Match Reaction - Newcastle and all remaining games.

[Niall_Quinn]

Do we need him, was the original question.

Which now becomes the new question, what sort of team are we without him? The answer is obvious. If Wenger has completely lost the plot, rather than being in an accelerating process of losing it - if he's hit rock bottom, then he'll let both Ozil and Alexis leave next month. The shop window reasoning you are now applying as the latest argument doesn't seem to be going so well for Alexis. We all know what a great player he is when he's on form. Right now his head is not in the game. He's the most likely to leave next month. There seems no hope of retaining him and Wenger and the leech squad will want at least some cash. The fact they passed up 50 mill in the summer shows how incompetent they are so you never know, but perhaps even they can make a rational call given a second chance. So if Ozil is staying until the summer he still has plenty of time to set up his shop window. The fact is, he's doing the business now. He was doing it before, but because he couldn't pull this team up single-handedly he's been scapegoated. He's come through all that nonsense, shrugged it off and continues to be a vital component that provides much needed quality to a team sorely lacking in other areas. It will be a massive hit to lose him that could only be compensated by a genuinely world class replacement signing. And that's where the new backroom team come in. If they get the authority to act we might be okay. If they are hobbled by the incompetent and selfish git who has diligently created this shitshow then we are in real trouble.

[Power n Glory]

You can't be that naive, NQ. It's a game full of mercenaries. Scapegoated because he can't do it on his own but in a season where we're out our lowest, people are now saying he's performing better than ever? Why? It's not a mystery.

[Niall_Quinn]

You can't be that naive, NQ. It's a game full of mercenaries. Scapegoated because he can't do it on his own but in a season where we're out our lowest, people are now saying he's performing better than ever? Why? It's not a mystery.

No, the people who scapegoated him are saying he's performing better than ever. There's a difference. He was never as poor as those people make out. But when he smacks it into the net then suddenly he's performing well. It's a failure to appreciate his whole game and a desire to dwell on highlights, that's how some people judge performances. Even with Alexis, he's giving the ball away a lot so people are saying he's no use and should be dropped. Well maybe. But who are you going to replace him with? Who is going to make the runs he does? Who is going to be able to retain possession on the flanks and try (whether he succeeds or not) to get the ball into the danger zone as opposed to tamely tap it backwards? Ozil is the same. At least when he gets the ball there's some hope it might go forward. There's a hope he might try to make something happen, rather than panic. These accomplished players are vital to use, whether on form or off it, because they are a level above the rest of the team. Do we need them? Of course we bloody do, and more like them. It's amusing watching the praise being heaped on Wilshere - and good luck too him, it's good he's back and he remains one of our better players. But all he's doing is what Ozil and Alexis have been doing all along. Adding positive play and direction to what otherwise would be a total washout. Now if only Jack could to less of the diving in and harebraining around the place and focus more on his passing and movement, like Ozil does, he'd be a bigger asset.

It's this league that has led some many down the garden path on judging players. Sterling, for example. Believe it or not he's supposedly a great player. In that case, sure, Ozil doesn't charge all over the place and randomly thrash his boot at the ball. Alli, another worldbeater. I guess Ozil doesn't go in two footed enough? Or elbow enough opponents. Or dive enough.

Cut away all the hype and nonsense and Ozil is one of the few players holding this otherwise very average team together. It's his calmness and composure we need more than ever, but that's what he's getting slaughtered for. Not enough PL huffing and puffing and way too much culture. It's silly.

[Power n Glory]

No, the people who scapegoated him are saying he's performing better than ever. There's a difference. He was never as poor as those people make out. But when he smacks it into the net then suddenly he's performing well. It's a failure to appreciate his whole game and a desire to dwell on highlights, that's how some people judge performances. Even with Alexis, he's giving the ball away a lot so people are saying he's no use and should be dropped. Well maybe. But who are you going to replace him with? Who is going to make the runs he does? Who is going to be able to retain possession on the flanks and try (whether he succeeds or not) to get the ball into the danger zone as opposed to tamely tap it backwards? Ozil is the same. At least when he gets the ball there's some hope it might go forward. There's a hope he might try to make something happen, rather than panic. These accomplished players are vital to use, whether on form or off it, because they are a level above the rest of the team. Do we need them? Of course we bloody do, and more like them. It's amusing watching the praise being heaped on Wilshere - and good luck too him, it's good he's back and he remains one of our better players. But all he's doing is what Ozil and Alexis have been doing all along. Adding positive play and direction to what otherwise would be a total washout. Now if only Jack could to less of the diving in and harebraining around the place and focus more on his passing and movement, like Ozil does, he'd be a bigger asset.

It's this league that has led some many down the garden path on judging players. Sterling, for example. Believe it or not he's supposedly a great player. In that case, sure, Ozil doesn't charge all over the place and randomly thrash his boot at the ball. Alli, another worldbeater. I guess Ozil doesn't go in two footed enough? Or elbow enough opponents. Or dive enough.

Cut away all the hype and nonsense and Ozil is one of the few players holding this otherwise very average team together. It's his calmness and composure we need more than ever, but that's what he's getting slaughtered for. Not enough PL huffing and puffing and way too much culture. It's silly.

I don't care about replacing players at this point. Losing Ozil looks bad because he's a huge signing and it represents a step backwards for us. But unless the manager goes, the replacements won't matter.

As for the rest...I won't start with the whole back and forth thing with Ozil. It's all been said before.

[Niall_Quinn]

I don't care about replacing players at this point. Losing Ozil looks bad because he's a huge signing and it represents a step backwards for us. But unless the manager goes, the replacements won't matter.

As for the rest...I won't start with the whole back and forth thing with Ozil. It's all been said before.

They won't matter in terms of us mounting a real challenge. But they'll matter in terms of us collapsing into a deeper pit, both in terms of the reputation of the club and what we can produce on the pitch.

I agree, the round and around is pointless while this manager is here. Everything has been said and the remedy is so obvious there's no point saying Wenger Out anymore. Of course he should be out. Now. Today. It's a sick joke. Nothing can happen, nothing means anything, everything is a big fat nothing while that guy hangs on.

[Özim]

A narrow win against a side struggling for points, whoopedeedoo. If this is the best we can muster, we're in trouble.

and we thought last season was bad, the decline from top dogs and being the amongst the best around continues, we're not even the best of the rest anymore.

Wenger

Wish all jobs paid as well for such mediocre performance, if they did everyone would be driving around in sports cars and going to work on yachts.

[Letters]

Wenger

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

A narrow win against a side struggling for points, whoopedeedoo. If this is the best we can muster, we're in trouble.

and we thought last season was bad, the decline from top dogs and being the amonst the best around continues, we're not even the best of the rest anymore.

Wenger

Wish all jobs paid as well for such mediocre performance, if they did everyone would be driving around in sports cars and going to work on yachts.

Or more practically everyone at the club is on performance related pay

Wenger would have to file for bankruptcy

[Cripps]

A narrow win against a side struggling for points, whoopedeedoo. If this is the best we can muster, we're in trouble.

and we thought last season was bad, the decline from top dogs and being the amongst the best around continues, we're not even the best of the rest anymore.

Wenger

Wish all jobs paid as well for such mediocre performance, if they did everyone would be driving around in sports cars and going to work on yachts.

Not declining

Slow rot

[Letters]

and we thought last season was bad, the decline from top dogs and being the amongst the best around continues, we're not even the best of the rest anymore.

Actually... Our points, position and points off the top over the last 10 years has been:

2017 33 5th 19
2016 37 4th 9
2015 36 2nd 2
2014 30 6th 15
2013 39 1st 0
2012 30 4th 13
2011 33 5th 12
2010 35 2nd 3
2009 38 3rd 4 (but we had a game in hand that year)
2008 31 5th 8

Our average points at this stage over the last 10 years is 34.2, we are under than by 1.2 points but over 18 games it's not significant.
And while we have fewer points than we had at this stage for the last 2 years it's more than we had 3 years ago.
The only significant difference is the points off the top and I'd suggest that is more about City going mental than anything else.
In 2011 we had the same points, were in the same position and were 12 points off the top.

As I said previously, the real decline was a sharp one between 2004 and 2006, since then we've pretty much bumbled around going nowhere.
There really is no clear trend over the last 10 years apart from maybe enjoyability of the football.

It's certainly possible that we are in another period of decline now but it's not possible to say that for certain right now.