Arsenal rant!!!

[boundngag]

I have recently started watching ArsenalFanTv and I have to say that I was not aware that the divide among Arsenal fans had become so bitter and vitriolic. This brings me to a point. People often say that Arsene Wenger always does what’s good for Arsenal. But does he? How does not clarifying his future earlier help Arsenal? It causes the fan divide to grow and become increasingly bitter; it unsettles players, who in turn produce worse performances. Also, Wenger supposedly believes in Economic Fair Play. Then how does he justify a salary of £8.9million a year? Before Mourinho returned to Chelsea in 2013, Wenger was easily the best paid manager in the league! When accused of being reluctant to spend money, he points out players he has missed out on. I’m sure that helps the players he actually bought play so much better! Xhaka is playing poorly and he tells the media he could have bought Kante for less. What a manager!!!
I remember in January 2015, we beat Man City 2-0 away, by defending deep and hitting them on the break. Arsenal fans thought that Wenger had got the message and against the better sides would be more tactically aware. Since then, he has completed reverted to playing openly against teams Arsenal seem to have a psychological problem winning against and subsequently, Arsenal lose badly. We continually lose in big games and yet Wenger is unwilling to change anything to rectify this. We lost 10-2 on aggregate to Bayern Munich. 10-2!!! Yet we supposedly moved to the Emirates, paying the highest season ticket prices in Europe, to compete with them. Bayern Munich, by the way, spend less money than Arsenal do! Arsenal are probably further away from the top European teams than at any point in recent history.
Our seasons follow the same pattern now perennially. Even in Leicester’s miracle season last year, our season was the same. Slow start, recovery, bed November, recovery, capitulation in February/March, then go on a great run when we can no longer win anything and it doesn’t matter. Is Wenger unaware of this trend? Is he unable to change things to prevent this pattern? Or does it not matter to him, as the board always offer him a new contract? Given Kroenke’s lack of attendance at games (whatever you think about Abramovic, he does go to the Chelsea games, he does have an interest if football and he does care about Chelsea’s results) and his total lack of communication with Arsenal fans, he has given no indication that his ownership of Arsenal is about anything other than owning his own and the board’s pockets. At least Usmanov seems to be an Arsenal fan and is willing to invest his money. He is wealthier than Abramovic, too! In my opinion, Wenger needs to announce that he will not be signing a new contract, so we can get in a decent manager, such as Simeone, Allgegri, Sampaoli or Tuschel and Kroenke needs to sell the club. The later Wenger leaves it, the more difficult it will be to get a new manager in. I don’t think Wenger would be unaware of that. I think this indicates he wants to sign a new contract. This season, I don’t think Arsenal will win the FA Cup, as I don’t think we could beat a Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United or Tottenham (that’s right, even Tottenham!!!!!), I don’t think we will finish above Tottenham in the league or in the top four. I think this will cause an even greater divide among the fan. Even if all this happens, I think Wenger will be offered a new contract and I think he will sign it. Next season could therefore be very bad, as Sanchez, Ozil and even Oxlade-Chamberlain (who unbelievably has been one of our best players this season, when played in central midfield) will probably leave, we will probably not have Champions League football and if we get in replacements, they probably will not be as good.

[John]

Unless Kroenk goes, which he wont, I dont think Arsenal will achieve anything in the near or distant future.

Wenger and media pundits say Arsenal have spent money...and on the face of it, they have, but they are never in the race for the top playters in the game. When was the last time they beat Man Utd / Chelsea / Man City to a signing? It's frustrating beyond belief. Other clubs are pushing on and improving around them.

The only way for them to get out of this cycle of failure is for them to slip down the table, faile to qualify for Europe, Wenger go, see attendances fall, become unprofitable, get sold by Kroenk, get taken over by Usmanov.....sad but I fear true..

[boundngag]

I do agree with that. I think a lot of Arsenal fans would. But knowing that and knowing that it is probably totally unavoidable is frustrating. One of the most annoying things about Wenger is either he is aware of this being the situation and is fine with it, or he has managed to totally delude himself. The fact that he seems oblivious to the fact that he is not the manager he once was indicates the latter to me.

The situation at Arsenal probably isn’t on the same scale, but do you remember the situation with Brian Clough at Nottingham Forest? Nottingham Forest won the European Cup twice under Clough (how many times has Wenger won it?!), but were relegated his final season as manager (I think they had been selling players too?) They have never really recovered from this and are still in the Championship, towards the bottom now. They even went down to League 1 at one stage. I’m not saying I think Wenger will take us down (although maybe if they let him continue into his 90s???), but I do think that he has been allowed to stay for too long and completely on his own terms.

I do wonder about Kroenk’s other sporting franchises in the United States. I think you said before that they had not been successful with Kroenk at the helm. I wonder if fans of these franchises in the United States don’t mind this, or if they are as annoyed with him as we are? I think in an interview a few seasons ago, he complained about being labelled ‘Silent Stan’ and yet he never communicates with the fans. If you don’t like it, Silent Stan, go to games and communicate with fans! Unbelievable. Don’t even get me started on Gazidis, who Wenger appointed and yet is supposedly answerable to and never seems to do anything! How does he justify his salary?!