Is a new manager becoming the only option?

[bignev]

So who pushed the panic button?

It took a 8-2 beating to finally see some transfer activity. All of a sudden the pace has kicked up and we've almost got 3 players in already. We've always known Mertsacker was available, so why has it taken us so long to bring him in? Our scouts must have known about Santos and Park, they're not high profile players and from the sounds of it, we hijacked the Park deal from Lille. All of sudden, we're able to find players and sign them while their own their way to sign for other clubs. Strange isn't it.

Wenger and the board are starting to worry we won't make the CL next year. The CL money is budgeted into the Emirates repayment don't forget. We don't make CL we have to sell 25M of players to replace the money.

Even with Mertesacker, Park & Santos I don't think we will. Gonna need more signings on top of those three to finish in top four.

[IBK]

Agreed. I'm afraid that these signings do nothing at all to address my concerns about what is happening at our club. They smack of last minute desperation because that's exactly what it is. It is, frankly astonishing that a club like ours that is famous for apparently being so well run should leave it until the last day of the transfer window to do business - but more importantly should have left the squad as wafer thin as it was on the weekend. Where is the planning? Where is the foresight? Wenger is the second longest serving manager in English football. He is massively experienced, and he knew damn well that Fabregas and Nasri were off when the transfer window opened - yet even now there is no creative midfield signing!!!! Surely the manager understands that the likes of Jenkinson and Oxlade Chamberlaim will be potentially damaged by being thrown to the lions as the have been.

The only theory that makes any sense to me is that firstly, we have abandoned all pretence of being in the hunt for silverware, and secondly that we were prepared to gamble on clinging on to a CL place with what we had. KK's article in the Huffington Post above postulates that Kroenke operates on the basis that winning things is not necessary to demonstrate the requisite profits - and it is very easy to believe that CL qualification is the be all and end all for this business model. As for Wenger - I can only speculate that he has abandoned any proper winning instinct in favour of enhancing his reputation as a manager who can make money, alongside an addiction to experimenting and trying to perform alchemy with his squad.

I hate to be negative when we seem at last to have made some signings, but for me it is very hard to feel genuine hope or excitement when the past couple of days smack of rushing round the shops at 5pm on Christmas eve...

[Niall_Quinn]

Some shops shut at 10pm on XMas eve.

[IBK]

Some shops shut at 10pm on XMas eve.

Dang - what am I all concerned about then....meticulous planning from AFC!

[selassie]

Some shops shut at 10pm on XMas eve.

brilliant.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Agreed. I'm afraid that these signings do nothing at all to address my concerns about what is happening at our club. They smack of last minute desperation because that's exactly what it is. It is, frankly astonishing that a club like ours that is famous for apparently being so well run should leave it until the last day of the transfer window to do business - but more importantly should have left the squad as wafer thin as it was on the weekend. Where is the planning? Where is the foresight? Wenger is the second longest serving manager in English football. He is massively experienced, and he knew damn well that Fabregas and Nasri were off when the transfer window opened - yet even now there is no creative midfield signing!!!! Surely the manager understands that the likes of Jenkinson and Oxlade Chamberlaim will be potentially damaged by being thrown to the lions as the have been.

The only theory that makes any sense to me is that firstly, we have abandoned all pretence of being in the hunt for silverware, and secondly that we were prepared to gamble on clinging on to a CL place with what we had. KK's article in the Huffington Post above postulates that Kroenke operates on the basis that winning things is not necessary to demonstrate the requisite profits - and it is very easy to believe that CL qualification is the be all and end all for this business model. As for Wenger - I can only speculate that he has abandoned any proper winning instinct in favour of enhancing his reputation as a manager who can make money, alongside an addiction to experimenting and trying to perform alchemy with his squad.

I hate to be negative when we seem at last to have made some signings, but for me it is very hard to feel genuine hope or excitement when the past couple of days smack of rushing round the shops at 5pm on Christmas eve...

This, i think we can only see where we are come Jan window time tbh, i think we arw going to have to spend big there, only problem, is getting players can be in the CL if we are still in it at that stage.

The board have budget outside the cl imo and not spending big will tell us that tbh. we won't finish top 4 or win the league. we need some stabiity back at the club.

A big name player would have been for excitement to the fans players more then anything, would not have changed where we will finish in the league tbh.

[Niall_Quinn]

They're hoarding the Cesc/ Na$ri cash to get us through a couple of years without CL footie. RvP/ Theo/ Arshavin and Wilshere deals will add to the pot so we can survive for a couple more years after that. Then some of the youngsters become saleable assets, which would explain the Ox fee. Stan will strengthen the balance sheet as much as possible and then sell out for a relatively fast buck. Do any other theories fit the bill, besides sudden and terminal incompetence? Either way we're fucked for the foreseeable future.