The next manager..

[Bumble]

I dont think a new manager will solve our issues.

We have 170m of attacking talent and scored 22 goals in 15 games

We can stop goals despite lenos best efforts

We are in trouble. 2 points from southampton norwich and now brighton. We have a tough december.

[Niall_Quinn]

It is safe to say that we are finally fucked as a football outfit

The inherent problems Wenger left here have only just got worse since his departure.

1. Distinct lack of top quality in both the playing and coaching staff
2. Severe mental and physical weakness
3. Lack of vision and strategy at executive and ownership level

Makes for a nice molotov of a club on the verge of implosion. Too many problems in too many areas.

Yep. We passed the critical point a long time ago, around about the time we were all arguing whether Wenger should have a parade or be mildly, though respectfully, criticised. I don't know where the floor is, but we have to hope we'll bounce when we hit it. That floor could be a long way down though. When you take competitiveness out of a sporting organisation and replace it with 1,001 bullshit alternatives that massage the bank balances and egos of prominent individuals, whether that be Kroenke and his desire to turn the club into mortgage security, or individual players who have the nerve to negotiate bigger contracts on the back of abject failure - there's only one direction you can go.

I didn't blame the fans at any time during the Wenger debacle. Obviously I laughed at those who thought Wenger should stay, but I could understand the loyalty based on the heights we'd reached when he was sane and in the right place at the right time. But we should have stuck with Emery, a bog standard manager who could have delivered the basics in a half rational environment, and focused our fire on the real culprits. Freddie won't do anything for us, you can't expect a guy with zero experience to be Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible. That's the ask right now. Ridiculous. And a new manager won't be able to do a damn thing in the long run either. Sure, an experienced guy might be able to secure us those 40 points - what's Redknapp up to? Or Allardyce? But where does he go after that if the same board is in place, and their same, shitty philosophy?

It took Utd decades to come back. It has taken Liverpool decades. The gypos - decades. The chavs - decades. Don't know if Leeds will ever be back. Aston Villa? Forest?

See you in a couple of decades, when we'll be right up there again. Maybe. If the Kroekne lot are gone or dead.

[selassie]

Where do I start? Jheeze...we are a complete mess. This season is a write off and if we are honest we have a ton of work to do to get this team even competing for top 4.

Defence needs to be rebuilt, all of our current CB's are dispensable, none of them good enough.

Midfield is a bit of a mess too. We have no standout midfielders, yes the likes of Guen and Willock have potential but they need a strong senior figure to guide them. Xhaka and Torreira aren't that and both are dispensable, as is Ceballos who is another one of those specialist Central Midfielders who only thrives in a team with the right players around him.

Up top is arguably our strongest area, though we are struggling big time. I'd sacrifice one of Auba or Laca, seriously. I think Martinelli is a major talent and is capable of challenging either of Auba or Laca for a starting place. We need to perservere with Pepe, we can't write off a 70+ mill investment and I have seen glimpses of star quality from him so we need to give him time whether we like it or not.

The other flank can be filled by one of many academy graduates we have who I all believe have what it takes to make the grade. I'd personally start Martinelli on one of the flanks, or failing that Saka or Smith-Rowe. I think Nelson has potential too..though he hasn't done himself any favours to date.

I think the only areas which need serious investment are Central Defence and Central Midfield. We also NEED a coach to come in and shake things up properly, a coach to organise the team in a structured manner.

I had high hopes for us this season but have seen enough to understand that we actually lack quality which in itself is contributing to this poor season we are having.

[Özim]

Luiz was a terrible signing, always was going to be, he's never been able to defend, some people actually thought he was a good signing despite years of being a calamity in defence.

What do you expect when you invest in an ageing CB (Sokratis) and then add a guy who can't defend on top of Mustafi one of the worst CBs around.

That leaves us with Chambers, Holding and Mavropanos and to be honest I'd play Mavropanos and Holding out of those.

What we need now is Simeone to instill some structure and discipline, he also has an eye for a decent player and is a great man motivator.

[selassie]

Luiz was a terrible signing, always was going to be, he's never been able to defend, some people actually thought he was a good signing despite years of being a calamity in defence.

What do you expect when you invest in an ageing CB (Sokratis) and then add a guy who can't defend on top of Mustafi one of the worst CBs around.

That leaves us with Chambers, Holding and Mavropanos and to be honest I'd play Mavropanos and Holding out of those.

What we need now is Simeone to instill some structure and discipline, he also has an eye for a decent player and is a great man motivator.

Agreed. I called out Luiz as a disaster signing. Chelsea practically gave him to us and they are now persevering with academy graduates or youngsters as their starting CB's.

Mavropanos and Holding are nowhere near good enough starting CB's for a team wanting Top 4 / CL. Neither of them would make the bench at any of our so called top 4 rivals and I include Leicester in that list.

[Niall_Quinn]

Luiz was a terrible signing, always was going to be, he's never been able to defend, some people actually thought he was a good signing despite years of being a calamity in defence.

What do you expect when you invest in an ageing CB (Sokratis) and then add a guy who can't defend on top of Mustafi one of the worst CBs around.

That leaves us with Chambers, Holding and Mavropanos and to be honest I'd play Mavropanos and Holding out of those.

What we need now is Simeone to instill some structure and discipline, he also has an eye for a decent player and is a great man motivator.

Classic modern Arsenal signing. We needed a down to earth, basic defender who could do a standard job that defenders from every other team seem to be able to do. Week in, week out. A player that didn't stand out, either because he was spectacular, or (most importantly) because he wasn't shit and cost us points. The exact opposite player to what we needed is Luiz. He has spectacular moments (a few) and he's guaranteed to cost us points.

But he was cheap up front. Probably not cheap on the wages though, which is a double whammy because it means we'll be limited on who we can bring in to replace his arse until his contract runs out or we can find someone stupid enough to take him off our hands.

He really does epitomise the type of player we absolutely cannot afford to have at this club, in any way.

So, of course, we signed him.

I'd hoped his experience might somehow give us a benefit of some sort, like he's totally random and a probably not even a defender, but maybe just the name would give us a boost. But I was desperately clutching at straws because that's all the fans can do these days.

[Özim]

Agreed. I called out Luiz as a disaster signing. Chelsea practically gave him to us and they are now persevering with academy graduates or youngsters as their starting CB's.

Mavropanos and Holding are nowhere near good enough starting CB's for a team wanting Top 4 / CL. Neither of them would make the bench at any of our so called top 4 rivals and I include Leicester in that list.

I agree, but out of the CBs we have those are the best ones, they probably won't make as many calamitous errors as the other and at least at their age they can be coached.

[Özim]

Classic modern Arsenal signing. We needed a down to earth, basic defender who could do a standard job that defenders from every other team seem to be able to do. Week in, week out. A player that didn't stand out, either because he was spectacular, or (most importantly) because he wasn't shit and cost us points. The exact opposite player to what we needed is Luiz. He has spectacular moments (a few) and he's guaranteed to cost us points.

But he was cheap up front. Probably not cheap on the wages though, which is a double whammy because it means we'll be limited on who we can bring in to replace his arse until his contract runs out or we can find someone stupid enough to take him off our hands.

He really does epitomise the type of player we absolutely cannot afford to have at this club, in any way.

So, of course, we signed him.

I'd hoped his experience might somehow give us a benefit of some sort, like he's totally random and a probably not even a defender, but maybe just the name would give us a boost. But I was desperately clutching at straws because that's all the fans can do these days.

Spot on, if your defence is poor you don't want someone like him, prone to errors, more of a luxury who sometimes does the spectacular, in defence though he's a horror show. Like you said though the fee was cheap so that suited us to the ground, another player we won't be able to sell.

I worry about us, because there's really very little fight in this team and if we do get dragged into the relegation fight we just don't have the kind of players who can get us out of it.

Really we need a big manager to come in with a clean slate, pick the best team he can, then coach them as well as possible to at least get them playing as some kind of unit, it might not make us a great team but we might at least be harder to score against, we have enough up front to get us goals so at least we can stay out of trouble and then hope for a miracle in the EL so we can qualify for the CL and have more money to spend on replacing the duds in this team with proper players.

[Niall_Quinn]

Spot on, if your defence is poor you don't want someone like him, prone to errors, more of a luxury who sometimes does the spectacular, in defence though he's a horror show. Like you said though the fee was cheap so that suited us to the ground, another player we won't be able to sell.

I worry about us, because there's really very little fight in this team and if we do get dragged into the relegation fight we just don't have the kind of players who can get us out of it.

Really we need a big manager to come in with a clean slate, pick the best team he can, then coach them as well as possible to at least get them playing as some kind of unit, it might not make us a great team but we might at least be harder to score against, we have enough up front to get us goals so at least we can stay out of trouble and then hope for a miracle in the EL so we can qualify for the CL and have more money to spend on replacing the duds in this team with proper players.

No, no, no! Dude!

There's no EL miracle, there's no CL. Get that out of your head right now. That would be like a passenger on the Titanic asking if the ship was due to arrive on time, as it was slipping beneath the waves. Top 4 trophies, Europa Second Rate Champs - none of that is within our reach. Don't torture yourself with fantasies.

The remainder of this season has to be about us (the board, the manager, the players, the fans) adjusting to life as a post-Wenger, and therefore obviously second rate, mid-table team. If we can at least accept where we are then we can use that as a starting point to heading somewhere better. Right now though we're all still banging on about being a BIG club. Yeah, in terms of the past, or in terms of hyper inflated ticket prices. But in sporting terms and results? Until that desperate illusion is shattered we'll just keep making big plans for la-la land instead of the harsh reality of a competitive league where every team can beat you if you aren't on your game. Luiz is a symptom of that fantasy. A Brazilian international that has pubbed across the top leagues in Europe for transfer fees that amazed us all (not in the good way). The bloke who helped ship 7 against Germany when the chips were down. But the PR story and the transfer fees went on regardless. Fantasy football at its finest. Fits right in with our delusions of grandeur.

[Mac76]

Agreed. I called out Luiz as a disaster signing. Chelsea practically gave him to us and they are now persevering with academy graduates or youngsters as their starting CB's.

Mavropanos and Holding are nowhere near good enough starting CB's for a team wanting Top 4 / CL. Neither of them would make the bench at any of our so called top 4 rivals and I include Leicester in that list.

I don't agree re Holding he's very competent and assured for his age and if we had a coach with any kind of fuhking brain he'd be an automatic starter, and in not too much time i think could become an absolute rock at the back, and with Mavs i agree he's very young but has great potential

[Özim]

No, no, no! Dude!

There's no EL miracle, there's no CL. Get that out of your head right now. That would be like a passenger on the Titanic asking if the ship was due to arrive on time, as it was slipping beneath the waves. Top 4 trophies, Europa Second Rate Champs - none of that is within our reach. Don't torture yourself with fantasies.

The remainder of this season has to be about us (the board, the manager, the players, the fans) adjusting to life as a post-Wenger, and therefore obviously second rate, mid-table team. If we can at least accept where we are then we can use that as a starting point to heading somewhere better. Right now though we're all still banging on about being a BIG club. Yeah, in terms of the past, or in terms of hyper inflated ticket prices. But in sporting terms and results? Until that desperate illusion is shattered we'll just keep making big plans for la-la land instead of the harsh reality of a competitive league where every team can beat you if you aren't on your game. Luiz is a symptom of that fantasy. A Brazilian international that has pubbed across the top leagues in Europe for transfer fees that amazed us all (not in the good way). The bloke who helped ship 7 against Germany when the chips were down. But the PR story and the transfer fees went on regardless. Fantasy football at its finest. Fits right in with our delusions of grandeur.

You're probably right, but football is about dreaming or it should be, something we could never do under Wenger in the latter years. I guess I'm just hoping we can get a decent manager in who knows how to pick his best 11 and knows how to structure the team and drill them properly. Defensively we'll struggle because our CBs are absolute rubbish, ut maybe we can improve a bit if we can somehow get them to play more as a unit and cover for each as well as provide cover in front of the defence (Torreira is capable of that).

As for Luiz, I'm in total agreement, but we have history of signing duds like this, Silvestre remember him, the calamity at Man U people laughed at until we signed him (then we made out he would be good), Welbeck a guy who was more suite to rugby than football with his awful aim at goal, Luiz is just next in line, a guy whose track record proves he can't defend, yet we a club with one of the worse defences in the league decide he would be a safe bet to help improve our defence, makes you realise the sheer level incompetence at this club really.

[Penguin]

Welbeck a guy who was more suite to rugby than football with his awful aim at goal.

:haha:

[Letters]

Top 4 trophies, Europa Second Rate Champs - none of that is within our reach.

Why not?
Last season we were a point or two away from a top 4 finish. But for an awful run-in we'd have sailed into the top 4.
And we got to the Europa League final.
With the right signings last summer and the right manager why is it unthinkable that we could have pushed on?
I wasn't doing cartwheels about Emery's first season but it was OK, certainly something to build on.
There was no reason to think we couldn't push for top 4 this year and before the season started I actually fancied us to finish in the top 4.
We were close enough last season to suggest it's not beyond us.

[Özim]

The club are favouring Arteta apparently, utterly embarrassing to appoint him, I guess he'll be cheap and wil tow the line though and accept that 4th is success if he can get it.

If we employ this guy it will most likely end in disaster and show this club has zero ambition, no other big club would even contemplate someone with no experience as manager, especially in the situation we're in.

We really are becoming a 2nd rate small time example of a football club.

[Bumble]

If we employ this guy it will most likely end in disaster and show this club has zero ambition, no other big club would even contemplate someone with no experience as manager, especially in the situation we're in.

We really are becoming a 2nd rate small time example of a football club.
Chelsea employed lampard rangers employed gerrard. No experience but big clubs. Pep at Barcelona

So it does happen. Think it is more not the appointment we need. We need experience and i think english league experience. I dont think we need a top name as such but someone organised who has a game plan. So the players can kow what they are doing.

[Özim]

Chelsea employed lampard rangers employed gerrard. No experience but big clubs. Pep at Barcelona

So it does happen. Think it is more not the appointment we need. We need experience and i think english league experience. I dont think we need a top name as such but someone organised who has a game plan. So the players can kow what they are doing.

Lampard proved himself at Derby and did very well. Rangers are in the Scottish League, comparatively that's an easy league, Pep had managed Barcas' 2nd team I believe, night and day really.

You're right we do need some experienced, would be a mistake not to go for someone with experience, doesn't necessarily have to be experience in England IMO.

[Mac76]

I don't think Arteta will come in with much built-in respect from the players, he'll have to earn it and with the mess we're in i'm not convinced he will

We 100% need a heavyweight with good experience, no question

[Globalgunner]

Arteta would more or less guarantee our relegation. Who's his background staff. Who is going to coach our dumb veteran's in defense. Tell our midfielders when to go or stay. Employing him will make sure lacazette and Auba head for the 3xit door sharpish. We are in a relegation battle as of today. Who in their right minds employs a novice to steer a once great club away from disaster. Mind totally boggles.

Papers saying, the former Bayern coach Kovac will be at the match today and badly wants the job. Looks like he may be the only person in the world who actually wants it apart from Arteta that is

[Bumble]

linked with kovac and the ex Valencia manger.

are these guys any good?

[Globalgunner]

linked with kovac and the ex Valencia manger.

are these guys any good?

#Better than Arteta

[Niall_Quinn]

Arteta would have to be a suicidal lunatic to come here now. It'd be down to him to haul the whole club out of an abyss and in record time. And I wonder which experienced guys with any sort of reputation would want the grief? We might end up having to sign a stop-gap journeyman who has little self-respect and next to no dignity. But Maureen wouldn't leave the spuds so soon. Harry Redknapp then. Might even be funny if he manages to nick half of Kroenke's cash. Stan would probably hunt Rosie down and shoot her live on his hunting channel.

[Letters]

We might end up having to sign a stop-gap journeyman who has little self-respect and next to no dignity.

I've got my phone on high volume :cool:

[fakeyank]

Arteta would have to be a suicidal lunatic to come here now. It'd be down to him to haul the whole club out of an abyss and in record time. And I wonder which experienced guys with any sort of reputation would want the grief? We might end up having to sign a stop-gap journeyman who has little self-respect and next to no dignity. But Maureen wouldn't leave the spuds so soon. Harry Redknapp then. Might even be funny if he manages to nick half of Kroenke's cash. Stan would probably hunt Rosie down and shoot her live on his hunting channel.

:haha:

[selassie]

I don't agree re Holding he's very competent and assured for his age and if we had a coach with any kind of fuhking brain he'd be an automatic starter, and in not too much time i think could become an absolute rock at the back, and with Mavs i agree he's very young but has great potential

Holding is an average CB in terms of quality when judged against other starting CB's for top 10 teams. We have done the persevere with "average" players experiment when Wenger was in charge.

Holding may be good enough to be an automatic starter for us given our poverty options but we most certainly need a better CB than him.

We have money, if the club can gamble 70mill on Pepe then they can gamble 50mill + on a quality CB to fix our mess of a defence.

[Mac76]

#Better than Arteta

yes, although the Metro says: "Though Kovac’s approach is being considered by Arsenal, the Croatian is not thought to be among the favourites for the position"

[Mac76]

and i still don't want Ponce, a) he got sacked by spuds ffs and b) he's an overrrated fat-faced moaning c**t

[AFC Leveller]

Ancelotti now available, Napoli just got rid.

[dazthegooner]

Having just got them into the knock out phase of the champions league. What a bastard :)

Having said that if we’re interested in him we better get on with it as Everton are interested.

[Globalgunner]

Yesterdays man. Let them have him. What I dont understamd is why they are not hot for Arteta

[dostoy]

I can't see Ancelotti going straight from Napoli to anywhere until he has had a break.

He is the best of a bad bunch at the moment as Allegri and Benitez will not be coming here.

[Bumble]

I can't see Ancelotti going straight from Napoli to anywhere until he has had a break.

He is the best of a bad bunch at the moment as Allegri and Benitez will not be coming here.

i am sure Benitez would come as long as we offered a proper contract not just one til the end of the season. I wouldn't be adverse from him managing for a couple of years just to sort out the mess we have in the squad.

[dostoy]

i am sure Benitez would come as long as we offered a proper contract not just one til the end of the season. I wouldn't be adverse from him managing for a couple of years just to sort out the mess we have in the squad.

He clearly said on Monday that he will stay in China until the end of his contract.

Who realistically is it going to be ?

[Özim]

Apparently Ornstein says Arsenal aren't interested in Ancelotti, they want a younger coach.

We're going to end up with a nobody aren't we?

[Marc Overmars]

I would stick money on Arteta now.

[fakeyank]

Apparently Ornstein says Arsenal aren't interested in Ancelotti, they want a younger coach.

We're going to end up with a nobody aren't we?

I wouldnt mind the Ajax coach or the RB Leipzig coach

[Özim]

I wouldnt mind the Ajax coach or the RB Leipzig coach

They're not in the running if you believe the reports.

[Özim]

I would stick money on Arteta now.

If this happens, let's just give up now. May as well be in the lower leagues the way we behave.

[Mac76]

If this happens, let's just give up now. May as well be in the lower leagues the way we behave.

i dunno, i began to change my mind after the West Spam game - i konw we played badly for long periods but at least the combo Freddie put out was better and had the ability to create that ten minute spell which won the game.

if we just get someone who can coach and who doesn't have any stupid ideas (vis-a-vis Emery's obsession re playing from the back) then we could actually with good coaching be a decent side.

i'd hope Arteta would keep Freddie and Per onside so we'd have an arsenal coaching team which knew the club and its younger players.

i also would hope that Arteta wouldn't have much time for Xhaka though i don't really know why i think that, it's just coming from Man City i think Xhaka woudl be too much of a contrast :lol:

[Marc Overmars]

Apparently we’ve held talks with Arteta. The clowns in charge were spotted at his home in Manchester last night.

[Özim]

Apparently we’ve held talks with Arteta. The clowns in charge were spotted at his home in Manchester last night.

Yeah it'll be pretty pathetic if we employ him, just shows why this club is going down the pan, noone has a clue or cares, what other top club would employ someone with zero experience when they are in the state we're in.

Unbelievable really, just when you think things can't get worse.

[Letters]

Yeah it'll be pretty pathetic if we employ him, just shows why this club is going down the pan, noone has a clue or cares, what other top club would employ someone with zero experience when they are in the state we're in.

Unbelievable really, just when you think things can't get worse.

If only someone had said that the board were a huge problem and that removing our manager wouldn't solve that or necessarily make things better...

:(

:coffee:

[Özim]

If only someone had said that the board were a huge problem and that removing our manager wouldn't solve that or necessarily make things better...

:(

:coffee:

The manager had to be removed, issue is we needed to replace him with someone decent, sadly something we're incapable of. Still I guess some people will convince themselves Arteta might make us world beaters again.

[Letters]

He did need to be removed but our board are a fundamental problem which is a limiting factor.
But the right manager could still achieve something, it's laughable they're looking at Arteta although it can't be worse than Freddie.

[Xhaka Can’t]

Yeah it'll be pretty pathetic if we employ him, just shows why this club is going down the pan, noone has a clue or cares, what other top club would employ someone with zero experience when they are in the state we're in.

Unbelievable really, just when you think things can't get worse.

Everything is all lined up to ensure it gets progressively worse.

You couldn’t have designed a system of making things worse for Arsenal any better if you were a Spurs supporter.

[dazthegooner]

If we’re going to for a inexperienced manager might as well go for Vieira, he has Arsenal blood (I know people go on about how he courted Madrid as a player) though his agent had a lot to do with it , he also won titles when he was here, and he should have his own backup team and I cannot see City letting Arteta bring people with him.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

Yeah it'll be pretty pathetic if we employ him, just shows why this club is going down the pan, noone has a clue or cares, what other top club would employ someone with zero experience when they are in the state we're in.

Unbelievable really, just when you think things can't get worse.

100% agree.

In the state we're in there is definitely no justification for making this kind of choice.

Truly pathetic.

[Bumble]

If we’re going to for a inexperienced manager might as well go for Vieira, he has Arsenal blood (I know people go on about how he courted Madrid as a player) though his agent had a lot to do with it , he also won titles when he was here, and he should have his own backup team and I cannot see City letting Arteta bring people with him.

maybe that's the idea... save the cost of hiring a new team.

I agree - if we are going for inexperienced manager then Vieira as he has a least managed a club or two.

But we should go for Rafa. someone to organise the team over the next 18 months. We need a more defence minded coach. When we brought in Wenger - he had a solid back four to rely on, so he was able to develop the team to his strengths and that was attacking play.

Now our attack is expensive... so we should try to focus on the defence.

[fakeyank]

Looks like Arteta is going to be the man..

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11670/11888016/mikel-arteta-talks-begin-between-arsenal-and-manchester-city

[hobson's choice]

Yeah it'll be pretty pathetic if we employ him, just shows why this club is going down the pan, noone has a clue or cares, what other top club would employ someone with zero experience when they are in the state we're in.

Unbelievable really, just when you think things can't get worse.

This actually be a smart hire.

Arteta actually knows this club and all the real problems that comes with this club. He knows most of these players, particularly our young players.

And more importantly he knows English Football. I'm all for him.

[Chippy]

This actually be a smart hire.

Arteta actually knows this club and all the real problems that comes with this club. He knows most of these players, particularly our young players.

And more importantly he knows English Football. I'm all for him.

Yep! Why not? Everyone has to start somewhere.
We went for "tried and tested" in Emery and he was dog shit.
At least give him a chance.

[Mac76]

This actually be a smart hire.

Arteta actually knows this club and all the real problems that comes with this club. He knows most of these players, particularly our young players.

And more importantly he knows English Football. I'm all for him.

does he?

it's been a while since he's been here and i'm not sure how much he had to do with the academy?

[McNamara That Ghost...]

The prodigal son is coming home. :bow:

[dazthegooner]

And his first match in charge could be Everton on Saturday would be fun (I hope) :)

[Özim]

Yep! Why not? Everyone has to start somewhere.
We went for "tried and tested" in Emery and he was dog shit.
At least give him a chance.

Emery wasn't tried and test, he'd managed yes, but if you analysed his career properly he wasn't a great manager.

I'd be very very disappointed if he was appointed and frankly I'm amazed at how easily some Arsenal fans are pleased, maybe this is part of the problem over the years, the club can do whatever and the fans are happy. Merson and Campbell both don't think he's the right man and they're not the only ones, he's never managed and if anyone thinks Arsenal have done their homework and know something other clubs don't, then they don't know Arsenal.

He's cheap, won't demand a big transfer budget and being his 1st job will accept what he gets, another yes man no doubt as the club were clearly too scared to employ a top manager who would have certain demands

[McNamara That Ghost...]

And his first match in charge could be Everton on Saturday would be fun (I hope) :)

Against Ancelotti by the looks of it. :lol:

[Marc Overmars]

Arteta would be quite an intriguing appointment but I suppose we’ll just have to take the stories about him potentially being great on good faith.

Think the job is too big for him personally but hope to be proven wrong.

[dazthegooner]

Against Ancelotti by the looks of it. :lol:

Well he's agreed in principle to become Everton manager... (propably hoping someone else wants him before signing).

[Özim]

Arteta would be quite an intriguing appointment but I suppose we’ll just have to take the stories about him potentially being great on good faith.

Think the job is too big for him personally but hope to be proven wrong.

They use to say that about Steve Mclaren.

The only people who think Arteta will be good are Wenger, who let's face it is clueless and Guardiola who is his pal, what else can he say, not he'll be rubbish.

Merson and Kevin Campbell both think he's the wrong appointment on Sky and they're not the only ones.

There is no other big club in the world that would make this kind of appointment, never mind if they were in the state we're in, but history tells us that the people in charge really don't know what they're doing and haven't for a very long time, it's not like we have guys with a proven track record, we've got a record of failure.

[Özim]

Well he's agreed in principle to become Everton manager... (propably hoping someone else wants him before signing).

Got to love it, Everton get Ancelotti a proven manager who's won leagues and the champions league, Arsenal get a guy who has never managed, is it any wonder this is becoming a joke of a club?

[Özim]

Against Ancelotti by the looks of it. :lol:

That's going to go well...

[Bumble]

As ancelotti is off bounds now. Bring in rafa.

Novice managers dont generally succeed at the biggest clubs.

As you can see think lampard is unravelling a bit at chelsea. Its the experience of changing things when behind. They have lost at home to west ham and bournemouth.

Just cant see how arteta will turn things around.

[I am invisible]

Damn it - wanted Everton to hire Emery so we could call them Eberton. What a waste...

[Özim]

As ancelotti is off bounds now. Bring in rafa.

Novice managers dont generally succeed at the biggest clubs.

As you can see think lampard is unravelling a bit at chelsea. Its the experience of changing things when behind. They have lost at home to west ham and bournemouth.

Just cant see how arteta will turn things around.


Lampard had at least proved hmself at Derby as well.

[Letters]

Damn it - wanted Everton to hire Emery so we could call them Eberton. What a waste...

:haha:

Very good.

[Letters]

Yep! Why not? Everyone has to start somewhere.
We went for "tried and tested" in Emery and he was dog shit.
At least give him a chance.

Why not? Because he has no real experience of management at this level!
Yes, people have to start somewhere but no-one starts out in business as the chairman of ICI. People work their way up and learn.
I mean, if he comes in then of course I'll support him and hope he does well but a club of Arsenal's stature - and for all the self loathing going on right now, we're still a very big club - should be getting a top class manager. Fine, Emery didn't work out but that that doesn't mean the principle of getting a top level manager is wrong.

[Bumble]

Why not? Because he has no real experience of management at this level!
Yes, people have to start somewhere but no-one starts out in business as the chairman of ICI. People work their way up and learn.
I mean, if he comes in then of course I'll support him and hope he does well but a club of Arsenal's stature - and for all the self loathing going on right now, we're still a very big club - should be getting a top class manager. Fine, Emery didn't work out but that that doesn't mean the principle of getting a top level manager is wrong.

What is a top class manager though. No reason why someone like wilder at sheff utd or dyche couldnt improve us. We need someone with a plan. Someone organised. Someone who adds a structure to the team. I have no problem with getting a lesser known manager but someone who has experience. Give them a chance.

Wenger was not a top class manager but we were still a big club back then.

[Letters]

Agree with most of that. All I will say though is while Wenger wasn't known well in England we got him at a time when most people didn't know much about what was going on in football outside England.
He had impressed Dein and others with what he'd done elsewhere. He had a fairly impressive record.

[Özim]

What is a top class manager though. No reason why someone like wilder at sheff utd or dyche couldnt improve us. We need someone with a plan. Someone organised. Someone who adds a structure to the team. I have no problem with getting a lesser known manager but someone who has experience. Give them a chance.

Wenger was not a top class manager but we were still a big club back then.

When Wenger got the job, times were different, yes we were a big club but in those days management was rather different, there weren't many foreign managers, Rioch when we took him on was very good, he'd done a great job at Bolton in his previous job, but there were not so many elite managers, Cruyff maybe and a few others but those guys went to Italy to manage.

Times are different now, big clubs generally look to appoint big managers on the whole, they certainly don't employ people with no experience, Arteta just shouldn't even be an option for us, purely on the basis he has never managed, Chelsea appointed Lampard but he'd managed and done well at Derby and was a Chelsea legend, they've also had all kinds of managers, some of the biggest around who have brought success and they will happily change manager as and when it's needed.

Arsenal on the other hand don't like to change managers, getting rid of Wenger and Emery was drawn out, it's very different. We really need the right person to get us back up the table, we don't want to waste another 2 years and see our stock fall further, make no mistake the longer we miss out on CL money the harder it will be to ever get back there, we'll also struggle to get the quality of player we need to get back up there. Arteta is a huge risk in that respect, we really need CL football for financial reasons so that we can sign better players and afford more wages, once there we can then progress further.

[fakeyank]

Got to love it, Everton get Ancelotti a proven manager who's won leagues and the champions league, Arsenal get a guy who has never managed, is it any wonder this is becoming a joke of a club?

Frankly I wouldnt want Ancelotti here. Dont think he'd turn anything around at the club. He would have been a good choice in 2011 or 2012.. now we are a mid-table team with no identity. I am not sold on Arteta but I'd rather him or an up and coming manager like Nagelsman or Ten Hag..

[Özim]

Frankly I wouldnt want Ancelotti here. Dont think he'd turn anything around at the club. He would have been a good choice in 2011 or 2012.. now we are a mid-table team with no identity. I am not sold on Arteta but I'd rather him or an up and coming manager like Nagelsman or Ten Hag..

I wouldn't take Arteta under any circumstances, Nagelsman, Ten Hag, yes but they have managed and proved themselves to an extent, Arteta is a nobody, I'd choose Ancelotti over him for sure.

Napoli beat Liverpool under him, no mean feat given how there season is going.

[Penguin]

So we're in talks with City about Arteta apparently. What a joke this club is. :haha: :ilt:

[Penguin]

This actually be a smart hire.

Arteta actually knows this club and all the real problems that comes with this club. He knows most of these players, particularly our young players.

And more importantly he knows English Football. I'm all for him.


Ljungberg knows the club better than Arteta, he knows the players better, especially our young players who he's actually managed and brought through. He knows English football too.

None of that helped him did it?

[Letters]

So we're in talks with City about Arteta apparently. What a joke this club is. :haha: :ilt:

Honestly, it's so ridiculous.
Whatever you think of Wenger, he took us right to the top of the English game and while he didn't keep us there we only dropped out of the top 4 in his last couple of seasons and last year we were pretty close to top 4, we got to a European final. We are still a big club. It's completely ridiculous that we are scrabbling around trying to "lure" an ex player who wasn't with us that long and has no management experience as our manager.
What a farce.

[Bumble]

Honestly, it's so ridiculous.
Whatever you think of Wenger, he took us right to the top of the English game and while he didn't keep us there we only dropped out of the top 4 in his last couple of seasons and last year we were pretty close to top 4, we got to a European final. We are still a big club. It's completely ridiculous that we are scrabbling around trying to "lure" an ex player who wasn't with us that long and has no management experience as our manager.
What a farce.

That is right. It is ridiculously we are trying to bring a total novice to the 3rd biggest club in the country. There is no evidence that he will succeed and if he does it will be down to luck.

Just madness plus what coaching staff will come along as we dont have enough of them either.

[Marc Overmars]

Some paper talk that the players preferred Ancelotti.

[Globalgunner]

Some paper talk that the players preferred Ancelotti.

Yes you would think they would prefer someone they can immediately respect. Arteta will issue instructions and senior players will be like......"Are you sure?.... Ok. If you say so"

Im resigned to it at this point but it seems like another dumb decision from a group of people with a long track record of making them.

[Mac76]

Yes you would think they would prefer someone they can immediately respect. Arteta will issue instructions and senior players will be like"Are you sure?. Ok. If you say so"

Im resigned to it at this point but it seems like another dumb decision from a group of people with a long track record of making them.

The respect thing is a huge concern - it's fine if you're Eddie Howe and have a group of young players and you all learn together at a lower league side, but not at Arsenal where many of the players. particularly after Emery, won't take long to spot a fake.

we should have got Ancellotti - I'm wiling to bet Raul and co didn't fancy having someone who knew much mre than them about football at the club tbh, it would show them up too much...

[Niall_Quinn]

Some paper talk that the players preferred Ancelotti.

Maybe we should hire Alex Ferguson to throw boots in their faces. It worked on winners. Maybe it could work on our losers too. Not sure who they think they are, or why they believe their opinion is somehow important or useful. Another thing that has to change at the club.

[Niall_Quinn]

Almost 2 years after there was a slim chance it MIGHT have worked, when the goodwill was still there and when it would have been possible to quickly get rid in event of disaster - it looks like Arteta will sign as new Arsenal manager today.

I already pity the guy, despite the £5mill a year he'll earn (plus compensation if/ when he's asked to leave early). Arteta has done everything right in order to lay the foundation for a successful managerial career in the game. Now he's likely thrown it all away.

I mean, good luck to the guy, I don't think this can be about the money, he must actually think he can do a job here. I'll support him as he tries. But it's getting harder to support these geniuses who are supposedly running the club. I also realised "son of Stan" was far too close to "son of Satan" for my liking.

[Marc Overmars]

If he ships out most of these losers then he’ll get my respect for sure. Start from scratch and see where that takes us.

For my own sanity, I’m just going to believe he’s this great mind thats set for big things in the game. Rather than a complete rookie who’s never managed a game in his life...

[Letters]

For my own sanity, I’m just going to believe he’s this great mind thats set for big things in the game. Rather than a complete rookie who’s never managed a game in his life...

He could be both, I suppose... :unsure:

Any manager starts by default with some good will but it will evaporate very quickly if results don't pick up.

[Özim]

If he ships out most of these losers then he’ll get my respect for sure. Start from scratch and see where that takes us.

For my own sanity, I’m just going to believe he’s this great mind thats set for big things in the game. Rather than a complete rookie who’s never managed a game in his life...

He'll have no goodwill, he'll need to pick the correct lineups, the system should become clear very quickly and any changes should be quite evident early on. otherwise, much like Ljungberg things will turn sour very quickly for him.

5 million is quite a lot for a guy with no experience, if we have to pay compensation as well it would make you wonder why we couldn't pay up for a proven manager.

Anyway, I don't trust the club at all, they've shown themselves to be very complacent and lacking in knownledge so I'm not holding out too much hope for this guy, at least with a proven manager we'd have something to make us believe he can make things happen, Arteta is basically just a punt based on some complimentary words from some guys he's friendly with, not exactly a ringing endorsement of his ability to do the job.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

If he ships out most of these losers then he’ll get my respect for sure. Start from scratch and see where that takes us.

For my own sanity, I’m just going to believe he’s this great mind thats set for big things in the game. Rather than a complete rookie who’s never managed a game in his life...

He has managed before tbf..

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45555227

:rose:

[Mac76]

He has managed before tbf..

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45555227

:rose:

"Assistant coach Mikel Arteta took over duties in the dugout but the former Arsenal midfielder oversaw a disjointed performance which was as flat as the atmosphere inside the ground."

i can see now why he's a perfect fit... :lol:

[selassie]

Arteta must be a very very confident man if he believes he can sort out this mess given he has never managed a football club to date. It's a huge job, we as fans expect some kind of instant improvement even if we accept that the squad is short in most areas.

I don't know what to really think anymore, I wasn't massively in favour of Ancellotti despite the fact he was an elite manager in the past, the past being the key word here.

I dunno...I'll get behind Arteta, he comes highly endorsed by a lot of the current elite managers so he must have something about him.

But let's make no mistake, he has a big job on his hands, we are in a real mess right now and have lots of work to do both in terms of improving not only the performances but also the results.

We have a lot of personnel issues too...they need ironing out immediately. Anybody who wants out should be made available IMO, there is not one player in this team / squad who is indispensable IMHO.

[I am invisible]

Let’s face it, this is probably going to be 90% a youth development role for whoever takes over anyway (at least to start with), so I don’t think we’ve got much to lose by building around an up-and-coming coach like Arteta at this point.

I’m pretty sure one or both of Aubameyang and Lacazette will be leaving within the next couple of windows - regardless of who takes charge, I don’t think either player can can afford to wait around to see how it works out now, and in any case we’ll probably have to sell them anyway to raise funds and slash the wage bill. As for the rest of the “experienced” players, I can’t think of anyone we have over the age of 25 (apart from the keepers) who adds a damn thing to this team, and who I wouldn’t sell in a cold minute, if I could.

If we do get the clear out of the players we want, then we’re going to be left with a very, very young group at the end of it. And if we somehow manage to raise some funds through sales to reinvest then we’re going to see yet more younger players coming in (hopefully ones that are at least already proving it at a senior level, but young nonetheless). Realistically, those conditions are going to limit the type of candidate who is going to be a) interested in, and b) suitable for this gig.

Much as we might want someone to come in to rail and rage at the budget and the guys in charge - to demand a spending spree and instant transformation - that isn’t going to be helpful now. The money is no longer there to solve the problem in that way. We had one shot at the quick fix and spending our way back into the CL spots after Wenger left, and before we’d gone too many seasons without CL income, and we fucked it up by hiring the wrong man. Now we have little choice but to play the long game and restructure. That means we need someone who knows what he’s walking into and is prepared to work with the club, with what we have, while we get our house in order and sort out the mess behind the scenes...

[Özim]

Let’s face it, this is probably going to be 90% a youth development role for whoever takes over anyway (at least to start with), so I don’t think we’ve got much to lose by building around an up-and-coming coach like Arteta at this point.

I’m pretty sure one or both of Aubameyang and Lacazette will be leaving within the next couple of windows - regardless of who takes charge, I don’t think either player can can afford to wait around to see how it works out now, and in any case we’ll probably have to sell them anyway to raise funds and slash the wage bill. As for the rest of the “experienced” players, I can’t think of anyone we have over the age of 25 (apart from the keepers) who adds a damn thing to this team, and who I wouldn’t sell in a cold minute, if I could.

If we do get the clear out of the players we want, then we’re going to be left with a very, very young group at the end of it. And if we somehow manage to raise some funds through sales to reinvest then we’re going to see yet more younger players coming in (hopefully ones that are at least already proving it at a senior level, but young nonetheless). Realistically, those conditions are going to limit the type of candidate who is going to be a) interested in, and b) suitable for this gig.

Much as we might want someone to come in to rail and rage at the budget and the guys in charge - to demand a spending spree and instant transformation - that isn’t going to be helpful now. The money is no longer there to solve the problem in that way. We had one shot at the quick fix and spending our way back into the CL spots after Wenger left, and before we’d gone too many seasons without CL income, and we fucked it up by hiring the wrong man. Now we have little choice but to play the long game and restructure. That means we need someone who knows what he’s walking into and is prepared to work with the club, with what we have, while we get our house in order and sort out the mess behind the scenes...

The only issue about the youth development is our youths aren't that good. Losing Aubameyang and/or Lacazette might well be terminal for us, they pretty much score all our goals, without them we'd be in real trouble.

Right now it's not looking good, we're in a downward spiral and it looks likes the club is choosing to embark on some sort of youth project MKII, the first one was an utter disaster. Anyway I don't trust the club to get anything right, generally they make the wrong choice. Everytime we're at a crossroads there's hope we can change direction and move forward again, but evertime the club disappoints and effectively cements our place as a club who can no longer compete.

Football is full of clubs like us, clubs who were even more successful, AC Milan for example, we're the English version and sadly with the way things are going I'm not sure it can be reversed. We've been complacent for too long, when 4th place is the limit of your ambition eventually clubs catch up and overtake you an that's exactly what's happened.

[I am invisible]

Some paper talk that the players preferred Ancelotti.
Yeah, I bet they did! A man who’s training sessions were so relaxed that the Bayern players had to organise their own in secret... our lot would love that!

[Özim]

Yeah, I bet they did! A man who’s training sessions were so relaxed that the Bayern players had to organise their own in secret... our lot would love that!

Also a man who has won the CL and league titles, it's only natural top players would prefer a top manager, just like they'd prefer us to sign top players rather than unknowns.

With Arteta, given our situation the threat of relegation becomes very real, you can't expect someone who's never managed to come in and have an instant impact with no experience, Zidane and Guardiola took charge of Real and Barca but they had managed the B teams in a lower league prior to that and also came into teams with a host of top players who weren't in in trouble in the league.

Nagelsman struggled in his first season a Hoffenheim and was close to relegation, it took him time for him to sharpen his skills.

I'm frankly astonished a club of our stature would take a risk like this, it could end very badly.

[Bumble]

Also a man who has won the CL and league titles, it's only natural top players would prefer a top manager, just like they'd prefer us to sign top players rather than unknowns.

With Arteta, given our situation the threat of relegation becomes very real, you can't expect someone who's never managed to come in and have an instant impact with no experience, Zidane and Guardiola took charge of Real and Barca but they had managed the B teams in a lower league prior to that and also came into teams with a host of top players who weren't in in trouble in the league.

Nagelsman struggled in his first season a Hoffenheim and was close to relegation, it took him time for him to sharpen his skills.

I'm frankly astonished a club of our stature would take a risk like this, it could end very badly.

Well if it ends badly then we can sack Arteta and bring in Alladyce or Pulis to save us from relegation.

[I am invisible]

The only issue about the youth development is our youths aren't that good. Losing Aubameyang and/or Lacazette might well be terminal for us, they pretty much score all our goals, without them we'd be in real trouble.

Right now it's not looking good, we're in a downward spiral and it looks likes the club is choosing to embark on some sort of youth project MKII, the first one was an utter disaster. Anyway I don't trust the club to get anything right, generally they make the wrong choice. Everytime we're at a crossroads there's hope we can change direction and move forward again, but evertime the club disappoints and effectively cements our place as a club who can no longer compete.

Football is full of clubs like us, clubs who were even more successful, AC Milan for example, we're the English version and sadly with the way things are going I'm not sure it can be reversed. We've been complacent for too long, when 4th place is the limit of your ambition eventually clubs catch up and overtake you an that's exactly what's happened.
Nah, we’ve got some good kids here, mate - they’re just suffering badly from a chronic lack of leadership and any kind of vision to buy into / believe in. They were doing great at the start of the year, playing some great stuff, but the confidence and enthusiasm has drained away from them the longer they’ve spent around Emery and this group of senior players. They’re looking to these guys as mentors, looking for guidance, and all the see is mistakes, apathy and grown men who have given up and are happy to just take a wage and let their careers peter out. It’s got to be soul-destroying for a young player, at the start of an exciting career, and I honestly think they’d be getting on better without any of them right now.

You say we’re choosing to go down this route, but I think it’s more a case of having backed ourselves into a corner, with no other route out. The accounts show we’re now making a loss as a club, and that’s only going to compound, year on year now, unless we cut costs and rebuild on a more sustainable footing. We all agree that Özil, Xhaka, Luiz, Sokratis, Kolasinac and Mustafi need to be sold, right, but how much are they likely to bring in to fund replacements? Xhaka might bring in something, but the others will be nominal fees or giveaways to get them off the wage bill. Ceballos also goes back to Madrid at the end of the year, so that’s 7 players we might need to replace with very little money coming into fund it.

That means, if we’re serious about any kind of rebuild, then we’ll have to look at selling guys like Aubameyang and Lacazette (and maybe even Bellerin and Torreira) for as much as possible. But, of course, any of those players who go will also need to be replaced, and that’s on top of the 7 above!

All of which means we’re probably going to have to make a little go a long, long way where recruitment is concerned, and will have the usual choice of promising, yet unproven youth vs journeymen older players (or complete unknowns). Even then I think we’re going to have to fill in some blanks from the academy.

No one’s arguing that it’s not an embarrassing state for a club like ours to find ourselves in, but it is where we find ourselves, and we have to deal with it. Honestly, fuck teams like AC Milan - they haven’t modernised, and are still trying to dine off their name and past success, so they deserve everything that’s happening to them. And, quite frankly, fuck Arsenal too, if we also think we’re too big to just fade away - this absolutely can be reversed, but we need to get with the programme, fast, or we’re going to get left behind by the Leicesters and Leipzigs of this world who are getting it right (on less than we’re working with)...

[Niall_Quinn]

Well if it ends badly then we can sack Arteta and bring in Alladyce or Pulis to save us from relegation.

We won't get relegated. There is enough quality on the pitch to scrape up enough points regardless of the disorganisation, and there are plenty of shitty teams in this league who we can nick points from. It's whether somebody can grab hold of this and make the fundamental changes required to prevent us having to scrap from 40 points next season and the season after. If we don't get things sorted by the end of this season then it's conceivable we'd be in a real relegation fight this time next year. In fact it's more likely that's where we'll be, compared to challenging for the coveted, erotic, blissful Top 4 Trophy that seems the be-all end-all for this deeply ambitious club and half its fans.

[Bumble]

We won't get relegated. There is enough quality on the pitch to scrape up enough points regardless of the disorganisation, and there are plenty of shitty teams in this league who we can nick points from. It's whether somebody can grab hold of this and make the fundamental changes required to prevent us having to scrap from 40 points next season and the season after. If we don't get things sorted by the end of this season then it's conceivable we'd be in a real relegation fight this time next year. In fact it's more likely that's where we'll be, compared to challenging for the coveted, erotic, blissful Top 4 Trophy that seems the be-all end-all for this deeply ambitious club and half its fans.

i was being a bit sarcastic - although if we sell laca and auba not totally sure how we would stay up without replacing them. I guess the club are going to go to a youth project with the appointment of arteta and hopefully the match day prices will reflect that. be interesting to see how sponsorship etc will be affected by the lack of a competitive team.

[Globalgunner]

So the solution to a less than competitive team will be a team that can barely survive the EPL. As we saw with Liverpool kids getting tanked by an average Villa team yesterday, kids are rarely up to the task.
What this team needs is a manager with tactical discipline who the players would look up to. If i were Kroenke I would ignore the clearly inept dolts running this club and go for the Atletico Madrid manager. Signs are that Simeone may be ready to move on. He is exactly what this team and club needs. He brings the presence and tactical nous this team needs and will within 6 months sort the wheat from the chaff of our bunch of dilettantes.
God! sometimes I fkn hate this club called Arsenal. Success means nothing to the morons in charge. Change the fkn tape, tear up the script!. Turn a new corner.

the competition in the EPL is only going to get harder from here on. Money is still pouring into the EPL. Poor clubs will soon be billionaire rich and we will be trundling on behind claiming poverty

[I am invisible]

i was being a bit sarcastic - although if we sell laca and auba not totally sure how we would stay up without replacing them. I guess the club are going to go to a youth project with the appointment of arteta and hopefully the match day prices will reflect that. be interesting to see how sponsorship etc will be affected by the lack of a competitive team.
They’d need to be replaced, pronto, but we’d have to take a note out of Liverpool’s book (i.e. when they sold off Suarez, Sterling and Coutinho, brought in a bunch of less-fashionable replacement forwards for a fraction of the money and put the rest into overhauling the failing areas of their side). We keep casting envious eyes at them and the team they’ve put together, but even now we have some assets here that would allow us to attempt something similar - I just question whether anyone at the club actually has the neck to do it.

Who knows, though? Maybe it won’t be necessary to sell those guys, and the club are sitting on more money than they’re making public? Maybe getting the other big earners off the wage bill will be enough, if we can then pay for new players in instalments? I look at these things in a far more basic way and right now I’m just really struggling to see how we finance the overhaul we desperately need without sacrificing Auba and Laca (and probably a couple of others too).

[Bumble]

They’d need to be replaced, pronto, but we’d have to take a note out of Liverpool’s book (i.e. when they sold off Suarez, Sterling and Coutinho, brought in a bunch of less-fashionable replacement forwards for a fraction of the money and put the rest into overhauling the failing areas of their side). We keep casting envious eyes at them and the team they’ve put together, but even now we have some assets here that would allow us to attempt something similar - I just question whether anyone at the club actually has the neck to do it.

Who knows, though? Maybe it won’t be necessary to sell those guys, and the club are sitting on more money than they’re making public? Maybe getting the other big earners off the wage bill will be enough, if we can then pay for new players in instalments? I look at these things in a far more basic way and right now I’m just really struggling to see how we finance the overhaul we desperately need without sacrificing Auba and Laca (and probably a couple of others too).

i think we will need to sell those guys because I don't think Auba is going to want to play a few seasons outside of Europe at his age. Laca is still marketable and if we can sell him to Barca then we can get a lot of money for him. Plus I think there is an issue as its either/or with Auba and Laca on the pitch. We have a few sellable assets Leno who I think has shown himself to be a good keeper, will attract interest. Bellerin possibly although with the injuries I don't think he is back to where he was.

Arteta as the new manager is fairly underwhelming and a huge gamble although Wenger has backed him so that's good.

[Globalgunner]

i think we will need to sell those guys because I don't think Auba is going to want to play a few seasons outside of Europe at his age. Laca is still marketable and if we can sell him to Barca then we can get a lot of money for him. Plus I think there is an issue as its either/or with Auba and Laca on the pitch. We have a few sellable assets Leno who I think has shown himself to be a good keeper, will attract interest. Bellerin possibly although with the injuries I don't think he is back to where he was.

Arteta as the new manager is fairly underwhelming and a huge gamble although Wenger has backed him so that's good.

Urgh!. How is that any recommendation.?

[Letters]

Yeah, 'cos anyone would be better than Wenger :whistle:

[Chippy]

Urgh!. How is that any recommendation.?
I think Bumble may have been taking the piss :)

[Marc Overmars]

Sounds like Arteta could be in charge for the Everton game on Saturday, once compensation is agreed.

Though we’ve apparently pissed off City by not approaching them formally. :lol:

[Letters]

Sounds like Arteta could be in charge for the Everton game on Saturday, once compensation is agreed.

Is that compensation for the fans who have paid through the nose to sit and watch this shit?

[Niall_Quinn]

Sounds like Arteta could be in charge for the Everton game on Saturday, once compensation is agreed.

Though we’ve apparently pissed off City by not approaching them formally. :lol:

How do you approach the gypos formally? Do you park your trailer next to theirs and invite them around for special brew? Fuck them. How many times did they come around nabbing our players? Mind you, considering the shite we sold them, I suppose we should thank them too.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

We haven't made any contact with Citeh. :lol:

Improving relations again.

Wonder if we're getting cold feet. :ninja:

[GP]

We haven't made any contact with Citeh. :lol:

Improving relations again.

Wonder if we're getting cold feet. :ninja:

Emery to be announced.

[Mac76]

there's no doubt we must have messed up on Ancellotti - even though we're struggling we are (for the time being) a bigger club than Neverton and he'd surely have come here if we'd gone to him straight and said 'we'd liike to offer you the job'.

instead we're fuhking around and will probably end up with Eddie Howe (if we're lucky)

[I am invisible]

Emery to be announced.

Good ebening!

[I am invisible]

there's no doubt we must have messed up on Ancellotti - even though we're struggling we are (for the time being) a bigger club than Neverton and he'd surely have come here if we'd gone to him straight and said 'we'd liike to offer you the job'.

instead we're fuhking around and will probably end up with Eddie Howe (if we're lucky)

I'm still not convinced Ancellotti would have been right for us - he feels more like the type of coach you'd want in charge of a 'Galactico' squad, where the players already know their business to a high professional standard, and just need someone to stroke some egos, keep them focussed and apply the tactical finishing touches to turn them into winners. He'd have been a fine choice for a bunch of pros like the Invincibles, but with this current lot? I don't know. I think we need far, far more work than just a good coach who can pick the right team and make the right tactical calls on match days. The culture at this club is rotten and our approach to pretty much everything needs a major shake up. This is not going to be a quick fix.

Whatever concerns you have about Arteta and his lack of experience in the dugout (all valid), I'll say this for him - I think he's probably the only candidate we're looking who truly understands the size of the job at hand, and just how bad things are right now. He was there at the tail end of Wenger's reign, when standards had dropped off a cliff, and he went straight from that to City with their elite set-up and their ambitions to conquer the world - he will be painfully aware of how stark the difference is between us and genuine contenders, and he should have a plan for it. With all the other candidates, I genuinely don't think any of them fully understand what they'd be walking into...

[Letters]

Emery to be announcing Wenger.

FYP.

[dazthegooner]

City are asking for £2m to release Arteta from his contract suppose it would help them with FFP as there is only so much FIFA/UEFA can do.

[fakeyank]

I'm still not convinced Ancellotti would have been right for us - he feels more like the type of coach you'd want in charge of a 'Galactico' squad, where the players already know their business to a high professional standard, and just need someone to stroke some egos, keep them focussed and apply the tactical finishing touches to turn them into winners. He'd have been a fine choice for a bunch of pros like the Invincibles, but with this current lot? I don't know. I think we need far, far more work than just a good coach who can pick the right team and make the right tactical calls on match days. The culture at this club is rotten and our approach to pretty much everything needs a major shake up. This is not going to be a quick fix.

Whatever concerns you have about Arteta and his lack of experience in the dugout (all valid), I'll say this for him - I think he's probably the only candidate we're looking who truly understands the size of the job at hand, and just how bad things are right now. He was there at the tail end of Wenger's reign, when standards had dropped off a cliff, and he went straight from that to City with their elite set-up and their ambitions to conquer the world - he will be painfully aware of how stark the difference is between us and genuine contenders, and he should have a plan for it. With all the other candidates, I genuinely don't think any of them fully understand what they'd be walking into...

:gp:

I too do not think Ancelotti would have done well at the club. He has recently been shite wherever he has gone and his stock is on the decline.. I did not see him making drastic changes this squad needs to become competitive. We need to teach our group of players basic tactics- off the ball positioning, first touch, passing etc before we can even dream of becoming top 4 again.

[Letters]

I did not see him making drastic changes this squad needs to become competitive. We need to teach our group of players basic tactics- off the ball positioning, first touch, passing etc before we can even dream of becoming top 4 again.
We were a couple of points off top 4 last year. :shrug:
We should have finished top 4, but for a Wengeresque collapse we would have.
This squad aren't as bad as some people are making out although agree about the coaching.

[fakeyank]

We were a couple of points off top 4 last year. :shrug:
We should have finished top 4, but for a Wengeresque collapse we would have.
This squad aren't as bad as some people are making out although agree about the coaching.

Individually and on paper, I think our squad is easily a top 4 team, however what has happened over the last 9-10 months if that the team has lost an identity, game plan and basic football skills. I think we need someone to bring all of that back, and I believe that can happen once we go back to basics and start from the ground up.

[Niall_Quinn]

:gp:

I too do not think Ancelotti would have done well at the club. He has recently been shite wherever he has gone and his stock is on the decline.. I did not see him making drastic changes this squad needs to become competitive. We need to teach our group of players basic tactics- off the ball positioning, first touch, passing etc before we can even dream of becoming top 4 again.

We need to never, ever talk about top 4 again. As we have seen, top 4 is meaningless to anyone bar the money men. What difference does it make to the fans is we qualify for the CL? Just means they waste more of their money. We aren't going to win it, or even properly compete in it. It's Wenger's biggest con. His eternal excuse for not being able to seriously challenge and his get out of jail (with a pay rise) card to play with the board every year. Top 4, top 4, top 4, top 4... Bullshit!

I want to see a team that can play decent football. That'll do for now. The eradication of the tippy tappy, sideways, backwards dross once and for ever.

[I am invisible]

:gp:

I too do not think Ancelotti would have done well at the club. He has recently been shite wherever he has gone and his stock is on the decline.. I did not see him making drastic changes this squad needs to become competitive. We need to teach our group of players basic tactics- off the ball positioning, first touch, passing etc before we can even dream of becoming top 4 again.
:good:

You can see how off the pace we were with the basics with things like trying to play out from the back - City can do it because they probably spend untold hours drilling their defenders to receive a pass under pressure like a peak-Barca midfield, whereas Emery looks like he thought he could just tell Sokratis to stand at the side of the area and go from there.

[Niall_Quinn]

:good:

You can see how off the pace we were with the basics with things like trying to play out from the back - City can do it because they probably spend untold hours drilling their defenders to receive a pass under pressure like a peak-Barca midfield, whereas Emery looks like he thought he could just tell Sokratis to stand at the side of the area and go from there.

This is why Ozil, despite his ridiculous pay packet, remains crucial to this team. He's about the only one who doesn't shit down his legs when he gets the ball. And he knows how to use it, instead of passing it back and then authoritatively gesturing to the poor sod you just passed into trouble to get it up the field. Have you seen how often they do that? Bottle the pass and then issue instructions the second they've got rid of the ball? Embarrassing stuff.

[fakeyank]

We need to never, ever talk about top 4 again. As we have seen, top 4 is meaningless to anyone bar the money men. What difference does it make to the fans is we qualify for the CL? Just means they waste more of their money. We aren't going to win it, or even properly compete in it. It's Wenger's biggest con. His eternal excuse for not being able to seriously challenge and his get out of jail (with a pay rise) card to play with the board every year. Top 4, top 4, top 4, top 4... Bullshit!

I want to see a team that can play decent football. That'll do for now. The eradication of the tippy tappy, sideways, backwards dross once and for ever.

I dont want top 4 if it didnt mean us getting a massive injection of funds to use for transfer. Our model under Kroenke will not allow us to spend huge amounts of money to build up the squad to become competitive at the top. We have to take baby steps here and get back to the lucrative top 4 places. Then we can take the next leap to challenging Chelsea, Shitty and Liverpool.

[fakeyank]

Emery looks like he thought he could just tell Sokratis to stand at the side of the area and go from there.

Most accurate description of Emery-ball :haha:

[Mac76]

This is why Ozil, despite his ridiculous pay packet, remains crucial to this team. He's about the only one who doesn't shit down his legs when he gets the ball. And he knows how to use it, instead of passing it back and then authoritatively gesturing to the poor sod you just passed into trouble to get it up the field. Have you seen how often they do that? Bottle the pass and then issue instructions the second they've got rid of the ball? Embarrassing stuff.

totally agree re Ozil, you could see it when he came off against Citeh - we may not have been great beforehand but we completely lost any structure after he'd gone

[Mac76]

I'm still not convinced Ancellotti would have been right for us - he feels more like the type of coach you'd want in charge of a 'Galactico' squad, where the players already know their business to a high professional standard, and just need someone to stroke some egos, keep them focussed and apply the tactical finishing touches to turn them into winners. He'd have been a fine choice for a bunch of pros like the Invincibles, but with this current lot? I don't know. I think we need far, far more work than just a good coach who can pick the right team and make the right tactical calls on match days. The culture at this club is rotten and our approach to pretty much everything needs a major shake up. This is not going to be a quick fix.

Whatever concerns you have about Arteta and his lack of experience in the dugout (all valid), I'll say this for him - I think he's probably the only candidate we're looking who truly understands the size of the job at hand, and just how bad things are right now. He was there at the tail end of Wenger's reign, when standards had dropped off a cliff, and he went straight from that to City with their elite set-up and their ambitions to conquer the world - he will be painfully aware of how stark the difference is between us and genuine contenders, and he should have a plan for it. With all the other candidates, I genuinely don't think any of them fully understand what they'd be walking into...

there's a lot of sense there but my fear is of how much further we might slide if it proves that Arteta needs a few months to get the hang of things, whereas Ancellotti would i hoped have been able to get them into some kind of purposeful mentality and shape quickly - i totally get it would be a short-term approach adnd a longer-term one would be preferable in a lot of ways, but i'm just worried that we really are still not far away from the bottom three...

[Letters]

Individually and on paper, I think our squad is easily a top 4 team, however what has happened over the last 9-10 months if that the team has lost an identity, game plan and basic football skills. I think we need someone to bring all of that back, and I believe that can happen once we go back to basics and start from the ground up.

Basically agree but I don't think that has to happen by clearing out a load of players and starting again. Some need to go, but what we need is a manager who can inspire them and make them a team again. And a decent captain would help. That's all Spurs have done, Poch is a good manager but the players weren't playing for him, they got someone in who can get them going again and the results have immediately improved. :sick:
Meanwhile, we're scrabbling around trying to recruit someone who never managed a game in his life. You couldn't make it up!

[Mac76]

looks like it's definitely Arteta

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/50850088

but we're making a mess of it! :lol:

[fakeyank]

looks like it's definitely Arteta

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/50850088

but we're making a mess of it! :lol:

Only we can fuck shit up this way.

[Mac76]

we're rapidly becoming a complete joke of a club with owners who don't understand football giving responsibility to a bunch of guys who don't know how to behave and don't really have a clue about where the club should go

i'm getting to the point wherre i blame the Kroenkes less than Raul and co, though obviously the Kroenkes appointed them but hey they were assured these guys knew what they were doing...

if reports are true then it was Josh questionning whether Emery was the right manager before Raul and co were...

[Niall_Quinn]

Who is that Vinai bloke anyway? Does anyone know anything about him? He seems to have just materialised like the Tardis and is now running stuff. Does he have any sort of track record?

[Bumble]

Who is that Vinai bloke anyway? Does anyone know anything about him? He seems to have just materialised like the Tardis and is now running stuff. Does he have any sort of track record?

wasn't he like head of marketing or something before hand.

[I am invisible]

there's a lot of sense there but my fear is of how much further we might slide if it proves that Arteta needs a few months to get the hang of things, whereas Ancellotti would i hoped have been able to get them into some kind of purposeful mentality and shape quickly - i totally get it would be a short-term approach and a longer-term one would be preferable in a lot of ways, but i'm just worried that we really are still not far away from the bottom three...

Oh, I'm sure you'd get an instant bounce with Ancellotti - he'd make the players feel better about themselves and restore a bit of confidence - I'm just not convinced that we'd see too much more than that, and I don't think it would do anything to address the underlying problem of the culture at this club. Ultimately, we'd be sending out the message that we were just being mismanaged before, and that someone else was making everyone look stupid - that everyone was otherwise blameless, when the truth is that we've been deficient in a number of areas for a while now. The danger I see here is that it panders to the victim mentality that has taken root at this club - as soon as results start going against us (and they would eventually), everyone will simply down tools and start pointing the finger at the coach again, because nothing here is ever anyone's fault or personal responsibility.

Arteta's first 7 months, on the other hand, are probably going to be pretty brutal - even if he knows exactly what he's doing in the dugout, his appointment will put a lot of noses out of joint, and he will probably have to spend a lot of time putting out fires. But I also think we need to go through something like this as a kind of crucible moment for the club, even if it means things getting worse before they can get better again. Someone or something needs to shine a light on the low standards that have become acceptable here, and point out just how far behind our "rivals" we've slipped, and we need to know how everyone responds to hearing the truth: anyone who shows a willingness to knuckle down (and maybe even a bit of excitement for the project ahead) we can work with; anyone who chooses to pout and sulk needs to be moved on. But until we get everyone pulling in the same direction, and working towards the same collective goal again, I really can't see us ever moving the dial that far...

[IBK]

Oh, I'm sure you'd get an instant bounce with Ancellotti - he'd make the players feel better about themselves and restore a bit of confidence - I'm just not convinced that we'd see too much more than that, and I don't think it would do anything to address the underlying problem of the culture at this club. Ultimately, we'd be sending out the message that we were just being mismanaged before, and that someone else was making everyone look stupid - that everyone was otherwise blameless, when the truth is that we've been deficient in a number of areas for a while now. The danger I see here is that it panders to the victim mentality that has taken root at this club - as soon as results start going against us (and they would eventually), everyone will simply down tools and start pointing the finger at the coach again, because nothing here is ever anyone's fault or personal responsibility.

Arteta's first 7 months, on the other hand, are probably going to be pretty brutal - even if he knows exactly what he's doing in the dugout, his appointment will put a lot of noses out of joint, and he will probably have to spend a lot of time putting out fires. But I also think we need to go through something like this as a kind of crucible moment for the club, even if it means things getting worse before they can get better again. Someone or something needs to shine a light on the low standards that have become acceptable here, and point out just how far behind our "rivals" we've slipped, and we need to know how everyone responds to hearing the truth: anyone who shows a willingness to knuckle down (and maybe even a bit of excitement for the project ahead) we can work with; anyone who chooses to pout and sulk needs to be moved on. But until we get everyone pulling in the same direction, and working towards the same collective goal again, I really can't see us ever moving the dial that far...

I'd go with that. IMHO people who think that we can bounce back from where we have got to with a celebrated manager are chasing a pipe dream. I don't think we are even attractive to a truly 'top ranked' manager at the moment. There is a proper, slow, rebuilding job needed at our club in terms of ethos; attitude; playing style and players to build a team around. An 'underwhelming' manager suits me TBH because it manages expectations. This is going to be a long grind, and this season is pretty much done as it is. Hopefully, Arteta, as an Arsenal man who has learned under arguably the worlds best manager will have a long term plan; knows what he wants, and has a board that will ditch the 'top four trophy' ethos that has dogged us mentally for years to allow that to happen. If Arteta can forge some backbone with our players and get us on a pathway for progression, that'll do for me.

[KSE Comedy Club]

looks like it's definitely Arteta

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/50850088

but we're making a mess of it! :lol:

Its been confirmed that all the meedja shit about us not contacting Citeh officials is a load of made up bollocks and they have been fully aware of everything.

Who would have thought that the meedja would make shit up :coffee:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-7810403/Arsenal-DID-inform-Man-City-pursuit-Mikel-Arteta-despite-claims-contrary.html


Arsenal DID inform Man City about their pursuit of Mikel Arteta despite Premier League champions' claims to the contrary as Gunners prepare to announce him as their new manager

Man City had been angered by Arsenal's pursuit of their assistant coach Arteta
They claimed Gunners had 'no contact' with them as they chase new manager
But it has emerged Arsenal did keep City in the loop over their chase of Arteta
The Spaniard is set to be announced as Arsenal's new manager on Friday

I think it was in the Independent as well. City officials were asked and confirmed, they also said they had no idea where all these claims were coming from.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Today is the day.

I must say I am little bit excited.

[Marc Overmars]

Micky Tets is coming home.

[Letters]

There's no-one better
Than Mikel Arteta
Unai Emery
Is just a memory

[KSE Comedy Club]

I have to say I thought it was the wrong choice considering the other managers that are available.

However, after reading different reports and some insights into his style and approach to coaching and also his involvement with the Citeh squad and how he has helped Pep -
I am actually feeling very positive towards the idea.

This is a new era and I think we may be in for a shock at how well he does.

[Mac76]

Its been confirmed that all the meedja shit about us not contacting Citeh officials is a load of made up bollocks and they have been fully aware of everything.

Who would have thought that the meedja would make shit up :coffee:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-7810403/Arsenal-DID-inform-Man-City-pursuit-Mikel-Arteta-despite-claims-contrary.html



I think it was in the Independent as well. City officials were asked and confirmed, they also said they had no idea where all these claims were coming from.

i'm just glad to hear it's not true, we really could do without messing things up

[Niall_Quinn]

Micky Tets is coming home.

And he's bringing his hair with him.

[IBK]

I have to say I thought it was the wrong choice considering the other managers that are available.

However, after reading different reports and some insights into his style and approach to coaching and also his involvement with the Citeh squad and how he has helped Pep -
I am actually feeling very positive towards the idea.

This is a new era and I think we may be in for a shock at how well he does.

Yes - particularly interesting to hear from the likes of Raheem Sterling how Arteta has improved his game...

Feeling excited/positive myself...

[Marc Overmars]

I’d say I’m more intrigued than excited, I think there’s so much work to be done with this bunch of losers we call a team. The season is probably a write off so he has 6 months to weed out the shit and hopefully put his own marker down for next summer.

Just glad this nonsense is over and done with and we can hopefully look forward a bit of stability.

[I am invisible]

I'd go with that. IMHO people who think that we can bounce back from where we have got to with a celebrated manager are chasing a pipe dream. I don't think we are even attractive to a truly 'top ranked' manager at the moment. There is a proper, slow, rebuilding job needed at our club in terms of ethos; attitude; playing style and players to build a team around. An 'underwhelming' manager suits me TBH because it manages expectations. This is going to be a long grind, and this season is pretty much done as it is. Hopefully, Arteta, as an Arsenal man who has learned under arguably the worlds best manager will have a long term plan; knows what he wants, and has a board that will ditch the 'top four trophy' ethos that has dogged us mentally for years to allow that to happen. If Arteta can forge some backbone with our players and get us on a pathway for progression, that'll do for me.

You know... we might well have been able to bounce back [by bringing in a celebrated manager], but bounce back to where? Would it create the necessary pressure and urgency to really push beyond our also-ran status, or would it just give the owner, the executive team and the players someone to hide behind if/when it starts to go wrong?

The good thing about this appointment for me is that there'll be no hiding place for the men in charge - they know they're hiring a rookie, and that heads will roll if it goes wrong, so they'll have no choice but to back him. I've heard a lot of talk of Arteta being a yes man for Raul, but I wouldn't be surprised if the opposite ended up being the case - Raul and co have really put their necks on the block here in a way that they wouldn't have done with a safer hire, and they desperately need this to work, so I can see Arteta actually having quite a bit of power.

Another thing I like about it is the instant working relationship and strong lines of communication there would be between Arteta and Mertesacker at the Academy (especially if we retain Freddie in his role as a facilitator between the two for young players) - I'm hoping we might start to see some real joined-up thinking between what the first team needs and what the academy is producing. Plus it's another Arsenal man in a key position - if these guys and Edu can all get on the same page then I might actually start to have some faith that the club is being run by people who actually care about it (at least on the footballing side).

The fact that Arteta will be putting his own team together for the first time is also a plus for me - that gives us an opportunity to hire for the club and our particular needs / challenges as well hiring for the coach.

[dostoy]

I’d say I’m more intrigued than excited, I think there’s so much work to be done with this bunch of losers we call a team. The season is probably a write off so he has 6 months to weed out the shit and hopefully put his own marker down for next summer.

Just glad this nonsense is over and done with and we can hopefully look forward a bit of stability.

Its going to take a lot longer than 6 months to get rid of all the shit that Arsenal have and don't forget that Elneny and Mickey will be back in the summer.

He has a massive, enormous, huge and gigantic job to get rid of all the shit and to get Arsenal defending properly.

He deserves a chance but it would be a big job for any manager with this bunch of idiots and I hope he is brutal with Ozil, Luiz, Mustafi, Sokratis and maybe Xhaka and a few others.

[I am invisible]

Nervously excited, but also a little terrified - hope we get the right support team around him quickly.

This is basically an 8 month pre-season now - we just need to not get relegated while we work through the initial culture shock and upheaval! If we can make it through to the summer window without completely imploding then I think we'll be in a good place to move forward...

[I am invisible]

Its going to take a lot longer than 6 months to get rid of all the shit that Arsenal have and don't forget that Elneny and Mickey will be back in the summer.

He has a massive, enormous, huge and gigantic job to get rid of all the shit and to get Arsenal defending properly.

He deserves a chance but it would be a big job for any manager with this bunch of idiots and I hope he is brutal with Ozil, Luiz, Mustafi, Sokratis and maybe Xhaka and a few others.

Rumours going around that half the squad want to leave - if that's true then this hire has already been invaluable!

[Özim]

Got to say I feel no excitement at this appointment, never really liked him much as a player and i'm underwhelmed by the fact he's never managed and the only reason he's even in with a chance is that some of his friends have spoken up for him.

Guess we'll see what he does, but I don't see our top players sticking around either, as appointing a guy with no experience is hardly going to convince them to stay.

Personally think this is too big a gamble and that the chances of it being a success are quite small, for me though he's not getting 6 months, I expect to see an improvement in results and a system very quickly, he's not getting time like Emery did, it's not our fault the club decided to employ a rookie, so I won't be treating him any different.

He needs to win the EL IMO as well.

[Marc Overmars]

https://www.arsenal.com/news/mikel-arteta-joining-our-new-head-coach

Done. :bow:

[Niall_Quinn]

A year and a half wasted just to get to the same place, but oh well, let's get behind him and see if, by some miracle, he can polish this turd into something that resembles a professional sports team.

[Letters]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ypdy3n83VB4

[fakeyank]

I will be happy if we can just see some increase in footballing standards by the end of this season i.e:
- Have a midfield and defense that does not look like a deer in headlights the moment a ball is passed to them
- Improvement in defense
- Better off the ball movement
- Get rid of some of the deadwood (Mustafi, Sokratis, Ozil, Xhaka) and give the youngsters a chance to shine (Saka, ESR, Willock)

[Özim]

A year and a half wasted just to get to the same place, but oh well, let's get behind him and see if, by some miracle, he can polish this turd into something that resembles a professional sports team.

I suspect that if this doesn't work out (I fully expect it won't), we'll move onto the next Spanish manager we were linked with Marcelino.

[Özim]

I'll be happy if:

- We play fast paced counter attacking football
- Never see Xhaka or Mustafi in the Arsenal team ever again
- He picks the right team
- The defence improves
- Players play in their natural roles
- We can play high press football like Liverpool do
- We win the EL
- Get rid of the deadwood
- Sign some decent players for a change
- Martinelli gets lots of game time

[Mac76]

i want to believe in it but like the rest of you I'm not exactly grinning from ear to ear and for me i'd still have preferred Ancellotti right now.

but let's hope he really is an undiscovered gem of a manager - err, sorry, 'head coach'...

[Marc Overmars]

Interesting to see what kind of coaching team he’ll bring with him. I wouldn’t be surprised if it is made up of rookies as well.

[I am invisible]

I think things will start to improve now, but I don't think we'll see the immediate 'bounce' effect that you often get with a new coach - in fact I wouldn't be surprised if it's outright civil war until the end of the January window!

So be it though - the sooner we find out who's committed and who's just here for a free lunch the better.

[Marc Overmars]

Sounds like Auba wants to leave - which is shit if that’s that’s case but we need to milk as big a transfer fee from that as we can get.

[Mac76]

Sounds like Auba wants to leave - which is shit if that’s that’s case but we need to milk as big a transfer fee from that as we can get.

If he goes in January then it's relegation all the way for us

[I am invisible]

I'm pretty sure Auba would have wanted out whoever we'd hired - it being Arteta will make it all sound a bit more reasonable to the fans, but the bottom line is he's 30, going on 31, and just doesn't have time to stick around and see how another rebuild plays out.

Good luck to him, if he does go - he may not be able to stick around for the rebuild, but he could do us one last, massive service if he helps fund it.

[hobson's choice]

Sounds like Auba wants to leave - which is shit if that’s that’s case but we need to milk as big a transfer fee from that as we can get.

Then he can leave, when ain't winning shiit with him anyways. Time to rebuild, he's an asset, see what they can get for him

[I am invisible]

Mesut Özil welcomes Mikel Arteta back to the Arsenal family! (https://www.caughtoffside.com/2019/12/20/mesut-ozil-on-mikel-arteta-being-named-arsenal-manager/)

Oh... oh, this is going to be really awkward...

[Chippy]

If he goes in January then it's relegation all the way for us

Interesting point.
The board will need to weigh up how much relegation would cost us compared to letting him go for free? 🤔

[Xhaka Can’t]

Good luck to Arteta.

He’ll need it with this shitshow.

[dazthegooner]

Just been watching the press conference seemed strange to understand what the coach was saying ;)

[Thierrymon]

Thought the press conference was really good. He talks the talk, hopefully that will translate onto the pitch.

[Mac76]

Thought the press conference was really good. He talks the talk, hopefully that will translate onto the pitch.

Got to agree, he comes across really well, and also in the interview at Colney

[I am invisible]

That was a pretty good presser, to be fair. Been listening to the radio all morning and it’s amazing how much all the journos have changed their tune? Don’t know how long it will last, but they’re all rooting for him this morning...

[Marc Overmars]

He does seem to exude confidence which is good. Probably helps knowing the language...

[Marc Overmars]

https://youtu.be/OUA3ixJQthA

I liked this part:


Asked directly if Arsenal had lost their identity, Arteta told Arsenal.com: ‘Unfortunately, yes. That’s my feeling.

That’s something we have to recover. We have to make little adjustments. Now the timing for training is not a lot, so visually the players have to understand the ideas I want to bring to them.

‘You will see some changes where we want to head on. The direction is going to be very clear and it is not going to be negotiable.

‘We need the players to be on board with the right attitude and the right commitment.

[dostoy]

I'd love to see him get rid of Ozil in the next 2 weeks.

I've never seen a more gutless, soulless, heartless and most of the time, talentless player.

He has been at Arsenal over 6 years, still has 18 months on his contract and gets 350k a week.

Only Arsenal could be so pathetic.

[Mac76]

I'd love to see him get rid of Ozil in the next 2 weeks.

I've never seen a more gutless, soulless, heartless and most of the time, talentless player.

He has been at Arsenal over 6 years, still has 18 months on his contract and gets 350k a week.

Only Arsenal could be so pathetic.


he definitely seems to have an attitude problem though i'm sure Arteta will want to make his own mind up about him

if he's not a fan then I guess the only plus is that Ozil has been playing lately and for my money actually been a decent player for us which might actually persuade someone one to buy him

[I am invisible]

Tbh, his performances and attitude are irrelevant at this point - he needs to go simply because his wages are no longer sustainable. We can’t afford him - why even analyse it beyond that?

[I am invisible]

Raul and Edu’s thoughts on the hire...

https://www.arsenal.com/news/were-very-sure-mikel-going-do-great-job

A lot of vague waffle in there, but a couple of points stood out...

1) It sounds like this move was very much driven by Edu, and came down to who he felt he would work best with, and...

2) Raul seemed happy to back Edu’s judgment.

That first point is really important for me, because the only way I see us achieving the cultural shift and clarity of vision / identity that we all want is if Arteta, Mertesacker and Edu are all singing from the same hymn sheet, and the message is consistent at all levels of the club. We already know that Arteta and Mertesacker have a strong working relationship, but it bodes really well if Arteta and Edu are also in alignment in their views - hopefully we’ll start to see some joined-up thinking with everything we’re doing.

Fair play to Raul letting Edu run with this one - no point in hiring these people unless you actually trust them to do their jobs, but it’s still a risky appointment that could cost all of them their jobs if it goes wrong. Honestly, I haven’t got a clue what Raul and Vinnaib and Josh K really do, but I’m hoping this is a sign that they at least have enough sense to let the football men run the football side of things.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

Jose has had his say and to be honest I could not agree more.

https://www.metro.co.uk/2019/12/20/jose-mourinho-aims-subtle-swipe-arsenal-mikel-arteta-appointment-11943354/amp/

Again I hope we are all wrong, but the way people spit at relevant experience in hiring, and its not only happening in football, really gets on my nerves.

[dazthegooner]

Jose probably wanted the Arsenal job himself (we were considering it I hear) but went to the spuds.

[I am invisible]

Yeah, well, joke’s on you Jose - Arteta took charge of one City game against Lyon, and they lost, so he actually has a 100% loss record! Now who looks stupid?

[Master Splinter]

Experience :haha:.

Certainly worked for Mourinho today.

[I am invisible]

Proving his credentials with another loss.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

Experience :haha:.

Certainly worked for Mourinho today.

Yup, you just confirmed what Mourinho said in a nutshell.

Football is being held hostage by dummies in both high and low places.

[fakeyank]

Jose is a cunt. I wouldnt agree with that guy if he said 1+1=2.

Fuck him, and I hope he gets herpes.

[Letters]

Experience :haha:.

Certainly worked for Mourinho today.

Using one off results to “prove” a point :bow:

[Master Splinter]

Jose is a cunt. I wouldnt agree with that guy if he said 1+1=2.

Fuck him, and I hope he gets herpes.


Pretty much.

Not forgetting the fact that he's basically crying about this because he'll never be considered for a top job again. Arsenal, Bayern, Real Madrid and Juventus all recently had vacancies but no sensible club would go near him.

Also to clarify, no-one is saying experience is bad. But neither does it mean an experienced coach is more suitable for a certain job. Mourinho, Ancelotti, Emery, Ranieri and a whole host of the British Old Boys Club have flopped unceremoniously recently. Similarly, younger coaches like Kovac, Silva or even Tuchel aren't living up to their earlier promise.

In the end, it comes down to who is the best fit for a club at that time. Why should big name managers who have been on the decline be an automatic choice over a potentially innovative younger coach?

The experienced manager experiment at Arsenal was a failure. Maybe the Arteta one will be too. At least there's the possibility of new ideas with Arteta, whereas with any of the tried and tested coaches you could almost plot the journey already, as many correctly did with Emery. If it goes wrong again, then so be it and move on. It's only football.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

Also to clarify, no-one is saying experience is bad. But neither does it mean an experienced coach is more suitable for a certain job. Mourinho, Ancelotti, Emery, Ranieri and a whole host of the British Old Boys Club have flopped unceremoniously recently. Similarly, younger coaches like Kovac, Silva or even Tuchel aren't living up to their earlier promise.

In the end, it comes down to who is the best fit for a club at that time. Why should big name managers who have been on the decline be an automatic choice over a potentially innovative younger coach?

The experienced manager experiment at Arsenal was a failure. Maybe the Arteta one will be too. At least there's the possibility of new ideas with Arteta, whereas with any of the tried and tested coaches you could almost plot the journey already, as many correctly did with Emery. If it goes wrong again, then so be it and move on. It's only football.

Fair enough, definitely a more interesting line of thought than stating experience must be crap because Mourinho says it isn't.

Anyway, I do agree with you that the most important thing in choosing a manager is choosing the best fit at that particular point in time; we're definitely rebuilding now and trying to stay afloat, so the question is, are new ideas a better choice than a safer pair of hands who has probably been through the cycle before?

So I decided to look for a big club who've given rookie ex-player managers the chance to lose their virginity and surprise surprise, the comparison I'd made with us and Meeelan came up again.

So after Ancelotti left in 2010 to the chavs, Milan straight away made their legend Leonardo the coach with zero experience. He didn't do to badly, ended up finishing 3rd and entertained the press with some crazy formations. Despite this he was sacked at the end of the season and made way for a more unknown guy called Allegri who really only had "small club" experience. Leonardo coached Inter Milan the next season, failed their and never recovered to coach again.

The "small club" experienced Allegri would win the league in his first season in charge with mainly Leonardo's team. He would later rebuild the team in the next 2 seasons and always finish not lower than a CL spot. You know his history after AC Milan so I dont' need to go there.

Allegri is sacked halfway through his 4th season after a poor run of form and Milan decide to try that legendary player/manager approach again instead of sticking with him. Clarence Seedorf comes in with zero experience, does relatively well till the end of the season, but just like Leonardo, fails again in politics and is sacked. He's coached a few teams since then and has not made any mark.

His replacement is another legendary player manager Inzaghi. Unlike Leo and Seedorf, he's actually coached the B-team so is a bit more "experienced". He gets a full season, they play poorly and finish 10th. He gets the sack obviously.

Milan continue to hire younger coaches with less experience but never pure Rookies again. Ancelotti remains their most successful coach in recent years, by trophies and more importantly win percentage and he was their longest serving manager- so the "new ideas" should have at least managed to triumph over that statistically.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_A.C._Milan_managers

If this Arteta argument is so compelling, there should be a recent example that proves or even supports that it can or does work, but I'm yet to come across it. All I see are dozens of examples of experience, even if it is "small club" experience, being vital to managers whose remit was to turn around the fortunes of struggling top clubs (i.e. Fergie, AW, Simeone, Rodgers, Klopp, Pooch, Allegri, Mancini, Conte etc).

[IBK]

I'm pretty sure Auba would have wanted out whoever we'd hired - it being Arteta will make it all sound a bit more reasonable to the fans, but the bottom line is he's 30, going on 31, and just doesn't have time to stick around and see how another rebuild plays out.

Good luck to him, if he does go - he may not be able to stick around for the rebuild, but he could do us one last, massive service if he helps fund it.

As important for me is that Arteta's most important immediate job is to reunite the dressing room and get them playing together in a common cause. If Auba wants out, then he needs to go as this is contrary to what we need. The bottom line is that disunity and disharmony, and players playing for themselves and not the team has been the main reason why this season has been a shitshow so far. Addressing this has to be our new manager's priority, and if it takes players leaving in January and a mid table finish to achieve this, so be it.

[I am invisible]

As important for me is that Arteta's most important immediate job is to reunite the dressing room and get them playing together in a common cause. If Auba wants out, then he needs to go as this is contrary to what we need. The bottom line is that disunity and disharmony, and players playing for themselves and not the team has been the main reason why this season has been a shitshow so far. Addressing this has to be our new manager's priority, and if it takes players leaving in January and a mid table finish to achieve this, so be it.
Yeah, the club left it way too long to make the call on Emery - he was a dead man walking for at least a couple of months before he went, and the moment the players sussed that out he lost any and all authority he might have had over that dressing room.

The most important thing the club can do over the next 6 months is make it abundantly clear that they’ll back Arteta over any player, even if that means a big casualty or two. No matter how messy it might get, the players need to know that he’s gonna be here for a while, and that the threat of not playing unless you fall in line is very real. Can’t have the players running the club.

[fakeyank]

Fair enough, definitely a more interesting line of thought than stating experience must be crap because Mourinho says it isn't.

Anyway, I do agree with you that the most important thing in choosing a manager is choosing the best fit at that particular point in time; we're definitely rebuilding now and trying to stay afloat, so the question is, are new ideas a better choice than a safer pair of hands who has probably been through the cycle before?

So I decided to look for a big club who've given rookie ex-player managers the chance to lose their virginity and surprise surprise, the comparison I'd made with us and Meeelan came up again.

So after Ancelotti left in 2010 to the chavs, Milan straight away made their legend Leonardo the coach with zero experience. He didn't do to badly, ended up finishing 3rd and entertained the press with some crazy formations. Despite this he was sacked at the end of the season and made way for a more unknown guy called Allegri who really only had "small club" experience. Leonardo coached Inter Milan the next season, failed their and never recovered to coach again.

The "small club" experienced Allegri would win the league in his first season in charge with mainly Leonardo's team. He would later rebuild the team in the next 2 seasons and always finish not lower than a CL spot. You know his history after AC Milan so I dont' need to go there.

Allegri is sacked halfway through his 4th season after a poor run of form and Milan decide to try that legendary player/manager approach again instead of sticking with him. Clarence Seedorf comes in with zero experience, does relatively well till the end of the season, but just like Leonardo, fails again in politics and is sacked. He's coached a few teams since then and has not made any mark.

His replacement is another legendary player manager Inzaghi. Unlike Leo and Seedorf, he's actually coached the B-team so is a bit more "experienced". He gets a full season, they play poorly and finish 10th. He gets the sack obviously.

Milan continue to hire younger coaches with less experience but never pure Rookies again. Ancelotti remains their most successful coach in recent years, by trophies and more importantly win percentage and he was their longest serving manager- so the "new ideas" should have at least managed to triumph over that statistically.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_A.C._Milan_managers

If this Arteta argument is so compelling, there should be a recent example that proves or even supports that it can or does work, but I'm yet to come across it. All I see are dozens of examples of experience, even if it is "small club" experience, being vital to managers whose remit was to turn around the fortunes of struggling top clubs (i.e. Fergie, AW, Simeone, Rodgers, Klopp, Pooch, Allegri, Mancini, Conte etc).

Based on that analysis, Arteta is getting his 'small club' experience with us before he wins the treble in La Liga with Madrid or Barcelona.

[Özim]

Fair enough, definitely a more interesting line of thought than stating experience must be crap because Mourinho says it isn't.

Anyway, I do agree with you that the most important thing in choosing a manager is choosing the best fit at that particular point in time; we're definitely rebuilding now and trying to stay afloat, so the question is, are new ideas a better choice than a safer pair of hands who has probably been through the cycle before?

So I decided to look for a big club who've given rookie ex-player managers the chance to lose their virginity and surprise surprise, the comparison I'd made with us and Meeelan came up again.

So after Ancelotti left in 2010 to the chavs, Milan straight away made their legend Leonardo the coach with zero experience. He didn't do to badly, ended up finishing 3rd and entertained the press with some crazy formations. Despite this he was sacked at the end of the season and made way for a more unknown guy called Allegri who really only had "small club" experience. Leonardo coached Inter Milan the next season, failed their and never recovered to coach again.

The "small club" experienced Allegri would win the league in his first season in charge with mainly Leonardo's team. He would later rebuild the team in the next 2 seasons and always finish not lower than a CL spot. You know his history after AC Milan so I dont' need to go there.

Allegri is sacked halfway through his 4th season after a poor run of form and Milan decide to try that legendary player/manager approach again instead of sticking with him. Clarence Seedorf comes in with zero experience, does relatively well till the end of the season, but just like Leonardo, fails again in politics and is sacked. He's coached a few teams since then and has not made any mark.

His replacement is another legendary player manager Inzaghi. Unlike Leo and Seedorf, he's actually coached the B-team so is a bit more "experienced". He gets a full season, they play poorly and finish 10th. He gets the sack obviously.

Milan continue to hire younger coaches with less experience but never pure Rookies again. Ancelotti remains their most successful coach in recent years, by trophies and more importantly win percentage and he was their longest serving manager- so the "new ideas" should have at least managed to triumph over that statistically.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_A.C._Milan_managers

If this Arteta argument is so compelling, there should be a recent example that proves or even supports that it can or does work, but I'm yet to come across it. All I see are dozens of examples of experience, even if it is "small club" experience, being vital to managers whose remit was to turn around the fortunes of struggling top clubs (i.e. Fergie, AW, Simeone, Rodgers, Klopp, Pooch, Allegri, Mancini, Conte etc).

Fantastic post.