wage structure is another delusion akin to Arsenal doing things the "right way"... ie pay your rubbish players similar rates to the best and win **** all because the better ones a) become fed of winning **** all as a result of having to carry the passengers b) know they can earn much more elsewhere... Hence they leave.
Arshavin was on 80k as far as i remember - and he has been worth it. Other than last season were he was barely used he has been very important for us - his contribution is vastly under-rated by Arsenal fans. Even last year he was the one who put in the beautiful ball for Henry to slot away a winner. I understand that because he is a back-up player it doesn't make sense to pay such high wages but i'd like to see him stay, get some more game time and try and work his way into the team. He has been great this season when he has had opportunities. Squilachi though on 50k a week (?) needs to go! He looked like a good buy when he first came in but he has not been good enough and is taking up wage space i'd much rather use elsewhere. Miquel is good enough to slot in as 5th choice CB.
He's absolutely worth 100k Scoring 10-15 Goals a Season these days and he's only going to get better. I've always maintained Walcott will be a late developer. Another 3-4 years and he'll be TOP class. His finishing and first touch have improved dramatically, He's also getting physically stronger year on year.
We are at top end of the table...highest in UK definitely...the point is the prices paid is not commensurate to the competitiveness shown by our board in attracting and, crucially, retaining Europes top talent.
I think we are going to have to be careful with it, but for the first time in ages, I think we might have the players to play a 4-4-2, against certain teams. Giroud and Walcott through the middle and Cazorla and Santos playing wide. Wilshere and Arteta through the middle. I don't think we should play it in the big games, or the open games, but against your park the bus type teams, a long ball forward with giroud knocking it down for Walcott may be a better answer than a slow build up. Just wanted to get it in before I received too many I told you sos.
We are at the top end for our top price tickets, and at the low end for our lowest price tickets. A lot of the top end stuff has to do with being in London and the fact that the corporate London market can stand that type of price. Yes, it aveages out in the end, to being at the high end of the scale, but we depend on the money our football operation makes, not on a sugar daddy, so we have to make what we can, in order to be competitive. It seems odd to me that you object to the club selling out the ground, but getting the highest possible amount of money for doing it, but then complain that Arsenal can't retain players, because they don't have the money. You seem to have created a "Damned if you do, damned if you don't situation". I really expect our detractors to be stretching to make a case against the club (and it is a stretch), but when our own fans do it, it always seems a bit sour to me.
Hurry up and just give him what he wants. Hearing worrying rumours that he won't sign and Liverpool want him so you lot want Sterling as part of any deal that takes Walcott to Anfield in January (and Sterling does fancy a move back home but isn't desperate for it).
This is his ticket away from arsenal: http://m.talksport.co.uk/sports-new...sive-–-walcott-i-want-play-front-185567 We all know he won't replace giroud up front....at least not up till Xmas. And this is when the decision is being made....to stay or to go.
I also claimed we should start him against Spurs and Liverpool every game (teams that open up). You can read the whole post if you want.
I also named him as one of the goalscorers in my prediction, but you twats can nitpick all you want. The fact remains that the majority of the teams we face won't be like Spurs, Swansea etc, and will be more like Sunderland. In no way has Walcott earned to be one of our best paid players. If Wenger remains rational he will still only be a bit part player, and Gervinho will be picked ahead of him in almost every game.
And I said games that are not well contested, what the **** would yesterday's be? 5-2 against a 10 man side. It is absolutely the type of game I described Walcott would be rampant in.
Sorry mate but I think you're way off with this. When Walcott is in the team, we are dangerous and his stats bear that out. I agree that he gets more freedom against teams who like to try and open us up, that's natural. But that's not to say that he's inneffective against teams who shut up shop. Don't get me wrong, I like Gervinho, but for all the things that Walcott is accused of - inconsistency, poor final ball, poor finishing, picking the wrong choice etc. Gervinho could be accused of being worse. I think Gervinho has got a place in this team and he's done well this season, but there's no way he should be ahead of Walcott, especially on the right.
If Sterling were to come the other way, it would definitely soften the blow. I think he's a great little player.
