Wenger to sign a new deal

[Letters]

What is reasonable is to expect improvement, year on year as at the end of the day it is a competition. Each year we have 4 opportunities to win something. 8 years we have failed miserably. That means 32 times we have failed. Or more appropriately. Wenger has failed. David CAN beat Goliath. Or Swansea would not be FA cup champions. The problem with keeping Wenger is that he kills all reasons for hope. Ragnarok will occur before that zealot wins anything again.

It's not realistic to expect a side to improve every year but I agree that from where we are we certainly should be looking to improve and we've been treading water for far too long. The lack of any trophies over the last 8 years is a major failing of Wenger.

Finishing top 4 every year shouldn't be dismissed as if any idiot could have achieved that, clubs like Spurs and Liverpool have thrown enough money around and failed to do it consistently, but we do seem as a club far too content to just hang in there and not try and push on and seriously challenge.
Maybe the new commercial deals and FFP will see us become more competitive. I'm not holding my breath though.

We could do a lot worse than Wenger but the main bit of your post I agree with is about hope. Most of us have lost faith in Wenger's ability to deliver trophies and if at the start of the season you feel you have no hope of that then what's the point? I don't feel we're that far away from a side that can seriously challenge, we just need to do the right things this summer. Trouble is I've thought that for the last 4 summers...

[Kano]

I don't feel we're that far away from a side that can seriously challenge, we just need to do the right things this summer. Trouble is I've thought that for the last 4 summers...

we HAVE a team and have HAD a team good enough to win trophies. failing against weak opposition once is fine because these things happen but when they happen 3/4 or more times - under different squads - then there is clearly one common denominator. the prem ain't happening for a long time for us but a cup or two wouldn't have gone amiss to keep tings ticking over but wenger gloriously fucked those up time after time.

[Master Splinter]

then there is clearly one common denominator

Pretty much.

GW .

[Syn]

Tomorrow's paper: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BMGpBcNCEAAVzfh.jpg:large

[LDG]

-United. head and shoulders above us even with Moyes at the helm.
.

See, this is why I didn't read the rest of your post.

He hasn't even managed one minute of football at utd.

Poor post.

[LDG]

Quite happy actually.

[GP]

Tomorrow's paper: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BMGpBcNCEAAVzfh.jpg:large

Dettori

[Niall_Quinn]

It's not realistic to expect a side to improve every year but I agree that from where we are we certainly should be looking to improve and we've been treading water for far too long. The lack of any trophies over the last 8 years is a major failing of Wenger.

Finishing top 4 every year shouldn't be dismissed as if any idiot could have achieved that, clubs like Spurs and Liverpool have thrown enough money around and failed to do it consistently, but we do seem as a club far too content to just hang in there and not try and push on and seriously challenge.
Maybe the new commercial deals and FFP will see us become more competitive. I'm not holding my breath though.

We could do a lot worse than Wenger but the main bit of your post I agree with is about hope. Most of us have lost faith in Wenger's ability to deliver trophies and if at the start of the season you feel you have no hope of that then what's the point? I don't feel we're that far away from a side that can seriously challenge, we just need to do the right things this summer. Trouble is I've thought that for the last 4 summers...

We are miles away from having a team that can challenge. Think about it. The senior players now are Sagna (who wants out), Ramsey, Walcott - these were prospects not that long ago now they are top of the tree. Ludicrously we have a captain who can't get a game. A second rate striker to replace RvP. A joke of a winger in Gervinho. A shitarse like Chamakh still sucking money. We're talking about fighting to hold onto one of our "star" players - Koscielny FFS! A kid with prospects in goal. A couple of Germans who blow hot and cold. A tick-tock Spaniard trying to be a Vieria or Gilberto, and one genuinely class player in Cazorla if you rule Wilsher out as being a victim of that thing Wenger said he'd never allow, burnout. Gibbs is okay, maybe something there.

But all in all MOST of these players need to be replaced if we are going to build a team to challenge for the title. Even then you'd have to rely on Wenger playing then in the correct positions or not coming up with some bizarre match blowing tactics at the crucial points in the season. Worst team we've had in decade and the result of a steady drain that I guesstimate will take around £250mill (including wages) to fix. Probably more. You can't ever, ever let players like Fabregas and RvP go if you are serious about building a team. Those transfers were the clearest signal that the priorities of the club are entirely mismatched to those of the fans.

We finished top 4 every year because that's what the balance sheet required. The 4th place trophy is a financial trophy. This is why Wenger is spoken of so highly by the chief beneficiaries.

[Letters]

We are miles away from having a team that can challenge. Think about it. The senior players now are Sagna (who wants out), Ramsey, Walcott - these were prospects not that long ago now they are top of the tree. Ludicrously we have a captain who can't get a game. A second rate striker to replace RvP. A joke of a winger in Gervinho. A shitarse like Chamakh still sucking money. We're talking about fighting to hold onto one of our "star" players - Koscielny FFS! A kid with prospects in goal. A couple of Germans who blow hot and cold. A tick-tock Spaniard trying to be a Vieria or Gilberto, and one genuinely class player in Cazorla if you rule Wilsher out as being a victim of that thing Wenger said he'd never allow, burnout. Gibbs is okay, maybe something there.

And yet we finished 2 points off 3rd place, 5 points off 2nd. And the sides who finished in 2nd and 3rd have the infinite money cheat turned on and neither significantly out-performed us in the league.
We're not that good, but we're not that bad either.
Utd were miles clear of everyone but only because of RvP and Fergie who manages to get squads who are decent but hardly world-beaters to win game after game. But he's gone now and while they're not going to suddenly be in mid-table I don't expect them to win the title next year. Moyes is decent enough but he's no Fergie, Chelsea and City will no doubt splash silly amounts of money around and that will make it difficult for us to challenge but we don't need to have a massive clear out and start again. This squad + a couple of marquee signings and we'd be right up there. Whether we'll make them...well, I'm sceptical because we've been here so many times before.

You're right about the Fabregas and RvP transfers, that showed what the aims and ambition of the club are about. Or have been about. Maybe there's some longer term masterplan behind it all and with better commercial deals and more of the stadium debt paid off we'll compete again, but we've been sold that story for years so who knows

It's not just us who covets the 4th place trophy by the way, plenty of clubs have splashed out and tried and failed to achieve it. It shouldn't be all we're trying to achieve though and it seems it has been, or at best it's been the top priority for the club.

[Ollie the Optimist]

Wenger soaks up the criticism for years when the board gave him no money.

Redknapp spits his dummy when he can't get Wayne Bridge.

#Class

Saw that on twitter. It's very true, board admit there have been constraints on wenger yet he has never moaned.