Written by Joe CarbonUK on Thursday, 09 February 2012 13:22

Greetings Everyone

There is an awful lot of negativity about our current manager at the moment and I have to say, I just don’t understand it. Yes, we have not won a trophy for 6 years, but we have challenged while at the same time being well entertained.

I remember when Wenger’s last contract was about to expire, the vast majority of gooners were desperate for him to re-sign. He has not “lost the plot”, he is as good as he’s ever been. I think he’s just struggling to fulfil his plans with one hand tied behind his back in the financial sense, but he’s also been very unlucky with injuries.

I have serious doubts as to what a new manager will bring to the club. He will have the same transfer funds and the same resources as Wenger. Yes he may be better tactically but would he be able to bring in the same quality of player for the same price as Wenger has always done. And would he be able to develop the youngsters as Arsene has done. I’m not convinced. There is another point to consider too, Wenger is trusted completely by the board and has a lot of influence, would a new manager be afforded the same freedom?

Yes it has been frustrating at times and I have been really disappointed that our strategy has not yet fulfilled its promise, but I think if we stick together and be fully supportive of our team, we will get there.

And I would add, it would be a far greater achievement for Arsenal to win the league that it is for the likes of Chelsea, Man City and Man United, given the financial resources they have and the limitations that we have. I can imagine the media reaction now, as much as they would prefer the big spending clubs with their sensational transfer dealings to win, they would not be able to dispute the sheer hard work, planning and skill of our team and the management to get us there without such huge resources.

I am more nervous about our future this season that I have ever been, and I really hope that we secure champions league football next season so that we can add that last player or two that we need to be real challengers.

When I look at our current squad on paper, I see real strength in depth. All we need is a good settled pre-season and one or two attacking players to come in, perhaps different to what we have at the moment just to mix things up a bit when needed. I ask you, is the following squad really that weak?

Goal Keepers

Schezny – Probably one of the best in the league, and still very young.

Fabianksi – A decent number two by any accounts, so long as he stays

3rd Choice – hopefully we will never need one again.

Full Backs

Sagna – What a legend who is now in his prime

Jenks – Steady, young and assured. I’m happy to have him as back up RB

Santos – I really grew to like his style and he gives us something extra in attack.

Gibbsy – If he can get fit and strong, he will be better than Clichy.

And let’s not forget the excellent deputising lately from Coquelin and Vermaelen and Yennaris.

Centre Backs

Kosielny – He is one of the best in the league in my opinion, what a signing.

Vermaelen – Nuff said.

Mertersaker – Big and a bit slow but he has generally been reliable, and as a third choice not too bad at all.

Djourou – Was excellent last season and can regain that form, but happy to have him as a squad player

Miquel – He looks to be a confident young lad who can be relied on when needed, he may develop into an excellent player for the future.

And then we have Song if needed and possibly Kyle Bartley, who I know very little about other than he is meant to be rather good.

With those defensive players, why do we need to buy any more defenders?

Midfielders

Wilshere – We can hopefully secure 4th at least without him, with him we can really challenge.

Ramsey – I’m a big fan and am sure he will be one of the best for years to come.

Song – A brilliant DM but with a creative side, he contributes a lot of assists

Arteta – Glad we signed him, he’s made us more professional

Coquelin – Looks like he will become an excellent player, if he’s not one already.

The Frimster – Full of sprit, fight and determination, will come in very handy when our backs are against the wall and we are trying to hold on to a lead.

Rosicky – A great squad player in the very least

And here’s the thing, those players can interchange positions with each other as and when needed and with that in mind, why do we need to buy another DM that we are so often told by pundits?

Attack

RVP – World class, please stay fit for the rest of your career, oh and please stay at Arsenal!

Walcott – Frustrating at times, I would not be too sad if he left so long as a direct replacement is signed. But I would rather he stayed and regained some of his scoring form.

Gervinho – He is direct and makes things happen, he’s just the sort of player we needed in the squad and I’d have him over Nasri any day.

The Ox – Destined for greatness

Chamakh – I feel sorry for him and hope he can recover his form, how he will do that when his own supporters’ boo when his name is announced I don’t know.

Get one or two players in here and we have a squad ready and able to challenge.

I really believe this team is closer to success than the current league position implies. So I say to you, keep the faith in Wenger, he is the Professor after all, and he wants nothing more that to bring trophies to the club – and my friends, he will!

GOYG!!!

Mean Lean's Response

Good stuff Joe and I agree with much of what you say. We are all frustrated with our position in the table and losing the likes of Cesc in the summer but personally I think our current position does not reflect the quality we have in our squad. That doesn't mean that we do not deserve to be where we are. We are in transition (once again) and a mixture of our summer business along with injuries and a bad run of form has put us where we are.

For me, next season will be a completely different story as long as our best stay at the club. For a start we will not be without Arteta, Santos and Mertesacker at the start of the season plus they will not have to adjust to our way of playing. They will have already settled in and that is also the case for Gervinho and Oxalde-Chamberlain.

I am guessing that most Gooners would agree that our strongest back four combination is Sagna, Vermaelen, Koscielny and Santos. We are in mid February and those four are yet to play a single game together.

We miss the creativity and forward drive of Jack Wilshere and we have missed him all season. We have so many young players who will naturally progress. Players like Ramsey, Chamberlain, Gibbs, Coquelin and others like Campbell who are on loan.

As long as big players do not leave then we should avoid the start of the season that we had this time round. There is so much to look forward to in regards to this squad, especially given that Arsene is almost certain to add to the squad.

The issue is our current position and the fight to get into the top four. If we can do that then I will be very confident about the future of this new team.

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Comments (23)

• 09-Feb-2012 14:44 | | Ragnethan
  

  A breath of fresh air to hear a well thought through point of view.I don't know why the media pundits keep repeating the need for a DM, for some reason a lot of fans believe their points of view, they should think for themselve. Finally I agree we do need at least one quality striker added to the squad.

• 09-Feb-2012 14:50 | | The BearMan  - Keep Winning!
  

  Fans are not happy unless their team keeps on winning.
  
  Managers are the fall guys for everything that goes wrong in football clubs. Real Madrid is tired of the special one. They suddenly realize, he is not all that special.

• 09-Feb-2012 15:02 | | KnysnaGunner
  

  Thank you Joe. I wish a lot of fans will read this and see sense. I hate the obsession with signing new players all the time and you have set out exactly why we do not need to. Hopefully Park will get an opportunity to show what he is made of and Chamakh will regain the form he had at the beginning of the previous season. In any event I am confident that AW is on top of the situation and will do whatever is required.

• 09-Feb-2012 15:08 | | aj
  

  Mertesacker is a much player than many give him credit for. We are in the position of being able to rotate in the centre-back position.

• 09-Feb-2012 15:29 | | Richard
  

  I got to the end of the first paragraph and stopped. What a load of rubbish - In the last 7 years 'we've challenged' for what exactly? A Carling Cup that we bottled against a team that then got relegated. Yeah we got plenty of 4th place trophies but with Man$ity & now L'pool & Spurs getting their acts together they are hoing to be a thing of the past n'all.
  
  Answer one question for me AKB. Why have all our best players left? And you know RVP will be next when we swerve Hazard (profit is far more important than investment) and buy Kalou (for nothing).

• 09-Feb-2012 15:43 | | Dan
  

  Why don't you write something about this great manager losing 8-2 at old trafford and losing 4 goal leads,making the same mistakes over and over,why don't you talk about not qualifying for the champions league this season,the managers so great we lose our best players every season because he's such a great manager,we pay the highest prices in the league to watch this great manager and his team of babies in the europa league next season,great manager,definitely lost the plot....

• 09-Feb-2012 16:04 | | Tobz
  

  Personally I am sick to death of all the negative comments by so called Arsenal fans and the media alike.
  Breath of fresh air to read your article . . .

• 09-Feb-2012 16:28 | | micka  - micka
  

  great article lets wait another 6-8 years and still nwin nothing get real

• 09-Feb-2012 16:29 | | bedford bobby gooner  - you are both deluded
  

  what you guys forget is 6-7 years is far too long, no other boss in any form of business would keep his job for this amount of time.He has cost us at least 2 maybe 3 titles and at least 2 cups. His penny pinching is killing our great club. Football is an living organism that grows season by season, now with our utmost regret you must pay players these ridiculous salary's. Players that tweet that their teamates look like pedoe's and about their kids, who cares just stop letting in crap goals& get yourself fit !! .Also do you honestly think we have a good squad !!. Let me start by the players that i would keep; Szczesny but must improve in all aspects ! Sagna, Gibbs, Vermaaelen, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Miquel, Mannone must be given chance as no 2, Santos but start what we bought you for DEFEND !, Arteta but do you know your role De-Mid or Creator, Benayoun good from bench, Coquelin, Eastmond, Frimpong, Gervinho, Miyaichi, Chamberlain, Ramsey for god sake go forwards you go backwards i kid you not watch him, Rosicky you owe us big time, Wilshere get fit but your not world class yet !!, Walcott how can you be demanding £85,000 a week you do not look up your crossing is crap & shooting even worse what do you practice in training !!!, Van Persie too good for us i am surprised he has stayed,
  The rest can go and the quicker the better !!!
  Song can you do 40 kick ups i doubt it !!, Diaby just not fit please retire !!,
  Jenkinson 2ud Division at best sorry, Djourou should have been shown door with Sendorous no talent or positioning sense, Chamakh waster,
  Park out of his depth bye bye, Squillaci on a meal ticket, Both keepers no
  comment enough said.
  Wenger must go tactically naive, stubborn, in my honest opinion he has served a purpose move upstairs or go !! . If he go's we may save this season !! REMEMBER when we moved grounds we were told that .......
  " We would be able to complete with all the top clubs on a playing & financial level "
  Now me i have stood in the North bank since 1984 Hereford 7-2,stood in
  the Clock end the Watford loss & semi vs Everton, sat in the West stand Bolton FA cup, West Ham FA cup, Coventry 6-1 & 42ud game opposite Mr Clough, East stand Leeds FA 2-1 Merson, Coventry Quinn hatrick & finally in the paddock section 4-2 Norwich & many many more...............

• 09-Feb-2012 16:36 | | @Richard  - Answer one question for me AKB. Why have all our b
  

  Other clubs can offer higher wages? Not sure how cancelling Wenger's contract and coughing-up for another manager will help us pay higher wages.
  
  ..."we've challenged' for what exactly?"... Champions League final? The premiership most seasons, couple of league cup finals and we've been in the champ league every year.
  
  Just support the team.
  
  Excellent article by the way. Joy to read.

• 09-Feb-2012 16:36 | | JoeCarbonUK
  

  Richard - I take your point, but we have always been in the mix but just unable to sustain the challenge over the whole season. Being in the Champions leage every year is no bad thing beleive me.
  
  And to make the point - how much have the likes of Spurs, Liverpool and Villa spent on players in the last 5 years only to finish mid table, when we have achived a lot more for much much less. If Wenger can do that with very little, just think what can be acheived when our corporate deals are renegotiated in a couple of years, releasing the financial shackles.
  
  I for one am happy to give Arsene the benefit of the doubt and look to the longer term.
  
  I remember the teams that he put together when he had money to spend, and I beleive he is on the verge of creating another great team that WILL win trophies.
  
  And Dan, it is not known yet whether we will finish in fourth or otherwise, we have many players coming back and those absences are the cause of our recent dip in form. We are in for a much better run in to the end of the season with these players back toghether.

• 09-Feb-2012 16:37 | | John
  

  To the Wenger haters; suppose we don't make the champions league next year. Which other manager would you trust bringing us back within one year keeping in mind Arsenal's budget restraints? Also, the sustainable model has always been Arsenal's way so that's not going to change. Don't like it? Tough sh!t.

• 09-Feb-2012 17:43 | | South African Gooner
  

  Totally agree Dan and Richard to feel that 4th is a position to be proud of has really defined where we are currently (a club with no real ambition) and we have never really challenged for any trophy in the past 4 years. The squad is average at best and if you want to say it is a quality squad then that.s your opinion but if it has the quality then why aren't we doing better. We can look at it in 2 ways
  .
  1- We have lost all our quality players and our squad is average or shit as some may say. Wenger has allowed the squad to become so average and should be held responsible for this.
  2- The squad has some quality and Wenger cannot manage to compete with a quality squad. Please don't give injury excuses as if the squad was quality then it should be able to handle these situations
  
  In both situations the common theme is that Wenger is to blame. Get someone in who can motivate a team who can teach a team to defend, who is not to rigid in his tactics. Martin O Neil would suit us as he does well with a limited budgdet If he had the funds available at aAston Villa that Wenger has had in Arsenal then Villa should have been above us back when O Neil was their manager.

• 09-Feb-2012 18:11 | | pedantic george
  

  where are my shinny tin cups?
  I like the article but refuse to accept that there is any better tactician than the great man.
  The best manager in the world ,bar none.
  Oh and where the hell is Arshavin in your squad review?

• 09-Feb-2012 19:36 | | LJB.
  

  Over the past 7 yrs,Wenger has won plenty of matches but NONE that really mattered. Barca 3 times in the CL,MU,Pool, Chelski in CL,Chelski in FA cup, CC final against the mighty er Brum, christ he can't even beat the Spuds in the league anymore.He used to be good,now he has been overtaken by ohers,tough, deal with it.Wenger may have many plusses but being a great tactician is not one of them.He has been out thought so many times by Fergie, Jose when he was at Chelski,and now Harry Redknapp that it is quite laughable.He never surprises anyone with his formation,rigid 443 all the way.To stop Arsenal all you have to do is stop RVP,bread and butter to any half decent manager like Rodgers and Jol,piece of p**s to Fergie.Lets see how we get on in a few wks against Spuds,Pool,and the Geordies,not to mention AC Milan and the Mackems.If we are still in two competitions come march as well as still in with a shout for 4th it will be a miracle.

• 09-Feb-2012 20:25 | | Colesy  - And now for some balance
  

  What about the players Wenger has bought who are in our current squad?
  
  Almunia, Denilson, Vela, Bendtner, Squillaci, Park, Diaby, Arshavin.
  
  John, in reply to your question, failure to qualify for next season's CL would be a difficult problem to deal with. It could hasten any departure of RVP. It would make it almost impossible to bring in any half decent players (forget the decent ones as they'll go to Citeh and Chelski or Barca). If Wenger is gone having left us on Channel 5, we are unlikely to be able to turn things around in the space of one season. The journey Wenger has taken us on over the past few seasons (against the lies he fed us all - well quoted BBG!) means we are destined for difficult times ahead.

• 09-Feb-2012 21:18 | | LJB.
  

  Can someone please explain why Lille would sell Hazard to us when we totally shafted them re Park?He had already agreed a deal with them and was halfway through a medical when Arsenal stepped in.And for what? He has barely played 90 mins in total and is set to lose his place in his national team.Basically we panic bought a player who is not up to premier league standard, ruining whats left of his career and p*****g off another club in the process.Arsenal fans look upon the behaviour of other clubs with smug self satisfaction;oh we are the only club that does things properly,we are so noble etc etc Has anyone read Velas comments about not settling in at Arsenal?When are we going to stop ripping children away from their homes and bringing them thousands of miles to London,it NEVER works.No wonder Arsenal have a reputation in europe as child traffickers.

• 10-Feb-2012 10:16 | | pika
  

  bravo mean !!!!! ..hey colesy ..whats up? come to recruit orks for your site ? ...pmsl .... take your black bin bag and go pick up the garbage wont you
  
  "and how for some balance ?"
  
  yeah...thats what i say when i log in manchester united sites to do what you do to arsenal sites..... lol get lost scumbag ..noone wants you here...go cry with your fellow orks

• 10-Feb-2012 10:33 | | pika
  

  well ljb english youngsters are expensive therefore they will be few transfers of them and far apart, the ueropean market is a lobby for ferguson madrid milan etc etc....so wenger can only focus on french market and africa where he can buy three for the price of one. porto has a reputation of child traffickers, ajax has a reputation of child trafficking , manchester has a reputation of child trafficking, barcelona has a reputation of child trafficking ..all clubs that respect themselves do it....
  
  it never works ? ...well how can it work when the english are still in medevil century and fire capellos to hire rednapps? ......"capello never understood our way"....lol what way? ...wenger is bringing civilisation and educating english youngsters to let go of the backward english football mentalities but the f.a here and the establishment wants different things ...... they want to do it the "english way"....i have no idea what they mean when they say that but there it goes...

• 10-Feb-2012 13:52 | | Colesy
  

  more xenophobia Golum???? showing your true colours again. Like ML said before, that sort of stuff ain't welcome here.

• 10-Feb-2012 16:39 | | Tony  - Miracle?
  

  "Wenger has lost the plot"... "wenger is dragging us down"...and a thousand more variation of thesame rubish. Oh, and; "if we make the first four this season it would be a miracle..." - how does that work, really?! We lose a match, a player misses a goal or gets injured; its Wenger's fault. But should we win say a trophy -or like one fool commented earlier- then it's a miracle(the work of some spiritual being..maybe just having a bit of fun with/in the football compititions)?
  It goes to show just how weak -all you that claim to know Wenger's job better than he does- your aguments are when you can't even back your predictions/doom prophesies, and are already making excuses for when things dont work out the way you claim or hoped they would.
  And i would bet i won't see all you haters here should we end great come end of the season.
  And i see Arshavin is now a bad signing, Colesy?

• 11-Feb-2012 07:09 | | Colesy  - Tony the Twat
  

  Tony, you're putting words in my mouth again.
  
  Where does it state that "Arshavin is now a bad signing"?
  
  In fact, I didn't write that any of the players I listed were 'bad signings'- I merely pointed out that these players were missing from his article. Tony if you are going to write stuff and accuse people - make sure that they've actually written it first otherwise you end up looking like a complete and utter twat. Oh, too late!

• 11-Feb-2012 21:30 | | BigDave  - Glory Hunters
  

  As a middle-aged old git who saw supported Arsenal pre-Bertie Mee, I have to say that, when Arsene first joined, if he'd promised then to keep us in the top four and get us European football every year, we'd have bitten his hand off.
  
  The big thing that Arsene has done wrong is to raise expectations to the point where people think we have an automatic right to win trophies, and to attract a new generation of Glory Hunters who thought that it was all to easy. Given the resources of the club, we've actually been in a false position for years, punching well above our weight. This has been achieved while a new stadium has been paid for. Other clubs are still crippled from the resultant debts.
  
  Soon we'll be out of debt and self-sustaining. Arsene has kept us there or thereabouts while all this has been going on. You can see the beginnings of something great now. We might just get top four again this season. After that I think there will be no stopping us.

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