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Arsène Wenger: Same Old Class

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WakeupCall

Active Member
He is still one of my role models, in terms of Respect and Values. And i still love him as human being but he lost me 2015/2016 being smug about 2nd while finishing with measly 71 points. **** got 86 past season. When was the last time we came close?
I dont think its because of his tactial inflexibility but his blind faith in mediocre footballers. Even now we have arguably 10 guys here who dont deserve to wear the shirt quality wise. I mean thats arsenal it meant something sometime but now seeing bellerin, walcott, coq, el nenny, xhaka, ox, mustafi, welbeck make mistake over mistake but there is no other option is just a sad state of affair.
 

Toast

Established Member
I think much of the disagreement on this forum ultimately relates to (mismanaged) expectations.

When we moved stadiums we were sold a vision. Promises were made and re-iterated time and again. The stadium move, it was said, would transform us into a super club that would compete at the level of, say, Bayern Munchen.

When we reached the financial promised land in 2013/14 this rhetoric was ramped up further. Gazidis claimed we could buy virtually any player we wanted, we could also pay top wages if we wanted to. We had, after much sacrifice, finally achieved an “outstanding platform on which to compete with any club in the world.”

Arsène Wenger himself merrily went along with this. We could compete with the best, he said. No longer was top 4 our aim but we would aim for – and truly compete for – the league title. From 2014 onwards Arsène Wenger has every season affirmed that our aim is to win the league title. The club has thus shaped the fans’ expectations.

When we missed out on the top 4 last season the club ramped up the rhetoric even more and wheeled out Stan Kroenke as well as Ivan Gazidis and Arsène Wenger. All three confirmed the same thing:
“Our ambition is to win the Premier League and other major trophies in Europe. It’s what the fans, players, staff, manager and board expect and we won’t rest until that is achieved." - Stan Kroenke.

"We’re committed to mounting a sustained league challenge and that will be our focus this summer and next season." - Arséne Wenger.

"“There is no complacency anywhere at this club. Our goal is to compete for and win trophies here and in Europe." - Ivan Gazidis.

Wenger and the club publicly set their own standards of success. They shaped the expectations by selling the fans the idea that Arsenal should be competing for and winning league titles. Sadly, they have not come close to delivering on their promises. There is therefore a stark divide between expectation and reality. The result of this is what we see every day on this forum.

Some fans are aggrieved, angry even, at years of what is seen as underperforming. Years of the club failing the targets it set itself. These fans tend to think we should be doing better, that we can indeed do better than we are now. Many feel new leadership is required to achieve our potential.

Others, however, seems to feel that this is pretty much as good as it gets for us and that fans shouldn’t let the club guide their expectations but should rather set their own standards of success, which are inevitably lower than those set by the club. They might think of reasons why we really can’t compete; Why the clubs standards are unrealistic and unattainable for us. Perhaps they are right in their criticisms, perhaps they are not.

If the former are right, the club has repeatedly failed its own targets and if the latter are right the club has actively manipulated the fans via promises they never intended to follow through on. Either way, the club’s conduct in the management and fulfilment of created expectations has done great damage to the club and particularly to the fans. It has left us with a fan base divided, quarrelling amongst itself, at exactly the time when we should all have been enjoying a renewed period of success together.

Personally, I’d say the cynic in me might like to think that the club is simply conning us with lies of promised greatness, but I believe – or want to believe at least – that Gazidis’ prediction was right and we have indeed achieved an “outstanding platform on which to compete with any club in the world.” Or rather, we are very close to it. Unfortunately, we are now being held back by everyone from manager to owner from utilising this platform fully and achieving our true potential. We’re not far off, but at this point drastic changes in management are required before we can make the relatively small tweaks that will let this club truly prosper.
 

Don D

Member
The last time Wenger finished with 80+ points was 07-08, expecting him to get more is very hopeful. I can name a few managers that could get much better out of the squads we've had since then. Since 13/14 wengers spent enough to have competed and I believe he has probably spent less than than his budget on a few occasions. A 69 year old isn't goin to give these players the fire they need, he is no ferguson and players come to arsenal and eventually lose THIER winning mentality.
 

Mark Tobias

Mr. Agreeable
How am I sure this man, Arsène Wenger, is a complete git. Because he says things like this when nothing could be further from the truth

"I'm happy with the strength of the squad"

For what Arsène? 5th place again.

You have my backing but I certainly do not agree with your assessment. In fact I will go so far as to say that you haven;t really bothered assessing us properly.
 

Mark Tobias

Mr. Agreeable
I feel it necessary to quote this in here. Very valid point.

Since Gazidis said we can compete with anyone and sign almost any players, our transfer record is the following (I count from 13/14, first team purchases):

13/14
Özil, Viviano, Kallström, Sanogo, Flamini

14/15
Sanchez, Chambers, Welbeck, Gabriel, Debuchy, Ospina

15/16
Cech, Elnenny

16/17
Xhaka, Mustafi, Lucas, Takuma Asano, Holding

17/18
Lacazette, Kolasinac

I marked the players with italic characters who are already sold, gone on loan, or apparently about to be sold.

It is rarely pointed out in the media, but apart from the big profile signings, we have done terrible in the transfer market for the money we have and especially for that every single signing is Wenger's, not some other manager's left behind.
 

Jae

Well-Known Member
In two years time we will have a completely different team. 80% of our first team are nearing the end of their contracts, including all the deadwood we have been failing to shift and some players (Cazorla, Monreal, Giroud, Koscielny etc) are all 30+.

Whoever comes in after Wenger will completely dismantle the team and he/she is going to have to sign 7-8 players (potentially more) to make us competitive again due to years of underinvestment in the squad.

Contracts expiring in the next 2 years:

2018
Sanchez
Özil
Chamberlain
Wilshere
Cazorla
Gibbs
Campbell
Macey

2019
Ramsey
Giroud
Walcott
Welbeck
Monreal
Ospina
Cech
Debuchy
Akpom

The only players I can see being here at the end of that are:

Özil (doubtful), Ramsey, Wilshere (if he somehow manages to turn it around this season and Giroud.

The first team players were left with are: Lacazette, Xhaka, Elneny, Bellerin, Kolasinac and Holding.

Whoever comes in after him has got one hell of a job to do :lol:
 

Toast

Established Member
I like to think that the club today is at a different level to when I arrived, and as well, when I leave, that I leave a good team, with a strong financial resources and good structures at the club. My pride would be seeing somebody come in and do better. At least he is in a position to do better. It is important, I think, for the legacy. -- Arsène Wenger, 11 Oct 2016.
 

BobP

Memri Fan
What annoys me the most about Wenger is the fact that he remains wedded to this outdated notion of loyalty.

We get roasted time and again because of it. Not only does he persist with trash players. He also gets burnt by players who he's invested considerable time and energy into because he thinks they'll reciprocate the loyalty and trust he has shown them. So what ends up happening? We have overpaid dross on long term contracts polluting the squad list whilst our best players are picked up for relative peanuts.

A fundamental antagonism exists between club and player. The quicker the club and Wenger realise this, the better.
 

Makingtrax

Worships in the house of Wenger 🙏
Trusted ⭐

Country: England

Player:Saliba
What I like most about Wenger is even if Ox goes, Wenger will still support him and never say anything derogatory . . . even though he's shown no loyalty to the club that developed him as a youngster, by turning down such a good deal.

In a capitalist world where nearly every man and his dog would stamp on those that bar the way to more money or a win at any cost, these sorts of values are mostly lost.
 

Jae

Well-Known Member
What I like most about Wenger is even if Ox goes, Wenger will still support him and never say anything derogatory . . . even though he's shown no loyalty to the club that developed him as a youngster, by turning down such a good deal.

In a capitalist world where nearly every man and his dog would stamp on those that bar the way to more money or a win at any cost, these sorts of values are mostly lost.

This is one of the things I hate the most about Wenger :lol: Don't get me wrong, It's a fantastic character trait to have, but nice guys never win in football. Look at Ferguson, Mourinho, Simeone, Deschamps - all mangers who wouldn't take any sh*t from anyone and if you didn't toe the line or perform as expected you were dropped or sold, especially if you thought you were too big for the club.

Wenger's sentimentality (certainly over the past 5 years) has ruined our club.
 

Makingtrax

Worships in the house of Wenger 🙏
Trusted ⭐

Country: England

Player:Saliba
This is one of the things I hate the most about Wenger :lol: Don't get me wrong, It's a fantastic character trait to have, but nice guys never win in football. Look at Ferguson, Mourinho, Simeone, Deschamps - all mangers who wouldn't take any sh*t from anyone and if you didn't toe the line or perform as expected you were dropped or sold, especially if you thought you were too big for the club.

Wenger's sentimentality (certainly over the past 5 years) has ruined our club.
We're all different mate. You'd stab your granny to get her winning lottery ticket I'm sure.
 
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