Match Reaction - Arsenal vs Sunderland

[Xhaka Can’t]

Of course they're taken seriously as they're a top club now and yes, history will show how many trophies they've won.
It'll also show that they won bugger all (more or less) before Abramovic came along. If you respect the 'achievements' of a club who so blatently bought success then fine, I don't. Yeah, they were a bit higher up than City when Abramovic came along but they'd not have had anywhere near the success they've had without him. City were in mid-table when they were taken over, it shows you can do it with any club if you pour enough money in for long enough.

If all you care about is end result and don't care how it was achieved then, again, fine, but I don't. Hence my ever increasing disinterest in a sport where money plays an ever increasing role. From the start of the season it was pretty clear who the top 3 would be this year. OK, we don't know in which order but still, it's not good for a sport to be so predictable.

With our resources we should be up there in the top 4, if we're not then that is a failing in the way the club is run. With the money we generate and the prices we're paying to go along we should be expecting more but I wouldn't want to be just another billionaire's plaything splashing silly money around on mercenaries.

So much is wrong with football these days and most of it comes down to money. Clubs buying success, players being unlikeable mercenaries from all 4 corners of the globe with no real connection to the club or the fans. If it wasn't for dad wanting to renew and going along pretty much being the backbone of our relationship there's no way I'd have renewed.

Like I said. Football

Spot on.

I've barely watched any football in the top flight that doesn't include Arsenal for the past 2 or 3 years and now I'm watching less of that too.

[Marc Overmars]

All this from a win eh?

The next defeat could finish GW off for good.

Nah, there have been enough opportunities for it happen. GW is made of stern stuff.

[fakeyank]

Do it on your own pal, coz I won't be helping you out with a ticket this time.

Well, if you help me, thats great or else I'll try elsewhere. Worst case scenario, I'll do it outside the stadium!

[fakeyank]

Of course they're taken seriously as they're a top club now and yes, history will show how many trophies they've won.
It'll also show that they won bugger all (more or less) before Abramovic came along. If you respect the 'achievements' of a club who so blatently bought success then fine, I don't. Yeah, they were a bit higher up than City when Abramovic came along but they'd not have had anywhere near the success they've had without him. City were in mid-table when they were taken over, it shows you can do it with any club if you pour enough money in for long enough.

If all you care about is end result and don't care how it was achieved then, again, fine, but I don't. Hence my ever increasing disinterest in a sport where money plays an ever increasing role. From the start of the season it was pretty clear who the top 3 would be this year. OK, we don't know in which order but still, it's not good for a sport to be so predictable.

With our resources we should be up there in the top 4, if we're not then that is a failing in the way the club is run. With the money we generate and the prices we're paying to go along we should be expecting more but I wouldn't want to be just another billionaire's plaything splashing silly money around on mercenaries.

So much is wrong with football these days and most of it comes down to money. Clubs buying success, players being unlikeable mercenaries from all 4 corners of the globe with no real connection to the club or the fans. If it wasn't for dad wanting to renew and going along pretty much being the backbone of our relationship there's no way I'd have renewed.

Like I said. Football

Why cant we be like Utd? Spend what we make, have a good manager and win trophies on merit rather than wait on sugar daddies?

[Marc Overmars]

Well, if you help me, thats great or else I'll try elsewhere. Worst case scenario, I'll do it outside the stadium!

I can imagine it now. An Asian tourist with a little Wenger out placard inviting people to join him.

Your health and well being would be in no danger at all.

[Letters]

Why cant we be like Utd? Spend what we make, have a good manager and win trophies on merit rather than wait on sugar daddies?

We do have a good manager although I feel his idealism (which may be similar to my ranting here) is getting in the way of a more pragmatic approach which, like it or not, is needed these days. It has to be said that Utd's resources are greater than ours but we could be doing more too. It'll be interesting to see how Utd do over the next few seasons. Brilliant as he is Fergie has only had one billionaire-fuelled team to contend with till recently. Now there's two it's going to be harder. There's no doubt that Fergie > Wenger. But seriously fella, Wenger > most managers. Not saying there aren't others around who could do better but there aren't loads IMO.

[fakeyank]

I can imagine it now. An Asian tourist with a little Wenger out placard inviting people to join him.

Your health and well being would be in no danger at all.

Pretty much.

[fakeyank]

We do have a good manager although I feel his idealism (which may be similar to my ranting here) is getting in the way of a more pragmatic approach which, like it or not, is needed these days. It has to be said that Utd's resources are greater than ours but we could be doing more too. It'll be interesting to see how Utd do over the next few seasons. Brilliant as he is Fergie has only had one billionaire-fuelled team to contend with till recently. Now there's two it's going to be harder. There's no doubt that Fergie > Wenger. But seriously fella, Wenger > most managers. Not saying there aren't others around who could do better but there aren't loads IMO.

Wenger was greater than most managers till 06. After that something got switched off and he is nowhere near being close to a top manager. His failures (which I have mentioned countless times) are just baffling and are not the signs of a manager > most managers! You may disagree but I personally believe that in terms of tactics and leadership, he is probably one of the worst 3 or 4 in the PL.

[Letters]

Football has changed, not Wenger. And while I agree that he needed to keep up with the times more you don't keep a team top 4 in the era of billionaires by being as incompetent as you're making out. And it's NOT been a steady decline, the Invincibles fell apart in 2 seasons to the point we struggled to finish top 4, lasagnagate etc. Wenger then built a young side on the cheap which while too mentally week to finish the job was technically good enough to challenge for the title more than once. Again, not the actions of the bumbling idiot you seem to think.

Most of 2011 has been baffling and frustrating but I put most of that down to meeting MrsL (I first met her just after we beat Barca at home, check out the results since. QED)

[Syn]

I can feel myself getting dumber every time I read stuff from certain posters. Quite tedious. The one interesting thing I read was that Chelsea and, now, Man City will have bought success and it becomes uninteresting when it pretty much always boils down to which billionnaire owner has the deepest pockets. I agree with that. There is the issue of where you draw the line....some clubs will always have an inherent advantage. Man Utd have had a huge advantage because of their previous successes and have spent a fuckload of money in the last 10 years. That has helped them stay at the top. We would agree that they have earned that right and it's different from being handed it like what has happened to Chelsea and Man City. But at what point does it become 'enough' of a reward and, in particular, uncompetitive for football in general? It's a virtuous cycle and it's clear that not everyone has an equal chance. There are other advantages...we have a geographical advantage of being near central London. It's never going to be a level playing field.


Everyone will have their own line, but I'd guess that for 95% (including nearly all non top-league fans), a team being allowed to play real-life FM with the unlimited money cheat ala Man City is not even close to it. As Letters said - most of the problems of football today is because of the obscene money involved. There has to be more regulation. Salary caps, transfer caps. Other than money there are still other problems - there has to be retrospective punishment. Permitted use of video technology. A much more transparent rating system for referees - punishment for poor performing refs and better rewards for good refereeing performances. A lot of shit needs to be sorted out. I do believe that strikes are wrong at a time when negotiations are still going on. Vote Syn for UEFA Presidency.