Match Reaction Man Utd 1-1 Le Bumbling Idiot

I don't know what bothers Wenger but his record against Chelsea, Man Utd and going so long without a trophy should really keep him focused and hungry for success. His Champions League record should embarrass him. I don't know why these things haven't troubled his ego and why he needs further incentive from the Board to push on for silverware. Where's his pride? Isn't the stench of continued failure enough? It's not as if he hasn't been mocked by his rivals, the press or hear the discontent around the stadium or from his own players. Maybe the challenge is just beyond his capabilities but it's the stubborn streaks and excuses that really take the biscuit. Blind to what's really going on around him.

IMO it's lack of ability than lack of interest, you can see how much it hurts him when things aren't going well for us.
That said I still think he has more ability than most.

The only thing that bothers Wenger is having a job to go to. It is only at the non-aspirational, middlingly stagnant, coffers centric, Arsenal FC that such mediocrity is garlanded as success. Any of the other major clubs in Europe would have turfed his ass out long ago. He knows it too, that's why he will still be looking at a contract extension even after 2017.

Yeah. That's bollox.

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Originally Posted by Letters

Yeah. That's bollox.

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Nope, I am right as usual. There is soon to be a vacancy at Real Madrid. Wenger should jump at it before Big Sam does

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Originally Posted by Power_n_Glory

I don't know what bothers Wenger but his record against Chelsea, Man Utd and going so long without a trophy should really keep him focused and hungry for success. His Champions League record should embarrass him. I don't know why these things haven't troubled his ego and why he needs further incentive from the Board to push on for silverware. Where's his pride? Isn't the stench of continued failure enough? It's not as if he hasn't been mocked by his rivals, the press or hear the discontent around the stadium or from his own players. Maybe the challenge is just beyond his capabilities but it's the stubborn streaks and excuses that really take the biscuit. Blind to what's really going on around him.

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I think it's a combination of lack of resources and Wengers inability/unwillingness to adapt to the changing game. The main difference to the game that has shown Wenger up is the change in the scouting down by other clubs, the players that Wenger brought in to win titles were largely cheap to buy and because prodigious young talent comes to notice that much quicker in a world of you tube etc, Wenger is being out priced in his usual scouting areas...and players that could win him titles based on their individual brilliance rather than his managerial brilliance aren't easy to come by. And he's had to go for players that whilst technically gifted don't have the physicality or mental strength to win the big prizes.
To put it simply his winning formula was an ability to spot and nurture talent, he's never been a brilliant tactician, he's allowed his players to shape their own destiny on the pitch and that approach doesn't work anymore.

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Originally Posted by Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie

I think it's a combination of lack of resources and Wengers inability/unwillingness to adapt to the changing game. The main difference to the game that has shown Wenger up is the change in the scouting down by other clubs, the players that Wenger brought in to win titles were largely cheap to buy and because prodigious young talent comes to notice that much quicker in a world of you tube etc, Wenger is being out priced in his usual scouting areas...and players that could win him titles based on their individual brilliance rather than his managerial brilliance aren't easy to come by. And he's had to go for players that whilst technically gifted don't have the physicality or mental strength to win the big prizes.
To put it simply his winning formula was an ability to spot and nurture talent, he's never been a brilliant tactician, he's allowed his players to shape their own destiny on the pitch and that approach doesn't work anymore.

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I don't think its lack of resources, we have always been one of the biggest payers in the league. What Wenger had when he joined was a wonderful knowledge of the French league and at the time the French had the best side in the world too. Something he could exploit. However, other clubs have improved there scouting so that this competitive advantage has disappeared. Wenger isn't a tactician as you say. He trusts and lets the players do the thinking on the pitch.

I don't think we are far away but until we can beat Chelsea in a game we wont win the league. We need to do that and I really think we missed our chance the last time we played them.

Oh I think there has been a clear issue with our spending ability up until recently, I don't think signing a player for over twenty million was a possibility three-four years ago let alone signing players of 35 million +
Where as before because Wenger could sign players of high quality at a young age ten + years ago it wasnt so much of an issue, but the other clubs have got wise to this and now even a teenager with lots of potential is worth millions.
And Wenger hasn't adapted by scouting different foreign markets or setting up with a different approach this is why he has not pushed us on. Now the money is available it's a question of how wisely he spends it, but in the current market even with vastly improved spending resources it will be hard for him to replicate any of his past achievements without tactical nous, which he seems to lack.

The other thing ive observed is that Wenger does not like players with strong personalities. The demise of the team as leaders in competition has strangely coincided with the loss of leaders in the dressing room. He got rid of Ian Wright after his first season. Wrighty still had so much to offer and players like Anelka could have learnt a lot from him (or not in Nicks case). Adams also left (possibly a good descision as he was way past his best), but he also kept Winterburn, Seaman and Dixon far too long, so why was Adams shown the door?. The biggest miss of course was Vieira, I dont know if he was as gregarious behind the scenes as he was on it but he was missed certainly as a leader. We have not had a dominant personality in the squad since. As difficult as it is to manage these characters, every team needs one, otherwise the team as a whole starts to take on the personality of the manager instead, good if your manager is SAF, not so good if he isnt.

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Originally Posted by Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie

And Wenger hasn't adapted by scouting different foreign markets or setting up with a different approach this is why he has not pushed us on. Now the money is available it's a question of how wisely he spends it, but in the current market even with vastly improved spending resources it will be hard for him to replicate any of his past achievements without tactical nous, which he seems to lack.

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The way I see it is more that when Wenger came in he had a knowledge of the worldwide game which other managers in England didn't have, he could take his pick of the best young talent. Now everyone has worldwide scouting networks. I don't know where else Wenger can look.
All the things which Wenger brought in as innovations are now standard. He's lost that edge. Despite that he has been a safe pair of hands and now the financial deals are in place he's started signing the level of player who could really push us on. I think this is the best squad we've had for a long time. Whether he's the right man to lead us on is highly debatable of course but the level of criticism Wenger has had on here is unwarranted, IMO.