Evra the twat - Advice to Nasri

[Boss]

Cesc - because he has flirted with Barca for 2 years, was defended robustly by some Gooners last Summer, but has spent this season looking patently like he doesn't want to play for us - which as captain may well have contributed to our implosion.

Nasri - because he has been attempting to hold us over a barrel all season by not participating in contract talks, and gave up on the pitch with 3 months to go. Both of these situations developed while we were looking nailed on for silverware - and possibly more than one pot.

Yes, players are mercenaries - but the likes of Rooney; Tevez; Ya Ya Toure at least do the business on the pitch (in Rooney's case you could never fault his effort).

What gets to fans is when players are too ready to jump ship having been perceived as putting less than 100% in.

Given our recent history, I really struggle to understand why you think persuading want away players to stay will work well for us.

Sure, you can point to the likes of Rooney, Tevez, Toure (who let's not forget all of which are getting roughly 250k per week to play for their clubs... something that would make a huge difference in terms of commitment I'm sure) but what about the others? Even talking about those, I'm sure if you put them in a team who has been in our position the last five years (never strengthening, trophyless, nothing looking like changing) you'd see a change in attitude.

We put our players in systems that blatantly don't work and in a lot of cases play them out of position (Bendtner, Nasri, Diaby/Denilson, Eboue, Arshavin etc) and don't fix problems which every man and his dog can point out, and then blame those players for 'wanting away'. They want away because of the above reasons.

Fix the root problem (lack of quality in the squad / lack of capability to win things) and you could guarantee a lot more from those players. Why else does everyone on here believe Fergie could get a lot more out of our squad?

[IBK]

Sure, you can point to the likes of Rooney, Tevez, Toure (who let's not forget all of which are getting roughly 250k per week to play for their clubs... something that would make a huge difference in terms of commitment I'm sure) but what about the others? Even talking about those, I'm sure if you put them in a team who has been in our position the last five years (never strengthening, trophyless, nothing looking like changing) you'd see a change in attitude.

We put our players in systems that blatantly don't work and in a lot of cases play them out of position (Bendtner, Nasri, Diaby/Denilson, Eboue, Arshavin etc) and don't fix problems which every man and his dog can point out, and then blame those players for 'wanting away'. They want away because of the above reasons.

Fix the root problem (lack of quality in the squad / lack of capability to win things) and you could guarantee a lot more from those players. Why else does everyone on here believe Fergie could get a lot more out of our squad?

I have a mixed response to your points. It is beyond debate that success will lead to greater retention potential. I can't see many players - played out of position or not, who would want away from a successful team, brimming with confidence. And it is not difficult to understand why Bendy and Denilson are frustrated and want away.

But where I disagree fundamentally is that these players are justified in using the club as a vehicle solely to service their own ends in circumstances where they have failed to fulfill their own responsibilities. Football contracts are not accidents. Players are paid according to their worth when they join the club. I simply cannot agree that we should expect Rooney, Tevez, Toure to perform while our players don't because they get paid more than ours. Our players entered into their contracts and did the best deals that they could - same as those 3. Do you see players like Charlie Adam; Scott Parker; David Dunne not play to the utmost of their postential because they earn less than our stars? Closer to home, have we seen the kind of performances form Bendtner; Denilson; Rosicky; Vela or Diaby that justify their vastly inflated wages relative to their importance/ability.

I dispute that prior to this season there should have been any justifiable reason for the team not to believe, as many of us did, in Wenger's project. Forget the failings that have now shown themselves. As recently as March we were riding high and in a position to push on. But even without that, I cannot accept players who do not attempt to perform at their very best level whatever they might think about the team's set-up. Even less excuse them.

As NQ rightly says. It was the players themselves who pissed it all away this season when it was in their grasp. This is the bottom line when you strip away tactics; formations; training. But even worse is the fact that with a few exceptions, our players gave up; failed to focus, and in many instances simply let us down

Nasri was one of these. Scintillating up to January - largely missing thereafter. If he and his agent think so much of themselves, then potential purchasers would do well to remember that if a player thinks of himself as a big-time Charlie, then he should live up to that by carrying the team. Cecs's self-vident lack of passion during the latter part of the season, as captain of our team, was inexcusable - certainly not excused, as you suggest, by the fact that he didn' have good enough players playing with him or that we had an unbalanced team. They were good/balanced enough when they were beating Barca; Chelsea, and still in 4 comps, weren't they?

Our players' effort should be innate - not something to be switched on when that player feels the team is doing exactly what he wants - and AW's mistake over the past 5 years has been to have too many players that seem to think like this. A team made up of players who will only perform when silverware is guaranteed would never get to that point in the first place, and will sink like a stone when is not.