Cesc

[fakeyank]

Really? ManYoo, City, Chelsea, Barca and Real all have far bigger resources. That's just off the top of my head. We're always up there in the 'rich list' of clubs but that's misleading. City aren't up there at all on that list but you know as well as I that we can't compete with them in the transfer market. None of the above have new stadia to pay off and some of the above are bankrolled in ways we're not and I hope we never are.

We're 3rd. The only teams ahead of us are Utd who we pretty much all acknowledge (through gritted teeth) have the best manager around and City who have spent their way there. We've above all the other sides plenty of whom have spent a lot more than us in an attempt to dislodge us and failed repeatedly. If Wenger is incompetent then what does that say about their managers? Do you actually think it's easy to finish top 4 every single season for as long as Wenger has? Fergie is the only other manager who has done it in England. That tells you something.

I'm happy with being top 3 in England in the sense that it's a lot better than we've been for most of Arsenal's history. I was looking back, from the 50's to the 80's we won 7 trophies. 7. In 40 years. And some of those were a long way apart, we won nothing at all in the 60s, for example. Some people on here have the idea that Arsenal have always been a successful club and won lots of trophies, historically that isn't so. Where I'm less happy is that given that we are at that level we should be winning trophies and that is where we have failed. Wenger has failed. I've explained at length elsewhere why I'm a bit more optimistic about this current lot so we'll see. Let's face it Wenger is going nowhere so you might as well get behind him and he deserves respect for exactly the same reason you say Cesc does - he's giving his best for the club (even if you think that best isn't good enough) and if he is being too restrained in the transfer market I genuinely believe that is at least in part because he's looking longer term. Maybe in part it's because of his principles and doing things the 'right way' which I in some ways admire but also think he needs to be a little more pragmatic. I don't for one minute think he's doing it just to line his own pockets though.

What is this resources that thing you talk about? Utd and Barca pretty much have the same resources as us! Utd have an owner who is openly raping them but they have a manager who stands up and says "I am a football manager and I am here to win football games". Barca is broke but they spend when they see quality! AW does not even spend the money we make off of transfers!

As for Utd having the best manager. Of course they do! What I fail to understand is how AW has fallen behind SAF. AW was just as good as him till 06. Not only is he coming 2nd best, he is consistently coming 4th best these days!! To me, its clear... SAF realized football has changed and he needs to adapt accordingly. Wenger has failed and not adapted.. he still has no Plan B in matches, still has no defensive stability. The only thing AW has got better at over the last 6 years is the ability to talk absolute gob about team spirit and mental strength.

I don't for one minute think he's doing it just to line his own pockets though.

I think he is busy lining his pockets and that is why I despise him as an Arsenal manager. Its very simple to me..

- Either the board is denying him funds and meddling with football matters and not letting him sign players. In this case he should resign just like how any other top football manager would. A winner like him should not work with so much constraints
- Or the board has given him decent funds and freedom over football matters. In this case, he should be hung to dry for the way he has dismantled the team and brought us to a level where we are 20 points behind Utd!

I am very confident that the later is true and for that, I do not want him as my manager nor do I think he is any good. Its the battered wife syndrome (said by a great poster on GW). He pushes us into a well (beginning of every season) and then picks us up and then he is the great manager who with his limited budget and constraints has got Arsenal to the top 4! Bollocks!