Where has Wenger gone wrong?

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Originally Posted by selassie

Yep, very sad. I don’t know what the powers of be are saying to him but it must be clear to him now that the fan base have just given up. Honestly, I actually feel sorry for him, I mean it’s clear he has completely lost his way. It’s not like a couple of seasons ago where we were playing attractive football and capable of beating anyone or going on a long unbeaten run, it’s far from that now. We genuinely are a very average team, we can’t even pass the ball FFS.

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Why?

He's not a stupid man in terms of intelligence. So either he's had a mental breakdown (as I have suggested) or he's deliberately put his own interests over those of the club, something he said he would never do. I don't think you can feel sympathy for such a selfish individual. You can pity him, despise him, hold him in contempt, but have sympathy for a guy who must surely have known the risks and took them anyway so the needs of the one could take precedence over the needs of the many?

If he's had a breakdown then it's Kroenke that deserves our contempt for allowing a sick man to continue in this position and be battered from all sides. Well, Kroenke deserves our contempt anyway so nothing new there.

But I won't be joining in the Wenger love-in that will inevitably occur when he leaves. That bridge was burned the minute he signed the last contract. Blown up in fact given the way he bypassed his own (alleged) boss and ran to Stan. And how can you have sympathy for a man who is so arrogant he simply refuses to listen to the tidal wave of opinion that is pointing out the obvious?

Like any dictator, he craves power and he's done whatever it took to hold onto it. I don't respect that and I don't sympathise with it and no matter what the guy has done in the past he won't be forgiven for what he's done in the present - not by me anyway. Which I know will come as a severe blow to him because he respects me just as much as I respect him, in fact he "respects" all the fans in the same way. He's blamed us enough times for his failings after all.

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Originally Posted by Letters

Is that actually how you think that phrase goes? :lol:

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I do the typo thing as a joke, "You said..."

You do it for real :doh:

I used t feel sorry for him, but he just won't listen. Even Wrighty and Keown are questioning him - hell everyone is. The commentator and pundit on the Sunday match were saying the only change will come is when the manager goes, the media never used to do that, we had to be 'careful what we wished for' and how we as Arsenal fans were ungrateful. Not any more.

I don't feel sorry for him, I don't really feel anything now. I said last night I'm even sure what the point is in talking about what's going wrong anymore.

This sums it up perfectly:

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

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Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn

I do the typo thing as a joke, "You said..."

You do it for real :doh:

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It just amused me. As Zim's a Frenchy, he might genuinely think that's what the phrase is.

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Originally Posted by Letters

It just amused me. As Zim's a Frenchy, he might genuinely think that's what the phrase is.

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French!

When did that happen? Why hasn't he been banned?

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Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn

French!

When did that happen? Why hasn't he been banned?

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It’s worse than you think

I’m pretty sure there are blacks and Asians on here too

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Originally Posted by Letters

Is that actually how you think that phrase goes? :lol:

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No obviously it's write home about!

I wrote it in a hurry without thinking.

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Originally Posted by Özim

No obviously it's write home about!

I wrote it in a hurry without thinking.

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:lol: Fair enough :hug:

Controversially, I do actually agree with much of your post. I do intend to respond properly.

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Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn

French!

When did that happen? Why hasn't he been banned?

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Only anti-Wenger people get banned on here. Zim's cheery pro-Wenger stance (I guess because of their shared nationality) means he's safe from my infamous ban hammer.

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Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn

Why?

He's not a stupid man in terms of intelligence. So either he's had a mental breakdown (as I have suggested) or he's deliberately put his own interests over those of the club, something he said he would never do. I don't think you can feel sympathy for such a selfish individual. You can pity him, despise him, hold him in contempt, but have sympathy for a guy who must surely have known the risks and took them anyway so the needs of the one could take precedence over the needs of the many?

If he's had a breakdown then it's Kroenke that deserves our contempt for allowing a sick man to continue in this position and be battered from all sides. Well, Kroenke deserves our contempt anyway so nothing new there.

But I won't be joining in the Wenger love-in that will inevitably occur when he leaves. That bridge was burned the minute he signed the last contract. Blown up in fact given the way he bypassed his own (alleged) boss and ran to Stan. And how can you have sympathy for a man who is so arrogant he simply refuses to listen to the tidal wave of opinion that is pointing out the obvious?

Like any dictator, he craves power and he's done whatever it took to hold onto it. I don't respect that and I don't sympathise with it and no matter what the guy has done in the past he won't be forgiven for what he's done in the present - not by me anyway. Which I know will come as a severe blow to him because he respects me just as much as I respect him, in fact he "respects" all the fans in the same way. He's blamed us enough times for his failings after all.

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Sure NQ, I hear you. I mean don't get me wrong I still think he is a defiant, deluded, selfish, arrogant and stubborn man, of course he is a dictator, but I also think he's kidding himself if he feels he is doing a good job and that everybody is over-reacting, that is the gist of what he was saying the other day in his press conference. I feel sorry for him if he truly believes this. His only defence these days is what he did 10 years ago and what clubs he turned down 10 years ago, nobody really cares anymore....that was then, this is now.

If he clings onto his job this summer then he is a fool. He is destroying the club right before our eyes and I don't think I am over-reacting in saying this. He was 100% responsible for the half empty stadium last night, he is 100% responsible for the team and the mess it is currently in and has been in for a couple of years. He is 100% responsible for years of underachievement, poor recruitment etc.

I don't respect him at all, that respect went a long time ago. I respect what he did over 10 years ago...but not now.

FFIW, I do actually think he's just putting his interests over those of the club, I have thought that for a while now, especially after last summer and his grovelling act to Kroenke.

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Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn

Why?

He's not a stupid man in terms of intelligence. So either he's had a mental breakdown (as I have suggested) or he's deliberately put his own interests over those of the club, something he said he would never do. I don't think you can feel sympathy for such a selfish individual. You can pity him, despise him, hold him in contempt, but have sympathy for a guy who must surely have known the risks and took them anyway so the needs of the one could take precedence over the needs of the many?

If he's had a breakdown then it's Kroenke that deserves our contempt for allowing a sick man to continue in this position and be battered from all sides. Well, Kroenke deserves our contempt anyway so nothing new there.

But I won't be joining in the Wenger love-in that will inevitably occur when he leaves. That bridge was burned the minute he signed the last contract. Blown up in fact given the way he bypassed his own (alleged) boss and ran to Stan. And how can you have sympathy for a man who is so arrogant he simply refuses to listen to the tidal wave of opinion that is pointing out the obvious?

Like any dictator, he craves power and he's done whatever it took to hold onto it. I don't respect that and I don't sympathise with it and no matter what the guy has done in the past he won't be forgiven for what he's done in the present - not by me anyway. Which I know will come as a severe blow to him because he respects me just as much as I respect him, in fact he "respects" all the fans in the same way. He's blamed us enough times for his failings after all.

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Hmmm - I think the reality is that it will take a long time...but eventually he will be recognised for what he achieved - even if this is tempered by the fact that he will be held up as an object lesson in outstaying his welcome...a kind of footballing Robert Mugabe if you will.

:edit: although the only slaughtering AW has done (to the best of my knowledge) is to his football team.

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Originally Posted by HCZ

It’s worse than you think

I’m pretty sure there are blacks and Asians on here too

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Scaremongering at it's finest.

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Originally Posted by selassie

Sure NQ, I hear you. I mean don't get me wrong I still think he is a defiant, deluded, selfish, arrogant and stubborn man, of course he is a dictator, but I also think he's kidding himself if he feels he is doing a good job and that everybody is over-reacting, that is the gist of what he was saying the other day in his press conference. I feel sorry for him if he truly believes this. His only defence these days is what he did 10 years ago and what clubs he turned down 10 years ago, nobody really cares anymore....that was then, this is now.

If he clings onto his job this summer then he is a fool. He is destroying the club right before our eyes and I don't think I am over-reacting in saying this. He was 100% responsible for the half empty stadium last night, he is 100% responsible for the team and the mess it is currently in and has been in for a couple of years. He is 100% responsible for years of underachievement, poor recruitment etc.

I don't respect him at all, that respect went a long time ago. I respect what he did over 10 years ago...but not now.

FFIW, I do actually think he's just putting his interests over those of the club, I have thought that for a while now, especially after last summer and his grovelling act to Kroenke.

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He probably didn't turn down any of those job offers anyway. He probably turned up to negotiate and after 6 months they just said, Oh forget it FFS! Fuck off!

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Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn

Why?

He's not a stupid man in terms of intelligence. So either he's had a mental breakdown (as I have suggested) or he's deliberately put his own interests over those of the club, something he said he would never do. I don't think you can feel sympathy for such a selfish individual. You can pity him, despise him, hold him in contempt, but have sympathy for a guy who must surely have known the risks and took them anyway so the needs of the one could take precedence over the needs of the many?

If he's had a breakdown then it's Kroenke that deserves our contempt for allowing a sick man to continue in this position and be battered from all sides. Well, Kroenke deserves our contempt anyway so nothing new there.

But I won't be joining in the Wenger love-in that will inevitably occur when he leaves. That bridge was burned the minute he signed the last contract. Blown up in fact given the way he bypassed his own (alleged) boss and ran to Stan. And how can you have sympathy for a man who is so arrogant he simply refuses to listen to the tidal wave of opinion that is pointing out the obvious?

Like any dictator, he craves power and he's done whatever it took to hold onto it. I don't respect that and I don't sympathise with it and no matter what the guy has done in the past he won't be forgiven for what he's done in the present - not by me anyway. Which I know will come as a severe blow to him because he respects me just as much as I respect him, in fact he "respects" all the fans in the same way. He's blamed us enough times for his failings after all.

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Zero sympathy for Wenger. He'll dish it out when he wants so I don't really care what comes his way. A few difficult questions won't make me feel sorry for the guy. He's taking the aboslute piss and I don't care how he leaves.

None of those big clubs have been anything close to the scrupulous, ethical, football is a sport first utopians ideals of a football club Wenger has always aligned himself with anyway.

I've often struggled to imagine what kind of club other than Arsenal he can currently operate in having the principles he has and having been in something of a bubble for over 20 years where things operate in a very particular way where he has a lot of control.

A bubble that's virtually in a time capsule!

In many ways he is more suited to a small to medium lower profile club than one of the biggest in the world. I would love to ask him about that.

Does anyone have a guess how much Wenger has stashed away these days. Would it be enough to buy Kroenke out?. Imagine if Wenger could buy Arsenal, then he would be here for 50 years. Where is Flamini these days?. He has money, if those two were to team up. Perish the thought. A 90 year old manager and a 55 year old midfielder running our team. Im putting out an APB for Flamini, right now.

Zim's French :lol:

That explains a lot.

https://twitter.com/DarrenArsenal1/s...056264705?s=19

DarrenArsenal:bow:

Pretty damning but fair assessment I’d say

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Originally Posted by Vieira

https://twitter.com/DarrenArsenal1/s...056264705?s=19

DarrenArsenal:bow:

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Decent article that.

A bit of a p*ss take on 5 Live fighting talk of Arsene and Arsenal TV. Oh we are a laughing stock!

I think it's as simple as he was a man ahead of his time...but that time was over 20 years ago.

It seems obvious now that footballers are athletes and should behave as such. When Wenger came in it was in the era when clubs still had "drinking schools", players would start the day with fried breakfasts.
Wenger's diet and fitness methods made us fitter than other teams. Players from that era have credited Wenger for extending their careers.

He also had a knowledge of the European and worldwide game which allowed him to cherry-pick some great players before they were on other team's radars.
It was perhaps a happy co-incidence that it was at a time when French players had a golden generation.

He did inherit a good defence and captain but just crediting his success to that is too simplistic - The Invincibles was pretty much entirely Wenger's squad, Vieira was Wenger's captain.

So where did it all go wrong? Wenger has always had weaknesses.
He was never a good motivator - but you don't need to be when you've got Adams or Vieira out there.
He was never a good tactician - but when you've got players like Vieira, Henry, Bergkamp et al, you don't need to be a master tactician.

Wenger's weaknesses were always apparent, looking back. It's hard to notice when you're winning a sack of trophies, but thinking back - we never retained the title, that squad really should have.
We failed in Europe - that squad really should have won a CL or two.
But in the early days his strengths outweighed his weaknesses.

Then other clubs started to improve their fitness methods.
Other clubs started to build global scouting networks.
Then the billionaires stuck their oars in.

Wenger no longer has the edge he once had. He's like a man who had a 128k Spectrum when everyone else had 48k ones, but then everyone else bought and Atari ST and Wenger didn't upgrade.
I still think he did pretty well in an era when the billionaires were starting to have a big impact and our finances were restricted by the stadium move to keep us relatively competitive.
For all the failures the 3 FA Cups have been nice.
But he's just not up to competing for the biggest prizes any more.

IMO the issue is more than Wenger hasn't changed, football has changed around him and he's been unable to keep up.
To be fair, not managers can. Clough did amazing things but couldn't sustain it and ended up taking Forest down in the end.
We haven't fallen anywhere near that far and I don't think we will. I just wish Wenger had gone at the end of last season, it was probably his last chance to get out with some dignity.

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Originally Posted by Letters

I think it's as simple as he was a man ahead of his time...but that time was over 20 years ago.

It seems obvious now that footballers are athletes and should behave as such. When Wenger came in it was in the era when clubs still had "drinking schools", players would start the day with fried breakfasts.
Wenger's diet and fitness methods made us fitter than other teams. Players from that era have credited Wenger for extending their careers.

He also had a knowledge of the European and worldwide game which allowed him to cherry-pick some great players before they were on other team's radars.
It was perhaps a happy co-incidence that it was at a time when French players had a golden generation.

He did inherit a good defence and captain but just crediting his success to that is too simplistic - The Invincibles was pretty much entirely Wenger's squad, Vieira was Wenger's captain.

So where did it all go wrong? Wenger has always had weaknesses.
He was never a good motivator - but you don't need to be when you've got Adams or Vieira out there.
He was never a good tactician - but when you've got players like Vieira, Henry, Bergkamp et al, you don't need to be a master tactician.

Wenger's weaknesses were always apparent, looking back. It's hard to notice when you're winning a sack of trophies, but thinking back - we never retained the title, that squad really should have.
We failed in Europe - that squad really should have won a CL or two.
But in the early days his strengths outweighed his weaknesses.

Then other clubs started to improve their fitness methods.
Other clubs started to build global scouting networks.
Then the billionaires stuck their oars in.

Wenger no longer has the edge he once had. He's like a man who had a 128k Spectrum when everyone else had 48k ones, but then everyone else bought and Atari ST and Wenger didn't upgrade.
I still think he did pretty well in an era when the billionaires were starting to have a big impact and our finances were restricted by the stadium move to keep us relatively competitive.
For all the failures the 3 FA Cups have been nice.
But he's just not up to competing for the biggest prizes any more.

IMO the issue is more than Wenger hasn't changed, football has changed around him and he's been unable to keep up.
To be fair, not managers can. Clough did amazing things but couldn't sustain it and ended up taking Forest down in the end.
We haven't fallen anywhere near that far and I don't think we will. I just wish Wenger had gone at the end of last season, it was probably his last chance to get out with some dignity.

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You're right about him always having these weaknesses and I'm glad it can be discussed without people saying it's revisionism. The rose tints have now come off.

I think Wenger also stubbornly resisted the money coming in to football.

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Originally Posted by Goonermerree

I think Wenger also stubbornly resisted the money coming in to football.

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There's the morality of a thing and then there's the reality of it. If Wenger's role these past 20 years had been to philosophise about the state of modern football then he's made some good points and done a great job, maybe too good a job as he never shuts up. But his actual job, in the real world, has been football manager of Arsenal Football Club. And the goal of a competitive sports team is to win. That's what he's resisted.

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Originally Posted by Delusions of Grandeur

You're right about him always having these weaknesses and I'm glad it can be discussed without people saying it's revisionism. The rose tints have now come off.

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I've been arguing this for years, that the problem isn't how much he's change but how much he hasn't while football has changed around him.
But it is revisionism to claim silly things like he was never any good in the first place and he just got lucky and inherited a good squad.

The game has certainly moved on without him but recently I actually think he’s developed new weaknesses.

He was never that bad a coach, he always managed to deliver a high standard of football even when the squad was perceived to be a lot weaker than it is now. Getting his team to be the sum of their parts was always something you could rely on but now the team is so dysfunctional, he’s really lost his grasp on them. He’s developed a blind spot for how his teams have always played and now we’re left with this broken mess we see today. He could elevate the game of any player but individuals are actually becoming worse under his guidance now.

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Originally Posted by Letters

I think it's as simple as he was a man ahead of his time...but that time was over 20 years ago.

It seems obvious now that footballers are athletes and should behave as such. When Wenger came in it was in the era when clubs still had "drinking schools", players would start the day with fried breakfasts.
Wenger's diet and fitness methods made us fitter than other teams. Players from that era have credited Wenger for extending their careers.

He also had a knowledge of the European and worldwide game which allowed him to cherry-pick some great players before they were on other team's radars.
It was perhaps a happy co-incidence that it was at a time when French players had a golden generation.

He did inherit a good defence and captain but just crediting his success to that is too simplistic - The Invincibles was pretty much entirely Wenger's squad, Vieira was Wenger's captain.

So where did it all go wrong? Wenger has always had weaknesses.
He was never a good motivator - but you don't need to be when you've got Adams or Vieira out there.
He was never a good tactician - but when you've got players like Vieira, Henry, Bergkamp et al, you don't need to be a master tactician.

Wenger's weaknesses were always apparent, looking back. It's hard to notice when you're winning a sack of trophies, but thinking back - we never retained the title, that squad really should have.
We failed in Europe - that squad really should have won a CL or two.
But in the early days his strengths outweighed his weaknesses.

Then other clubs started to improve their fitness methods.
Other clubs started to build global scouting networks.
Then the billionaires stuck their oars in.

Wenger no longer has the edge he once had. He's like a man who had a 128k Spectrum when everyone else had 48k ones, but then everyone else bought and Atari ST and Wenger didn't upgrade.
I still think he did pretty well in an era when the billionaires were starting to have a big impact and our finances were restricted by the stadium move to keep us relatively competitive.
For all the failures the 3 FA Cups have been nice.
But he's just not up to competing for the biggest prizes any more.

IMO the issue is more than Wenger hasn't changed, football has changed around him and he's been unable to keep up.
To be fair, not managers can. Clough did amazing things but couldn't sustain it and ended up taking Forest down in the end.
We haven't fallen anywhere near that far and I don't think we will. I just wish Wenger had gone at the end of last season, it was probably his last chance to get out with some dignity.

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Agree with all that. Where 'blame' has to be apportioned however is that because of his unprecedented position of power at our club, AW also has an unprecedented duty to take responsibility for what has now been obvious for some time. He has steadfastly resisted the opportunity to bring fresh personnel and ideas into the club - assistant managers with real power to help him, and has been opposed even to the changes in scouting and directorship that have happened lately. For someone with his intelligence and pedigree, it his his lack of understanding and oversight that has to a large degree led to this mess. For years he has been the only person who can in reality orchestrate some change - yes of course the owner and board have connived in this but if the manager had had any real sense of altruism for AFC he should have recognised what was happening and taken steps to address this. What is looks like is that our club's, and his own reputation have paid the price for the manager's megalomania, and that has led to the bitterness and resentment.

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Originally Posted by Marc Overmars

The game has certainly moved on without him but recently I actually think he’s developed new weaknesses.

He was never that bad a coach, he always managed to deliver a high standard of football even when the squad was perceived to be a lot weaker than it is now. Getting his team to be the sum of their parts was always something you could rely on but now the team is so dysfunctional, he’s really lost his grasp on them. He’s developed a blind spot for how his teams have always played and now we’re left with this broken mess we see today. He could elevate the game of any player but individuals are actually becoming worse under his guidance now.

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A few times over the last decade I've thought he's "lost the dressing room", but every other time we've pulled it together and gone on one of our runs, latterly we've even managed to win some trophies, so it seemed he'd never completely lost them.
Now though, it really does seem that the players have lost faith in him and maybe each other. It's quite the mess. BUT, I do believe we have a good squad and I don't think a new manager would find it that hard to get this lot in the top 4 and challenging anyone (well, apart from this season's City who are doing pretty crazy, unprecedented things)

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Originally Posted by IBK

Agree with all that. Where 'blame' has to be apportioned however is that because of his unprecedented position of power at our club, AW also has an unprecedented duty to take responsibility for what has now been obvious for some time. He has steadfastly resisted the opportunity to bring fresh personnel and ideas into the club - assistant managers with real power to help him, and has been opposed even to the changes in scouting and directorship that have happened lately. For someone with his intelligence and pedigree, it his his lack of understanding and oversight that has to a large degree led to this mess. For years he has been the only person who can in reality orchestrate some change - yes of course the owner and board have connived in this but if the manager had had any real sense of altruism for AFC he should have recognised what was happening and taken steps to address this. What is looks like is that our club's, and his own reputation have paid the price for the manager's megalomania, and that has led to the bitterness and resentment.

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Just saw this article in a link over on ANR. Interesting angle that reflects what i am trying to say...

https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2018/0...h-bureaucracy/

Has someone got David Deins number

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Originally Posted by IBK

Agree with all that. Where 'blame' has to be apportioned however is that because of his unprecedented position of power at our club, AW also has an unprecedented duty to take responsibility for what has now been obvious for some time. He has steadfastly resisted the opportunity to bring fresh personnel and ideas into the club - assistant managers with real power to help him, and has been opposed even to the changes in scouting and directorship that have happened lately. For someone with his intelligence and pedigree, it his his lack of understanding and oversight that has to a large degree led to this mess. For years he has been the only person who can in reality orchestrate some change - yes of course the owner and board have connived in this but if the manager had had any real sense of altruism for AFC he should have recognised what was happening and taken steps to address this. What is looks like is that our club's, and his own reputation have paid the price for the manager's megalomania, and that has led to the bitterness and resentment.

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:gp:

Agree with all of this, every single word! Good to have you back too IBK. :)

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Originally Posted by Letters

A few times over the last decade I've thought he's "lost the dressing room", but every other time we've pulled it together and gone on one of our runs, latterly we've even managed to win some trophies, so it seemed he'd never completely lost them.
Now though, it really does seem that the players have lost faith in him and maybe each other. It's quite the mess. BUT, I do believe we have a good squad and I don't think a new manager would find it that hard to get this lot in the top 4 and challenging anyone (well, apart from this season's City who are doing pretty crazy, unprecedented things)

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Wenger's teams always had an identity but not anymore. Which I think is a relatively new weakness that's only manifested itself over the past few seasons only, he doesn't really know how to implement the style of play he wants anymore. For a coach to lose his identity, I believe that's the death knell.

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Originally Posted by selassie

:gp:

Agree with all of this, every single word! Good to have you back too IBK. :)

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Thanks mate :good:

The other factors are the insane greed of the previous board. Nobody should forget the vicious knife fights that took place back then as the pigs jostled for their cut of Kroenke's wife's cash.

And Kronke himself. Has never put a penny in, spun his tales about lack of money during the stadium project, and then got caught taking money out for "consultancy" when the bloke can't even talk. What a scumbag.

Greed. Power. Nest feathering. That's the story of Arsenal Football Club and the Emirates.

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Originally Posted by Marc Overmars

Wenger's teams always had an identity but not anymore. Which I think is a relatively new weakness that's only manifested itself over the past few seasons only, he doesn't really know how to implement the style of play he wants anymore. For a coach to lose his identity, I believe that's the death knell.

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Aye, HCZ brought this up the other week too regarding Wenger's current team having a lack of identity and I totally agree with the both of you.

These days it's just a collection of players and IMO Wenger is literally just hoping for the best. There is no defined style, no defined roles, just nothing but 10 outfield players and a keeper who has seen better days.

Wenger's recruitment has become increasingly sketchy too..I'm not against buying the likes of Auba and Mkhi per se, but we are going to get what a maximum of 3 high level seasons out of either of them if we are lucky as they are both what 29?

Why aren't we in the market for young/talented players? City were able to buy the likes of Sane, Bernardo Silva, Gabriel Jesus & De Bruyne for fairly reasonable prices...like 40-60million bracket, why aren't we in the market for players of this kind of profile?

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Originally Posted by selassie

Aye, HCZ brought this up the other week too regarding Wenger's current team having a lack of identity and I totally agree with the both of you.

These days it's just a collection of players and IMO Wenger is literally just hoping for the best. There is no defined style, no defined roles, just nothing but 10 outfield players and a keeper who has seen better days.

Wenger's recruitment has become increasingly sketchy too..I'm not against buying the likes of Auba and Mkhi per se, but we are going to get what a maximum of 3 high level seasons out of either of them if we are lucky as they are both what 29?

Why aren't we in the market for young/talented players? City were able to buy the likes of Sane, Bernardo Silva, Gabriel Jesus & De Bruyne for fairly reasonable prices...like 40-60million bracket, why aren't we in the market for players of this kind of profile?

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Its consistent with the idea of AW no longer having any clear understanding of what his team needs. if we are honest, his apparent change of attitude over recent years when it comes to spending has the distinct feeling of desperation - a last roll of the dice - than any proper plan. He looks like a manager doing what a fan would try to do - bringing in players who look good as individuals without any thought being given to how they actually fit in to an effective team. Our latest acquisitions are a case in point. Any team needs first to have solidity - and the priority should have been to bring in top quality defensive/GK/defensive MF cover to stop the rot, not the kind of attacking players who seem more like vanity signings than ones that stabilise the team. Bif and even Walcott would IMO have done as much in a stabilised team than Mikataryan and Aubameyang...

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Originally Posted by IBK

Its consistent with the idea of AW no longer having any clear understanding of what his team needs. if we are honest, his apparent change of attitude over recent years when it comes to spending has the distinct feeling of desperation - a last roll of the dice - than any proper plan. He looks like a manager doing what a fan would try to do - bringing in players who look good as individuals without any thought being given to how they actually fit in to an effective team. Our latest acquisitions are a case in point. Any team needs first to have solidity - and the priority should have been to bring in top quality defensive/GK/defensive MF cover to stop the rot, not the kind of attacking players who seem more like vanity signings than ones that stabilise the team. Bif and even Walcott would IMO have done as much in a stabilised team than Mikataryan and Aubameyang...

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I agree with that. At lest they scored the odd goal. We have similar players to the two who were brought in. We have a glut of midfielders not of them are much good,as you say, that is one of the positions that needed to be addressed.

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Originally Posted by Goonermerree

I agree with that. At lest they scored the odd goal. We have similar players to the two who were brought in. We have a glut of midfielders not of them are much good,as you say, that is one of the positions that needed to be addressed.

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They scored ALL our recent goals tbf, along with Alexis. Wenger sold off all our goals in the January window. His plan to replace them was to bring in an expensive striker and then isolate him at the top of a tippy tap, sideways, backwards, no pace, no energy ballet of triangles. Wenger has developed Total Non-Football.