Written by Mean Lean on Friday, 27 January 2012 21:45

Ok, I do not know how this is going to come out, what it will sound like and if I will even make a remote bit of sense. It is all pretty jumbled up in my head and I have not had the chance to extract, analyse it and make any sense of it. It has been up there since our defeat to Manchester United or more to the point, the reaction Chamberlain-gate and the subsequent fall out.

A twitter conversation or debate lead me to ask questions about our relationship with Arsenal FC. Not just Arsenal but any supporter of any team around the world.

It started with the right and wrong's of booing your own team, players or manager. Those who have listened to my drivel long enough will already know my stance on the matter but to those who do not, I will quickly summarise my thoughts.

• I want Arsenal to win football matches.
• Booing a player is negative and it is why the opposition do it to the opposite team. An opposition crowd will boo a penalty taker against their own team because it is supposed to cause tension and put that player off their game.
• Therefore surely booing your own team will give your own players less chance of winning.

I don't really need to explain anymore than that, it is and has always been self explanatory.

In response to my argument the other tweeter, pardon me as I cannot remember the name right now said that it was his right to boo as it is the supporters club and they pay the players wages.

I have mentioned in the past that I strongly disagree with this thinking because it is not the fans who pay the wages, it is the club who pay the players. The supporters are the people who pay the club, and there lies the big difference.

But this is not about the booing, it was the tweeters response that made me think a little further. Yeah, I know it hurt my head as thinking generally does but when you look at that response a little closer and think about what is being said, is any of it really true?

Do we have the power as supporters? What is our role? Is it our club?

I would argue that Arsenal FC has very little to do with most Arsenal fanatics. Have we become a little too self important these days? Do we have the right to demand improvement, demand spending, demand anything?

It strikes me that football clubs are only linked to us because we decide they do. Should I pack my Arsenal shirts into the bin and go and buy the latest Manchester City, 'Silva' shirt do I have the right to nip to the Etihad stadium and boo throughout the 90 minutes? It is interesting when you think about it.

Arsenal FC just like every single club in the top flight is a business first and foremost and we can dress it up any which way we like to suit our own thinking but you cannot hide away from the fact that money comes in and money goes out just like in any business. Ultimately the owners of the business make decisions, they decide how extravagantly or how prudently they wish to spend and or run the club.

Football fans tend to have a picture in their minds of owners, players and even managers who have the same feeling in their hearts. They play for Arsenal so they must love Arsenal just as I do. Samir Nasri will sign a new Arsenal deal because he has been converted, he now supports Arsenal. Generally this is not the case but you do get a few exceptions. On the whole, the players are businessmen and the clubs are a business. Football fans are very different on the whole.

Let us get one thing clear here though, our self importance is massively important to the business. Without our regular income, the business simply would not be as successful as it is. Football clubs want us to believe that we pay the players wages, they want us to believe that it is our club. It would be stupid not to. If it is our club then we will generate money into the business.

Let me also be clear that I am not attacking the Arsenal board, this is about football clubs in general all around the world.

Football tugs on our heart strings like no other sport, well that is a guess but personally I cannot think of anything that can make someone so ecstatic, upset or verging on depressed yet have no real link to you. Football is like a drug, it grabs you and doesn't let you go. It is very difficult to shake off the obsession but it is an obsession that you enjoy having because it feels special. You link yourself to a club and in your head, that club is yours just as it is mine.

In primary school I decided to become an Arsenal supporter, I decided to show my support and to watch what Arsenal FC had on offer. Twenty odd years later I am still obsessed by the club, it is still something I probably think about more than most things on a daily basis.

Arsenal fans and indeed football fans come in many shapes and sizes, many different ages and have many different relationships with the team that they have taken under their wing. The internet today means that we get to see a vast range of opinions and views at a touch of a button, Hell, we even have people pretending to be supporters of the club voicing their opinions. Some things about Arsenal make fans livid, while others tend to take a more philosophical approach. Neither way is the correct way or the wrong way, I guess it comes down to how best you relate to the Arsenal FC.

I don't know if support has changed over the years, it feels like that from my early years watching George Graham's teams but it feels like a lot of fun has been taken out of following a team. The finer details have been discarded for results only. Killing a high ball instantly is ignored, passing our way out of danger is the norm and collecting three points is ripped apart in search of negatives to pontificate over.

Supporting a club is not like paying tax, we have a choice and we made the choice to follow, support and watch the team. While we as well as every football fan at every club around the globe want our team to do better. Whoever's Arsenal this is, I want to continue to this weird experience, continue on this up and down ride but let us try and enjoy it a little more and find the fun that made us call it our club in the first place.

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Comments (45)

• 27-Jan-2012 22:50 | | Pinpoint  - Fandom
  

  Interesting post - you've raised some questions which get a fan thinking. Here's mine:
  
  We do have the right to show our displeasure at the way things are going. Yes, we chose Arsenal, not the other way around, which makes that right greater. The love and financial input make all the things the club do possible - without the fans, the club would not exist.
  
  Of course, it shouldn't get to the point where players are selected or omitted on the whim of the crowd as that is why the club appoints and pays professionals handsomely. For all his perceived faults, Arsene Wenger is the professional and the rest of us watch and complain in the pub and on blogs. However, when the club are quite happy to take money from fans without ensuring the team is the absolute top priority, then we have the need to complain. The club are recipients of our money and are therefore endebted to us. We have the right to expect a team which is regularly added to with players of equal or superior ability to those already at the club.
  
  The move to the Emirates was intended to ensure adequate funds were available to compete with the biggest clubs in the world, not rely on cut price mediocrity.
  
  Not booing would show that fans are happy and just as lacking in ambition as the club. It is a reflection of our care for the club and a way of reminding the board where the fans expect the club to be, given the hefty financial input they have in the club.
  
  Come on you Gunners!

• 27-Jan-2012 22:51 | | jeffers
  

  Nice sentiments, its good to hear someone acknowledge that we all have a bond with the club, whether we boo, cheer, or just sit in silence.
  
  I fundamentally agree with your logic on the booing, especially during a game, but you miss out 1 important fact.
  
  How does the average fan get his or her voice heard? If you are consistently pissed off with the way things are going how do you let the club, the manager, the players know this? I didn't boo on Sunday, but I can understand those who did. The club has been on a gradual slide for a while (at least on the pitch). Not a disastrous one yet, but it's there for all to see. The fans see it, they know a few things need changing but they can't understand why the club/manager can't see it or won't do anything about it.
  
  I also agree with you that the fans don't pay the players wages, but for different reasons than you state. The fans USED to pay for everything before the big TV money and sugar daddies came along. As a fan, especially a season ticket holder you were funding the club. Do you remember the bond scheme used to fund the new north bank as an example close to home? Those fans could look at the club and rightly claim a part of it was theirs. What now? My season ticket probably doesn't cover the cost of Walcott's tattoos.
  
  I don't feel part of the club any more. When we win I am happy and when we lose i am pissed off, but the wins don't feel like mine and the losses don't feel like mine. They are someone else's. How can I relate to some guy who makes more a week at 20 than I do in a year at 35. Who drives an Aston Martin into training, then comes out on the pitch and can't head out a corner? He means nothing to me, has nothing in common with me. He doesn't even need to deliver on the pitch to become a success. He's done it before playing 10 games.
  
  And although deep down I know I am not really paying for this, it feels like I am, so with a heavy heart i'll be handing my season ticket back at the end of the season and wishing everyone well.

• 27-Jan-2012 22:54 | | pedantic george  - my Arsenal
  

  People with a sense of entitlement are so annoying.
  Just support and enjoy. Analyse and cogitate ,discuss what you would do if it was your decision to make.by all means.
  But I have noticed that people who demand to be listened too are the less intelligent among fans.The more stupid they are ,the more they think highly experienced and skilled professionals are somehow less suited to run a huge football club than them and their pea brained pals down the boozer.
  That you would have a discussion with such a dullard surprises me somewhat

• 27-Jan-2012 22:55 | | pedantic george
  

  see what I mean

• 27-Jan-2012 23:14 | | Iron Man
  

  Football has changed massively since we all started supporting the club. You are right that it's a business but it's a horrible and reckless one that is far bigger than it ever should be.
  
  There is that old cliche about football losing it's working class roots but it's a cliche because it's true. Football clubs now are hell bent on making as much money as they can with little regard for the supporter.
  
  I think you're wrong when you say that fans don't pay the players wages because if we didn't attend games, buy shirts or pay for Sky, the clubs wouldn't have the money to pay them. Directly or indirectly, football is nothing without the fans and to be brutally honest, if these clubs had even an ounce of compassion, they would realise that they owe these fans for their very existence. Unfortunately, the clubs build this barrier between themselves and the fans. If you take a step back, you realise how utterly absurd it is that we obsess over every single aspect of a GAME that we ultimately have no influence over. The globalisation of the game means your own individual support is almost futile. Come in, pay your money, sit down, shut up and don't you dare expect that you will see a winning team or players that are even prepared to put in any effort.
  
  Running around beating your chest claiming to be the biggest, bestest supporter means nothing in the grand scheme of things. At the risk of sounding morbid, when you die, the club wont care and will continue to exist without you. Is it for this reason that, while I agree that booing and jeering is counter-productive, it is still within the right of every paying customer to express their displeasure at the product. I use the words 'customer' and 'product' very deliberately because that is exactly the way the modern game markets itself - a far cry from what we started watching in our youth.
  
  Yes, it's our choice but we've been manipulated to continue with something you initially once enjoyed. It's not fun any more but we continue to cling onto the hope that it can go back to what it was but the sad truth that many of us remain in denail over is the fact that it never will. Your analogy that it is like a drug couldn't be more apt. I genuinely believe that I hate about 90% of modern football, the way it operates and the motives of all the people involved but I can't seem to tear myself away from it. This 'addiction' leads to over saturation. Sky Sports News, Talksport, Twitter, blogs(!) all wonderful inventions they may be, all take something away from the beauty of the game. Football used to be a weekend event which made it special. Now, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week you have access - too much access at times.

• 27-Jan-2012 23:19 | | Eric
  

  Those with that self entitlement, what say to clubs at the very bottom of the ladder? That their support is futile because their teams are not doing well ? It is never that easy....you support ...win...lose...draw
  I think some of us have forgotten what makes us choose one team over another one. That is, the style, the grace that one team plays over another.Or the ruthlessness and sturdy play of one team over another....
  That's what makes a football game....
  The results are importAnt of course but not the most...
  As for those who complain about the disconnect between EPL and those that watch...would you really lay the blame onto the players....mediatisation of the game contributes to their pay packet...isnt it a supply demand game

• 27-Jan-2012 23:22 | | Eric
  

  Good luck to you and best wishes....
  
  
  
  Still here

• 28-Jan-2012 00:03 | | Pinpoint
  

  I never said that I think I know better than the professionals - which is why I eluded to the fact they get paid more money in a week than I earn in several years. I obviously, neither do any of us, know what goes on behind closed doors but I feel that the focus of whatever goes on needs to be the final product on the pitch. That clearly isn't the case.
  
  Nothing will ever stop me supporting, caring, hurting and feeling like I'm taking off when we win. I take the winning and losing feel them just as intensley.
  
  Less intelligent? Sheep follow without question, cleverer beings question why they have to go where they're being lead. You want to go cheer as the team is allowed to fall further behind the rest and kid on to the board that all is fine then great - that's your call. I'd suggest they get the message that the team doesn't reflect the incredible financial power of the club and the only way to do that is to make a noise about it. Just because you boo, doesn't mean you're not a fan!

• 28-Jan-2012 00:07 | | pedantic george
  

  No you are right,
  It does mean you are incredibly dumb though.
  And a sad excuse for a person.

• 28-Jan-2012 00:17 | | Pinpoint
  

  Touchy!!
  
  OK, I'll just go along with you!
  
  Baaaaaaaaah.

• 28-Jan-2012 00:23 | | pedantic george
  

  no offence ment

• 28-Jan-2012 00:29 | | Pinpoint
  

  None taken.
  
  Gooners have thick skin, right!

• 28-Jan-2012 03:07 | | Scott Chegg  - Another point of view
  

  Nice post Mean Lean.
  
  Dont let the haters get you down, and never change your positive view of our great club, we need people like you during the 'bad times' to keep us focussed.
  
  For me it's simple - our strategy sets us up for failure.
  
  Board and manager's strategy is to develop young players, play good football and be self sustainable as a business.
  
  Competitors strategy is to spend big and do all it takes to win the league.
  
  Therefore, we have a strategy that means we cant win the league. Simple.
  
  So as fans what do we do - support and deal with the mixed bag of results, or moan, boo and surrender our love for the club??
  
  The questions I ask myself are (i) if we changed our strategy, manager and went and spent £m's on new players, would it definitely give us a real chance of winning the league? (ii) would I really be happier knowing we are the new Chelsea or Man City in the hunt for glory?
  
  My conclusion was (i) probably, but not guaranteed (ii) 100% no!!
  
  So I am relatviely happy to ride out the next few years with AW and the Board, embrace their philosophy and see what happens.
  
  I support the club through thick and thin and dont want to be Chelsea. I also enjoy seeing our youngsters come through and enjoy being a respected club for our approach to the game and financial position.
  
  That said Im not suggesting we cant do better and continue to improve. We just cant win the league in my view.
  
  The turning point for my conclusion was when we lost 8-2 to the mancs. It hurt bad and everything changed because I realised that there's no point getting stressed any more and worrying about losing a few games here and there when overall we are set up to fail.
  
  Losing games is what I (and everyone else) should expect with the team we have. Only one team can win the league and we are certainly nowhere near good enough so why should we think we are going to win most of our games?
  
  I just enjoy the occasional highs, and move on with the lows. Less pain, and helps me to not get p*ssed off with the team when we lose.
  
  So in summary, I ask fans to question what they really want and to put some perspective on the situation we are in and why.
  
  If other fans reacted as badly as Arsenal fans seem to these days football wouldnt exist as nobody would turn up anymore!!
  
  Zero sum game.
  
  Cheggy

• 28-Jan-2012 08:02 | | Spectrum
  

  pedantic george - Superior attitude, much ?
  
  " ****************** "

• 28-Jan-2012 08:44 | | Double Dapper
  

  Spectrum - Fraud, much?
  
  I agree with ML from the other blog. You're either a spud or getting paid by Red and White holdings to cause negativity amongst Arsenal fans. In fact I reckon you are both.
  
  ML, you really should ban him from these blogs. Cut off his supply and he cannot breathe.

• 28-Jan-2012 17:09 | | podge
  

  a bit defeatist but haf right I think. We can win the league with our current strategy its just a lot more difficult for Arsenal to win the league than for ManC ManU Chelsea even Spurs or Liverpool. We talk about top4 or top6 but financially the top teams are 1MC 2CH 3MU 4LP 5TH and 6th Arsenal. We dont pump money through the club for transfers like the other 5 AFC turn a profit or break even the only other team that does that regularly is Everton.AFC is increasing revenue so soon maybe we can afford to spend 25m on a flop centre back and a year later but another centre back like Chelsea do but had we bought Luiz we were screwed for the next 4 years or Andy Carroll or De Gea the top 5 spenders can blow that cash no problem because they aren't concerned with the future of the club.
  
  Arsene Wenger is booed by the fans but would you really prefer we had AVB, Fergie, Mancini, Dalglish or Redknapp? ManU will crumble when Fergie retires they cant afford to back another manager for 50m+ a summer. Mancini for the moneys he has spent should have won every game. Dalglish just bought every available british player regardless of cost Im amazed they didnt pick up Cahill in the summer and Redknapp well he is clearly corrupt and should be going down for it.

• 29-Jan-2012 08:07 | | Colesy
  

  DD- that's the most outrageous conspiracy theory since I last saw a repeat of the X Files! AKB's simply can't accept that they are "not alone" and that a growing number of supporters are fed up with the fact our club is no longer challenging and sinking further and further down the table under your precious leader.
  
  Even ex-players (who, lets face it are probably 'closer' to the club than ML or Rich or Pika or anyone else who regularly claims to know more than everyone else!) are voicing their concerns and doubting the credibility of AW staying on beyond the summer. Merson & Winterburn are the latest to mirror the concerns raised by so many - including many like me on sites like this one.

• 29-Jan-2012 08:14 | | Colesy  - Nice try mate
  

  Podge- not much of an argument. Assuming the decision to buy players may have not rested with the manager- it could (as stated many times on this site) that the board made the decision to buy certain players not the manager.
  
  Whatever the opposition managers have done or not done, AW has dragged our club down and shown himself to be out of touch, unable to acknowledge flaws in his tactics or squad selection.
  
  I agree though that Redknapp should be banged up- not gonna happen unfortunately as the media want him as the next England manager.

• 29-Jan-2012 09:24 | | Scott Chegg  - Reality Check
  

  Dissagree that AW has 'dragged our club down'.
  
  All things considered he has been (and is) one of the best managers we've had at the club.
  
  As I've said, Board priorities are not simply to win the league, so why be surpised when we dont?
  
  Im amazed to read so many arguements on the merits of specific tactical decisions or strategic player purchase issues when none or it really matters.
  
  Like is or not it's a fact that we are just trying to keep up.

• 29-Jan-2012 11:46 | | Anonymous
  

  wowow hold on there little englader ...i have not seen richie mean lean or pika claim they know better than the professionals you claim to know more about.
  
  they support their manager. a manager who frankly speaking has nothing to prove to little englander mugs like you.
  
  youre the one doubting the career credentials of people like wenger mate ...not us...
  
  remember that huh...

• 29-Jan-2012 11:51 | | pika
  

  AW has dragged our club down and shown himself to be out of touch, unable to acknowledge flaws in his tactics or squad selection.
  
  
  dragged the club down ? ...lol from where????? from the everest of world and european football ???? ahahahah
  
  ahhhh..you mean the positions HE BROUGHT the club at .......ah ok then ..
  
  hahah get lost you pathetic little englader spud troll..forever wenger;s cock in your mouth....

• 29-Jan-2012 12:09 | | pika
  

  How does the average fan get his or her voice heard?
  
  lol....thats a bit ridiculous. what makes you think that the average fan's voice should be heard or taken into attention when a club of arsenal;s magnitude sets down its plans for its future strategy ?
  
  what opinion on financial or technical matters about arsenal can an average fan have so as to be given any importance ?
  
  the average fan uses football as an escape from his/her daily routines. when that escape doesnt give him /her smiles....he /she will complain.
  
  the average fan hasnt got a clue of the "science" behind football and the decission making process.
  
  fuck the fans. if they are too blind or ungateful to see what wenger is doing for arsenal then return them their fucking money and tell them never to come back to the stadium again. it is not a problem. there are thousand others who would give their left nut to go and support arsenal PROPERLY and not like speculative investors.

• 29-Jan-2012 12:17 | | pika
  

  ha PG ..good to see u around....
  
  
  for colesy/rectum ...see acrylic altair .....lol....

• 29-Jan-2012 15:59 | | Colesy
  

  dragged the club down ? ...lol from where?????
  
  Pika you idiot, from being Champions and constantly in the top 2 to struggling to qualify for CL. So stop rolling one out over a picture of Wenger and get real.

• 29-Jan-2012 19:02 | | pika
  

  and who made you champion you dumb@ss? was it not him ? pmsl...
  
  so from 1st and 2nd..he is now finishing 3rd and 4th... have you considered that city and chelsa have changed the scenery or not yet you fkn idiot? lol ....
  
  so essentially you muppet ...had it not been for the unregulated spending of them two with their financial doping and short cuts..wenger would still be at 1 -2 .... haha ...
  
  and you want to fire him ?
  
  the manager who forces his immediate rivals to spend 5 times more than he does to marginally beat his kinderkarden ?
  
  haha get lost you narrowminded little englader ..

• 29-Jan-2012 20:42 | | Colesy
  

  Pika is that you???

• 29-Jan-2012 20:49 | | Colesy
  

  Pika, you simply don't get it. It's blinded Wenger cock suckers like you who continue to constantly blame anyone and everyone else but the man in charge. Now you're blaming the spending abilities of Man City, Chelsea, Man Utd.
  
  Next week it'll be some ref's fault. Next it will be the media or the FA.
  
  Facts are facts, we are falling further and further down the league and it's going to be a real struggle to qualify for the CL. Even if we do that (and that's a very big IF), what odd on RVP leaving in the summer? If so, what sort of season can we look forward to in 2012/13?
  
  But worry your little immature brain- you'll still have your Wenger poster to cream over.

• 30-Jan-2012 03:50 | | Spectrum
  

  Colesy - Yep, and George Graham has just had another go at The Senile One, saying that we can't expect to win the league whilst not buying quality players.
  
  Renewal and rejuvenation are essential for growth and progress in any endeavour in life. That also applies to football players, and it certainly applies to managers. Without renewal you have stagnation, decay and in the longer term - death. Our club is sick. We need a transfusion of new blood, before our condition deteriorates further. While we call for the ambulance, the A.K.B.'s stand idly looking on, wondering what the fuss is all about.
  
  " ****************** "

• 30-Jan-2012 10:42 | | pika
  

  i dont get it? lol i got it way back when you didnt even know anything....
  
  show me one sentence of mine with this wenger love-in you accuse me off...
  
  if you cant see that one of the greatest managers in the game is good for arsenal thats your problem mate.
  
  from what i see youre failing in trying to pass on to others your personal dislike for wenger ........
  
  
  who blamed citys and chelsea spending ? lol.... the only thing i see is you blaming arsenal for not spending like city and chelsea ....lol .....maybe you didnt get the memo ...lol...." we cant compete with them financially" ....

• 30-Jan-2012 10:45 | | pika
  

  and who the fuck is george graham in front of arsene wenger ? lol
  
  ah you mean the scottish traitor who went to coach tottenham ? ah ok ..... hahahaha
  
  renewal and rejuvenation ? ahahhaahah ...stadium 450 million....lol did yu want sniejder and buffon to come with that too ? pmsl...

• 30-Jan-2012 11:43 | | MeanLean
  

  Hello Cheggy,
  
  Long time
  
  I actually believe that we are set up to survive rather than failure but I agree that we the club do not throw everything they can at trophies, it has never been our way.
  
  Could we do more? Are we able to take more risks? Very possibly but as podge said, I think we can and have been able to compete / win top trophies in our current approach.
  
  The problem has been consistently having to rebuild the team and much of that is down to strong clubs financially taking our players.
  
  It has felt as if we have always tried to get just enough to compete rather than going that extra mile to add that bit more to previous squads.
  
  I believe that Arsene can build a title winning team with pretty much any of his last squads but he has needed to keep those players and build on them but sadly that just hasn't been able to happen.

• 30-Jan-2012 11:48 | | MeanLean
  

  Heartfelt stuff IronMan.
  
  That sounds like a conversation I had with a mate of mine a good four/five years ago but unlike you, he weaned himself off the drug and gave up supporting Arsenal because he had just had enough of the modern day footballer and Sky TV etc etc.
  
  Arsenal is indeed a product and we are customers, that is exactly how it is and it is the same for every top club but I would disagree about it being no fun. While our relationship with the club may be different over the years, the feeling of a good victory still remains with me.
  
  Results like in Milan, San Siro and recently at Stamford Bridge will leave long in my memory. So will moments like Henry's goal against Leeds in the cup.
  
  I still love the club as much now as I did when it all started.

• 30-Jan-2012 11:51 | | MeanLean
  

  "Running around beating your chest claiming to be the biggest, bestest supporter means nothing in the grand scheme of things"
  
  Just want to clarify that I wasn't implying anything like that in the post, I was just trying to explain how self defeating it is, if you want the team to win games. Anyone can support the team how they wish but if you want the team to win then surely we should all be doing what we can to increase that chance.
  
  If we are not happy with the 'product' then we should just stop going/buying merchandise etc. Those who can afford it and are happy to go and support should do just that.

• 30-Jan-2012 12:13 | | pika
  

  Running around beating your chest claiming to be the biggest, bestest supporter means nothing in the grand scheme of things"
  
  
  its not about that ironman...its about recognising the difficulties of arsenal;s investment and project in a period where sharks are baying around....
  
  when the competition around you are teams that can spend anything between 100 and 300m for players and you are at a level of 15 - 20m max per annum...it goes without saying that you cant compete with them in transfers.
  
  the fact we come 3rd or 4th only to them teams is a testament that the plan is working and proof that wenger has the ability to keep the club/team competitive even at such obvious financial restrictions.

• 30-Jan-2012 12:45 | | Colesy
  

  lol did yu want sniejder and buffon to come with that too ? - No, Wenger won't get his cheque book out. He is only interested in signing kids!

• 30-Jan-2012 12:47 | | Colesy
  

  I don't need to mate, it plain for everyone to see. Sorry but the secret's out.

• 30-Jan-2012 13:16 | | pika
  

  the more kids the better ..this way he will educate generations after generations with the correct values of wengerball for arsenal !
  
  and what do you know ..maybe one day the wilsheres walcotts ramseys etc learn to play the game the proper way...the continental way, like vieira ljunberg pires and henry before them and let go of all them britiish neanderthal principles the pullis allerdyces and pardews infest kids brains with ......
  
  and the totnham trolls like you will sit there and cry like youve been crying the last 17 years ...hehehe

• 30-Jan-2012 13:17 | | pika
  

  does this everyone include the myopic moronic little engladers like you pullis allerdyce "arry and the rest ....pmsl..

• 30-Jan-2012 21:29 | | Colesy  - Pika (sorry Golum) It is your precious Wenger's fa
  

  This one's for the AKB's like Pika, Podge, PG and anyone else who believes that we are not able to compete with the big spending clubs and that they are merely buying success (thereby hiding the fact that we are finishing the season with less points each season).
  
  I have reviewed the results in the league against Man U, Che, Man C, Liv and Tot since (and including) the 2005/06 season upto the EPL matches we've played so far this current season against these same clubs. These clubs are those who the AKB's regularly cite as having superior buying power (I agree btw) and therefore the reason why we haven't won the league and why AW must be forgiven and totally respected for the fight he is waging against the unhealthy greed which is dominating our EPL (I disagree btw).
  
  According to www.transferleague.co.uk website, the gross spending of these five clubs put the teams in the following order (in order of who has spent the most on players between 2005/06 and 2011);
  1) Man C @ £537M, 2) Liv @ £309M, 3) Che @ £274M, 4) Tot @ £243M and 5) Man U @ £217M.
  
  So no shocks there then - Man C has spent the most on players since 2006.
  
  Here now is the breakdown of our PL total points against these five clubs;
  
  2005/06 11 out of 30 points
  2006/07 18 out of 30 points
  2007/08 18 out of 30 points
  2008/09 14 out of 30 points
  2009/10 10 out of 30 points
  2010/11 13 out of 30 points
  2011/12 3 out of 18 points * 6 matches played so far
  
  Here is how we have faired against the teams (listed in order of spending power) over these 6.5 seasons;
  
  1) Man C 23 out of 39 points
  2) Liv 18 out of 39 points
  3) Che 14 out of 39 points
  4) Tot 17 out of 39 points
  5 Man U 15 out of 42 points.
  
  So in summary, the team which has spent the most during this period (Man C) we taken the most amount of points from (23 out of 39). The team that according to www.transferleague.co.uk's website has spent the least (Man U) we've managed the worst amount of points (15 out of 42 * having played and lost to them twice this season).
  
  So the question is this. If we've managed to secure the the highest number of points from the team that has the greatest spending power, it surely cannot be that we can simply blame Man C for our position in the league? Yes it is correct to assume that with their superior buying power, they are likely to be high in the table but we've taken more points off Man C over the past 6.5 seasons than we have against the other four teams. I would suggest that we've dropped more points against teams that are not in the Top 6.
  
  So those numpty's like Pika (a Golum wannbe) who keep banging on about how their precious Wenger has to be idolised and cannot be accused of any wrong doing, need to go back to the drawing board. Their argument that we cannot expect to do well because the likes of Liverpool spend £35M on a flop called Carroll or Chelsea can go out an spend £50M on another flop called Torres or £18M on Lukaku to rot in their reserves doesn't stand up. Spending lots and lots of money is one thing. Spending money (no matter how much it is) wisely is a different matter.
  
  The reason for Arsenal's decline (and for those who still cannot accept this point - just compare our points totals over the past few seasons) is not because others in the Top 6 have spent more, it's because of AW and his failed youth policy, his stubbornness, his inability to deal with the defensive failures for the past 4 or 5 seasons, oh and some poor buys.

• 31-Jan-2012 11:16 | | pika
  

  if i needed something to read while taking the morning cr@p id rather read the shampoo than the filth of a little englander wenger -hater..

• 31-Jan-2012 12:44 | | pika
  

  Spending money (no matter how much it is) wisely is a different matter.
  
  pmsl such a clueless git...i wonder if your mother has any more clever sons like you ...maybe ill adopt one and make him heir .... pmsl ...
  
  are you accusing the wisest spender in the modern history of the game as not doing his job properly ? I THINK IVE HEARD IT ALL NOW .....
  
  bacary sagna ...unknown ...only 6 m ..one of epl best right backs ..his value now ..above 15m
  
  laurent konscislny ..lol from ligue b in france..lol..only 8,4m ..after a year and half considered one of the finest cb in epl ....
  
  if that spender with no wisdom took the advise of the little englanders he would have spent 17 on cahill and 13 on samba...pmsl..... ahahahaha
  
  robin van persie ..2.7 m i rest my case ...now worth close to 30m ..
  
  cesc fabregas 450k ...sold for 40 million...pmsl 1000% multiplied value ...lol
  
  keep talking arsehole..give me the ammo to tear you a new one ..youre very good at that...

• 31-Jan-2012 12:54 | | Colesy
  

  ha - so you did read it then Golum!

• 31-Jan-2012 12:56 | | Colesy
  

  Golum- you're tearing one for yourself mate. You haven't admitted your whole argument is flawed - just like you.

• 31-Jan-2012 12:57 | | pika
  

  lol thats ok my precious ..youre the one saying that the wisest spender in the game aint spending wisely and i have just taken your claim and shat on it ...
  
  get lost spud troll ...i wont be as kind as mean lean.

• 31-Jan-2012 13:10 | | Colesy  - Signings
  

  Rumours are that we have completed the £400,000 transfer of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Thomas Eisfeld.
  
  The Metro reports "The 19-year-old signed a long-term deal with Arsenal, after he completed a thorough medical, due to concerns over his poor injury record, and previous damage to his cruciate knee ligaments."
  
  Great - typical Wenger. We have too many midfielders. We have too many teenagers - so he goes and buys another teenage midfielder! Oh and one that has a questionable injury record to boot!!! Oh well, at least its company for Kieran Gibbs!!!

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