It's times like these that us Gooners need to pull together and show how strong we are. We are going through the most testing of times under Arsene Wenger and this period of drought, and the weekend's deflation coupled with the ongoing summer shortcomings have left the relationship between the fans and the Club at an all time low.
Qualifying for the Champions League (*qualifiers) back in May had left the Club in an exciting and promising position. A clear indication from the board that at last, there was money to spend and at last, we will be able to compete directly with the top teams in the league. Yet, as we sit here, 93 days on from the climax of a hard-fought and rewarding campaign, not a penny has been spent. Not only does it make this transfer window worse than when the money 'isn't' available, but it seems to me that the Club has been diverted from common sense at a time where it was crucial we didn't mess about.
Saturday's defeat to Aston Villa was the result of the accumulation of the inadequacy shown in the transfer market over the last two months. It wouldn't be all bad, had we not sold all the deadwood (implying that new, quality arrivals would come in as replacements) and then been left with the bare bones of more-than-likely disappointed and deceived squad. If anyone's free of any blame, it's the players. They'll take some of the blame for the defeat, but not the state that the Club is in now we've lost ground on everyone, one game in. Fans have been hurling abuse at Wenger and the Board, and rightly so.
For some, I feel like the "Wenger Out" reaction was a knee-jerk response to losing at home to Villa on the opening day of the season - regardless of how much we spent. I've always been very pro-Wenger but this is the first time in my years as a Gunner I've wondered what the hell he is playing at. Cryptic answers at press conferences, pathetic stories about "staying active in the transfer market", "not being able to find the right quality" <--- (!!!). All at a time when getting some top players in was all we needed, at a time when every other club was doing otherwise, Wenger has stood still and I just can't explain it.
This isn't the same guy anymore. This isn't the guy that will find the next Thierry Henry, or re-create the tight-knit defence that we used to have and took for granted. Arsene's problem is, he loves the club too much. He loves it so much, that he wants to do everything he can to help it, when in reality, he doesn't it love enough to notice that the best thing he could potentially do for us is walk away. That hurts me, writing that, but it's true. How many more times are we going to say "one more year"?
My true gut feeling, however, is that the Board have held him back for too long and he's lost his touch. I'm not defending Arsene for what we haven't done this summer - I'm criticising the board at the highest level. There must be somebody in there destroying the club from the inside. This is a football club at the end of the day, but I don't think our board members are treating it like one. Do they think we enjoy renewing our season tickets every year just for the same old disappointments?
I mean, you neutrals have no idea what it's like to be told there is the best part of £200m in the bank and then we proceed to do nothing with it. The quality WAS there for Arsene. Fellaini - release clause - gone. Suarez - reported release clause - fake. Higuain - not enough money offered - who gives a s***? We have well over £100m at our disposal. Where's the money we've saved on Higuain gone? Nowhere, absolutely f***ing nowhere.
What about our 'owner' Stan Kroenke? He must be, the most useless owner in the Premier League. Where's our sugar-daddy-style money? This is a man who is supposedly worth £1.8 billion! What the hell is he doing here? What is he bringing to the table? I'll always say no to resorting to City's methods of winning the title, but if he isn't investing his money into the Club then where on earth is it going? I tell you, the decline started the day David Dein left the club. He'd get us players. He'd also get on with them. He was someone who truly cared.
The present board have let the fans down. We have been lied to, cheated, misled, and all our hopes for this year have been all but shot to pieces. For all Wenger's achieved, his greatest achievement by a mile would be to pick us up from here. We are three games away from potential disaster with Fenerbahce looking far more dangerous than us going into Wednesday's two-legger (even if they are match-fixing scumbags).
The bottom line is, the direction that the board has the Club going in is the wrong one. This summer could well go down as the largest yet most preventable cock-up in the history of football. What we have achieved since May has been disgraceful. United, Chelsea and Sp*rs, yes, Sp*rs, are already looking down on us and laughing, hard.
So whoever's to blame, Wenger, the board, I don't care. We need the person or persons responsible for dragging this club down out and replaced with someone with the ambition and desire of the fans. We've been through a hell of a lot this past decade, and quite frankly, I think we've just all had enough. We just want our Arsenal back.
Qualifying for the Champions League (*qualifiers) back in May had left the Club in an exciting and promising position. A clear indication from the board that at last, there was money to spend and at last, we will be able to compete directly with the top teams in the league. Yet, as we sit here, 93 days on from the climax of a hard-fought and rewarding campaign, not a penny has been spent. Not only does it make this transfer window worse than when the money 'isn't' available, but it seems to me that the Club has been diverted from common sense at a time where it was crucial we didn't mess about.
Saturday's defeat to Aston Villa was the result of the accumulation of the inadequacy shown in the transfer market over the last two months. It wouldn't be all bad, had we not sold all the deadwood (implying that new, quality arrivals would come in as replacements) and then been left with the bare bones of more-than-likely disappointed and deceived squad. If anyone's free of any blame, it's the players. They'll take some of the blame for the defeat, but not the state that the Club is in now we've lost ground on everyone, one game in. Fans have been hurling abuse at Wenger and the Board, and rightly so.
For some, I feel like the "Wenger Out" reaction was a knee-jerk response to losing at home to Villa on the opening day of the season - regardless of how much we spent. I've always been very pro-Wenger but this is the first time in my years as a Gunner I've wondered what the hell he is playing at. Cryptic answers at press conferences, pathetic stories about "staying active in the transfer market", "not being able to find the right quality" <--- (!!!). All at a time when getting some top players in was all we needed, at a time when every other club was doing otherwise, Wenger has stood still and I just can't explain it.
This isn't the same guy anymore. This isn't the guy that will find the next Thierry Henry, or re-create the tight-knit defence that we used to have and took for granted. Arsene's problem is, he loves the club too much. He loves it so much, that he wants to do everything he can to help it, when in reality, he doesn't it love enough to notice that the best thing he could potentially do for us is walk away. That hurts me, writing that, but it's true. How many more times are we going to say "one more year"?
My true gut feeling, however, is that the Board have held him back for too long and he's lost his touch. I'm not defending Arsene for what we haven't done this summer - I'm criticising the board at the highest level. There must be somebody in there destroying the club from the inside. This is a football club at the end of the day, but I don't think our board members are treating it like one. Do they think we enjoy renewing our season tickets every year just for the same old disappointments?
I mean, you neutrals have no idea what it's like to be told there is the best part of £200m in the bank and then we proceed to do nothing with it. The quality WAS there for Arsene. Fellaini - release clause - gone. Suarez - reported release clause - fake. Higuain - not enough money offered - who gives a s***? We have well over £100m at our disposal. Where's the money we've saved on Higuain gone? Nowhere, absolutely f***ing nowhere.
What about our 'owner' Stan Kroenke? He must be, the most useless owner in the Premier League. Where's our sugar-daddy-style money? This is a man who is supposedly worth £1.8 billion! What the hell is he doing here? What is he bringing to the table? I'll always say no to resorting to City's methods of winning the title, but if he isn't investing his money into the Club then where on earth is it going? I tell you, the decline started the day David Dein left the club. He'd get us players. He'd also get on with them. He was someone who truly cared.
The present board have let the fans down. We have been lied to, cheated, misled, and all our hopes for this year have been all but shot to pieces. For all Wenger's achieved, his greatest achievement by a mile would be to pick us up from here. We are three games away from potential disaster with Fenerbahce looking far more dangerous than us going into Wednesday's two-legger (even if they are match-fixing scumbags).
The bottom line is, the direction that the board has the Club going in is the wrong one. This summer could well go down as the largest yet most preventable cock-up in the history of football. What we have achieved since May has been disgraceful. United, Chelsea and Sp*rs, yes, Sp*rs, are already looking down on us and laughing, hard.
So whoever's to blame, Wenger, the board, I don't care. We need the person or persons responsible for dragging this club down out and replaced with someone with the ambition and desire of the fans. We've been through a hell of a lot this past decade, and quite frankly, I think we've just all had enough. We just want our Arsenal back.
Couldn't agree more Steve!
ReplyDeleteI'm witchu Steve. I'M WITCHU.
ReplyDeleteI'm witchu too, bro. I'm wit both of ya.
ReplyDelete