Transfer targets in January

[Niall_Quinn]

Arsene knows

About time the fans knew too.

[Niall_Quinn]

Checked again - still no striker signed!

Ridiculous.

Will report back again in 10 mins.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Checked again - still no striker signed!

Ridiculous.

Will report back again in 10 mins.

1 and 22 mins later and still no developments

[Niall_Quinn]

1 and 22 mins later and still no developments

Decided I'd make a promise and then shamelessly back out of it without explanation or apology. Thought this approach best matched the philosophy of the board and our general transfer policy.

Here, I'll do it again... transfer update in 10 mins. I'm happy to just keep doing this every transfer window whilst delivering nothing at all.

I'm even thinking of charging for these empty promises, what do you think? Can I sign you up as my first subscriber? I promise to put the price up every year (and that's a promise I'll keep).

[Cripps_orig]

Press conference at 7pm

[Niall_Quinn]

Press conference at 7pm

Cool :popcorn:

(better not be a blatant lie)

[Power n Glory]

Cool :popcorn:

(better not be a blatant lie)

Yeah, because those are the worst sort lies. Why can't they be more subtle.

[Niall_Quinn]

Yeah, because those are the worst sort lies. Why can't they be more subtle.

20 mins to go, I'm confident.

[Boss]

Apparently Fenerbahce are close to wrapping up a deal for Moussa Sow for £10.9M.

Not sure why we're not in for him if true, he's repeatedly said he'd prefer a move to the Premiership. Scored 25 goals in 33 starts last season.

[Master Splinter]

Wenger is now great at spotting defenders - Vermaelen, Sagna, Koscielny, Jenkinson, Szczesny - but has lost all ability to build a strikeforce?

It's the only explanation.

Or it's just another stage in his mission to become the world's greatest WUM.

Second one I think.

[GP]

Arsene WUMger :bow:

http://imageftw.com/uploads/20110814/wenger%20troll%20face%2001.jpg

[Niall_Quinn]

Damn! Must have missed the press conference. Anyone know what happened?

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Apparently Fenerbahce are close to wrapping up a deal for Moussa Sow for £10.9M.

Not sure why we're not in for him if true, he's repeatedly said he'd prefer a move to the Premiership. Scored 25 goals in 33 starts last season.

Were even struggling to sign French african players now.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

QPR have agreed a deal for left-back Taye Taiwo with AC Milan as new manager Mark Hughes closes on his first signing at Loftus Road.
Taiwo (http://topics.skysports.com/Taye+Taiwo/?section=football)http://static.lingospot.com/spot/image/spacer.gif has been heavily linked with a Premier League move and it appears QPR have won the race for his signature.
Rangers have settled on a fee for the Nigeria international, who is yet to agree personal terms and is set to undergo a medical in West London.
The 26-year-old defender joined Milan last summer from Marseille, (http://topics.skysports.com/marseille/?section=football)http://static.lingospot.com/spot/image/spacer.gif making four Serie A starts for the Rossoneri this season and three in the UEFA Champions League.
Taiwo had been linked with Chelsea, (http://topics.skysports.com/chelsea/?section=football)http://static.lingospot.com/spot/image/spacer.gif Liverpool (http://topics.skysports.com/liverpool/?section=football)http://static.lingospot.com/spot/image/spacer.gif and Manchester United (http://topics.skysports.com/Manchester+United/?section=football)http://static.lingospot.com/spot/image/spacer.gif ahead of his summer move, while Arsenal (http://topics.skysports.com/arsenal/?section=football)http://static.lingospot.com/spot/image/spacer.gif are thought to be monitoring him this month.
Hughes (http://topics.skysports.com/Mark+Hughes/?section=football)http://static.lingospot.com/spot/image/spacer.gif is keen to strengthen his backline after succeeding Neil Warnock (http://topics.skysports.com/Neil+Warnock/?section=football)http://static.lingospot.com/spot/image/spacer.gif as manager, with Chelsea stopper Alex and Manchester City's Nedum Onuoha also on his radar.


http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/12691/7442889/QPR-agree-Taiwo-deal

wtf

[Boss]

:haha:

This club couldn't sign an autograph atm.

Also, if it couldn't get any better...

http://news.arseblog.com/2012/01/fabianski-given-permission-to-leave-on-loan

Fabianski to leave on loan, meaning an injury or suspension to Chesney and Almunia will make a return to goal.

:(

[Niall_Quinn]

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/12691/7442889/QPR-agree-Taiwo-deal

wtf

Must be crazy money. Hughes is at it already. Guess if he's any good he'll get some experience with QPR and then leave for something bigger when Hughes is sacked. Makes sense, he'll look decent at Rangers, make a pile of cash and (if all goes according to his agent's plan) get a big money, do nothing, role as a major flop for one of the big clubs on twice the cash. City I suppose. Won't be us, we can't piss in the tall weeds with bigger players like QPR and Newcastle.

[Niall_Quinn]

Fabianski to leave on loan, meaning an injury or suspension to Chesney and Almunia will make a return to goal.

Just like a new signing, only not a very good one.

[Xhaka Can’t]

:haha:

This club couldn't sign an autograph atm.

Also, if it couldn't get any better...

http://news.arseblog.com/2012/01/fabianski-given-permission-to-leave-on-loan

Fabianski to leave on loan, meaning an injury or suspension to Chesney and Almunia will make a return to goal.

:(

This team is a joke, but I doubt they'll let Flappy go on loan.

[Xhaka Can’t]

Just like a new signing, only not a very good one.
Rumours are going around that we're not even in the market for players who are like new signings.

[Power n Glory]

It's total bullshit. We can afford to pay the wages of 3 inactive players but eon't fork out for 1 decent striker or defender. It's crazy. Almunia, Squallaci and Park are being paid to warm the bench!

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Its like everyday that goes by they do something more to piss us off for a laugh, ffs just sign some players you tight bastards

[Syn]

Its like everyday that goes by they do something more to piss us off for a laugh

Tbf Ryo has made great strides in training.

[Niall_Quinn]

Rumours are going around that we're not even in the market for players who are like new signings.

Yes but we've definitely been linked to a player who would be like a new (and catastrophic) signing.

[Niall_Quinn]

Tbf Ryo has made great strides in training.

Forgot we had him.

[Niall_Quinn]

It's total bullshit. We can afford to pay the wages of 3 inactive players but eon't fork out for 1 decent striker or defender. It's crazy. Almunia, Squallaci and Park are being paid to warm the bench!

In the case of the first two, this is an occasion where we certainly don't want to get our money's worth. I'd nail them to the bench if I was running the show.

[Power n Glory]

In the case of the first two, this is an occasion where we certainly don't want to get our money's worth. I'd nail them to the bench if I was running the show.

Fuck that. Vandalising the bench isn't the answer. The two ass wipes should be on cone duty or mopping up duty. Useless toe rags. Can't believe we still pay them a wage.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Wumger :bow:

[Dennis Bendtner]

Park :haha:

What the flying fuck is that all about. Are we actually training him for military service?

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Why Tawio would join QPR is beyond me. From Cl to No CL, but i guess money talks.

[Cripps_orig]

Wenger is now great at spotting defenders - Vermaelen, Sagna, Koscielny, Jenkinson, Szczesny - but has lost all ability to build a strikeforce?

It's the only explanation.

Or it's just another stage in his mission to become the world's greatest WUM.

Second one I think.

You only named 2 good defensive players though. Hardly great

[Boss]

You only named 2 good defensive players though. Hardly great

Give it a rest.

[Cripps_orig]

Give it a rest.Give speaking the truth a rest?

Fair enough

Il go on a WUMming spree then

[Niall_Quinn]

Give speaking the truth a rest?

Fair enough

Il go on a WUMming spree then

Any WUM'ing and you're out. You have been warned.

[Cripps_orig]

Any WUM'ing and you're out. You have been warned.Harsh

I live to WUM, I WUM to live

Seriously though, are we linked with anyone?

Even the rumour mills/gossip pages have given up on us.

20 days in to the window and not a signing when we should have had at least 2 if not 3 in by now.

Wenger has made the mistake he made in August and once again, we face Man Utd and will pay for it

Worst manager in the business by a mile

[Niall_Quinn]

Harsh

I live to WUM, I WUM to live

Seriously though, are we linked with anyone?

Even the rumour mills/gossip pages have given up on us.

20 days in to the window and not a signing when we should have had at least 2 if not 3 in by now.

Wenger has made the mistake he made in August and once again, we face Man Utd and will pay for it

Worst manager in the business by a mile

Whatever we do against Utd we won't pay anything, that's for sure.

[Ollie the Optimist]

Why Tawio would join QPR is beyond me. From Cl to No CL, but i guess money talks.


tbf why would milan loan a player to the team they playing next in the CL

[Olivier's xmas twist]

tbf why would milan loan a player to the team they playing next in the CL

Don't think its a loan

[Ralpheroo72]

Does Arsene know that he can buy players during January?

[Niall_Quinn]

Does Arsene know that he can buy players during January?

I suspect he's trying to forget.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Does Arsene know that he can buy players during January?

he does but all the africans are away

[fakeyank]

Arsene's in the waiting period.. he is trying to see how much the current players are in the 'wanting zone' to decide

[Niall_Quinn]

Chamakh's staying though, so it's not all bad news. Some of it is unbelievably awful news.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Chamakh's staying though, so it's not all bad news. Some of it is unbelievably awful news.

What PHW staying for another 5 years?

[Olivier's xmas twist]

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Dimitar Berbatov's agent insists the Manchester United striker is not going anywhere in this month's transfer window.
Full story: the Mirror

Roma have enquired about Manchester United's 18-year-old midfielder Ravel Morrison, the subject of a failed bid from Newcastle recently. Full story: talkSPORT

Manchester United and Manchester City are set to do battle over Benfica midfielder Nicolas Gaitan.
Full story: Daily Mail

Shanghai Shenhua have confirmed talks are ongoing with Chelsea over a deal for striker Didier Drogba, and have admitted they are hopeful the transfer can be sealed by Monday.
Full story: Metro

Stoke chairman Peter Coates says striker Kenwyne Jones is not for sale, and denies reports of a £5m offer from Saudi Arabia side Al Hilal. Full story: Stoke Sentinel

Carlos Tevez's media advisor has said Inter Milan and AC Milan are not out of the race to sign the Manchester City striker. Full story: talkSPORT

OTHER GOSSIP

Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea may need to undergo eye surgery before the end of the season.
Full story: the Guardian

Swansea boss Brendan Rodgers has hailed the "immense talent" of loan signing Josh McEachran.
Full story: the Sun

Former England captain David Beckham has revealed 'one or two' clubs tried to bring him back to the Premier League before he committed his future to LA Galaxy. Full story: skysports.com

Bolton chairman Phil Gartside believes the club would not be fighting relegation if he had persuaded Benfica to let him keep on-loan striker Rodrigo at the Reebok this season. Full story: Bolton News

Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic insists United don't fear City and believes the Reds are the only team in the city that will win trophies consistently. Full story: Manchester Evening News

AND FINALLY

After Juventus struggled to offload under-performing striker Amauri, an enterprising fan decided to try to sell the Brazilian-born star on eBay.
Full story: Metro

:haha:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/gossip_and_transfers/default.stm

[Cripps_orig]

Just read the gossip column

No stuff about this

Arsenal :rose:

[Mr. Lahey]

i cant believe some people still pay and support whats going on at the club these days. i honestly think that the waiting period comment that wenger made was the biggest pile of bullshit ive ever heard come out of anybodys mouth. if its wengers choice to spend or not, he just as bad as the rest of the board for going along with it. he needs to leave along with the rest of the grovelling pigs. id pretty much have that shit blob usamov than this lot. at least he cares about winning and is a football fan.

[Ralpheroo72]

Wilshire coming back from injury will be like 'a new signing' - cant wait to hear that bile from Arsene

[Niall_Quinn]

We may well have quite a bit of shit coming back from loan deals, so they would be like new and tired old signings too. It's all good!

[LDG]

Oh noes.

Abandon ship.

Meh.

Come on The Arsenal.

[Özim]

i cant believe some people still pay and support whats going on at the club these days. i honestly think that the waiting period comment that wenger made was the biggest pile of bullshit ive ever heard come out of anybodys mouth. if its wengers choice to spend or not, he just as bad as the rest of the board for going along with it. he needs to leave along with the rest of the grovelling pigs. id pretty much have that shit blob usamov than this lot. at least he cares about winning and is a football fan.
Totally agree, the guy is a tw*t to be honest sick of him and all of his sh*t......he's incapable of building a decent team these days, he's more interested in saving a few pennies than having a competitive side.....just wish he'd do us all a favour and f*ck off.

[LDG]

Totally agree, the guy is a tw*t to be honest sick of him and all of his sh*t......he's incapable of building a decent team these days, he's more interested in saving a few pennies than having a competitive side.....just wish he'd do us all a favour and f*ck off.

You wuv him :smooch:

[Letters]

The idea that Wenger doesn't care about winning is laughable: :lol: See?

[Cripps_orig]

The idea that Wenger doesn't care about winning is laughable: :lol: See?Funnily enough, i agree with this.

He clearly wants to win. I just dont think hes good enough to make us win

[Xhaka Can’t]

Your face is laughable. :lol: See?

[Xhaka Can’t]

Funnily enough, i agree with this.

He clearly wants to win. I just dont think hes good enough to make us win

This is the most sensible post you have made in a long time. It is essentially what I think as well.

[Letters]

Funnily enough, i agree with this.

He clearly wants to win. I just dont think hes good enough to make us win

Well, maybe. It's not a failing on his part that we're below City. They've blundered their way to the top through sheer weight of spending and IMO it's unreasonable to blame him for failing to compete with that. But Spurs? Spurs?! They're not in the CL, have a far smaller budget and wage structure than us. There's no way we should be failing to compete with them, which we are right now. That is where Wenger has failed badly. Right now we don't look like a great side, we're a RvP injury away from mid-table and if he leaves in the summer (and who would blame him) we'll be in deep shit.

[Cripps_orig]

He just seems to be making the same mistakes over and over again.

We needed players in early in both the summer transfer window and this one. Didnt happen. We faced Man Utd back then and look what happened. We face Man Utd in this one and i fear for us. Whilst i dont think it will be anywhere near as bad as the 8-2, it will be a comfortable win for Man Utd.

And yes it is sickening to see Spuds have a better squad than us and whilst they have spent money, they havent spent £20m on players. They have got quality players on the cheap whereas we just get players on the cheap.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Totally agree, the guy is a tw*t to be honest sick of him and all of his sh*t......he's incapable of building a decent team these days, he's more interested in saving a few pennies than having a competitive side.....just wish he'd do us all a favour and f*ck off.

Rubbish and you know it, no one really knows what goes on with our finiancal sitiuation unless your prat of tptb. Obviously wenger wants to win. He loved to win the cl this season and you be silly to say he don't.

like cripps said its more a case of him not being able to win no more rather then not wanting to win. imo he is lost and until he finds out where he is nothing will change.

as for him leaving. i think he's gone end of the season.

[Cripps_orig]

Rubbish and you know it, no one really knows what goes on with our finiancal sitiuation unless your prat of tptb. Obviously wenger wants to win. He loved to win the cl this season and you be silly to say he don't.

like cripps said its more a case of him not being able to win no more rather then wanting to win. imo he is lost and until he finds out where he is nothing will change.

as for him leaving. i think he's gone end of the season.?

[Olivier's xmas twist]

He just seems to be making the same mistakes over and over again.

We needed players in early in both the summer transfer window and this one. Didnt happen. We faced Man Utd back then and look what happened. We face Man Utd in this one and i fear for us. Whilst i dont think it will be anywhere near as bad as the 8-2, it will be a comfortable win for Man Utd.

And yes it is sickening to see Spuds have a better squad than us and whilst they have spent money, they havent spent £20m on players. They have got quality players on the cheap whereas we just get players on the cheap.

but lets be fair we have got beat by swansea 8-2 had we play them that day. it was always going to be a hard game but Wenger setting his team to get thrashed did not help.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

?
whats confusing

[Cripps_orig]

Whats tptb?

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Whats tptb?

The powers that be

[LDG]

:haha:

[Cripps_orig]

Do people actually use that or did you just make that up?

[Olivier's xmas twist]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_powers_that_be_%28phrase%29

[LDG]

Oh come on.

:haha:

This is killing me.

:haha:

[Cripps_orig]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_powers_that_be_%28phrase%29Angel :bow:

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Oh come on.

:haha:

This is killing me.

:haha:

:haha:

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Roma have joined the race for Manchester United youngster Ravel Morrison, according to reports in the Daily Mirror.
by @skysportsrobp

How good is this kid ?

[Cripps_orig]

Never heard of him

[Boss]

Very talented but a proper GHEL off the pitch.

Not worth the hassle.

[LDG]

you know he shops in Primark.

Nice user name. Nice first post.

I smell spud, but I'm willing to give it a chance...

Welcome :wave:

[Harry]

Nice user name. Nice first post.

I smell spud, but I'm willing to give it a chance...

Welcome :wave:

Hi

You smell like a spud

Bye

[Syn]

ARGHFAHLIWUHEGIFHWAUIGH;P4GHUIHGL;JALJLGFJKSHF KQH3!¬¬1`1!"32IO U;1O2H;kqth

[LDG]

:haha:

Oh dear.

[Letters]

:lol: I like this bloke.

[Syn]

I think LDG knew that already.

[LDG]

In other news:

http://angryofislington.com/2012/01/19/arsenals-finances-the-plain-truth/


Arsenal’s Finances: The Plain Truth
Posted on January 19, 2012 I’ve noticed there’s a lot of rubbish on Twitter about Arsenal’s finances. If you’re too busy to sort the wheat from the chaff yourself and you don’t know which tweet is fact and which is fiction, here’s a simple bullet point summary.



The overall picture

■Arsenal have some cash, but cash balances and cash to spend aren’t the same thing
■Balances are different depending on time of year and when money comes in – season ticket monies come in at a set time, and always artificially inflate cash balances
■We only get to see cash balances reported on two specific dates namely 31 May and 30 Nov – these are accounting reference dates
■Money going out is more constant – players are paid each month, bills maximum quarterly, interest on debts six monthly, etc
■Property profits are much lower than originally projected
■There are separate companies set up under Arsenal Holdings PLC, for the football club itself, the stadium development, etc – 12 in all – but what gets reported on is the overall picture.
■The stadium costs were said to be ring-fenced; this was never more than half a truth.
■What was known was the overall cost of a new stadium (£440m), as long as it was on budget, which it was.
■So the new stadium was built and paid for out of loans of £260m, ITV share money (£80m) and £100m of up front sponsorship cash from Nike and Emirates
■There is still interest to repay on loans taken out to finance the stadium build, BUT this is covered by the additional income from much larger gate receipts, so in that sense the stadium debt IS ring-fenced.
■Alongside the building of a new stadium there was property development, mainly at Highbury.
■What was also expected was a fat profit on the sale of Highbury flats, which would have removed any worry about ring-fencing anything
■What happened was that property prices and demand plummeted, so that it took much longer than expected to reach the break even point on this property (not inc. new stadium) development
■The non-stadium property development is now making profit that drip feeds in to the football pot.
■This was always seen as a bonus – but the bonus turned out to be a lot smaller post-banking meltdown than was originally expected.
■The surplus gate receipts, over and above what was received at Highbury plus debt interest, goes into general available funds, so the new stadium is therefore a net contributor
■So are we better off than had we stayed at Highbury? Clearly we are.
■The wage bill gets bigger and bigger every year.


Transfer spending

■People point to Arsenal’s net transfer profit in recent seasons, saying it’s bad that we make a profit while all our rivals make a transfer loss. This is both stupid and irrelevant – there’s a pot of money to spend on wages AND transfers, and our wage bill is huge, fourth largest in the Premier League. Tottenham have spent much more on transfers and much less on wages – why is their way held up as being better, when the results don’t back it up?
■A good manager doesn’t need to spend a fortune in the transfer market. Brian Clough won two European Cups with a small provincial team and a tiny turnover compared to the likes of Liverpool and Man Utd at the time. Looking at transfer spend only is pointless. He did buy the first million-pound player though, who scored the winner in that second European final. There’s probably a lesson here on speculating to accumulate.
■People forget we do actually buy players: Gervinho, Arteta and Oxlade-Chamberlain added together in transfer fees equals Fabregas; their wages added together equal more than Fabregas.
■The wage bill gets bigger and bigger every year.


The accounts

■Very simply the accounts work like this:
■Add up all the money coming in: TV, gate receipts, prize money, sponsorship deals, merchandising, property sales
■Add up all the money going out: bills, debt repayments and interest, running a stadium / training ground / offices / museum, admin, staff costs for everyone other than players
■Work out the surplus: this is what you can spend on players, assuming there are no shareholder handouts (none at Arsenal for 40 years) or increased debt charges
■If the club is well run, the surplus goes up each year.
■The surplus may look bigger or smaller, depending whether you measure it before or after a big chunk of income arrives
■Let’s say the surplus is £100m. That means wages plus net transfer spend can’t exceed £100m (without making a loss, which is not the Arsenal way).
■But it’s slightly more complicated, because
■when you sign someone you have to take their future wages into account as well,
■and when you sell someone you don’t end up spending the wages you thought you were going to.
■As well as that, players get extended and improved contracts. So the amount of money available is a constantly moving target.
■Not only that, but Arsenal don’t announce either transfer fees or wages, so we have to make educated guesses based on figures in the published accounts (which are always several months out of date by the time we see them) and perceived market value of players.
■There’s one thing we do know, though: the wage bill gets bigger and bigger every year.
■Analysis of all this leads educated observers to believe there is approximately £40m ‘spare’ at present - not that we know if it is available to the manager or not.
■In today’s transfer market, that is not huge, but most supporters could list a dozen or more players not playing, not performing or out on loan who could be removed from the wage bill without adversely affecting the team.
■Whether the manager disagrees or agrees and is just having trouble shifting them is unknown, though Ivan Gazidis has admitted in conversation with AST members last month that there is some ‘fat’ to trim from the wage bill
■Arsenal prefer not to speculate to accumulate.
■If there’s £40m, they’ll spend a maximum of £40m.
■If there’s a danger of missing out on Champions League income, they may save money to cover that
NB:

■All the above takes no account of whether Arsenal’s policies are right or wrong! It’s just the facts of the current self-sustaining policy.
■Who decides what to spend on players? Generally the manager from a wages and transfer budget that he is allocated by the Board (basically all the spare cash after expenses), but the Board undoubtedly influence decisions such as the Nasri sale who would have been a “free” this coming June


And to digress slightly from the main subject, Ticket prices:

■Rumour has it that ticket prices may rise again this year. I’ve seen many people say, “I wouldn’t mind so much if they invested the extra into the team.”
■Gate income is approaching £100m a year; wages are approaching £130m a year. The extra IS invested into the team - did I mention the wage bill gets bigger and bigger every year?
■Is this justification for increasing prices further? No.
■If supporters were prepared to go and watch whichever team gave the most value for price and entertainment, it would be a whole different ballgame. They’re not, so it’s important for fans to pressure the club into acting fairly on tickets
■Ideally loyalty should be rewarded: those who go most often pay least
■The club’s justification for a 4% rise last year (6.5% inc VAT) was that prices hadn’t risen for several years. Their justification assumes that prices were at the right level when they were last raised.
■I’d argue they were too high then and they’re too high now.
■Increasing them further when the club is struggling (relative to recent history) just adds insult to injury.
■Commercial revenues are relatively poor compared to our peer group. Even a neutral observer of Arsenal’s business operations would say that is where the work needs to be done to increase revenues; why should supporters, the lifeblood of any club, pay more to subsidise poor performance of the commercial team?

[Özim]

Rubbish and you know it, no one really knows what goes on with our finiancal sitiuation unless your prat of tptb. Obviously wenger wants to win. He loved to win the cl this season and you be silly to say he don't.

like cripps said its more a case of him not being able to win no more rather then not wanting to win. imo he is lost and until he finds out where he is nothing will change.

as for him leaving. i think he's gone end of the season.
So he's incapable of spending money on quality players?

It's his choice, he doesn't want to pay that bit more for the better players, he says as much after all we have plenty from sales of players to utilise.

At the end of the day he prioritises money over success that much is clear, to him his job is being some sort of financial guru rather than a successful manager on the pitch, I never said he doesn't want to win.....I'm sure everyone would like to and gets frustrated when they don't, but when someone doesn't do anything to change things it's clear it's not the be all and end all for them.

I'd love to win the lottery, but if I never buy a ticket I have no chance.

[Fist of Lehmann]

http://angryofislington.com/2012/01/...e-plain-truth/

So by this chap's reckoning, in summary:
We have about £40m in surplus
Some to all of it available to the manager
We won't spend above our surplus
We may save against the loss of CL money next year.

It's an extremely risk averse policy, particularly if we chose to reserve some of that surplus against the £25M-£40m we risk missing out on.

Also it's not as if a Jan splurge isn't unprecendented either. You would think that our financial situation now would be stronger than when we lumped on Arshavin.

Though tbh, if we don't sign anyone, nothing would surprise me less.

[LDG]

We're fucked until we get a better sponsorship deal is how I read into it.

They're in a tight corner are our board. They can't really up the ticket prices, they can't negotiate any new sponsorship deals untill next year, we can't borrow, they don't want to spend, we won't get into the CL.

The only option, IMO, is to gamble and spend some money. But they won't. So we're fucked.

[Syn]

I don't understand why we'd have to wait for a new sponsorship deal. That we can attract a massive sponsorship deal isn't up for debate. We definitely can. Our ability to borrow shouldn't be too affected by that, as far as I can see. FOL said it - the club is very scared of risk. I understand that to a certain extent, but for all this talk of sustainability and long term planning, I don't know how they can plan growth based on the idea of the club sliding down the table. Many league home games were going on general sale not long ago. I'm not suggesting they don't know what they're doing but I don't think there is a long-term vision. It's ad-hoc, 'lets try our luck' type stuff.

[Niall_Quinn]

There are so many holes in that analysis from angryofislington it's shocking. There's no point laying down headline points without clarifying them with the small print. I'll go through it when I'm not having a day on which I absolutely HAVE TO do some work instead of camping on GW. But in summary what that list reveals, if it's a fair reflection, is our board is 100% INCOMPETENT. 100%! Not just incompetent but naive and unqualified. But that's highly unlikely in reality so:

The cuntish shareholders banked at least £500mill of Kroenke's cash, all representing a return on close to zero investment. The greedy, greedy, cunts. True supporters of Arsenal, instead of the leeches we have, would have taken half and told Kroenke to kick the other half into the team. Even if it was in the form of loans. But they took the lot. This tells me they had every intention of bailing because they knew what was coming. How did they know? Because they engineered it. The greedy, greedy, anti-Arsenal cunts.

They fucking know last year and this are the final opportunity to kick money into the team before financial fair play comes into effect. Kroenke will certainly know that too. This was a chance to do what should have been done at this club a long time ago, replace the great players we have lost in the past with proper players rather then the general dross that fuck around making the "did I mention" wages go up. How much are we paying that cunt Chamakh, for example?

These guys stink. They fucking reek. Seen their sort before, they're not the same as us, they don't think the same way, the don't have human thoughts or emotions. The are like fucking me-me-me machines, everything to them is an opportunity to exploit. They'd whore their own mothers out if it made financial sense. Fucking hate them.

[Fist of Lehmann]

I've no idea what is involved in procuring a sponsorship deal. Presumably you eventually run out of parts of your club to pimp out (and I mean that in the prostitution sense not the bling bling sense).

But raising ticket prices is always seen as the path of least resistance, free money if you like. The only thing you have to balance off against ticket price increases is the rate of attrition you are likely to cause and that is statistically quite predictable. Safe, in other words.

With little movement in other revenue streams something has to offset spiralling wages.

It does feel as though the board are trying to cut their cloth until the commercial deals can be renegotiated, and hoping Wenger can work the oracle in the meantime. Hence the long period of limbo-like existence and talk of 4th not 1st.



Edit: Or you can think as NQ does and picture PHW rubbing his naked body with £50 notes.

[Coney]

Edit: Or you can think as NQ does and picture PHW rubbing his naked body with £50 notes.

Please don't post this kind of thing when it is my lunch break. :sick:

[Niall_Quinn]

and hoping Wenger can work the oracle in the meantime.

I believe that has been the board's entire strategy, the full amount of thought and attention they've paid to what goes on on the pitch. Turns out Wenger hasn't been able to do that. So their brilliant master plan for the football side of things has hit the shitter. But the other stuff went just fine, which is the main thing. And Kroenke and his crew are lining up Chinese and Africans to buy shirts. So things may not be so bad in the short term after all. There is still a good opportunity to rip one last pay day out of the club before the inevitable occurs. Like you say, there are sponsorship deals to negotiate. After that runs the course I suppose the plan is to hand the carcass over to Usmanov when the last drop of blood has been pumped out and the last scrap of meat stripped from the bone. Then it's up to him to supply the bandages and arrange a blood transfusion, if the laws of the game still permit it.

[Boss]

Our raise in ticket prices brought the club 4.5M in revenue (only) and pissed off at least 60,000 people, if not much more.

Surely there are far better ways to make 5M. We made 17M profit in the transfer window alone.

If our commercial deals are so bad (which they are - Liverpool will get 25-50M per year from their new deal with Warrior Sports for kit sponsorship, while we get 8M a year from Nike) I'm not sure why we couldn't ask the companies that sponsor us to either renegotiate or break the deals and get in new sponsors. It's been done before. Not sure what the purpose of our all new supposedly very good commercial team is when they've done fuck all apart from a tour in Asia (which brought us relatively nothing) and a few billboard sponsorship deals.

Astounding how bad the mismanagement of the club is from top to bottom, I really can't fathom how we expect to stay competitive in English football if we continue with this.

[Power n Glory]

We keep fucking about and we won't be able to attract a better sponsorship deal. Or we put ourselves in a bad position when it comes to renegotiating. Was just reading about Liverpool and they couldn't come to an agreement with Adidas.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jan/18/liverpool-adidas-kit-deal?newsfeed=true

But, the upside to this story is that they have a new deal with some American Sportswear company called Warrior Sports and the deal is worth more than Man U's Nike sponsorship deal. It's worth £25m a year. Maybe we'll land on our feet if Nike try to low ball us with the price. Just have to make sure the idiots negotiating these sponsorship deals know how to shop around and can get the best deal possible. I can't believe this sponsorship nonsense either. It's the same crap we had while at Highbury. At least with new blood on the team, we should be able to get better deals. The people responsible for the bad contracts at Highbury probably negotiated the new terms for the Emirates deals.

But anyway, if we can't raise money through sponsorship deals, then we have to look elsewhere and it boils down to player management. Wenger has to be a lot smarter with his buys. He's wasting money with Park, Almunia, Squallci and co picking up a wage. We also can't afford to buy players like Ox for £10m plus and not play them. He should be getting more games off the bench. If the wage bill keeps going up then he's going to have to trim the squad. It's too big and poor in quality to be such a drain on our resources. That's bad management and they need to have a look into that. A lot of money going into a blackhole and they need to start holding Wenger accountable.

[Niall_Quinn]

We keep fucking about and we won't be able to attract a better sponsorship deal.

I'm betting a lot of the deals were locked up before Kroenke signed on the dotted line. Expect good news soon in terms of sponsorship. Also expect none of the income to be spent improving the team.

[Power n Glory]

I'm betting a lot of the deals were locked up before Kroenke signed on the dotted line. Expect good news soon in terms of sponsorship. Also expect none of the income to be spent improving the team.

As long as Wenger's in charge we won't spend. This is how it all went down at Monaco. Was reading Le Grove the other day and one of the writers thinks the Board are giving Wenger enough rope to hang himself. The other writer disagrees, but I can see where he's coming from with that theory. I wish it were true, but they're all in love with Wenger up there.

[Özim]

As long as Wenger's in charge we won't spend. This is how it all went down at Monaco.
Pretty much, the guy seems allergic to spending money....I feel sorry for his family they must be living in wooden shacks because he doesn't want to spend that extra bit having to heat a house.

I'm afraid the cheap buys he once made into stars are a thing of the past, Wenger doesn't seem able to find them and even when quality is available at a good price he overlooks them.

He doesn't want players deemed "star players" and doesn't want to spend money either, that's why we get saddled with sh*t like Squillaci and Chamakh.

[Fist of Lehmann]

As long as Wenger's in charge we won't spend. This is how it all went down at Monaco. Was reading Le Grove the other day and one of the writers thinks the Board are giving Wenger enough rope to hang himself. The other writer disagrees, but I can see where he's coming from with that theory. I wish it were true, but they're all in love with Wenger up there.Where is he coming from with that theory?

[Niall_Quinn]

Pretty much, the guy seems allergic to spending money....I feel sorry for his family they must be living in wooden shacks because he doesn't want to spend that extra bit having to heat a house.

I'm afraid the cheap buys he once made into stars are a thing of the past, Wenger doesn't seem able to find them and even when quality is available at a good price he overlooks them.

He doesn't want players deemed "star players" and doesn't want to spend money either, that's why we get saddled with sh*t like Squillaci and Chamakh.

It's a convenient argument. But apart from that, if our board would really fuck the club just to set Wenger up then they should all be killed anyway.

[selassie]

As long as Wenger's in charge we won't spend. This is how it all went down at Monaco. Was reading Le Grove the other day and one of the writers thinks the Board are giving Wenger enough rope to hang himself. The other writer disagrees, but I can see where he's coming from with that theory. I wish it were true, but they're all in love with Wenger up there.

Yeah I agree. I'm pretty sure the lack of investment in the squad is Wenger's doing. As you stated, if you look at past history, I.E his time at Monaco, if you look at quotes coming out of the club from Wenger, the Board & people close to Wenger it does point to the fact that he is the one responsible for the lack of investment in the squad.

In terms of Wenger's job security, as long as he is making the club money and we're reasonably competitive I think the board will be happy with him.

[Fist of Lehmann]

It's a convenient argument. But apart from that, if our board would really fuck the club just to set Wenger up then they should all be killed anyway.Well exactly, why fuck the club over when you have the power to just sack him?

[LDG]

Well exactly, why fuck the club over when you have the power to just sack him?

...and send him on his way with 2 years wages left to pay him. 12 million does kind of fuck the new guy up the ringpiece....

[Niall_Quinn]

Yeah I agree. I'm pretty sure the lack of investment in the squad is Wenger's doing. As you stated, if you look at past history, I.E his time at Monaco, if you look at quotes coming out of the club from Wenger, the Board & people close to Wenger it does point to the fact that he is the one responsible for the lack of investment in the squad.

In terms of Wenger's job security, as long as he is making the club money and we're reasonably competitive I think the board will be happy with him.

Which implies their real interests aren't on the pitch but elsewhere.

[Fist of Lehmann]

...and send him on his way with 2 years wages left to pay him. 12 million does kind of fuck the new guy up the ringpiece....But when the alternative is to let him see out his contract and spend 1 or 2 seasons out of the CL costing £25m - £80m lost revenue?

Or do you think he would walk out of his contract after a year? That'd be cheaper no doubt.

[Niall_Quinn]

Unless some miracle occurs like Kroenke opening his wallet it looks like we'll drift on until Wenger's contract is up and then he'll head off. There may be an element of allowing him to leave on his own terms considering what he's done for the club. Thing is, I'm not sure any other manager could have done much better given he's had to make profits in the transfer windows.

[SayNoMore]

Which implies their real interests aren't on the pitch but elsewhere.

Niall, EVERY boards priority is to maximise shareholder wealth. Football is no exception. Its Wengers responsibilty to make sure they invest in the squads interests. If they havent been doing so, he should have put up a fight, unless he agrees with them ...

[LDG]

The one thing that is weird about Wenger's supposed "Business Operation" outlook, is that in any business, you invest.

We do all the nice things, like avoiding a loss....but we never speculate to become more profitable. We seem to try and generate income by selling shirts....but popularity would surely increase in our stock, if we fucking went and won something.

[Niall_Quinn]

Niall, EVERY boards priority is to maximise shareholder wealth. Football is no exception. Its Wengers responsibilty to make sure they invest in the squads interests. If they havent been doing so, he should have put up a fight, unless he agrees with them ...

I totally disagree with that and it's at the centre of my loathing for the scum that have polluted the game. Football is most definitely an exception, at least it used to be. If the game is now simply a vehicle for rich tossers to get richer then I still don't agree with that, even if it's "the real world". Besides, the goons who looted the club were the shareholders too, apart from a few around the fringes who have no say anyway or the incoming con artists and crooks who are lining up for double bubble. These bastards know they have a captive audience generated from a heritage that locks their customers into a one sided contract. This also allows them to ride out the rough and tumble of the "real world" when other types of businesses that genuinely have to compete might go to the wall. Saw an piece on the news last night, the criminals at FIFA have stuck two fingers up at Brazil, a country that has laws against alcohol being consumed at sports events. FIFA says no way, we're having our beer, it's non-negotiable. Fuck the law, Budweiser takes precedence as a major sponsor. And they'll get their way. So if they can fuck over an entire nation to get what they want, how hard can it be to fuck over one club and a collection of supporters that are hopelessly locked to that club and have been all or most of their lives. There's a name for these types - vampires. Fuck them. I see them.

[LDG]

Vinger is going to "assess" the situation at LB after Sunday.

Nothing to report at the moment.

We're gonna buy that Southampton lad aren't we.....

[Marc Overmars]

We should get Neil Taylor.

But why would he leave Swansealona for a pub team?

[Japan Shaking All Over]

The one thing that is weird about Wenger's supposed "Business Operation" outlook, is that in any business, you invest.

We do all the nice things, like avoiding a loss....but we never speculate to become more profitable. We seem to try and generate income by selling shirts....but popularity would surely increase in our stock, if we fucking went and won something.

This is exactly what I dont get! . . . .surely it makes more sense financially and would do more for our popularity to go out and win something. . .especially now that it is obvious that project yoith has run aground.
here in Japan football mags dont have Arsenal on their front pages assigned for the PL, Spuds are ahead of us. . . .there was even a week when we didnt have an Arsenal game!

[LDG]

This is exactly what I dont get! . . . .surely it makes more sense financially and would do more for our popularity to go out and win something. . .especially now that it is obvious that project yoith has run aground.
here in Japan football mags dont have Arsenal on their front pages assigned for the PL, Spuds are ahead of us. . . .there was even a week when we didnt have an Arsenal game!

Really. That's quite interesting.

I wonder what our other GW's in foreign climes have to say on our popularity.

TEG?? What's it like down-river?

[Niall_Quinn]

This is exactly what I dont get! . . . .surely it makes more sense financially and would do more for our popularity to go out and win something. . .especially now that it is obvious that project yoith has run aground.
here in Japan football mags dont have Arsenal on their front pages assigned for the PL, Spuds are ahead of us. . . .there was even a week when we didnt have an Arsenal game!

If you rob a bank you don't care what effect it's going to have on the bank.

[Boss]

Really. That's quite interesting.

I wonder what our other GW's in foreign climes have to say on our popularity.

TEG?? What's it like down-river?

The good thing about the three Asian places I tend to stay most (Dubai, Hong Kong, India) is that most Premiership games are on TV, especially that of the old top four (Chelsea, ManU, Liverpool, Arsenal) and now Man City and Spurs. Despite our pathetic showing in terms of trophies over the last x years we're still reasonably well supported.

That said Asians as a whole tend to gravitate towards more 'successful' clubs (ie glory hunters) - there was a huge influx of Chelsea fans after they won the league and I'm sure Citeh will see the same after this year. Although Citeh gets a reasonable amount of support here (Dubai) as it's Arab owned you'll still find more fans of the old top four, although I suspect that will change after they win the league.

Despite the relative popularity I'd imagine we're making very little money in comparison to Chelsea / Man U in Asia. Most of our money will come from TV revenue, which afaik the league shares and Arsenal TV isn't as popular compared to MUTV, CFCTV and LFCTV. People here don't tend to spend much on official merchandise unless their team is successful and/or has big name players and even then it's unlikely as you get top quality fake footy kits here for around $50 hkd (2-3 pounds). Reckon we could hugely boost revenue if we started buying some marketable players (people jizz heavily here about C.Ronaldo, Rooney, Van Persie, Fabregas etc) and if we started doing a few more of these tours outside England.

To end on a positive note, I'm surprised how little support Tottenham gets in the three places I tend to visit... in the 20 odd years I've been around I've met less than five Spurs fans compared to 100+ for Chelsea, Liverpool, Man U, Arsenal and other top European clubs. Guess they're just not that attractive on a global level... :lol:

[LDG]

The good thing about the three Asian places I tend to stay most (Dubai, Hong Kong, India) is that most Premiership games are on TV, especially that of the old top four (Chelsea, ManU, Liverpool, Arsenal) and now Man City and Spurs. Despite our pathetic showing in terms of trophies over the last x years we're still reasonably well supported.

That said Asians as a whole tend to gravitate towards more 'successful' clubs (ie glory hunters) - there was a huge influx of Chelsea fans after they won the league and I'm sure Citeh will see the same after this year. Although Citeh gets a reasonable amount of support here (Dubai) as it's Arab owned you'll still find more fans of the old top four, although I suspect that will change after they win the league.

Despite the relative popularity I'd imagine we're making very little money in comparison to Chelsea / Man U in Asia. Most of our money will come from TV revenue, which afaik the league shares and Arsenal TV isn't as popular compared to MUTV, CFCTV and LFCTV. People here don't tend to spend much on official merchandise unless their team is successful and/or has big name players and even then it's unlikely as you get top quality fake footy kits here for around $50 hkd (2-3 pounds). Reckon we could hugely boost revenue if we started buying some marketable players (people jizz heavily here about C.Ronaldo, Rooney, Van Persie, Fabregas etc) and if we started doing a few more of these tours outside England.

To end on a positive note, I'm surprised how little support Tottenham gets in the three places I tend to visit... in the 20 odd years I've been around I've met less than five Spurs fans compared to 100+ for Chelsea, Liverpool, Man U, Arsenal and other top European clubs. Guess they're just not that attractive on a global level... :lol:

:good:

And spuds :haha:

Always in our shadow.

I'm guessing that Stan will be looking at this quite closely once he comes in properly.

Be fucking awesome if he stepped in and started kicking the ass out of this tired old board we have.

[Dennis Bendtner]

Vinger is going to "assess" the situation at LB after Sunday.

Nothing to report at the moment.

We're gonna buy that Southampton lad aren't we.....

Yeah let's observe the waiting period for another 10 games. What's the point of this shit. I can actually understand us not bringing a left-back in - they'll generally be mediocre - but what's the point now when we've limped along for 2/3 of the window? WUMger.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

So he's incapable of spending money on quality players?

It's his choice, he doesn't want to pay that bit more for the better players, he says as much after all we have plenty from sales of players to utilise.

At the end of the day he prioritises money over success that much is clear, to him his job is being some sort of financial guru rather than a successful manager on the pitch, I never said he doesn't want to win.....I'm sure everyone would like to and gets frustrated when they don't, but when someone doesn't do anything to change things it's clear it's not the be all and end all for them.

I'd love to win the lottery, but if I never buy a ticket I have no chance.

Just because he says it don't mean he means it does it. end of the day what hye does is irrelevant if the board will not sack him, they are happy to see him be cheap for a reason.

did he not say he'd buy neymar if he could but he knows that lads wages would bee too expensive for us to afford. its easy to say chuck money at playersbut in this day and age they all want big wages and if we can afford it they go else where.

we could have bids accepted over the summer but personal terms ruined the deals, we'd never know. until we know the finiacial side of things we can't judge. However wenger managing the current team diffrent thing altogether.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

As long as Wenger's in charge we won't spend. This is how it all went down at Monaco. Was reading Le Grove the other day and one of the writers thinks the Board are giving Wenger enough rope to hang himself. The other writer disagrees, but I can see where he's coming from with that theory. I wish it were true, but they're all in love with Wenger up there.

don't matter who comes in whilst the board is here we won't spend if you thing anew manager will come in and phw will give then A huge warchest and players will come in more fool you.

[Marc Overmars]

don't matter who comes in whilst the board is here we won't spend if you thing anew manager will come in and phw will give then A huhe warchest and players will come in more fool you.

I wouldn't be so sure of that. Surely one of the conditions a new manager will lay out is the ability to spend. Not Man City levels of spending of course, but enough to give him a fighting chance of moulding the team his way.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Niall, EVERY boards priority is to maximise shareholder wealth. Football is no exception. Its Wengers responsibilty to make sure they invest in the squads interests. If they havent been doing so, he should have put up a fight, unless he agrees with them ...

You don't bite the hand that feeds you do you, wenger is employed by them and will take thier side most of the time. Don't think fergie agreed with the glazers but never made a fuss over them. Its easy to say it did not matter because they were winning things But he could have stood up for the fans he did not, neither did pardew at newcastle. Infact the modern manager rarley does.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

I wouldn't be so sure of that. Surely one of the conditions a new manager will lay out is the ability to spend. Not Man City levels of spending of course, but enough to give him a fighting chance of moulding the team his way.

This is why he will be a yes man the board are not silly. Yes wenger don't want to spend but the baord are happy with it. I'd find it strange them being happy with someone who'd go and spend milllions having kept AW for failing to do so.

[GP]

I wouldn't be so sure of that. Surely one of the conditions a new manager will lay out is the ability to spend. Not Man City levels of spending of course, but enough to give him a fighting chance of moulding the team his way.

A new manager will be given no more than £20m for signings and contract renewals.

We all know it's true.

[Niall_Quinn]

A new manager will be given no more than £20m for signings and contract renewals.

We all know it's true.

£30mill is the usual announcement, which means the new guy will have to make a £20mill profit.

[Grebbo]

112 pages of shit.

[Power n Glory]

I wouldn't be so sure of that. Surely one of the conditions a new manager will lay out is the ability to spend. Not Man City levels of spending of course, but enough to give him a fighting chance of moulding the team his way.

Exactly and it's not so far fetched since we just spent a load this summer. The amount we spent this year constantly he's ignored and Wenger's action at Monaco never gets discussed either.

[Xhaka Can’t]

112 pages of shit.

All the shit that's fit to print!
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2681/4523275778_058cf70069.jpg

[Power n Glory]

Where is he coming from with that theory?

Well, you can see on here how this issue splits opinion and if Stan and co sack Wenger, the knives would be out, especially if we have a rocky start. A new manager won't be welcomed with open arms either and it will just be a sour environment around the ground. Wenger has a long standing lagacy here and as seen here people can't accept that he's at fault for certain things. Stan will get all the blame of it goes tits up.

Think of it like The Dark Knight.:Lol: Wenger stands for something with the fans. It's a legacy and that has to be broken for people to accept change. If he goes before his time, people will still believe he could have led us to glory. Well some.

That's the theory anyway. Probably bollocks. :lol:

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Exactly and it's not so far fetched since we just spent a load this summer. The amount we spent this year constantly he's ignored and Wenger's action at Monaco never gets discussed either.

Because its irrelevant thats why.

[Power n Glory]

Because its irrelevant thats why.

How so? His philolsophy has always been about nurturing talent and youth. He's a pig in muck at Arsenal.

Nonsense about his past being irrelevant because as soon as he's ready to step down and a new manager is announced people will be quick to bring up his past and accolades. Maybe in your world it's irrelevant. If Pep and Jose were being lined up to be the next Arsenal manager, how would you asses them and figure out which one suits our club? Far fetched I know, but it's a simple example.

So quick to look past the obvious and blame the board but unwilling to look at the man and his past actions which line up with his word and current actions.

[Niall_Quinn]

How so? His philolsophy has always been about nurturing talent and youth. He's a pig in muck at Arsenal.

Nonsense about his past being irrelevant because as soon as he's ready to step down and a new manager is announced people will be quick to bring up his past and accolades. Maybe in your world it's irrelevant. If Pep and Jose were being lined up to be the next Arsenal manager, how would you asses them and figure out which one suits our club? Far fetched I know, but it's a simple example.

So quick to look past the obvious and blame the board but unwilling to look at the man and his past actions which line up with his word and current actions.

And then again there are those who contrive to blame every problem at the club on Wenger. I think the cries of what a shit substitution, why can't we play Ox, what the fuck are we doing playing Chamakh again at least hints that some of the fanatics who suggest the board should also be examined (bless them) also consider Wenger's actions to be troublesome. Figuring out what environment he's operating in and why he does what he does in terms of the transfer window is hard to do once you've looked past the obvious and unjustifiably exonerated the guys who actually control the money. And if Wenger's record at Monaco is ignored then it's a small oversight compared to the elephant sitting in the middle of the room.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

How so? His philolsophy has always been about nurturing talent and youth. He's a pig in muck at Arsenal.

Nonsense about his past being irrelevant because as soon as he's ready to step down and a new manager is announced people will be quick to bring up his past and accolades. Maybe in your world it's irrelevant. If Pep and Jose were being lined up to be the next Arsenal manager, how would you asses them and figure out which one suits our club? Far fetched I know, but it's a simple example.

So quick to look past the obvious and blame the board but unwilling to look at the man and his past actions which line up with his word and current actions.



This is why the board will pick the next manager to be wenger esq so their not seen as mugs with no backbone.

[Power n Glory]

And then again there are those who contrive to blame every problem at the club on Wenger. I think the cries of what a shit substitution, why can't we play Ox, what the fuck are we doing playing Chamakh again at least hints that some of the fanatics who suggest the board should also be examined (bless them) also consider Wenger's actions to be troublesome. Figuring out what environment he's operating in and why he does what he does in terms of the transfer window is hard to do once you've looked past the obvious and unjustifiably exonerated the guys who actually control the money. And if Wenger's record at Monaco is ignored then it's a small oversight compared to the elephant sitting in the middle of the room.

What the fuck is he working with that Swansea, Fulham, Stoke, Newcastle, Spurs and every other team haven't got to deal with?

Sick of hearing the excuses. If lower league coaches can drill championship level players into a sold squad that know how to defend on a small budget then why can't Wenger? Of course, the board have their blame in all this but there isn't much they can now. When the shit hit the fan in the summer, we finally spent some money while Wenger was away in Switzerland.

[Marc Overmars]

What the fuck is he working with that Swansea, Fulham, Stoke, Newcastle, Spurs and every other team haven't got to deal with?

Sick of hearing the excuses. If lower league coaches can drill championship level players into a sold squad that know how to defend on a small budget then why can't Wenger? Of course, the board have their blame in all this but there isn't much they can now. When the shit hit the fan in the summer, we finally spent some money while Wenger was away in Switzerland.

Can't help but agree.

I don't get it - every club has shit to deal with, on and off the pitch, but whatever the problems are, it shouldn't affect the manager being able to instill some basic team fundamentals, which is what we seem to lack and have lacked for many years now.

There seems to be this perception that Wenger is operating in a unique bubble. Of course the board should share the blame for certain issues, but I don't buy the idea Wenger is operating with one arm tied behind his back. In my view, Wenger and the board are one.

No other club would stand for the decline we have seen over the past 6 years. The board should do one for accepting an underperforming manager because he makes them bucks, and Wenger should do one for putting together a team that has a horrible habit of wilting under pressure and causing extreme embarrassment to it's fans, there are no outside influences involved there, none at all.

[GunnerFan4Life]

Arsenal will make an offer for Lille winger Eden Hazard. Extremely reliable source. (via @tomvermeersch ) - twitter.


i will be gutted be hazard went to chelsea. wouldnt mind if it was madrid. apparently there was talk that AW enquired about him this week.

[Mr. Lahey]

The idea that Wenger doesn't care about winning is laughable: :lol: See?

i was talking about the board numbnuts

[fakeyank]

What the fuck is he working with that Swansea, Fulham, Stoke, Newcastle, Spurs and every other team haven't got to deal with?

Sick of hearing the excuses. If lower league coaches can drill championship level players into a sold squad that know how to defend on a small budget then why can't Wenger? Of course, the board have their blame in all this but there isn't much they can now. When the shit hit the fan in the summer, we finally spent some money while Wenger was away in Switzerland.

:gp:

Bottom line.. if the board is not giving him money and not co-operating with him, he quits. Why ruin your legacy and records for some old farts interested in money? Its not like Arsene cannot make 6 million quid elsewhere. Its a simple explanation really! AW is just a thick old guy who just hasnt come to terms that his flawed tactics are not going to get him anywhere in this day and age..

[Olivier's xmas twist]

:gp:

Bottom line.. if the board is not giving him money and not co-operating with him, he quits. Why ruin your legacy and records for some old farts interested in money? Its not like Arsene cannot make 6 million quid elsewhere. Its a simple explanation really! AW is just a thick old guy who just hasnt come to terms that his flawed tactics are not going to get him anywhere in this day and age..

:doh:

So one minute he is thick the next minute he can make six million somewhere else, how can a thick man do that. He is a stubborn man at most.

[Mr. Lahey]

wenger is a mediocre manager these days. not to say that hes an awful manager, but a manager who has lost his touch.he does just enough to get the job done but cant get us to that next level. he is unable or unwilling to change even simple things. tactically speaking we can come up with a laundry list of questionable things hes tried on the pitch. he cares about winning and losing but he will always justify things in the end with some more bullshit. then predictably not a change much the next season. thats one definition of a loser in my opinion and thats why he needs to go.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

wenger is a mediocre manager these days. not to say that hes an awful manager, but a manager who has lost his touch.he does just enough to get the job done but cant get us to that next level. he is unable or unwilling to change even simple things. tactically speaking we can come up with a laundry list of questionable things hes tried on the pitch. he cares about winning and losing but he will always justify things in the end with some more bullshit. then predictably not a change much the next season. thats one definition of a loser in my opinion and thats why he needs to go.

Agree with this

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Arsenal will make an offer for Lille winger Eden Hazard. Extremely reliable source. (via @tomvermeersch ) - twitter.


i will be gutted be hazard went to chelsea. wouldnt mind if it was madrid. apparently there was talk that AW enquired about him this week.

We got no chance over chelea or Madrid tbh.

[Niall_Quinn]

Arsenal will make an offer for Lille winger Eden Hazard. Extremely reliable source. (via @tomvermeersch ) - twitter.i will be gutted be hazard went to chelsea. wouldnt mind if it was madrid. apparently there was talk that AW enquired about him this week.Another lowball offer coming up. Probably a fair price but nobody deals in fair prices anymore.

[Cripps_orig]

Arsene Wenger says Russian forward Andrei Arshavin, 30, will not be sold in the January transfer window.
Full story: Metro

Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny insists "there are no scars from the Manchester United mauling" as the sides prepare to meet for the first time since the Gunners' 8-2 drubbing at Old Trafford.
Full story: London Evening Standard

Keeping Arshavin :bow:

We'll see Sunday

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Keeping Arshavin :bow:

We'll see Sunday

So nothing again

[Xhaka Can’t]

What the fuck is he working with that Swansea, Fulham, Stoke, Newcastle, Spurs and every other team haven't got to deal with?

Sick of hearing the excuses. If lower league coaches can drill championship level players into a sold squad that know how to defend on a small budget then why can't Wenger? Of course, the board have their blame in all this but there isn't much they can now. When the shit hit the fan in the summer, we finally spent some money while Wenger was away in Switzerland.

He is above all but one of those teams, none of which have ever finished above him in the League. Ever.

So what is your point?

[Cripps_orig]

Pretty much

I fear for this club

[Power n Glory]

He is above all but one of those teams, none of which have ever finished above him in the League. Ever.

So what is your point?

I'm not talking about league position and the point is there in the second paragraph. If it goes over your head, I can't help you.

[Xhaka Can’t]

I'm not talking about league position and the point is there in the second paragraph. If it goes over your head, I can't help you.

Oh.

I wonder when they had better defences?

Or is your point about him being in Switzerland?

[Power n Glory]

Oh.

I wonder when they had better defences?

Or is your point about him being in Switzerland?

When we've played those teams, they've defended better than ours. They have half the budget that we have but can at least make themselves hard to beat. We used to struggle every season at Bolton and I swear this is the third season running where Fulham have outplayed us and stolen more points off us when they shoudln't. I keep hearing people taking about our budget as an excuse but we often get beaten by teams way down the table and struggle to break them down. It happens far too often. If those clubs can find and train decent defenders on a cheap then why can't we?

Talking of teams above us...Man Utd have a very young team and that was Fergie's worst teams to have won the title and it's not as if he hasn't had injury problems. It's the same for this season, but they're not struggling to qualify for the Champs League either. It's a very average looking Man U side and they should be there for the taking.

Tactically, Wenger is poor and that is what's letting us down. A good defensive coach could drill an average group of players to be very hard to break down and beat.

[Xhaka Can’t]

I'm not denying things are shit and I don't want change, but people need perspective. Everybody gets beaten by teams worse than them and/or with less resources. But every year over the course of a season, the better team finishes higher. And we have done so against all the teams you have listed by a considerable margin.

But that is all likely to change to some degree given the chronic lack of investment in the team and inability/unwillingness to make the best use of the playing resources we are seemingly stuck with. In fact, we are stuck with more than many appreciate because we aren't getting rid of the likes of Denilson and Bendtner until their contracts run out.

[fakeyank]

:doh:

So one minute he is thick the next minute he can make six million somewhere else, how can a thick man do that. He is a stubborn man at most.

He is thick because he wont change his methods even though they have failed for 6 seasons running.

[Japan Shaking All Over]

This is a difficult one to call but as time goes on, I do not doubt Wenger's intelligence but I also don't think his salary either proves he is above average in the IQ department.

But call them whar yiu will, question marks or cracks, there are signs that the make up of the guy's character are ihas serious flaws.

Wenger has done wonders for the club and could count himself lucky when ge walked through the door and already had the rock foundations of a defence he didnt need to touch. Some extremely, legend making pick ups, TH14, PV4 allowed the sky to become the limit.
I believe the first crack was the inability to achieve back to back leagues titles but that was easy to ignore because of other cup success however retirements, players moving on proved to be tge back breaker, the inability to replace those players and the insistence that youth was the answer, and that financial constraints were holding us back has created a manager who lacks the ability to motivate his team beyond dreams of mediocrity.
Factor in a board that lacks ambition, fails to give both public or private support, seems more ontrested in cashong in than bowing to the demands of an ambitious manager (which Wenger both isnt doing or show traits of being anymore) and you have a sorry affair.

Now as fans we now seem to find ourselves in the same posotion as in the summer, agast at Wengers lack of teaction to obvious problems, is a nrw manager the answer? Maybe. . .but will the board change? maybe not. . .I for one will not be overly sad to see Wenger stay but his staying and refusal to see things the way they are, his hiding behind excuses that frankly make little to no fucking sense. . .you know when he mentioned the now infamous 'waiting period' I actually waited ! ! ! and by all counts still am.
He can stay for me. . .but the feeling of deja vu has to go. . .but I feel holding my breath would futile

[Power n Glory]

I'm not denying things are shit and I don't want change, but people need perspective. Everybody gets beaten by teams worse than them and/or with less resources. But every year over the course of a season, the better team finishes higher. And we have done so against all the teams you have listed by a considerable margin.

But that is all likely to change to some degree given the chronic lack of investment in the team and inability/unwillingness to make the best use of the playing resources we are seemingly stuck with. In fact, we are stuck with more than many appreciate because we aren't getting rid of the likes of Denilson and Bendtner until their contracts run out.

Getting beat by teams with less resources happens and I'm not trying to make out as if they have no right to beat us. That would be going off topic. It's a response to NQ's and Charlie's posts and how they keep raising the Board and transfer dealings as the main source of problem for everything football related.

Wenger goes out and buys playere in the summer that aren't Prem ready - but it's the Board's fault.

We can't defend and the team are mentally weak - it's the Board's fault.

This notion that the problems Wenger faces and the environment he works in is exclusive to Arsenal only is nonsense. Every club has restrictions to work with. It's not just us. A good coach should be able to get the best out of limited players and it doesn't cost a fortune to fix a defence. it takes good coaching and teaching discipline. We could spend millions on the worlds best defenders but if they don't get the correct coaching they will look below average. The arguments about the Board gets pulled out too muh by certain posters and they can't aknowledge the fact that we have a bad coach on our hands. Or his methods are outdated...however you want to spin it, Wenger isn't doing his part well.

He should have the skill to get the best out of his resources. Swansea spent less on transfers then all the teams in the Prem, but they play at a very high level and are tough to beat. That's a coach making the best of what he's got and pushing his coaching skills to the max. We're not doing that or making good use of the £30m - £60m we have to spend in transfer windows. If we were an old clapped out motor, Wenger would have just spent a huge chunk of our budget on spinning rims and windscreen wipers.

He's supposed to be a world class coach and he shouldn't be getting out thought by certain coaches. It can happen now and again, but he gets done over plenty of times. He should know tricks and tactics that these guys haven't even dreamed of. His experience in management should trump theres. We've all seen Top Gear with the reasonably priced car test right? If we had the equivalent in football, where would Wenger rank? We've seen it Top Gear where an F1 driver like Lewis Hamilton pulls in one of the fastest lap times but some other celebrity with the same car and conditions can't come anywhere near that time. If your top class you should be able to get the best out of whatever vehicle your pushing. Wenger seems to drive with the handbrake on - as he puts it. Our team looks average but the manner of our defeats and the mistakes are embarrassing.

Our Board sucks for not slapping Wenger over the head and telling him to sort his shit out, I can't blame them for the nonsense I see on the pitch. Bendtner playing as a right winger? Come on! Every coach has limits to deal with but certain things he should have dealt with by now. That's my view.

[Xhaka Can’t]

He is right though. Everything is the Board's fault.

He is either not adequately supported by them and/or he is no longer up to the job as fans see the job - you know - tactics and winning things whereas the Board seem to have different criteria. I think it is a combination of support and capability. In which case, Wenger needs to go.

edit: Oh, and I think he did fix the defence - anyone would struggle with that injury list.

[Japan Shaking All Over]

Getting beat by teams with less resources happens and I'm not trying to make out as if they have no right to beat us. That would be going off topic. It's a response to NQ's and Charlie's posts and how they keep raising the Board and transfer dealings as the main source of problem for everything football related.

Wenger goes out and buys playere in the summer that aren't Prem ready - but it's the Board's fault.

We can't defend and the team are mentally weak - it's the Board's fault.

This notion that the problems Wenger faces and the environment he works in is exclusive to Arsenal only is nonsense. Every club has restrictions to work with. It's not just us. A good coach should be able to get the best out of limited players and it doesn't cost a fortune to fix a defence. it takes good coaching and teaching discipline. We could spend millions on the worlds best defenders but if they don't get the correct coaching they will look below average. The arguments about the Board gets pulled out too muh by certain posters and they can't aknowledge the fact that we have a bad coach on our hands. Or his methods are outdated...however you want to spin it, Wenger isn't doing his part well.

He should have the skill to get the best out of his resources. Swansea spent less on transfers then all the teams in the Prem, but they play at a very high level and are tough to beat. That's a coach making the best of what he's got and pushing his coaching skills to the max. We're not doing that or making good use of the £30m - £60m we have to spend in transfer windows. If we were an old clapped out motor, Wenger would have just spent a huge chunk of our budget on spinning rims and windscreen wipers.

He's supposed to be a world class coach and he shouldn't be getting out thought by certain coaches. It can happen now and again, but he gets done over plenty of times. He should know tricks and tactics that these guys haven't even dreamed of. His experience in management should trump theres. We've all seen Top Gear with the reasonably priced car test right? If we had the equivalent in football, where would Wenger rank? We've seen it Top Gear where an F1 driver like Lewis Hamilton pulls in one of the fastest lap times but some other celebrity with the same car and conditions can't come anywhere near that time. If your top class you should be able to get the best out of whatever vehicle your pushing. Wenger seems to drive with the handbrake on - as he puts it. Our team looks average but the manner of our defeats and the mistakes are embarrassing.

Our Board sucks for not slapping Wenger over the head and telling him to sort his shit out, I can't blame them for the nonsense I see on the pitch. Bendtner playing as a right winger? Come on! Every coach has limits to deal with but certain things he should have dealt with by now. That's my view.


I cant help myself nodding in agreement to a lot of that and at the same time repeating the same things I was saying in the summer.

Wenger has a lot to be held accountable for what goes on on the pitch. After a very rocky start we started to show signs of recovery, we went on a very decent run but even then after every win, the consensus was (and rightly so) that we by no means the finished article. . .and that Wenger shared the same sentiment and that he would use the run we were on plus January 's transfer window to catapult us further.

However injuries and signs that the sticker tape used to keep the wheels on were losing its grip, thus giving Wenger another excuse to bemoan and hide behind.

People are right when they question his inability to get the best out of our current squad especially when we get beaten by times whose superiority has been their heart and the way they apply it.

The business dealings of the club are down to the board as they control the purses, however a lot of their opinion of the state of the team has to come from the reasoning of the man managing the club.

But at the end of the day both parties are as blind, ignorant, head up their pompous arses as it each. . .how can Wenger not be banging the door down demanding money for better players when he sees the performances and how can the board be not contemplating the departure of this once great man when tbey see the performances.

Bring in another, maybe. . .but you would be wise to remember that the fix would not be immediate, . .Jose has had success and Sporting was a great achievement but Chelsea and Real throw money around like candy. . .bring in someone like Matinez and I am sure a lot on here will be looking to burn the place down too. . .nothing is a cert, remember that the few who will be putting their toys back in the the pram they threw them out of after Wenger is shown the door

[Olivier's xmas twist]

I cant help myself nodding in agreement to a lot of that and at the same time repeating the same things I was saying in the summer.

Wenger has a lot to be held accountable for what goes on on the pitch. After a very rocky start we started to show signs of recovery, we went on a very decent run but even then after every win, the consensus was (and rightly so) that we by no means the finished article. . .and that Wenger shared the same sentiment and that he would use the run we were on plus January 's transfer window to catapult us further.

However injuries and signs that the sticker tape used to keep the wheels on were losing its grip, thus giving Wenger another excuse to bemoan and hide behind.

People are right when they question his inability to get the best out of our current squad especially when we get beaten by times whose superiority has been their heart and the way they apply it.

The business dealings of the club are down to the board as they control the purses, however a lot of their opinion of the state of the team has to come from the reasoning of the man managing the club.

But at the end of the day both parties are as blind, ignorant, head up their pompous arses as it each. . .how can Wenger not be banging the door down demanding money for better players when he sees the performances and how can the board be not contemplating the departure of this once great man when tbey see the performances.

Bring in another, maybe. . .but you would be wise to remember that the fix would not be immediate, . .Jose has had success and Sporting was a great achievement but Chelsea and Real throw money around like candy. . .bring in someone like Matinez and I am sure a lot on here will be looking to burn the place down too. . .nothing is a cert, remember that the few who will be putting their toys back in the the pram they threw them out of after Wenger is shown the door

:gp:

[Olivier's xmas twist]

He is thick because he wont change his methods even though they have failed for 6 seasons running.

Thats not thick thats stubborn.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Getting beat by teams with less resources happens and I'm not trying to make out as if they have no right to beat us. That would be going off topic. It's a response to NQ's and Charlie's posts and how they keep raising the Board and transfer dealings as the main source of problem for everything football related.

Wenger goes out and buys playere in the summer that aren't Prem ready - but it's the Board's fault.

We can't defend and the team are mentally weak - it's the Board's fault.

This notion that the problems Wenger faces and the environment he works in is exclusive to Arsenal only is nonsense. Every club has restrictions to work with. It's not just us. A good coach should be able to get the best out of limited players and it doesn't cost a fortune to fix a defence. it takes good coaching and teaching discipline. We could spend millions on the worlds best defenders but if they don't get the correct coaching they will look below average. The arguments about the Board gets pulled out too muh by certain posters and they can't aknowledge the fact that we have a bad coach on our hands. Or his methods are outdated...however you want to spin it, Wenger isn't doing his part well.

He should have the skill to get the best out of his resources. Swansea spent less on transfers then all the teams in the Prem, but they play at a very high level and are tough to beat. That's a coach making the best of what he's got and pushing his coaching skills to the max. We're not doing that or making good use of the £30m - £60m we have to spend in transfer windows. If we were an old clapped out motor, Wenger would have just spent a huge chunk of our budget on spinning rims and windscreen wipers.

He's supposed to be a world class coach and he shouldn't be getting out thought by certain coaches. It can happen now and again, but he gets done over plenty of times. He should know tricks and tactics that these guys haven't even dreamed of. His experience in management should trump theres. We've all seen Top Gear with the reasonably priced car test right? If we had the equivalent in football, where would Wenger rank? We've seen it Top Gear where an F1 driver like Lewis Hamilton pulls in one of the fastest lap times but some other celebrity with the same car and conditions can't come anywhere near that time. If your top class you should be able to get the best out of whatever vehicle your pushing. Wenger seems to drive with the handbrake on - as he puts it. Our team looks average but the manner of our defeats and the mistakes are embarrassing.

Our Board sucks for not slapping Wenger over the head and telling him to sort his shit out, I can't blame them for the nonsense I see on the pitch. Bendtner playing as a right winger? Come on! Every coach has limits to deal with but certain things he should have dealt with by now. That's my view.

Too right im behind you on this. Wenger is at fault for how we play on the pitch no deny that, however imo when in comes to transfer dealings both board and manager have to step up and share the blame. However the board need to be blamed for alot of off the field stuff.

There is such a mess at this clubthat even if wenger was to go it would be a while before a new manager would win things with us anyways.

[Özim]

In fact, we are stuck with more than many appreciate because we aren't getting rid of the likes of Denilson and Bendtner until their contracts run out.
Very true, but it's Wenger who lumbered us with losers like Denilson, Chamakh, Bendtner, Squillaci, Djourou on high wages due to his blind faith and cheapness in the transfer market.

We could have spent the money we've wasted on these chumps on getting some very good players, sadly Wenger really has made some bad decisions in particular regarding the pay policy he believes in (similar pay level for most in the squad).

He decided to go down the kids route which initially I guess you could accept (though not to the extreme he took it perhaps), problem is the kind of money he decided to stick them on. If they're good they disappear off as they want to win stuff, if they're rubbish we're lumbered with them and their sky high wages.

I remember a time when seeing a youngster make it into the team was exciting, now it's just frustrating and boring as we've done it way too much.

[Özim]

Thats not thick thats stubborn.
I'd suggest he lacks common sense as well, some of his decisions are just plain bizarre, decisions noone in their right minds would make. The average fan probably wouldn't make some of the errors he has, simply because it's so glaringly obvious what should be done at times.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

I'd suggest he lacks common sense as well, some of his decisions are just plain bizarre, decisions noone in their right minds would make. The average fan probably wouldn't make some of the errors he has, simply because it's so glaringly obvious what should be done at times.

Im sure he knows that it goes way beyond that.

[Xhaka Can’t]

It is the wages that are killing us they significantly impact upon the funds available for transfers and impair our ability to get rid of the deadwood.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

It is the wages that are killing us they significantly impact upon the funds available for transfers and impair our ability to get rid of the deadwood.

exactly. too many players happy to collect a wage they don't give a shite about the game. IMO wengers fault is that his ambition for far too long has been top 4 and he has bought players who he thought could get us there.

lets be real the last 4 of the last 6 season the aim was top 4 and we achieved that, hence whywe never spent over the odds and maybe wenger thinks by prolonging that it will help us in the future.

i agree with zimm no point buying kids if you don't play them or loan them out. Theo could have gone back on loan when he 1st arrived would have helped him and us same with AOC

[Özim]

exactly. too many players happy to collect a wage they don't give a shite about the game. IMO wengers fault is that his ambition for far too long has been top 4 and he has bought players who he thought could get us there.

lets be real the last 4 of the last 6 season the aim was top 4 and we achieved that, hence whywe never spent over the odds and maybe wenger thinks by prolonging that it will help us in the future.

i agree with zimm no point buying kids if you don't play them or loan them out. Theo could have gone back on loan when he 1st arrived would have helped him and us same with AOC
That's true, but if you look at some of the players we still have who earn pretty decent money these are players AW signed as kids or on the cheap and then stuck on high salaries, he seems to look at economics when buying a player but not when salary comes into it.

None of the players mentioned were particularly special and none of them deserved the salaries on offer, the way I see it with such ordinary players it's like it or lump it, if they don't like the wages they are offered (reasonable ones) let them go elsewhere, they need to prove themselves before the money comes rolling in. If you give player big money before they've achieved anything is it any surprise when they have no motivation on the pitch?

The lack of hunger IMO is partly down to the fact we never give players an incentive to produce on the pitch, they're already multi-millionaires off the pitch before they've even done anything.....what happened to proving yourself.

[Boss]

Tevez to PSG off apparently.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/1010958/carlos-tevez%27s-psg-talks-break-down---report?cc=4716

Sign him up, Arsene :popcorn:

[Özim]

Tevez to PSG off apparently.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/1010958/carlos-tevez%27s-psg-talks-break-down---report?cc=4716

Sign him up, Arsene :popcorn:
:lol: We might sign Tevez, it's not beyond the realms of possibility...not sure how good Diego Tevez is though.

[LDG]

That's true, but if you look at some of the players we still have who earn pretty decent money these are players AW signed as kids or on the cheap and then stuck on high salaries, he seems to look at economics when buying a player but not when salary comes into it.None of the players mentioned were particularly special and none of them deserved the salaries on offer, the way I see it with such ordinary players it's like it or lump it, if they don't like the wages they are offered (reasonable ones) let them go elsewhere, they need to prove themselves before the money comes rolling in. If you give player big money before they've achieved anything is it any surprise when they have no motivation on the pitch?The lack of hunger IMO is partly down to the fact we never give players an incentive to produce on the pitch, they're already multi-millionaires off the pitch before they've even done anything.....what happened to proving yourself. Completely agree....that said. It's not all our fault. Every player out there earns those kind of bucks. I do feel we have inflated salaries for players that shouldn't have been paid so highly, but i think it's a moral thing from the clubs point of view. We don't pay MEGA...we pay parity acceoss the squad.I do think that it's a game wide problen though. Not just ours. To keep RVP we have to pay....but walcott can fuck off tbh.

[Boss]

Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has revealed his regret at failing to sign for Arsenal, calling it a "missed appointment" in his career.

Toure was handed a trial at Arsenal in 2003 and featured in a pre-season friendly against Barnet which ended in a goalless draw. Arsene Wenger subsequently passed up the opportunity to sign the then 20-year-old, claiming the midfielder's performance during the match as "completely average".

“For me, England was the country of rhythm, speed, commitment and beautiful game, a country for me," Toure told L'Equipe.

"But I always wanted to go to Arsenal and this is the missed appointment in my career.”

Toure also revealed his reluctance at joining Metalurh Donetsk, rather than Paris Saint-Germain, from Belgian side Beveren and admitted the inability to secure a work permit prevented him from signing for a Premier League club.

The lure of joining Arsenal was also increased due to Wenger's presence at the club, according to Toure. The Ivory Coast international had played under Jean-Marc Guillou, the man who had handed Wenger his first break in management at Cannes.

"It was a great disappointment," said Toure.

"There was a proposal from PSG, but it was not done because the PSG would pay in several times. Donetsk paid in one. I had to accept. I was young and I wanted to try another challenge. I had a test at Arsenal, but I have not had the opportunity to go there because I could not get work permits.

"[In 2006] Lyon was manifested, but I dreamed of signing for Arsenal to rejoin my brother Kolo and Arsene Wenger, whose [Jean-Marc] Guillou is the spiritual father. But it did not. And I landed in Monaco."

http://www.goal.com/en/news/9/england/2012/01/21/2858638/manchester-citys-yaya-toure-passing-up-the-chance-to-join

Still can't believe we signed Eboue instead of him...

[Japan Shaking All Over]

Even if we had signed him, Wenger would have stuck him out on the wing. . .Eboue :rose:

[Olivier's xmas twist]

http://www.goal.com/en/news/9/england/2012/01/21/2858638/manchester-citys-yaya-toure-passing-up-the-chance-to-join

Still can't believe we signed Kolo instead of him...

:gp: yep wrong brother

[Marc Overmars]

Another one for Wenger's list of nearly signings. What a team that could have been.

[Master Splinter]

I might have mentioned it before, but we have to register an intent to purchase Clinton Drew Dempsey.

Just do it, Wenger.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

I might have mentioned it before, but we have to register an intent to purchase Clinton Drew Dempsey.

Just do it, Wenger.

Might as well with all the injury's we have.

[Boss]

We were interested in Dempsey this summer iirc, it was between him, Arteta and Cahill for the PL based midfielder we wanted to sign.

We know how that went...

[Master Splinter]

Dempsey doesn't play in midfield though and I doubt we were after him considering we bought Gervinho and Oxface.

But seeing how shit our forward options are aside from RVP, Gervinho and Oxo, Dempsey is a no-brainer.

Citeh will probably bid £40m for him.

[Master Splinter]

So Dempsey, Rhodes and Biglia this window?

That will do.

[Marc Overmars]

Sounds like a plan. They'd all have to take a step down but I'm sure we can convince them,

[Niall_Quinn]

Sounds like a plan. They'd all have to take a step down but I'm sure we can convince them,

Offer them an actual window in the club shop.

[Xhaka Can’t]

It is a big step up - 2 divisions, but Rhodes knows where the goal is and that is more than you can say for anyone in our team other than Van Persie.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

It is a big step up - 2 divisions, but Rhodes knows where the goal is and that is more than you can say for anyone in our team other than Van Persie.

No chance arry or kenny will snapp him up.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Offer them an actual window in the club shop.

Should have got Ricky Álvarez when we had the chance, looks good playing for inter.

[Cripps_orig]

PSG are looking to bring Arsenal winger Theo Walcott to the French league.
Full story: Caught Offside

Belgian defender Jan Vertonghen has alerted Arsenal, Spurs and Manchester United that Ajax may be planning to sell him in the summer transfer window.
Full story: Metro

No way should we get rid of Theo. They can have Oxface

We dont need him in the summer. We need him now

[Niall_Quinn]

We should throw Chamakh in as a make weight. Or throw him off a bridge. Either's just as good.

[Xhaka Can’t]

No way should we get rid of Theo. They can have Oxface

We dont need him in the summer. We need him now

You complain about Arsenal being shit. Yet you want to keep Theo.

Make up your mind because you can't have it both ways.

[Power n Glory]

You complain about Arsenal being shit. Yet you want to keep Theo.

Make up your mind because you can't have it both ways.

Losing Theo, another first team player just weakens us even more. He's not on form but heard a few folks making the same sort of argument for Nasri and Cesc. Same goes for the sale of Hleb and Flamini. They may be inconsistent or on a bad run but we need to add to this team and provide competition for places, not take away.

[Xhaka Can’t]

Losing Theo, another first team player just weakens us even more. He's not on form but heard a few folks making the same sort of argument for Nasri and Cesc. Same goes for the sale of Hleb and Flamini. They may be inconsistent or on a bad run but we need to add to this team and provide competition for places, not take away.

Cesc


Nasri
Flamini
Hleb










Theo - an integral cog in a shitwheel of shit.

[Niall_Quinn]

Any more injuries so far today? Anyone else think we should avoid the warm up, just in case?

[Xhaka Can’t]

Any more injuries so far today? Anyone else think we should avoid the warm up, just in case?

The new team bus has a disabled ramp.

[Niall_Quinn]

The new team bus has a disabled ramp.

Isn't that a bit dangerous? What happened to the inflatable chute and feather bed?

[Power n Glory]

Cesc


Nasri
Flamini
Hleb










Theo - an integral cog in a shitwheel of shit.

He could still do a job off the bench and he's the type of player that would knuckle down if his place was under threat. He's having a real shitty run right now, but both Gervinho and Theo have really dropped off since losing both regular wingbacks. It also sends out the wrong message and losing him could also mean we lose RVP.

Again, when Nasri's form dropped off, people were saying we should sell him. Same goes for Cesc and Hleb. Because they're form suffered through the season, you see them as the root cause, which is wrong in my opinion. We need to keep adding to what we have and trim off the players that contribute nothing at all. Theo isn't one of those players and if he picks up an injury, there will be certain games where we'd miss his pace. For certain games, if it's open, it would be better if he came off the bench and ran at players with tired legs.

[Japan Shaking All Over]

Prince Boateng would be a good buy. . .if there was a way to get him

[Cripps_orig]

Prince Boateng would be a good buy. . .if there was a way to get himSpending money is one way

But we wont do that so i see your point

[Japan Shaking All Over]

North Korea has been known to pluck the people off Japanese beaches to do their biding

[Niall_Quinn]

Rendition flights, if we can get a deal on the fuel?

[Cripps_orig]

RVP will leave this summer so likely replacements?

We can forget any world class striker coming in. The likes of Yakubu, Rhodes, Stokes etc are our level these days

[Master Splinter]

But Chamakh will obviously step up once RVP has gone as he'll be the main man again.

Chamakh :bow:.

[Boss]

The North Korean Rooney should be available.

[GP]

The North Korean Rooney should be available.

Looney?

[Syn]

Looney?

:haha:

Massive lol

[Xhaka Can’t]

Looney?

Lacist. :sulk:

[Niall_Quinn]

Looney?

They'd want crazy money for him.

[Cripps_orig]

Iker Muniain

Never seen him play bar the match on right now but hes brilliant in FM and if it worked for Freddie...

[Dennis Bendtner]

Eden Hazard was at the game, in Gervinho's box. Not sure the recruitment strategy of watching us play is a good one.

[Coney]

Lacist. :sulk:

:ror:

(LOFRMOA)

[Cripps_orig]

Eden Hazard was at the game, in Gervinho's box. Not sure the recruitment strategy of watching us play is a good one.Hes going to join Man Utd

[Niall_Quinn]

Eden Hazard was at the game, in Gervinho's box. Not sure the recruitment strategy of watching us play is a good one.

Fucking too right, especially as Utd were there too. We need to put one of Letter's TV windows into the recruitment box and show games from the turn of the century.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

RVP will leave this summer so likely replacements?

We can forget any world class striker coming in. The likes of Yakubu, Rhodes, Stokes etc are our level these days

Can we buy him just to take him off and replace him with park on 70 mins

[Marc Overmars]

Yeah, lets buy Rhodes. Then never involve him in the match day squads and when he does make the squads, never bring him on.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Eden Hazard was at the game, in Gervinho's box. Not sure the recruitment strategy of watching us play is a good one.

Probably out of duty for his 'cousin'.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Eden Hazard was at the game, in Gervinho's box. Not sure the recruitment strategy of watching us play is a good one.

he was seeing how easy 3 points it will be for him when he plays against us next season, but unlike Gev he managed to get into the box with not trouble and find his target.

[Niall_Quinn]

You'd think we'd have bought a few players by now, it's been hours since the game ended.

[Marc Overmars]

Nah, got a few new signings coming back from injury soon.

Hope they don't play too well though, or else they could be subbed and fined a weeks wages.

[Niall_Quinn]

Nah, got a few new signings coming back from injury soon.

Hope they don't play too well though, or else they could be subbed and fined a weeks wages.

They'll be back just in time to be sold. It's on rails.

[Niall_Quinn]

Anyone know what happened in the press conference at 7?

[Cripps_orig]

Anyone know what happened in the press conference at 7?Yes

They announced a press conference at 7pm for tomorrow

[Niall_Quinn]

Yes

They announced a press conference at 7pm for tomorrow

Cool :popcorn:

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Anyone know what happened in the press conference at 7?

Siginings on the way

[Elreactor]

So, no signings at all. It´s fine, AW wouldn´t even know where to begin, he´s completely lost in a jungle of crap.

There´s always Chamakh. Maybe he re-re-signs Lehmann from his retirement and plays him up front, with Park his back up. And Sol Campbell. They´ll be delighted to join Henry. And don´t forget: Denilson may be recalled to put everything in its place now that he´s fully developed into the star Wenger saw in him.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Chelsea have been told that Shakhtar Donetsk's Brazilian midfielder Willian, for whom they have already made a reported bid of £20m, will be available for £28m.
Full story: Daily Mail (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2090357/Chelsea-told-cough-28m-Willian.html)
Bolton are hopeful of signing 27-year-old forward Ismael Bangoura from Arab side Al Nasr. The Trotters are seeking to rush through a work permit for Bangoura, who has previously played for Dinamo Kiev and Rennes and is currently involved in the Africa Cup of Nations with Guinea.
Full story: Daily Mirror (http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/transfer-news/EXCLUSIVE-Bolton-in-race-to-secure-Al-Nasr-Ismael-Bangoura-article856579.html)
Manchester United are thought to be ready to enter the race for Brazil striker Leandro Damiao, the subject of a £15m bid from Tottenham last summer, who is valued at £24m by his club Internacional.
Full story: Daily Mail (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2090335/Manchester-United-want-Leandro-Damiao.html)
QPR's bid for Manchester City's Nedum Onuoha, which new boss Mark Hughes had hoped to finalise this week, has been complicated by interest from Everton.
Full story: Metro (http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/football/888058-nedum-onuohas-qpr-transfer-in-doubt-as-everton-also-make-a-move)
West Brom have attempted to ward off interest from Fulham and West Ham by putting an £8m price tag on winger Peter Odemwingie.
Full story: Daily Mirror (http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/transfer-news/West-Brom-put-8m-price-tag-on-Peter-Odemwingie-interest-from-Fulham-and-West-Ham-article856603.html)
Swansea midfielder Joe Allen has emerged as a surprise target for Tottenham, after impressing in the Welsh side's maiden Premier League camapign.
Full story: Metro (http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/football/888050-joe-allen-attracts-spurs-interest-after-impressive-form-for-swansea)
Lyon have expressed an interest in Tottenham's versatile defender Vedran Corluka, who is also wanted by Roma.
Full story: Daily Mirror (http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/transfer-news/Lyon-enter-chase-for-Tottenham-Verdan-Corluka-article856508.html)
Everton are reportedly keen to take 24-year-old Fiorentina winger Alessio Cerci on loan with a view to a permanent move.
Full story: Inside Futbol (http://www.insidefutbol.com/2012/01/22/everton-line-up-loan-swoop-for-fiorentina-winger-alessio-cerci/56706/)
OTHER GOSSIP
Out-of-favour Spurs midfielder Steven Pienaar is rumoured to be angered and seeking talks after the Londoners valued him at £6m, which could dissuade QPR from making a bid for him.
Full story: Daily Mail (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2090352/Steven-Pienaar-seek-Spurs-talks-QPR-interest.html)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/gossip_and_transfers/default.stm

Nout for us in the early pages so far.

[Elreactor]

I really hope mutd don´t get Damiao. Tremendous striker from the little I´ve seen of him in some cup around here.

Too bad the great scout Wenger didn´t know of his existence a couple of years back.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Reports in France claim Liverpool could yet make a last-ditch bid for Lille striker Moussa Sow, who had looked set to join Fenerbahce.
by Tweet me @skygraemebailey 10:57 AM
Just spoken to Shakhtar Donetsk chief. Rejected £16.6m (€20m) bid from Chelsea for Willian.
by skysports_bryan via twitter 10:29 AM

http://www1.skysports.com/transfer-centre/clockwatch

[KSE Comedy Club]

If we dont sign anyone, then there is no way were getting 4th this season.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Put it this way if arry can sign players from court while wenger struggles or says no talent out there, then he has problems.

[server too busy!]

We should be going for Sow....or Damiao. What are we waiting for, we need players, the window is open....so lets buy players.

We bought this stadium to put us in a better financial position so why does it feel we're worse off.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

We should be going for Sow....or Damiao. What are we waiting for, we need players, the window is open....so lets buy players.

We bought this stadium to put us in a better financial position so why does it feel we're worse off.

False advertising, we sold a dream which we were lied too about it seems.

[KSE Comedy Club]

We should be going for Sow....or Damiao. What are we waiting for, we need players, the window is open....so lets buy players.

We bought this stadium to put us in a better financial position so why does it feel we're worse off.
you are too much in the wanting zone.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

atania have confirmed they have an agreement in place to sell Maxi Lopez to AC Milan, shunning a deal with Fulham.

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/12691/7450177/Milan-strike-Lopez-deal

He will go there is tevez don't sign for AC

[Niall_Quinn]

you are too much in the wanting zone.

Does the wanting period come before or after the waiting period? I've got confused by all this. I preferred it when there were no official delays and we just got on with it. But get with the times I suppose. Are there any other obligatory delays I should know about and when you ad them all up will there still be enough time in the window to actually do anything?

[LDG]

Does the wanting period come before or after the waiting period? I've got confused by all this. I preferred it when there were no official delays and we just got on with it. But get with the times I suppose. Are there any other obligatory delays I should know about and when you ad them all up will there still be enough time in the window to actually do anything?

That's called the "Ten Minute Panic Zone"

[Niall_Quinn]

That's called the "Ten Minute Panic Zone"

That's when we call Robbie Savage and arrange a loan deal from ESPN?

[Elreactor]

Does the wanting period come before or after the waiting period? I've got confused by all this. I preferred it when there were no official delays and we just got on with it. But get with the times I suppose. Are there any other obligatory delays I should know about and when you ad them all up will there still be enough time in the window to actually do anything?

No, that´s why Wenger wants to get rid of the january transfer window, he doesn´t know what to do with it. He´s carefully divided it into periods, but at the end he forgot to add a "buying period" and now he´s very upset.

[LDG]

No, that´s why Wenger wants to get rid of the january transfer window, he doesn´t know what to do with it. He´s carefully divided it into periods, but at the end he forgot to add a "buying period" and now he´s very upset.

:lol:

[Niall_Quinn]

No, that´s why Wenger wants to get rid of the january transfer window, he doesn´t know what to do with it. He´s carefully divided it into periods, but at the end he forgot to add a "buying period" and now he´s very upset.

I guess there's so much to do in preparation for buying super quality players it's no wonder there's no time left to actually buy them. Probably why clubs like Utd and City cheat and jump straight into the buying process before doing all the other stuff. These clubs have ruined the game really.

[LDG]

1. The "I will see, but we have *insert name* to come back, and *insert name* can play there too" Period

2. The "I will have to look at it, but we have a game on *insert day*, and we want to be focused on that" Period

3. The "We have money to spend, but we also have a big squad" Period

4. The "Look at what other teams are doing" Period

5. The "Waiting" Period

6. The "Wanting" Period

7. The "Super super quality" Period

8. The "He is a player I like" Period

9. The "I will see, but we have *insert name* to come back, and *insert name* can play there too (2)" Period

10. The "Get stuffed by Utd" Period

11. The "Panic" Period


Are there any other periods I have forgotten?

[GP]

The monthly period?

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says he will not rush into the transfer market to bolster his squad.

Fans were calling for Wenger to make a foray into the transfer market to bring in some new faces during Sunday's defeat to Manchester United.

Wenger is short of options in defence with Thomas Vermaelen and Johan Djourou both forced to play out of position at full-back against United with Bacary Sagna, Kieran Gibbs and Andre Santos all sidelined.

Wenger has had no fit recognised full-backs since before Christmas, but the Frenchman refuses to enter the market and is prepared to wait for his injured players to return to fitness.

Asked whether he agreed with the view that Arsenal must spend to improve, Wenger replied "I don't. Spending money is not the target. It never has been in life.

"We need our players back. We missed 10 players. When you see what we created in the second half, it's important for us to get the players back."


http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11670/7449710/Wenger-has-no-plans-to-buy

This guy must be one cheap bitch at home, wht does he do scrape the mould off the bread to save costs.

[Syn]

8. The "He is a player I like" Period:haha:That is my favourite period.

[Niall_Quinn]

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11670/7449710/Wenger-has-no-plans-to-buy

This guy must be one cheap bitch at home, wht does he do scrape the mould off the bread to save costs.

Is he counting the ACON players (and Chamakh) in that list of 10 missing players? If so, he shouldn't. He knew they would be unavailable during this period so he should have had a contingency to deal with that. And what's to say we won't lose more players to injury before these 10 come back, or after? Probability is high we will. Or lose them again 5 minutes after they come back, in the case of Gibbs and Diaby? It's like injuries are a tactic to avoid spending money. Then again, it's just as likely we'll lose any players we sign 5 minutes into the debut and for "2 to 3 weeks" (20 years). When every season brings and injury crisis it can't just be bad luck.

[Niall_Quinn]

1. The "I will see, but we have *insert name* to come back, and *insert name* can play there too" Period

2. The "I will have to look at it, but we have a game on *insert day*, and we want to be focused on that" Period

3. The "We have money to spend, but we also have a big squad" Period

4. The "Look at what other teams are doing" Period

5. The "Waiting" Period

6. The "Wanting" Period

7. The "Super super quality" Period

8. The "He is a player I like" Period

9. The "I will see, but we have *insert name* to come back, and *insert name* can play there too (2)" Period

10. The "Get stuffed by Utd" Period

11. The "Panic" Period


Are there any other periods I have forgotten?

The "Wenger Out" period which occurs just after the window closes.

[Cripps_orig]

Trabzonspor striker Burak Yilmaz admits he would find it difficult to decline a move to Arsenal.

The Turkish international has been targeted by Dutch side Ajax after and has impressed this season after scoring 22 goals in 18 league games this season.

The 26-year-old insists he wishes to remain in Turkey until the end of the campaign but concedes a move to the Emirates would be hard to turn down.

“I am a Trabzonspor player till the end of the season, if I was to move abroad I would want to move to a big club, I would accept a transfer to Arsenal," he told TRT1.

His agent went on to confirm: "Ajax are just one of the teams interested in Burak Yilmaz."

Yilmaz is on course to break the Trabzonspor record of 31 goals in a season, held by Fatih Tekke.

He cemented a place in the Turkey side during the Euro 2012 qualifiers under Guus Hiddink, prompting the Dutchman to claim: “Burak is one of Europe's best strikers, I'm proud of his recent achievements.”

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2012/01/23/2862108/trabzonspors-burak-yilmaz-keen-on-arsenal-move-after-agent

[Olivier's xmas twist]

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2012/01/23/2862108/trabzonspors-burak-yilmaz-keen-on-arsenal-move-after-agent

His agent told him Ajax were interested and he is happy to move to Arsenal wtf

[Cripps_orig]

Well its widely known we need a striker

[Boss]

Need one now and not in the summer though unfortunately.

Will need two in the summer after VP walks.

[Coney]

1. The "I will see, but we have *insert name* to come back, and *insert name* can play there too" Period

2. The "I will have to look at it, but we have a game on *insert day*, and we want to be focused on that" Period

3. The "We have money to spend, but we also have a big squad" Period

4. The "Look at what other teams are doing" Period

5. The "Waiting" Period

6. The "Wanting" Period

7. The "Super super quality" Period

8. The "He is a player I like" Period

9. The "I will see, but we have *insert name* to come back, and *insert name* can play there too (2)" Period

10. The "Get stuffed by Utd" Period

11. The "Panic" Period


Are there any other periods I have forgotten?

I thought only Nasri had a period.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Well its widely known we need a striker

true his record is good too, 22 goals in 18 games not bad.

[Niall_Quinn]

Need one now and not in the summer though unfortunately.

Will need two in the summer after VP walks.

Campbell and Chamakh with Park in reserve. Also Song can play there.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Campbell and Chamakh with Park in reserve. Also Song can play there.

Not to forget Super Vela who should be bought back and played upfront tbh

[LDG]

Need one now and not in the summer though unfortunately.

Will need two in the summer after VP walks.

Chamahk should be off too....along with Walcott and Arshavin....we'll sign a new CB though :good:

[Elreactor]

Not to forget Super Vela who should be bought back and played upfront tbh

Oh I had totally forgotten about the super ultra mexican. He´s surely become some kind of mytological beast in the art of scoring magical goals by now. Wenger knew it. :bow:

Then there´s no need to sign anyone to replace RVP: Vela leading the attack, Chamakh heding all the crosses right to the back of the net, Park to come for any of them to kill games out and Campbell to watch them and learn.

Ah at last, next season is our season, only 2% away from greatness.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Spartak Moscow have announced that they have agreed terms with Everton for the transfer of midfielder Diniyar Bilyaletdinov
http://www1.skysports.com/transfer-centre/clockwatch

We should follow suit get rid or our russian too, thoough many won't be russian to get him.

[Harry]

Look homies we ain't signing anyone.

Wenger is a nob.

[Master Splinter]

Chelsea probably signing Willy-Ann. But he can't play in the CL this season.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Chelsea probably signing Willy-Ann. But he can't play in the CL this season.

no its been rejected

[Master Splinter]

They'll get him eventually.

[Boss]

Like they got Modric?

lol

[Globalgunner]

Why not make a super obvious signing like Nedum Onuoha currently on the verge of going to QPR. Young versatile defender can play CB or RB, A replacement for the God awful Squillaci, who would be glad to come and wouldnt mind the bench time. Plus he`s english (sort of)