Are the doubters wrong about Wenger?

[Fist of Lehmann]

A few weeks back Wenger promised a full and frank investigation into why our injury record is so bad.

The question that occurred to me was:

If the investigation concludes that it is Arsene's training methods, his selection policy, his style of play, his loyalty to injury prone players, basically any of the keystones of his philosophy, is causing the problem, does he have it in him to change?

Beyond tweaking, radically, I have my doubts.

The other question that occurs is: why wasn't this full and frank investigation carried out 4 years ago?

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

A few weeks back Wenger promised a full and frank investigation into why our injury record is so bad.

The question that occurred to me was:

If the investigation concludes that it is Arsene's training methods, his selection policy, his style of play, his loyalty to injury prone players, basically any of the keystones of his philosophy, is causing the problem, does he have it in him to change?

Beyond tweaking, radically, I have my doubts.

The other question that occurs is: why wasn't this full and frank investigation carried out 4 years ago?

I don't want to be fisted by Lehmann, not Jens, Tom or Darren

[Kano]

A few weeks back Wenger promised a full and frank investigation into why our injury record is so bad.

The question that occurred to me was:

If the investigation concludes that it is Arsene's training methods, his selection policy, his style of play, his loyalty to injury prone players, basically any of the keystones of his philosophy, is causing the problem, does he have it in him to change?

Beyond tweaking, radically, I have my doubts.

The other question that occurs is: why wasn't this full and frank investigation carried out 4 years ago?

It was 2/3 years ago and we're here yet again. Nothing has been learnt it seems or as you say, he cannot change enough to make a discernible difference.

[Power n Glory]

In the 2008 season where we collapsed it was the same problem. RVP, Rosicky and Eduardo picked up injuries, Hleb, Fabs and Adebayor started to lose form because of the amount of games they were playing and we didn't do what was necessary in January to ease the burden off an already stretched squad challenging for the title. It's deja vu.

[Globalgunner]

Please don't crticise Mr Wenger or question his methods. Or point out his deficiencies. You may upset some people. If not for Maccy, this place would long have been rechristened "the imaginarium of Dr Arsene". Devotees only allowed.

Hail Wenger beloved of the creator...sent down to lead us to the promised land......sometime in the year 2025 or thereabouts.

[Özil's Panoramic View]

No doubt whatsoever that our season has been adversely affected by injuries, but to be totally honest, I started to fear our season would turn out as it has now after we went to Old Trafford first half of the season, full strength and still lacked bottle.

That game kinda showed that we were still incapable of winning high pressure games, especially against the supposed big teams. Robbed us of our little momentum and belief, and we just never looked comfortable in the other big fixtures from that point on.

[I am invisible]

...Am I right to reconsider, or am I falling back into the Arsene 'brainwash' of always looking to explain our failure to win, rather than accepting that he is no longer a good enough football coach to win the league?

Maybe it's neither mate? You are allowed to have an opinion that doesn't fall into one of these ridiculously polar camps that you're made to feel that you have to follow [where you have to either blindly support everything the manager does, or obstinately find fault with everything he does]. If you're opinion is that he does some things well, and some things badly - that he's been unlucky in some respects, whilst bringing other problems on himself - then that's fine. I imagine it's where a lot of posters on here sit...

[Kano]

Yes - I agree - and I have read Le Grove. What is disturbing is that Wenger - such an intelligent and knowlegable man - sees what is happening year after year but does nothing to change his methods, and refuses even to bring in an expert to assist him to try to update his training methods and solve the problems that we have. He won't change now, and I do not believe that our team will progress any further under him, and may well regress. But I suppose that my position may have altered as regards why. I wonder now whether methods rather than tactics per se are to blame.

Blaming it on injuries/methods still allows some room to suggest part of the problem is out of his hands. Problems on the field, as well as off, have gone on too long to suggest it is not entirely the managers fault.

Despite missing key players there is no excuse to be pummelled as we have been numerous times. I'm not sure any team in the league can match such a poor record away to top four opposition this season. Going back further we have struggled to beat top four teams with more players available. It's clearly a tactical as well as training issue that needs to be resolved at our club. If we want to beat teams above us we need to do far more than just 'play our game'. Even with a weakened team at the very least we should be hard to beat but that has been ruthlessly exposed this season. Even with all those players available this season, they would need a proper game plan to overcome teams of similar ability. It's why we've never done that well in the CL too.

[Letters]

I'm not sure any team in the league can match such a poor record away to top four opposition this season.

Liverpool lost all 3 away games against the rest of the top 4.

#justsayin'

But yeah, we shouldn't be getting humped like we have.

[Kano]

Liverpool lost all 3 away games against the rest of the top 4.

#justsayin'

But yeah, we shouldn't be getting humped like we have.

You're second line is what I was getting at. Losing is one thing but getting humiliated like that across the season is exceptionally bad. Other teams can match the defeat record but even the poor ones realise they have to tighten up at times.