E-mail to Arsenal's Marketing Department

[Niall_Quinn]

marketing@arsenal.co.uk

arsenal@marketing.co.uk

[Gubby Allen]

By the way, GB. I like the way that in a long email you never mentioned the words "trophy, trophies" or the phrase "six years".

I think there's a real misconception from the media and other fans (including our own Arsene Knows crowd) that the unhappiness and apathy is geared entirely around this point.

It has got bugger all to do with no trophies. I was content until 1987 with no trophies in my first few years. I'd be content for another 6 years without one. What I am not content with - and these are just off the top of my head:

Repeatedly tossing away leads of 2, 3 or even 4 goals (and we nearly lost that one).
Repeatedly suffering a collective mental breakdown every time a side pulls a goal back.
Repeatedly conceding goals from set pieces in the same manner, where it is abundantly clear they have not been practiced enough, or well enough.
Repeatedly failing to "get up" for big games/cup finals" - turning up for the latter in jogging bottoms round your arse cheeks and headphones so wide they're in different post-codes, doesn't set the day off well.
Repeatedly taking anything up to 70 minutes to finally decide to begin playing with some penetration.
Repeatedly taking up to 40 passes and 3 minutes of possession to move the ball forward 10 yards by th end of
Having gone from watching the fastest, most direct side to the most indirect within 5 years.
Repeatedly failing to get over the line when so close. Even a cup with a last other 3 of Ipswich, WHU & Brum we were never close to winning and were fortunate in the semi-final - that's partially trophy related.
Repeatedly watching the same like-for-like substitutions at the same time every week, We used to finish games with 5 strikers on 5 years ago when we needed a goal.

All of those do not even include the other buzz topic - 'transfers' - but if we're including those too, then:

Repeatedly failing to address serial problem areas adequately, eg GK for several years, dominant CB for about 6 years.
Repeatedly waiting until 02:00am on 1st September or 1st February to bring someone in when you have had months of preparation and an unneccessary extra 6 games have been tossed down the drain.
Repeatedly deeming journeymen or unfertilised eggs from the lower reaches of the French League system as being sufficient to improve us up to the level required.

I'll tell Marco that - and not a mention of a trophy.

[Ralpheroo72]

What he said! Great post, the club is now a laughing stock.

To whom it may concern,

This afternoon I was contacted by a member of your staff, (Marco, I think) who informed me that my membership had lapsed and asked if I wanted to renew. I didn't and was asked why. As I was at work I fobbed him off by saying, "money's tight".

I thought it better now to inform you that the reason I gave Marco was in no way the full story. The main reason I am not renewing is because I don't like the direction the Club is heading and have not done so for some time now. The lack of investment in playing staff and the repetition of the same mistakes season after season with no apparent material effort being made to address them are much bigger factors in my reason not to renew.

I'd explain what the same mistakes are and the excuses offered by the Club over and over again are, but that would just be insulting your intelligence. You know what the problems are - everyone does, but nothing is ever done to address them.

We (the fans) are being told repeatedly, that the funds are there to address weaknesses in the team. Yet no investment is made by the Club. The only people required to increase investment are the fans of the Club - to the tune of 6.5%. And for what? To see the same failures, the same weaknesses that will produce the same results.

This in no way implies that I think that the Club needs to spend ridiculous amounts on players. There are all sorts of points between the stupid amounts Man City spends and the parsimonious approach that our Club takes. If the fans are required to invest more, then so should Arsene Wenger be required to do so by the Board.

If fans show their displeasure at matches, and there is much to be frustrated about, we get critisised by Peter Hill-Wood and Arsene Wenger as if we are ungrateful Phillistines who don't realise how good we have it. While I agree some of the fan reaction may have been counter-productive during matches, I fail to see how people within the Club cannot understand it. Quite frankly, I'm amazed at the disconnection between the people running our Club and us, the fans. I place the blame squarely for this at the hands of the Club.

I'm not going to matches to be negative, I can't do that. But what other way is there to show the Club my displeasure? So I am demonstating my displeasure with my wallet. I'm not investing any more in this team until you do so - either investing in playing staff and/or coaching staff that can address the deficiencies that we have all been aware of for the last six years.

Yours faithfully,

GB. (ex Member - No. xxxxxxx)

[Injury Time]

Has anyone else not renewing been contacted by the Club?

No, but then I did cave for a lower tier season ticket due to mate pressure

[Letters]

See you on the 20th too then

[Tony Tuesdays]

I'm surprised more people haven't renewed. I can't think why anyone would pay to watch this team. As an Arsenal fan a find it painful to watch so have decided not to.

I didn't renew my season ticket this year and was never hassled. I'm surprised the demand for ST's is still there after so long without success.

I heard ST renewals were down this summer. Hence why some were contacted about it. I've also heard a few who've been on the waiting list have been contacted offering them the opportunity to be bumped up.

[Injury Time]

See you on the 20th too then

No already had sorted w/end in Sheffield but there for the rest of the season

[Injury Time]

I heard ST renewals were down this summer. Hence why some were contacted about it. I've also heard a few who've been on the waiting list have been contacted offering them the opportunity to be bumped up.

I moved up around 2,600 in the queue since last season & managed to get a season ticket before Silver level, oh Club Level is sold out too, guess we'll see if I regret it...

[fakeyank]

I moved up around 2,600 in the queue since last season & managed to get a season ticket before Silver level, oh Club Level is sold out too, guess we'll see if I regret it...

You will..

[LDG]

Nice one GB.