http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo.../Arsene-Wenger-stay-Arsenal-Gary-Neville.html Very nice article, was pretty indifferent to him as a player but as a pundit and writer he is one of the best out there. You can agree or disagree with him but he has made a brilliant point eloquently and reasonably. Interesting reading.
I was dreading seeing him all over the TV when it was first announced he would be a pundit... And now i think he is probably the best pundit on TV... Maybe its because he has only just stopped playing the game? He seems to understand how things work and doesn't just jump onto any media hype that surfaces its head!
Absolutely spot on A breath of fresh air in a sea of fog Neville has got the media wired, Arsenal fans would do well also not to fall into the trap of sensationalist and salacious gossip Coming from George Graham too, shameful. It's not the first time he's been wide of the mark either. I expect better from him really.
Neville is really turning into a top pundit. Does'nt get sucked into the bandwaggons or follow the party lines. He is the one pundit I tend to consistently agree with and I never thought I would say that! After me saying on here the other day about 24hr media, the hamster wheel media, sensationalism etc... it was refreshing and a little scary to read this piece, not sure if he is reading this forum but if you are Gary; keep up the good work....... and tell Fergie he is a w@nker!!!!
Wenger also spoke about - and created a new wengerism - the media being 'Parrotic' He's right, just because somebody keeps saying something negative about Arsenal, it doesn't make it true
Your both spot on and it's something I talked about in my blog. The result of Sky/Commercialisation of football is you get less fans going to games therefore they don't pick up on the vibe/history/culture of football clubs. Every week we here about Chelsea and Arsenal being in crisis. How? Chelsea are in the QF of the League Cup, beat Leeds and we will most likely be in a final, were 3rd in the PL with a new, young squad in a period of transition. Similarly Arsenal are close to 4th, still in the CL. Look at the money Sunderland have spent, there hasn't been a whisper about O'Neill's future yet Wenger who has done so much for Arsenal and the game is under "pressure" every week. It's scary it really is, the agenda that's out there. Anyone that doesn't think the media should be regulated is crazy
What hasn't been explained by the Wenger Out brigade is how exactly they think sacking him will improve things . . . ??? We hear lots about what people think Wenger gets wrong, but nothing about what somebody else would actually do differently to improve the situation. For the amount of stock some people invest the idea for producing an instant fix and without a clear idea of who or what would facilitate that improvement - it seems more like a leap faith to me.
The thing is though for the majority of people who listen/read/watch the media it does become true, sadly! That how the media largely works; repetition.....repetition........repetition, in a lot of ways the media is like a soap opera; its the same stories over and over and when you are hooked all you see is the different characters, failing to see the exact same storylines year after year. Have you got some more Wengerisms?
I agreed with everything you wrote here; until I got to the last line! Although admittedly I am not so sure what the regulations will entail; my fear is that rather than making the media more transparent it will actually protect those in power even further.
It seems that GG has changed his tune and now does believe that Wenger is the man for the job. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20747713 Maybe he's been reading this thread
It'll improve things because we'll get someone who's willing to adapt our tactics to suit opposition, rather than being boringly predictable. We'll get someone who can motivate the players. We only need about 2-3 signings, we just need our current team to play better, which the right manager could get to happen. That would make a massive short term improvment
You know Pisks; the more I read these forums and then hear what some in the media or managers say I become even more convinced that some of them do. What better way to appeal to your target group and appease them than actually following what they say. In the case of managers it can be the difference between them being for or against you, especially in the early stages.
I've never claimed Arsenal should sack Wenger but I do believe he should have walked a while back. Sacking Wenger would rank up there with any Chelsea sacking in terms of stupidity. As you've rightly pointed out Piskie, people want Wenger out without ever considering who the replacement might be. It's an example of modern day football fans who demand immediate gratification and have a Football Manager type mentality. It's the same with every club but in particular Chelsea, United and Arsenal. When Wenger goes, the next managerial appointment will be the biggest and most important in the clubs history. Liverpool got it wrong after Benitez and are now paying the price. If Chelsea get it wrong in the Summer same will happen to them and Man Utd when Fergie retires
Who would this person be though? And would he come to Arsenal? What are his ideas and ambitions for the club? Who would his first signing be and why? These are questions you need to be asking yourself. It's too simplistic to say sack Wenger unless you have a plan and are willing to take a gamble. From a business point of view it makes no sense sacking Wenger. He spends little and overachieves, a new manager may not be able to do that.
'Footballistically' is the only one I think of off the top of my head . . . i'm sure there are some more. You're right about the 'repetition, repetition, repetition' being like a formula to create the gossip and the stories. I'm just surprised so many fans buy into it. Our craving for football often leads people to believe something simply because it's been written. You're right also to observe that it's the same old stories, with different characters each season. I've often said that Football is like Pantomime. From the banter between fans, to the faux heroes and villians on the pitch, to the media whipping up a sensationalist and salacious story about everything in between. I sometimes think that fans and the media are as caught up in it all as each other, and it just continues to feed itself; without really bearing much familiarity to what is actually happening.
It all sounds very much like the Stuart Pearce school of management; motivation, passion etc... and you may be right it may bring some short term improvement in results, but what about long-term? Some short-term gains actually are long-term losses!
I have no idea who the manager would be, on current form anyone would be an upgrade. Even giving Bouldy a shot couldn't be worse. he did improve our defence before Wenger stopped his defence coaching. No coincidence we've resorted back to our calamity prone selves since this happened. Maybe Bould getting praise hurt Wenger's ego? I'm not sure how he overachieves anyway. With the team we have, we should be fighting you for 3rd, not be a long way back. We always have a late season collapse that robs us of chances of winning things, i blame poor coaching for that. Anyone could do better than Wenger ATM. Except Mark Hughes.
I can't see how a managerial change would hurt us in the long run. Wenger is hurting us in the long run at the moment. His failure to sign adequate replacements for players leaving hurts us. When we let Theo go and promote Gnabry from the youths as his replacement, that sets us back. When we sell Gnabry in a few years, we're in the same boat then.
