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The Importance of January

rich 1990

Not A Big Believer In Diversity
TBF I wouldn't trust many people to buy you a Big Mac. Or at least I wouldn't trust you to be happy with what you get from anyone trying to buy you a Big Mac.

On another note, is this the first football related post you've ever made;)
It's hard to talk football as an Arsenal fan. We rarely ever play it.
 

Ceballinhos

Cheating on Santi
We've been terrible with January windows.
I don't want us to waste money on Elneny/Gabriel type of signing.

Last summer was the most important window in the recent history of this club. And we failed miserably after a very promising start.

I can't see how we can come back from that window. It's gonna be a turning point IMO.
I can't see who we can realistically buy to replace both Sanchez & Özil for a decent price (since we're not getting any money from them or a ridiculous fee if they're sold in January) and in the same time, address our others issues (we need a CB and midfielders, a proper upgrade/competition to Bellerin, and maybe a new keeper).

Can't see that happening.
 

Lady_Gooner

Posting While Meditating
Trusted ⭐

Country: England
With the inevitable AW World Cup year excuses & our long to do list that piles every year it might be useful for the outs. Maybe sell one of Alexis/Özil to give us a head start but I don’t see it.
Definitely no incomings and with our recent January signings, I’m thankful
 

redanddread

The stone that the builders refuse
Like this very much.

Germans seem to rate him very highly.
catalyst for change!

nintchdbpict000274198181.jpg
 

Toast

Established Member
Gazidis appears to be pushing for some promising changes, but the question remains whether he'll be able to effect structural change. Just replacing a few people isn't enough; we need a complete overhaul of the footballing side with more clearly and more narrowly defined roles.

Currently the manager holds nearly all the power, which will cause big problems when a change of manager occurs.

We should look to build a stable environment around the club so that when the manager changes the actual footballing infrastructure remains in place so the long term stability and development of the club will be safeguarded.

Whether Gazidis can deliver that or whether we'll land in hot water when Wenger leaves is the big question.
 

redanddread

The stone that the builders refuse
Gazidis appears to be pushing for some promising changes, but the question remains whether he'll be able to effect structural change. Just replacing a few people isn't enough; we need a complete overhaul of the footballing side with more clearly and more narrowly defined roles.

Currently the manager holds nearly all the power, which will cause big problems when a change of manager occurs.

We should look to build a stable environment around the club so that when the manager changes the actual footballing infrastructure remains in place so the long term stability and development of the club will be safeguarded.

Whether Gazidis can deliver that or whether we'll land in hot water when Wenger leaves is the big question.
There seem to be lots of changes going on behind the scenes - club getting prepared for life after Wenger. It must be a rather delicate process though.
 

BobP

Memri Fan
Gazidis appears to be pushing for some promising changes, but the question remains whether he'll be able to effect structural change. Just replacing a few people isn't enough; we need a complete overhaul of the footballing side with more clearly and more narrowly defined roles.

Currently the manager holds nearly all the power, which will cause big problems when a change of manager occurs.

We should look to build a stable environment around the club so that when the manager changes the actual club and infrastructure around it remains in place so the long term stability and development of the club will be safeguarded.

Whether Gazidis can deliver that or whether we'll land in hot water when Wenger leaves is the big question.

Have been a major advocate of this for years now.

We need a strong structure, made up of quality personnel, which collectively provides a sort of long-term vision or plan for the club, ensuring a degree of continuity which is divorced from the manager.

Chelsea and City have been quite good at that, as the higher-ups are tasked with doing what I've described above, with managers having comparatively little power on that score. Even Watford have been quite good at that, no doubt influenced by the Pozzo family and the continental way of running a football club.

What you absolutely don't want is what happened at United, where the man who the club was built around is ripped out, leaving numerous holes in the operation of the footballing department.

The problem Gazidis is faced with is the transition, how does one build for a future without Wenger whilst Wenger is still here? I mean we've seen how resistant he is to the idea of working with a DoF. At this stage, it seems as if he's carefully collecting the pieces, with a variety of rumours swirling around.
 

Toast

Established Member
The problem Gazidis is faced with is the transition, how does one build for a future without Wenger whilst Wenger is still here? I mean we've seen how resistant he is to the idea of working with a DoF. At this stage, it seems as if he's carefully collecting the pieces, with a variety of rumours swirling around.

This is the problem in a nutshell. It's change that needs to happen soon, because the new people will need to settle into their roles. But I fear Gazidis won't get beyond the relatively minor changes we're hearing about now and we'll leave the major changes (if they ever happen) until after Wenger's gone. In which case we're running a big risk, as the situation at United showed.
 

BobP

Memri Fan
This is the problem in a nutshell. It's change that needs to happen soon, because the new people will need to settle into their roles. But I fear Gazidis won't get beyond the relatively minor changes we're hearing about now and we'll leave the major changes (if they ever happen) until after Wenger's gone. In which case we're running a big risk, as the situation at United showed.

Exactly.

What I think hurt United was the abruptness of Ferguson's departure, alongside the fact they also lost David Gil, their CEO. There was no transition period as they simply embarked on a new era with little preparation.

The fact that we've already started shows that we're already ahead of them on that score.

I agree. Wenger is an impediment to the restructuring of the clubs footballing department. It almost feels like Gazidis is tiptoeing around the issue, in the hopes that he won't aggravate Wenger.

Furthermore, as you say, it's too risky to expect all the pieces amassed by Gazidis to simply start working together seamlessly after Wenger's departure.
 

Toast

Established Member
To be fair to Gazidis, without the board telling Wenger that he's no longer responsible for anything but the first team Gazidis can't really do more than tip-toe around the issue. He doesn't have the authority to overrule Wenger on footballing matters and thus can't tackle the issue head-on.
 

samshere

Why so serieuse?
This is the problem in a nutshell. It's change that needs to happen soon, because the new people will need to settle into their roles. But I fear Gazidis won't get beyond the relatively minor changes we're hearing about now and we'll leave the major changes (if they ever happen) until after Wenger's gone. In which case we're running a big risk, as the situation at United showed.
What major changes are needed still? We've replaced our chief scout and got a negotiator in. If we need to change the coaching structure, by getting a DoF then that obviously can't happen till Wenger's left. I don't even want a DoF tbh, I'd want the manager to be responsible for his team, getting a DoF will be a case of too many cooks.
 

BobP

Memri Fan
What major changes are needed still? We've replaced our chief scout and got a negotiator in. If we need to change the coaching structure, by getting a DoF then that obviously can't happen till Wenger's left. I don't even want a DoF tbh, I'd want the manager to be responsible for his team, getting a DoF will be a case of too many cooks.

So you want the manager to be responsible for the team?

You know what happens then? A manager comes in, buys players he thinks are suited to his style, he leaves, a new manager comes in who decides that he doesn't like those players and proceeds to buy a new batch of players.

Rinse and repeat.

You need a core at the club responsible for laying out a vision, a core which is both divorced from and above the manager.

The manager is merely the final piece, appointed because he fits well with the vision laid out by the club and because they see him as somebody who can extract the most from the players assembled.

That's the key to stability.

To be fair to Gazidis, without the board telling Wenger that he's no longer responsible for anything but the first team Gazidis can't really do more than tip-toe around the issue. He doesn't have the authority to overrule Wenger on footballing matters and thus can't tackle the issue head-on.

That's the ridiculous nature of the situation.

The board is somehow subordinate to Wenger when it should in fact be the opposite.
 

Toast

Established Member
What major changes are needed still? We've replaced our chief scout and got a negotiator in. If we need to change the coaching structure, by getting a DoF then that obviously can't happen till Wenger's left. I don't even want a DoF tbh, I'd want the manager to be responsible for his team, getting a DoF will be a case of too many cooks.

In my opinion, we need to seperate the first team from the rest of the footballing side. At the moment the manager has final say on everything - scouting, the youth system, the medical department and even transfer negotiations. That's a recipe for disaster when the manager changes.

The manager should be in sole charge of the first team without interference in anything bar contracts and transfers. Others should be in charge of the rest of the footballing side to ensure stability and long-term planning. The club would then have a degree of continuity and stability regardless of how often the manager changes. Naturally, the different roles would still work together. As an added bonus, it frees up the manager from a lot of distractions and let's him focus completely on getting the first team to perform.

E.g. the manager makes a list of players he wants and others (a DoF) then try to get those players. The manager would not, however, have a say in how much is paid for the player - which is currently the case - and it's the DoF who ultimately decides which players are bought and sold.
 

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