Winter Transfer Despair and Bafflement.

[Özim]

We don't know much about Arteta, what we do know is that he wasn't a top notch player (so may not get instant respect), wasn't a leader or a motivator on the pitch and has no management experience.

Being an assistant coach is a very different job to being manager, just look at the assistants who were at very successful clubs and how they did once they went out and managed, Mclaren, Kidd, Queiros the list goes on.

Yes Arteta could turn out to be an amazing manager, the odds are stacked against him however, especially now Wenger has touted him as a potential candidate. Kiss of death in my eyes, stay away from anyone Wenger suggests, he doesn't have a clue about management or what it takes so he's a bad judge of what's needed.

[Power n Glory]

Thanks for proving my point.

Exactly. You’re right to point out that it goes beyond transfer funds as well. We lack ambition, vision and leadership. This a lot to put on the shoulders of a novice. Saying that, if they were serious about appointing Arteta, what sort of targets would they set for him? What do they want him to achieve? There is no way they’re looking at him to challenge for the title straight away.

If we’ve fallen outside of the top 4 by the time he’s appointed, I’d assume the aim is to get back into Europe. How many attempts will he get to crack the top 4? 2 - 3 seasons? How patient will they be and what sort of state will the team be in if he fails to get us back into Europe? It’s a slippery slope. It can’t be compared to Zidane or Luise Enrique. It’s a massive risk. Besides lacking the infrastructure and players that we see at Barca and Real, both Zidane and Enrique were coaching and working at their respective clubs before becoming head coaches. They were around the players and staff so had a chance to build a reputation and respect behind the scenes. Arteta would be coming back in from the cold and we have no idea what he’s like as a coach.

[Cripps]

We don't know much about Arteta, what we do know is that he wasn't a top notch player (so may not get instant respect), wasn't a leader or a motivator on the pitch and has no management experience.

Being an assistant coach is a very different job to being manager, just look at the assistants who were at very successful clubs and how they did once they went out and managed, Mclaren, Kidd, Queiros the list goes on.

Yes Arteta could turn out to be an amazing manager, the odds are stacked against him however, especially now Wenger has touted him as a potential candidate. Kiss of death in my eyes, stay away from anyone Wenger suggests, he doesn't have a clue about management or what it takes so he's a bad judge of what's needed.

He's done it again, another superb post from Zim.

At this rate there'll be no need to vote for the poster of the year at the annual awards

MaxZIMus

[Cripps]

Exactly. You’re right to point out that it goes beyond transfer funds as well. We lack ambition, vision and leadership. This a lot to put on the shoulders of a novice. Saying that, if they were serious about appointing Arteta, what sort of targets would they set for him? What do they want him to achieve? There is no way they’re looking at him to challenge for the title straight away.

If we’ve fallen outside of the top 4 by the time he’s appointed, I’d assume the aim is to get back into Europe. How many attempts will he get to crack the top 4? 2 - 3 seasons? How patient will they be and what sort of state will the team be in if he fails to get us back into Europe? It’s a slippery slope. It can’t be compared to Zidane or Luise Enrique. It’s a massive risk. Besides lacking the infrastructure and players that we see at Barca and Real, both Zidane and Enrique were coaching and working at their respective clubs before becoming head coaches. They were around the players and staff so had a chance to build a reputation and respect behind the scenes. Arteta would be coming back in from the cold and we have no idea what he’s like as a coach.

Zidane and Pep were managing youth/B teams and did very well so at least gained some sort of experience. Arteta holds the clipboard for Pep. There's no comparison.

What worries me is if it was up to Kroenke, I could see this happening. He has no clue about football and because its worked for LA Rams, he probably thinks he could appoint Arteta and do the same thing here. Luckily Gazidis is here to stop that.

All I can say is thank fuck for Gazidis.

[Niall_Quinn]

Did Wenger tout him as a possible replacement? Has Wenger ever touted anyone as his replacement? Has Wenger ever thought about the possibility of a replacement?

Two things I remember about Arteta (apart from his hair). Wenger took him from Everton where he was an emerging attacking talent and stuffed him into a mega-Denilson role. He could be relied on without question to deliver 90% of his passes week-in, week-out, albeit sideways. Second, when you needed a guy with bottle to step up and take a pressure penalty, Arteta was your man. All in all I liked him. He wasn't a gobby shite, seemed to be a good professional and when you compare him to the shit we have in the middle now he was a better player than given credit for, by fans who had previously enjoyed being entertained by world class players in that role.

He was Wengered, like so many others.

[Cripps]

He was bang average. Watching him play in midfield week in week out was painful.

[Niall_Quinn]

He was bang average. Watching him play in midfield week in week out was painful.

No. He wasn't average at all. He was a superb passer of the ball, he had a lot of composure and we often missed him when he wasn't there (which we started to realise towards the end as our football fell further into the shitter). He was playing in a desperate system concocted by L'Cheapskate who wanted to be Barcelona on a £50 budget. A lot of players have been stifled under Wenger - Arteta ended up being one of them.

[Cripps]

He was shite.

Wouldn't have got in at any other top club but managed to captain us

We went from Vieira, Petit and Gilberto in the middle to Arteta

[Marc Overmars]

Was never Arteta’s biggest fan but he’s better than Xhaka tbh.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Never saw what Busquets could do that Arteta couldn't other than being taller, more cynical and being much better at diving and rolling on the ground. Arteta was an underrated player and Wenger shifting him to a holding role later in his career was actually one of his better innovations IMO.

I remember on the old AHFC board (which a number of us migrated from when it was dissolved...RIP) we had a very popular poster called Charlie, who was as negative and as cynical as any of you lot on here......but much more light hearted with it and of course far less prone to personal insults..... (a bore I know) but I recall he always hated Gilberto and thought he was bang average. Some people either just don't appreciate simple players, or don't appreciate the performing of a simple but effective role.