AW and the board are keep saying years after years that the manager have the funds to buy big if he want.. so it is his choice not to buy at the end or are you calling the manger and the board liars then?
I think it basically came down to the stadium move. The board set a plan in motion then to develop youth players on long contracts and build a team from scratch. To dispense with trying to match the transfers and salaries of other teams and to sell our most valuable asset each season to maximise income in order to pay off the debt. For all the cries of failed youth project, those teams actually came very close to winning the Champions League in 2006, the League in 2008 and the Carling Cup in 2011. They also finished in the top 4 every season and qualified for the champions league. They didn't win a trophy, but they still performed remarkably well considering. During that time since the move, the financial face of football was also disfigured out of all proportion by Chelsea and then Man City, who pumped billions into their clubs and made the task of competing with them on the pitch and in the transfer market that much more difficult. So for a team like Arsenal, the rough gems were no longer available for £8m and 50k per week when City and Chelsea were prepared to pay £20m and 100k per week. So we stuck to our plan to develop youth players and the board continued with their plan to sell their most prize asset each season. As I've mentioned, it's a minor miracle that Wenger has managed to keep his teams in the Champions League and top 4 every season. I think some people underestimate just how difficult that is to do, ask Spurs or Liverpool, who have both spent a lot of money on players trying to do so. Wenger, whilst not perfect, is not the problem at Arsenal. It has been the policy of selling our best players and not replacing them with equally as good players that has caused the issue, the payoff is that we've paid off the stadium and now got ourselves into a position where we can spend again. That's why I think Wenger, who has steered this club through one of the toughest times in it's recent history, should be given the opportunity to rebuild again in the summer.
I think the key is who in this team would have made an all time Wenger (Arsenal 11) ? Jack possibly and until he's done it for a few years I'd say no, but certainly no-one else, so if we concede that we've had better players in every position over the past 16 years yet won the league only 3 times, that tells me todays squad very substandard and a long way short of being good enough to win. I'm not obsessed with winning, I was bought up paying 90p on the North Bank in the early 80s watching us get dicked by Watford, QPR, West Brom and Coventry when a top 6 finish was considered a great season, what I want is for us to be competitive, the Bayern game for me was embarrassing, the ease with which they run us around was painful and for a team who clearly set themselves up to counter attack to score 3 times says plenty. What they do to us in Germany could be scary. We haven't been able to compete at the very top level for while now, we can still boast a team capable of beating the mid and lower premier league sides and we may still be good enough for 4th place, but despite the obvious financial gain from qualification is there any point being there is we suffer nights like Tuesday year after year ? Performances at this stage are generally toothless, Man Utd, Barca away (twice) Milan away and now Bayern, just uncompetitive. I have no objection to the club showing little ambition if they were honest in their communication, tell the fans that we can't win the league and the best we can hope for is top 6 with a cup run and reduce the ticket prices accordingly, it might mean our home gates are around 40,000 so a massive reduction in match day income but at the moment all we're doing is funding Silent Stan's investment and contributing to his profits so I'd have no issue with such a change in direction. In fact, unlikely as it is, I'd be happy if a consortium of fans who have a geniune love for the club raised the capital and took ownership from SS and we never won another trophy....
I am pleased to see that the board will not be swayed by those calling for Wenger's head http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21530212 This might be a tough patch for us. For me this is when fans need to give their manager and players the support they need the most.
Support for the team is a given, support for the manager a probability (by the majority), but support for the board ? Silent Stan is not an Arsenal fan, he is a businessman who wants /demands to make money on his investments, his popularity along with other American owners is of no concern, they're a think skinned ruthless bunch. Find me a Manc fan who likes the Glazers, and they've won plenty with the Americans at the helm, does it bother them ? Does it ****, they're making money, that's all that counts
I would love to think Wengers lack of spending is purely down to a lack of funds. But it is'nt. This is why the board have felt it necessary to come and say THERE IS PLENTY OF MONEY AVAILABLE.
We dont BUY because Wenger is against spending big in the transfer market. You can find 100's of quotes from the Frenchman himself that back that statement up. Obviously the sale of key players has had a big impact but even more so because the manager has issues with spending the cash required to replace them
Trouble is, we have to sell Rvp for 25M because he wants to leave. But to replacce him you need 50M plus another 5M on wages, and then you have to worry about losing Wilshere and Walcoitt and Vemaelen etc. when their contracts come up because they are going to expect 200K a week as well. YOu seem to think that the problem is childishly simple, but it really isn't.
Agree with all that Piskie. You're right, it's a very good achievement with everything considered. - and not just once, but season after season. You've only got to look at us. - where as you guys have been selling, we've not been buying players that we desperately need, which in a way is a similar scenario as essentially we're getting weaker because others are strengthening and we've stood still. It'll be a miracle if we make the CL this season after selling our 2 most influential players last season. If AVB pulls it off, he's a genius, despite his faults. Levy has left him with little to work with, huge gaps, and a poor squad quality with no game changers. Now that your stadium is sorted, the time has come to strengthen, as you say. However, this won't be an easy task if you don't make the CL. It's the be all and end all of football these days. We've got some good players in without it, but getting those who make the difference and allow you to really compete, is very hard. You get left in this sort of "stalemate" position, where you're so close, yet so far. We aren't able to compete on wages until our new stadium is ready, so in a way we're in a similar position that you guys were in a few seasons ago. The difference with us, is that we've never been a regular CL side (and don't expect it), where as you guys are. If I was an arsenal fan, the concern for me would be that not qualifying for the CL could have a major impact on how quickly you can get back to the arsenal side of a decade ago, if the strengthening process begins. As a result, would more players want to move on? The Europa league is like purgatory. With modern football the way it is, and very little loyalty from players, it makes holding onto your assets v difficult. Yours have left despite being in the CL. A step down to a weaker European competition could give you guys additional problems that you've not had to deal with before.
Despite the assertions from some that missing out on the Champions League would be good for us as it would force the board to spend, it would actually be a disaster. I believe the club when they say that they could manage the loss of income, as in not being dependent on it, but forty million is forty million whatever way you look at it. Also, as you mention, the psychological damage would have a big impact, on some of our existing players, who at times look very fragile and on any potential players who we would want to bring to the club. So for me CL qualification is essential to our plans to rebuild. You're right to point out that Spurs are in a similar position to where Arsenal were a decade ago - albeit without the trophies But we had outgrown our ground and we're in need of increasing capacity, to raise revenue and to compete with the Utds, Barca, Real, Milan clubs on a financial footing. The club were very clear at the beginning of this project that there would be no big transfer spending and that we were taking a different approach from the 'throw as much money at the problem and see what sticks' approach of Chelsea, City, Liverpool and to an extent Spurs. I've said it more times than I care to remember now, but Wenger has performed a minor miracle keeping our club in the top 4 and CL each season and it's my firm assertion that had we sacked him when people were first calling for his head, we would already be out of the CL places - and the perceived crisis at Arsenal, would have been a real one. It is because of Wenger we are where we are, not despite him. As for Spurs, I think you've got a tough road ahead. You've got a match winner in Bale, but Levy will know that he is a major financial asset, and at a time where you're posting losses and wanting to finance a new stadium, he may well cash in on him in the summer. There's no easy route to paying for a new stadium and trying to keep hold of your best players, whilst managing the debt is, as we've demonstrated, a difficult balance. For Arsenal, I think we are through the tough patch now as far as paying for the stadium, the problem is that coupled with the obscene spending from the mega rich clubs, it's left us well behind the top pecking order - and now we need to play catch up. There are things I would have done differently, like not selling our top players which undoubtedly weakened us - I can understand where the board were coming from in terms of revenue raising, but they must have known the effect it would have had on the pitch ? The silver lining is that we're now in a position to spend properly again and rebuild with top quality players, but the task has been made that much more difficult by the spending of those around us. Again, as you mention, CL qualification is a key component in our plans.
Arsenal and Wengers financial prudence was perfectly justified when AFC was owned by some board members and small shareholders. We had to earn money to cover the new stadium and probably it was wise to save for a rainy day. I could understand that because there was no cover or safety net, Now, when we are owned by two multi billionaires who are some of the richest businessmen in the world, could anyone please explain why are we still trying to find some used bargains on a football flee market? Kroenke has £2 billions to add to his wife's multibillion empire. Usmanov is the second richest man in UK with his massive £12 billions, well ahead of Abramovich. Usmanovâs fortune has fallen last year by £85m. Yiu know why? Because of his charitable donations that amount to £91m in that year. Meanwhile Kroenke buys a broken ranch for £80m. He sure has given away some millions for charity as well. Now, i am not against charity or good housing at all, but just to have some perspective here. Why the idea of us buying a badly needed top class CF for £30 m is a blasphemy ???
Wenger will be here until his contract expires in 2014 at least, so those who want him out might as well give him their final bit of support until then.
The fact is we have been given misinformation and cant be 100% certain where it came from. On the one hand we have wenger saying there is no money and on the other the board saying there is money but it never gets spent. Someone is lying and whoever it is should go, or maybe they are all in it together. Whoever has been lying to the fans needs to go as lying to the fans is not acceptable
When Villa equalised today, Wenger took off the right back and replaced him with an attacking midfielder/striker. In the last ten minutes of the game, his team got the winning goal. He then replaced an attacking midfielder/striker with another defender. Seems to me that he took a gamble tactically that paid off. Saying that, I didn't see the game so if my observation is wrong then let me know
I would say that the most worrying thing about todays game is the sheer amount of chances that we need before we score . So many were wasted . You aint gonna get that many chances against a good team . But you cant fault the effort they put in . thats a positive , workrate was high . accuracy was low. To concede a ridiculous goal from one of our own corners is beyond funny. Lets hope its a faltering start to a winning run .
The number of chances we created and posession we had is exactly why Ive been saying on another forum that Giroud isnt the man we need. Hes just not good enough at getting in goal scoring positions and on the end of balls imo.
So anyway, back to whether or not to blame Wenger ? Seeing as the club aren't going to sack him. Surely it's the pragmatic thing to get behind him now and see what he does in the summer transfer window ?
See if he gets Top4. He has my full support until the end of the season. If he fails to get Top4, the man should walk.
I don't think we have any other way but to back him. The board won't sack him even if he drops out the top 4. If he does drop out the top 4, then significant investment may happen. Wenger's main goal is the Champions league and this may spur him on to go out and finally buy big.
