Written by Mean Lean on Sunday, 21 October 2012 11:55

It is easy to allow a result or performance to make you define a whole season based on one 90 minutes. It was only a few weeks ago when we went to last season's champions and out played them for long periods on their own pitch. It was also only a few short weeks ago where we were head and shoulders the better team at Anfield, coming away with a near complete performance. Those displays showed us what we can be and also how good we can be.

Equally when the team come out and give the type of performance showed yesterday against Norwich then they need to be judged on that 90 minute display, and that performance was damn awful. The worst I have seen for quite some time.

It reminded me of a display a few years ago against Ipswich at Portman road. Lots of pointless possession with absolutely no end product. As the game went on, you could just sense that we were never going to score. When we are going through that type of funk, we could play for hours and hours and a goal wouldn't be forthcoming.

Our game is built upon quick passing and combination play, it is our huge strength but as we saw yesterday it is also our weakness. We focus so much on our game that when it doesn't work for whatever reason we go into dog chasing tail mode. When we move the ball quickly and run off the ball then even the best teams in world football find us difficult to stop.

So it makes me wonder, at what point in that 90 minutes did the players think 'oh perhaps this isn't working, maybe we need to increase the gears a little' that thought didn't appear to enter their minds and I just do not understand why.

I do not even want to get into the goal we conceded because that really wasn't even the issue. Vito Mannone has errors in him, he is third choice for a reason and we have to deal with the injuries. If we played as we know we can then a goalkeeping error wouldn't matter one jot.

I remember writing a few years back about how our need to be patient against defensive minded teams can hinder us rather than help us. Our patience in our passing can look like complacency, whereas would we put in that type of team display if we were attempting to win the game in the first 45 minutes? I doubt it.

There can be no excuses for a performance like that. International football does not wash, our rivals had many players away but had enough to win their matches against stronger opposition than we faced. Injuries are also no excuse as we had more than enough to win the game based on quality.

If we want to have any chance of success then we have to find a way to create chances and score goals when the team isn't playing well for whatever reason.

We were criticised for being a one man team last season, wrongly I may add but having to rely on the team clicking just to function is arguably worse. Manchester United have spent the last few season's playing awfully but finding ways to score goals, even if referee's are more than willing to get in the box and get a head to the ball when needed.

I still have issues with parts of our team and I have said this during the better performances but they were once again on show yesterday. Cazorla needs creative players around him, he has the whole creative burden on his little shoulders right now. It is so frustrating that Tomas Rosicky has been out all season because he is just the player to combine with the Spaniard. Wilshere will be but is still not ready.

Lukas Podolski is the best finisher at the club, has a fantastic career goalscoing record yet is continuously playing as full back support, doing his defensive duty and getting involved in short passes at the half way line. When was the last time we sent Podolski through on goal? Where are the type of lung busting runs that we saw at Anfield?

When Gervinho first joined us, he stated that his best position was probably on the right of the attack. Judging by all his displays in an Arsenal shirt, it has looked like his worst so far. I cannot help but feel like we need another creative player in that wide position allowing Podolski to focus more of his energies getting into attacking positions.

Whatever the reason for this performance, the priority has to be to make sure that it doesn't happen again and if it looks like happening in the future, we need to change our game.

As Arsene rightly said post match it wasn't good enough. We have to make sure that we come back midweek with a much, much better performance.

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Comments (92)

• 21-Oct-2012 12:24 | | TRIPQUINSKY  - we really need gibs
  

  Gibs is needed he always gives us more width at the eings compared to santos who yesterday always took the ball back to defence instead of attacking he was always spoiling our play nd for christ sake he is tooo slow

• 21-Oct-2012 12:27 | | naz
  

  Arsenal will come back then fall again. Always inconsistent. We will (scraping for 4th place. Will never win anything until the whole club mentality changes. Sad but true

• 21-Oct-2012 12:32 | | winnie  - arsene is not clough
  

  The problem lies with Wenger. He is totally inept at motivating a team, either before the match or at half time.

• 21-Oct-2012 12:39 | | CescFabulous4  - Issues
  

  I agree completely with the point on Cazorla, it's as though sometimes watching the games you feel as though our midfielders all look to Cazorla to create, but we do have in Rosicky and JW two creative players so hopefully that problem can be resolved.
  
  I think our major issue comes when we talk about crossing the ball from both open and set plays. Teams look to deal with our style of play by forming a compact shape and forcing us out wide, and it seems like every cross that we put in results in nothing! That needs sorting ASAP!
  
  We've got a heck of a lot more to offer than that performance, lets just hope we offer that heck of a lot more very soon!

• 21-Oct-2012 12:39 | | jeff
  

  I'm totally in agreement with Naz, our only consistency is our inconsistency we have the players we lack mental strength and have done for a good few years, I still go every week but thats what you get with Wengers team

• 21-Oct-2012 12:42 | | CescFabulous4
  

  And I forgot to add we shouldn't be looking at JW to plug in that creative gapso soon after returning.

• 21-Oct-2012 12:45 | | lee  - we need rosicky back
  

  rosicky and carzola combination wil b superb!! gerviho shuld play as the main striker since he plays wel than giroud

• 21-Oct-2012 12:48 | | trigun  - same old, same old.
  

  I don't think I would have been the only Gooner who thought we would lose yesterday. Changes in players, tactics and coaches, but one constant remains, against so called lesser teams we are never up for it! Is it Wenger is it a severe case of false arrogance? there's no getting away from it season after season without fail we have this problem. I see Wenger is blaming the team saying they were poor, but, he's the manager he's the one that keeps producing Groundhog day so in my opinion he should blame himself

• 21-Oct-2012 13:07 | | jeff wright  - seen it and heard it all before
  

  The Norwich type results happen every season under Wenger. I can recall the Hull City game a few years back at home when our players had had a weeks rest, and Wenger was able to put out his strongest first eleven producing a similar performance to last night's one.The only logical explanation is that it's a mental thing that is involved. Wenger always says that ' we lacked sharpness' that again was his explanation after last nights horror show - but other sides who had tougher games than we faced yesterday won their matches after also having had players away on International duty. So motivation looks to be the problem in all of this, and the question is why is Wenger unable to motivate his players to match the determination of their lowlier opponents.
  For me the writing was on the wall right at the start of the season in the first game at home v Sunderland - MON's men looked more determined and fought harder in the 0-0 draw that they got against all odds - in yet another game in which Wenger's ones were top dogs to come out on top in .
  In fact looking at the results against the same sides that we played last season we have taken less points overall from them this time - so far. The claims that we have conceded less goals though are down mainly to not having let in 8 goals at Old Trafford that result played a big part in the goals against column regarding the early games played last term - fingers crossed then for the upcoming away one against RVP - Rooney and co .
  Personally speaking I feel a change of manager is long overdue Arsene looks tired and old for his age - and just keeps on trotting out the same old excuses and making the same old mistakes. The younger Pep is out there to be snapped up - my advice is to get him in - after all he knows more about playing tika taka if this is what supporters want to watch - than Wenger does - we need the organ grinder and not his monkey.

• 21-Oct-2012 13:08 | | TJ  - Disappointing
  

  We missed walcot yesterday. He might not be able to dribble past defender like Gervinho and OX but he's a a forward playing player. Unlike Gervinho when given through ball, will slow it down and allow opposition defenders to regroup. Very poor performance. Wenger should have removed Santos in

• 21-Oct-2012 13:10 | | JustJoy  - Traditional play
  

  20mins to the end of the game i think Arsenal would have play the traditional english football by sending more men in the box while sending balls, ManU somtimes play that, we were just holding possesion for Nothing, Gervinho would have join a 442 with Giroud and shouldnt come for defence. I think we will improve

• 21-Oct-2012 13:22 | | TJ  - Disappointing
  

  We missed walcot yesterday. He might not be able to dribble past defender like Gervinho and OX but he's a a forward playing player. Unlike Gervinho when given through ball, will slow it down and allow opposition defenders to regroup. Very poor performance. Wenger should have removed Santos in the second halve as he couldn’t just do anytin yesterday and he should have switched to 3-5-3. Giroud was totally isolated through out the match, and we can blame him.

• 21-Oct-2012 13:39 | | Greg  - Gregomona
  

  I think the problem is Wenger. The team is too predictable, no plan B and does not change his approach based on current circumstances. For example, in yesterday's game Poldoski was the only player to take a shot at the goal , yet as is always the case, he was substituted. Ramsey had no biz remaining for 81 mins. Gervibho is just too selfish with the ball and just does not believe that it is better to pass the ball to a team mate better positioned than to go alone, it takes 70mins always before Wenger makes a change even when it does not seem to be working after 30mins. Must changes be made at the seventieth min. It would look like over time, the players and coach have become unbothered by the perpetual lack of trophies. On this showing, let us not deceive ourselves, we need a serious and ambitious leaderin the team. Someone in the mould of Viera, Tony Adams, Henry etc

• 21-Oct-2012 14:14 | | Yiannis  - Ramsey
  

  Well said but you seem to be forgetting Ramsey. His performance was soooo poor. Wenger should replace him with Arshavin or Oxlade next match

• 21-Oct-2012 14:17 | | @babakrdaemi  - Arsene does his best
  

  Arsene does as good a job as anyone would given the format of the premier league. 10 points off top. Who is top? Chelsea. When we except Chelsea as a legitimate football club then the game is finished. I refuse to judge our team on those unrealistic standards.
  
  Man u is a great club, however, they have also stretched themselves financially.
  
  I don't want to support the drivel about best run club, I just feel we need to accept that Chelsea and city are not a legitimate target or clubs to compare ourselves to. I wish the fa would stand up and sort it out.
  
  Because every bad result is catastrophic thanks to roman

• 21-Oct-2012 14:24 | | richie  - Variety variety where's the variety?
  

  That was woeful, like you ML I can't understand why everyone on the pitch and off couldn't see the the need to make changes with immediate effect. Many of us could see that result coming fron about the 25th min (just after they scored). Its no good trying SAF's last 5min onslaughts if you haven't preplanned your tactic's and drilled everyone on their positions. Our onslaught should have come in the 1st 15mins of the second half, our playing tempo should have been upped from walking to sprinting.
  Like you I fail to understand our reasoning?
  
  Is there something in our DNA that says we have to have some "One" thats the man? When Cesc was our main man everything flowed through him, if he didn't play we didn't play. If he had an off day then the Arse had one too. Last year we were a one man team simply because we were set up to benefit Van Persie. (Not for one minute do I accept we were a one man team)., but you know what I mean I'm sure.
  
  I think Carzorla is one magnificient player but I don't want everything to have to depend (Cesc style) on whether he plays the perfect through ball for someone to dink home. Yesterday that seemed to be our plan AB&C. To say our play was one dimensional is to state the blindingly obvious! Tightly mark Santi thought Houghton and the Arse will be hampered, and so it proved. The prem is about problem solving. Each team is problem to be solved. Against a team full of big money tallent like Chelski at a minimum you have to defend well (we didn't).
  
  Against Sunderland you have to find a way through the massed ranks against the canaries the same. Ok the keeper made a mistake, but his team mates should've helped him out and at least drew level. If our idea of problem solving is always the same method then we will continue to come up one sandwich short of a picknick. Yes we need creativity and we have creative players but we also need variety in our play, if we are always one dimentional then other teams will always only have to defend against us in the same manner, and hope for a defensive error to capitalise on, to beat us.

• 21-Oct-2012 14:26 | | richie  - As for the above
  

  That was my fault I forgot to log in

• 21-Oct-2012 14:56 | | craig  - the dark tunnel
  

  Sorry @babakrdaemi but I thought we lost to Norwich not Chelsea??!!
  
  IAWR

• 21-Oct-2012 15:02 | | emmanuel  - strength in depth
  

  Too many players are assured of their playing positions and it makes them lazy..... look at jenkinson not the most talented but he knows djouru sagna yennaris can take his place so he gives 100%, arshavin has lost weight etc..... the same can not be said for vermalean, podolski, gervinho, ramsey carzola, arteta giroud those are guys who have nothing to lose if they had competition they would not perform lke they did yesterday a few days on the bench should wake them up

• 21-Oct-2012 15:27 | | Dan  - Creativity needed
  

  I agree completely with you,all this talk about buying another striker is wrong...we need an isqo or a gotze,a creative player who can play on the wing

• 21-Oct-2012 16:16 | | Spectrum
  

  richie says ; ...."like you ML I can't understand why everyone on the pitch and off couldn't see the the need to make changes with immediate effect ".
  
  That's because according to some on here, ( including you ? ) ordinary mortals like us ( i.e. the supporters ), have never coached a football team in our lives, and are therefore not qualified to comment on team matters. Wenger is one of the best coaches in the world, so who are we to question him ? However, here is richie doing exactly THAT. Perhaps now you can see the absurdity and hypocrisy of that argument ? If we can see it, why can't he ? Exactly what I've been saying.
  
  ......"Its no good trying SAF's last 5min onslaughts if you haven't preplanned your tactic's and drilled everyone on their positions".
  
  Agreed. So why wasn't it done ? Isn't that a fundamental part of his job ?
  
  ......"Our onslaught should have come in the 1st 15mins of the second half, our playing tempo should have been upped from walking to sprinting.
  Like you I fail to understand our reasoning " .....
  
  Sounds logical. Again - why wasn't it done ? And given that these sort of tactical mistakes have occurred so frequently in so many of our matches, why is it so difficult to "understand our ( Wenger's ) reasoning " ? This non-thinking is par for the course for Wenger. ( Hello richie, is anyone at home ? )
  
  We should also ask why Ramsey who was one of the worst players on the day, was allowed to stay on for most of the match. Hint ; he's one of Wenger's favourites ( - another point I've made before ). And why we pushed Mertesacker up front as a forward late in the game, when the man who is more LIKELY to score, and had been playing reasonably well ( Podolski ), had been taken off earlier !!! Explain that piece of tactical brilliance if you can.
  
  You're correct about all the points you raised. But the amusing part is that you seem genuinely surprised at this incompetence. I'm not. It happens on a REGULAR BASIS. Haven't you noticed ? And Wenger says "Perhaps we underestimated them." Well it's his job to ensure that we DON'T underestimate them ! It's why he's the highest paid manager in England / Europe. As someone said on "Le Grove", that statement ALONE should be grounds for his sacking.
  
  And richie, for a club that's supposedly economising and is always crying poor, why are we splurging extravagantly on a 15 minute plane ( ! ) flight for the team from London to Norwich ? Fifteen minutes ???? What's wrong with a standard coach trip ?
  
  WENGER OUT !
  
  "IAWR"

• 21-Oct-2012 16:25 | | jeff wright  - all down to Roman ?
  

  The notion that Abramovich is to blame for Wenger and his players shortcomings can surely only apply when we play Chelsea ? So how then did we finish in front of his club in the league last season?
  I can't recall Red Rom giving any money to Norwich to buy players with and we have more money anyway Delia's modest club do and also more than most clubs.
  Some of these excuses that Wenger's apologists trot out are really rather stupid . How many of these supporters were coming out before the game and saying that Norwich, with one of the worst records in the league and second bottom of it , were going to beat us,1-0 ! You have to laugh.
  Next up in the league we play the actual worst side in it - QPR. Is Abramovich helping them as well - if so then someone should tell John Terry about it.

• 21-Oct-2012 16:39 | | craig  - the dark tunnel
  

  Well said Jeff!
  
  IAWR

• 21-Oct-2012 16:44 | | Spectrum
  

  babakrdaemi @14;17 - You're a man in denial. The new reality whether you ( and we ) like it or not, is that money controls the game, and success flows from it. Fight it all you want, but until you accept this, we won't win much, if anything. We either try to compete with the big boys, or we'll be resigned to feeding off the scraps from their table.
  
  The irony is that Arsenal potentially HAS the resources waiting in the wings ( Usmanov or other investors ) AND a current billionaire owner who refuses to chip in. But we have deliberately CHOSEN to go down this path of "self sustainability ". Most of the money Wenger is GIVEN to spend, stays in the bank earning interest. And some of the rest goes to contributing to Gazidis' latest pay rise*.
  
  * I thought it was only the bankers who got bonuses for doing f..k all.
  
  "IAWR"

• 21-Oct-2012 22:07 | | paspartu
  

  lol hysteria all over again..... go open a dictionary and look at the word supporter..the team had a very bad game..nothing worked...it was a shit performance and a shit match with shit ideas and shit execution ...your pain is bigger because we were waiting for 2 weeks...if we had knicked a win with that same shit performance youd be happy now ..so..compose yourselves...man up ...move on.....
  
  do you all remember them world cup winners /invincibles.best ever squad in our history/world ? they managed to lose from wayne bridge and gudjonshen for the champions league.....shit happens...
  
  ps i see specturm has issues with the owners ....he wants a change in policy ... yes? so was it not about wenger all this time then?

• 21-Oct-2012 23:22 | | richie  - Reality's of life without a Sugar Daddy
  

  Oh dear the Spud loving Spectrum wants to quote me.
  Well here you go quote this;
  Arsene Wenger is the best player developing coach in the prem.
  How do we know this? Simple its a Fact. All the teams that have won the prem since Arsene started coaching at the Arse want to buy our players. Who's won apart from us since Arsene arrived? Manu'er Chelski & Oiley Citeh. They've all bought from us and paid us well. One has massive debt but is easily the biggest money maker in the prem, the other two have the Sugar Daddy's that Spectrum wishes his team had. As you've all probably realised he's really a fifth columnist swamp dweller.
  
  All of the above 3 have paid lumps of money for players coached by Arsene into far better players than when we bought them. Dear old Arsene asked either David Dein or Kroenke's man on the current board to buy those same players and we got them cheap, and sold them for the benefit of the club. That other bastion of playing great football apart from us, you know the team with the best player in the world, Barca also likes to buy our players. That should be enough logic for most people if all the other great teams want players coached by AW. Hell even Real Madrid were at it, they built us our training facilities for us at London Colney when they purchased Anelka.
  
  Now that brings up a question that Spectrum hates, Arsene selling the players he coached into greatness for the benefit of the club. Why does this have to happen many may ask? I can't give you the reasons here its way too long, but I know a man who can. He does it so well too!
  
  http://swissramble.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/arsenal-song-remains- same.html
  
  I'm not asking you as the Spectrum Spud does to debase yourself and follow the drivel spouted on "Le Grove" or the like. I'm just saying scan through this article and understand Arsenal's actual financial situation and understand why we as a club are only making a profit through player sales. Knowledge is power so read who the swiss rambler is and where he gets his facts from and empower yourself.
  Know more about Arsenal.

• 22-Oct-2012 03:21 | | ManUnited Killer  - Double Standards Richie
  

  Richie,darn shame but I cant seem to wrap my head around how you can be like this.You have iterated times without number that 'simple men' like myself and Spectrum are unfit to point out things that are amiss at our beloved club because 'we have not coached a day in football'..Obviously that rule does not apply to you.
  This team is garbage.period.And as long as we don't import quality, even a plastic cup will evade us.Forget about the competitive cups! Soon Carzola and Wilshere will be walking into clubs who are serious about silverware.

• 22-Oct-2012 05:23 | | craig  - the dark tunnel
  

  Richie, I'll give the reasons why Wenger repeatedly sells our best players:
  
  1) they w

• 22-Oct-2012 05:29 | | craig  - the dark tunnel
  

  1) they want to win something
  
  2) Wenger has allowed the deadwood players salaries to reach such high levels to reward them for "potential" that he can't give them away and our squad is too bloated.
  
  3) fed up with no plan B
  
  4) not being motivated
  
  IAWR

• 22-Oct-2012 06:40 | | Spectrum
  

  richie - You conveniently didn't address the question of fans "not being qualified " to pass judgment on team issues. According to your OWN RULES, you have no right to comment or complain about the team's performance, or indeed, that of Le Senile. Fortunately, we realists aren't restricted by this foolishness, so we are free to criticise, and will continue to do so, as long as the team delivers performances like last Saturday's. So my advice ; either change your view, or continue being a rank hypocrite. Same applies to other A.K.B.'s like Golum ( paspartu ) who also accused me of the same.
  
  " IAWR "

• 22-Oct-2012 07:21 | | Spectrum
  

  To Golum - The whole culture of management at Arsenal is rotten. That includes the board and Wenger. Though Wenger rightfully should receive the MOST criticism, because he is at the sharp end - i.e. the team performances. If you'd been paying attention you'd have noticed that I often condemn the complacent ambitionless board / C.E.O., not just the manager.
  
  
  Take Gazidis' latest pay rise, which I notice quietly passed without comment from you, Mean Lean and the other sycophants on here. Why hasn't Mean Lean written an article on this, as surely it's important that we're seen to be getting value for money from him, isn't it ? If you all care so much about the club, why aren't you challenging his record of waste and neglect ?
  
  From an earlier "Le Grove" article ( October 3rd )......sourcing Swiss Ramble......
  
  
  * " He ( Gazidis ) made £65million profit on player sales last summer. To break this process down for you, that’s taking your organisations prized assets and selling them to your competitors.
  * Whilst selling our two best players, he managed to increase staffing costs £40million. Can someone remind me of how that works out? Robin Van Persie did not receive a payrise out of that, nor did Wenger or Jack Wilshere.
  * If you take away player sales, we made an operating profit of -£30million
  * Ivan Gazidis, in three years, with a commercial team estimated to cost the club £15mill a year has overseen commercial revenue increases of 9%
  * We create 40% less commercial revenue that Manchester United
  * In the same three year time period, Barcelona and Real Madrid have grown their commercial deals by £90million.
  * In the same three year period, Liverpoool have grown theirs to £17million, City to £40million and that, according to the Swiss Ramble, is before they announce their shirt deals in their reporting.
  
  So basically, the club have remained static, achieved tepid commercial improvements and there is still no guarantee at the end of all this that we’ll be able to match United or any of the big boys when it comes to sponsorship deals.
  Why is that? Well, what do all the big revenue generating clubs have in common? Success. Or the perception that they’re chasing success. You can pin a name to each of those clubs when it comes to brand recognition.
  
  United – Wayne Rooney
  Madrid – Christiano Ronaldo
  Barca – Lio Messi
  
  We have good players that are gone tomorrow. We don’t bring stars in. The only player Arsenal think is worthy of a shirt with its name on the back is the annual report. The shame is that you can’t sell a hefty bank balance into the marketing department of Nike. It’s admirable, but it’s not going to shift training gear. Whatever you want to say about football and finances, the common denominator with all great clubs is investment. We’re not investing in top players and surprisingly, we have no trophies to show for it. It’s not rocket science. You can find the whole process of player purchase grotesque, but if we want to fight it out with the big boys, there’s no benefit in having a cash balance of a £150million, £70million of which is uncommitted. Having a threadbare squad doesn’t have you in the mix come March. Telling the fans you gambled on Diaby’s fitness when you had the resources not to, only raises suspicions that as a club, football success isn’t the number one goal.
  
  I hope with the Ivan Gazidis salary jump, we can all see through his hypocrisy. He’s delivered very little the fans care about over the last year "......
  
  Full article here ; ( copy and paste ) http://le-grove.co.uk/2012/10/03/arsenal-award-ivan-gazidis-a-36- payrise-and-a-675k-bonus-for-delivering-what-exactly/
  
  "IAWR"

• 22-Oct-2012 07:59 | | paspartu
  

  but you talked about policy mate ..... spending and the like ..."self sustainability" ...lol..now you switch back to wenger, the manager of the football team....
  
  just pick one and concentrate on one of the two and maybe we get to something.....

• 22-Oct-2012 08:02 | | paspartu
  

  oh and dont copy articles from le grove mate...their motivation isnt honest...

• 22-Oct-2012 08:03 | | paspartu
  

  would you be here if arsenal had won? NO. and thats all i need to know about your motivation little boy....

• 22-Oct-2012 08:04 | | Spectrum
  

  richie - You talk of the benefits that selling our players has been for the team. What "benefits" exactly ? And for which team ? Well selling Van Persie to United has certainly benefitted the team - THEIRS. Selling Cesc has boosted Barca even further. And from Swiss Ramble, the source you and Mean Lean are fond of quoting -
  
  " Assuming no change in overall strategy, this means that Arsenal will continue to sell players unless/until they grow revenue or cut their wage bill...."
  
  ...." No other leading club has been so dependent on player sales as part of its business model. In fact, over the last six years, selling the club’s stars has been responsible for £178 million (or over 90%) of the £195 million total profit. That’s great business, but it makes it very difficult to build a winning team, as Arsenal seem to be perpetually two pieces short of the complete jigsaw ".
  
  So we can expect more of the same unless we change course. Are you not disturbed by this ? Explain to me how continually selling our best players will help strengthen or "benefit " OUR team. It won't, but it will fatten the balance sheet !
  
  The Swiss Ramble report is more of an embarassment to us than a credit, if you read it CLOSELY, which you apparently didn't. On the issue of our self sustaining crap ; ( quote )....
  
  " In many ways, Arsenal’s self-sustaining approach has been admirable, though it has often felt like the club has been overly cautious. Gazidis speaks of avoiding “the many examples of clubs across Europe struggling for their very survival after chasing the dream and spending beyond their means”, but Arsenal are a long way from such an awful predicament. As we have seen, Arsenal do face issues around lack of revenue growth and an ever increasing wage bill, but they still have much more room to manoeuvre than most ".
  
  Note the words "overly cautious" and "more room to manoeurvre than most ".So we're not as hard up as you like to make out we are, in your endless quest to convince us that we can't compete.
  
  And this ; " The price of Arsenal’s self-sustaining model has been to regularly sell the club’s best players, while charging the highest ticket prices in the country, so this is not quite the financial Utopia that has often been portrayed in the media. For the fans, it must be particularly galling that the club’s two majority shareholders, Stan Kroenke and Alisher Usmanov, are both billionaires, but there is little sign of either making any investment into the squad "
  
  "Arsenal’s financial results are undoubtedly impressive and they have done well to consistently finish in the top four, but whether the current strategy is enough to bridge the gap to the leaders and actually win an important trophy is debatable ". ( are you listening, Golum ) ?
  
  " The board wastes no opportunity in telling supporters how ambitious the club is, e.g. last month Peter Hill-Wood argued, “We have a pretty good chance of challenging for the Premiership. I don’t see why we cannot win it this year”, but whether the fans believe that this is credible is another matter, especially when the club does not use all the resources at its disposal ".
  
  Pretty damning comments, I'd say, richie. Not something you should be drawing to our attention - ( but we're grateful that you have ). And then there's the matter of commercial revenue growth and sponsorship - that's dismal too, although you didn't comment on THAT either, I see.
  
  Yes, I also encourage everyone to read the Ramble's report. But beware - the truth hurts.
  
  "IAWR"

• 22-Oct-2012 08:14 | | paspartu
  

  United – Wayne Rooney
  Madrid – Christiano Ronaldo
  Barca – Lio Messi
  
  united - way bigger than arsenal
  madrid - way bigger than united
  barca - huge era of dominance but with debts and scandals .
  
  united - 500 m in debt
  madrid - sold their training ground
  barca - gets bails outs from catalan banks.
  
  now hate to tell you this bit never in arsenal's history would this club draw any kind of comparisons with them three...the fact you compare us today with them is a positive...we are on the right track.
  
  so say thank you for once that wenger has made you think that arsenal is on par with european supergiants who have been at the top for decades...arsenal is only considered in that group today because of their football manager.
  
  now if you want the owners want to approach the business of football like abramovic united or the spannish banks then go complain to kroenke and hillwood.
  
  but sadly you will find out that them lot aint got a clue so they might as well listen to the expert who at least knows how to make money by trading players. how long they will stay in this phase is their decission and dependable on the repayment schedule for their stadium
  
  it is really THAT simple you know nothing little englander.

• 22-Oct-2012 08:20 | | paspartu
  

  Or the perception that they’re chasing success
  
  ASTONISHING...... finally youre understanding......
  
  of course they will keep the perception that theyre going for success alive and kicking, i wouldnt expect anything less ......but the aim..the priority ....is to repay the stadium. always has been .
  
  however they cant come out telling you "forget the titles...we will buy and sell players till we break even with ur stadium investment, and if a triphy comes in the meantime thats a bonus" ..cause nooone would buy a ticket ...that would be like scoring an own goal...
  
  you are without doubt the worst arsenal mass debator i have ever come across. ..... you miss the point all the time...
  
  you talk as if arsenal exists to win titles for you....lol....

• 22-Oct-2012 08:35 | | Spectrum
  

  Man. Utd. Killer - " Soon Carzola and Wilshere will be walking into clubs who are serious about silverware". Valid point, mate. The players we are admiring now, are really only temporary itinerants. Once they wake up to how poor the man management, tactics, motivation e.t.c. is here, they'll start to lose confidence, their morale will drop, and you'll see more of what we saw on the weekend. Apathy becomes contagious, followed by restlessness, and then a desire to leave to fulfill their ambitions. We have seen it more and more over the last few years.
  
  The Norwich result is symptomatic of this trend. It's the reason Robin, Cesc, Nasri and Clichy had enough and wanted away. And I bet they're glad they did. It's worked out well for all of them, hasn't it ?
  
  "IAWR"

• 22-Oct-2012 09:34 | | abdukarim
  

  Kroenke

• 22-Oct-2012 10:11 | | Spectrum
  

  Golum @ 08;14 - I don't know why I bother replying to you. You have missed the point entirely ( as usual ). The writer of "Le Grove" was speaking about investing money in the commercial side of things, in order to generate interest and excitement amongst the fans, and to subsequently capitalise on this, by sales of shirts e.t.c. Something those three clubs he used as an example, are very good at doing ( in contrast to us ). And he is saying that the reason they do so much better than us in THAT AREA, is because they see the value in investing in QUALITY players that will produce success. Success sells products, ( merchandise ). Which in turn brings in revenue. The players' mentioned are icons at their clubs and so sell the brand. The brand ( in our case ) is Arsenal.
  
  They ( United, Madrid, Barca ) have been and are, doing this effectively. We aren't ( partly due to us selling our best players, instead of ADDING to the brand's value ). Read the paragraphs again s...l... o....w...l...y.. and your pea sized brain might just grasp that.
  
  Then you go rambling on about those teams debts, scandals, selling their training grounds e.t.c. All of which have NO RELEVANCE whatever to the point he was alluding to. But in your feeble attempt to appear clever, you distort it all so you can go on another of your rants.
  
  We all know your style by now, so we're not really surprised. If you can't keep things in context, just do us a favour, and shut up.
  
  "IAWR"

• 22-Oct-2012 10:34 | | paspartu
  

  no you have missed the point....the point this past 7 years has been to repay the stadium we built...not the statistic count on trophies.
  
  thankfully we will exist for another 125 years to correct that statistic.
  
  They ( madrid barca united) have been doing it for years/decades ....arsenal has just started mate.
  
  any writer of le grove is a confused and frustrated arse-wit who still hasnt figured out what the CLUB;'S PRIORITIES are.....

• 22-Oct-2012 10:38 | | paspartu
  

  how on earth can you compare a club like united that spends heavily with one intention in mind ( to win the title) with arsenal who spends a lot less with a completely different intention in mind ( breaking even from their stadium investment) ?
  
  its like comparing ferrari with jordan and renault. or the lakers with san antonio spurs...youre comapring big traditional football powerhouses with a football club that is trying to get into the family of "powerhouses".
  
  ferrari is a fkn institution in f1...such as madrid manu and barca are for the game of football....arsenal?? what the fuck would arsenal be without wenger?
  
  

• 22-Oct-2012 10:40 | | Spectrum
  

  At Golum - "....but you talked about policy mate ..... spending and the like ..."self sustainability" ...lol..now you switch back to wenger, the manager of the football team....".
  
  Huh ? Not only don't you read things properly, you don't absorb what I say. What DID I say ? - that I am critical of both Wenger AND repeat AND, the board. So why shouldn't I switch between club policy ( i.e. the board ), and management of the team ( i.e. Wenger ) ? They're all part of the problem. Caught on now ?
  
  Then there was this ; "oh and don't copy articles from le grove mate...their motivation isn't honest... "
  
  The quoted extract was motivated by a desire TO INFORM. Backed by facts from a respected and reliable source in Swiss Ramble. It appears that in your ignorance, you don't want to listen to what they have to say. Fine. Then just stop talking rubbish, and let the grown ups do so.
  
  "IAWR"

• 22-Oct-2012 10:43 | | paspartu
  

  ahahahhaha so united being in debt for 500+ plus is not something to bang about? ...lol.....but if they hadnt given their training ground and stadium to the bansk they wouldnt be able to compete for titles you dummy.....so in essence they are putting the future of their club in jeopardy just to hang on in the hunt for titles.....
  
  the fact that barcelona could not pay its players wages just a summer ago isnt relevant ? ...lol ....
  
  my oh my ...i see youre willing to excuse the non ethical avenues other clubs have chosen to compete and youre blasting your own club for doing it the right way?
  
  some fan you are ......

• 22-Oct-2012 10:48 | | paspartu
  

  you need to go a looooooooooooooooong way back my freind in order to find the reasons why arsenal aint as big as madrid barca juventus milan bayern united liverpool etc etc ....
  
  the questuion i have for you (and i expect a reply on this) is thus :
  
  what prohibited arsenal from winning back to back titles, european cups and dominating england and europe back in the days when wenger wasnt around ?
  
  you see....im checking the history of arsenal...never ever in this clubs history was this club considered in the same bracket of teams as youre comparing us now.... ( madrid barca united) .... it was only with wenger where we gave the illusion that we caqn sit next to them...so dont blame the manager ..just know your club and where you come from....
  
  if you have one chance of ever reaching the records of a milan juve madrid barca etc it is because of the work of wenger.. ...the previous regimes did fuck all for 109 years......
  
  so respectfully .....shut up boy

• 22-Oct-2012 11:10 | | paspartu
  

  and last but not least ....ambition comes from the top of hierarchy...ambitious owners = ambitious targets
  
  the current owners want to play it safe till the stadium cost is CLEARED....so youre barking on the wrong tree
  
  blaming them now for failing to show ambition on winning titles is wrong for their purpose the last 7 years and for a few years more is to break even...
  
  in other words ,,,you have chosen the wrong era to complain about titles. ...you have chosen the era where the club is focused on repaying its stadium to cry about titles. you are the one who has got things mixed up mate, not arsenal. arsenal know what theyre doing...you dont.

• 22-Oct-2012 11:20 | | paspartu
  

  and swiss ramble has nothing but praise for the management of arsenal fc....lol funny you use his words to blast the club ....
  
  just admit youre frustrated because of the results on the pitch and get on with it yes ? .....
  
  how you can blame a club for its management when it has climbed among the 5 richest in the world because of its management ?
  
  you dont make much sense...as usual....
  
  in a parallel/street-wise example .... do you remember the movie scarface ? " first the money , then the power, then the women "
  
  its the same for football...first the money, then the influence, then the trophies.....
  
  other clubs are lucky enough (either because of their owners or because of their set up ) to have the "money" issue solved...arsenal hasnt..arsenal has/had to make their own money first.....then with their money ( power) they will influence the scenery ( bid for massive players, sabotage main rivals, get people in fa and media to constantly hype you up and build psychology etc etc) ..and then the titles will come...
  
  in fact this sequence of priorities is the de facto cycle of any business venture which seeks dominance in its respective industry .

• 22-Oct-2012 11:32 | | paspartu
  

  basically your complaint is that arsenal aint using its money ( power) to influence the scenery ( players, league, europe) and go for the titles...
  
  thats all i see to be honest.......
  
  has it ever occured to you that their schedule does not allow for using the money NOW...?
  
  why waste their money on the possibility of winning titles when the rivals ( at this momment in time) can outspend you for every position on the pitch ?
  
  what if arsenal comes out next year ...spends 200m for players and fails to win anything ? will you pay the club back ? lol........
  
  you do realise that arsenal has sacrifised a lot to make their money right? so why spend it like drunken sailors in a port the night before going to war?
  
  why do you insist on some imaginery urgency that it is NOW that we have to spend and win titles?
  
  if you spend your money now youd be stupid ...it would be financial suicide...it is better to let the others collpase from their years of mismanagement and take advanatge of the scenery then.
  
  that is what arsenal has been preparing all these years...you are so shortsighted it is embarassing.
  
  
  lol...youre the same guy who wins ,say,100k in the roullete and instead of walking out the casino you go and play it all again .... and lose it of course
  
  

• 22-Oct-2012 12:01 | | Spectrum
  

  Golum - Okay, here's my answer you asked for ; It's simple. Every era has it's successful teams. Teams which dominate more than others. Everything, ( not just football ), moves in cycles. History proves this. Some teams stay on top for longer than others, as do their managers. Various factors combine to ensure that some have more success than others.
  
  We have had successful periods ( so far only domestically ) in the past, but our greatest success came under, yes, Wenger from 1998 to 2004/5. I've never denied that. That's a fact of history that I've clearly acknowledged a number of times, and I applauded him for that at the time. But that's what it is now : HISTORY. How do you know that with an ( eventual ) change of manager, and new faces on the board, even GREATER times might await us in the future ? Including perhaps, in Europe. But it won't happen under the current administration unless a complete seachange in thinking, attitude and actions occur. Which simply isn't going to happen. Because PROFITS are our first and foremost objective.The rest for them, is incidental.
  
  You, Golum, have refused to move on. You cling to Wenger's apron strings like a little child that's afraid to leave his mummy. Wistfully fantasising about the "good old days" that will never return, because your idyllic image of him is etched in your heart, and has imprisoned your mind. You and your fellow A.K.B.'s I feel sorry for. It's sad how the cult of hero worship blinds you to the realities of what is happening IN THE PRESENT.
  
  And you are confused. I didn't compare those three clubs with Arsenal. The "Le Grove" writer did, and for good reason. I should have included more quotation marks ( inverted commas ) so you could tell the difference.
  
  But you're still not keeping things in context. He's using the Swiss Ramble's stats and info. to illustrate how we could be doing business far more efficiently than we have been / are. That INCLUDES your fixation with our stadium debt, and the issues surrounding it. In fact, if you study Ramble's comments carefully, and also read between the lines, he seems to be quite scathing in his assessment of our dealings. Supporting much of what many of us have been saying on here for ages. It's not just my opinion, but the expert's one.
  
  "IAWR"

• 22-Oct-2012 12:16 | | richie
  

  I see the lone ranger Spectrum Spud and Tonto aka MUK are both teaming up to accuse me of something I've never said.
  What is it that I've never said?
  I've never said fans souldn't comment on their teams performance. Mind you with hindsight I should have said Spuds should comment on their own games, not ours.

• 22-Oct-2012 12:20 | | richie
  

  Tonto AKA Muk I never said those who haven't managed a football team shouldn't comment. Unfortunatley the lone ranger seems to be plying you with yet more false information.

• 22-Oct-2012 12:26 | | Spectrum
  

  richie - You might not have said it ( which is why I put in brackets ( "including you" ? ) - just in case. But Golum certainly DID. And I wouldn't be surprised if you don't sympathise with that stance of his. So then, do you actually agree with it ? Just curious.
  
  "IAWR"

• 22-Oct-2012 12:26 | | paspartu
  

  so basically you admit that the only era where arsenal showed the balls to do something BIG AND AMBITIOUS on a world scale was with wenger at the helm ...right?
  
  as for your "better times" arguement... now that is complete fantasy...that is pure and simple your own personal HOPE. i am 100% certain that a new manager will only do worse. you know why? because it aint possible for a new manager to know better or do better than the one who is there already the past 15 years....that goes for anyone, not just wenger.
  
  a new manager at everton will do a lot worse than moyes...a new manager at united will do a lot worse than ferguson...
  
  you then complain about profits, while ignoring that the club needs profits in order to survive. especially now that they have moved stadiums.
  
  and you cant blame me for anything for i have moved on from the invincible era and have lowered my expectations and know what to expect from a bunch of kids and "stop-gap" solutions ...youre the one expecting titles buddy...not me....i know what to expect , thats why when/if a trophy comes i will be happy for it while you will still complain for more.
  
  the stadium debt is not my fixation, it is the reality arsenal has to face.
  
  i will repeat ...you have chosen the era where arsenal is focused on repaying its stadium as an opportunity to bash the club and its policies for not winning titles.
  
  the policy is one : repay the stadium investement
  
  when that is done ...they will check their reserves, check their rivals status and decide on their course of action.
  
  but be careful you dont raise your hopes up...this club has always been conservative and i simply cant see them doing a perez, moratti, laporta, abramovic, berlusconi
  
  and admit it yes..that is what you want the club to do....you want our club to approach the business of football like the names i mentioned above...admit it, it aint hard.

• 22-Oct-2012 12:30 | | paspartu
  

  just come out and say it yes..be a man for once..instead of hidding like a 15 yearold swearing at wenger ...
  
  come out like a man and say " i want arsenal to spend like berlsuconi , laporta and so many other ethical businessmen and bring in messi falcao vidic alvez buffon ronaldo and schweinsteiger"
  
  but you wont even do that........

• 22-Oct-2012 12:42 | | paspartu
  

  has barca built a stadium>? united|? madrid? ....no they havent....
  
  has barca united or madrid been forced to sell their best to finance their stadium? again no
  
  when them clubs have to go what we went through id love to see your face when you see them not even reaching the top4 of their respective leagues......
  
  we here at arsenal , we have had it easy with our stadium move....thanks to wenger of course.
  
  in the duration it has taken ajax to break even from their stadium move to amsterdam arena they have seen alkmaar and twente and a bunch of others win the league and its not like ajax has had constant participation in the champions league during this period either....
  
  same for bayern..they built the allianz arena and had mugs playing for them for a while and even werder bremen won a couple as well as leverkusen as well as shalcke, as well as dortmund.
  
  arsenal has also built a stadium and as a consequence we have also had some mugs playing for us but we have never dropped out of the champions league....we are always there....
  
  i do not remember ajax or bayern reachign the top4 of europe when they were playing their kids and mugs......most of the times they werent even in the champions league ....lol....haha...
  
  now sorry to break this up to you but both of them are WAY bigger than arsenal in terms of the trophy statistic and actual history........

• 22-Oct-2012 12:48 | | paspartu
  

  you know ...there is a reason why the central and northern european clubs from germany holland france etc (countries who are way more advanced in football than england lets say) pay attention to what wenger does and how he does it.
  
  northern europe works differently in contrast to the medditerannean temperament of the the italians or spannish....
  
  yet again you have a spannish club ( ok catalan....) which is benefitting from the principles set out by a north- european...barca and cruyff...cruyff has been setting down the parameters in barca the last 4 decades...wenger is in 1.5 decades....
  
  i have an abyss of football subjects i can use to expose your shallow way of thinking....

• 22-Oct-2012 12:57 | | richie
  

  The Lone Ranger Spectrum I'm glad you took the time to read the Swiss rambler because it illustrates a point, as a club we are not rich and the only reason we don't reports losses each year is because we've sold our players at a large profit. Other clubs continue to report Hugh losses Manu'er, Oily Citeh, Chelski. 2 of the above have your wished for Xmas present (or probably Hanukah as your a swamp dweller) a Billionaire sugar daddy. We don't have one and we ain't likely to get one, get over it. Wish all you want but someone has to deal with the realities of the real world.
  
  We have to sell players before we can buy. You should listen to your own prime minister he keeps telling everyone you can't live on someone else's credit for ever, sooner or later the bills have to be paid. I love the fact that my club keeps balancing the books and even though 3 of the top 4 have spent big only one will get the crown. The other 3 will fight to play CL and only one of the top 4 won't be big spenders, only one of the top 4 will keep its tradition of never having been a big spending club. Only one team will continue to do things properly and built a team from its own youthful ranks with the addition of a few talents that are not too expensive from outside.
  Arsenal! Long may we keep our traditions and continue to do things the Arsenal way you know it makes sense.

• 22-Oct-2012 12:58 | | paspartu
  

  why are you attacking richie for something i have said
  
  let me ask you something?
  
  do you accept the opinion of a mcdonalds janitor when it comes to formula 1 aerodynamics?
  
  so why the hell should i accept your opinion when it comes to the complex matters of arsenal f.c ?
  
  isnt , say, marco van basten;s opinion a lot more credible than yours?
  
  isnt , say, fergusons opinion a lot more credible than harry;s ?
  
  what the hell have you or harry ever won ? lol...... van basten and fergie can say what they want...they know....what about you and your opinions?

• 22-Oct-2012 12:58 | | Spectrum
  

  Yes, I admit it - Let's spend 200 million - I demand it !
  
  You're raving again Golum. Relax, time for your pills.
  
  "IAWR"

• 22-Oct-2012 13:00 | | paspartu
  

  ahahhaah the lone ranger and tonto ...ahahah right on the money !!!
  
  lol..still laughing...

• 22-Oct-2012 13:08 | | Spectrum
  

  And why should we expect an "I can do better than you " tit for tat competition among future Arsenal managers ? I'd be happy with ONE league championship trophy. The sooner the better. That will do me. Anything more, like a Champion's league trophy, ( we can only dream ) would be a bonus.God knows we've been waiting long enough.
  
  But one thing's for sure - it won't be a reality under THIS board and manager. Which is what I keep repeating, but you won't listen. Oh well......goodnight from Australia.
  
  "IAWR"

• 22-Oct-2012 13:25 | | richie  - Spectrums attempts to turn your vision
  

  By the way Lone Ranger (aka Spectrum Spud) I see you've succeeded in persuading some of your equally misguided Neanderthals from the depths to join you on the surface. I told ML I'd noticed your heart felt plea to those in the bargain basement blogshere to please help you attack a balanced blog with your unbalanced views. It won't have come as a surprise to anyone to notice your little clique has managed to lower the tone.
  
  I guess your aim is to try to bring ML's blog down to the levels you know. Its quite a Fascist idea really the more of your ilk that arrive the less ordinary supporters will bother to turn up to post reasonable views. I see where your coming from and I'm sure as ML isn't unintelligent so does he.

• 22-Oct-2012 13:27 | | Sydney Gooner
  

  "the previous regimes did fuck all for 109 years......"
  
  Being 19 Wenger is the only manager I've ever known at Arsenal but to say that the likes of Herbert Chapman, Bertie Mee and George Graham have done nothing for our club is an extremely disrespectful thing to say about our glorious club and its proud history.
  
  "same for bayern..they built the allianz arena"
  
  I may be mistaken but I'm pretty sure Allianz Arena was built by the city of Munich and Bayern just moved in much like Man City's move to what is now the Etihad stadium.

• 22-Oct-2012 15:39 | | Spectrum
  

  Ha - ha ! Sydney Gooner. Seems Golum has got a little confused with his stadiums. Maybe you should throw him a rope so he can pull himself up out of that "abyss of football subjects" he claims to know so well. Or maybe it's sooooooooooo deep that the rope won't be long enough. Poor boy.
  
  Of course true Gunners fans ( that excludes the likes of loser richie ) know full well that Arsenal had an illustrious history from the 1930's, before Wenger was EVEN BORN. I recommend the book "12-0 to the Arsenal ( and a goal in injury time ) " by Graham Weaver, ( Mainstream Publishing Company, Edinburgh, 1998 ). It details the triumphs and heartbreaks of our past feats. And the days when winning was important, and actually meant something to us. Remember those ? But don't peruse it before going to bed, A.K.B.'s - reading about winning cups and championships will give you nightmares.
  
  And richie - what would a "Spud " be doing with a book on Arsenal's glorious history, hmm ? Still dealing with early puberty, I see. Yeah it's tough for you, but you'll have Golum to play with until you grow up.
  
  "IAWR"

• 22-Oct-2012 18:21 | | craig  - the dark tunnel
  

  Spectrum, some dumb ass said (8:14) that "we are on the right track"! That'sa twisted view after a defeat to Norwich wouldn't you agree?

• 22-Oct-2012 22:56 | | richie  - Wenger the Legend
  

  As you've had the good grace to point out a large part of Arsenal's recent history has the imprint of one mans genius firmly stamped on it. If he never manages to win another thing at the Arse Arsene Wenger with still be the legandary Frenchman who took Arsenal from being a local provincial club and put her on both the World and very firmly in the first division of European clubs. Some feat when you consider we've never won the CL.

• 23-Oct-2012 06:06 | | paspartu
  

  "from being a local provincial club and put her on both the World and very firmly in the first division of European clubs"
  
  its what ive been telling these 19 yearold shitheads above who are lost in the dark tunnel of negativity
  
  one of them wanted to correct me about bayern;s stadium...haha...which essentially makes bayern sudden loss of dominance even worse..and if we want to put things into perspective arsenal's got 3 bayerns to face just in the epl....
  
  richie....have some sympathy for the lost boys...they were waiting for about a month polishing their keyboards waiting for a loss so that they come praising usmanov and how he will launch us into the next level....

• 23-Oct-2012 07:55 | | paspartu
  

  well dumb@ss norwich was just a game .
  
  ...my comment was meant for the overall position and direction of the club ..but then again ...we know what motivates you ....
  
  papa alisher has left the envelope with your fee under your mom;s pillow... ..you did good this week ...goebels would be proud

• 23-Oct-2012 09:01 | | Sydney Gooner
  

  Paspartu I corrected your mistake on Bayern's stadium situation to prove your point about how tough it is for a club after a stadium move even for a club as big as Bayern (for me one of the top 5 clubs in terms of prestige in Europe) and now here you are calling me a 19 year old shithead. What is it that I said that struck a nerve with you that you have started insulting me?

• 23-Oct-2012 10:25 | | paspartu
  

  oh you can correct all you want mate just focus on the point...the point being how difficult it is for clubs who build their own stadiums to also spend what barca madrid and united spend to go for trophies ( which is what spectrum and his apes want) ...your correction actually makes bayern look worse for they didnt have to pay it on their own ( they only pay rent) thus their drop in the bundesliga ( having teams like werden dortmund leverkusen beating them) and europe is a lot worse and completely different to arsenal who have constantly been in europe and in the epl in between pos 2-4. Now factor in that dortmund has one bayern to deal with...while arsenal has 3 bayerns to face in their domestic league.
  
  sorry for calling you a shithead ..thought you were part of them apes who constantly moan and cry...however.. telling me about chapman and graham when youve never seen them in the flesh playing was a bit odd....
  
  if you dont understand the context within which i ask " what have the previous regimes done the previous 109 years" for arsenal to be considered amongst the elite clubs in the world , then dont bother, cause misunderstandings lead to tensions raised .....

• 23-Oct-2012 10:28 | | paspartu
  

  you dont need to strike any nerves for me to insult you ...lol...its a free world and i can express myself any way i see fit...especially when a positive arsenal blog is getting attacked by a bunch of muppets who promote usmanov

• 23-Oct-2012 10:57 | | Sydney Gooner
  

  "telling me about chapman and graham when youve never seen them in the flesh playing was a bit odd.... "
  
  What I meant was that even though the only manager I've ever seen manage us was Wenger I'm not oblivious to the other great achievements previous managers have had in the past.
  
  But in saying that I fully agree that under Wenger's tenure he has made us one of the elite clubs in the world which no other manager in our history has been able to do even the most hardcore WOB member can't deny that.

• 23-Oct-2012 11:01 | | paspartu
  

  and all you disgraceful and ungrateful bastards better shut up and show some respect to the manager who has held the arsenal flag flying high in the clubs most trying period...in the middle of stadium transition..in an environment where foreign tycoons were allowed to purchase epl clubs for money laundring purposes...yep we havent won any titles while repaying our stadium ..big fucking deal..... know your club, where we come from and learn to appreciate those who have devoted their careers and lives so that arsenal exists for another 125 years and beyond...plenty of time to correct the trophy statistic.
  
  yesterday was our great manager;s birthday and all spectrum could think of was spending money like usmanov says he would.... lol..you spineless bastard ...
  
  you pathetic little englander troll cunt ...youre not one of us.... and you never will be.....

• 23-Oct-2012 14:54 | | MeanLean
  

  Spectrum,
  
  I do not appreciate you or anybody else coming here and denigrating this site to promote others. If you want to post on other sites and take people with you that is fine but Arsenal Vision is not used as a platform to promote other sites unless it has my say so.
  
  If you are not happy with that, then I won't hold you against not coming back here.

• 23-Oct-2012 16:04 | | Spectrum
  

  Mean Lean - My intention was not to PROMOTE other sites or by implication, "denigrate" this one. It was to draw attention to that blog writer's reason(s) for feeling the way he does. You yourself and many others on here ( i.e. the A.K.B.'s ) often mistake my views and opinions as being disloyalty, even hatred ( l.o.l. ! ) to the club. Repeated accusations from richie of me being a "Spud" for example, which personally offends me, particularly after I have clearly REFUTED them a number of times*. ( * Incidentally, as a moderator, why haven't you told him to cut that out ? He uses that description in almost every post he replies to me, yet you don't notice ? Hmm. )
  
  But back to the main issue..... the article involved was written for educational value, and should be seen by you as that. It reflects how many Gunners feel. Are you attempting to marginalise those that don't agree with your take on our club ? By deleting my post it sure seems like it.
  
  As for "taking people with me", I hardly think that will happen.Don't worry, I doubt any of them will be converted. You have your loyal followers on here, and the worst that will happen is that they may better understand the psychology of those of us who feel differently to them. Is that such a bad thing ?
  
  I don't expect this post will make it onto your site either.

• 23-Oct-2012 19:09 | | paspartu
  

  "Repeated accusations from richie of me being a "Spud" for example, which personally offends me,"
  
  why dont you shut the fuck up you silly little SPUD troll ....
  
  "the article involved was written for educational value"
  
  puahahah...man...what a sense of humour....ahahah
  
  " Are you attempting to marginalise those that don't agree with your take on our club ?"
  
  oh you mean like your other buddy at arsetrul who not only marginalises but BANS those who dont agree with his take on the club,manager, players? haha busted you again you hypocrite..its becoming my specialty.
  
  AT LEAST SAY THANK YOU TO ML FOR LETTING YOU IN ..INSTEAD OF TRYING TO BLACKMAIL HIS ETHOS AND SOUL INTO ACCEPTING YOUR "RETARDED" VIEWS AS PART OF SOME FREEDOM OF OPINION/SPEECH ETIQUETTE....

• 23-Oct-2012 19:36 | | craig  - the dark tunnel
  

  Merely mentioning Wenger in the same sentence to the great Chapman is a joke. At least Chapman had grace and style. Wenger has become a laughing stock and dragging our club down.
  
  IAWR

• 23-Oct-2012 21:11 | | paspartu
  

  you are the joke
  
  comparing pre war era ..with modern football now ? pmsl......
  
  why dont you show me what this club has done from 1886 till today to reach clubs like ajax bayern munchen juventus milan real barca united liverpool....go on then ....just one name...
  
  u fkn troll

• 24-Oct-2012 00:20 | | MeanLean
  

  Finally got round to catching up with most of the comments, shame it is never about the players on the pitch. Rather than wait until a bad performance and then repeat the same stuff ad nauseum but hey.
  
  Anyway, a quick response to points made to myself.
  
  "Take Gazidis' latest pay rise, which I notice quietly passed without comment from you, Mean Lean and the other sycophants on here. Why hasn't Mean Lean written an article on this"
  
  Because I decide what I want to write about. Nobody is stopping you from getting your own blog and writing about how much Ivan Gazidis earns. It doesn't interest me. I do not pretend to be a financial expert. Perhaps you feel that you can run the club better than Ivan. Perhaps you feel that you are more qualified to do so, I don't. Not only that but the reason why I enjoy my club is for what happens on the pitch and not the boardroom.
  
  I write about what I want to write about, that is as simple as I can put that for you.
  
  
  
  "particularly after I have clearly REFUTED them a number of times*. ( * Incidentally, as a moderator, why haven't you told him to cut that out ? He uses that description in almost every post he replies to me, yet you don't notice ? Hmm. )"
  
  I am not a moderator for adults having an argument of disagreement, I suspect that you are all old enough to decide whether you choose to post or read the responses yourself. Quite frankly I do not have the time to moderate every bit of confrontation. This is a blog which I do for free, if there is a whip round then I would gladly change my stance on that. I will moderate if I feel something is offense because hey, it is my blog.
  
  I have no problems about other blogs being posted here as reference to a point what I refuse to tolerate is the 'All those who post here are clueless but here is a great blog' There is no need, I do not feel the need to do that on other blogs so the same should be the case the other way round.

• 24-Oct-2012 05:00 | | craig  - the dark tunnel
  

  As always golum, you miss the point entirely.
  
  I'm not comparing football but Chapman v Wenger. I'll let u off because of your age but u really should learn to think before typing.
  
  Oh wait! How presumptious of me!!!
  
  IAWR

• 24-Oct-2012 14:10 | | paspartu
  

  lol you missed the point back in 2006 mate and ....to this day...you still havent figured it out ..lol....
  
  you go on and on and on about spending money and trophies ....things which arsenal have put on the shelve for a while till they repay their stadium investment..
  
  so...not only do you miss the point but you also show failure in recognising the financial realities arsenal fc has to operate in.....
  
  so..i will ask again......give me one name..just one fucking name of any previous arsenal regimes ( owners or managers) who actually did something to place arsenal among the greatest clubs in the world......
  
  the only ones you will find are the current bunch...the friars/hillwoods who helped with the stadium and wenger who showed them an option/a way/ a method.
  
  however , you shithead, the DECISSION of which policy/method/way to follow is always made by the OWNER..its his call. wenger as a manager can propose whatever the fuck he wants....the choice of following what he says lies with the owners.
  
  now if the owners did not have a clue how to place arsenal in modern football environment then dont blame the manager who at least has the technical knowhow and experience to propose ONE way....
  
  if the owners did nto agree with his way of doing things they would have told him to fuck off ...right? but they wont do that....because they know that for what they chose to do ( build stadiums, academies promote youth) they happen to have the most qualified professional in the market.
  
  mourinho and ferguson CAN NOT do what wenger does....Wenger can do what ferguson and mourinho do provided the money is there.....
  
  obviously during the phase of repaying the stadium..the money wenger needs to dominate against ferguson mourinho and the rest DOES NOT EXIST.

• 24-Oct-2012 14:29 | | richie
  

  Craig you saw Chapman did you? I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and say you saw him during the last of his 9 years as our illustrius manager. He left in 1934 and we'll again give you the benefit and say you were a 4 year old when someone took you. So you are 82 years old and you can blog? My hat comes off to you!
  
  If not and you are "only" reading the Arsenal History books then best you brush up. In 9 years HC won 3 league titles 1931/33/34 and 1 FA cup.1930. In Arsene Wengers first 9 years he also won 3 league titles 98 02 04(unbeaten) but he won 4 FA Cups 98/02/03/05. So its obvious who's been the more successful of the two. On top of that Arsene has taken us from being a virtual unknown in Europe to being recognised world wide, not an inconsiderable feat as we haven't won the CL. No doubt Chapman was way ahead of his time, but no doubt that had Arsene Wenger and Arsenal as a club not had to deal with the infux of the Oil Money, then in the 8 years since we last won the league 4 of the wins have come via the oil company's money teams and there is no doubt that we were the only rival to Manu'er in the prem before that.
  No doubt also that in the 7 years since we lifted the FA cup 5 of those cup wins have also been funded by the oil money teams.

• 24-Oct-2012 14:53 | | richie
  

  Right bang smack in the middle of all the oil money arriving we also had 2 other rather pressing issues to deal with. First we had commited to building a new stadium (a project that was calculated to try to put us on a more equal financial footing with Manu'er and their 67000 seated capacity ground no one had calculated that Manu'er would run up such a debt back then of course) and the World economic crash. The second of which had a massive effect on our plans to sell the property (Highbury Square) and pay off the new stadium debt. As I've stated many times we aren't rich as a club because we don't have a sugar daddy benefactor. We've only managed to break even or make a slight profit because we've sold players at a massive profit and benefit to the club. The Arsenal have never been a big spending club and we certainly can't start being one now!

• 24-Oct-2012 20:34 | | craig  - the dark tunnel
  

  richie you muppet. No I never said I saw Chapman.
  
  IAWR

• 24-Oct-2012 20:35 | | craig  - the dark tunnel
  

  Still on the "right track" golum?
  
  IAWR

• 24-Oct-2012 21:03 | | richie
  

  Just as I thought craig you needed to brush up on your Arsenal history Arsenal has one manager who's results stand head and shoulders above all others and it certainly was not Chapman!

• 25-Oct-2012 05:35 | | craig  - the dark tunnel
  

  Richie- clearly its you that needs a history lesson not me. Chapman was described as a man of authority, vision and style. None of those words would describe our current joke of a manager.
  
  IAWR

• 25-Oct-2012 06:41 | | Sydney Gooner
  

  "Chapman was described as a man of authority, vision and style. None of those words would describe our current joke of a manager."
  
  Arsene Wenger WAS all these things and more during the first half of his tenure. It was only after the stadium move and the financial constraints it brought with it that has turned him into a shadow of the great manager he once was in terms of winning things.

• 25-Oct-2012 07:56 | | paspartu
  

  haha craig ..you sure come out your dark tunnel whenever the result favours your miserable attitude .... funny how you come out in our losses and hide when we win...lol..scum..
  
  in norwich......santos ( the lb) plays holt onside.....
  yesterday..jenkinson ( the rb) plays huntelaar onside
  
  so...lol..as you can see...we concede goals because of a loss in defensive focus ....hmmm seems "the old gurad famous back five gg bollocks ultra defender" steve bould aint doing much...
  
  craig just so you know...with wenger at the helm...we will always be on the right track .....now go support them clubs who whore themselves out for silverware...good boy..

• 25-Oct-2012 07:58 | | paspartu
  

  and craig.......wenger wasnt at the bench last night....some guy with no hair was sitting there and didnt have the guts to take any initiative to sort things out...lol....hahaha...
  
  what? is steve a "yes man" now..or is he just clueless ? afraid ?
  
  sit ..!..

• 25-Oct-2012 08:06 | | paspartu
  

  and wenger is officially recognised as the best manager of the last decade beating ferguson mourinho and some other mugs who can only win trophies with money ......
  
  dont forget that scum.... ..you there in the dark....

• 25-Oct-2012 11:23 | | richie  - Craig the boy in love with the Lone Ranger
  

  A man of style in footballing term has to be Wenger, thats obvious, Arsenal have never played better, more stylish football than that played under Arsene. Vision in footballing terms? How about the vision to take a winger and turn them into the leading scorer in the prem? Isn't that vision? No I'm not talking about Thierry Henry, I was meaning RvP. The vision to buy players that no-one had ever heard of and turn them into super stars. No I'm not even talking about the Arsenal players that he's done that for, I was talking about the European player of the year the great George Weah who credits Arsene Wenger for taking him from an unknown playing in Africa to the top player in Europe. Authority? How about the authority to sell our best player to another club, without even talking to that player? As soon as he found out that our captain was meeting another teams captain in Miami to talk about the possibility of him joining another team. Who was that? Patrick Vieira. No one could believe that Arsene would or could sell PV just like that! What Authority!
  Isn't it amazing that some of us don't just make silly comments we can actually back up whatever we say with facts!

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