Are the glory days over for good?

[IBK]

We have fallen so hard and so quickly that many on here seem to think that a change of manager is the only option.

But we do need to remember that for all his faults, Wenger punched above his weight continually in keeping us in the CL places for the past 6 years - and we have a majority shareholder who will not bank roll anyone else.

We are not a great proposition as a club any more. No silverware for years; best players wanting out; a running joke defensively; an inherent lack of leadership on the pitch; a reputation for penny pinching in the transfer/contract market - to an incoming player we must look the epitome of lack of ambition. Jesus, even as fans we are learning to live with failure after failure (every Gooner I know tends just to shrug and smile apoligetically when asked about the latest dropped points).

Wenger talks about a cycle restarting http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-arc...d-again-for-us. I believe that with more judicious use of the Fabregas/Nasri money, and proper planning he could have prevented the last one collapsing, but its easier to imagine ATM that what's starting is the proper spiral downwards for our club.

Is this it? Are we the Ajax of English football - a selling club that once played the best football in Europe but one destined from now on to live on fading memories?

- Well, are we?

[Flavs]

TOO MANY THREADS AAAAAAARRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHH

[Marc Overmars]

For good? No.

Under Wenger? Probably.

[Power n Glory]

Has he really punched above his weight by keeping us in the top four?

He’d be punching above his weight if we’re finishing above teams like Man U and Chelsea, but our competition for 4th has always been lower teams like Spurs, Everton and Villa. Those teams can’t afford the sort of wages we pay and have never been able to mount a consistent challenge to reach the Top 4 year after year. It’s always been unstable down there.

There is a huge gap between us and them. The stadium and amount we bring in year after year dwarfs what they bring in. That’s not really punching above our weight.

[IBK]

TOO MANY THREADS AAAAAAARRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHH

TBF - this is a slightly different question to whether AW should get the sack, or who should replace him. Its about trending - and whether we are on a one way ticket to Aston Villa ville.

[IBK]

Has he really punched above his weight by keeping us in the top four?

He’d be punching above his weight if we’re finishing above teams like Man U and Chelsea, but our competition for 4th has always been lower teams like Spurs, Everton and Villa. Those teams can’t afford the sort of wages we pay and have never been able to mount a consistent challenge to reach the Top 4 year after year. It’s always been unstable down there.

There is a huge gap between us and them. The stadium and amount we bring in year after year dwarfs what they bring in. That’s not really punching above our weight.

I think he punched above his weight in the thick of the stadium project, when there was a justification for being very careful with our cash. He kept us top 4, playing football that people wanted to watch, and brought in/developed players who could be described as world class. Spurs and Liverpool have/had as many resources as we do, and spent a lot more on players, but we generally finished above both teams.

[Flavs]

Don't understand why spending the money from Nasrigash would stop the down-slide either, doesn't matter which players we have on the pitch the application of them is a shower of shite, combine that with a disorganised defence and a lack of self belief and we would still get the defeats.

[Power n Glory]

I think he punched above his weight in the thick of the stadium project, when there was a justification for being very careful with our cash. He kept us top 4, playing football that people wanted to watch, and brought in/developed players who could be described as world class. Spurs and Liverpool have/had as many resources as we do, and spent a lot more on players, but we generally finished above both teams.

We still had a Championship winning team playing for us back then and I wouldn’t expect us to drop out of the top 4 because we didn’t sign a few top players. Chelsea and Man U went a season or two without major signings and still managed to win the league. Not saying we should have been able to win the league at that time, but dropping out of the top four should never have been possible. Not when we still had players like Henry, Gallas, Hleb, Cole, Campbell, Pires, Reyes, Ljunberg, Adebayor, Lehman, Cesc……

[Fats]

Well apparently we can compete financially so yeah

[Letters]

Wenger raised our level. We wouldn't have got and stayed in the top 4 without him, we wouldn't be at the new stadium without him.
He's failed to sustain it though and while it's harder now what with City going nuclear the mistakes he's made and the resulting decline is pretty damning.
Before the tail end of last season we weren't really in decline, it was more stagnation. Now it's decline and the rate of it is alarming.
I fear the players no longer have faith in him and when that happens at any club it's time to move on.