Summer Transfer Misery 2017/18

[GP]

Are you Otto?

I WISH!

[Letters]

Words of wisdom from Wenger :rolleyes:
I saw this earlier and while I get irritated when people just by default slam everything Wenger says, even if they agree with it, I have to say this:


Wenger insisted it was “ideal” to have six of his first-team squad in the final 12 months of their deals.
Is weapons grade balonium.

*roof falls off house*
"This is an ideal situation, now I don't have to go outside to sun-bathe!"
*starts to rain*
"This is an ideal situation, nice and refreshing"

...and so on :doh:

[Power n Glory]

Words of wisdom from Wenger :rolleyes:

3 first team players refusing to extend their contracts says more about Wenger than it does about player power or even Arsenal. They are REFUSING to extend because they don't believe in Wenger and his hollow words, they don't believe he is capable of building a football team to compete!

http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/alexis-sanchez-mesut-ozil-on-expiring-contracts-is-ideal-for-arsenal-says-arsene-wenger-a3599736.html



“Why? Because transfers become so high, even for normal players, they will go to the end of the contract because no-one will want to pay the amount of money that is demanded. I am convinced that in the next 10 years that will become usual.” :doh: The guy needs to sit down with the people that sold us Lacazette. They kept topping up his contract and refused to sell until they got what the right price.

He's talking as if Ozil and Sanchez don't have a year left on their contract. They're value has been shot to shit. If the idiots just gave them the money they want it spares us from having to fork out serious cash on an inferior player. Clubs will end up paying out for the contract because they know it's cheaper than spending £100m on the transfer fee plus the extra money on wages.

What sort of economic student was he?

[selassie]

I saw this earlier and while I get irritated when people just by default slam everything Wenger says, even if they agree with it, I have to say this:


Is weapons grade balonium.

*roof falls off house*
"This is an ideal situation, now I don't have to go outside to sun-bathe!"
*starts to rain*
"This is an ideal situation, nice and refreshing"

...and so on :doh:

Yep, this situation is absolutely on Wenger and the club, how could it have got to this? It's honestly amazing. Wenger is fooling nobody with this nonsense about it being good for the team/club/blah blah

What is even more comical is that it's gone from the club needing every single last penny by selling players to now it being OK for the club to let the best players contracts run down and loose them for nothing.

The whole thing is one giant mess and Wenger has his paws all over it.

[selassie]

:doh: The guy needs to sit down with the people that sold us Lacazette. They kept topping up his contract and refused to sell until they got what the right price.

He's talking as if Ozil and Sanchez don't have a year left on their contract. They're value has been shot to shit. If the idiots just gave them the money they want it spares us from having to fork out serious cash on an inferior player. Clubs will end up paying out for the contract because they know it's cheaper than spending £100m on the transfer fee plus the extra money on wages.

What sort of economic student was he?

:lol: I know!

[Niall_Quinn]

Well we have 2 more years of the guy to come, at least. Within the year he may have lost a big chunk of the squad, and with his antic over Lemar it shows he's still not prepared to accept the realities of the market, crazy as they are. So unless he's going to recapture his eye for spotting talent, we have a bleak period mapped out. We could be mid-table by the time Wenger gets around to awarding himself his next contract.

Stan's giving him a run for his money in the popularity stakes. His new "conservation" channel has gone down about as well as Wenger's eye for spotting talent.

What a pair they are.

[Marc Overmars]

Typical Wenger trying to reinvent the wheel with some hipster bullshit.

Under no circumstances is having a group of first team players, some of whom are key, enter their final year without any designs of long term commitment an "ideal situation". Does this happen at other top clubs?

Christ. To think there were some people amongst the fanbase who were happy this guy signed up for another 2 years. He's a soul sapping fruitloop, I completely resent him for making me feel so disconnected from the club I love.

[Niall_Quinn]

Because they are in the final year of the contract does not mean the contract is in the final year. If they extend then it is not the final year. Is this the waiting period or the wanting period? Maybe we know, maybe we don't know. Maybe the player will tell you, maybe not. If they sign or do not sign depends on many things. Speculation is unhelpful and maybe means the team loses games. Fans who love the club will know this but sometimes you have fans who only want to win games and do not think about the club.

[Gooner23]

Typical Wenger trying to reinvent the wheel with some hipster bullshit.

Under no circumstances is having a group of first team players, some of whom are key, enter their final year without any designs of long term commitment an "ideal situation". Does this happen at other top clubs?

Christ. To think there were some people amongst the fanbase who were happy this guy signed up for another 2 years. He's a soul sapping fruitloop, I completely resent him for making me feel so disconnected from the club I love.

He's either completely losing the plot, or just openly taking the piss out of the fans. Either way it's a disgrace he is still in charge of this club.

Fuck Wenger, Kroenke, Gazidis and the rest of their cronies. I have never felt less enthusiastic about a season starting.

[Dicks and chicks]

He's either completely losing the plot, or just openly taking the piss out of the fans. Either way it's a disgrace he is still in charge of this club.

Fuck Wenger, Kroenke, Gazidis and the rest of their cronies. I have never felt less enthusiastic about a season starting.

Really would be happier if we resigned inamoto and sacked the entire backroom staff. We give players who don't deserve it like Jenkinson and bendtner long term deals and can never offload them but good players who play Well for us have all the power and are given shorter deals

[selassie]

Because they are in the final year of the contract does not mean the contract is in the final year. If they extend then it is not the final year. Is this the waiting period or the wanting period? Maybe we know, maybe we don't know. Maybe the player will tell you, maybe not. If they sign or do not sign depends on many things. Speculation is unhelpful and maybe means the team loses games. Fans who love the club will know this but sometimes you have fans who only want to win games and do not think about the club.

:haha: brilliant!

[Marc Overmars]

United have signed Matic. 40m. :lol:

[selassie]

Typical Wenger trying to reinvent the wheel with some hipster bullshit.

Under no circumstances is having a group of first team players, some of whom are key, enter their final year without any designs of long term commitment an "ideal situation". Does this happen at other top clubs?

Christ. To think there were some people amongst the fanbase who were happy this guy signed up for another 2 years. He's a soul sapping fruitloop, I completely resent him for making me feel so disconnected from the club I love.

:lol: Yep, classic Wenger, don't forget he's smarter than everyone else though.

You would have thought after last season there would be some kind of humility there, some kind of plan, but oh know...he reverts to type, it's him against the world, he's right and everybody else is wrong.

I hear ya MO, I can't stand him either and I know exactly what we are in for this season, totally and utterly sick of it.

[Letters]

Never really subscribed to the "Wenger's Gone Mental" school of thought but when he starts saying that having so many players in the last year of their contracts is "ideal" it does make one wonder...

[Power n Glory]

Never really subscribed to the "Wenger's Gone Mental" school of thought but when he starts saying that having so many players in the last year of their contracts is "ideal" it does make one wonder...

Wonder?

[Letters]

Wonder?

Well, yeah. We've hardly fallen apart as a club, we just missed out on top 4 last year but that's the first time and we did pick up a trophy.
He's not gone completely mad. But quotes like this...I mean there's spinning things and then there's this lunacy.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Maybe he just meant players with 1 year left in their contract is when I deal.

[Letters]

:lol: Yeah, that could be it!

[McNamara That Ghost...]

United have signed Matic. 40m. :lol:

Penny pinching wankers in the board room.

[Dicks and chicks]

We are in trouble if neymar goes to psg, barca will bid for coutinho and maybe they Will snag Lamar of us. There will be more inflation in the market to come soon, we must act now and get the players in

[Özim]

We're making a right mess of a transfer window once again, now into August Lacazette is our only proper signing (don't count the freebie) and we're nowhere near getting anyone else and don't seem to be able to shift any of the players we don't want either and on top of that we've got our 3 best players out of contract next summer so it's even worse than usual.

I'm not surprised, it's expected from us, to those who wanted Wenger to sign on, well done, maybe it'll all change next year or the year after that when he signs on again. It's also possible that we'll be able to take a lift to Mars or the moon in the next year or two, keep the faith.:good:

[Letters]

We're making a right mess of a transfer window once again, now into August Lacazette is our only proper signing (don't count the freebie)
So if Sanchez goes on a free next summer that won't be a proper signing for someone?

[Niall_Quinn]

Are we really going to stick to our guns and refuse Alexis the extra 25k per week he wants? It'll cost several trillion quid to adequately replace him the way this crazy market is heading, so it's way, way cheaper to pay him what he wants. I can't fathom why we are still playing the wage structure game in a league that has no wage structures.

[Özim]

So if Sanchez goes on a free next summer that won't be a proper signing for someone?

No cos he's not some unknown unproven nobody, he's performed and scored goals at the highest level.

[Niall_Quinn]

Remember how this all began? We heard Alexis and Ozil wanted 300k per week. People said crazy! No way. But if the supposed experts at the club had their finger on the pulse they'd have quickly realised that was the going rate. They could have agreed and got the two players signed up and avoided all this speculation. Of course that would have relied on that selfish git Wenger sorting out his contract quickly as well. We all knew the guy was staying, it was no great secret. So months beforehand he could have signed, instead of hanging around waiting for a cup win to justify what couldn't be justified regardless.

Who are the "experts" at the club who should have seen this developing and acted decisively? Ivan? For all his talk, he's fast asleep at the wheel and a full lap behind the pack. He's let the Wenger situation develop. He let the contracts of our key players wind down. Kroenke is the invisible man (maybe he'll make an appearance on his new blood lust channel) so this falls on Ivan. We all know what Wenger's going to do, but he's not in charge and it's beyond the time Ivan finds his balls and lays down the law. Sign here Wenger, or we'll announce you're leaving. End of.

With the Wenger deal done, focus could have turned to the players. So who are the "experts" that are supposed to be tracking the state of the market and figuring out valuations and trends? I really don't know. Who is it supposed to be? It's probably Wenger again, isn't it? The guy who decides when, who, how and where in every instance and on every matter. Fucking ridiculous. We all know he's got zero clue in terms of this market. We all know he's got deep personal issues when it comes to engaging with the market, spending money, paying senior players. No problem paying tons to youngsters and shit players though. Reports in the media today we can't shift the dross because nobody wants to pay the wages.

But do you see how Wenger's incompetence and selfishness and Ivan's lack of balls has inexorably brought us to this point?

Then we had the Lemar farce. 30 million? Really? Is that our resident expert at work again? If we'd have gone in with the current 50 mill bid from the outset, what's the chance Lemar would be wearing an Arsenal shirt now? Instead we do a variation on Suarez again, drag the whole thing out, lose the momentum and let our rivals sweep in and do their business.

Wenger's fingerprint are everywhere. Hence one huge fucking mess. And somebody better coax the pitiful Ivan out of the corner and demand the fucker gets a grip. That would be Stan's job I guess?

Who?

Where did he go?

What a farce.

[Özim]

Are we really going to stick to our guns and refuse Alexis the extra 25k per week he wants? It'll cost several trillion quid to adequately replace him the way this crazy market is heading, so it's way, way cheaper to pay him what he wants. I can't fathom why we are still playing the wage structure game in a league that has no wage structures.

A wage structure that involves paying rubbish players big amounts so that they don't feel left out and don't get jealous (the very same players we're now stuck with and can't get rid of - they probably don't want to leave either, nice life earning big bucks to live in London), what loon came up with that deluded idea, oh wait we know who :lol:

[Power n Glory]

Are we really going to stick to our guns and refuse Alexis the extra 25k per week he wants? It'll cost several trillion quid to adequately replace him the way this crazy market is heading, so it's way, way cheaper to pay him what he wants. I can't fathom why we are still playing the wage structure game in a league that has no wage structures.

Been saying this for a while now. It goes back to when we let Flamini leave on a free. We have some real idiots running the club. We pay above and beyond for the players that are far from reaching their potential and just happy to start games but we won't pay the wages for players that are in demand and can command a higher wage.

We've now reached the same sort of situation for Ox, Wilshere, Jenkinson and Gibbs that we've seen before with the likes of Bendy, Diaby, Denilson and Walcott. Injury prone players earning too much. Players not good enough but on high wages so difficult to shift. Or a player with potential but inconsistent that could earn way above what they should be earning. All because we've paid way too much too early. We don't learn.

[Power n Glory]

Remember how this all began? We heard Alexis and Ozil wanted 300k per week. People said crazy! No way. But if the supposed experts at the club had their finger on the pulse they'd have quickly realised that was the going rate. They could have agreed and got the two players signed up and avoided all this speculation. Of course that would have relied on that selfish git Wenger sorting out his contract quickly as well. We all knew the guy was staying, it was no great secret. So months beforehand he could have signed, instead of hanging around waiting for a cup win to justify what couldn't be justified regardless.

Who are the "experts" at the club who should have seen this developing and acted decisively? Ivan? For all his talk, he's fast asleep at the wheel and a full lap behind the pack. He's let the Wenger situation develop. He let the contracts of our key players wind down. Kroenke is the invisible man (maybe he'll make an appearance on his new blood lust channel) so this falls on Ivan. We all know what Wenger's going to do, but he's not in charge and it's beyond the time Ivan finds his balls and lays down the law. Sign here Wenger, or we'll announce you're leaving. End of.

With the Wenger deal done, focus could have turned to the players. So who are the "experts" that are supposed to be tracking the state of the market and figuring out valuations and trends? I really don't know. Who is it supposed to be? It's probably Wenger again, isn't it? The guy who decides when, who, how and where in every instance and on every matter. Fucking ridiculous. We all know he's got zero clue in terms of this market. We all know he's got deep personal issues when it comes to engaging with the market, spending money, paying senior players. No problem paying tons to youngsters and shit players though. Reports in the media today we can't shift the dross because nobody wants to pay the wages.

But do you see how Wenger's incompetence and selfishness and Ivan's lack of balls has inexorably brought us to this point?

Then we had the Lemar farce. 30 million? Really? Is that our resident expert at work again? If we'd have gone in with the current 50 mill bid from the outset, what's the chance Lemar would be wearing an Arsenal shirt now? Instead we do a variation on Suarez again, drag the whole thing out, lose the momentum and let our rivals sweep in and do their business.

Wenger's fingerprint are everywhere. Hence one huge fucking mess. And somebody better coax the pitiful Ivan out of the corner and demand the fucker gets a grip. That would be Stan's job I guess?

Who?

Where did he go?

What a farce.

Just listening to the Arsenal Vision Podcast. Tim Stillman was at the QA session where Ivan Gazidis was speaking and said for the first time, he saw Ivan fluff his lines when someone asked if it was a unanimous decision to renew Wenger's contract. He skirted around the question without answering which suggests it wasn't unanimous. From what I recall, Wenger bypassed the Board and spoke directly to Stan Kroenke. Either way, we have a Board that have no balls.

[Letters]

No cos he's not some unknown unproven nobody.
Nor is this bloke. Obviously he's no Sanchez but people who watch the league he plays have spoken highly of him.
The point is the fact he is free is not a valid reason for discounting him as a good signing.

[Dein-machine]

If nothing major happens for us know until End of August - surely this window goes down as Wengers greatest fuck up - which takes some doing. Unlike other years where we had qualified for the C.L, even the fuckers in charge who bow as he walks past would have to question how their share price is to be affected by the negative Wenger effect.
Gazidis told us we were going to be different from now on & the emphasis would be to buy quality players to improve the squad. Unless something happens in the next few weeks, again the powers that be have lied in order to back their man.

Forget talk of Lemar & Mbappe - the league table last year quiet clearly shows our issues. We can score goals in line with the top teams but we defend like a mid-table team. Yes, we needed a quality striker, have done for ages but nobody has mentioned the fact that we have a ageing keeper with no quality understudy. In my opinion Kos is the only defender we have, particularly now playing a back 3 of any quality. We saw at the weekend that we are being asked to play football from the back - how many goals & chances came from us playing around at the back, being caught on the ball deep in our own half - YOU CANT DO THIS WITH NON FOOTBALLING DEFENDERS.
We have been linked with Seri & Carvalho - to fill positions where we already have numbers. Maybe Seri would be an improvement but Carvalho is a useless blob who Wengers been in for ages whilst no other top team has been interested. If we get him we'll pay more than we would have 2 years ago when we could have bought him were it not for Wengers reluctance to pay the money that is required. Exactly like the Lacazette situation, where an extra 10 mill a few years ago would have got him for less than whats its now cost.
If we seriously want Lemar - another good year for Monaco would mean us having to pay the kind of money that Wenger seems reluctant to pay now - when does he learn.
However, why would we want Lemar if Sanchez is staying - as Le Prof is promising us. Lemar is a left sided attacking midfielder which is Sanchez's role. How does he improve the starting 11. If we get him & Sanchez leaves it will weaken our starting 11 because the lad is simply not as good.
We have had pre-season, played the Emirates Cup & now we have the Charity Shield - again players badly needed to improve the team have not been acquired & all the time the price goes up & the clock ticks down - same old story. Everton & Man City didnt seem to have trouble doing big business early doors. Did Wenger not realise that the Monaco team was going to ripped to shreds, so the later you leave things the less likely they are going to want to sell. How long did it take City to sort out the Mendy deal?

Having said all of the above, we have to remember where we actually stand in the footballing world now. We are a team going backwards under a dinosaur manager who's board is too scared to take a shit without asking Wengers permission. Lets not believe or think we deserve to sign world class players because we don't. World class players normally want to compete at the top - why would they want to join us.

[Özim]

Nor is this bloke. Obviously he's no Sanchez but people who watch the league he plays have spoken highly of him.
The point is the fact he is free is not a valid reason for discounting him as a good signing.

He kinda is though, he's not a household name everyone knows about, pretty sure most people hadn't even really ever noticed him playing if they did see him. I'm not realy bothered about that signing to be honest, we need to aim higher than him, he's a squad filler IMO.

[GP]

Nor is this bloke. Obviously he's no Sanchez but people who watch the league he plays have spoken highly of him.
The point is the fact he is free is not a valid reason for discounting him as a good signing.

http://www.bundesliga.com/en/tots/

[Letters]

http://www.bundesliga.com/en/tots/

You can prove anything with facts :sulk:

[GP]

You can prove anything with facts :sulk:

Fake news!

We've had enough of experts.

[Letters]

If I don't see it on the side of a bus then I'm not believing it :sulk:

[Letters]

He kinda is though, he's not a household name everyone knows about, pretty sure most people hadn't even really ever noticed him playing if they did see him. I'm not realy bothered about that signing to be honest, we need to aim higher than him, he's a squad filler IMO.

What GP said :lol:

[Niall_Quinn]

Let's wait and see shall we. So far, in pre-season, he's looked abject defensively but pretty effective going forward. Of course he's now playing in a Wenger system, so defensively maybe abject is the best that can be hoped for.

[Power n Glory]

Reserving judgment until I’ve seen him play. Granit Xhaka made Team of the Year for the Bundesliga before he came to us and I’m far from convinced he’s the right signing for us. No idea how Kolasanic will fit into our system but he has to be an upgrade on what we currently have.

[Özim]

What GP said :lol:

Doesn't mean a lot, as has been mentioned Xhaka was in there and he's rubbish, Bundesligue has got one team in it, Bayern, Dortmund have some decent players too but the rest is poor, so hardly a glowing review!

Team of the season doesn't mean a lot in my book, one season wonders like Vardy made it into the PL team (a much stronger league) and I wouldn't want him.

Never heard of this guy and not convinced he's the answer to our problems either, probably another one of those full backs who can attack (hopefully he can cross because usually Wenger picks attacking full backs that get one good cross every 100 times they try) but can't defend for toffee that Wenger likes, won't help our defence though.

Personally would have signed someone more established so we know what we're getting, not this guy, but that's just me.

[Letters]

:lol:

You really are the poster boy for cognitive dissonance and goalpost shifting (one leads to the other).
"He doesn't count, he was free!"
"But good players can move on a free"
"He's a nobody!"
*GP posts a link about him being in the Bundasliga team of the year*
"That doesn't mean a lot..."

[Power n Glory]

How comes nobody else moved to sign him despite being part of the Team of the Year?

[Özim]

:lol:

You really are the poster boy for cognitive dissonance and goalpost shifting (one leads to the other).
"He doesn't count, he was free!"
"But good players can move on a free"
"He's a nobody!"
*GP posts a link about him being in the Bundasliga team of the year*
"That doesn't mean a lot..."

No.

Like I said team of the yer means nothing, prefer someone who's been consistent or stood out over some nobody from a league with one team in it.

Like I said Vardy was in the team of the year, it's a perfect plattform for 1 season wonders, this guy is so good his club let him run down his contract without trying to sell him before :lol:

35 million Xhaka has been a huge hit hasn't he.

[GP]

How comes nobody else moved to sign him despite being part of the Team of the Year?

How do you know they didn't?

[Power n Glory]

How do you know they didn't?

It's possible but how likely is it that he turned down a move to a bigger club with Champions League football? Why choose Arsenal?

[Marc Overmars]

I think City were after him originally before Mendy. Though given he was a free transfer, I'm sure he had a lot of options by default.

[Niall_Quinn]

It's possible but how likely is it that he turned down a move to a bigger club with Champions League football? Why choose Arsenal?

He's always wanted to play for us. As a boy he wanted to have Arsenal DNA. We are the club of his boyhood dreams. He had a picture of RvC on his wall.

[Power n Glory]

I think City were after him originally before Mendy. Though given he was a free transfer, I'm sure he had a lot of options by default.

I was reading something similar but his agent denied that. Sky were saying City, Everton and Milan were after him. Some others were saying Chelsea made a bid in January. Again, why Arsenal? Given what he's seen last year, is he mad?

[Niall_Quinn]

An actual quote from Wenger, related to Alexis :haha:


'There is no development in his future it is always the same. He is staying, of course.'

The unwitting truth? For all players who end up here?

[Niall_Quinn]

I was reading something similar but his agent denied that. Sky were saying City, Everton and Milan were after him. Some others were saying Chelsea made a bid in January. Again, why Arsenal? Given what he's seen last year, is he mad?

London lights?

[dostoy]

I care about Arsenal about 1% now but surely if Ozil, Ox and Alexis are not going to sign new deals then they have to be sold and replaced with players who actually want to be here.

Wenger is a cancer to Arsenal and he seems to be getting worse and the board do nothing apart from beg the fans to support him.

It will be terrible when Alexis finally leaves because he is such a good player but if he wants to go then he must be sold to the highest bidder and that money re-invested in the squad.

It will be the same old, same old, same old, same old shit starting in about 10 days time, you just know it already.

[Dicks and chicks]

I care about Arsenal about 1% now but surely if Ozil, Ox and Alexis are not going to sign new deals then they have to be sold and replaced with players who actually want to be here.

Wenger is a cancer to Arsenal and he seems to be getting worse and the board do nothing apart from beg the fans to support him.

It will be terrible when Alexis finally leaves because he is such a good player but if he wants to go then he must be sold to the highest bidder and that money re-invested in the squad.

It will be the same old, same old, same old, same old shit starting in about 10 days time, you just know it already.
Jenkinson wants to be here

[dostoy]

I did not mention Jenkinson.

He is different, of course he wants to be here as he realises that when he leaves it will be a step down with less money.

Alexis, Ox and Ozil can go to better teams than Arsenal and get more money.

I wonder what will happen if PSG do not sign Neymar.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

About as much oversight and competence as the Trump White House

At least people actually get sacked from the Trump administration.

[Niall_Quinn]

Premature doom and gloom. We need to judge this at the end of the season. It could be different this time. Wenger kills his cat by fucking it to death when he loses a match. This is how much he loves the club, and how little he loves his cats.

[fakeyank]

Premature doom and gloom. We need to judge this at the end of the season. It could be different this time. Wenger kills his cat by fucking it to death when he loses a match. This is how much he loves the club, and how little he loves his cats.

:haha: :haha: :haha:

[Dicks and chicks]

I did not mention Jenkinson.

He is different, of course he wants to be here as he realises that when he leaves it will be a step down with less money.

Alexis, Ox and Ozil can go to better teams than Arsenal and get more money.

I wonder what will happen if PSG do not sign Neymar.

If Neymar goes to psg it's very bad news for us. It will cause further inflation , we need to get the lemar deal done

[Xhaka Can’t]

It doesn't matter who we sign or who we lose.

We have Wenger.

[Marc Overmars]

Neymar to PSG is close to completion apparently.

Unbelievable. I can't take this game seriously anymore.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Lacazette is a very good player, but I can't escape the feeling that we should have actually signed a world class striker.

[Letters]

How comes nobody else moved to sign him despite being part of the Team of the Year?

Maybe they did. But whether they did or not is irrelevant. He is by all accounts a good signing but Zim doesn't think so.
What's amusing is Zim constantly changing his argument and moving goalposts so he can keep believing what he believes rather than conceding any ground.

[Letters]

Premature doom and gloom. We need to judge this at the end of the season.
Stop being ridiculous. We should judge things before they happen.
Like when Giroud came on in the FA Cup final and you said what a ridiculous substitution it would be and were completely correct as Giroud contributed nothing.
Lolz.

[Letters]

About as much oversight and competence as the Trump White House

At least people actually get sacked from the Trump administration.

Unfortunately, not the one who is the most incompetent...

[Letters]

35 million Xhaka has been a huge hit hasn't he.
Wait...so now you're saying spending a lot on a player doesn't mean they will be a hit? You started this argument discounting Kolasinac as a signing because he was free :lol:
You've moved the goalposts so far that you're now arguing the exact opposite of where you started.

:wacko:

[Özim]

Wait...so now you're saying spending a lot on a player doesn't mean they will be a hit? You started this argument discounting Kolasinac as a signing because he was free :lol:
You've moved the goalposts so far that you're now arguing the exact opposite of where you started.

:wacko:

No I'm saying the Bundesligue is sh*t and thus the team of the season over there really doesn't amout to that much. This guy also happens to be an unknown who was free and on the face of it didn't have a host of top clubs after him despite being free.

As I said I would have preferred a known quantity and seeing as Xhaka supposedly one of the outstanding performers in the Bundesligue when he came has been dreadful I'm not too hopeful about this guy, particularly with Wenger record regarding signing defenders who can't defend. IMO it's a risky signing as we really don't know if he'll be any good, now sure he's free but he does take up squad space so if he doesn't work out we'll be stuck with him like we are with a number of players, we should be signing players who are more likely to be a success, players with a proven record at this stage.

But you can keep making up some nonsense about what I'm saying if it makes you happy :coffee:

[Power n Glory]

Maybe they did. But whether they did or not is irrelevant. He is by all accounts a good signing but Zim doesn't think so.
What's amusing is Zim constantly changing his argument and moving goalposts so he can keep believing what he believes rather than conceding any ground.

It looks like he could be a good signing but I’ve hardly seen him play and hadn’t heard of him prior to us signing him. I don’t think you, GP or Zim have ever seen him play for Schalke so it’s too early to judge. Posting up Team of the Year doesn’t change the fact that he’s not a household name in football, but that doesn’t make him a bad signing either. It’s a grey area.

I think you’re missing the overall argument and caught up in trying to win a point. The original arguments is getting lost in the sauce. Didn’t this start with GP saying this is shaping up to be good summer, as if we’re doing something different we haven’t seen before? We’ve signed one big signing and signed a freebie.

If Kolasanic wasn’t free would we have even signed him? Was it another case of us seeing an opportunity to find quality on the cheap? He managed to run his contract down to year and bids were coming in for him last year but I haven’t seen that we were linked with a move for him last year. I’ve seen he was linked to Chelsea, Liverpool and Juve. So I question what promoted us to sign him. Was it the talent or price tag? I suspect price tag. Even with Lacazette I think the club thought they’d have to bite the bullet. We were linked with Lukaku and Morata last summer and we’ve seen the price they’ve gone for. Laca was the cheaper option out of the three.

We’ve still got a lot of work to do. Question marks even hang over Lacazette’s quality and if he’s even enough to make a difference. Personally, I think he’s a good striker but it’s a wasted signing without a better midfield supporting him. He’s not a Suarez, Sanchez type.

[Marc Overmars]

Neymar given permission to speak to PSG.

http://m.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40800757

[GP]

I can't under$stand why h€ would want to go there

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

I can't under$stand why h€ would want to go there

You don't?

[Thierrymon]

How can this be ok under financial fair play? Does a percentage of the fee arrive at FIFA in a brown paper bag?

[Letters]

How can this be ok under financial fair play? Does a percentage of the fee arrive at FIFA in a brown paper bag?

It'll have to be a brown paper lorry with these sorts of figures.
Football :rose:

[Niall_Quinn]

Stop being ridiculous. We should judge things before they happen.
Like when Giroud came on in the FA Cup final and you said what a ridiculous substitution it would be and were completely correct as Giroud contributed nothing.
Lolz.

I said Giroud's a joke and so is Wenger. Your one instance of randomness and chance doesn't obscure either of their records nor their consistent failures. We are dropping down the table and declining as a club because we have Giroud here, because we have Wenger here and others like them.

Which is why there is zero requirement to wait a moment longer to judge anything related to this club.

[Niall_Quinn]

If Kolasanic wasn’t free would we have even signed him?

At best we'd still be trying to sign him, probably because we'd already put in a couple of underbids and wasted a bunch of time. It's good business to get quality for free (free being a euphemism for very expensive, because the wages still have to be paid, and I'm sure the grubby agent will want a bung too). But it's coincidental when we pick up quality on the cheap every now and again, because Wenger is always dragging his net across the rubbish tip. 99% of what he snags has to be thrown back, usually after costing us time and money and progress in the process. We can't complain about getting a good player for free or cheap, but we can definitely complain about Wenger's overall skinflint mentality that has diminished the club.

[Niall_Quinn]

You donut!

:gp:

[Letters]

It looks like he could be a good signing but I’ve hardly seen him play and hadn’t heard of him prior to us signing him. I don’t think you, GP or Zim have ever seen him play for Schalke so it’s too early to judge.
Yes, obviously I agree with that. I'm just going on a few people who commented on the signing at the time and seemed to think he's a good player. And being in the team of the year is a good indication that he's not a clogger. But no, he's not a household name. It's just funny to see Zim floundering around changing his argument so that his opinion can stay the same. He does this all the time. It is textbook cognitive dissonance. He takes a position and the more evidence he's shown that he's wrong the more he digs his heels in, moves goalposts and does logical contortions to do anything other than change his position an inch. He's helped by a lot of things in football being quite subjective of course.

I think you’re missing the overall argument and caught up in trying to win a point. The original arguments is getting lost in the sauce. Didn’t this start with GP saying this is shaping up to be good summer, as if we’re doing something different we haven’t seen before? We’ve signed one big signing and signed a freebie.
GP said that ages ago, at the time I think his point was "so far, so good" and I generally agreed that it was quite promising we had signed two good players reasonably early in the window. I don't think his argument was about money spent but about getting some business done fairly early and not having deadline day sagas. But we've moved on a bit since then and not continued to sign the players we need, as time goes on the summer looks less and less impressive.
I don't know whether we would have signed Kolasanic were he not free, I was just merely pointing out it's logically flawed to discount a signing because it was a free, with the Bosman ruling players can run down their contracts and go on free transfers and he's not some kid who is being let go. Judging the Kolasanic signing just on the basis that he was free is as flawed as thinking Kyle Walker is a megastar because he cost £50m.

I agree we have a lot of work to do. But there is an argument that says that while Wenger is manager it doesn't matter much who we sign anyway.

[Letters]

Your one instance of randomness and chance doesn't obscure either of their records nor their consistent failures.
No, it illustrates the idiocy of judging things before they happen, not after. The Groundhog Day nature of things strongly suggests another year of failure to challenge for the title, but that doesn't change the obvious truth than you can only properly assess a game or season after the event.

We are dropping down the table and declining as a club because we have Giroud here, because we have Wenger here and others like them.
When you say we are "dropping down the table". Our last 4 seasons have been 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 5th. In 3 of those seasons we won the FA Cup of course. It's not much of a basis to show a consistent decline. More stagnation where we never quite push on and properly challenge for the biggest prizes.

[Power n Glory]

Lacazette is a very good player, but I can't escape the feeling that we should have actually signed a world class striker.

Who could we have bought instead? Would you have taken Morata or Lukaku over Lacazette?

[Power n Glory]

Yes, obviously I agree with that. I'm just going on a few people who commented on the signing at the time and seemed to think he's a good player. And being in the team of the year is a good indication that he's not a clogger. But no, he's not a household name. It's just funny to see Zim floundering around changing his argument so that his opinion can stay the same. He does this all the time. It is textbook cognitive dissonance. He takes a position and the more evidence he's shown that he's wrong the more he digs his heels in, moves goalposts and does logical contortions to do anything other than change his position an inch. He's helped by a lot of things in football being quite subjective of course.

GP said that ages ago, at the time I think his point was "so far, so good" and I generally agreed that it was quite promising we had signed two good players reasonably early in the window. I don't think his argument was about money spent but about getting some business done fairly early and not having deadline day sagas. But we've moved on a bit since then and not continued to sign the players we need, as time goes on the summer looks less and less impressive.
I don't know whether we would have signed Kolasanic were he not free, I was just merely pointing out it's logically flawed to discount a signing because it was a free, with the Bosman ruling players can run down their contracts and go on free transfers and he's not some kid who is being let go. Judging the Kolasanic signing just on the basis that he was free is as flawed as thinking Kyle Walker is a megastar because he cost £50m.

I agree we have a lot of work to do. But there is an argument that says that while Wenger is manager it doesn't matter much who we sign anyway.

That just sums up the whole back and forth between you and Zim. Not just this debate. The whole saga. :lol: You often take a position and only after the sorry mess unravels you start to realise what’s happened. It’s taken you a while to conclude Wenger is the problem despite Zim telling you this years ago. But you still talk as if he’s always wrong. I mean the statement about this summer sums it up. Also, I don’t think Kolas is being judged as a write off, just that he has to prove himself here because nobody has seen him play.

[Özim]

Looking like Neymar move is getting a step closer:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40800757
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40800757)
Not many clubs can snare the elite clubs like Barca and Real best players.

[Marc Overmars]

Looking like Neymar move is getting a step closer:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40800757
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40800757)
Not many clubs can snare the elite clubs like Barca and Real best players.

Top players only leave Barca and Real Madrid if they're past it or if they're being cashed in for an upgrade.

Neymar falls under neither category. This is a game changer from PSG.

[Özim]

Top players only leave Barca and Real Madrid if they're past it or if they're being cashed in for an upgrade.

Neymar falls under neither category. This is a game changer from PSG.

Precisely this will move PSG to a new level, alongside the elite clubs, they clearly want to win the CL and be the best and they are moving closer to that all the time.

[Özim]

That just sums up the whole back and forth between you and Zim. Not just this debate. The whole saga. :lol: You often take a position and only after the sorry mess unravels you start to realise what’s happened. It’s taken you a while to conclude Wenger is the problem despite Zim telling you this years ago. But you still talk as if he’s always wrong. I mean the statement about this summer sums it up. Also, I don’t think Kolas is being judged as a write off, just that he has to prove himself here because nobody has seen him play.

Great post, I simply said I would have personally signed a known quantity rather than an unknown because he's free, we're opportunists who sign players just because they are cheap as opposed to because they are right for us and it's not the way to succeed. Now this guy may turn out to be decent, but noone really knows and just because he's been in the team of the season once it doesn't necessarily make him top class, plenty of players have been in teams of the season only to disappear and never reproduce that kind of form.

It's basically another experiment by Wenger and he loves those, especially if they come cheap, we could cite countless examples.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Precisely this will move PSG to a new level, alongside the elite clubs, they clearly want to win the CL and be the best and they are moving closer to that all the time.

No they're not.

This will move them forward in terms of corporate sponsorship and shirt sales, but if anything they took a step back last season and are playing catch up.

Look at the money PSG, Chelsea and City have had pumped into them. That only one has won a flukey European cup has shown that it's very much a closed shop at the moment.

Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern are the dominant European sides in terms of history and infrastructure

I don't see PSG breaking into that elite as a result of an obscene transfer for one player.

The only way I can see that they will is the improvement of the teams they play week in, week out

[Özim]

No they're not.

This will move them forward in terms of corporate sponsorship, but if anything they took a step back last season and are playing catch up.

Look at the money PSG, Chelsea and City have had pumped into them. That only one has won a flukey European cup has shown that it's very much a closed shop at the moment.

Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern are the dominant European sides in terms of history and infrastructure

I don't see PSG breaking into that elite as a result of an obscene transfer for one player.

The only way I can see that they will is the improvement of the teams they play week in, week out

Getting better players also helps a lot, they came close to toppling Barca last season and IMO they're not that far away now, obviously Barca, Real, Bayern are still above but they're getting closer.

Neymar isn't just any player, he's one of Barca's best and that's very different to anything Chelsea, Man City and PSG have done before, he's a hugely marketable asset and will certainly help increase their fanbase.

Playing top teams every week obviously helps but it's not the be all and end all, Bayern play rubbish team week in week out and it hasn't affected them.

I can understand why Neymar might want to move (other than the money) at Barca he is and always will be in Messi' shadow (which worked well and took the pressure off him somewhat when he first moved for big money) until he leaves, the club is all about Messi, playing for another club he can become their star and could win world player of the year which is unlikely at Barca where the team is setup for Messi.

This move will also help them attract better players in the future as well.

[Power n Glory]

No they're not.

This will move them forward in terms of corporate sponsorship, but if anything they took a step back last season and are playing catch up.

Look at the money PSG, Chelsea and City have had pumped into them. That only one has won a flukey European cup has shown that it's very much a closed shop at the moment.

Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern are the dominant European sides in terms of history and infrastructure

I don't see PSG breaking into that elite as a result of an obscene transfer for one player.

The only way I can see that they will is the improvement of the teams they play week in, week out

You say that but you've added Bayern into the equation. There isn't team that comes to their power in the Bundesliga.

I also totally forgot that the current Ligue 1 champions, Monaco, are owned by a Russian billionaire.

[Power n Glory]

Getting better players also helps a lot, they came close to toppling Barca last season and IMO they're not that far away now, obviously Barca, Real, Bayern are still above but they're getting closer.

Neymar isn't just any player, he's one of Barca's best and that's very different to anything Chelsea, Man City and PSG have done before, he's a hugely marketable asset and will certainly help increase their fanbase.

Playing top teams every week obviously helps but it's not the be all and end all, Bayern play rubbish team week in week out and it hasn't affected them.

I can understand why Neymar might want to move (other than the money) at Barca he is and always will be in Messi' shadow (which worked well and took the pressure off him somewhat when he first moved for big money) until he leaves, the club is all about Messi, playing for another club he can become their star and could win world player of the year which is unlikely at Barca where the team is setup for Messi.

This move will also help them attract better players in the future as well.

Exactly.

It makes sense for Neymar to want to step out of Messi’s shadow. I wish more would make this sort of move. Earn your own stripes and help build a legacy with another team. If he can push PSG to compete in the CL, it makes football a little less predictable.

[Dicks and chicks]

Exactly.

It makes sense for Neymar to want to step out of Messi’s shadow. I wish more would make this sort of move. Earn your own stripes and help build a legacy with another team. If he can push PSG to compete in the CL, it makes football a little less predictable.

Now that psg have about 5 of their players for sale we should move in

[Marc Overmars]

He's reportedly going to earn 650k a week tax free. :wacko:

[Power n Glory]

Sanchez and Ozil are jerking off to those numbers as we speak.

[Dicks and chicks]

Exactly.

It makes sense for Neymar to want to step out of Messi’s shadow. I wish more would make this sort of move. Earn your own stripes and help build a legacy with another team. If he can push PSG to compete in the CL, it makes football a little less predictable.


Sanchez and Ozil are jerking off to those numbers as we speak.

Not as much as Jenkinson and Gibbs were when we have them their extensions

[fakeyank]

Sanchez and Ozil are jerking off to those numbers as we speak.

:haha: :haha:

[Niall_Quinn]

No they're not.

This will move them forward in terms of corporate sponsorship and shirt sales, but if anything they took a step back last season and are playing catch up.

Look at the money PSG, Chelsea and City have had pumped into them. That only one has won a flukey European cup has shown that it's very much a closed shop at the moment.

Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern are the dominant European sides in terms of history and infrastructure

I don't see PSG breaking into that elite as a result of an obscene transfer for one player.

The only way I can see that they will is the improvement of the teams they play week in, week out

Agreed. But one thing they certainly have achieved. They've corrupted the transfer market beyond repair with their obscene antics.

[Niall_Quinn]

Now that psg have about 5 of their players for sale we should move in

Absolutely. Plenty of opportunity to put in a lot of underbids.

[Marc Overmars]

Agreed. But one thing they certainly have achieved. They've corrupted the transfer market beyond repair with their obscene antics.

100m will soon become the going rate for any moderately decent player now.

[GP]

100m will soon become the going rate for any moderately decent player now.

Until the bubble bursts.

[Marc Overmars]

Until the bubble bursts.

I don't think it will. In fact I don't even think the game operates inside a bubble anymore, it's another entity all together now.

I've done my bit and ditched Sky and BT for the upcoming season. Not interested anymore.

[Niall_Quinn]

I don't think it will. In fact I don't even think the game operates inside a bubble anymore, it's another entity all together now.

I've done my bit and ditched Sky and BT for the upcoming season. Not interested anymore.

Sure it will. This is the inflation stage. Profit taking stage to come. The locust always know when the field is stripped.

[Power n Glory]

Fans will soon resent seeing that sort of money thrown around for football.

[Globalgunner]

This forum reminds me nowadays of the Native American guy, Billy in the first Predator movie when he realises there is no out running the Alien. "We are all gonna die" he says before he was gruesomely speared.

[Dicks and chicks]

Absolutely. Plenty of opportunity to put in a lot of underbids.

10million and £1 for Lucas maria should do it

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

:sick:

Football is fast becoming done for me.

Even went to a Super League game the other week. Didn't really know what was going on nor who anyone was, but didn't really care. It was fast paced, fun to watch, you could sit there with a pint and it didn't cost the earth for the privilege. That does sound a bit pretentious, but the only thing keeping me interested in football is to keep up with the arguments in work. Apart from that :shrug:

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Who could we have bought instead? Would you have taken Morata or Lukaku over Lacazette?

I'd have taken Lukaku over him though probably not for the price tag. If the question was who would I rather regardless of money then yeah, I'd probably say Lukaku.

I thought we should have signed somebody like Aubameyang. I know he wouldn't be cheap but we've been without a world class striker for too many years now, the end is nigh with Sanchez and when it wasn't nigh, Wenger didn't want to continue playing him at CF anyway!

[Power n Glory]

I'd have taken Lukaku over him though probably not for the price tag. If the question was who would I rather regardless of money then yeah, I'd probably say Lukaku.

I thought we should have signed somebody like Aubameyang. I know he wouldn't be cheap but we've been without a world class striker for too many years now, the end is nigh with Sanchez and when it wasn't nigh, Wenger didn't want to continue playing him at CF anyway!

I hear that. I guess with Lukaku we could afford to a play a more direct physical game as well as the pass pass finesse stuff. The price tag is crazy but i'd be ok with that if we felt he'd make a significant difference to how we play.

Willing to give Lacazette a chance but I have a feeling he is going to have to really fight to get goals from this team. I worry Wenger will push him wide and play Giroud up front.

[Munchies]

:sick:

Football is fast becoming done for me.

Even went to a Super League game the other week. Didn't really know what was going on nor who anyone was, but didn't really care. It was fast paced, fun to watch, you could sit there with a pint and it didn't cost the earth for the privilege. That does sound a bit pretentious, but the only thing keeping me interested in football is to keep up with the arguments in work. Apart from that :shrug:

Exact same for me.

I barely post here anymore because I just can't be arsed with the same shit anymore.

I'm no longer watching the games live. No longer even bothering to watch the highlights of goals which are like 10 seconds too.

[Niall_Quinn]

I hear that. I guess with Lukaku we could afford to a play a more direct physical game as well as the pass pass finesse stuff. The price tag is crazy but i'd be ok with that if we felt he'd make a significant difference to how we play.

Willing to give Lacazette a chance but I have a feeling he is going to have to really fight to get goals from this team. I worry Wenger will push him wide and play Giroud up front.

Why worry about an inevitability? Just be thankful Wenger hasn't spotted any CB traits. Yet.

[Niall_Quinn]

Exact same for me.

I barely post here anymore because I just can't be arsed with the same shit anymore.

I'm no longer watching the games live. No longer even bothering to watch the highlights of goals which are like 10 seconds too.

I think posting here is the only thing left connecting me to the club.

GW :fury:

[Niall_Quinn]

Are we safe to add Lemar to the almost signed pile, along with Mbappe?

Gone very quiet for a deal that was definitely done last week.

[Munchies]

I think posting here is the only thing left connecting me to the club.

GW :fury:

haha yeah mate

only so much WENKER OUT shit we can keep harping on about.

Nothing will change and I'm no longer interested in the game anymore either.

Which is funny, because now I can afford to go to more games here and there whereas I couldn't in the past!

I'll try and stick to 2-3 games a season, maybe less, there's just no draw anymore.

[Marc Overmars]

I think posting here is the only thing left connecting me to the club.

GW :fury:

Pretty much. There were games last season I only followed through the match threads - even when they were live on TV.

[Xhaka Can’t]

Same here.

I appreciate money will always be a factor in the sport, but when it becomes THE FACTOR it isn't a sport any longer.

[Power n Glory]

Agreed. But one thing they certainly have achieved. They've corrupted the transfer market beyond repair with their obscene antics.

Can't be too upset with the new money clubs landing a good punch on Barca and La Liga. They've been doing this to other clubs for years. It's the clubs like Utd and Real that have corrupted the transfer market but they cry foul when beaten at their own game by new money clubs. Fuck em. Why cry for them?

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

I don't think anyone has any sympathy for Barcelona.

But NQ is right in that, this shifts football further away from the fans and solidifies it as being a plaything for oligarchs

In the 1980s we had Steau Bucharest which was Ceaucescus favourite toy

As far as I'm concerned my fondest desire is to live long enough to see Nuclear Fusion come to fruition, and the amount of oil these cunts own will count for nothing anymore.

[GP]

It's true, oil/gas has destroyed football.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

It's true, oil/gas has destroyed football.

I was making a larger point than about football

[GP]

I know

[Niall_Quinn]

I know

You know nothing!

NOTHING!

[Power n Glory]

I was making a larger point than about football

It's shortsighted. Clubs will always be owned by some super rich bastard or corporate entity. You only have to look at Stan Kroenke as an example Or would you prefer a set up where funds come for the government? Way to many shady set ups for me to get into.

If it's a moral issue, fans need to take a closer look at what's going on because we ultimately fund this. You can support a local smaller team.

[GP]

You know nothing!

NOTHING!

I drink and I know things.

[Niall_Quinn]

I drink and I know things.

You drink ! :haha:

That's not drinking!

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

It's shortsighted. Clubs will always be owned by some super rich bastard or corporate entity. You only have to look at Stan Kroenke as an example Or would you prefer a set up where funds come for the government? Way to many shady set ups for me to get into.

If it's a moral issue, fans need to take a closer look at what's going on because we ultimately fund this. You can support a local smaller team.

Perhaps but as I say I'd be quite happy for people not to wield power and influence because of their ownership of an unsustainable mineral sludge.

For instance we won't have to pretend that the Al-Saud family aren't cunts.

The rules of football ownership will only change with directives from FIFA. It will take more than this financial fair play stuff that the potential Neymar transfer has shown to be utterly weak.

[Power n Glory]

Perhaps but as I say I'd be quite happy for people not to wield power and influence because of their ownership of an unsustainable mineral sludge.

For instance we won't have to pretend that the Al-Saud family aren't cunts.

The rules of football ownership will only change with directives from FIFA. It will take more than this financial fair play stuff that the potential Neymar transfer has shown to be utterly weak.

It makes no difference to me. If you ask me, Real Madrid started the bullshit by stockpiling as many World Player of the Year players and contenders in squad and then Barca and Utd tried to follow. The rules are there to protect the status quo.

[Niall_Quinn]

Perhaps but as I say I'd be quite happy for people not to wield power and influence because of their ownership of an unsustainable mineral sludge.

For instance we won't have to pretend that the Al-Saud family aren't cunts.

The rules of football ownership will only change with directives from FIFA. It will take more than this financial fair play stuff that the potential Neymar transfer has shown to be utterly weak.

Have you seen the type of scumbags routinely signed on by that FIFA lot? The fewer directives from those bastards, the better. None at all would be my preference. When the head's like that no wonder the body is rotten. As usual, the media has a role to play here. Unfortunately, the role they have decided on is hype master general.

[Niall_Quinn]

Apparently we've had an underbid for Ousmane Dembele rejected by Dortmund.

[Niall_Quinn]

Martinez gone out on loan. So Ospina must be staying.

[Özim]

Let's be honest here, we haven't fallen out of love with footbal because of the spending etc, it's because our club is sh*t and consequently everything is a massive disappointment, if we signing top class players every summer and being successful on the pitch noone would be feeling much discontent.

When you have to go through the same thing year after year with no signs of it ever changing your bound to lose interest, the football is rubbish, the players aren't hungry, the results are average, the transfers are inadequate, the owner is disinterested in the football side and the manager is on his own little crusade to only satisfy his own needs.

If wee were out there signing players of the quality of Lewandowski/Dybala every summer and playing great football and competing for the top prizes everyone would be happy, it's the fact we have a boardroom and manager who couldn't give a toss about genuinely competing and insisting they are right despite evidence to the contrary.

[Özim]

When are we going to get rid of all of the deadwood, we have so many overpaid, average players we need to get rid of, it's the same cycle as always, we don't pay for quality so end up stockpiling very mediocre players that we can't get rid of as we stick them on way more money than they deserve.

[Özim]

Going back to the Barca, Real etc and other clubs being able to compete, Juve and Athletico have 2 CL finals in the last 4 season each and aren't huge spenders, they are more than competing, Athletico were very close to winning it.

Money isn't the be all and end all, it's assembling a decent group of players with a good mentality, desire and a good workrate and teamwork, these clubs obviously have very good managers, that bring in the right players and have good sytems and are tactically astute, Arsenal has none of that hence our position these days.

[Xhaka Can’t]

I drink and I know things.

I have determined many many solutions to cure the world's ills.

If only I could remember them.

[Xhaka Can’t]

Let's be honest here, we haven't fallen out of love with footbal because of the spending etc, it's because our club is sh*t and consequently everything is a massive disappointment, if we signing top class players every summer and being successful on the pitch noone would be feeling much discontent.

When you have to go through the same thing year after year with no signs of it ever changing your bound to lose interest, the football is rubbish, the players aren't hungry, the results are average, the transfers are inadequate, the owner is disinterested in the football side and the manager is on his own little crusade to only satisfy his own needs.

If wee were out there signing players of the quality of Lewandowski/Dybala every summer and playing great football and competing for the top prizes everyone would be happy, it's the fact we have a boardroom and manager who couldn't give a toss about genuinely competing and insisting they are right despite evidence to the contrary.

Speak for yourself. The football world has been taken over by utter filth.

Both our owners included.

[Power n Glory]

Let's be honest here, we haven't fallen out of love with footbal because of the spending etc, it's because our club is sh*t and consequently everything is a massive disappointment, if we signing top class players every summer and being successful on the pitch noone would be feeling much discontent.

When you have to go through the same thing year after year with no signs of it ever changing your bound to lose interest, the football is rubbish, the players aren't hungry, the results are average, the transfers are inadequate, the owner is disinterested in the football side and the manager is on his own little crusade to only satisfy his own needs.

If wee were out there signing players of the quality of Lewandowski/Dybala every summer and playing great football and competing for the top prizes everyone would be happy, it's the fact we have a boardroom and manager who couldn't give a toss about genuinely competing and insisting they are right despite evidence to the contrary.

There is some truth in that because things felt a little different when we signed Ozil and then signed Sanchez. Heck, just signing Lacazette has peaked my interest compared to the way the season ended.

[Özim]

Speak for yourself. The football world has been taken over by utter filth.

Both our owners included.

People would look past that if we were better on the pitch, they do at other clubs that are more successful. At the end of the day most fans are interested in what happens on the pitch, if the club is doing well and going in the right direction generally people are happy.

If Kroenke invested in the club and we went out and signed quality players interest in the club would be much higher.

[Power n Glory]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40814854

:lol: Look at this dodgy shit. Hypocrites.

[Özim]

There is some truth in that because things felt a little different when we signed Ozil and then signed Sanchez. Heck, just signing Lacazette has peaked my interest compared to the way the season ended.

Agreed, what you want is to have something to look forward to and transfers play a part, getting to see some exciting signings in the new season always helps, as does signs of progress and looking forward to where your team will be in the coming season, problem for us is we pretty much get none of that, transfer windows are one big headache, the seasons always pan out the same, with the same issues and nothing ever seems to change in terms of the setup, it's all really dull.

I'm not saying the money in the game isn't ridiculous, because it is but ultimately football fans are interested in watching their team do well and haing something positive to cheer.

[Power n Glory]

Agreed, what you want is to have something to look forward to and transfers play a part, getting to see some exciting signings in the new season always helps, as does signs of progress and looking forward to where your team will be in the coming season, problem for us is we pretty much get none of that, transfer windows are one big headache, the seasons always pan out the same, with the same issues and nothing ever seems to change in terms of the setup, it's all really dull.

I'm not saying the money in the game isn't ridiculous, because it is but ultimately football fans are interested in watching their team do well and haing something positive to cheer.

If we had sacked Wenger this season and brought in a credible manager, that would sparked some interest from every Arsenal fan. If we'd have sacked Wenger and made 3 or 4 massive signings, we wouldn't even be talking about oil money corrupting the game and switching off. Make no mistake, I don't like how a few rich clubs have a monopoly on all the Balon D'Or candidates in football. I think having all the very best players in one team robs us of seeing the true potential of some really special players. Think Galatico Real Mardid era or Brazil 2006 World Cup squad. We're seeing it Barca and Real now. Cruyff said it best "I wouldn't put two captains on the same ship... we have to learn from the past," - This was when Neymar was moving to Barca. But all that aside, it's Arsene Wenger that's really killed my appetite for football. Even with absolute cunts running the club, I'd still watch if our football was entertaining.

[Xhaka Can’t]

People would look past that if we were better on the pitch, they do at other clubs that are more successful. At the end of the day most fans are interested in what happens on the pitch, if the club is doing well and going in the right direction generally people are happy.

If Kroenke invested in the club and we went out and signed quality players interest in the club would be much higher.

Some people would no doubt. But as I grow older and more cynical I look at what is happening in football, I become far more detached from it because it has become so corrupt and money orientated that I can't identify with it any longer.

These people don't inhabit the same world we do, and they sure as damn don't give a fuck about us beyond how much money they can extract from us.

So, increasingly, I don't give a fuck about them beyond my anger at how they are fucking up the sport.

[Özim]

If we had sacked Wenger this season and brought in a credible manager, that would sparked some interest from every Arsenal fan. If we'd have sacked Wenger and made 3 or 4 massive signings, we wouldn't even be talking about oil money corrupting the game and switching off. Make no mistake, I don't like how a few rich clubs have a monopoly on all the Balon D'Or candidates in football. I think having all the very best players in one team robs us of seeing the true potential of some really special players. Think Galatico Real Mardid era or Brazil 2006 World Cup squad. We're seeing it Barca and Real now. Cruyff said it best "I wouldn't put two captains on the same ship... we have to learn from the past," - This was when Neymar was moving to Barca. But all that aside, it's Arsene Wenger that's really killed my appetite for football. Even with absolute cunts running the club, I'd still watch if our football was entertaining.

I'm with you, almost everything is just so boring and repetitive and devoid of excitement and unpredictability, I'm kinda glad we're not in the CL as I can't watch bear to watch the same thing happen, at least the Europa league will be a different experience. It just amazes me that whatver happens there's just no appetite for any kind of change at the club (aside from the fans), the board are happy to see us regress and the manager doesn't care either, there's been absolutely no change.

I'm glad we finally signed a goalscorer of course, but that was more due to circumstances, as NQ said if Athletico hadn't been under a transfer ban he wouldn't be here, once again there doesn't seem to be any kind of plan, after last years disaster logic would dictate that you'd work hard throughout the summer to improve things, the reality is the backroom staff is pretty much the same and the squad is largely the same, all the deadwood remains and we've in my eyes made one significant signings so far which points to the fact we're really not too bothered abot making changes happen.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Have you seen the type of scumbags routinely signed on by that FIFA lot? The fewer directives from those bastards, the better. None at all would be my preference. When the head's like that no wonder the body is rotten. As usual, the media has a role to play here. Unfortunately, the role they have decided on is hype master general.

I didn't say it was likely I just said its what it would take.

If I thought for a second FIFA had any meaningful intention to clean up its act. Russia and Qatar would be stripped of the World Cup even if it meant no World Cup would be held.

[Niall_Quinn]

When are we going to get rid of all of the deadwood, we have so many overpaid, average players we need to get rid of, it's the same cycle as always, we don't pay for quality so end up stockpiling very mediocre players that we can't get rid of as we stick them on way more money than they deserve.

In a shocking development that could never have been predicted, the deadwood is refusing to leave. Apparently most want to stay and "fight for their place". London, big money, don't even have to play. I wonder why they want to stay? Complete mystery.

[Niall_Quinn]

Let's be honest here, we haven't fallen out of love with footbal because of the spending etc, it's because our club is sh*t and consequently everything is a massive disappointment, if we signing top class players every summer and being successful on the pitch noone would be feeling much discontent.

When you have to go through the same thing year after year with no signs of it ever changing your bound to lose interest, the football is rubbish, the players aren't hungry, the results are average, the transfers are inadequate, the owner is disinterested in the football side and the manager is on his own little crusade to only satisfy his own needs.

If wee were out there signing players of the quality of Lewandowski/Dybala every summer and playing great football and competing for the top prizes everyone would be happy, it's the fact we have a boardroom and manager who couldn't give a toss about genuinely competing and insisting they are right despite evidence to the contrary.

I thought about that. It's very true - if this club was being run properly and was competing, there would be a lot less discontent. However, there's no getting away from the reality of the disgusting characters that have fouled up the sport, nor their disgusting natures. The hype, the greed, the hypocrisy, the cheating. When you compare that to the borefest that is 99% of all games you'll suffer these days, win, lose or draw it's a disgusting state of affairs.

Players like Walker going for 50 mill and getting paid six figures a week? I mean good luck to the kid, daylight robbery and all but take it if you can get it. The characters I loathe are the bastards who pretend it's all for love, loyalty, community, tradition and the values of sport. Fuck them. It's all for money and it couldn't be plainer. That's why the quality has fallen off a cliff. Why even try when it's all plated up? The main job of football players these days is negotiating contracts via their agents. All that stuff on the pitch, that's of secondary concern. You can see it in the way they play. You can name on one hand the players who really love the game. Or can you? Like Wrighty, Vieira, Adams, that glorious bastard Keane. Shearer. Best, Moore, Charlton. Who are the modern equivalents? Raheem Sterling?

[Niall_Quinn]

People would look past that if we were better on the pitch, they do at other clubs that are more successful. At the end of the day most fans are interested in what happens on the pitch, if the club is doing well and going in the right direction generally people are happy.

If Kroenke invested in the club and we went out and signed quality players interest in the club would be much higher.

Is that true though? Look at all the hair tearing at teeth pulling at that ultimate scumbag club Barca. They are finally on the receiving end of the big money hype machine they helped invent. Now their fans are wandering around in a daze, wondering what has become of football and loyalty. Doesn't mean they have joined the philosophical ranks of the Arsenal inmates, but they are learning what this game has become. Despite all their success.

[Dicks and chicks]

Don't know why we are bidding for dembele he's off to barca we need to bid for psgs for sale players, anyone of them would drastically improve our team and would be a lot cheaper.

[Letters]

Some people would no doubt. But as I grow older and more cynical I look at what is happening in football, I become far more detached from it because it has become so corrupt and money orientated that I can't identify with it any longer.

These people don't inhabit the same world we do, and they sure as damn don't give a fuck about us beyond how much money they can extract from us.

So, increasingly, I don't give a fuck about them beyond my anger at how they are fucking up the sport.
That :gp:

[Letters]

Sure it will. This is the inflation stage. Profit taking stage to come. The locust always know when the field is stripped.

Then our self sustaining model will prevail and Wenger will have been proved right.
Needless to say, he'll have the last laugh.

Wenger :bow:

[Letters]

I'm with you, almost everything is just so boring and repetitive and devoid of excitement and unpredictability.
Especially your posts ;)


There is something in what you're saying. Were we successful it would make a lot of the nonsense surrounding football a bit easier to swallow (like your mum does). But even when we were at our best under Wenger I remember having concerns about the way football was going and how it was all set up to make the gaps between the haves and have-nots wider and wider (like your mum is). Sky started this nonsense in England and then we had the rise of the CL where several teams qualify from the bigger leagues. That's what has led to this top 4 nonsense.

Obviously it's more enjoyable if we are doing well and the football is good but I don't think that would mitigate the way the sport as a whole has gone. It's sickening really and every time you think it can't get more obscene, it does. I can't be done with any of it any more.

[Niall_Quinn]

Don't know why we are bidding for dembele he's off to barca we need to bid for psgs for sale players, anyone of them would drastically improve our team and would be a lot cheaper.

You answered your own question. We're bidding because we can't get him.

[Letters]

http://m.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40762417

:sick:

£200m. F this S

[Niall_Quinn]

£782,000 a week :haha:

Hopefully he breaks his leg on his debut and is out for a year. Nothing against the player, his agent, his dad, his mum, his brother's aunt's cousin, his friend from down the pub when he went out that time before he was famous and has latched onto him ever since - nothing against any of these sick leeches. I blame Wenger.

[Niall_Quinn]

La Liga believes French club PSG are violating Uefa's Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules and Barcelona previously said they would report PSG to European football's governing body Uefa for a FFP breach.

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL

:haha:

Laughing helicopters (or whatever it is)

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Neymar loves a dubious transfer.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Also this 'transfer' or whatever word is more accurate, is more than Federer and Nadal have ever won in prize money, combined. :blink:

In fact, you could chuck Murray in to that too based on current exchange rates. :haha:

[Niall_Quinn]

Also this 'transfer' or whatever word is more accurate, is more than Federer and Nadal have ever won in prize money, combined. :blink:

In fact, you could chuck Murray in to that too based on current exchange rates. :haha:

They aren't world beating super talent, best of all timers like Neymar.

[Marc Overmars]

It is an unbelievable transfer, even for the current market. I don't think that record is going to be topped for a long time. 200m FFS, we hadn't even had a 100m player yet.

I'm guessing there will be a lot of renegotiating for players buyout clauses in Spain now. Seeing as impossible figures are now a reality.

[LDG]

Every drop of what was football to me has been destroyed.

What I grew up loving is gone.

I'll be suprised if I even catch a game on TV this season. It's fucking disgusting.

[Letters]

:good:

I very rarely watch these days. I honestly couldn't give a monkeys which billionaire-fuelled team beats which other billionaire-fuelled team.
None of the things which made us fall in love with the game any more are there now.

[Bumble]

Sanchez for Aguero? heard that rumour

Neymar deal ridiculous, Although I am waiting to hear Wenger say we nearly signed him.

[Letters]

Sanchez for Aguero? heard that rumour

Neymar deal ridiculous, Although I am waiting to hear Wenger say we nearly signed him.

We only bid £199,999,999.

[Xhaka Can’t]

Every drop of what was football to me has been destroyed.

What I grew up loving is gone.

I'll be suprised if I even catch a game on TV this season. It's fucking disgusting.

The excitement and anticipation of a new season is reaching fever pitch.

[GP]

According to Sky, Man City beating a 10-man QPR is the most exciting finish to a season ever.

Seems legit.

[Letters]

According to Sky, Man City beating a 10-man QPR is the most exciting finish to a season ever.

Seems legit.

You're forgetting that football only started in 1992.

[Letters]

We only bid £199,999,999.

Ha!

http://newsthump.com/2017/08/04/arsenal-had-197999999-neymar-bid-rejected-claims-arsene-wenger/

[Letters]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40823628

Was the "new challenge" he needed the problem of spending nearly a million pounds a week?

[GP]

That is quite challenging, tbh

Like a real life Brewsters Millions

[Özim]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40823628

Was the "new challenge" he needed the problem of spending nearly a million pounds a week?

Could be that he was tired of living in Messi' shadow, everything at Barca is about Messi, he even gets a say in transfers apparently so if you're going to become the best logically you need to move to a team where you can be the star.

Even when Barca were inspired by Neymar when they beat PSG Messi got the plaudits, it's no real surprise Neymar wants to play for another team that isn't setup to primarily serve one very talented individual.

Not his fault PSG paid the asking price.

[Bumble]

Could be that he was tired of living in Messi' shadow, everything at Barca is about Messi, he even gets a say in transfers apparently so if you're going to become the best logically you need to move to a team where you can be the star.

Even when Barca were inspired by Neymar when they beat PSG Messi got the plaudits, it's no real surprise Neymar wants to play for another team that isn't setup to primarily serve one very talented individual.

Not his fault PSG paid the asking price.

So hes an egomanic then... he has to be about him being the number 1. He has gone to a smaller team in a worse league. If he wanted a challenge, he should get a normal job.

[Özim]

So hes an egomanic then... he has to be about him being the number 1. He has gone to a smaller team in a worse league. If he wanted a challenge, he should get a normal job.

He's clearly a huge talent, he's got the potential to be the best around but when one team is setup for one particular player it's not as easy to shine and Messi is exceptional no doubt, I don't see the opportunity for him to win world footballer of the year at Barca due to Messi, at another team he may well flourish, PSG will most likely set up the team around him which will help his cause.

PSG are a growing club looking to win the CL, plus maybe he wants to win the league in a different country, in addition PSG were the only ones willing to pay the release clause.

[Power n Glory]

So hes an egomanic then... he has to be about him being the number 1. He has gone to a smaller team in a worse league. If he wanted a challenge, he should get a normal job.
Should he aim for top 4 instead? ;)

[Niall_Quinn]

Neymar and his entourage are products of this shitty thing that has destroyed and replaced football. As putrid, maggot crawly things go, Neymar is an expert at playing the new game. Can he be blamed for obeying his nature in what has now become his natural environment? Probably not. You don't criticise a fly crawling on shit, that's what it was born to do. Blame goes to the scum that allowed and encouraged the game to be consumed, step by step by step through the years. We haven't seen the last of it either. They'll probably get their hateful Euro league in 2019/20 and then they can eek out some more time by jettisoning the smaller clubs and consolidating the cash pile with a few super-ex-football clubs trading on the legacy of a time when they were engaged in sport. From the ultra-corrupt filth at FIFA and UEFA, through the grubby use car salesmen at the FA and PL, down through the vehicles for vile war criminals and thieves that own the names of once great clubs, through the almost unanimously average pubbers and their media cheerleaders who insist the emperor is fully clothed even though his rotten, disease infested dick is swinging in the faces of the fans who have to fund this shit, and Mr Murdoch and his Sky TV. Thanks a lot. It's everything we always dreamed of.

[Letters]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEAIyH_gDSk

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Could be that he was tired of living in Messi' shadow, everything at Barca is about Messi, he even gets a say in transfers apparently so if you're going to become the best logically you need to move to a team where you can be the star.

Even when Barca were inspired by Neymar when they beat PSG Messi got the plaudits, it's no real surprise Neymar wants to play for another team that isn't setup to primarily serve one very talented individual.

Not his fault PSG paid the asking price.

It's a bit nonsense really. Since Barca bought Suarez, Messi has mainly been set up on the right, whereas before he was mainly central. Granted that leaves Neymar on the left, with Suarez central.

It's the money, of course it is. He doesn't need to pretend differently, he's earning £515k per week, £3k an hour or whatever stupidity it is.

[Niall_Quinn]

It's a bit nonsense really. Since Barca bought Suarez, Messi has mainly been set up on the right, whereas before he was mainly central. Granted that leaves Neymar on the left, with Suarez central.

It's the money, of course it is. He doesn't need to pretend differently, he's earning £515k per week, £3k an hour or whatever stupidity it is.

"Earning" can be such a misleading word sometimes.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Embezzling?

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

So hes an egomanic then... he has to be about him being the number 1. He has gone to a smaller team in a worse league. If he wanted a challenge, he should get a normal job.

LOL!!!

[Niall_Quinn]

Season kicks off today and we still haven't finalised the Mbappe and Lemar deals.

What's the hold up FFS?

[Xhaka Can’t]

We're in the waiting to get thumped before we sign anyone period.

[Niall_Quinn]

Now we're after Lucas Moura of PSG, apparently. Story goes we can nip in and get him now that Neymar has pitched up.

A quick, nimble, lightweight, wide attacking midfielder. A first for us. We don't have any of those. It also demonstrates the structural integrity of our transfer policy. We start out going for a quick, nimble, robust attacking midfielder who can play all across the middle, we pursue him for weeks - never quite coming up with a bid to tempt, when the price gets into the real world (and unreal as that happens to be) we bug out and now we conjure this guy up. Another replacement for Theo Walcott, who we aren't replacing by the look of it. Roll on the underbids and the waste of time.

We have also been thinking about bidding for some other midfielder. Who knows, maybe we'll get around to that some time?

Decisive and determined we might not be, but what we lack in the ability to get things done we more than make up for in the ability to make fans fume, cry and despair, all at the same time.

Fucking incompetent and overpaid turds working for this club.

[Niall_Quinn]

Elneny confirms he's staying. Which is good. Because he's our best central midfielder. Which also means he'll probably spend most of the season on the bench.

[Niall_Quinn]

Alexis resigned to staying for another season.

So then, the task is simple to define (if not so simple to achieve).

1. Sign Lemar - reason, show ambition.
2. Qualify for the CL - reason, Alexis' stated main concern.
3. Win the title - reason, why would Alexis leave the champions?

And the man we have to deliver these requirements is:

Arsene Wenger :doh:

[Özim]

Now we're after Lucas Moura of PSG, apparently. Story goes we can nip in and get him now that Neymar has pitched up.

A quick, nimble, lightweight, wide attacking midfielder. A first for us. We don't have any of those. It also demonstrates the structural integrity of our transfer policy. We start out going for a quick, nimble, robust attacking midfielder who can play all across the middle, we pursue him for weeks - never quite coming up with a bid to tempt, when the price gets into the real world (and unreal as that happens to be) we bug out and now we conjure this guy up. Another replacement for Theo Walcott, who we aren't replacing by the look of it. Roll on the underbids and the waste of time.

We have also been thinking about bidding for some other midfielder. Who knows, maybe we'll get around to that some time?

Decisive and determined we might not be, but what we lack in the ability to get things done we more than make up for in the ability to make fans fume, cry and despair, all at the same time.

Fucking incompetent and overpaid turds working for this club.

Moura is an excellent player, chances of getting him with our transfer team is about 0.00000000000000000001% however, lowball bids don't work, doesn't matter how many times you make them.

[Power n Glory]

Moura is an excellent player, chances of getting him with our transfer team is about 0.00000000000000000001% however, lowball bids don't work, doesn't matter how many times you make them.

It's a good bit of business. He can replace Özil.

[GP]

Linked to Dick van Dyke from Southampton after he handed in a transfer request.

Never going to happen.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Lots of rumours about Coutinho to Barca I see.

[Bumble]

I cant believe no one wants our reject players and the salaries that come with them.

[Özim]

Noone wants our rejects mainly because they're rubbish, it only takes us about a decade to work that out though, but now we've been giving out big new contracts to these nobodies we also have a problem that they are highly overpaid, consequently they're happy sitting on their backsides doing nothing whilst earning big bucks.

Perez wants out but we're holding out for more money than anyone seems to want to pay at the moment, what should be happening is Walcott or Welbeck should be sold and Perez should be kept as he's far superior and will score goals, you'll have to ask the manager why he prefers a guy who's been here over 10 years and achieved nothing and a striker who can't shoot for toffee over him, one of lifes' great mysteries I think!

Bad news is we're stuck with these rejects, can't seem to sign anyone up despite a whole summer having passed and on top of that our 3 best players from last season are out of contract next summer and we've not managed to get anyone of them to sign a new contract again in a whole summer.

Not sure what the club has been doing all summer, but much like during the season it seems not much.

[Power n Glory]

Chelsea want Ox for £25m according to the papers and PSG are after Alexis.

Other than that it's dead. Barca are looking at Coutinho but not Ozil. Nobody is looking at Ozil. Nothing on Perez. Nothing on Giroud....I doubt we're selling him.

Once again we're going into a season without finishing our business.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Moans that we need to lighten the squad first, well no one made you put them on silly wages Arsene

[Niall_Quinn]

It hasn't taken Wenger long to demonstrate what a catastrophe it was for the club when he signed that new contract. Expecting this guy to change is like expecting Letters to sort his toasting habits out. Not only is Wenger incompetent but he revels in it, viewing the contract fuck-ups with our stars as "ideal". This is a guy who makes the same old mistakes over and over because he doesn't view them as mistakes in the first place. The poor, senile bastard thinks he's doing a great job.

[Özim]

As some predicted it's been all change this summer, he's finally seen the light and changed his ways realising last season was simply unacceptable. Got the signings in early, got rid of deadwood, new backroom staff, amazing, you wouldn't have believed it could happen.

TY woz right

[selassie]

I cant believe no one wants our reject players and the salaries that come with them.

They want them but just not at the prices we are demanding or the wages the players are demanding. It's no coincidence that most of them are happy to pick up their inflated wages here without getting anywhere near the team.

I find it incredible that in a inflated market we are still unable to shift them, so much garbage in our squad bought or stagnated by Wenger!

One of our best bits of garbage is Debuchy, we can't even give him away on a free transfer because his wage demands are too high, incredible stuff! :lol:

[Power n Glory]

Just reading about Danny Rose’s outburst with the media. He’s open to leaving Spurs and reports say he’s on £65k a month. I think that’s the case with a lot of Spurs players. They’re on low wages. It highlights how much we overpay. Gibbs is on £60k a week and not even a regular in the first team. I hear Bellerin is already on £100k a week. Ox is on £65k already.

We really need to rethink our strategy when it comes to wages for young players. Not even Watford want Gibbs.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-4776276/Watford-abandon-plans-sign-Arsenal-s-Kieran-Gibbs.html

Speaking of Bellerin, what do you think will happen if Barca were to make a bid for Bellerin? Will the £100k ward them off? I doubt it. Would we be prepared to match Barca’s wage offer if they came for him? I doubt that as well. Or even if Barca don’t come in for him and we manage to sit him down for new contract talks, I’m sure we’ll have a nose bleed once Bellerin starts asking for anything north of £130k a week. If he’s not performing well, it’s even harder to justify those wages and we’ll have a problem shifting him on. We end up shooting ourselves in the foot.

[Özim]

We're asking for too much money for these players who aren't much good, 16 million for Gibbs? We might overpay for nobodies who haven't performed but other clubs won't especially injury prone ones, we'd be lucky to get 8 million for him.

If I was the club I'd just take what I could get to get them off the wage bill, Debuchy, Gibbs, Wilshere, Jenkinson, just get rid for whatever you can get. Perez is the exception, he's decent and frankly we should be keeping him over the likes of Wellbeck, if Everton want to pay 30 million for him I'd bite their hand off, he's very average and won't score more than 6-7 goals a season, his career has proven that.

[Niall_Quinn]

Just reading about Danny Rose’s outburst with the media. He’s open to leaving Spurs and reports say he’s on £65k a month. I think that’s the case with a lot of Spurs players. They’re on low wages. It highlights how much we overpay. Gibbs is on £60k a week and not even a regular in the first team. I hear Bellerin is already on £100k a week. Ox is on £65k already.

We really need to rethink our strategy when it comes to wages for young players. Not even Watford want Gibbs.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-4776276/Watford-abandon-plans-sign-Arsenal-s-Kieran-Gibbs.html

Speaking of Bellerin, what do you think will happen if Barca were to make a bid for Bellerin? Will the £100k ward them off? I doubt it. Would we be prepared to match Barca’s wage offer if they came for him? I doubt that as well. Or even if Barca don’t come in for him and we manage to sit him down for new contract talks, I’m sure we’ll have a nose bleed once Bellerin starts asking for anything north of £130k a week. If he’s not performing well, it’s even harder to justify those wages and we’ll have a problem shifting him on. We end up shooting ourselves in the foot.


Rose, believed to be earning £65,000 per week, told The Sun's Dave Kidd: 'As with everyone else in my team, in my opinion, I am worth more than I am getting.

We get used to bad things that happen slowly and we ignore and ridicule prescience, in the main. Hence we can end up in a strange world where the above sentence can be printed in a national "news" paper.

"Believed to be earning £65,000 per week" - evidence the world is indeed flat.
"I am worth more than I am getting." - evidence that Tony Blair is a religious man.

It's only going to get harder for sane people to remain sane. The pressure is relentless.

[Power n Glory]

We get used to bad things that happen slowly and we ignore and ridicule prescience, in the main. Hence we can end up in a strange world where the above sentence can be printed in a national "news" paper.

"Believed to be earning £65,000 per week" - evidence the world is indeed flat.
"I am worth more than I am getting." - evidence that Tony Blair is a religious man.

It's only going to get harder for sane people to remain sane. The pressure is relentless.

Speak for yourself. Fans need to decide whether they want to be part of the circus.

[Niall_Quinn]

Speak for yourself. Fans need to decide whether they want to be part of the circus.

Agreed.

We kick off tomorrow and it's the first time in decades I can't be bothered - at all. There is no excitement or anticipation - at all. My enthusiasm has been declining season by season, and not just because of Wenger. Now it is drained and dry. A summer of watching these greedy pigs clawing their way to unprecedented disgrace without showing a hint of shame has helped me see very clearly. I already knew what was crawling under the rock, but lifting the rock has made the obscenity unavoidably real.

If they were any good I could almost tolerate it. But most of these fuckers are pubbers. They've become the poster children for everything that's wrong with this world. Those corporate scumbags are good, really, really good. To be able to get you to hate the thing you fanatically supported.

Watch Icarus on Netflix. And then extend it outwards for a full view of what passes as sport. They're all Russians now, despite the frantic PR.

[Power n Glory]

Agreed.

We kick off tomorrow and it's the first time in decades I can't be bothered - at all. There is no excitement or anticipation - at all. My enthusiasm has been declining season by season, and not just because of Wenger. Now it is drained and dry. A summer of watching these greedy pigs clawing their way to unprecedented disgrace without showing a hint of shame has helped me see very clearly. I already knew what was crawling under the rock, but lifting the rock has made the obscenity unavoidably real.

If they were any good I could almost tolerate it. But most of these fuckers are pubbers. They've become the poster children for everything that's wrong with this world. Those corporate scumbags are good, really, really good. To be able to get you to hate the thing you fanatically supported.

Watch Icarus on Netflix. And then extend it outwards for a full view of what passes as sport. They're all Russians now, despite the frantic PR.

I’ll add Icarus to my watch list.

The money in football is obscene. But it’s Wenger and Arsenal that have really killed my interest for the game. If we were playing really well and doing something interesting on the pitch, I’d find a way to watch regardless of how silly things have gone with the money.

I think of other industries, like film, TV, music….they all make a ridiculous amount of money but it always comes back to the art and enjoying what’s produced. I pay attention to the commerce side of those industries but it’s not at the forefront of any debates or discussions I have about film or music. It doesn’t affect how I enjoy it. Why is it that people on here are saying the opposite about football? Would we care about how it’s all financed if it were actually enjoyable? I think Wenger and the club have played their role in pushing commerce to the front of the queue when thinking of what happens on the pitch. Financial doping, social wage structures…telling the fans that we can’t compete because we haven’t got the money….it has all played a part.

[Niall_Quinn]

Our nations aren't run by governments, they are run by corporations.
Our sport isn't run by sportsmen, it is run by corporations.
Our ______ isn't run by ______, it is run by corporations.

It's not the money in itself, it's the fact the money has taken away another component of life and reduced it to a steaming pile of shit. The reason we aren't playing good football, and the reason why hardly any team that isn't stacked from goal to striker with world class talent isn't playing decent football is fear of losing the damn money. Success has become not losing, rather than winning. And this attitude kills sport stone dead. The same thing is happening in art. Financial formulae have replaced plot, character development. There are very few good films made each year when you consider it. Some artists won't compromise in terms of their art, but money and politics affects them in other ways. Try being a non-lefty director in Hollywood. This has always been a problem, but now the crisis is severe. Directors are going the way of Jose Mourinho. To get on the screen they need to tick certain boxes or forget it. Hollywood has driven the whole transgenderism nonsense. Without Hollywood it would never have gained an inch. Science is the same. No budget? No science. Want the budget, then you better get loaded up on conformity. And the conformity is not based on idealism. Far from it. It's a money thing. Again.

The Internet is about the only thing left. And they are coming for that too.

[Niall_Quinn]

And you could ask, what about books. True. Book burning is only in its infant stage (but developing fast). Which is why we have mobile phones. Books? Old hat. Soon to be extinct. It's a horrible, regressive world we're sleepwalking into, and football is a part of it. Wait and see. Soon there will be no fans at all. No seats in the stadiums. It'll all be virtual. Automatons in headsets cheering on their brand in approved language for fear of their feed being cut. Shout, "Ref, you cunt!", and it will be added to the crowd noise as, "Oh dear, I really don't agree with that decision by the ref, although I respect his/ her/ their/ its right to hold a different opinion." Coming to a nightmare near you. Wait. Watch. Like I said, bad things happen gradually for fear of them being recognised as bad.

[dostoy]

I think Liverpool should sell Coutinho and buy Diego Costa and Van Dijk.

Chelsea are desperate for players and why would they sell Matic to Utd for only 40 million and Conte is getting very frustrated and who knows what will happen with him.

Morata will need lots of time to settle.

Spuds are bound to sign Barkley surely.

Arsenal are pathetic as always.

Man City and Man Utd have done well so far this summer, although Lindelof looks a bit dodgy at the moment and will need time to get used to this league.

[Power n Glory]

All too cynical, NQ. That level of cynicism will make it hard to find the art in anything.

[Niall_Quinn]

All too cynical, NQ. That level of cynicism will make it hard to find the art in anything.

Cynicism is the new optimism. You have to master doublethink to appreciate it fully. Are you telling me that everything isn't in the grip of sick bastards? I say it is and I say there's a mountain of evidence to support that claim. I also think it's easy enough to look back a decade, maybe two, and compare and contrast without considering the drip effect of each new corruption layered upon corruption. What do you see when you make that comparison?

It is, indeed, hard to find the art in anything modern. I'm sure there must be something, but it'll be inertia. The species has chosen this shit, it's the way we seem to want to be. It's not as if these vile scum have forced anything on us, we've asked for it and it has been delivered.

[Niall_Quinn]

I think Liverpool should sell Coutinho and buy Diego Costa and Van Dijk.

Chelsea are desperate for players and why would they sell Matic to Utd for only 40 million and Conte is getting very frustrated and who knows what will happen with him.

Morata will need lots of time to settle.

Spuds are bound to sign Barkley surely.

Arsenal are pathetic as always.

Man City and Man Utd have done well so far this summer, although Lindelof looks a bit dodgy at the moment and will need time to get used to this league.

I hope so :haha:

[Xhaka Can’t]

You monster!

[GP]

You monster!

What, because he's black??

You're the monster!

[Niall_Quinn]

He's not even black. He's wannabe black. Even worse than being black IMHO.

[Niall_Quinn]

Paris Saint-Germain are 'one step closer' to signing Monaco striker Kylian Mbappe, according to Spanish newspaper Marca. Marca report that the Ligue 1 clubs have reached an agreement over Mbappe and that the deal just needs approval from lawyers before completion.

170 mill apparently. LOL.
Monaco started at 80 mill and, fair play to them, have managed to convince the major mugs to up the bid by over 100%

:haha:

Somebody hasn't quite grasped how negotiation works.

[Niall_Quinn]

I wonder if we could convince PSG to sign Theo for 288 mill? Worth a try.

[Globalgunner]

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/aug/10/ousmane-dembele-borussia-dortmund-barcelona

Dortmund insisting on Euro 150m for a player they bought last year for 15m,

When will this madness end?. A player almost unheard of last 3 months who has shown literally nothing on the world stage. He`s not even the Celtic Dembele who must be worth a billion by now surely. Can someone stop this train please?. I want to get off.

[Globalgunner]

170 mill apparently. LOL.
Monaco started at 80 mill and, fair play to them, have managed to convince the major mugs to up the bid by over 100%

:haha:

Somebody hasn't quite grasped how negotiation works.

I thought Arsene said the player couldnt be bought, since he tried and failed.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Naby Keita is similarly absurdly valued for whatever reason....

...and jokes aside.... I think Celtic's Dembele is worth keeping an eye on.

[Thierrymon]

Naby Keita is similarly absurdly valued for whatever reason....

...and jokes aside.... I think Celtic's Dembele is worth keeping an eye on.

Yep, I've watched Dembele play a number of times and been really impressed. He wont be at celtic for very long. Definitely wouldnt say no to signing him.

[Letters]

170 mill apparently. LOL.
Monaco started at 80 mill and, fair play to them, have managed to convince the major mugs to up the bid by over 100%

:haha:

Somebody hasn't quite grasped how negotiation works.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Npr9Svl47q8

[Letters]

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/aug/10/ousmane-dembele-borussia-dortmund-barcelona

Dortmund insisting on Euro 150m for a player they bought last year for 15m,

When will this madness end?. A player almost unheard of last 3 months who has shown literally nothing on the world stage. He`s not even the Celtic Dembele who must be worth a billion by now surely. Can someone stop this train please?. I want to get off.

It will stop when the source of the money is cut off, and ultimately that is the fans. We supply a lot of it through tickets and merchandice. The TV money comes from the fans subscribing to the channels. Sponsorship money is only so high because it's a popular game with a worldwide reach and the billionaires wouldn't be sticking their beaks in were that not so either.

We have the collective power to stop the train but people keep filling the stadiums and subscribing to the TV channels :shrug:

[Power n Glory]

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/4218829/arsenal-alexis-sanchez-300k-a-week-manchester-city-psg/

:doh: Has someone finally done the math and suddenly realised this is not an 'ideal' situation? Idiots.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/4218829/arsenal-alexis-sanchez-300k-a-week-manchester-city-psg/

:doh: Has someone finally done the math and suddenly realised this is not an 'ideal' situation? Idiots.

I think it may be like the Suarez deal four years ago. Liverpool sign him onto a new contract and if he still decides he wants to go next summer, the club can demand silly money for him. Whether he will go for it, don't know.

[Niall_Quinn]

It's more like the Lemar saga. Avoid the going rate for months so bad sentiment and uncertainty can be nurtured. Then go ahead and do what could have been done in the first place, if anyone at this club was in any way decisive and ambitious.

Comedy club, living out of time in some Wenger fantasy.

[Niall_Quinn]

Arsenal have all but given up on signing Thomas Lemar from Monaco, accepting that the club are unlikely to sell him until next summer.

Monaco's stance is irrespective of whether Kylian Mbappe, being chased by Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, leaves this month.

And the reality of having to pass on Lemar for now means that Arsenal are unlikely to make any further signings this summer.

Instead, all energy will be focused on reducing the wage bill with a string of names available to leave.

Could have signed him for 50 mill weeks ago. Which is why we bid 30 mill. The laughable (to the point of being insulting) Mbappe fantasy followed up by the Lemar deliberate dithering. Wenger prevails.

Let's say they knock 4 players off the wage bill, what would that be? Ten mill a year? Add Lacazette and his wages. We've probably ended up spending 50 million all told. How much extra did we get in increased TV revenues?

I bet when this all winds out they'll have made a profit again. Which is their main goal and will always be the goal for as long as this board and this manager remains at the club.

And we're chasing, chasing, definitely signed Lemar, Welcome to Arsenal blah, blah, blah. Then we have one random win and look, unfortunately we can't get the player. It's almost as if they are saying the same old shit as every other season isn't yet to come and that this one win is a sign of great things to come. Some will believe that I suppose.

And how much will Lemar cost next season? Why, 80 million quid. Or more. Then we can say, oh dear, too expensive.

Same old Wenger. Predictable. The "almost signed him" king of football. Vidal, Draxler, now Lemar.

[Niall_Quinn]

Injured and ill Alexis has been in Paris, for no particular reason.

Chavs are eyeing up Ox.

Some silly rumours going around about Ozil and Barca.

Another vague rumour that we put in a seriously lowball bid for Moura.

[Özim]

Could have signed him for 50 mill weeks ago. Which is why we bid 30 mill. The laughable (to the point of being insulting) Mbappe fantasy followed up by the Lemar deliberate dithering. Wenger prevails.

Let's say they knock 4 players off the wage bill, what would that be? Ten mill a year? Add Lacazette and his wages. We've probably ended up spending 50 million all told. How much extra did we get in increased TV revenues?

I bet when this all winds out they'll have made a profit again. Which is their main goal and will always be the goal for as long as this board and this manager remains at the club.

And we're chasing, chasing, definitely signed Lemar, Welcome to Arsenal blah, blah, blah. Then we have one random win and look, unfortunately we can't get the player. It's almost as if they are saying the same old shit as every other season isn't yet to come and that this one win is a sign of great things to come. Some will believe that I suppose.

And how much will Lemar cost next season? Why, 80 million quid. Or more. Then we can say, oh dear, too expensive.

Same old Wenger. Predictable. The "almost signed him" king of football. Vidal, Draxler, now Lemar.

My this is a big surprise, much like the Mbappe BS before it, so let's see:

1) We make an insulting lowball bid for him, that's rejected as a joke
2) We go back in and make another lowball bid, rejected again
3) Monaco say he's not for sale after selling a few players to propper clubs who are willing to pay up and don't spend all summer chasing a player whilst putting lowball bids
4) We make another lowball bid again rejected thinking Monaco saying he's not for sale isn't true and that by offering less than he's worth we might convince them otherwise
5) The season starts and we don't sign him and then soon come to the conclusion we won't be able to sign him.

Arsenal :lol:

The transfer markets' biggest joke!

[Özim]

Still no Ox, Ozil or Sanchez contract.

Still no deadwood sold.

A freebie and Lacazette signed. Only got Lacazette as Madrid were under a transfer ban, if not for that we wouldn't have him either. Got the freebie as there was no real competition for him and because he cost nothing

Sounds like the club has been on holiday since last January.

[Letters]

I'm getting a bit sick of these players sulking.
STFU, Sanchez. You are under contract and you are paid very, very well. Yes, I'm sure you could get more elsewhere but by the standards of any normal human being you have more money than you know what to do with.
So stop whining and start playing. If you want to leave next summer then fine, you are free to do so.
But, for now, you are our player.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Carlton Banks (William Carvalho) is going to West Ham

[Globalgunner]

Carlton Banks (William Carvalho) is going to West Ham

Just about his level. The guy is slower than Xhaka. That takes some doing.

[selassie]

I'm getting a bit sick of these players sulking.
STFU, Sanchez. You are under contract and you are paid very, very well. Yes, I'm sure you could get more elsewhere but by the standards of any normal human being you have more money than you know what to do with.
So stop whining and start playing. If you want to leave next summer then fine, you are free to do so.
But, for now, you are our player.

Its too late for that now Letters, Sanchez is gone, he was sold a pack of lies by Wenger when he signed, the whole thing is a complete nonsense. We are in such a mess now, much much bigger than last season, our stars are on the verge of walking out for free, we can't shift the shit that Wenger has loaded the squad with and we are reluctant to pay market rate for quality signings. If we plan properly we could and should put the contract rebels up for sale and start scouring the market for suitable replacements, whatever the cost. We won't though, next summer will be absolutely brutal, you just watch.

[fakeyank]

I'm getting a bit sick of these players sulking.
STFU, Sanchez. You are under contract and you are paid very, very well. Yes, I'm sure you could get more elsewhere but by the standards of any normal human being you have more money than you know what to do with.
So stop whining and start playing. If you want to leave next summer then fine, you are free to do so.
But, for now, you are our player.

I would sulk too, if I see people with worse capabilities than me getting a higher paycheck. I would sulk if I am a player that should be battling for the Ballon d'or playing for a team that has ambitions of ONLY turning a profit every season. He has every right to sulk, just like we have every right not to sell him anywhere.

Frankly, I cannot see why any world class player would want to play for, or stay at Arsenal FC. We are a good stepping stone club and you cannot blame players like Ozil and Sanchez if they want out. We are a club on a downward spiral.

[Niall_Quinn]

Its too late for that now Letters, Sanchez is gone, he was sold a pack of lies by Wenger when he signed, the whole thing is a complete nonsense. We are in such a mess now, much much bigger than last season, our stars are on the verge of walking out for free, we can't shift the shit that Wenger has loaded the squad with and we are reluctant to pay market rate for quality signings. If we plan properly we could and should put the contract rebels up for sale and start scouring the market for suitable replacements, whatever the cost. We won't though, next summer will be absolutely brutal, you just watch.

You only mentioned the bad stuff. You have to offset this with the positives. Wenger has signed. He's all sorted out and is committed to the club. As Ivan said, we scanned the world and found we already had the very best. I agree, if we lose our best players and get left with a giant bag of overpaid shit it won't be ideal, but we've dealt with losing our best players and carrying a giant bag of overpaid shit for over a decade now. We're very experienced in that respect and I have no doubt we'll see that experience spread liberally over the football pitch all season long.

[Penguin]

If Sanchez has refused to play for us he's taking the piss. I can understand him wanting to leave but he's supposed to be a professional.

[Niall_Quinn]

I wonder when we'll be announcing it is unavoidable that Alexis leaves, he has PSG DNA and we can't deny biology and his childhood dreams, we can't do anything if the player wants to go, we can't have uncertainty in the squad, Walcott is like a new signing and we don't have time to find a replacement - but we have a big war chest for the next transfer window? End of the week?

Wonder is Alexis will bother coming back between now and his transfer?

[Niall_Quinn]

If Sanchez has refused to play for us he's taking the piss. I can understand him wanting to leave but he's supposed to be a professional.

The players are bigger than the clubs now. The Neymar deal cost more than the value of most squads in world football. 400 million quid when it all pans out, apparently. Massive joke of a non-sport.

[Letters]

I would sulk too, if I see people with worse capabilities than me getting a higher paycheck. I would sulk if I am a player that should be battling for the Ballon d'or playing for a team that has ambitions of ONLY turning a profit every season. He has every right to sulk, just like we have every right not to sell him anywhere.

Frankly, I cannot see why any world class player would want to play for, or stay at Arsenal FC. We are a good stepping stone club and you cannot blame players like Ozil and Sanchez if they want out. We are a club on a downward spiral.
I don't blame Sanchez at all for wanting out, but sulk? No. He's not a child, he is a professional player. He has a contract with us and gets paid a silly amount of money by any reasonable standards. I doubt anyone at Arsenal gets paid more. For this season we should be telling him to stay and he should be working hard for us a) because he's a professional and b) to put himself in the shop window.

And are we in a downward spiral? How do you figure?
5th last season was the worst place we've finished in Wenger's reign and the 3 years before that we'd finished 4th then 3rd than 2nd.
Our points totals have been: 79,75,71,75
And in 3 of the last 4 seasons we've finished with a trophy, including last year.

We're stagnating and have done for years, there is no evidence of either a downward trend or us pushing on for bigger and better things.

[Niall_Quinn]

It's a slow and steady decline. Every year the quality of our football drops, not by much but it's a steady and consistent drop off. All down to Wenger not haven't the first clue how to rejuvenate and energise this squad. His pathetic personal opinions on how football should be and what represents value and all his other bullshit that has been shown time and time and time again to result in nearly or glorious failure, but ultimately failure. In cup competitions we can take advantage of the one-off format. But when it comes to sustained competition we come up short, every single time. Badly on far too many occasions. Humiliating drubbings, season after season. And even now Wenger persists with his bullshit. Look at the state of the squad going into another season. What a joke. What a joke of a manager. Pure scandal that he's been rewarded yet again for his repetitive failure. There's only one direction with Wenger - down. But, according to the incompetent moron Gazidis, Wenger is the best in the business. So we'll see how the inevitable pans out again. Judge it at the end of the failure.

[Letters]

I agree the quality of the football has got worse, but the end result has been pretty consistent. There has been no clear decline there.
I don't think there is that much wrong with the squad. With a better manager we would be challenging with this squad.

[Power n Glory]

I don't blame Sanchez at all for wanting out, but sulk? No. He's not a child, he is a professional player. He has a contract with us and gets paid a silly amount of money by any reasonable standards. I doubt anyone at Arsenal gets paid more. For this season we should be telling him to stay and he should be working hard for us a) because he's a professional and b) to put himself in the shop window.

And are we in a downward spiral? How do you figure?
5th last season was the worst place we've finished in Wenger's reign and the 3 years before that we'd finished 4th then 3rd than 2nd.
Our points totals have been: 79,75,71,75
And in 3 of the last 4 seasons we've finished with a trophy, including last year.

We're stagnating and have done for years, there is no evidence of either a downward trend or us pushing on for bigger and better things.

As usual, you won't notice the fire until the smokes cleared and it's too late. We're in bad shape. We have no youth system and have failed to produce a group of players good enough to make our starting 11. Heck, what's worse, we've produced a bunch of players that are a drain on our resources and can't even attract the sort of ridiculous bids we've sesn the likes of Spurs and Southampton profit from. We're having to sell out players for knock down prices.

Since project youth has been a failure, you would think we'd a bit more proactive in the transfer window. More aggressive with our approach. That's not the case and our slow approach to building a quality squad means we'll eventually lose whatever talent we have in the squad. Same shit we saw with Cesc and RVP. It's worse now because we can't use the stadium as an excuse and the manager has really shown how behind he is tactically. It's not looking good.

[Niall_Quinn]

...our slow approach to building a quality squad means we'll eventually lose whatever talent we have in the squad...

Absolutely key to the Wenger problem. His unwillingness to focus on the key things other (normal) managers are getting on and doing. Those other managers view their position as employment. If they advance the fortunes of the team on the pitch, they keep their job. Maybe. If they slide they get the chop, for sure. Not Wenger though. He even came out and said winning or losing was only a part of this Arsenal culture he views as his own. As if he's the only manager we ever had or will ever have. He busies himself with a hundred and one things that are none of his damn business, or at least shouldn't be. You hear other managers, even the manager of the current champions, complaining because they don't have enough to do the vital things they need to do to ensure success. Not Wenger. He's there lecturing everyone else on sustainability and value, all the while neglecting his own vital task of ensuring we have the best possible squad we can have going into each season. The bloke's beyond the pale.

[Niall_Quinn]

Looks like Perez is heading back to Deportivo for 10 mill.

Le Moron paid 17 mill for the guy and then sat him on the bench and paid wages. What a fucking cock :doh:

Yet we'll haggle over a quid in other cases.

[Özim]

Sadly for us it will mean 2 1/2 months simply isn't enough time to make any signings, everyone is against us :(

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40931420

[Niall_Quinn]

Sadly for us it will mean 2 1/2 months simply isn't enough time to make any signings, everyone is against us :(

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40931420

I see Wenger failed in getting the window shut 1 minute after it opens.

[Özim]

I see Wenger failed in getting the window shut 1 minute after it opens.

Yeah unfrotunately he's still going to have to drag the transfer sagas over a 2 1/2 months even if this happens, poor thing.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40848343

Just the £45 million for Sigurdsson.

[Özim]

Meanwhile at Arsenal:tumbleweed:

[GP]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40848343

Just the £45 million for Sigurdsson.

Mental

[Letters]

As usual, you won't notice the fire until the smokes cleared and it's too late. We're in bad shape. We have no youth system and have failed to produce a group of players good enough to make our starting 11. Heck, what's worse, we've produced a bunch of players that are a drain on our resources and can't even attract the sort of ridiculous bids we've sesn the likes of Spurs and Southampton profit from. We're having to sell out players for knock down prices.

Since project youth has been a failure, you would think we'd a bit more proactive in the transfer window. More aggressive with our approach. That's not the case and our slow approach to building a quality squad means we'll eventually lose whatever talent we have in the squad. Same shit we saw with Cesc and RVP. It's worse now because we can't use the stadium as an excuse and the manager has really shown how behind he is tactically. It's not looking good.

We have a squad good enough to challenge for the title (in my opinion) and the stadium and global fanbase to sustain that, it's not that bad.

We have a manager who can't win us the biggest trophies and a board who don't care though, so that is not good, and there's no prospect of that changing any time soon.

Are Chelsea, Liverpool, City or Utd teams full of players from their youth systems? I don't know the answer to that but the amount clubs are throwing around to buy in players I'm guessing not.
Obviously it is desirable to develop players rather than buy them if possible though.

We are stagnating, that's the worst thing for me. But I don't think as a club we are in a bad position were a new manager to come in. We already have a squad good enough to challenge, or very close. We will probably lose Sanzhez in the next year or so but losing key players has happened before and we have rebuilt.

[Power n Glory]

We have a squad good enough to challenge for the title (in my opinion) and the stadium and global fanbase to sustain that, it's not that bad.

We have a manager who can't win us the biggest trophies and a board who don't care though, so that is not good, and there's no prospect of that changing any time soon.

Are Chelsea, Liverpool, City or Utd teams full of players from their youth systems? I don't know the answer to that but the amount clubs are throwing around to buy in players I'm guessing not.

Obviously it is desirable to develop players rather than buy them if possible though.

We are stagnating, that's the worst thing for me. But I don't think as a club we are in a bad position were a new manager to come in. We already have a squad good enough to challenge, or very close. We will probably lose Sanzhez in the next year or so but losing key players has happened before and we have rebuilt.

Chelsea, City, etc don’t have to depend on youth because they go out and buy what they require for whatever price as it’s needed. We don’t and that’s the point. Teams either develop their youth and throw in some unknown cheap gems to win titles or they go all out and buy the top players for the position they need. We do neither.

We’ve needed a striker since RVP left. From the day we signed Ozil, for anyone that has argued that we’d get more out of him if we had a better striker, it’s taken up to the last year of Ozil’s contract for us to sign the type of striker he’d arguably flourish with. That’s way too long to address a problem.

As said, we’re so slow to react, we end up losing the players we’re building a team around because we’re too slow to build around them. We don’t have a team good enough to win the title. You need to watch more of our games. We’ve needed a striker for a long time but we’ve needed a world class CM for much longer. Our defence is in bad shape as well with no leadership. That’s as it stands now.

If we lose Ozil, Sanchez and Ox with no replacements, we’re weakened. If we keep them, I can’t see a scenario where Wenger doesn’t decide to bench them or they take the piss and pull sickies. We’ve seen how Wenger has benched contract rebels before to probe a point and I’m sure we’ll see it again. You need to start thinking ahead. You’re dismissive today but as the season unravels, it will suddenly dawn on you. We’re not in good shape at all. The fact that we’re owned by Silent Stan and Wenger was just given a new contract says it all. We’re fucked.

[Letters]

You need to start thinking ahead. You’re dismissive today but as the season unravels, it will suddenly dawn on you. We’re not in good shape at all. The fact that we’re owned by Silent Stan and Wenger was just given a new contract says it all. We’re fucked.
And yet, despite all you've said (some of which I agree with), in the last 4 seasons we've finished 4th, 3rd, 2nd and 5th and in 3 of those seasons we've won a trophy.
You're talking in very vague terms "bad shape", "we're fucked". What do you think that means in practise?
For years people have been doom-mongering about Arsenal, saying we'd slip into mid-table. We never have. Last season was our worst placed finish under Wenger and we still ended with a trophy.
With a better manager we would be up there challenging in my opinion.

The worst I see is that under Wenger we won't push on and be challenging for titles and if and when we get a better manager we are pretty well placed to do so. Losing Ozil and Sanchez would of course weaken us, losing RvP weakened us, but we didn't suddenly crash in to mid-table. Say what you like about Wenger, he's always kept us there or thereabouts and I think the squad this year is good enough to do the same.

[selassie]

Chelsea, City, etc don’t have to depend on youth because they go out and buy what they require for whatever price as it’s needed. We don’t and that’s the point. Teams either develop their youth and throw in some unknown cheap gems to win titles or they go all out and buy the top players for the position they need. We do neither.

We’ve needed a striker since RVP left. From the day we signed Ozil, for anyone that has argued that we’d get more out of him if we had a better striker, it’s taken up to the last year of Ozil’s contract for us to sign the type of striker he’d arguably flourish with. That’s way too long to address a problem.

As said, we’re so slow to react, we end up losing the players we’re building a team around because we’re too slow to build around them. We don’t have a team good enough to win the title. You need to watch more of our games. We’ve needed a striker for a long time but we’ve needed a world class CM for much longer. Our defence is in bad shape as well with no leadership. That’s as it stands now.

If we lose Ozil, Sanchez and Ox with no replacements, we’re weakened. If we keep them, I can’t see a scenario where Wenger doesn’t decide to bench them or they take the piss and pull sickies. We’ve seen how Wenger has benched contract rebels before to probe a point and I’m sure we’ll see it again. You need to start thinking ahead. You’re dismissive today but as the season unravels, it will suddenly dawn on you. We’re not in good shape at all. The fact that we’re owned by Silent Stan and Wenger was just given a new contract says it all. We’re fucked.

:gp:

This season for me is already a write off.

Wenger can't and won't fix these issues.

[selassie]

We have a squad good enough to challenge for the title (in my opinion) and the stadium and global fanbase to sustain that, it's not that bad.

We have a manager who can't win us the biggest trophies and a board who don't care though, so that is not good, and there's no prospect of that changing any time soon.

Are Chelsea, Liverpool, City or Utd teams full of players from their youth systems? I don't know the answer to that but the amount clubs are throwing around to buy in players I'm guessing not.
Obviously it is desirable to develop players rather than buy them if possible though.

We are stagnating, that's the worst thing for me. But I don't think as a club we are in a bad position were a new manager to come in. We already have a squad good enough to challenge, or very close. We will probably lose Sanzhez in the next year or so but losing key players has happened before and we have rebuilt.

You have been saying this for about 5 years now. The quality of our squad means nothing if we don't have a manager who is good enough utilise it. This has gone much further than a Wenger out debate for me, it's now about damage limitation. It's about ensuring Wenger does the least amount of damage in his final? 2 years left at the club.

[Power n Glory]

And yet, despite all you've said (some of which I agree with), in the last 4 seasons we've finished 4th, 3rd, 2nd and 5th and in 3 of those seasons we've won a trophy.
You're talking in very vague terms "bad shape", "we're fucked". What do you think that means in practise?
For years people have been doom-mongering about Arsenal, saying we'd slip into mid-table. We never have. Last season was our worst placed finish under Wenger and we still ended with a trophy.
With a better manager we would be up there challenging in my opinion.

The worst I see is that under Wenger we won't push on and be challenging for titles and if and when we get a better manager we are pretty well placed to do so. Losing Ozil and Sanchez would of course weaken us, losing RvP weakened us, but we didn't suddenly crash in to mid-table. Say what you like about Wenger, he's always kept us there or thereabouts and I think the squad this year is good enough to do the same.

What do you think it means?

You don’t even watch the football and have given up your season ticket. You’re not alone. The majority of posters on GW aren’t watching as much as they used to and have even stopped posting. That extends beyond GW and I find the same sentiment echoed all over the place amongst Gooners. The fans are losing interest. That’s’ the bigger picture and goes beyond winning any title or trophy.

You can’t be this stupid. I can only assume you’re trying to give GW some much needed CPR by dragging out this conversation but let the sight die with some dignity. :lol: :rose:

[Niall_Quinn]

...You’re dismissive today but as the season unravels, it will suddenly dawn on you.

Until the season after, when it all starts again. Groundhog Day. Everything repeats and in the end you are guaranteed to get fucked.

[Letters]

You have been saying this for about 5 years now. The quality of our squad means nothing if we don't have a manager who is good enough utilise it.
I don't entirely agree. The quality of the squad is a factor in how we are doing as a club which is what we are discussing.
I hoped that Wenger would deliver one last title, we all hoped that, surely? It's increasingly clear he won't and I wish he'd gone out on the relative high of having won the FA Cup.
But I can't agree that as a club we're in bad shape. I think our squad is good enough to challenge - we need a better manager but I don't think we're far off, squad-wise.
We have the money and global fanbase to sustain that.
We have a manager who can't deliver the biggest trophies and a board who don't care so long as the money keeps rolling in, so that's not so good.
I think if a new manager came in tomorrow we would challenge for the title (well, depending on who that is) so I don't think right now we're in that bad shape.
Where we'll be in 2 years time remains to be seen, if Wenger goes then what shape will we be in then? We can't know that but there is no clear downward spiral, we're just stagnating as we have done for years.

[Letters]

What do you think it means?
If I knew what you meant by that then I wouldn't be asking. Stop avoiding the question. You said it, I'm asking you what you mean.
What do you think will happen at the club in the next 5 or 10 years that justifies you saying we are "fucked"?
Stop using the lazy tactic of calling the other person stupid.

There is an increasing amount of apathy on here but this board is not representative of the fanbase at large. Are the fans losing interest? It's easier to get tickets than it used to be but the stadium isn't half full each week, is it?
I think there's a long way to go before we see that.

[Power n Glory]

If I knew what you meant by that then I wouldn't be asking. Stop avoiding the question. You said it, I'm asking you what you mean.
What do you think will happen at the club in the next 5 or 10 years that justifies you saying we are "fucked"?
Stop using the lazy tactic of calling the other person stupid.

There is an increasing amount of apathy on here but this board is not representative of the fanbase at large. Are the fans losing interest? It's easier to get tickets than it used to be but the stadium isn't half full each week, is it?
I think there's a long way to go before we see that.

I swear you have a reading problem. Did this not register?


You don’t even watch the football and have given up your season ticket. You’re not alone. The majority of posters on GW aren’t watching as much as they used to and have even stopped posting. That extends beyond GW and I find the same sentiment echoed all over the place amongst Gooners. The fans are losing interest. That’s’ the bigger picture and goes beyond winning any title or trophy.


Even in your own post.....


We have a manager who can't deliver the biggest trophies and a board who don't care so long as the money keeps rolling in, so that's not so good.

Does that not spell out why we’re fucked overall? I’m not even sure we have an owner that only cares about money, definitely not short term gains because if he were he’d have sacked Wenger the day we dropped out of the top 4 and when he looked over the contract debacle we have on our hands. Even today, common sense should tell him to make sure Sanchez and Ozil sign new contracts for whatever they want in order to attached a ridiculous buyout clause that will still attract bidders.

In terms of the stadium and having our finances in order, we’re in good shape. But do you give a fuck about that? Should you? Also, with the crazy fees being waved around this year for players, we have no idea what it will cost to replace the dross we’ll be left with in two years times. £45m for Sigurðsson for goodness sakes! What’s the market going to be like in 2 years’ time? Who’s to say this is Wenger’s last contract as well? By the time he leaves, we may have to drastically change our transfer strategy just as we had to when Chelsea and Abramovich arrived in 2003. Prices going through the roof fucked us back then and we weren’t prepared for it and it doesn’t look like we’re prepared for when Wenger has to leave.

[Niall_Quinn]

Asked for an update on Sanchez's contract situation ahead of Saturday's Premier League trip to Stoke City, he said: 'We have not progressed on that front.
'At the moment he is a player that goes into the final year of his contract and we make no progress on that front.
'It is a consequence of what I say unfortunately but we have to make a choice between efficiency on the field and financial interest.
'In this case, I prioritise the sporting side.'

COCK!

If you want Alexis to stay then spend the fucking money that's rolling in from the TV contracts. Stop fucking about with lowball bids. You haven't gone head to head with any of your rivals in the transfer market and won. Ever. Cheapskate!

Alexi wants to go because this club shows zero ambition. Why is he going to sign a new contract when the same old shit is being repeated again? Lemar was there to sign. You fucked it up. That would have shown the ambition required to persuade a player like Alexis to stay. But you fucked it up AGAIN. As usual. A 50 mill bid a month ago and Lemar would be in an Arsenal shirt today.

But we know what you really think about this whole transfer business. You'd prefer it if the transfer window never opened.


'I think for the regularity of the season it is better. As well for psychological comfort of the manager and the focus, it is better to start the season with everyone on the train and we stay on the train.

'You spend your whole summer on the transfer market, we had 10 weeks. People will adapt. When there are just 3-4 days to go, everyone comes out of the bushes, says we are alive, we are here and we want to buy.'

COCK!

WTF are you on about? Make some sense. Stop talking shit. DO YOUR JOB!

[Letters]

I swear you have a reading problem. Did this not register?
I actually responded to that :lol:, so I don't think it's me who has the reading problem.


Does that not spell out why we’re fucked overall?

Well, those things are of concern and it's why we're not as competitive as we should be given our squad. But contrary to some people's opinions I don't see us in a terminal decline. We are stagnating and have done so for years.
I care about our finances only in as much as it's important in the modern game.
We are treading water while Wenger remains with us but were he to leave now I don't think we'd be in bad shape for the new manager. Whether we will be in 2 years remains to be seen but past performance indicates we are unlikely to terminally decline under him so I'm not sure there's reason to believe that we'll be in a worse (or better) stage when he does leave. Possible that we will start to decline under him but we haven't yet despite people's predictions that we'd be in mid-table by now.