Match Reaction v Aston Villa

[Marc Overmars]

Some might say beetroot face just isn't brave enough to step outside of his comfort zone...

Don't forget he's had success elsewhere already, broke the Old Firm strangehold on the title and even won the Cup Winners Cup with Aberdeen.

[GP]

Don't forget he's had success elsewhere already, broke the Old Firm strangehold on the title and even won the Cup Winners Cup with Aberdeen.

500 years ago

[Özim]

Don't forget he's had success elsewhere already, broke the Old Firm strangehold on the title and even won the Cup Winners Cup with Aberdeen.

He's pretty much proven his ability in every way, he's built winning team after winning team and challenged the richer teams like Chelsea successfully as well.

You'd have to be an idiot to question him based on what he's achieved and his consistent success.

[Marc Overmars]

500 years ago

Oh.

[Joker]

If we're talking about staying in your comfort zone, that same accusation can be more appropriately leveled at Wenger. He's got a great job at Arsenal, receiving an extremely good salary with very little pressure in terms of trying to lift silverware. The Board are willing to accept his eccentricities and his outdated philosophies, because they are very profitable, even if it holds us back in terms of success on the pitch. At any other club he would have faced serious questions by now.

[Özim]

They got him cheap, of course he's top quality. Ferguson must have been laughing his bollocks off.

Have you watched Utd's defence and midfield of late? Is that the same quality as previous years or have they dropped a level? The answer is obvious but not conducive to bashing Wenger so I get your point. So if we're finally getting behind the Glazier's plan for Utd it might not be too big a leap to get behind our own board and their misunderstood vision for the future, right?

Utd good, Wenger bad. Ferguson's compromises and lip service good, Wenger a sell-out. But wouldn't it be more convincing if you slagged a team you don't even support? It would add credibility to the anti-Wenger stuff because your argument might be viewed as balanced.

In relative terms yes, but they still paid 24 million which isn't pocket change by any stretch of the imagination, so you argument really falls down there.

As for the quality of their team, sure it's not as good as before (but let's face it some of his previous teams were really top notch), but he's still gone out and spent 20 million on players, regardless of whether they are as good as before he's had the money and spent it.

I'm not getting behind the Glazers at all, I don't much care about what they get up to, my point was simply that's it's not working out quite as badly as was first envisaged, the manager still has money, the club is still successful and the debt is being reduced, at least the fans are seeing success on the pitch it's not just a one way ticket on the money train.

Wenger is a sell out yes and I'll tell you why, whilst Ferguson continues to strive for success and doesn't settle for 2nd place, Wenger goes out and picks up his pay checks and tells everyone 4th place is amazing and like a trophy, he's proud of his achievement despite not winning a thing in 7 years (he's insinuated many times he's very happy with his performance). Ferguson hasn't changed, winning is everything to him and you'll never hear him being happy with 4th place happy to see other teams picking up all the silverware, Wenger on the other hand now makes excuses for his failure to win and praises non achievements as if we've hit the jackpot and won the CL or PL.

Maybe you should look at the facts, it amazes me you concentrate most of your energy on the board when the manager makes schoolboy errors on the pitch week in week out, for some reason though, that's OK, as is settling for 4th place whilst picking up 7 million (more than any other manager).

[Niall_Quinn]

I'm concentrating my efforts on the original argument that was made - Ferguson wouldn't dance to the tune of his shareholders. Given the various discussion have now diverged into questions of whether Ferguson is the best manager or not (which had nothing to do with the original argument) I'm assuming the answer must be yes, Ferguson does indeed dance just like Wenger.

I agree we have problems on the pitch and the manager has to take responsibility for those. But I'd like to get the fantasy accusations out of the way too, because that will make it easier to focus on the real issues.

[Niall_Quinn]

If we're talking about staying in your comfort zone, that same accusation can be more appropriately leveled at Wenger. He's got a great job at Arsenal, receiving an extremely good salary with very little pressure in terms of trying to lift silverware. The Board are willing to accept his eccentricities and his outdated philosophies, because they are very profitable, even if it holds us back in terms of success on the pitch. At any other club he would have faced serious questions by now.

Indeed. Wenger passed up the tricky proposition of Madrid's money pit so he could take the easy option at an Arsenal being rebuilt from the ground up. Ferguson could have left too when the Glaziers slimed in. These two men seem to have something in common on the surface at least. But we know with Fergie it will be loyalty and desire for the challenge, with Wenger of course it will be a hatred of Arsenal and a desperate desire to destroy the club while stealing all the money.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

You`re doing the same thing all over again. Vehemently rejecting things that nobody said. No one here accused you of saying Wenger is better than Fergie. Why is it dumb to compare clubs. OK, i get it. We are not really in the same league and never were,,,,that seems to be your argument. Ok accepted. What I am saying is that it seems we are no longer competing in that psuedo league below that of ManU. We are a once proud club existing to stay in the top 10. Forgive some of us for lamenting that fact.

Lets just agree to disagree.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

In relative terms yes, but they still paid 24 million which isn't pocket change by any stretch of the imagination, so you argument really falls down there.

As for the quality of their team, sure it's not as good as before (but let's face it some of his previous teams were really top notch), but he's still gone out and spent 20 million on players, regardless of whether they are as good as before he's had the money and spent it.

I'm not getting behind the Glazers at all, I don't much care about what they get up to, my point was simply that's it's not working out quite as badly as was first envisaged, the manager still has money, the club is still successful and the debt is being reduced, at least the fans are seeing success on the pitch it's not just a one way ticket on the money train.

Wenger is a sell out yes and I'll tell you why, whilst Ferguson continues to strive for success and doesn't settle for 2nd place, Wenger goes out and picks up his pay checks and tells everyone 4th place is amazing and like a trophy, he's proud of his achievement despite not winning a thing in 7 years (he's insinuated many times he's very happy with his performance). Ferguson hasn't changed, winning is everything to him and you'll never hear him being happy with 4th place happy to see other teams picking up all the silverware, Wenger on the other hand now makes excuses for his failure to win and praises non achievements as if we've hit the jackpot and won the CL or PL.

Maybe you should look at the facts, it amazes me you concentrate most of your energy on the board when the manager makes schoolboy errors on the pitch week in week out, for some reason though, that's OK, as is settling for 4th place whilst picking up 7 million (more than any other manager).

So what he picks up 7 mill who really cares.