Winter Transfer Speculation

[Power n Glory]

Great debating.

[Letters]

I've already explained my position very clearly. I can't be arsed going round and round in circles continuing to do so with someone clearly hell-bent on finding fault in everything I say.

[Power n Glory]

Doesn't matter, it is still a massive contradiction. Everyone throws out their criticism - poorly judged or not - but you are doing exactly the same by 'simply' saying he should be sacked if he doesn't win the league and there are no more excuses. It makes no difference how regularly or not you make that statement, making it once is enough to undermine yourself. If your point was that football management is far from as straight forward as we ALL suggest, then boiling your own stance down to 'win or be sacked' is nonsensical.

Again,

Letters - read it.

[Letters]

I've already explained my position very clearly. I can't be arsed going round and round in circles continuing to do so with someone clearly hell-bent on finding fault in everything I say.

EDIT: Go on then, one last try.

but you are doing exactly the same by 'simply' saying he should be sacked if he doesn't win the league

I did NOT say that

[Niall_Quinn]

Would anyone like a lollipop?

[The Emirates Gallactico]

Just focusing on the points in bold. Giroud certainly isn't a typical Wenger striker but we moved away from that model a long time ago. I've stressed this point yesterday. Since moving to a solo striker formation, Wenger has been looking for strikers that can hold up the ball in the box. Henry had a hard time adjusting to that role because he was so used to drifting into wide positions to find space but we needed a presence in the box. So in came Ade. When Henry left we bought Eduardo, a natural goal scorer but not a psychical player so Wenger was reluctant to play him up front on his own or would play him on the left.

He'd also tinker with Bendtner up front, we brought Chamakh in and Wenger would always praise his team work and how he brings others into play. Heck, he'd even give Sanogo a run up front before trying a smaller quicker player like Theo. Reason being he wants a player up front with a physical presence. RVP is the only player to have that presence but also have flair and deadly in the box. He's the exception and it took years to make him. From a winger, to number 10 to the perfect solo striker. It's been an age since we've had a Henry, Anelka type. Maybe we've been priced out of the market but then again, we've always developed our strikers. They've never been a finished product. So why have we moved away from players with pace up front but instead looked for more bulky players that work hard for the team. Ade, Chamakh and Giroud have that in common and all three aren't natural goal scorers. Far predators in the box.

In fact, if you look at their goal scoring records before Arsenal, it's unimpressive and Wenger had to be looking at something else when scouting them. It was clear they weren't natural goal scorers before we signed them. Also, Giroud is a far better player now than what he ever was. Scoff at players like Bony or Benteke, but looking at their goal scoring records, the type of goals they score, you don't think Wenger could improve them like Giroud? They are younger too. Prem experience and have scored more than Giroud over a season for poorer teams. I'm sure Wenger could bring them up to an even better level. But they're also on the more bulky side as well.

I'm more baffled at why he hasn't tried to develop the physical side of a player with natural flair or goal scoring ability like he did with RVP. Why take so long to try Theo in that role? Why not try Sanchez? Why not develop Vela physically when we had him here because that kid had a natural eye for the goal. There are plenty of other examples. It just doesn't make sense to do the reverse. Chamakh, Bendy and Sanogo are the extreme examples. A great presence up top but poor poor finishers. Why not teach these smaller players how to hold up the ball and negotiate their way around the box? How to be team players as well as goal scorers?

You also mention Martial but Wenger has said he thought he was a winger. Which suggests to me that he's not looking for the next Henry anymore. Or he can't see who has the potential to develop into that sort of player.

http://www.espnfc.co.uk/manchester-u...-arsene-wenger

Good points and I do really agree with the pneultimate paragragh of Wenger doing things the wrong way in regards to developing a striker though I'm still not convinced that he's fully abandoned his idea of his old school type of strikers. He wouldn't have dropped Giroud for Theo at the start if that was the case.

Chamkah was more a free punt (freebie signing of the Ligue 1 winners at the time) and Bendtner was a talented youth player coming up through the ranks who Wenger wanted to give minutes to. I think you also forget how much of a hybrid Ade was at the time. Good hold up play but he could also run the channels and make runs in behind (when he could be bothered).

Put it this way, I think if Henry or Anelka were at their prime right now, Wenger would play them up front and not out wide.

It's true that he just didn't realise we could do with a better 'keeper? Behave...
Obviously he should have signed a better 'keeper years ago but the reality is a bit more complicated than a game of football manager.
The idea that he just didn't realise we could do with better is ridiculous. I have no idea why so many internet twats ™ think they have the first clue about how to run a top level club and think our manager doesn't realise where things can be improved. If you're average joe in the street can see it you can be sure a top level manager can.

Come of it Letters, I'm one of the more pro Wenger guys (probably isn't saying much) on here but the whole keeper debacle with Almunia and Fabianski was certainly one of his worst managerial moments. Indefensible.

A competent keeper isn't that hard to find or that expensive to acquire. No one was asking him to sign Casillias or Buffon at the time but just someone who wasn't a complete liability in goal, who at the very worst wasn't costing us goals and points. An old, stable hand like Scwarzher would have been perfect, but as was quite reflective of that horrible period, we quibbled over a million pounds and ended up losing our target.

[Letters]

Would anyone like a lollipop?

Go on then.

[Letters]

Come of it Letters, I'm one of the more pro Wenger guys (probably isn't saying much) on here but the whole keeper debacle with Almunia and Fabianski was certainly one of his worst managerial moments. Indefensible.

A competent keeper isn't that hard to find or that expensive to acquire. No one was asking him to sign Casillias or Buffon at the time but just someone who wasn't a complete liability in goal, who at the very worst wasn't costing us goals and points. An old, stable hand like Scwarzher would have been perfect, but as was quite reflective of that horrible period, we quibbled over a million pounds and ended up losing our target.

I kinda rated Almunia for a while but then he got rubbish. Fabianski... Yeah, not defending that.
It's the general attitude of some on here that they can see where our problems lie but Wenger can't and any idiot could sort it out which irritates.
I suspect that the complexities of sorting out a transfer are a little more complicated in real life than on Championship Manager, or whatever. But I guess that's why he gets the big bucks. And I do agree he's shown too much faith in players and persisted with some of them for too long. Overall not a bad policy and I'm sure the fact that players know he's not going to throw them under the bus a la Mourinho is helpful to squad harmony.

[selassie]

I kinda rated Almunia for a while but then he got rubbish. Fabianski... Yeah, not defending that.
It's the general attitude of some on here that they can see where our problems lie but Wenger can't and any idiot could sort it out which irritates.
I suspect that the complexities of sorting out a transfer are a little more complicated in real life than on Championship Manager, or whatever. But I guess that's why he gets the big bucks. And I do agree he's shown too much faith in players and persisted with some of them for too long. Overall not a bad policy and I'm sure the fact that players know he's not going to throw them under the bus a la Mourinho is helpful to squad harmony.

I think Wenger can see the problems, it's just that he's hell bent on proving everybody wrong! Of course I don't think it's as black and white as that and other factors come into play like you said, I.E. Him giving too much trust to his players.

To be fair to Wenger he has become a lot more ruthless these days, especially now that the purse strings are loosened, though I'm still not comfortable with the way he manages the squad as I think he takes too many unnecessary gambles.

[Özil's Panoramic View]

It's true that he just didn't realise we could do with a better 'keeper? Behave...
Obviously he should have signed a better 'keeper years ago but the reality is a bit more complicated than a game of football manager.
The idea that he just didn't realise we could do with better is ridiculous. I have no idea why so many internet twats ™ think they have the first clue about how to run a top level club and think our manager doesn't realise where things can be improved. If you're average joe in the street can see it you can be sure a top level manager can.

Such contempt for anyone who questions our dear leader.

Born a generation late and in the wrong country I reckon.