We were always going to lose at Old Trafford today. That’s the thing to keep in mind about this result. We were always going to lose. We didn’t have the players to expect anything else. And if anyone allowed themselves to actually believe we could have won, Wenger included, then they either don’t understand football or they are willfully ignorant. The team that played yesterday could not have beaten Manchester United. Just remember that for a moment, because the tough question comes next.
Why does Arsenal Football Club have such a threadbare squad that an 8-2 result is even possible? That’s the important question. Would we have lost 8-2 with Gervinho, Jack, Song, Sagna and Vermaelen? Probably not. Would we have won? Maybe. I actually think we may have won with that group available. But they weren’t available. And the players that were available were six goals worse than United.
Forget the two goals we scored and the two more we could have had. They’re irrelevant. Because when you have so little concern for defending or ability to defend, it doesn’t matter how many chances you create. We may have troubled United from time to time, but it was clear early-on, that we were going to concede a mountain of goals on Sunday. They scored eight times and could’ve scored more.
We need to stop pretending we are unlucky or cursed. It’s an excuse making mechanism that needs to be put to rest. United’s team was younger. United’s team was arguably missing more first-teamers. I think Alex Ferguson was almost trying to make a point with his starting XI. I think he was saying, “here’s a team filled with my backups and young talent, just so you can’t make any excuses when we whip you.” They didn’t start Chicharito, Valencia, Park, Carrick, Rafael, Vidic or Ferdinand. They did start Wellbeck, Young, Anderson, Cleverley, Smalling, Evans and Jones. And that group just beat our stand-ins by six goals.
When you lose players to injuries and suspensions, it’s expected that there might be a drop in quality. In season’s past we’ve had a horrific injury record. Yet we still produced results that avoided embarrassment. We’ve had to play without RVP, Cesc, Nasri, Theo, Song, Vermaelen and others in the past. But there were relatively competent professionals prepared to take their places. Maybe no world-beaters, but professional footballers ready for the challenge. After the match Wenger said, “we do not have the squad to compete when we have this many players out.” He picked his words perfectly. It’s not that we don’t have the squad to “win,” we don’t have the squad to “compete.” And that is inexcusable.
I have no problem with Arsenal working towards developing young talent for the future. But the balance is out of whack. And I think it’s time to question whether the talent is as good as we always assume. Let’s not forget that Arsenal’s much vaunted reserve team got beaten 10-1 by Aston Villa’s reserves last season. Two of the starters from that game were on the bench at Old Trafford today. Were they going to come on and rescue us?
I’m not suggesting we don’t have brilliant young talent. I’m not suggesting that these players can’t still come good. But they’re not good enough now and Arsenal is not a youth-development program. Arsenal is supposed to be one of the strongest clubs in European football. We are one of the most profitable sports teams in the world. It is beyond ridiculous to field such a weakened squad in any match, let alone a match against the reigning champions on their ground. Again, it’s not because of injuries and suspensions. It’s because the team isn’t strong enough beyond the first XI.
What’s even more disheartening about Sunday’s match is that our most experienced players were some of our worst. Robin van Persie, despite scoring, was terrible. His touch was poor and his missed penalty was an early omen of things to come. What bothers me about his performance is that his body language seems to suggest he was fed up with his team. I’m sorry, but if you’re going to publicly say that the manager should spend some money on quality players, then you need to carry your weight too. Convert your penalty. When a beautiful ball over the top of the defense puts you in on the ‘keeper with all the time in the world, don’t try a difficult volley with your weaker foot. Top players score from those positions. RVP can say we need to strengthen, and he’s most certainly right, but if he had done his part on Sunday, things might have been different. At least a little bit different.
Theo Walcott is another player that annoyed me on Sunday. He seems to think he’s a star now. He’s got a book out. He has scored a couple of good goals. Life is good for Theo. Now he seems to believe that he can berate his teammates at every opportunity. He loves to throw a fit when they don’t get him the ball in the area. Why do you want it Theo? So you can slam it into the ‘keeper like you did in Italy on Wednesday?
One of my favorite moments of the match was when Theo Walcott had a go at Carl Jenkinson for his defending. Where do you even begin with that? Walcott loves to ignore his defensive responsibilities and the penalty he gave away late in the game was sheer immaturity. Jenkinson runs his heart out. He gives his all. It’s not his fault that he was playing in League One last season and isn’t ready to start against United at Old Trafford. He’s just not ready for this yet. It’s honestly not even fair to him.
Lately Arsene Wenger has shown the disturbing willingness to tolerate players who simply aren’t good enough. He did that with Denilson. He did that with Almunia. Now he’s doing it again. I realize that Armonde Traore is not our first choice left-back. He might not be our second choice left-back. But the fact remains that he should never be on a football pitch in an Arsenal shirt. It’s become taboo to speak honestly lately, but let’s get serious. Before the match even started I asked Arseblog how he felt about Arshavin and Traore on the left. He said he was terrified. I agreed. Well guess what? There was every reason to be terrified. Because Manchester United could’ve scored 20 goals on Sunday just by attacking our left side. Traore’s positioning defies common sense and you have to wonder what Arsene Wenger sees in him other than an excuse not to buy another left-back.
It’s a little bit terrifying how much we missed Thomas Vermaelen and Barcary Sagna. They are the glue that holds our defense together. Without them, everyone else looks terrible. Johan Djourou looked almost competent on Wednesday, but I can’t remember seeing a more shocking performance by a center-back than the one he turned in on Sunday. Laurent Koscielny was decent, but couldn’t compensate for Djourou’s display. Basically, when three of your four defenders aren’t Premier League quality, and you’re playing Manchester United at Old Trafford, you’re going to concede some goals.
You could go on and on and on picking out players who had a bad game or quit on their teammates. At one point I honestly believed that Arshavin was trying to get sent off because he’d had enough of the match. Think about it. He intentionally handled the ball when he was on a yellow card. Then he committed a Cattermole-esque tackle when he was miles from getting to the ball. Webb should have sent him off and we should have been down to 10 men much earlier.
But the vast majority of the blame for this match falls on the manager. I’m sorry, but it does. If he’s going to get the accolades and hear the fans sing “one Arsene Wenger” when things go well, then he must take the blame when things go poorly. He said there’s enough quality and belief in this side. He said there was enough mental strength. He was wrong on all counts.
Forget Arsene’s failure to strengthen the side for a moment. Let’s ignore that. Let’s just look at the tactical decisions instead. He should’ve known we were in for a battering today. It was clear for all the world to see. He could’ve set us up more conservatively in an effort to stifle United. He opted to go for it. And when the match was clearly lost, and a big scoreline was becoming a possibility, he did something I literally cannot explain in any way. He took off our holding midfielder and replaced him with a young attacking midfielder who has never played a game for the club. I realize that in Arsene’s mind there was no difference between losing 3-1 and 8-2. As he said, “we tried desperately to get back but we opened ourselves up and were punished.” That sounds reasonable, but it just shows a stunning lack of common sense. It shows an inability to appreciate reality. Frankly, it smacks of delusion.
Now for the really awful part. Our lack of quality is why we lost on Sunday, but it’s not why we lost 8-2. We were still good enough to keep that game closer. No matter how poor our team was, and no matter how inexperienced some of the players were, there was still enough talent wearing an Arsenal shirt to prevent what happened. You don’t lose 8-2 because you were outclassed. You lose 8-2 because you quit. You lose 8-2 because you have no heart. No guts. No discipline. That’s reality. Think of the awful teams that have been in the Premier League over the past few seasons. How many have United scored 8 against? We’ve seen Wigan concede a similar number, but they’re one of the most destitute sides in England’s top flight and constant relegation fodder.
Do I think that we would’ve gotten a result on Sunday if we played with courage? No. Not by a long shot. Because courage can’t compensate for a lack of quality. But I know for a fact that we could’ve kept it closer. The team wasn’t helped by the manager’s inexplicable decision-making. That kept the snowball rolling down the hill.
What I saw on Sunday was a team that thought it was fun to keep pushing men forward in numbers when they’d already conceded 5 goals. 6 goals. 7 goals. Where’s the discipline? This isn’t a Sunday league match they were playing for fun. Those men are paid huge sums of money to play football and represent Arsenal Football Club. Why are they playing like it’s a testimonial in a Premier League match? Why is Theo giving away penalties out of frustration? Why is the manager putting on more attackers when we are getting taken behind the woodshed? Good questions. No answers.
There will be better times ahead for this team. When players come back from injuries and suspensions we could very well deliver an 8-2 thumping to Swansea. But that’s not the point. The point is that eleven men wearing Arsenal shirts humiliated the club on Sunday. They played without discipline or pride. Arsene Wenger has to ask why. Maybe he’s become too much like the overly permissive parent whose children start to run amok.
If you were a player at Arsenal, how would you behave? You’re surrounded by youngsters with few experienced, older teammates ready to keep you in line. You watch while players who agitate for moves out of the club are indulged by the manager as if they’re heroes or martyrs. You see players like Denilson and Diaby stroll around on defense but continue to get picked. You watch players like Almunia and Squillaci keep their jobs after proving time and again that they’re not good enough.
If I were a player at Arsenal I would believe that I could do what I pleased. Play how I want. Train how I want. Behave how I want. Perform badly. And I would have reason to believe that I could behave that way because I would see evidence of it everywhere I looked. Alex Ferguson isn’t loved by all his players, but he’s feared by all his players. Wenger is loved by all his players and feared by no one.
Unfortunately, the mentality that Wenger has cultivated within the side is all wrong at the moment. There’s little evidence of self-belief. But there’s even less evidence of self-control. We’ve had a red card in every single premier league match we’ve played. Four red cards in three matches if you count Song’s ban for stomping on Barton. And Arshavin really should’ve been sent off early on Sunday as well. It’s not just a coincidence. The discipline within the squad is gone.
There are no repercussions at Arsenal. No consequences. Play badly, you still keep your place in the team. Throw away a lead, you’re told you showed great mental strength. Concede eight goals to the team you’re supposedly challenging for the title, and the manager says it was a good experience. That kind of leadership doesn’t work. Arsenal has become a school without rules, and the students are failing their classes.
Like I said at the beginning, we were always going to lose on Sunday. But the manner in which we lost was preventable. It’s not just down to the dearth of quality in the side. We have to accept that it’s also down to the poor attitude of the players. So much time has been spent by gooners focusing on the players that weren’t available today. But consider who was available for a moment.
There were at least five first-choice players on the pitch today. Arshavin and Rosicky may no longer be first-choice players, but they are two of the more experienced members of the squad. Johan Djourou was a starter for all of last season. So that’s eight of eleven players who started on Sunday that can be considered first-team regulars. Maybe it’s not ideal, but that group shouldn’t be beaten 8-2 unless something is wrong within the squad.
We want new signings. We need new signings. But today, Arsenal didn’t look like a club that many players would be desperate to join. If you played for reigning French champions Lille, and you know that Arsenal don’t pay the best wages, and you see a group of players that don’t look happy to be on the pitch, and you watch those players quit on each other in a big match, how eager would you be to join that club? Not very. Does anyone else think that Juan Mata watched us play on Sunday and felt like he dodged a bullet?
It’s a desperate situation at the moment. There’s a few days left in the transfer window and I still believe that new players will arrive. But now I’m starting to wonder if two or three new players can fix what’s broken. Can we suddenly become a team that’s interested in defending? Will the morale within the side improve? Van Persie doesn’t look happy. Neither does Theo. Cesc was a popular player and now he’s gone. Nasri moved to a side that looks ready to fight for the title and tripled his wages along the way. It has to be depressing for the players left behind. They can’t help but notice these things. Then they talk. They talk to other players at other clubs. And you start to wonder if there’s any reason why someone would choose to come to Arsenal at this point in time. I can only think of one thing.
Here’s the one thing that would make me want to join Arsenal. Here’s the one thing that would make me want to run until my lungs burst for Arsenal. Here’s the one thing that makes me swell with pride at being a gooner. Our supporters. God bless the away supporters. Sitting on my couch, miserable at home, head in my hands, I wanted to reach through the television and hug every Arsenal supporter at Old Trafford. I wanted to be there with them. I wanted to be at that stadium, taking that beating and singing my heart out with them. It’s that kind of support that reminds you what it means to be a gooner. No matter how bad things get, and they’ve gotten really bad, the away support provided an important reminder to us all that
We love you Arsenal,
We do,
We love you Arsenal,
We do,
We love you Arsenal,
We do,
Oh Arsenal we love you!
Over to you Arsene.
yankeegunnerblog.com 
Excellent Piece! Quoting you this sums it up “There are no repercussions at Arsenal. No consequences. Play badly, you still keep your place in the team. Throw away a lead, you’re told you showed great mental strength. Concede eight goals to the team you’re supposedly challenging for the title, and the manager says it was a good experience. That kind of leadership doesn’t work. Arsenal has become a school without rules, and the students are failing their classes.”
Arsenal till I die,
I’m Arsenal till I die
I know I am,
I’m sure I am,
I’m Arsenal till i die
Fantastic blog, agree with every word. The most concerning aspect was the lack of pride and heart from the players, and as you say, far worse teams than what we fielded today have gone to Old Trafford and not been beaten as badly. The sole reason is effort and application, something we lacked today and that is unacceptable.
Arsene is breaking my heart by ruining his legacy like this in what is most likely his final contract with the club. I wish he would be selfish, spend the extra bit of money to bring in the extra quality and build one final great team that will win the Premier League/Champions League and allow him to leave in a blaze of glory. His sterling work at the club deserves a happy ending and not one mired in ridicule and defeat.
Great piece. There is a gap in culture between the youngsters at United and Arsenal. Before the season started, I thought and still think that our starting eleven could go toe to toe with any of the sides but that our second string squad was way too thin. I thought, however, that this would get exposed during December and January when the number of games scheduled requires rotation. Unfortunately, we got found out in August. Today, there was no midfield. To be honest given the holes in midfield, I don’t know what more Vermaelen could have done as the back four was exposed time and again. I can’t believe Arshavin came on a record transfer fee. He was garbage at both ends of the field and it’s ironic that Jenkinson was the one who ended up with the red. Thank god, we are not playing a United, Barcelona, Madrid, or City for a bit. As you say, Arsene needs to get the mentality right in this club. I think the team came out today with the hope of not getting beat and when the rout began, what little hope drained away.
In the 2nd paragraph you say that if you had a full squad available you think you may have won at Old Trafford. Really!!! Those 5 players you say were missing, was the difference between an 8-2 drubbing and an Arsenal victory. Nonsense. You were gonna lose today no matter what players were played and what tactics were used, probably not by that margin but you would have lost. Arsenal had 3 top quality players, 2 have gone leaving only RVP. And his body language to me suggests he doesn’t want to be there anymore either, he already commented to the press during the summer that it would be a disaster for Cesc and Samir to leave. The rest are inexperienced or overrated or not premier quality in the first place
Time to get rid of the old man. International disgrace when millions are watching. I would have put a gun on my head and pull the trigger if I’m in his position. Time for you to go, nutty professor. Too many second class players in the team, or deadwood. If he still think he have a chance to compete for league champion this season, I would rather think it’s his last season here or shorter.
wow! great blog entry. Its not just the team that lacks rules and accountability its also the manager. Does he truly answer to anyone or do the board let him do whatever because a top-4 finish is all they want.
I hope wenger realizes that the youth project has failed and he needs to try something else. The young players that we wanted to groom and grow into a great team has been left in tatters by the departures for more money or returning to your boyhood club. Ultimately, the players have not returned the same loyalty to wenger as he gave to them and expected in return.
Another big issue is the lack of older players at the club that pass on tradition and experience to younger players. Man U are great at this – they keep their older players around knowing they can only play a few games but these players help the younger ones break into the first team. They teach younger players how to close out games and how to respect the club etc. etc. Look at what Man U did to rio ferdinand – he went there when he was young and look at him now – he is passing things onto the youngters. Imagine what the invincibles could have passed on.
Finally, the lack of defensive training is beyond a joke. Our defense has been a joke for years now and its like we still don’t do defensive training (clichy was quoted as saying how surprised he was at the training at city b/c they actually tackle). We need to get keown back as defensive coach (last time he was defensive coach we reached the champs league final with a makeshift defense and set a record
Nail, head, etc. Two things stand out for me.
1) The squad is obviously too thin is some areas and the blame ultimately lies with Wenger. Yes, there are financial restrictions but what money exists is being spent poorly. The wrong sorts of players are being targeted. Oxlade-Chamberlain and Park. A young attacking midfielder and a striker. Surely the money could be better spent on a defender or two? They wouldn’t have to be Thiago Silva to improve things. How much did Wes Brown cost?
2) Lets imagine United were forced to play Arsenal in the midst of an injury crisis. Carrick at centre back, Fabio in midfield, the kitman up front, whatever. I know what they’d do. They’d play 451, sit deep and make it difficult. Going to Old Trafford with half a defence and playing a nice fluent 433 is so stubborn and naive it boggles the mind. It’s not fair to the young players either. Lord knows what a mauling like that does to the confidence of someone making their debut.
Brilliant piece. Absolutely spot on. *Sigh* Change in tactics needed, discipline needed, quality players needed, self-belief needed, urgency needed. Let’s hope things change v. Soon! Or else we’ll be lucky if we get europa league next season.
Wenger, you’ve got to re-affirm ALL of this to the fans and to the squad!! All points on this blog were solid. Keep the cannon close to your heart mates!
@ all you supporters… Someone is CUNTING us over…. The way I see it, 3 possibilities…
1. Wenger is CUNTING us over by being a Scrooge & not spending…
2. Kronke & co. are CUNTING us over by doing to us what Gillette/Hicks done to the mugsmashers & letting wenger take the wrath… just like Benitez…
3. It’s a clever ploy by Usmanov & Dein to destabilize the club… Darren Dein has been the manager of Toure, Adebayor, Nasri, Fabregas, Clichy, Cole… Well I think u get my point… Worringly his new clients are Wolcott, VanPersie, Song and Wilshere….hmmm dodgy…
Personally, I don’t buy the Wenger is to blame for everything wrong… Over the years, just look at the players he identified that moved to other clubs coz the CUNTS on the board were too tight…. Essien was earmarked when Viera to Real Madrid saga was going on, Xabi Alonso, Drogba, Malouda, Ronaldo, Bale are just a few of Wengers targets over the years that didn’t materialize coz the board are tight sphinctered CUNTS…
CUNTS…. The lot of em’
Question is what are we as supporters gonna do about it??? Time to organize lads…. I think someone needs to know we ain’t CUNTING about…
There’s usually method to madness but not today.Seemed like the team were sent out like WW1 soldiers,what did the coach say before the match,just do your best lads and dont worry too much about the result? I really fear for the future its going to take a bit more than some last minute transfer dealings to sort this one out.Would hate to see Wenger leave but i feel he’s fighting a losing battle,would’nt blame him for walking when the board seem to be undermiming his every move,i agree with most of your points and that Wenger is partly to blame but the board must shoulder the most blame.We never look after our own,prefer to lose someone than pay them what they deserve,we even let our groundsman and physio leave both the best at what they do for the sake of a few quid,a total embarrassment.
I’ve honestly said for around three years now that either the players don’t want to play for Arsene any more (not in all cases, but certainly in several) and others, whether it’s on a subconscious level or otherwise, have stopped listening to him. How else do you explain the fact that he’s said we work on things in training for years and yet when they actually step out on to the pitch there’s absolutely no evidence that anything has been worked on? Either it hasn’t been worked on, or it has been worked on and when push comes to shove the players do what they want.
In the summer a couple of the squad mentioned that we had been working on an intense pressing game for the forthcoming season, the kind Barcelona have put to stunning, dominant effect and that Real Madrid have just employed in the Super Copa. They might have still lost over the two legs but they caused Barcelona, the greatest team on the planet, no end of problems. Where has this pressing game gone to with us? I haven’t seen it once. Arshavin doesn’t press ever, Walcott does nothing defensively either, and Rosicky goes in full reverse, the complete opposite of what we’re supposed to be doing. Even if you were to use the excuse that players were injured today most of these players are in the first team squad, trained by the same people and at the same place and so should be pressing in twos and threes every time we lose the ball.
It’s quite obvious that by repeatedly selecting players who just aren’t Arsenal quality it sends out the wrong kind of message. There’s a difference between giving players time and allowing them to come good and massively over-indulging them, and too often with the dross in the squad it’s been the latter. While he didn’t play today Diaby, for example, may well have talent but he doesn’t seem very intelligent to say the least, constantly overplaying in dangerous areas and giving the ball away and he’s also permanently injured. With all the best will in the world why do we still have him on the pay roll? The money that has been wasted on players like that when we could have bitten the bullet earlier and got someone else in sums up the financial side of things in a nutshell, penny wise pound foolish. The worst knock on effect of (Wenger’s policy) paying high wages to potential to stop them leaving now has a double whammy of leaving us stuck with players on high wages we can’t get rid of for love nor money. And as Yankee Gunner says Hazard, a player who would genuinely excite most of us, already considered us a step down before this result. Think about that for a second…. Lille, a small here today gone tomorrow flash in the pan club, are considered to be a step up from the Arsenal. What on earth has happened to our football club, and can we have it back please?
Supporters and Jack Wilshere. I’m proud. Great piece.
The best piece i’ve ever read about the state of Arsenal over the last 6 years. This blog has become a staple for me… Fantastic work.
Not sure what brought me here, but i just had a great read, brilliant piece really. I quote “You don’t lose 8-2 because you were outclassed. You lose 8-2 because you quit. ” This part touches my heart. We fans never ever quit on you, why would you do this to us?
We have always done our parts, hello players? hello manager? what are you doing?
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Surely, yesterday is the tipping point for Arsenal Football Club! Sport at this level is all about the small percentages of difference. By this, I mean if you have 3-4 players who are lower in quality than the opposition, the difference has to be made up in determination & discipline. Yesterday was the result of having 5-6 lower quality players and 3-4 adequately gifted players who have very little determination and no discipline! I excuse Aaron Ramsey… The manager has reached the end of the road with Arsenal Football Club. He no longer has the ability to inspire his players to give absolutely everything for this great football club. He no longer has the ability to find and select the players that will give absolutely everything for this club and I fear he also, no longer feels he can compete at the top of the game.
Top post
Wenger must go, now for the sake of the club HE MUST GO.,
Too ashamed to even comment….the part about almunia, diaby and denilson is so true……….There is no hiding the fact, too much water has passed under the bridge for AW……..It is time to move in…In times of crisis, you need a brave decision and it might seem like there is no one who can take the reigns right now at The Arsenal, but “Arsene Who??”……for sometime he made us dream we could reach the stars, we did leave into outer space but for sometime now we have been losing power and falling back down.
How the hell he could sanction Fab leaving at the time he did with four years left is beyond me.It creates and impression he cares more about players welfare than the team.Nasri i can understand but still think it should have been dealt with much quicker.I remember the line being he had until June to sign…..could ultimatums not have been given to both of them for their situations to have been sorted………..We hit reset whenever we allow players that we sacrificed time and points for them to gain experience are let go and we seem never to learn from it thinking we will always survive.
The fuel of goodwill that AW has been flying with these past six years has all been jettisoned……..It has come to a point where he has become a cancer for the club…too much talk and no action……I really doubt he is to blame but he has either sided with or shielded the board for too long.Enough is enough…..Every crisis is an opportunity for renewal.The man has all but ruined his legacy.Time to stop the rot.We have to face up to the fact AW’s time is up.The board also has a lot to answer for.
There is no denying we were poor very poor.
I am not embarrassed about yesterday and i will never be ashamed to be an Arsenal fan. Do fans of team who play in lower leagues ashamed of their team? Are they somehow embarrassed to walk in their team’s shirt around? NOOO. There is no shame in being a football fan. No one said it was going to be easy. And we are not entitled to be at the top of the table year after year as we were in these past 14 years or in Europe. A football club is going to go through good times and bad time, and if you were happy when we were on top and celebrated YOU SHOULD be there when we hit rock bottom too, i now I am going to be there.
There is more than one man to blame. I’ve said it for a while now and now i believe it now more than ever. Something is seriously wrong behind those closed doors we just don’t know what. We have a owner and a board who are responsible for the club too, yet they are quite and invisible and Wenger gets all the rocks throws at him. And no I am not saying Wenger is faultless, because he is not.But when you are the owner or board and see the club is going downhill you just sit there and watch it happen you do something!!
The media are loving this, the rivals too. These players , this club is going to get attacked from every possible direction. We need to get behind them and lift them up. Szczesny said after the win against Udinese that he thought the team was the only one that actually believed in itself, let’s not make them feel like that again. If they are going to throw rocks at us let’s build our castle with them. Arsenal don’t need our pity they need our support! Hats off to the away support can’t find the right words to describe how proud i was to hear them.
These are the players we have they are going to take the pitch for us .Some of them are wearing that shirt with pride and are willing to give their hearts out for us and stayed or came here to help the club.Yes some of them aren’t exactly the greatest but it is what it is. They shouldn’t need anybody to motivate them , the thought of fighting for a title, for something should keep them motivated, if that is not the case i don’t wanna hear them in a year they want to leave for an ambitious club. Let’s respect and think about them not about those who left or those who could have arrived here. I want new players toom hell i want a lot of them , but the fact i want them won’t change a damn thing, and i am not going to judge a player by his price tag either. When we signed Vermaelen everybody wondered who the hell he was , with Koscielny the same and look at them now.
I don’t like saying this because everyone supports a club in their own way and i don’t believe that ” true fan ” crap you are either a fan or not a fan, but nothing pissed me off more than people who claim that are fans yet take joy from our defeats because it proves them right.
There is an Arsenal team that won a trophy and worn the shirt with pride today ,it wasn’t easy and they should be appreciated more and we should not forget to cherish them and what they achieved because of what happened today.There was someone above that said that the fans never quit on the team, yes we did.Last season the players were almost beggig for suport evend the team chef was. This season we came to the point where the manager and the player did just that. I hate to say it but we let them down too, all those time we left the Emirates earlier or the atmosphere was similiar to the atmosphere in a library, regardless the score,we failed them too.
It is the beginning of the season and you can call me crazy, naive, delusional and whatever you like, I believe in this team because i want too and i won’t give up because i know they won’t. This is the same team that made us proud on Wednesday and i truly believe they will make us proud again. We are in August the season is not over it just started.
Reading this made me feel bad about some things i’ve said during the game ! You’re completely right ! It’s time more than ever to support the club !
Brutal, but so true. Excellent piece.
Spot on mate. South- African Gooner, you summed it up.!!!
I think AW plays a big part in the youth policy including the “Stingy” Financial system. Anyway, last year caught 4-4 by Tot/ham, this year 8-2 agst Manu!!!! Cant he see that there’s something wrong and he still keeps on going on his stubborn idea. That was true when said that Alex F has put his younger team so that there wont be any excuse from the French guy anymore. And not only that but he has showed AW how to do it when you put youngster on the pitch with experienced old lads.
Fantastic piece. Well reasoned, well thought out and excellently expressed sentiments. You should blow it up and put it up at the emirates entrance. Or give a copy to everyone.
Nuff said. This sums it up quite nicely. The one other question that remains is how do you fix this situation. It may be cliche but true. Fire the coach at the end of the season if he cannot change the course of the club. The reason he tolerates mediocre players is because his own mediocrity over the past 6 seasons have also been tolerated. It is time to set a target failing which there will be consequences. The fish rots from the head!
Nuff said.
Shit piece. All you did was write some populist drivel. There is nothing probing or deep about the analysis here. It is just another “Arsene Wenger is a bum” piece.
first of all
great piece really
second, i think the only one accountable to the whole situation is the manager, as simple as that
let alone the nice talks on arsene.com about how he gets the backing from the players. that is a dictatorship! like assad gets 99.9% in the “democratic” elections in syria……
the body language of the senior player said it all, they don’t believe in the manager, they have had enough of his nonsense bullshit, and they’re queuing to the exit door…….
arsene wenger should’ve resigned, but he’s a man with no honor or pride or self respect. he runs the side as it was some science laboratory, and it’s frustrating to watch.
i utterly dis agree with your thought about the players. i don’t blame them, the manager took every bit of hope out of them. i only blame them for not going public against him.
I think we hit the bottom here. It was so humilliating to go to school and being the subject of laughteer by everyone. There are nt much gooners here but its ok ill take the shit i have to deal with. I still trust wenger i think he is the best. Long time ago there was a time where SAF faced tough times and he got over it by winning an FA cup that seasonit ws in the 90s i think so i hope arsene does the same. Another issue is the injuries. Why?? Barcelona have the same kind of players and they dont get injured tht much, messi used to get injured ALOT and i dont knw what the medic staff did but they fixed it and i expect the arsenal staff to do the same cuz its quite annoying to see 2 players get injured every game
Great article as usual ! Just wanted to say that when i drove my way home tonight, I was listing to a talk show of a local small french town, they were talking about european leagues, and before beggining to talk about each league, they were playing a song talking about football. The song they chose to represent England was “Three Lions” by Lightning Seed, I found that funny and hearing “Three Lions on the shirt, Jules Rimet still gleaming, 30 years of hurt, never stopped me dreaming” after that ass whooping of yesterday kind of cheered me up ! I know England’s going to win something soon, as well as Arsenal will… definitely my Arsenal anthem for this season, promising to be a VEEERY long one !!
Hello mate greaat blog post