Evening my fellow Saints fans. I posted this thread on the Arsenal forum earlier and got some interesting responses. Just wondered if any of you feel the same way as me. Evening you Gooners !!! Before I start this thread, this is not a pop at your club or your manager in any way whatsoever. I have a bit of an issue with Wenger getting all the credit for bringing youth through at Arsenal. As a Southampton fan, I feel aggrieved that when you bought Walcott. within 6 months he was in the England squad and the press were falling over themselves " Oh hasn't Arsene Wenger done a wonderful job to get Theo in the England squad". Hang on a minute - Saints brought him through their academy, played him in our first team (albeit in the championship) played him in his rightful position, down the middle, sold him to you and then Wenger takes the plaudits for his call up to England. Then Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain takes exactly the same path and Wenger's at it again. Now I see Arsene has his beady eye on another of our hot prospects in the shape of Luke Shaw. Will the same thing happen again if you get Shaw, who by the way is gonna be a class act. I guess what I'm trying to say, is Arsene Wenger that much of a genius ??? Your thoughts would be most interesting. Cheers
You could have added keep your mitts off of Luke Shaw, that would have endeared you even more. # [Ta Oli I missed that one.]
This seems like just a thinly-veiled excuse to just go and boast about our academy. While Wenger may not be a genius, as you put it (I can't recall him ever claiming to be one), I think credit should go his way for the simple fact that he is willing to spend a lot of money on young British talent and trying to nurture them, when most managers in his position would be looking abroad, especially with the amount of pressure that he is under from the Arsenal fans. I hope you are not the type of person who goes on but the terrible state of the England national team. If anything we need more managers with the same attitude as Wenger.
Thanks for your response, but it's no such thing, but since you mention it, I'm immensely proud of our academy and you should be too. Read the post again and I think you will find I never said Wenger did say anything of the sort. I think you'll find I said the press were saying it, which they were. I was just putting the feelers out to the Arsenal fans to see what they thought of Wenger's youth policy. Again, if you read the post again, I specifically said it wasn't a pop at Arsenal or Wenger for that matter. So before you come on here giving me pelters for saying what I think (which is what I thought the site was for by the way) you should probably read the post more thoroughly.
I think Arsenal may have encouraged some of the greed that they are experiencing. When buying young English players, who already will have a lot of pressure heaped on their small shoulders, maybe they should encourage them to stay a year on loan before joining them, to aid their development. Then, it might take them an extra year to release the Gunners are cheap.
Hey History, please don't dis Arsenal cause you might upset our friendly closet gooner who happens to think Arsene Wenger can do no wrong
I don't think he was made out in this way whatsoever. If anything he took a lot of criticism for it. And most of the newspaper reports I ever read always seemed to mention that they both started their careers at Saints. Anyway, apologies for the tone of my first post, I didn't mean to offend. Believe it or not my initial accusation was written in jest - I guess it didn't come across that way though.
I remember seeing articles on SSN with both Walcott and AOC from Whinger saying that Arsenal had developed both players into what they were today...! Whilst I can't deny that their experiences and levels of challenge would have changed..... He made very little or no acknowledgement of the work Saints had done. Personally, I think it's time for him to be a director of football and let someone ekes have a go...
well, i am at 2022 season and one Anders Svenson is top of the pile - i kid you not... he is also lightning quick - couldnt figure that one out cos i thought he use to run like he was wading through treacle when he played for us!
