Is it terminal?

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

Back on topic - how ironic that in today's Forbes list, we are the 10th most valuable sports team in the world!

1. Manchester United (football) - $2.23 billion

2. Real Madrid (football) - $1.88 billion

3. New York Yankees (MLB) - $1.85 billion

3. Dallas Cowboys (NFL) - $1.85 billion

5. Washington Redskins (NFL) - $1.56 billion

6. Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB) - $1.40 billion

6. New England Patriots (NFL) - $1.40 billion

8. Barcelona (football) - $1.31 billion

9. New York Giants (NFL) - $1.30 billion

10. Arsenal (football) - $1.29 billion

I see the Bar****s have now overtaken us, and Man U and especially Real have increased the gap. Oh well, now AW has another top 4 table to worry about.

[Özim]

I don't think money it the only problem, for me the way we do things just isn't inspiring....as a fan you want to have something to look forward to but every season we're served up with the same thing, I'd love us to be more unpredictable in the way we play as I think every game we play is so samey and lacks excitement on the whole.

I just think the manager has been here so long everything is very stale, we know what we're going to get and to be honest it's boring. I'd rather get a new manager in and have some unpredictability back, different types of players, different style, different way of doing things.

[IBK]

I don't think money it the only problem, for me the way we do things just isn't inspiring....as a fan you want to have something to look forward to but every season we're served up with the same thing, I'd love us to be more unpredictable in the way we play as I think every game we play is so samey and lacks excitement on the whole.

I just think the manager has been here so long everything is very stale, we know what we're going to get and to be honest it's boring. I'd rather get a new manager in and have some unpredictability back, different types of players, different style, different way of doing things.

So you think we're only in decline because of Wenger?

[Power n Glory]

I think Wenger has run out of ideas. It will be interesting to see how we look this season with new players and a new coaching staff.

[IBK]

Thing is - I find it quite hard to believe that AW has run out of ideas. If what we hear is true (and I have no reason to believe otherwise), Wenger is the biggest nerd in football when it comes to studying the game - and its difficult to imagine that such an avid student of the game has no ideas about what makes a team work.

I think its more likely that he has a blind spot over his ability to put his ideas into practice with developmental players. Its not so much a blind spot about his ability - because he does have the ability to make good players world class. More about his ability to develop and keep them.

I honestly think that if he had managed to keep his top players together over the past 5 years we would have won the league with Barca style football - afetr all, he was the pioneer of this style in this country. Its his inflexibility about paying too much in transfers, while over-committing on developmental players' wages that seems to be the main problem.

[LDG]

Thing is - I find it quite hard to believe that AW has run out of ideas. If what we hear is true (and I have no reason to believe otherwise), Wenger is the biggest nerd in football when it comes to studying the game - and its difficult to imagine that such an avid student of the game has no ideas about what makes a team work.

I think its more likely that he has a blind spot over his ability to put his ideas into practice with developmental players. Its not so much a blind spot about his ability - because he does have the ability to make good players world class. More about his ability to develop and keep them.

I honestly think that if he had managed to keep his top players together over the past 5 years we would have won the league with Barca style football - afetr all, he was the pioneer of this style in this country. Its his inflexibility about paying too much in transfers, while over-committing on developmental players' wages that seems to be the main problem.

It's a weird conundrum with the spending part. He believes in value for money, and in financial prudence. That much is clear. Yet he has taken too many gambles on unknown quanities. Prudence and gambling don't go hand in hand for me.

That said, seems he's taking a more calculated look at players now. See Arteta, Podolski etc. Proven quality at a reasonable price.

I don't envy him having those financial constraints. He's still the best on the business at it though.

His major weakness is his reliance on players that aren't cutting it. During games, but also during a season. Where it goes wrong over a season, can been seen in microcosm during a game. Too late, and unwilling to change something fo rthe good of the team.

Tactically he has been woeful the last five years.

[Letters]

So you think we're only in decline because of Wenger?

I think we're only not in decline because of him.
We are stagnating though.

[selassie]

I think Wenger has too much faith in his players to show resilience when up against the odds. I think it's part of his development plan. To show faith in players and give them a chance to perform. But when we're dealing with fatigue, injuries and players lacking confidence, he has to do something about it and place winning over development. For example, I can understand why he constantly plays Walcott down the right and on his weaker side. It was the same for Jack. I couldn't understand why he had him playing in a deep defensive position when he'd best suited playing further up. When you listen to his comments and interviews about that sort of thing, he says he wants them to develop their weak areas and not do the easy things that come as second nature to them. It's great development and really good philosophy and I like to hear his thoughts and that sort of thing, but it also drives me nuts that we sacrifice so much for it.

Yep top post. I think Wenger places player development and intelligence above anything else. I once read an article, cant remember what rag it was in, maybe the Independent where those close to Wenger pretty much said he lets the players work it out for themselves, he places a big emphasis on player development.

When we had a team full of experienced pros in the invincible era giving players the freedom to learn from their mistakes was fine because we had a set of experienced pros, using this method with a team of developing and largely inexperienced players is where Wenger has got it wrong.

None of this has anything to do with money, FFP or Man City, it's to do with coaching players and drilling them to learn, if a player is intelligent they will develop quickly on their own but they will most certainly develop a lot quicker if given direction.

I often say that Wenger makes it hard for himself, it's almost like he's trying to be too smart, many highly intellectual people are like this.

[IBK]

I think we're only not in decline because of him.
We are stagnating though.

I was going to make a similar point!

[IBK]

Yep top post. I think Wenger places player development and intelligence above anything else. I once read an article, cant remember what rag it was in, maybe the Independent where those close to Wenger pretty much said he lets the players work it out for themselves, he places a big emphasis on player development.

When we had a team full of experienced pros in the invincible era giving players the freedom to learn from their mistakes was fine because we had a set of experienced pros, using this method with a team of developing and largely inexperienced players is where Wenger has got it wrong.

None of this has anything to do with money, FFP or Man City, it's to do with coaching players and drilling them to learn, if a player is intelligent they will develop quickly on their own but they will most certainly develop a lot quicker if given direction.

I often say that Wenger makes it hard for himself, it's almost like he's trying to be too smart, many highly intellectual people are like this.

I'd buy that.