Wenger: the beginning of the end?

[Bozza]

Natives getting very restless, particularly over the Oxo-Chambermaid substitution today with his replacement getting skinned leading to the United winner.

He's been at Arsenal for 15 years now - taking over from Bruce Rioch (agreed - there's a blast from the past?) - is he now on the slippery slope outta there?

 

[Chicken Runner61]

Was thinking exactly the same thing last week - He was sitting on his own away from the bench looking a lonely isolated man.

Really bad substitution today - took a playmaker off and put a match loser on

 

[TKC]

Think he needs to be asked to leave for his own well being. He's not doing it for arsenal anymore and seems very different in his personality. Can't help feeling he's losing the plot.

 

[wunt be druv]

All good things come to an end,sadly for Monsieur Wenger and Arsenal that time is just about now.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

The only reason I think he is in serious trouble is because he hasn't been able to rebuild the squad from the Invincibles era, all those players have gone and none of them really replaced. Their keeper (forget trying to name him! ) is now good enough to be playing for a Champions League team but other than that? My opinion of Arsenal is that their first 11 are as good as Man Utd or Man City, but they have absolutely nothing in reserve. And that is Wenger's fault, they've not bought well and they've not bought enough.

That said, when you have a dozen injuries to contend with, getting rhythm is harsh. Note the season of Brighton and Hove Albion to date....

 

[Deleted member 18477]

he's become obsessed with spending no money, trying to play the barca way and thinking the players he has are good enough. its not as simple as that arsene you deluded man!

only sagna, vermaelen, koscielney, ramsey, song, wilshere, chamberlain and van persie are good enough for the squad of arsenal.

and only van persie would walk into the starting 11 of other top european teams. that tells you everything and how downhill he's gone since the days of henry, bergkamp, pires, ljungberg, vieira, overmars, campbell, a.cole, seaman, lehmann, gilberto, adams, fabregas, nasri, clichy, wiltord etc..

 

[Goring-by-Seagull]

Poor old Arsene is just too stubborn. His methods and beliefs etc are admirable, but they just don't work anymore. No one else has spent less and been so high as arsenal for all those years, and it really is commendable, fantastic work from him. But, on the flip side the fans want money spent, and want more Bergkamps, Adams', and Thierrys to come in. He never wants to buy proven quality, as we all know, always favouring "unknown" and "undiscovered" talent, so he can nurture them and make them out to be his own. Which doesn't always work - Walcott being the prime example. Over 5 years and still hasn't put a decent cross in. And to think a few years ago they were saying he was the next Thierry. LOL.
But seriously, the mediocre players he has bought in over the last few years are simply laughable. So it's no wonder they've been potless for (probably) 7 years

 

[middletoenail]

I think he is a little stuck in his ways, but I couldn't help but feel sorry for him today. All of the arsenal fans moaning about Oxo going off and being replaced with Arshavin. Surely Wenger would expect a bloke who is paid about 80k a week, has 70 odd caps for Russua to put in alittle bit more effort and adequately replace a 18 year old rookie, surely?

Arsenal will not be title contenders all the time Man City/Chelsea/Man Utd outspend them, the fans need to get used to that and except a Champion League place as a success.

 

[albionalex]

It's not just Wenger's fault. The board have not put enough pressure on him to succeed, they've already announced a financial plan for next season if they were not to finish top 4. Just sounds like they lack ambition.

 

[Chicken Runner61]

I don't think they have the money to buy players that everyone thinks they have.

They got burnt with the Highbury development and the Fabregas money seems to be stuck in the club somewhere

 

[Ninja Elephant]

[GK] Wojciech Sczeszny
[RB] Bacary Sagna
[CB] Laurent Koscielny
[CB] Thomas Vermaelen
[LB] Kieran Gibbs (weaklink)
[RM] Theo Walcott
[CM] Mikel Arteta
[CM] Alex Song
[CM] Jack Wilshere
[LM] Alex Oxo-Chambermaid
[FW] Robin Van Persie

With the exception of a top class left back and perhaps a left winger to take some heat off the young man (Ray Wilkins ), but they've got the first team to compete at the top of the league. But who have you got coming in at full back, in goal, on the wings, centre of midfield and up front? Nothing in reserve, other than Per Mertesacker and Johan Djorou who are good enough centre back cover for when times are tough. They wasted money on Andre Santos, he is pretty poor. They wasted money on Chu Yong-Park and there are dozens of other wastes of space in the squad. Andrey Arshavin is their record signing still I think? Poor signing. The money is there, it's just not been well spent.

 

[middletoenail]

[GK] Wojciech Sczeszny
[RB] Bacary Sagna
[CB] Laurent Koscielny
[CB] Thomas Vermaelen
[LB] Kieran Gibbs (weaklink)
[RM] Theo Walcott
[CM] Mikel Arteta
[CM] Alex Song
[CM] Jack Wilshere
[LM] Alex Oxo-Chambermaid
[FW] Robin Van Persie

With the exception of a top class left back and perhaps a left winger to take some heat off the young man (Ray Wilkins ), but they've got the first team to compete at the top of the league. But who have you got coming in at full back, in goal, on the wings, centre of midfield and up front? Nothing in reserve, other than Per Mertesacker and Johan Djorou who are good enough centre back cover for when times are tough. They wasted money on Andre Santos, he is pretty poor. They wasted money on Chu Yong-Park and there are dozens of other wastes of space in the squad. Andrey Arshavin is their record signing still I think? Poor signing. The money is there, it's just not been well spent.

Theo Walcott is definetely a weak link, living off his hat-trick for England vs Croatia about 4 years ago.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

Theo Walcott is definetely a weak link, living off his hat-trick for England vs Croatia about 4 years ago.

I thought he played quite well today actually, I'm not his biggest fan but I thought he looked much better than usual on the ball and though he missed (badly) his only shooting chance, I thought it was a better performance than usual. I think he's going to be much better off up front, when he finally matures. I think when he's 24/25 he needs to be one of the best English wingers/forwards. If he's not, he's the highest profile flop I can think of, considering his fee as a kid. Even Southampton paid a fee to sign him into their academy, he was with Swindon before. £25,000 I think they bought him for, at 13 I think? Or 10, one of the two.

 

[beardy gull]

@BrynLawTimes just tweeted...

"BREAKING: Arsenal Captain Robin Van Persie has handed in a written transfer request this evening."

That's not going to go down well.......

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Whatever the rights or wrongs of the substitution, that was an ugly response from a bunch of opinionated fans, wasn't it? How the hell do they expect their team to win a game with "support" like that?

 

[Walkers Cajun Squirrel]

If you look at the defence from the invincible side you had players like campbell and viera. Tall, strong, powerful players. No one in their team fits that bill any more.

 

[Buffalo Seagull]

@BrynLawTimes just tweeted...

"BREAKING: Arsenal Captain Robin Van Persie has handed in a written transfer request this evening."

That's not going to go down well.......

Fake account apparently Twitter

 

[middletoenail]

I thought he played quite well today actually, I'm not his biggest fan but I thought he looked much better than usual on the ball and though he missed (badly) his only shooting chance, I thought it was a better performance than usual. I think he's going to be much better off up front, when he finally matures. I think when he's 24/25 he needs to be one of the best English wingers/forwards. If he's not, he's the highest profile flop I can think of, considering his fee as a kid. Even Southampton paid a fee to sign him into their academy, he was with Swindon before. £25,000 I think they bought him for, at 13 I think? Or 10, one of the two.

I agree, I think he will become a striker because he just doesnt have the brain to be a creative player and really does lack any crossing ability. That said he knows how to finish.

 

[beardy gull]

Fake account apparently Twitter

Bloody Nora. What is it with some people?

 

[Pevenseagull]

Bruce Rioch made the best signing for Arsenal in my lifetime

why don't they get him back