Failing
I often post the GT blogs in Arsenal Fan Groups on Facebook and they often prove popular and frequently cause some debate. Nowhere is the debate stronger and more lively than in the Arsenal Away Boyz Group. Alex Field is one of the most active group members and today Alex sent me a response to Graham’s Arsenal Circular piece today
“The solution for some is to sack the manager. That is a view that is gathering pace. We have the banners; we have the growing anger on social media and if and when the title is beyond our grasp the discontent will become ugly. This article is not the occasion to debate the strengths and weaknesses of Wenger. My position has been clear and is unchanged. I rate him highly” So says Graham Perry
You still rate the manager and question those who use their eyes and suggest they should not listen to pundits, even when they are our own ex-players with the exception of Mr Ian Wright who’s flip flop’s on his own views, are almost as legendary as his goal scoring! But I have to say our own ex-players, I would give a little more credence to than others, as Arsenal gets under your skin I’m told.
Your analogy is also flawed as Mr Gary Neville was sacked, I am told due to language difficulties. Now I think that was the fault of those that employed him, since they fully understood at the outset he couldn’t speak Spanish.
Left over kebab
Now back to my beloved Arsenal it’s my eyes that see a team the manager keeps telling me is together full of passion and fight full of resolve that look like a kebab with chili sauce that is on the bedside cabinet the morning after the night before, limp and lifeless. You know the team that turned up (or not) at old Trafford and against Swansea at home.
Has anyone figured out the 70 min Substitutions yet? No me either and what about the substitution of the player that was at least trying and our best player in the match – Joel Campbell?
Why after ten years or more does he not know Theo’s best position?? (If he has one)
Now I’m not a chef but I can straight away tell if the food has been cooked to order
Ridiculous substitution
“I hope he continues as I believe in him. I know that many take a different view and think the time has come to make a change. The pundits set the tone of the debate – every after-match summary stokes up feelings for and against.” Again a quote from Graham Perry
Do they really? No the tone has been set by 10 years of under achievement even the spending on the stadium build is now a defunct argument thanks in no small part to little old Leicester. Going out the FA cup in a whimper also. Why leave our two best full backs out for Watford? Did Wenger think Barcelona were going to suddenly implode
At the time of the FA cup match it was our best hope of silverware thrown away, in my view an egotistical arrogant old man who still thinks he has the players that went to Milan and won when in reality he doesn’t even have the team that were a Lord Bendtner miss away from knocking Barcelona out on away goals.
Wenger left out these 2 for Watfod
But they are pundits who from the comfort of the studio sofa and without any responsibility can pontificate. But when you listen to their words also examine their managerial record – Shearer, Lawrenson, Souness, Hoddle and now the best of all the pundits – the one who speaks the most sense has just been sacked for under-achievement. If Neville can’t do it why place so much confidence in the comments and summaries of any of them.
Why do you mention these pundits but omit our ex-players? Does that not suite your tirade against pundits and blaming them for all those nasty people who want rid first of Wenger and then rid of our majority shareholder
Now I’m no pundit nor am I a football manager but my eyes tell me something is very very wrong we seem to have got all these new medical staff in yet we still have loads of injuries
We supposedly revamped the academy but not much seems to come through to play regularly for the first team yet Wenger constantly buys 2 or 3 each transfer window and basically that’s the last we see or hear of them supposed to be the next bright young thing – Bielek anyone?
Next big thing disappeared after the previous big thing
Why does Wenger fail to get the right pegs for the right holes? He constantly plays players out of position? Why can Wenger not see the short comings in his squad when I can see them glaring at me?
To me I feel we the fans are taken for fools by Wenger and the Arsenal board. Some it seems are perfectly happy with the wool firmly pulled over their eyes. Myself and many are not so happy and fear a total failure to win anything this season when in reality Man city and ourselves should be fighting for it. Although they have an excuse of all the unrest caused by announcing Pep as the next manager 1/2 way through a season what is ours? We have the same manager of 20 years standing and only a large segment of the fans seem to want a replacement and to win trophies. The board and owners are content with monies coming in to fatten the bottom line .
The current avalanche of criticism and the corresponding response from Wenger supporters is an unedifying spectacle. The situation is becoming a case of an irresistible force meeting an immovable object and something has to give. That I think will be Wenger and as such I have a feeling his current contract will not be renewed so long as pressure is kept up on the board. He is not a cheap option and you could easily get other managers who would keep us in the top four and win a cup now and again as well.
Alex
About our guest:
Okay well I’m just gone 50, born into an Arsenal Family. I went to my first Arsenal game Dec 1971 for my 6th birthday and was taken sporadically, when dad could afford to up till I was 11 when I started to go with mates and we paid kids price and sneaked around and into the North Bank. I had a season ticket from the age of I think 13 or 14 until we left Highbury in 2006.
Has anyone figured out the 70 min Substitutions yet?
Yes. It worked wonderfully well when the Invincibles deployed it and no one at Highbury queried it.
Twenty minutes is also long enough to keep 14 of the squad happy rather than just 11.
Wenger made poor subs in the first half of his tenure, the difference is that back then we had a team who had the perfect blend of power and technique as well as a team of leaders.
That is not the case with the present squad and people like Brian Dawes need to realise that the Invincibles was over a decade ago and has no relevence to the present.
Bore off Brian
I enjoyed this article but I hope you don`t mind if I ask if you read my comment to Graham Perry`s article below?
My points are identical and even some of my turns of phrase.
No offence meant or taken. Glad to see a kindred spirit.
Hi
I havent read any answers to him i have to say but was told that a couple of answers were saying the same things
I do feel that the atmosphere will if he remains more than his current contract get even more unedifying and very toxic which is a sad end really.
But i think he has hung around to long . In truth i thought i first fa cup win out of the last two would have been a magnificent exit for him everybody felt good due to the win and he statue fund would have grown considerably on the back of that win. Now i am not sure it would be the right time to raise the issue of a statue i feel the club has to get back to winning ways under a new management team for that to happen and i dont feel kicking him upstairs is going to appese the majority of supporters as they may well feel he is pokeing his nose in
I will also add that Brian Dawes you need to focus on the future Wenger is a silly old fool and you need to stop being a Twunt
I don’t need to focus on anything but you should realise that the future is always rooted in the past. Failure to understand and appreciate the past prevents repeated errors in the future.
Pathetic abuse from school children I don’t need, so I’ll bore off and leave it to the WOB flag waving lippy degenerates to blather the arse off a donkey.
Get a grip I’m 50 you senile old Twunt! Terry Henry was a blinding player but you would want him playing for us now at 38 would you people like you holding us back along with the old goat
Fucking hell Alex you crack me up so blunt and straight to the point with these cunts like Brian who think arsene knows fucking everything when the French cunt knows fuck all! Love it you tell em!