Arsenal Thread 2015/16

[Ric]

According to Merson, they've had a better transfer window than us!

 

[M18CTID]

Cheers. There must be some colusion with the board though, as in it's in their joint interest to spend so little on transfers because the fact that they haven't bought a single outfield player is amazing.

Yeah, I totally agree that there's collusion between him and the board but I think ultimately the board has the final say on transfer funds as opposed to Wenger. Wenger happily signed up to the years of austerity following the move to the Emirates and Arsenal fans would've known that the spending had to be curtailed while the stadium debt was being paid off so they can't really complain about the lack of significant transfer activity back then. However, for the past 2 or 3 years the message coming out of the club has been that they were now in a position to spend big again and the signings, in 2 consecutive summer transfer windows, of Ozil and Sanchez appeared to prove that they were now going after the big names and would continue to do so. So the idea that it's all Wenger's fault because he's too stubborn or whatever is a bit of a stretch for me. My guess, if anything, is that he pressured the board into making those signings otherwise their perennial top 4 finish would be in jeopardy, but he's now being told that as things are looking a bit better on the pitch these days they're reigning it in again while at the same time both board and Wenger publically claim that there is money to spend and lots of it. It smacks of someone being paid "hush money" and when that hush money amounts to £9 million a year, even if he is frustrated he won't do too much to rock the boat.

Many Arsenal fans have cottoned on to what's going on and are up in arms about it but our old friend Tony Attwood and his cronies continue to support Wenger and the board 100%. I wonder how Attwood would feel if Wenger were to resign, citing a lack of support from the board regarding transfer funds - the reaction over there would be hilarious as they scratch their heads wondering how on earth Wenger could ever fall out with the board ;)

 

[masterwig]

The amazing thing is all those pundits who declared Arsenal title challengers and Chelsea's biggest rivals. I have absolutely no idea what that was based on but it looks rather silly now.

This nonsense about a goalkeeper being worth 10 points seems to have become accepted as fact. The difference between a competent goalkeeper and a world class one isn't that significant. The rags still won titles between Schmiechel and VDS when they had some dodgy players between the sticks. Arsenal went unbeaten with Lehman in goal.

Goalkeeper could be the difference between first and second but it will never be the difference between 3rd/4th and 1st. Never.

 

[waspish]

Fairs do's to Wenger taking all the pressure of his players expectations will be so low now

 

[stony]

According to Merson, they've had a better transfer window than us!

You remember to factor in that he's a degenerate crackhead.

 

[The Stockport Iniesta]

You remember to factor in that he's a degenerate crackhead.

Haha that was a mate of mine from another City forum who phoned in.

 

[cleavers]

Arsenal fan protest at the lack of summer signings, fell flat when nobody turned up

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...transfer-activitynoone-turns-up-10482397.html

 

[Sergi0 Na5r1]

Wenger is one of a kind really. He just doesn't give a fuck, lol. 13 million spent, 2.3 million got. Haha, legend.

lol he's brilliant and there's nothing the fans can do about it. He really doesn't give a fuck unless other clubs spend.

 

[Rösler von Stretfordbömber]

A truly bizarre club. Don't know what else to say, other than I am glad they did not strengthen in the summer more than they did. Might have had the potential to really push us if they'd had any apparent ambition.

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

Yeah, I totally agree that there's collusion between him and the board but I think ultimately the board has the final say on transfer funds as opposed to Wenger. Wenger happily signed up to the years of austerity following the move to the Emirates and Arsenal fans would've known that the spending had to be curtailed while the stadium debt was being paid off so they can't really complain about the lack of significant transfer activity back then. However, for the past 2 or 3 years the message coming out of the club has been that they were now in a position to spend big again and the signings, in 2 consecutive summer transfer windows, of Ozil and Sanchez appeared to prove that they were now going after the big names and would continue to do so. So the idea that it's all Wenger's fault because he's too stubborn or whatever is a bit of a stretch for me. My guess, if anything, is that he pressured the board into making those signings otherwise their perennial top 4 finish would be in jeopardy, but he's now being told that as things are looking a bit better on the pitch these days they're reigning it in again while at the same time both board and Wenger publically claim that there is money to spend and lots of it. It smacks of someone being paid "hush money" and when that hush money amounts to £9 million a year, even if he is frustrated he won't do too much to rock the boat.

Many Arsenal fans have cottoned on to what's going on and are up in arms about it but our old friend Tony Attwood and his cronies continue to support Wenger and the board 100%. I wonder how Attwood would feel if Wenger were to resign, citing a lack of support from the board regarding transfer funds - the reaction over there would be hilarious as they scratch their heads wondering how on earth Wenger could ever fall out with the board ;)

I have a bit of a different perspective on Wenger, who in my judgement, has just as much autocratic control as he of the purple noggin, or is just so like-minded and lockstep with the board it doesn't matter.

Here's a quote of his from today:

"When you have to invest, when you find the players to invest the money in, the problem at the moment is to find the players that guarantee that you are absolutely a better team after."

The problem is there AREN'T any guarantees. Transfers are about taking risks to make your club demonstrably better. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. Welcome to Earth, Arsene.

This isn't him parroting the Board -- this is just him. This quote underscores what I think is reality: he is simply a very, very risk-averse guy. That's totally fine. He can run his club his way. It's also fine since his relative risk-aversity means he is less willing to be ambitious to challenge us.

But . . . being like this also means that (a) you don't complain when your fans complain that you aren't ambitious enough, and (b) you don't criticize other clubs who are willing to take on more risk than you for the potential of a greater reward -- in both a financial and a sporting sense.

My problem with Arsene is that he does (a) and (b) regularly.

Which is why he's a ****.