Gazidis is a waste of fucking space.

[Japan Shaking All Over]

Everytime I write something negative I pray that I am proved wrong. . .but changes are the only way I can see working both on and off the pitch

Everyone feels the same[/QUOTE]

. . .Id say almost everyone!

[Grebbo]

Gaz is getting paid £1million a year - he's not going to rock the boat.

[fakeyank]

Just read through that Swiss Ramble and I don't see how you guys can read that and ignore certain key points.

For starters, we made a profit, but Gazidis has said we purposely held some money back for January transfers and next summer. If Wenger comes out and hints that he won't be forced to spend when that time comes, whose at fault for that? This has been Wenger's way from the beginning and I would love to see a comparison or a detailed report on how we operated when Wenger first arrived and we were still at Highbury. This sort of detailed analysis has only started since we've moved to the Emirates. As the article points out though, it's very rare for a football club to make a profit. But anyway.... come January, if we look slow to do business again, we'll be back here again talking about the Board being reluctant release funds even though Wenger has always operated on a shoestring budget.

Last season, Wenger said failing to qualify for the Champions League is no disaster. Gazidis comes out and says the same thing even though we'd lose money, yet I'm still hearing that the Board are trying to fatten their pockets before jumping ship. If that were the case, shouldn't they be putting serious pressure on Wenger to qualify and actually win the thing? Wouldn't that make financial sense instead of allowing us to drop out of the top four which actually harms our stance when renegotiating our sponsorship deals?

The article pinpoints our commercial revenue deals as a reason why we're lagging behind the competition. Man U's income trumps ours and even Spurs have a better shirt sponsorship deal than us. The idiots on the Board that signed those early bad deals get the blame for that but we needed money for the stadium....fair enough. How are we going to cope....the cynics will say we're now a selling club and that's part of the strategy. Maybe. But we could have held out for more money when Barca came in for Cesc and Wenger in the end told the Board to sell him on the cheap. Now, if these guys were that greedy and cut throat, they'd have told Wenger to stay out of it and that we need to raise more money to fatten the pockets. They didn't happen and they allowed Cesc to go on the cheap. Thay conceded on that issue. We had a similar situation with Henry when we could have sold him for more but gave him a bumper pay rise only to sell him on the cheap a year later. The image doesn't add up.

As for the ticket price hike... check what the article says on Wenger's stance on that issue.


Why is he trying to dangle a carrot in front of our faces with that one? It was the same with his argument about moving to a new stadium, he toyed with the idea of us being able to compete with Madrid and Man U, but now the tunes sounding different and he's trying a new dance. You look back on the things Wenger sayx and he's right in there when it comes to misleading the fans. If the Board are taking the piss, this guy is right there in on the joke.

The article rightly goes on to say that we didn't have to raise ticket prices and success on the pitch would actually generate more income, but we'll leave that alone for the minute. Now look at our wage bill.



Why do we have such a huge squad that pays so much to young players and fringe players? We just signed Ryo, Campbell, Jenkinson and Oxo and we keep acquiring youth players even though they may end up like Denilson, JET, Vela, etc. Surely this has to be addressed and it's something Wenger can easily sort out. This youth project is his baby and he loves developing young players but he won't put his obsession in check and it's hurting us. Every year we signed young players and end up moving them on (or loaning them out) because they're not good enough.

Also, check Wenger's strategic RVP comments? Why do it and why is he prepared to part ways with players like that yet unwilling to curb this bloody youth project? Given the amount we're spending, shouldn't this way be cheaper? But it's turning out to be damn expensive and I'll blame the Board for not cuffing Wenger round the head and telling him to cut out this nonsense. Someone should be looking at those numbers, then the quality on the pitch and scratching their head. You can't justify those numbers and whoever is signing those checks must be getting the seal of approval from someone in the coaching staff. An accountant shouldn't be able to put a value on a football player, that's down to Wenger and his coaching team. He saying certain players are good enough and worthy of new contracts, that's his call.

Anyway, I've gone on long enough. This doesn't add up. If we're a club looking to fatten the pockets, then none of this makes sense. If you still hold that view, then you can't ignore the fact that Wenger is in on it. He happily shifts the attention away from us and on to other clubs like City and Chelsea and at the same time promotes what the club is doing and talks about the unfairness of financial doping.

I don't think the Board is out to pull a fast one. They're too dumb for that. But there is a lack of direction and I hope new faces like Gazidis and Stan start to see the light. This idea of Wenger being the Warren Buffett of football management is disturbing. That sort of accolade just shows how much influence Wenger has on this club. It's not 100% his fault, but they've given him too much power and trying to wrestle that back is a tall order.

Great fucking post!

Way too much is made of the board being a cunt. While I do think the board is to blame for not firing Wenger, the amount of money spent and tactics on the field is 100% Wenger's fault. I dont know how many on here has been on the Emirates stadium tour but if you have been, you will know during the tour that the design of the dressing rooms (home and away), the state of the art spa in the home dressing room, the size of the grass and the amount of water added to the grass are all according to one man- Arsene Wenger! When a football manager has input into how the dressing room is designed, I just do not see how any blame for our failure can be taken away from him. He is 100% to blame..

Oh and a fun fact, anyone who plays Fifa12 on PS3 will know that when you play with Arsenal enough, one of the commentators mentions how "Arsenal had an amazing pitch in highbury and that is one of the things they have moved to the Emirates stadium and credit needs to go to Arsene Wenger for that"... FFS, even in a football game, he is given credit for non-football shit. Since all things good that happened to Arsenal till 2005 was down to Arsene Wenger then all things bad (to our football) is all down to Arsene Wenger. No point hiding behind the board and blaming them for how terrible our football is.

[Japan Shaking All Over]

The words I read between the lines is that the blame is collective more than individual in the way the club is being run
The state of things on the pitch is down to Wenger but lets not forget the players. . . .sure some should not even be there but some of the things I have seen us fo, schoolboys could do better so they too shoulder a huge amount of blame and that includes the two littke birds that flew the nest

[Niall_Quinn]

Great fucking post!

Way too much is made of the board being a cunt. While I do think the board is to blame for not firing Wenger, the amount of money spent and tactics on the field is 100% Wenger's fault. I dont know how many on here has been on the Emirates stadium tour but if you have been, you will know during the tour that the design of the dressing rooms (home and away), the state of the art spa in the home dressing room, the size of the grass and the amount of water added to the grass are all according to one man- Arsene Wenger! When a football manager has input into how the dressing room is designed, I just do not see how any blame for our failure can be taken away from him. He is 100% to blame..

Oh and a fun fact, anyone who plays Fifa12 on PS3 will know that when you play with Arsenal enough, one of the commentators mentions how "Arsenal had an amazing pitch in highbury and that is one of the things they have moved to the Emirates stadium and credit needs to go to Arsene Wenger for that"... FFS, even in a football game, he is given credit for non-football shit. Since all things good that happened to Arsenal till 2005 was down to Arsene Wenger then all things bad (to our football) is all down to Arsene Wenger. No point hiding behind the board and blaming them for how terrible our football is.

Did you read the Swiss Ramble article? If you didn't manage to read between those thick, wide and brightly coloured lines then try reading it again. But this time fit the pieces together on the financial side, it's not hard to see a clear path and a clear pattern. It's also not at all hard to see how the board managed to fund and secure its property operation that has ultimately yielded them a stupid amount of cash. For as long as the majority of fans are focused on the wrong problems, nothing can ever change at the club. No point getting rid of a fox in the hen house if the fucking farmer puts another one in the next day either.

[fakeyank]

Did you read the Swiss Ramble article? If you didn't manage to read between those thick, wide and brightly coloured lines then try reading it again. But this time fit the pieces together on the financial side, it's not hard to see a clear path and a clear pattern. It's also not at all hard to see how the board managed to fund and secure its property operation that has ultimately yielded them a stupid amount of cash. For as long as the majority of fans are focused on the wrong problems, nothing can ever change at the club. No point getting rid of a fox in the hen house if the fucking farmer puts another one in the next day either.

I'll reply with just what we have as our starting XI..

Ssxsad- One of the top form goal keepers of the PL right now

Sagna- One of the best RB's in the PL

Per- Solid no nonsense defender

Kos- piece of shit

Gibbs- avg LB

Song- very good CDM. may be positionally suspect but still very solid

Arteta- proven to be a very good CM. Wont set the world on fire but still good

Ramsey- has been great for a below avg Wales team but absolute garbage for us

RVP- one of the best strikers in the PL

Walcott- promising player but completely wasted on the wings

Gervinho- looks to be a good signing

Why am I bring these players up when we are talking about the board? That is because with that starting XI and with TV5, JW, OAC, Flappy, Santos, Ping pong in the squad, we are more than capable of being in the top 5 of the PL. Yes, the board wants profits but so does the Glazers but SAF (like AW) has enough pull to say who they want and dont really need to say why.. If AW can lower Cesc's price by 10 million quid for these 'money grabbing' board members, I am sure he can coax them to spend a 6 million on Scott Parker or sign a defensive coach.

I am sure the board is not without its faults but the reason for us being a complete pile of shit on the field is coz of AW. Board do not do the tactics or play players in their best positions. To put it simply, I'll give the board more time than AW.. I judge AFC as a football club and AW is responsible for that aspect (and more)... I am confident if AW is sacked and replaced even with a donkey, we will get better on the football field.

[selassie]

Just read through that Swiss Ramble and I don't see how you guys can read that and ignore certain key points.

For starters, we made a profit, but Gazidis has said we purposely held some money back for January transfers and next summer. If Wenger comes out and hints that he won't be forced to spend when that time comes, whose at fault for that? This has been Wenger's way from the beginning and I would love to see a comparison or a detailed report on how we operated when Wenger first arrived and we were still at Highbury. This sort of detailed analysis has only started since we've moved to the Emirates. As the article points out though, it's very rare for a football club to make a profit. But anyway.... come January, if we look slow to do business again, we'll be back here again talking about the Board being reluctant release funds even though Wenger has always operated on a shoestring budget.

Last season, Wenger said failing to qualify for the Champions League is no disaster. Gazidis comes out and says the same thing even though we'd lose money, yet I'm still hearing that the Board are trying to fatten their pockets before jumping ship. If that were the case, shouldn't they be putting serious pressure on Wenger to qualify and actually win the thing? Wouldn't that make financial sense instead of allowing us to drop out of the top four which actually harms our stance when renegotiating our sponsorship deals?

The article pinpoints our commercial revenue deals as a reason why we're lagging behind the competition. Man U's income trumps ours and even Spurs have a better shirt sponsorship deal than us. The idiots on the Board that signed those early bad deals get the blame for that but we needed money for the stadium....fair enough. How are we going to cope....the cynics will say we're now a selling club and that's part of the strategy. Maybe. But we could have held out for more money when Barca came in for Cesc and Wenger in the end told the Board to sell him on the cheap. Now, if these guys were that greedy and cut throat, they'd have told Wenger to stay out of it and that we need to raise more money to fatten the pockets. They didn't happen and they allowed Cesc to go on the cheap. Thay conceded on that issue. We had a similar situation with Henry when we could have sold him for more but gave him a bumper pay rise only to sell him on the cheap a year later. The image doesn't add up.

As for the ticket price hike... check what the article says on Wenger's stance on that issue.


Why is he trying to dangle a carrot in front of our faces with that one? It was the same with his argument about moving to a new stadium, he toyed with the idea of us being able to compete with Madrid and Man U, but now the tunes sounding different and he's trying a new dance. You look back on the things Wenger sayx and he's right in there when it comes to misleading the fans. If the Board are taking the piss, this guy is right there in on the joke.

The article rightly goes on to say that we didn't have to raise ticket prices and success on the pitch would actually generate more income, but we'll leave that alone for the minute. Now look at our wage bill.



Why do we have such a huge squad that pays so much to young players and fringe players? We just signed Ryo, Campbell, Jenkinson and Oxo and we keep acquiring youth players even though they may end up like Denilson, JET, Vela, etc. Surely this has to be addressed and it's something Wenger can easily sort out. This youth project is his baby and he loves developing young players but he won't put his obsession in check and it's hurting us. Every year we signed young players and end up moving them on (or loaning them out) because they're not good enough.

Also, check Wenger's strategic RVP comments? Why do it and why is he prepared to part ways with players like that yet unwilling to curb this bloody youth project? Given the amount we're spending, shouldn't this way be cheaper? But it's turning out to be damn expensive and I'll blame the Board for not cuffing Wenger round the head and telling him to cut out this nonsense. Someone should be looking at those numbers, then the quality on the pitch and scratching their head. You can't justify those numbers and whoever is signing those checks must be getting the seal of approval from someone in the coaching staff. An accountant shouldn't be able to put a value on a football player, that's down to Wenger and his coaching team. He saying certain players are good enough and worthy of new contracts, that's his call.

Anyway, I've gone on long enough. This doesn't add up. If we're a club looking to fatten the pockets, then none of this makes sense. If you still hold that view, then you can't ignore the fact that Wenger is in on it. He happily shifts the attention away from us and on to other clubs like City and Chelsea and at the same time promotes what the club is doing and talks about the unfairness of financial doping.

I don't think the Board is out to pull a fast one. They're too dumb for that. But there is a lack of direction and I hope new faces like Gazidis and Stan start to see the light. This idea of Wenger being the Warren Buffett of football management is disturbing. That sort of accolade just shows how much influence Wenger has on this club. It's not 100% his fault, but they've given him too much power and trying to wrestle that back is a tall order.

Superb post.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

It's not 100% his fault, but they've given him too much power and trying to wrestle that back is a tall order.

This don't make sense at all. So the board give Wenger too much power and its not their fault he is like this. How the hell can it ba a tall order to get poer back when they can easily sack him, unless he has some clause in his contract that will make it up to them.

Not sure why your trying to make the board the good guys when they dont give a shit about the fans either and our chairman told us all to shut up and be happy or whatever he said.

I find it weird that you say and employer is powerless to stop their employee, when they easily can.

[Power n Glory]

This don't make sense at all. So the board give Wenger too much power and its not their fault he is like this. How the hell can it ba a tall order to get poer back when they can easily sack him, unless he has some clause in his contract that will make it up to them.

Not sure why your trying to make the board the good guys when they dont give a shit about the fans either and our chairman told us all to shut up and be happy or whatever he said.

I find it weird that you say and employer is powerless to stop their employee, when they easily can.

If I said it was 100% Wenger's fault, then I could see where you coming from, but I haven't said. It's not 100% Wenger's fault.

You've come back with a very simplistic argument and I'm not here trying to paint a picture of the Board being 'good guys'. You're wide off the mark and missed a lot of points I've made. But what really annoys me is the way you've comeback with the typical 'board doesn't give a shit about the fans' response while ignoring Wenger's comments and behaviour in the process. I mentioned them already but I might as well list them again and add a couple more points, but you're not getting it. If the Board are out to fleece the fans, Wenger is an accomplice.

Who championed the idea of the stadium brining in more transfer fund resources and us being able to compete with the likes of Real Madrid and Man U on the transfer market? I don't recall PHW or many Board members coming out to the press to stir up our hopes. I remember Wenger promoting that idea. He never said anything about the wage structure still being intact and our wage bill ballooning so just to accommodate and oversized average squad. He specifically spoke about competing on the transfer market and I don't want to here excuses about Chelsea or City because we're spending around the same amount on wages and transfer fees as we did at Highbury but the squad size and the average amount we're paying out has gone up.

The ticket price hike. Why has Wenger come out and said the increase would help us compete with the bigger clubs? Why dangle that carrot and suggest to the fans that it would help us on the pitch? We know that's BS but he put it out there anyway. If you think the Board don't care about the fans are taken us for a ride, then you've got to look at this comment with a raised eyebrow. He's helping them pull off the con with these type of comments.

Insults...didn't Wenger say 'a sign of intelligence is patients'? That was an insult directed at fans and you've ignored it. It comes right off the back of PHW calling fans idiots as well, just when tensions between the Board and fans were high. You ignored that point and a lot of people forget that comment. Wenger has no problem lying to fans, just like during the Nasri and Cesc saga when he said he expected no one to leave the club and the next day we here that Cesc is off. He did it with a smirk on his face as well, totally taking the piss and ignoring how much of a sensitive issue this was with the fans. He's always coy with his transfer dealings and fans brush it off as if he's playing his cards close to his chest and smokescreens, when in fact, he's just staying coy so when he doesn't sign anyone he can say we weren't able to find any 'super quality' players. Speaking of 'super quality' he's the one that sets the standard and gets our hopes up when talking of signing a striker or English centre back, then double backs on his words and gets all tetchy when people question him about it.

I could go on. See the bigger picture here. PHW and co hardly speak to the fans and Wenger has done a lot of talking . As for wrestling power back....Gazidis and Stan are part of a new regime. They respect Wenger but I guess they have a few ideas of their own like the Asia tour. This is a long term plan and they can't just sack him without thinking of the consequences. It's not that simple. The club now has Wenger's DNA all over it. Bringing in someone new means they'd have to be prepared to rip up the rule book and there would need to be a real strategy on how we'd cope without Wenger. What we're seeing here has taken years of planning. Board members can't make hasty decisions and sacking Wenger is the last resort for them. As for Gazidis, since he;s been here he's made sure he's put himself out there to the fans to answer questions. I'll give him credit for that. Nobody else does that at Arsenal.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

If I said it was 100% Wenger's fault, then I could see where you coming from, but I haven't said. It's not 100% Wenger's fault.

You've come back with a very simplistic argument and I'm not here trying to paint a picture of the Board being 'good guys'. You're wide off the mark and missed a lot of points I've made. But what really annoys me is the way you've comeback with the typical 'board doesn't give a shit about the fans' response while ignoring Wenger's comments and behaviour in the process. I mentioned them already but I might as well list them again and add a couple more points, but you're not getting it. If the Board are out to fleece the fans, Wenger is an accomplice.

Who championed the idea of the stadium brining in more transfer fund resources and us being able to compete with the likes of Real Madrid and Man U on the transfer market? I don't recall PHW or many Board members coming out to the press to stir up our hopes. I remember Wenger promoting that idea. He never said anything about the wage structure still being intact and our wage bill ballooning so just to accommodate and oversized average squad. He specifically spoke about competing on the transfer market and I don't want to here excuses about Chelsea or City because we're spending around the same amount on wages and transfer fees as we did at Highbury but the squad size and the average amount we're paying out has gone up.

The ticket price hike. Why has Wenger come out and said the increase would help us compete with the bigger clubs? Why dangle that carrot and suggest to the fans that it would help us on the pitch? We know that's BS but he put it out there anyway. If you think the Board don't care about the fans are taken us for a ride, then you've got to look at this comment with a raised eyebrow. He's helping them pull off the con with these type of comments.

Insults...didn't Wenger say 'a sign of intelligence is patients'? That was an insult directed at fans and you've ignored it. It comes right off the back of PHW calling fans idiots as well, just when tensions between the Board and fans were high. You ignored that point and a lot of people forget that comment. Wenger has no problem lying to fans, just like during the Nasri and Cesc saga when he said he expected no one to leave the club and the next day we here that Cesc is off. He did it with a smirk on his face as well, totally taking the piss and ignoring how much of a sensitive issue this was with the fans. He's always coy with his transfer dealings and fans brush it off as if he's playing his cards close to his chest and smokescreens, when in fact, he's just staying coy so when he doesn't sign anyone he can say we weren't able to find any 'super quality' players. Speaking of 'super quality' he's the one that sets the standard and gets our hopes up when talking of signing a striker or English centre back, then double backs on his words and gets all tetchy when people question him about it.

I could go on. See the bigger picture here. PHW and co hardly speak to the fans and Wenger has done a lot of talking . As for wrestling power back....Gazidis and Stan are part of a new regime. They respect Wenger but I guess they have a few ideas of their own like the Asia tour. This is a long term plan and they can't just sack him without thinking of the consequences. It's not that simple. The club now has Wenger's DNA all over it. Bringing in someone new means they'd have to be prepared to rip up the rule book and there would need to be a real strategy on how we'd cope without Wenger. What we're seeing here has taken years of planning. Board members can't make hasty decisions and sacking Wenger is the last resort for them. As for Gazidis, since he;s been here he's made sure he's put himself out there to the fans to answer questions. I'll give him credit for that. Nobody else does that at Arsenal.

I see where your coming from PnG and agree with most but i don't see Wenger having more power then the board, well no more than any other manager in the league tbh.

I agree he has too much power then he should which is wrong, but Stan shoud be able to take that back if he has his own vision which only time will tell.