Wenger Reprieve?

[Niall_Quinn]

Is there any mileage in claiming Arsene has outlasted Fergie and is therefore the ultimate victor? I'll grasp at anything on offer, I think I could sustain this delusion for at least a season if everyone leaves me be. And on that basis, surely we couldn't get rid of the most successful manager of all time? See how that works? Come with me on this, it may be all we have.

[IBK]

I don't trust Wenger with money, ironically many of us think he won't spend it anyway. Assuming he does spend I don't think he's capable of building a balanced squad/team that can challenge for the title.

There I said it.

If anything, assuming that significant funds are actually available, he should step aside in the summer and let someone else come in to reshape the squad.

The issue we have with that is that at present our squad is in pretty poor shape.

This. I hung on for years hoping that Wenger would come good, but no longer believe that he can win things for us. I respect him still for delivering top 4 football consistently, but he won't do significantly better than this again. However much money he has to spend, this will neither make him sign the characters that we need to push for silverware nor make a difference to the mentality of his squad - which is that less than 100% in every game is acceptable.

Plus - his principles will not allow him simply to buy the best players for the team. They will have to be 'fair value' - and have something that the manager thinks he can improve on.

I hate to be negative, and because of the depth of his involvement in the club, Wenger leaving will be almost as seismic for us as Ferguson is for Manure. But having sacrificed success for financial stability, and having built a first team that is an excellent base for a less forgiving manager - the best thing that the manager can do for us is to spend a final season planning properly for his successor.

IMO Ferguson leaving will make no real difference to our prospects in the league. I am not supportive of Wenger splurging to try to recapture his best years because it is more likely than not to be money wasted.

[Power n Glory]

We’ve blown a lot of money over the years and you look at Wenger’s recent signings to see we lack direction and maybe he’s losing his touch. I really can’t understand why he bought Giroud and Podolski to play how they’re currently being played. If we were playing them as a pair up front, then I’d understand, but in isolation with one out wide and the other on the flank, it just doesn’t work. It made no sense at all to sign Arteta, to play him in an unfamiliar position and then to ditch Song. Arteta is the more expensive player and it just doesn’t seem right to oust the player we’ve developed and give his wages to an outsider approaching the end of his career. What he saw in Chamakh and Park…it’s just not good. He’s never been a tactical genius and has depended heavily on the quality of his players. If he’s losing his eye for it then it’s pretty much over for him.

[IBK]

We’ve blown a lot of money over the years and you look at Wenger’s recent signings to see we lack direction and maybe he’s losing his touch. I really can’t understand why he bought Giroud and Podolski to play how they’re currently being played. If we were playing them as a pair up front, then I’d understand, but in isolation with one out wide and the other on the flank, it just doesn’t work. It made no sense at all to sign Arteta, to play him in an unfamiliar position and then to ditch Song. Arteta is the more expensive player and it just doesn’t seem right to oust the player we’ve developed and give his wages to an outsider approaching the end of his career. What he saw in Chamakh and Park…it’s just not good. He’s never been a tactical genius and has depended heavily on the quality of his players. If he’s losing his eye for it then it’s pretty much over for him.

Wenger has bought duds, but he also fails to get the best out of other players - making them look worse than they are by failing to play to their strengths, playing them out of position or using the wrong combinations. as I said on the other thread - IMO this is down to ego/arrogance that he can see something that noone else can. I don't see this changing with bigger spending, unfortunately.

[Power n Glory]

His stubbornness and ego has been costing us for a while. Playing Eboue on the wings for so long. When Diaby was fit he spent ages playing on the flanks instead of trying to turn him into a box to box player. Rosicky should have been playing in the middle years ago along with Cesc instead he persisted with Denilson. Arshavin could have been utilised this season but Wenger hasn’t used him at all. His stamina issue could easily be addressed by playing him behind the striker. Podolski looks to be going down the same route as Arsahvin because he leaves our wingback exposed when playing because he doesn’t track back and has never finished a game this season. It’s a long list. It’s not impossible to get a group of players that aren’t that spectacular to operate as an efficient unit. He’ll persist with the players he has now and I can’t see many changes next season unless first teamers leave.

[IBK]

His stubbornness and ego has been costing us for a while. Playing Eboue on the wings for so long. When Diaby was fit he spent ages playing on the flanks instead of trying to turn him into a box to box player. Rosicky should have been playing in the middle years ago along with Cesc instead he persisted with Denilson. Arshavin could have been utilised this season but Wenger hasn’t used him at all. His stamina issue could easily be addressed by playing him behind the striker. Podolski looks to be going down the same route as Arsahvin because he leaves our wingback exposed when playing because he doesn’t track back and has never finished a game this season. It’s a long list. It’s not impossible to get a group of players that aren’t that spectacular to operate as an efficient unit. He’ll persist with the players he has now and I can’t see many changes next season unless first teamers leave.

Aye - question is what other managers could have achieved with our team/squad. I think that there are 4 or 5 managers in the EPL who could get more out of them.

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

i think fergie leaving will have a bigger impact than we think. wenger has always been driven by the romance of duelling with him again but now fergie's decided to call it a day it may influence wenger to go at the end of his contract. we're in a new generation, they were the last of a dying breed. they represented true football without the artificial crap pumped into it today.

as for the original question, no i think he's had his day. whats the point of giving him money to spend now? it should have been done years ago. we need a fresh perspective.

and when one drug lord falls, another one just steps into the shoes. mourinho will be here in the summer to take over from fergie's antics and we'll see the rise of chelsea again. in other words, wenger will always have an excuse to fall back on.

thank you wenger but your time is done. step aside and let someone give us proper hope of reaching the top of everest again.

[IBK]

i think fergie leaving will have a bigger impact than we think. wenger has always been driven by the romance of duelling with him again but now fergie's decided to call it a day it may influence wenger to go at the end of his contract. we're in a new generation, they were the last of a dying breed. they represented true football without the artificial crap pumped into it today.

as for the original question, no i think he's had his day. whats the point of giving him money to spend now? it should have been done years ago. we need a fresh perspective.

and when one drug lord falls, another one just steps into the shoes. mourinho will be here in the summer to take over from fergie's antics and we'll see the rise of chelsea again. in other words, wenger will always have an excuse to fall back on.

thank you wenger but your time is done. step aside and let someone give us proper hope of reaching the top of everest again.

Interesting take...

I suppose the only question to ask is why SAF decided to call it a day. By all accounts, just a week ago he gave the impression that he was staying on for at least a bit. Was it something in the boardroom that changed things? By contrast, its difficult to see anything at boardroom level inducing AW to go.

I wonder whether Wenger will spend big (by his standards) and give it one last go - leaving at the end of his contract if things don't workout. like I say, I'm not sure I want him to do so, but the new commercial deals may induce him to.

[Niall_Quinn]

He's seriously ill, isn't he? You can tell just by looking at him. Ferguson I mean.

[Özil's Panoramic View]

No, no reprieve for Wenger. He's a spent force, more so as it relates to the direction which football has taken.

Now, stop deluding yourselves thinking that he has it left in him to bring back the glory days. It's not going to happen. It's been 8 torturous seasons since we've seen a tin pot of any sort, and I honestly don't think any of you are entertaining the idea he'll fare any better in the 9th one.

He knew (still does, tbh) the French market inside out and was smart enough to poach some of their best talents in their golden era. That paid massive dividents, but the French have gone back to being shit and it's just too coincidental that we've suffered the same fate. This shows Wenger as a bit of a one trick pony. He now appears utterly clueless and the sooner he stops overstaying his welcome, the sooner the possibility of us seeing a new manager restoring some ambition and competitve spirit in and around Ashburton Grove.