Training session v Citeh (home).

[McNamara That Ghost...]

It's hard to see how Man City can get an easier three points for the remainder of the season. Any vulnerabilities they showed this season we didn't bother with apart from the first 50 seconds.

Shambles. Still we have more interviews coming and that's the most important thing.

[Niall_Quinn]

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

The biggest piss-take song ever written about Arsenal.

[Letters]

https://i.ibb.co/dBFhKqG/247-A4024-AE35-4-AFA-AFFB-8258175-D7-E81.jpg

[I am invisible]

Sadly, if someone had offered me 0-3 at the start of the day I’d have had their hand off! Was genuinely fearing a new PL record here...

[Niall_Quinn]

It's a top priority to get a miracle worker in here now.

[Bumble]

Wow it looked like we didnt even try to get back into the game. City goals were good and de bruyne is class. So was nice watching a quality footballer.

Desperately need an experienced organiser as the new manager.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

https://i.ibb.co/dBFhKqG/247-A4024-AE35-4-AFA-AFFB-8258175-D7-E81.jpg

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43150331

[Özim]

Not a great surprise, City may be out of form by they have class players who know how to play in a system. The facts are we need a top new manager in now, not in January, not in the summer but now, Ljungberg doesn't cut it, he's got no experience, served under the last failed administration and just doesn't really know what he's doing.

Why does everything at this club take so long, why can we never do anything quickly and with minimum fuss like other clubs manage?

[Letters]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43150331

:lol: Well played.

[dostoy]

https://i.ibb.co/dBFhKqG/247-A4024-AE35-4-AFA-AFFB-8258175-D7-E81.jpg

That fucker started it all and he was the one that bought Ozil, Kola, Xhaka, Sokratis and Mustafi and probably a few others as well.

Is there a team in this league with less heart and less guts ?

Arsenal are not too good to go down and a new manager will not cure this, it will take years as Arsenal need to get rid of all of the above and a few more and get some players with more heart and more ability.

I would take finishing 15th NOW, RIGHT NOW.

[Niall_Quinn]

Not a great surprise, City may be out of form by they have class players who know how to play in a system. The facts are we need a top new manager in now, not in January, not in the summer but now, Ljungberg doesn't cut it, he's got no experience, served under the last failed administration and just doesn't really know what he's doing.

Why does everything at this club take so long, why can we never do anything quickly and with minimum fuss like other clubs manage?

We have absolutely no defence. It's just not there. Players are turning up with the relevant numbers on their shirts. They are standing in the correct positions at kick-off. But after that, they don't have the first clue what they should be doing. Wenger toiled for years to produce this. Even if we could pick any manager in the world and they would magically agree to come here, it would take them painstaking years to undo what Wenger has achieved.

[Letters]

“Anyone would do better than Wenger”

:shrug:

[Özim]

We have absolutely no defence. It's just not there. Players are turning up with the relevant numbers on their shirts. They are standing in the correct positions at kick-off. But after that, they don't have the first clue what they should be doing. Wenger toiled for years to produce this. Even if we could pick any manager in the world and they would magically agree to come here, it would take them painstaking years to undo what Wenger has achieved.

I agree, it will take time for any new manager, but you need someone who knows what he's doing in the 1st place, get a system in place, coach and drill players into playinga certain way and then make the necessary changes to personnely when the opportunity presents itself.

Thus far we had years of Wenger who didn't have a clue, followed it up with Emery who just wasn't up to the job and now have left Ljungberg in charge who is clearly out of his depth and using systems he learnt under a failed administration.

Bring in someone new who has done it, has experience and can come with fresh new idea and get rid of all the staff from this failed era so that we can start afresh.

[dostoy]

“Anyone would do better than Wenger”

:shrug:

If he was still in charge, Arsenal would be in the bottom 3 now.

Do you want Arsenal to win or do you enjoy saying this shit after every defeat, too much ?

[Niall_Quinn]

I agree, it will take time for any new manager, but you need someone who knows what he's doing in the 1st place, get a system in place, coach and drill players into playinga certain way and then make the necessary changes to personnely when the opportunity presents itself.

Thus far we had years of Wenger who didn't have a clue, followed it up with Emery who just wasn't up to the job and now have left Ljungberg in charge who is clearly out of his depth and using systems he learnt under a failed administration.

Bring in someone new who has done it, has experience and can come with fresh new idea and get rid of all the staff from this failed era so that we can start afresh.

Do you think anyone would be able to get something from these players? The rotten culture at this club has lasted over a decade now. These players are shot. Even Martinelli, you can see the kid has football in his boots and the enthusiasm to go with it. But how long will it take to grind him down to the level everyone else is performing at? Even more important than a system and a plan on the pitch, we need somebody who can change the whole culture. Enter Stan Kroenke. He'll be the guy the new manager is looking to for support.

So we're fucked. Our best bet is to wait for Stan to die of old age. Considering he's a vampire, that might take a while. And then kidnap Josh and issue demands for somebody else to buy the club.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Ignoring the nonsense Ljungberg says about being proud of the players and we played OK:


On the appointment of a new manager: "I've said to them [the board] they need to make a decision. We are here to help and the staff are trying to chip in but a decision has to be made so we can have the same resources as other clubs. When I say that they that say I have to wait and see."

Us. :haha:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/football/50092055

[Özim]

Do you think anyone would be able to get something from these players? The rotten culture at this club has lasted over a decade now. These players are shot. Even Martinelli, you can see the kid has football in his boots and the enthusiasm to go with it. But how long will it take to grind him down to the level everyone else is performing at? Even more important than a system and a plan on the pitch, we need somebody who can change the whole culture. Enter Stan Kroenke. He'll be the guy the new manager is looking to for support.

So we're fucked. Our best bet is to wait for Stan to die of old age. Considering he's a vampire, that might take a while. And then kidnap Josh and issue demands for somebody else to buy the club.

They could get more for sure, not saying it would fix all our issues but we'd be seeing something much better than we are now. Attacking wise we have very good players, but these days we struggle to score.

But we could also drill them into playing as more of a unit at the back. Manager definitely makes a difference, look at Mourinho at Spurs, he's won most of his games since he arrived, Rogers at Leicester is another example.

Of course we'll need replacements as well but realistiically that won't be until the summer, in the meantime a new manager can work out who he wants to keep and who he wants to get rid of.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

Do you think anyone would be able to get something from these players? t

Rafa Benitez.

Or any other coach who has a track record of playing the football we use to turn our noses up at in the EPL.

We really need to do a full 360 if we want to save this club and the longer we leave it the more terminal our ailment gets.

This why I miss us being run by real football people.

[Niall_Quinn]

Good question on Sky for a change. Should Arsenal have got rid of Emery/

Answer. Obviously no. what has moving from an experienced manager who can't do a fuck with this rabble, to an inexperienced manager who can't do a fuck with this rabble actually given us? The experienced manager might have drawn on something to solve a few bits here and there. Freddie has no such experience and will have to rely on blind luck. Statistically speaking, in terms of the chances of improving, we were better off with Dick. But the tourists needed something to tweet about, and so we've shot ourselves in the bollocks for the sheer engagement value.

The Sky lot sort of identified the egregious negligence of Wenger, although they still treat him with undeserved respect. And they've twigged that Arsenal were knee-jerked into sacking Emery by tourist fans who have Twatter accounts. So all that silliness happened. Now what?

Nobody except Sagna has a suggestion. He thinks Ancelotti. For once, Carragher was right when he shot that idea down. That guy is REALLY going to come in and do defending 101?

We're in some serious shit when Sky are making sense.

[Xhaka Can’t]

We have absolutely no defence. It's just not there. Players are turning up with the relevant numbers on their shirts. They are standing in the correct positions at kick-off.

Something to build on!!!

[Mac76]

NQ, the answer is 'yes'

Emery was picking the wrong teams amd formations, the difference today was IMO Freddie played the best 11 abailable but with a desperately makeshift defence and against a very strong side

Emery was pissing off players like Auba and Laca and while we may not keep them anyway, they'd defintely be going under Emery

We do now need to get in an experienced manager but also the owners need to commit to spending big on at least on central defender and another holding midfielder in January

[Xhaka Can’t]

The answer is no.

Not until they had someone lined up to replace him.

The result of their decision is that we are in limbo, with an inexperienced Manager who clearly wants the Board to do their fucking job so that he can go back to doing his, rather than being required to do something he is not yet cut out to do.

[Niall_Quinn]

NQ, the answer is 'yes'

Emery was picking the wrong teams amd formations, the difference today was IMO Freddie played the best 11 abailable but with a desperately makeshift defence and against a very strong side

Emery was pissing off players like Auba and Laca and while we may not keep them anyway, they'd defintely be going under Emery

We do now need to get in an experienced manager but also the owners need to commit to spending big on at least on central defender and another holding midfielder in January

i get what you are saying. But these sort of considerations are a bit like the entertainment director agonising over the schedule for 15th April, 1912. I think team selection and holding onto our best players are certainly issues, issues for normal clubs anyway, but they are number 489 and 672 on our list. Changing the players attitudes so they aren't swinging handbags, batting eyelids and begging to be raped is what we should be most focused on now.

[hobson's choice]

NQ, the answer is 'yes'

Emery was picking the wrong teams amd formations, the difference today was IMO Freddie played the best 11 abailable but with a desperately makeshift defence and against a very strong side

Emery was pissing off players like Auba and Laca and while we may not keep them anyway, they'd defintely be going under Emery

We do now need to get in an experienced manager but also the owners need to commit to spending big on at least on central defender and another holding midfielder in January

We don't need to spend anything. We are not 2/3 players and manager away from anything, other then slightly above average.

This a bad team, that has been terribly managed on the pitch and off. Wenger pretty much neglected his player, and Emery taught em how to run around and hope someone creates something outta nothing. These guys have no clue how to attack, defend or do anything as a team.

This club has to rebuild, and rebuild properly. Which means, we have to be bad for a couple of season. We are not City,PSG, we don't have the money to buy our way back to the top.

Unfortunately this club has no one who seems to understand or wants to accept this

[hobson's choice]

They could get more for sure, not saying it would fix all our issues but we'd be seeing something much better than we are now. Attacking wise we have very good players, but these days we struggle to score.

But we could also drill them into playing as more of a unit at the back. Manager definitely makes a difference, look at Mourinho at Spurs, he's won most of his games since he arrived, Rogers at Leicester is another example.

Of course we'll need replacements as well but realistiically that won't be until the summer, in the meantime a new manager can work out who he wants to keep and who he wants to get rid of.

Spurs were already a good team, with a strong Foundation.

And same for Leicester on a lesser level

[Niall_Quinn]

We don't need to spend anything. We are not 2/3 players and manager away from anything, other then slightly above average.

This a bad team, that has been terribly managed on the pitch and off. Wenger pretty much neglected his player, and Emery taught em how to run around and hope someone creates something outta nothing. These guys have no clue how to attack, defend or do anything as a team.

This club has to rebuild, and rebuild properly. Which means, we have to be bad for a couple of season. We are not City,PSG, we don't have the money to buy our way back to the top.

Unfortunately this club has no one who seems to understand or wants to accept this

If we hired a magician he could wave a magic wand and it would all be better. Trust the vocal fans on this, and buy their merch whilst you are at it.

Agreed. Cultural shift required. Everything that was, is gone. We are now a mid-table (just about) PL team who might be able to scrap out the odd result against opponents who are having an off-day. And we'll probably scrape up enough points to ensure we aren't fighting relegation by the end of the season. But there's always next season if things don't change.

Absolutely right, we're living in the past (and have been for over a decade) and we're refusing to accept the reality. We think a few tweaks will reignite some sort of second tier glory, maybe a Europa win (despite the ever so predictable humiliation of last year), or a coveted top 4 (despite relentless collapses, even when the rest of the league was virtually handing it to us). These players have no guts when the going gets tough. Half of them are here because we're still, based on the past and based on the finances that past bought us, a big club. And they're clued in, playing the free transfer game. I can't point to one of them and say, there's an Arsenal man. When Jack and that silly bastard Ches went, the last Arsenal men went. I don't see any of that passion for the club in any of these players now. Don't show me your love in a tweet - show it on the pitch.

It comes from the top. The absentee scumbags we have running the shop now (just the shop, mind you) don't give a fuck about the club beyond its capacity to fill their wallets. And so that dereliction filters down. Wenger was the same by the end. Rattling on about his top 4 trophies instead of competing to win the actual trophy.

Maybe just sack all the big shots and give the kids a chance. Maybe they'll grow to love the club as they grow into a decent team. That would give the new manager something build with. But these fans who think we are still somehow up there, at the top, because we have a God given right to be there just because the ticket prices are almost as high as they are. They'll sink any manager who doesn't deliver in 15 minutes flat. Because, as you say, they refuse to accept. I listen to them, they say things like, "with all due respect to [INSERT NAME OF PROPER TEAM HERE] - this is Arsenal! And we should be winning here!"

Why? Weren't they watching what has been happening over the last decade?

[I am invisible]

Is it true that Ljungberg basically has Mertesacker and some random goalkeeping coach to help out and that’s it?

[Bumble]

Is it true that Ljungberg basically has Mertesacker and some random goalkeeping coach to help out and that’s it?

Think there are merts some other guy and goalkeeping coach. All emerys staff got sacked

[Marc Overmars]

It’s getting to the point now where the team is so broken that any new coach will struggle to salvage anything this season. These players are just going through the motions and have no real heart for the fight. A joke of a team.

[I am invisible]

Think there are merts some other guy and goalkeeping coach. All emerys staff got sacked
Shit almighty... why did they let him bring in so many of his own men? I thought the idea, post-Wenger, was to tie coaching (and scouting and fitness and analysis, etc) to the club and not be 100% reliant on whoever the manager happens to be? Bottled that one at the first chance then.

[I am invisible]

I mean it’s just embarrassing as much as anything else. Is there any other club of our size in the world who has to pull the head of their academy away from his duties because the first team doesn’t have any coaches? What a mess.

[Globalgunner]

There was no point holding on to any of Wengers men. They were part of the problem. Men with sight that refused to see the calamity unfolding slowly before their eyes. Even with Wenger gone and Emery`s 18 months its still as if nothing has changed. Our concept of the game is so not fit for purpose. The first goal came from Fernandinho running past 3 players and no one put in a tackle. No one. It then ends up with our defence who as we know would take flight at the sight of 3 hard charging Bambi`s coming at them.

The club needs a clearout if possible. Every person involved in the training and recruitment regime who has been here in the last 5 years is tainted with the same redundant philosophy. Our transition is slow, we never takes shots from outside the box. We cannot sense danger and snuff it out unless its already 10 yards from the keeper and then we all collectively panic. No leaders, no fight, no playing style. Its as if the disease of a decade has filtered through like a contagion. every single player has it. AMN wakes up each morning feeling like hes won a 100 million lottery. At which other club would a clearly inferior player like him get so much playing time. Ozil thinks as long as he makes 2 killer passes a game, he is worth his mighty coin and why would anyone dare take him off. He sees players like KDB making a difference to his team but doesnt care. He has a WC winners medal after all. Guendueozi, should be in the reserves, he is a nothing player at the moment, that kid Davies at Everton is a much better player and only plays a bit part for them and is far from a complete player, However Guen is a bedrock of this sad team

A new manager of a new mindset is needed, even in a short term capacity. Freddie will relegate us, he is part and parcel of the bad system, so he cant see his way to fixing it. i see Freddie, I see Merts behind him, that gangly, cowardly, dopey giraffe. I see failure

[Marc Overmars]

I’m telling you this team can’t be fixed. There’s just so much wrong with it you don’t even know where to begin, there isn’t a single redeeming quality that gives you a case for encouragement.

You put Pepe in Liverpool’s team and I bet he’d be like Mane. Auba would score 50 goals in City’s team, hell even the gutless wonder that is Ozil might deliver KDB’s numbers.

No one is played to their strengths because of this rancid, outdated style of play that is now merely a remnant from Wenger’s heyday. No one knows any other way of playing football at this club because it’s so ingrained into the fabric. Perfectly good players have lost all value and reputation now they‘ve been through our muddy waters.

Everything needs a facelift, we’re so far behind the curve now it’s unreal. I remember when we used to be trendsetters, now it feels like we’re only just discovering HD TV while everyone else has 4K, 5K or whatever the fuck it is these days.

[Letters]

That fucker started it all and he was the one that bought Ozil, Kola, Xhaka, Sokratis and Mustafi and probably a few others as well.

A squad that finished a couple of points of 4th last year and got to the Europa League final :shrug:

[Letters]

If he was still in charge, Arsenal would be in the bottom 3 now.
If Mourinho was our manager we'd be top now.
See? I can make up unverifiable bollocks too. Fun, isn't it?
My ripose is - no, no we wouldn't. My evidence for that is this is our worst start since long, long before Wenger was our manager.
At no point during his tenure were we anywhere near the bottom 3 at this stage of the season.
His last season was the only one in 22 years when we didn't finish either in or close to the top 4. The season after he left we went close again.
The squad he left us with certainly needed work but it wasn't that bad.
If you're going to claim it was then you're going to have to explain to me how the year after he left we went close to top 4 and got to the Europa League Final.


Do you want Arsenal to win or do you enjoy saying this shit after every defeat, too much ?

Both, tbh. Those two things are not contradictory.
Not shit though, is it? People like you have been shown to be wrong. It's not really debatable any more, you just need to look at the results.
But you can keep pretending you were right if you like

[Letters]

Good question on Sky for a change. Should Arsenal have got rid of Emery/

Answer. Obviously no. what has moving from an experienced manager who can't do a fuck with this rabble, to an inexperienced manager who can't do a fuck with this rabble actually given us?

I don't think it was an error getting rid of Emery. But it was an error getting rid of him with no plan about who to replace him with
That's the bit that makes me facepalm.

[Letters]

Spurs were already a good team, with a strong Foundation.

They finished a point above us last season.
I literally don't understand why people keep sucking their cocks and saying what a terrible squad we have.
But for our ridiculous collapse we would have easily finished above them and in the top 4 last season.

Literally last season we finished 2 points off top 4 and got to the Europa League final. Last season!
EDIT: We got 70 points last year, and that was with the collapse. That is enough to be top 6 in every season for as long as I could be bothered checking, it would have been top 4 in many of those seasons.

This is not a mid-table squad and I refuse to believe the right manager can't get more out of this lot.

[Ralpheroo72]

Our club is being skull fucked with the curtains open

[Xhaka Can’t]

MO has nailed it in his post.

There is so much wrong with this Club that it doesn’t matter who we target to take over.

Any target worth their salt would run a mile from this mess.

[Letters]

Disagree, for the reasons I've outlined.
Last year we were close to top 4, we really should have finished in the top 4 - you yourself said that Wenger would have got us finishing top 4 with that run-in.
And we got to a major European final.

We are a mess but I refuse to believe the right manager wouldn't come in and have a significant impact.

[Xhaka Can’t]

In that position. With that run in.

Yes I believe Wenger would have got us in the top 4.

All it would’ve taken was one win.

However, since then we spent over £100m in the wrong places and the malaise and decline has continued to accelerate at an alarming pace from an already alarming final third of last season.

There is no structure, there is a toxic culture and an uninterested and unimaginative ownership.

We have all the ingredients lined up to ensure things turn out as badly as possible.

[Letters]

Oh well, Arteta will sort it all out :cool:

:(


:crying:



:ilt:

[Bumble]

I don't think it was an error getting rid of Emery. But it was an error getting rid of him with no plan about who to replace him with
That's the bit that makes me facepalm.

that was the problem.. they didn't have a plan as they didn't really want to get rid of Emery. Think it was a case of crossing fingers that we would pull a result or two out of the bag and go on a half decent run that Arsenal do sometime come up with.

But that failed and that's the problem.... however there are experienced managers available that would surely improve the current situation. obviously we cant just bring in any manager to improve things. but I think we need someone with experience of English football.

in terms of the game... our back four get a lot of the blame but I think our midfield when its either gendo or xhaka... do not have the mentality of stopping goals at any cost. draw a foul, or bust a gut to get in the box... they both just amble back.

[dostoy]

Who bought Ozil ?

Who let his contract run down until he had barely 1 year left ?

Who then offered him 350k a week to stay ?

Ozil is everything that is wrong with this club and he is STILL here ?

A lot of the problems we have now is Wengers fault and I cannot see it changing until Ozil and about 5 others are removed and replaced with better, hungrier players who have more heart and more determination.

[Letters]

Who stopped playing Ozil but didn't get rid oh him either despite having had 3 transfer windows to sort it out.
Who made Xhaka captain.
Who spent another summer not sorting out our defence?

:coffee:

[Bumble]

Who stopped playing Ozil but didn't get rid oh him either despite having had 3 transfer windows to sort it out.
Who made Xhaka captain.
Who spent another summer not sorting out our defence?

:coffee:

I think you find that he delegated naming Xhaka as captain to the players. So that was a good move.

I actually think Ozil wasn't totally hopeless yesterday. He got the ball a lot.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

I think you find that he delegated naming Xhaka as captain to the players. So that was a good move.

I actually think Ozil wasn't totally hopeless yesterday. He got the ball a lot.

Me too, but the walking off slowly did irk me, though I don't think it was as bad as when Xhaka did it. Different scoreline and opposition etc.

[dostoy]

Who stopped playing Ozil but didn't get rid oh him either despite having had 3 transfer windows to sort it out.
Who made Xhaka captain.
Who spent another summer not sorting out our defence?

:coffee:

There was improvement last season but this season has gone backwards, most of that was due to the players that Wenger signed.

I hated Wenger because he was diabolical and so predictable.

Emery made mistakes this season but look what rubbish he was left with.

[Letters]

There was improvement last season but this season has gone backwards, most of that was due to the players that Wenger signed.

...wasn't the improvement last season due to players Wenger signed? Last season was closer to Wenger's squad than this year's :shrug:

I'm not saying he is blameless but last season's end result tells me we are not that bad. I honestly think the right manager could come in and improve us significantly.

[I am invisible]

There was no point holding on to any of Wengers men. They were part of the problem. Men with sight that refused to see the calamity unfolding slowly before their eyes. Even with Wenger gone and Emery`s 18 months its still as if nothing has changed. Our concept of the game is so not fit for purpose. The first goal came from Fernandinho running past 3 players and no one put in a tackle. No one. It then ends up with our defence who as we know would take flight at the sight of 3 hard charging Bambi`s coming at them.

The club needs a clearout if possible. Every person involved in the training and recruitment regime who has been here in the last 5 years is tainted with the same redundant philosophy. Our transition is slow, we never takes shots from outside the box. We cannot sense danger and snuff it out unless its already 10 yards from the keeper and then we all collectively panic. No leaders, no fight, no playing style. Its as if the disease of a decade has filtered through like a contagion. every single player has it. AMN wakes up each morning feeling like hes won a 100 million lottery. At which other club would a clearly inferior player like him get so much playing time. Ozil thinks as long as he makes 2 killer passes a game, he is worth his mighty coin and why would anyone dare take him off. He sees players like KDB making a difference to his team but doesnt care. He has a WC winners medal after all. Guendueozi, should be in the reserves, he is a nothing player at the moment, that kid Davies at Everton is a much better player and only plays a bit part for them and is far from a complete player, However Guen is a bedrock of this sad team

A new manager of a new mindset is needed, even in a short term capacity. Freddie will relegate us, he is part and parcel of the bad system, so he cant see his way to fixing it. i see Freddie, I see Merts behind him, that gangly, cowardly, dopey giraffe. I see failure
Yeah, I agree with most of this (although I do think you’re being harsh on Ljungberg and Mertesacker) - as soon as Wenger and his men were gone we should have wiped the slate clean and started building out the club’s own coaching, scouting and analytics staff, independently of whoever we brought in as manager / first team coach.

Things like basic defending shouldn’t ever come down to whoever we happen to have in charge of the first team at any given moment - the club itself should be drilling that into our players as a basic standard that’s expected of every first team player. The first team coach should then be brought in to apply the finishing, tactical and motivational touches - he shouldn’t have to come in to teach the players fundamental skills.

By all means allow each new first team coach to bring a few trusted lieutenants with him - that just makes sense - but their entourage should always augment a backbone of the club’s own coaching staff: Arsenal men who should be learning and absorbing new ideas from each new head coach to make sure the club is retaining and adding to its knowledge, and constantly evolving its footballing identity.

Honestly, I’d forget any thoughts of hiring someone like an Allegri for now - there’s no point in even approaching that level of coach until we have some basic standards in place again (and/or some significant funds for them to overhaul everything, neither of which we have). What we should be doing is chucking money at the behind-the-scenes defensive coaches at Juventus, the scouts at Leicester, etc, etc - all the people who keep churning out air-tight defences and unearthing gems for their clubs, year after year, coach after coach. We can start looking at galactico-level coaches once we’ve got our house in order, but at the moment it feels like we’re a million miles away from that point...

[Letters]

I think you find that he delegated naming Xhaka as captain to the players. So that was a good move.

I actually think Ozil wasn't totally hopeless yesterday. He got the ball a lot.

You know, at the time I thought getting the players to pick their captain wasn't the worst idea, but now it's not looking like it was a very clever thing to do.

Emery clearly had a problem with Ozil but he didn't deal with it. He didn't play him or get rid of him, it was a ridiculous situation when we had our highest paid player either in the stands or sitting on the bench.

[Globalgunner]

You cant get rid of a player with an iron clad contract. Even if you wanted to pay him off you cant unless the contract stipulates it. Ozil is all on Wenger im afraid.
But back to yesterday. Pepe has just been here 6 months. He just watches Fernandinho waltz by him without even attempting to tackle. Im pretty sure he didnt learn that where he was coming from. We breed lackadaisicality. They catch it within days of arrival

[Letters]

We breed lackadaisicality
That's a great word, if it is one, which I don't think it is.
I sort of agree but they go elsewhere and it's soon knocked out of them again. There is nothing inherently wrong with (most of) the players. There is an issue with the culture but are we seriously saying that a new manager can't come in and change that? Why not?
These are all by dint of getting to the very top of the game highly motivated and competitive. It shouldn't be too hard for the right manager with the right skills to harness that and get them going.
As I keep saying, we weren't far of a top 4 spot last year, we got to a European final. Just last season. They're not that bad.
But we had a manager who wasn't getting the best out of them.
And right now we literally don't have a manager at all.

:ilt:

[dazthegooner]

Well Merson has said Arteta would be a bad move, so get him in now. Merse claims he wants Arsenal to do well but he'll always be a Chelski fan :good:

[Mac76]

Well Merson has said Arteta would be a bad move, so get him in now. Merse claims he wants Arsenal to do well but he'll always be a Chelski fan :good:

i won't hear a bad word against Merse for this alone...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC7PQUHJU9E

[Özim]

Well Merson has said Arteta would be a bad move, so get him in now. Merse claims he wants Arsenal to do well but he'll always be a Chelski fan :good:

Kevin Campbell thinks it's a bad move too.

[Özim]

i won't hear a bad word against Merse for this alone...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC7PQUHJU9E

:lol: He's a genius!

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Kevin Campbell thinks it's a bad move too.

Charlie Nicholas doesn't.

I don't think any of this is advancing the argument for or against though. :lol:

[Niall_Quinn]

that was the problem.. they didn't have a plan as they didn't really want to get rid of Emery. Think it was a case of crossing fingers that we would pull a result or two out of the bag and go on a half decent run that Arsenal do sometime come up with.

But that failed and that's the problem.... however there are experienced managers available that would surely improve the current situation. obviously we cant just bring in any manager to improve things. but I think we need someone with experience of English football.

in terms of the game... our back four get a lot of the blame but I think our midfield when its either gendo or xhaka... do not have the mentality of stopping goals at any cost. draw a foul, or bust a gut to get in the box... they both just amble back.

Which brings us to the fans, or certain sections of the fans, who have missed the whole point of Wenger Out. Wenger had to go (much sooner than he did) because he's the guy, with the willing assistance of a board (and vice versa) who let every single non-financial aspect (and several financial aspects too, due to incompetence) fall into ruin. Some of the fans have taken this to be an open invitation to chase the next manager out based on the genius ideology of, We are Arsenal, we're a big club, we pay a lot of money, therefore..."

Trouble is, we aren't Arsenal any more, not the passing, fluent, competitive, winning Arsenal that they believe is somehow still locked inside this shambles waiting to be revealed by a magician. And we most certainly aren't a big club any more. We don't have the players, we don't have the money and we don't have the results to in any way refer to ourselves as a big club. Historically we're a big club. That counts for shit, as we saw on Sunday.

Get Klopp in now and he'd need to change the whole team over 3 years to get us back in the fight. I don't think he'd get three years from many of the fans. And the board has already shown how lily livered it is. That's a big message to send out to the next guy. Perform or else. We won't give you anything to perform with, and we won't support you when the going gets tough, but deliver anyway.

A large segment of the fans need to take some responsibility for what's happening now. If they can take a break from congratulating themselves for being such great fans.

When we rejoin the real world and start seeing the club as our opponents see us, weak, unimaginative, inferior (the very opposite of what Arsenal used to be) then we can start asking, okay, what should a mediocre, small time club be doing to improve? Gradually, methodically, over a protracted period of time? We need a manager who can deliver that powerpoint presentation, not the one that bangs on about a top 4 place that would see us humiliated on the pitch while the Kroenkes make bank again.

I don't think they had a plan when they hired Emery, not a realistic one at least. And they sure as hell don't have one now. What the fuck were we doing signing a player like Pepe for 72 million quid? What does that get us. It just shows how out of touch everyone at the club is right now. Absolutely delusional, and half the fan base is right there with them.