Summer Transfer Misery and Recriminations.

[Power n Glory]

I've noticed Theo has stepped up his defensive contribution after Wenger's public comments.

4/6 tackles vs Liverpool. 3/3 vs Leicester. 1/1 vs Watford along with 6 ball recoveries and 2 interceptions.

I wonder if Wenger has spoken to Theo about his defending and all round game before. Saw the below quote from Xhaka and it may explain why so many of our young players aren't developing and seem to do what the heck they like on the pitch.

Xhaka, pronounced Jakka, said: “He (Wenger) is not a coach who speaks daily. Wenger talked to me two of three times. He told me he was very impressed with how I train, how I behave in my character and I was disciplined.

“He has an incredible way, an insane charisma. You look at him and you know ‘wow, this man has achieved and experienced so much’. The respect for him is enormous.”

[I am invisible]

I view Theo as a poster boy for pretty much everything that is fundamentally wrong with Arsenal and indeed English football in general.

Overhyped, overpaid, in reality second rate, and scandalously seemingly good enough for Arsenal. You can't say people are picking on him, it has been 10 years and the boy's done fuck all. Failed to improve at club level, failed to make the breakthrough at international level (even in an almost talentless England team). There's not much to commend our Theo.

On this basis, even if it were true that we stand more chance of winning with him in the side (and that's a shallow argument that misaligns cause and effect), Theo is a constant reminder to every Arsenal fan that second best will do at this place. And isn't that at the very heart of the club's problems? The lack of that killer ambition that drives teams to the top? So Theo has pace and therefore provides a randomness that doesn't exist in our more stable and static tip, tap set up? Big deal. We shouldn't be playing that shitty system in the first place, we should be setting up to maximise the attributes of the genuine quality we have at the club. If we did that, Theo wouldn't, couldn't get a sniff. And rightly so.

As with every season for the last decade, I'm on standby and eager for him to prove me wrong. I think a lot of fans are in the same boat.

I'm convinced that a large part of the problem is the way the club want to be seen as a family - we've been pushing that angle for as long as I can remember, and whilst it's all well and good for regular, day-to-day members of staff, I think it sends out all the wrong messages to the players. With a family, you know that they will always welcome you back into the fold, and give you chance after chance, no matter how often or how badly you mess up or disappoint, and so we see with way too many of our players - there's always another chance for them, and the club will always shield them from criticism and consequences. The atmosphere I'd like to see us cultivate would be more like that of a group of soldiers: you still get the comradery with your team mates, and the affinity for your unit / club, but it comes with a massive dose of added accountability - you know that your team mates will always have your back... but you also make damn sure that you don't put them in that situation in the first place [where the need to bail you out]. And if you become a constant liability, then you get drummed out of the core (so to speak), for your own good as much as everyone else's. Ruthless, but it has to be, if you want that winning mentality.

[Niall_Quinn]

I've noticed Theo has stepped up his defensive contribution after Wenger's public comments.

4/6 tackles vs Liverpool. 3/3 vs Leicester. 1/1 vs Watford along with 6 ball recoveries and 2 interceptions.

I wonder if Wenger has spoken to Theo about his defending and all round game before. Saw the below quote from Xhaka and it may explain why so many of our young players aren't developing and seem to do what the heck they like on the pitch.

What does that quote really say? Wenger does fuck all and is living on his longevity and reputation. Butters the players up, doesn't come down on them nearly hard enough when there are problems. As Invisible says above, it's too cosy, too relaxed, there are too many liberties granted and being taken. These guys are being paid a fortune to strive with every ounce of their talent and their character to achieve. Year after year they fail. Even when the player in question is genuinely world class, he ultimately fails. What an incredible joke that Ozil couldn't break the club assist record last season. He was virtually there with half the season gone and then it all dried up - by no coincidence in line with the turgid and negative football we deployed for the second half of the season. Wenger would of course make a whole bunch of excuses about injuries. But this is where the likes of Walcott come into the picture, they need to be able to step up and keep it all on track when we lose first team players. Well he doesn't do that and he's not the only one who's guilty. We don't have a squad, we have a decent team in most respects (with a couple of glaring weaknesses) and then a squad that doesn't have the quality to fill the holes as they appear. We didn't have anyone to replace Santi last season and so the season fell apart. We didn't have anyone to step up for Giroud when his form fell off a cliff. Wenger is so negligent in this respect. Surely by now he knows those players he stays loyal to will absolutely not deliver when the call comes? He must know this by now, yet he persists. So maybe Theo is now starting to do some of the bare minimum that is expected of him anyway. So maybe Wenger has finally intervened and had a word. So what? None of it is even close to being good enough and it's all way, way too late. That's if Wenger has even said anything. If we go by Xhaka's report, maybe the only thing Wenger has said to Theo, 10 years into this failed project, is, "Ooooh, I like your hair like that!"

[Marc Overmars]

Walcott is only still involved because he's on such a huge contract. I bet Wenger regrets giving him that deal 4 years ago and can't wait to move him on.

We're simply lumbered with him at the moment.

[Power n Glory]

Walcott is only still involved because he's on such a huge contract. I bet Wenger regrets giving him that deal 4 years ago and can't wait to move him on.

We're simply lumbered with him at the moment.

Wouldn't he have kept him on the bench if that were the case? I think Theo is still a part of Wenger's plans. Seeing how things went with Wilshere and Campbell, Wenger could have made it quite clear that he'd play a small role for us this season and then Theo could have decided on a transfer or loan.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Wouldn't he have kept him on the bench if that were the case? I think Theo is still a part of Wenger's plans. Seeing how things went with Wilshere and Campbell, Wenger could have made it quite clear that he'd play a small role for us this season and then Theo could have decided on a transfer or loan.

Might have been hard to loan Walcott, as often we ask the club loaning one of our players to pick up a proportion of that player's wages....it was almost a deal breaker when Bendtner was farmed out to Sunderland.

But i think yes it's more likely that Wenger is looking to persevere with Walcott (although it can't help either him or the player that he seems to change his mind constantly as to his best position). I think what goes against Walcott is his lack of industry, there is very little argument to be made that in anyway Joel Campbell is a better player but fans love him because of his sheer work rate and desire.

But again as you have pointed out and was very noticeable against Leicester was that he seems to be upping his work rate, but it won't mitigate for the obvious problem with Walcott....over thinking....if he has any time to make a decision he will often fluff it because he panics, where as when he has to do something instinctively and doesn't give himself time to think he tends to perform a great deal better.

He is the epitome like N_Q says of Arsenal players as is a confidence player, just like Arsenal is a confidence team....when confidence is high we can beat anyone but a set back and we go through periods of weeks where we don't look like we can beat anyone.

[Kano]

Walcott is only still involved because he's on such a huge contract. I bet Wenger regrets giving him that deal 4 years ago and can't wait to move him on.

We're simply lumbered with him at the moment.

I don't know. With the money in the PL, there are a lot of teams that could absorb his wages. West Ham spraying money around, Everton, Liverpool and even Leicester are spunking it like there's no tomorrow. If Palace can put down £30m for Benteke plus wages, they could take a Feo. I think Wenger still wants him here. A loan could be arranged if needs be, even on a part-paid wage basis if we wanted shot of him that badly.

[Marc Overmars]

Wouldn't he have kept him on the bench if that were the case? I think Theo is still a part of Wenger's plans. Seeing how things went with Wilshere and Campbell, Wenger could have made it quite clear that he'd play a small role for us this season and then Theo could have decided on a transfer or loan.

I don't know but I feel we've been here before with Walcott. Wenger will play him for a bit but tends to revert back to the players he trusts more. We'll see what happens now Giroud is back and of course Perez.

[Power n Glory]

Might have been hard to loan Walcott, as often we ask the club loaning one of our players to pick up a proportion of that player's wages....it was almost a deal breaker when Bendtner was farmed out to Sunderland.

But i think yes it's more likely that Wenger is looking to persevere with Walcott (although it can't help either him or the player that he seems to change his mind constantly as to his best position). I think what goes against Walcott is his lack of industry, there is very little argument to be made that in anyway Joel Campbell is a better player but fans love him because of his sheer work rate and desire.

But again as you have pointed out and was very noticeable against Leicester was that he seems to be upping his work rate, but it won't mitigate for the obvious problem with Walcott....over thinking....if he has any time to make a decision he will often fluff it because he panics, where as when he has to do something instinctively and doesn't give himself time to think he tends to perform a great deal better.

He is the epitome like N_Q says of Arsenal players as is a confidence player, just like Arsenal is a confidence team....when confidence is high we can beat anyone but a set back and we go through periods of weeks where we don't look like we can beat anyone.

Kano makes a good point on other teams splashing money around. Wilshere managed a loan deal to Bournemouth and he's on £90k-£100k.

[Power n Glory]

I don't know but I feel we've been here before with Walcott. Wenger will play him for a bit but tends to revert back to the players he trusts more. We'll see what happens now Giroud is back and of course Perez.

Even if Walcott isn't first choice, he'd have to struggle to make the bench for Wenger to ditch him. We'd need players to step up in order for that to happen. Ox and Iwobi in particular.