Show me the money

As the Club signed off their Asia tour with a lacklustre draw against Chinese outfit Hangzhou Greentown, off the pitch, one can only qualify it a resounding success.

Not only was it the ambitionless board's first attempt at worldwide commercial expansion; something we are 10-15 years behind on when it comes to our "rivals", but you can just see what it meant to those thousands of Malaysian and Chinese Gooners out there. There seemed to be an altogether different atmosphere in their support for the team. Not so much a lack of the expectation dogging the squad here at home, but it simply felt more platonic, more carefree, possibly because those fans had simply dreamt of the day where they saw their heroes set foot on their own turf. I was lucky enough to be in that part of the world for ten weeks last year, and I saw these amazing attitudinal contrasts in supporting the Arsenal all for myself.

So touchdown back in N5, and the beacon of frankness and inspiration that is Ivan Gazidis has spoken!

The much-maligned chief executive was out defending the Club and manager's "spending policy" (again).

Snore.

I mean how many times do he and Arsène Wenger really expect us to warm to the "we have the money to spend", "we will only spend to improve what we've already got" malarkey? Like, seriously?

It beggars belief that everyone, including those loving fans out in the Far East who refused to heckle the manager and his under performing douches out of respect, by the way, can identify exactly where the gaps lie in that stagnant squad, not to mention the clear displeasure amongst the few top players we have at the Club, and who we are being forced to force to hang on in there for dear life! Yet the catalysts for any real change, i.e. Gazidis and Wenger, are, sadly, the ones who matter. And their undertones with regards to future transfer plans do not sound good. At all.

And for Gazidis to then have the audacity, the arrogance to even begin to suggest that we are not perhaps in as desperate need of strengthening as others around us just tops it all in my book. So much for being "very active in the market this summer"!

While most of you who are steadfast in their love and ambition for the Club and are able-minded when it comes to your football will agree with my justifiable sense of disdain and anger, others will undoubtedly present the argument that it's early days yet and dismiss this as a pessimistic panic attack. I can see it coming. While we're on the topic of disagreement, and whilst most is indeed constructive, intellectual stuff that I enjoy responding to and discussing, just to pre-emptively respond to any foul-mouthed tirades if I may, your "opinion" does not interest me, and I will not honour a response to such goons.

Early days it may seem, us being in mid-July and so forth. But has it hit you that we are less than four weeks away from the opening day trip to Newcastle? And with less than a fortnight to go for our sole season trophy opportunity that is the Emirates Cup (watch us fluff that too now!), a lack of progress and seeming lack of targets are a major concern. I didn't quite see the Champions faff about under the excuse of time, strengthening in practically all key areas of a football field. And they are the Champions! The yardstick for success that we must aspire to.

While Wenger is, as ever, pioneering a patch-up job here and there, unable to rid the squad and long-suffering supporters of the festering dead wood, no such troubles for Sir Alex Ferguson, who in no time stole a march on his detractors with top acquisitions, whilst disposing of anyone he saw as surplus to requirements. United stalwarts with years of stellar service such as John O'Shea and Wes Brown shipped out in a matter of days.

Down here (in a geographical sense I mean, by the way!), the likes of Almunia, Eboué, Denilson, Diaby, Rosicky, Bendtner are still living it large on the payroll, with no mugs willing to take a chance on them (and rightly so). Although, alas! Denilson is on his way to Brazil, apparently, albeit in a loan deal, an unsatisfactory compromise if you ask me seeing as that incompetent bigot (amongst others) must not be seen in an Arsenal shirt ever again. The way things are going, that idea looks set to shelved, retaining the majority of those who dragged our name in the mud for years.

All the more reason to speak up and let those in charge know that another season of failure will not be tolerated. I have said this before and I will keep saying it: we are on a knife-edge. With the right changes, we can go out and win that title. But only with the right, crucial changes; both, ins and outs. Failing that, well, seriously jeopardises Wenger and the board's only excuse of a lifeline that is regular Champions League qualification.

So for heaven's sake get out there and get on with it.

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