Super Super Quality Transfer Speculation & Shit

[IBK]

This is a silly conversation and we keep having it over and over again. When you lose the Carling Cup final against Birmingham, you can't blame it on the Board and the lack of quality signings. We lose games because we can't focus for 90 minutes or we're over confident and think the lower teams will be a pushover. It's a tactical problem, a mental issue and lack consistency. We don't work hard enough to win the ball back and over the past few years we've all said how poor our off the ball movement is. We work our socks off against City and Chelsea but take it easy against teams like Swansea and Norwich.

Ignoring such problems and expecting it all to be fixed with a few key signings is foolish. Look at Arshavin as an example. How comes he never looked match fit? If his fitness was really and issue then why has Wenger got this 30 year old with no engine playing on the flanks where defensive discipline is mandatory and demanding? How comes Wenger couldn't get his fitness level up to play that role or just shift him further up field to take the pressure off his legs? That's one example of bad coaching and there are several other examples. Don't forget the RVP's frustration at seeing the Ox subbed off the Arshavin. He makes questionable decisions and we can't afford to have a coach that seems out of his depth when we're competing against teams that can outspend us.

As for funds, they're being swallowed up by huge wages. There is a huge imbalance on that side of things. There are players available that are within our price range and can do a lot better than the likes of Ramsey, Squallaci, Gervinho, Park, Chamakh.....we just don't go for them. There were plenty of players that we missed out on this year and last year.

You are right and I agree with many of your points. But two further ones need to be made to put them into context.

1. Every manager. Even the likes of Mourinho; SAF and Guardiola, make mistakes with their transfers; team set up and strategies. Manure; Citeh fans (let alone Spurs; Liverpool ones have made similar complaints against their managers this season. Wenger seems to be softer on his players than some other managers, but at the same time he has generally been better than his peers in unearthing unheralded gems - so I guess it evens up.

2. We tend to assume that another manager could take what Wenger has created and improve on it. I think that is a dangerous assumption. A new manager would come in warts and all, and if there was no silverware after a couple of seasons, there would be the same, or different, accusations to level. Sheer logic dictates that it with the competition that now exists financially in the EPL it will be a struggle for another manager to finish top 4, let alone win the league.

[Kano]

We tend to assume that another manager could take what Wenger has created and improve on it. I think that is a dangerous assumption. A new manager would come in warts and all, and if there was no silverware after a couple of seasons, there would be the same, or different, accusations to level. Sheer logic dictates that it with the competition that now exists financially in the EPL it will be a struggle for another manager to finish top 4, let alone win the league.

I still can’t get my head around this argument, one I’ve seen a few times now. I mean at some point, he has to leave. He has a year on his contract so that could well happen within the next two years. one thing that every arsenal fan can agree on is that we have the basis for an even better team, so in the now global game of football, it makes little sense to hang on so tightly to one manager as if he is the only one ever capable of keeping the club where we are as minimum and then growing it. The concentration seems to be purely based on the league – there are three other competitions out there to challenge for let’s not forget.

the assumption that no one could ever do as good or better than wenger has in the past 7 years is as dangerous to presume.

[Power n Glory]

You are right and I agree with many of your points. But two further ones need to be made to put them into context.

1. Every manager. Even the likes of Mourinho; SAF and Guardiola, make mistakes with their transfers; team set up and strategies. Manure; Citeh fans (let alone Spurs; Liverpool ones have made similar complaints against their managers this season. Wenger seems to be softer on his players than some other managers, but at the same time he has generally been better than his peers in unearthing unheralded gems - so I guess it evens up.

2. We tend to assume that another manager could take what Wenger has created and improve on it. I think that is a dangerous assumption. A new manager would come in warts and all, and if there was no silverware after a couple of seasons, there would be the same, or different, accusations to level. Sheer logic dictates that it with the competition that now exists financially in the EPL it will be a struggle for another manager to finish top 4, let alone win the league.

I don't think it evens out. Wenger takes more risks than any other coach because the Board trusts his judgement and he has that freedom to take risks. His peers don't have that same sort if freedom because results are expected and excuses aren't accepted by the fans or Board members.

Who ever inherits this mess of team will need time to destroy and rebuild it. Two or three years ago, I think we had a team that had potential, but what we have now is a tall order for anybody. I don't assume instant success with our next manager. Fact is, by the time Wenger has gone, Liverpool, Spurs and Chelsea will probably have their shit together and the league will be even tougher. I don't see an easy ride from here. But if the Board appoint the right man for the job and he gets 7 solid years to build his team, I think we'll be okay. But if we stick with Wenger and he still refuses to fix the small leak in the roof, we're going to pay the cost for the negligence when he's gone.

[Power n Glory]

I still can’t get my head around this argument, one I’ve seen a few times now. I mean at some point, he has to leave. He has a year on his contract so that could well happen within the next two years. one thing that every arsenal fan can agree on is that we have the basis for an even better team, so in the now global game of football, it makes little sense to hang on so tightly to one manager as if he is the only one ever capable of keeping the club where we are as minimum and then growing it. The concentration seems to be purely based on the league – there are three other competitions out there to challenge for let’s not forget.

the assumption that no one could ever do as good or better than wenger has in the past 7 years is as dangerous to presume.

I agree and that time is really close. Plus, the problem we have now is that we all know what to expect each year from his squads and we just know we're always in for a wretched summer. It's a bad cycle and it's tiresome.

[Globalgunner]

I know some have said that the object of the thread has been lost in all these arguments but I believe the seesnce remains the same. Quality players will only go where they have a high probability of success, especially when the money paid is within the same ballpark. we cannot attract the Hazards and Goetzes in our present state and even up and coming stars are no longer our preserve. So what exactly is our USP. It is no longer the manager. So how do we improve things. If a post mortem of the season past is done we will find that we lost maybe 5 games that we really should not have, against Wigan, Swansea, QPR, Blackburn (1 more that escapes me right now). These are games that we lost due to our own ineptitude. Games that we really should have won. Sprinkle in maybe 2 more points from draws and instead of being 19 points behind the leaders we are neck and neck with them. Neither City or United were in any way outstanding last season, its just that We and the Spuds are so laughably inept. A good manager could have made the difference. It is really serendipity right now with Wengers contract coming to an end and Guardiola taking on a break (so he says). If I were Kroenke i really would be doing my damndest to seduce this man right now and pay wenger off with his 7m stipend for next year. But sadly Kroenke isnt in it for the glory....

Before you say im going off topic...let me add this. Yakubu wants to leave BB. Straight swap for Chamack?

[fakeyank]

I still can’t get my head around this argument, one I’ve seen a few times now. I mean at some point, he has to leave. He has a year on his contract so that could well happen within the next two years. one thing that every arsenal fan can agree on is that we have the basis for an even better team, so in the now global game of football, it makes little sense to hang on so tightly to one manager as if he is the only one ever capable of keeping the club where we are as minimum and then growing it. The concentration seems to be purely based on the league – there are three other competitions out there to challenge for let’s not forget.

the assumption that no one could ever do as good or better than wenger has in the past 7 years is as dangerous to presume.

There is no guaranteed path to getting back to be a top team again. What we do know is that AW is not one of the ways- 7 years of failure has shown that. So we eliminate one of the wrong paths and start at a new one. I do believe that a young manager with potential or a top class manager can take this team back to the top. Arsenal existed before Wenger and will exist after him. To make him seem like if he leaves will make us into a pub team is ridiculous.

[Letters]

Arsenal existed before Wenger and will exist after him.

We were nowhere near as good before he arrived at any point in our modern history. The only time we were better was the 30s.
What makes you think we'll be better after he leaves?

I don't think we'll be a pub team either but no manager in the world could make us champions in the current football world where clubs can throw hundreds of millions around and buy the title. Utd have the best manager in the world and they couldn't stop City (although they should have).

[Kano]

We were nowhere near as good before he arrived at any point in our modern history. The only time we were better was the 30s.
What makes you think we'll be better after he leaves?

I don't think we'll be a pub team either but no manager in the world could make us champions in the current football world where clubs can throw hundreds of millions around and buy the title. Utd have the best manager in the world and they couldn't stop City (although they should have).

so i guess we just close the gates and give up then?

[Letters]

so i guess we just close the gates and give up then?

In terms of the title yeah, pretty much.

[Cripps_orig]

Manchester United had Ferguson back in 03/04, Chelsea were the team with the new billionaire owner

Beat them both to the title.

Had Wenger continued on in that vain, we'd have challenged for the league more times than we have but he took the youth project way and we are miles behind.

Even the next season, we won the FA Cup and finished 2nd which all of us would take now. Wenger needs to go back to what he knows