Arsenal vs Norwich City | Tuesday 24th | Rumbelows Cup

[GP]

Rest the 1st team again, play the kids like Willock, Nelson and Debuchy.

[Master Splinter]

8-0.

Meade hat-trick.

[GP]

Meade :haha:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Caribou Cup. :bow:

Why are we playing on Tuesday? :doh:

[Master Splinter]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DM672t7X0AI6mvd.jpg:large

[Cripps]

What kind of f*cking team is that :lol:

Nevertheless, 2-1.

[Power n Glory]

Is Chambers dead?

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Debuchy stole his lifeforce.

I might Soccer Special it, not sure if I can be arsed trying to find a stream.

[GP]

Debuchy stole his lifeforce.

I might Soccer Special it, not sure if I can be arsed trying to find a stream.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOhnxyL6-64

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Norwich: Gunn, Pinto, Zimmermann, Klose, Husband, Reed, Trybull, Vrancic, Maddison, Murphy, Oliveira.

Zim. :haha:

[The Emirates Gallactico]

Got this one working decently for me.

http://www.karade.cf/p/width820-height550-channelhdch1-g3.html

[The Emirates Gallactico]

Norwich: Gunn, Pinto, Zimmermann, Klose, Husband, Reed, Trybull, Vrancic, Maddison, Murphy, Oliveira.

Zim. :haha:

I always had my doubts about his validity to The Arsenal ...... guess we finally have proof. :rose:

[The Emirates Gallactico]

Iwobi blasts it over. Should have done better.

[Niall_Quinn]

Still trying to figure out why our players can only manage one game a week. When did this become the norm?

What's wrong with sticking out the same team that gave Everton a hammering and give them another 90 minutes together in preparation for the big games we have coming up? Why are they getting hundreds of grand to sit at home? And how do we breed competition for places when every fucker knows they'll get playing time at some point?

Except Chambers of course.

[Niall_Quinn]

200 passes around the box is not enough. 300 should be the minimum. Back to the same old shit after a proper performance on Sunday.

Shoot FFS!

[Niall_Quinn]

Theo with his back to goal tapping it backwards is really playing to his one strength.

[Niall_Quinn]

Elneny was well out of position and destroyed for pace on that chase back. Plainly he's no CB so why the fuck is he playing there?

[Niall_Quinn]

Why is Bif receiving the short throw when he should be in the box and it should be Theo working there?

[Globalgunner]

Elneny was well out of position and destroyed for pace on that chase back. Plainly he's no CB so why the fuck is he playing there?

You would think. someone from the U21`s would do a better job or at least benefit more from playing there. Otherwise what is the point of the academy.

[Niall_Quinn]

You would think. someone from the U21`s would do a better job or at least benefit more from playing there. Otherwise what is the point of the academy.

Currently our CB is on the edge of the opposition box tapping it around. And now he's shooting.

It's all bonkers.

[Thierrymon]

0-1 :doh:

[The Emirates Gallactico]

0 - 1 Murphy

Fuck.

[Niall_Quinn]

Pure complacency and Elneny :doh:

Absolutely ridiculous.

Wenger is a total moron.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

:lol:

[The Emirates Gallactico]

Defensive line a shambles. Almost like one of them isn't actually a defender.

[Niall_Quinn]

We were begging for that, with our CB/ striker issue.

So what Wenger needs to do now is get off his arse and instruct Elneny to stick to his job and stop fucking around.

Or, he could phone Chambers and see if he fancies a match.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Ha ha ha exceptional

We were little bit jaded

[Niall_Quinn]

We lacked a little bit competent manager.

Our manager lacked little bit sharpness.

Well done Macey, our only defender at the moment.

[The Emirates Gallactico]

We don't even have anyone on the bench to bring on to turn this around if needed. :lol:

[Niall_Quinn]

We don't even have anyone on the bench to bring on to turn this around if needed. :lol:

Wenger doesn't give a shit about these types of game. They disrupt his supercomputer energy conservation model and trigger all sorts of unwanted red zones. Quicker we're out of this the happier he'll be.

[Cripps]

Walcott as captain:lol:

F*cking state of this club :lol:

[Niall_Quinn]

LOL - seconds to go so we tap it around until the whistle blows :haha:

Pathetic.

[Niall_Quinn]

That half of football summed up almost everything that's wrong with Arsene Wenger as a (alleged) football manager.

The bloke is utterly clueless and has absolutely no fucking ambition or notion of competition whatsoever. He's a cancer.

[Cripps]

It's almost as if wengers trying to throw the game away :rolleyes:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Wheelchair. :rose:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Elneny lucky only to get a yellow.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

We're getting a bit of a pumping really.

Macey keeping us in it.

[The Emirates Gallactico]

Seemed like Iwobi's shot was going in there.

Lucky block.

[The Emirates Gallactico]

Maitland Niles got poleaxed off the ball there.

How did the ref miss it?

[The Emirates Gallactico]

Blah!

We're not getting dominated but at the same time we're not testing their keeper.

Coquelin yellow.

[AFC Leveller]

Wenger said that Maintland will be a CM in the future, which is why he is playing him at left wing back today.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Perhaps Wenger went a bit overboard with the pub teamers.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

How isn't it 0-2? :lol:

[Niall_Quinn]

Wenger said that Maintland will be a CM in the future, which is why he is playing him at left wing back today.

bloke's a total cunt and needs to fuck off. A chimpanzee would manage this team better.

[The Emirates Gallactico]

Coquelin is absolutely fucking useless in a game like this.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Coquelin is absolutely fucking useless.

I think this is all that is needed.

[Niall_Quinn]

Wow. We've fallen to pieces defensively.

[Niall_Quinn]

I suspect we'll equalise and then win it (surely)?

The performance will be forgotten and that rancid French cunt will walk through the raindrops again. 2 wins on the trot, blah.

The only reason I don't want us to lose is because I know it will have no effect on that cunt. He'll still be there come what may.

[The Emirates Gallactico]

I think this is all that is needed.

Harsh. I think he's got his uses in the right circumstances tbh.

Namely as a workhorse harasser if we're looking to play a more counter attacking based game.

[Niall_Quinn]

Iwobi has been shit tonight. Seriously sloppy.

[The Emirates Gallactico]

I suspect we'll equalise and then win it (surely)?

The performance will be forgotten and that rancid French cunt will walk through the raindrops again. 2 wins on the trot, blah.

The only reason I don't want us to lose is because I know it will have no effect on that cunt. He'll still be there come what may.

Don't think we've even tested their keeper tbh. It's mainly been sterile possession bossing from us.

Can't see us winning this tbh.

[The Emirates Gallactico]

Theo header over.


Akpom on if anyone cares.

[Niall_Quinn]

Don't think we've even tested their keeper tbh. It's mainly been sterile possession bossing from us.

Can't see us winning this tbh.

We're at home against Norwich FFS!

Theo :doh: What a shit effort :doh: :ilt:

[Gooner23]

We even had a shot?

[fakeyank]

I dont think we understand the meaning of momentum! One good win and we roll over and die to a championship team! :rolleyes:

:lol:

[Thierrymon]

GOOAAAAAAAAL! Nketiah first touch!

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Nelson hauled off, Nketiah on.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

NKETIAH!!!

[GP]

EDDIE!!!

Super sub!

[Niall_Quinn]

Still waiting for the sub on my stream, nevermind the goal.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Iwobi. :haha:

[Niall_Quinn]

NKETIAH!!!

GOOOOOOOOOOAAAAALLL!!

[The Emirates Gallactico]

Stream cuts out just before he scores :rolleyes:

[fakeyank]

Who tf is Nketiah?! :lol:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Akpom takes out Zim.

[Niall_Quinn]

That's going to go down as a genius sub that that French fuck, isn't it?

It's unbearable how he gets away with this shit.

[Niall_Quinn]

Who tf is Nketiah?! :lol:

Very good young player who needs to get away from Wenger fast.

[The Emirates Gallactico]

Who tf is Nketiah?! :lol:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Nketiah

[The Emirates Gallactico]

Akpom takes out Zim.

Akpom :bow::bow:


Always rated him.

[The Emirates Gallactico]

FK just outside the area!

Great save from the Norwich keeper just before that!

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Akpom drags it wide.

[Niall_Quinn]

What a dreadful attempt at a FK.

[Penguin]

When you see Giroud and Theo standing over the free kick you know nothing's going to happen. As expected Giroud smacks it straight into the wall.

[The Emirates Gallactico]

Akpom drops the ashes :doh:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Theo. :haha:

Fucking horrendous.

1-1 FT. On to ET!

[Niall_Quinn]

Akpom :doh:

[GP]

I wish Walcott was dead.

[The Emirates Gallactico]

Oh well, on to ET!

How good is Matt Macey at saving pelanties btw? Guess he can't be any worse than Cech.

[Niall_Quinn]

1-1

Embarrassing.

Wenger has nowhere to hide.

Except in his 10 mill job.

Thief.

[The Emirates Gallactico]

1-1

Embarrassing.

Wenger has nowhere to hide.

Except in his 10 mill job.

Thief.

Thought it was only 8 million a year? :unsure:

[Niall_Quinn]

Oh well, on to ET!

How good is Matt Macey at saving pelanties btw? Guess he can't be any worse than Cech.

Wenger will sub him and stick Elneny in goal, who can also play there as well you know.

[Niall_Quinn]

Thought it was only 8 million a year? :unsure:

Cunt got a payrise for his heroics last season.

[Niall_Quinn]

Mr Bean has invaded the pitch and his bothering our players.

[The Emirates Gallactico]

Cunt got a payrise for his heroics last season.

So he got a payrise despite not meeting minimum expectations (top four) last year?

Ivan :doh:

Stan :doh:

The only club that rewards failure. What a joke we are. :haha:

[The Emirates Gallactico]

1 - Eddie Nketiah (born 30/05/99) is the first player born after Arsene Wenger was appointed @Arsenal manager to score for the club. Youth.

Eddie :bow::bow:

[GP]

Thought it was only 8 million a year? :unsure:

8 million?? He doesn't deserve that 9 million. Can't believe we're paying him 12 million :doh:

[Gooner23]

8 million?? He doesn't deserve that 9 million. Can't believe we're paying him 12 million :doh:

Whatever the figure, it isn't deserved.

[GP]

Whatever the figure, it isn't deserved.

32million! :doh:

[Penguin]

Wilshere has lost the ball three or four times already in ET. What's he doing?

[The Emirates Gallactico]

Wilshere has lost the ball three or four times already in ET. What's he doing?

Letting recent praise go to his head like a lot of other young players at the club.

[Niall_Quinn]

So he got a payrise despite not meeting minimum expectations (top four) last year?

Ivan :doh:

Stan :doh:

The only club that rewards failure. What a joke we are. :haha:

Tbf, I think he has to win shit to get the full amount. So in reality he'll probably net £19.50 and a free scarf.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

NKETIAH!!!

[Niall_Quinn]

Wilshere has lost the ball three or four times already in ET. What's he doing?

He's becoming our new Ozil.

[Niall_Quinn]

NKETIAH!!!

Is that your stream, or is it 2-1?

[GP]

Eddie :bow:

What a man!

[Niall_Quinn]

Theo :haha:

[Master Splinter]

Nketiah earns 62k a week.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Is that your stream, or is it 2-1?

I was just cheering his inclusion from the teamsheet release.

[GP]

Is that your stream, or is it 2-1?

You better believe it's 2-1

Without even a hint of exaggeration, Nketiah is the best player we've ever had who was born after Wenger joined.

[The Emirates Gallactico]

He's one of our own,
Hes one of our own,
Edward Nketiah,
He's one of our own!

:bow::bow:

[Niall_Quinn]

On the plus side, 2-1

On the horrendously negative side, they've already stated the "inspired Wenger" shit. I can't bear it. That kid has done it despite the dinosaur we have mismanaging things.

[Penguin]

Coq is trying to get someone sent off again :lol:

[The Emirates Gallactico]

How didn't we make that 3 - 1?

[Niall_Quinn]

Not a booking??????

Really?

[McNamara That Ghost...]

On the plus side, 2-1

On the horrendously negative side, they've already stated the "inspired Wenger" shit. I can't bear it. That kid has done it despite the dinosaur we have mismanaging things.

http://lebuzz.eurosport.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2015/08/Wenger.jpg

[Niall_Quinn]

Bif should have gone with the overhead kick instead of the tap in.

[GP]

ARSENE WENGER'S ED ARMY!

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Iwobi hauled off, Da Silva on.

[Niall_Quinn]

Da Silva was once a wunderkid IIRC

[McNamara That Ghost...]

2-1 HT in ET.

[Niall_Quinn]

Elneny might as well kick it in his own net. He can't defend to save his life. Doesn't even know the basics.

[Niall_Quinn]

There's a break at HT in ET?

What happened to turning around and getting on with it?

[Niall_Quinn]

We could really benefit with a bit of crossing practise. Just a couple of lessons a year would be something.

[Niall_Quinn]

Just cannot cross the damn thing.

[The Emirates Gallactico]

Nkeiteh is a FUCKING BEAST!

Nearly a hatrick!

[The Emirates Gallactico]

FFS corner to them.

Don't fuck this up lads.

[The Emirates Gallactico]

lol what a fucking dive.

I'm just glad the prick who reffed the game against Watford isn't reffing this one.

[Niall_Quinn]

Stupid by Debuchy. Enough for a pen but 7 course meal of a dive probably made the ref sick.

[Niall_Quinn]

Willock on. Another decent youngster.

[The Emirates Gallactico]

Willock blazes over! Could have played in Eddie for his hatrick instead. :doh:

[Niall_Quinn]

Willock you pillock :doh:

[Niall_Quinn]

Nkeiteh has a similar style to Alex Hunter.

[Niall_Quinn]

Macey trying to be in several places at once there. Shambolic defending again from a simple up and over.

[The Emirates Gallactico]

Theo you fucking berk! How difficult was it to not be offside there?

[Niall_Quinn]

Our CB is on the edge of the opposition box again :haha:

[Niall_Quinn]

Theo you fucking berk! How difficult was it to not be offside there?

Don't be so racist.

[The Emirates Gallactico]

lol Eddie heads straight for the corner instead of trying another goal.

Only 18 and yet he's more adult than some of the clowns we have in the team.

FT!!

YES!

[Niall_Quinn]

FT 2-1

Wenger OUT!

[GP]

Nketiah :bow:

He's like a black Thierry Henry.

[Marc Overmars]

Who or what is a Nketiah?

[Niall_Quinn]

Theo :bow:

Like the transgender Boy George.

[Niall_Quinn]

Who or what is a Nketiah?

He's the kid who bailed Wenger's arse out of the latest hole he dug for himself.

[AFC Leveller]

Another step towards world domination. The first team to beat Norwich in the CCup this season.

[Cripps]

NK > NQ

NK:bow:

[Özim]

He's the kid who bailed Wenger's arse out of the latest hole he dug for himself.

Luckiest manager in football, somehow doesn't matter how much he messes up someone always saves his bacon.

If the guy didn't earn so much already I'd tell him the play the lottery, he might come 4th

[Xhaka Can’t]

It doesn’t work like that.

[Cripps]

Luckiest manager in football, somehow doesn't matter how much he messes up someone always saves his bacon.

If the guy didn't earn so much already I'd tell him the play the lottery, he might come 4th

:gp:

[GP]

It doesn’t work like that.

Wenger was on his way to the joke bank...

[Letters]

Luckiest manager in football
:lol:

Just throwing this out there but if something keeps on happening then it probably isn't luck.

[Niall_Quinn]

:lol:

Just throwing this out there but if something keeps on happening then it probably isn't luck.

He planned to bring on Eddie with 5 mins to go so the kid could shovel him out of the latest pit he dug for himself and leapt into headfirst? He's a cool customer, this Wenger.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

He should have made a different sub which knocked us out.

[Özim]

He planned to bring on Eddie with 5 mins to go so the kid could shovel him out of the latest pit he dug for himself and leapt into headfirst? He's a cool customer, this Wenger.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[Özim]

He should have made a different sub which knocked us out.

Or picked a different team.

Someone said maybe he should have played a similar team to the weekend, there's something called momentum in football, we'd won 5-2, need a good run of wins and another good one would have done wonders for confidence, with Swansea at the weekend it would have been perfect.

Momentum well and truly stopped now though.

[Niall_Quinn]

He should have made a different sub which knocked us out.

You're implying he can distinguish between clear choices and random lucky dips. But anyway, what he should have done is fuck the hell off in the summer after a decade of failure.

[Letters]

He planned to bring on Eddie with 5 mins to go so the kid could shovel him out of the latest pit he dug for himself and leapt into headfirst? He's a cool customer, this Wenger.

He planned to win the game. He did.
He might have got the rub of the green on this occasion, other games he will have lost unluckily.
Over time that is how probability works as you well know.

[Letters]

But anyway, what he should have done is fuck the hell off in the summer after a decade of failure.
After 7 years of which you were quite happy for him to get a new contract.
Almost like things aren't as black and white as you (pretend to) believe

[Niall_Quinn]

He planned to win the game. He did.
He might have got the rub of the green on this occasion, other games he will have lost unluckily.
Over time that is how probability works as you well know.

HE won the game? :haha:

There's no hope for you Letters. None at all.

So you realise what the odds are of an 18 year old kid coming on with 5 minutes to go and doing that again?

The substitution was a last roll of the dice following the consequences of a totally fucked up team selection, again, with totally fucked up tactics, again, that saw us get outplayed by Norwich on our own patch. These are the facts.

The kid, of course, did great. But to allow one ounce of credit for Wenger after his shitty, shitty personal performance, again, is beyond the pale.

People say you always pitch up to defend the man who can no longer be defended. They are wrong. Sure, you always pitch up. But just when they think there's no possible defence for Wenger, you dig deep and come up with impeccable bullshit.

:haha:

[Niall_Quinn]

After 7 years of which you were quite happy for him to get a new contract.
Almost like things aren't as black and white as you (pretend to) believe

Back you come with the same old lie, even though we've been through this several times. So dishonest.

He bought Ozil. He bought Alexis. On that basis and on that basis alone I said fine, if that's the way he intends to keep going then good, that's what we need to do. FINALLY! Because it took the stupid git long enough.

Of course it was a false dawn. We competed for precisely zero titles and we avoided humiliation in precisely zero CLs.

So sure. He fucked up. Show me the evidence and the scorelines and the tables to the contrary.

Your fucked up argument goes that if anyone approves of anything Wenger does then that makes you pro-Wenger. Therefore you can't be anti-Wenger. Weren't you the one accusing people of operating in black and white?

Then, when people criticise the cunt you jump in and accuse them of never giving him credit for anything. More lies. It's what you do.

You get so pissed when people criticise your dad. Don't you?

[Letters]

HE won the game? :haha:
He is responsible for results, good or bad,
And once again you lie about me defending him, all I'm doing is arguing against the bullshit that he's the "luckiest manager in football". That's bollocks, you know it's bollocks.
He's lucky to be in a position where the board care more about profits than results I guess, but in terms of results he's no luckier or unluckier than anyone else who has been at a club for a decent amount of time. Sometimes he'll get lucky in a game and we'll get a result we didn't deserve, other times we'll deserve to win and the referee or sheer dumb bad luck will conspire to deny us. Over time both will happen to any manager.
It's not good luck that we've won 3 FA Cups in 4 years, it's not bad luck that we've failed to challenge for bigger prizes that we should be challenging for.


Back you come with the same old lie, even though we've been through this several times. So dishonest.
You are lying about it being a decade of failure. You don't believe that. Firstly because if you did then you wouldn't have approved of the new contract a few years ago after which you now claim was 7 years of failure.
Secondly because I said how I saw Wenger's time with us in 3 phases:
1) Glory years
2) Time of steadying the ship during the stadium move when finances were tight and the billionaires were having the big impact
3) Now, when we have the money to compete and are failing to.
You agreed. So you don't think it's been a decade of failure because phase 3 didn't start 10 years ago, you are back-dating your views. Yes, there were failings in that time- as there were in the glory years actually, his weak points have always been evident, looking back - but IMO it wasn't a complete car crash and he got a fair amount right during that time.


You get so pissed when people criticise your dad. Don't you?
No, I get irritated when people talk bollox. "He's the luckiest manager in football". "It doesn't matter how we do, he will never get fired". "We have an average squad". "He's the worst manager in football".
In terms of results he's neither luckier, in general, or unluckier than any other manager.
In terms of his position, the board clearly care more about money than results but those things are correlated, if the results get so bad the money stops rolling in then they'll remove him.
We clearly have a far above average squad and there are obviously much worse managers around.

If you believe these things you're an idiot. If you don't you're a liar. Pick one.

[Niall_Quinn]

O M G :(

Fine. Wenger is above average and not the luckiest manager alive.

Jesus. If you need it that badly then have it.

But I did notice you doubling down with that lie about me agreeing with your assessment of the middle period of Wenger's reign and his safe stewardship and general wonderfulness. Like I said, it looked like the cock was finally starting to stock the team for a challenge. But this summer we'll experience Wenger's biggest failure yet as the players who were supposed to drive that challenge escape L'Genius' clutches. So when his renaissance is in fact his greatest setback then sure, he's been a fuck-up for a decade. But okay, an above average fuck-up and not the luckiest fuck-up alive.

[Letters]

It's not what I need. This is a messageboard for debating stuff. If I think someone is taking bollox then I'll say so, you are free to do the same.
Honestly what is the point of this place if that doesn't happen?

Are you saying that there wasn't a post I made about the three phases of Wenger's time with us to which you responded "There's a problem with that post. The problem is I agree with it"?
It wasn't that long ago so I'm sure you haven't forgotten. And it's interesting you accuse me of lying in the same sentence as you saying that my assessment of that is "general wondefulness", itself a lie when my post above makes it clear what I think of that phase with the failings which occurred in that time - and in all phases of his time with us actually.

Are you actually able to debate without resorting to hyperbole and nonsense? I think you are, I see glimpses of it. But too often you resort to straw men arguments.

[Niall_Quinn]

It's not what I need. This is a messageboard for debating stuff. If I think someone is taking bollox then I'll say so, you are free to do the same.
Honestly what is the point of this place if that doesn't happen?

Are you saying that there wasn't a post I made about the three phases of Wenger's time with us to which you responded "There's a problem with that post. The problem is I agree with it"?
It wasn't that long ago so I'm sure you haven't forgotten. And it's interesting you accuse me of lying in the same sentence as you saying that my assessment of that is "general wondefulness", itself a lie when my post above makes it clear what I think of that phase with the failings which occurred in that time - and in all phases of his time with us actually.

Are you actually able to debate without resorting to hyperbole and nonsense? I think you are, I see glimpses of it. But too often you resort to straw men arguments.

Oh, so you do know the difference between a lie and the truth then?

And your memory works too, so you'll know that everything I said was underpinned, in entirety, by the requirement to continue what was seen at the time as signs of progress. NOT signs of success, far from it. But steps in the right direction. A bit like a drunk finally nailing the keyhole with one last desperate lunge, it's better that what went before, right? You then expect the drunk to go to bed and sober up. But if he stumbles in and, say, allows all the contracts to run down, well fuck that, there's no hope for the geezer.

You're trying to turn, "Okay, this looks better, let's give him one more chance", into some sort of acknowledgement of success so you can then deny the fact the guy has been a fuck-up for a decade or more. And because you clearly know the difference between a lie and the truth, well there you are.

If we're sitting here today with Vidal and Draxler already in the bag, celebrating the arrival of Lemar, and we're two points off the top and the media is wondering just who the hell will win the gypo match because there's just no dividing these teams, not now that Wenger has found a settled eleven and has deployed the right tactics - it's STILL not success but it's massive progress on the way to success. And something to get behind.

Where are we though? With this supposedly above average, not a lucky or unlucky manager? What has ACTUALLY happened?

And you think that's not a total fuck-up?

So we disagree, but stop trying to sign me up for your Wenger camp. I'm not interested.

[Özim]

He's a lucky manager no doubt about it, the time the Spurs squad got ill and he nabbed 4th place, the collapses of other teams when they were cruising and he ended up higher than he deserved, the results he scrapes more than not despite average performances because one player pops up with a goal, the fact he gets free reign to do as he pleases with no real implications for failure, being offered a new contract with pay rise despite a car crash season, the fact he gets away with blaming fans with little comeback, stumbling across solutions to problem areas due to injuries with players he would never usually play and the list goes on.

No doubt about it he's the luckiest manager in football, no other manager gets this kind of luck, you might not like to accept it Letters but those are all things that have happened.

As for the middle phase, frankly I was never happy with his performance then either, both in terms of what was happening on the pitch, where he spent our money and his tactics/style of play, for me it was a failure, especially considering he invested so much time and money in the youth policy (he started workng on this 10 years before) and it never delivered anything, as Mourinho once said it would be nice to be able to pay kids and not have to worry about winning anything!

The only successful time was the early years which admittedly were amazing, but it's been downhill from there, boring football, mistake after mistake, poor signings, injuries galore, thrashing after thrashing. Mr Wenger has indeed heralded a new era, an era where getting thrashed regularly is now acceptable and where 6-1 and 10-2 beatings can be swept under the carpet like they never happened. As I said before see how often we got thrashed before he arrived, almost never!

When you consider everything he comes with (not just the football) he is indeed an awful manager, I'd happily erase all of the last 12 years of his reign, I've not enjoyed any of it.

[Letters]

He's a lucky manager no doubt about it, the time the Spurs squad got ill and he nabbed 4th place.
Had that happened the other way around there is no way you would have regarded that as Wenger being unlucky.
You are surely self-aware enough to know that is true.
And this is the trouble with what you're saying. Because you have this little vendetta against Wenger you regard anything fortuitous as him being "lucky" and anything when things don't go our way as him being incompetent.
The actual truth is yes, there are times when we have been lucky and times when we've been unlucky. Over a period of 20 years at a club it would be pretty easy to cherry pick either. Bergkamp missing a penalty when scoring would have beaten Utd might well have carried us to the Double, instead Utd win the treble, the Eduardo leg break when we were looking like we could win the title. I'm sure there are others, over that period of time there will be loads you could pick on either side. There is no magic power that makes him keep ON being lucky, you're just cherry picking things.


the fact he gets free reign to do as he pleases with no real implications for failure
I think this is more reasonable, he has rather fallen on his feet with our current board, but as I keep explaining it isn't that there aren't implications for failing, it's that he isn't failing by their standards.
So long as the money keeps rolling in, and Wenger has always done enough to ensure that, he's succeeding by their standards. Like any employee he has to meet his bosses criteria for success and he has. It is unfortunate that those criteria are not aligned with the fans expectations.


As for the middle phase, frankly I was never happy with his performance then either
No, but then you are a whiner. Were you a Utd fan you'd be one of the people moaning about Ferguson when they had a couple of (by his standards) bad seasons under him. Most of that middle period we were still playing great football, it's only in more recent years it's become more tedious.

Quite amused that you're still standing by the "awful manager" and presumably "average squad" thing when the results quite clearly show both to be bullshit. If we have an awful manager then to keep in the top 4 till last season and win 3 FA Cups in 4 years then we must have an amazing squad. And if our squad really is average then we must have a pretty good manager to do that. We simply can't have both. And no, squad size does not account for that because depth is part of how you assess squad strength.


I'd happily erase all of the last 12 years of his reign, I've not enjoyed any of it.

Really?

http://www.goonersweb.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=2857&page=63