I'm worried Wenger has something special up his sleeve for next season. I believe he saved the best for last.
Relegation?
Should Wenger be sacked?
- Thread starter VP89
- Start date
Relegation?
Definitely ha ha
In keeping Wenger, Arsenal have accelerated their own decline/derailment. They'll finish outside the top four again next season. They'll lose what little remaining talent they have this and next summer and be faced with trying to remain competitive without spending the dollar - all whilst operating under the backdrop of an increasingly disillusioned fan base.
Sad thing is, there is probably a fair few players amongst that Arsenal squad who are quite looking forward to the prospect of playing in the Europa League - because playing against lesser opposition and with a greater chance of success, will no doubt make them believe they're better than they are.
They'll lose Sanchez.
The Emirates Stadium is often used as totem for how big a club Arsenal are. Which is pretty damning in itself. It's a stadium for feck sake, not silverware. Reality is, Arsenal haven't shown the kind of ambition in recent years to warrant being mentioned in the same vein as United, City, Chelsea or Tottenham. The attention they deserve is equal to that of Everton - hell, even Evertonians have more reason to be optimistic than 'gooners.'
Wenger has brought this on himself, he's shredded his own legacy and indeed his integrity. His crippling fear of life beyond Arsenal F.C has made the people who truly matter (the supporters) suffer as their club accepts mediocrity, but demands the most at the turnstiles. His crippling fear of anyone challenging his authority has seen him pass up on players who can hold their own, in favour of yes men, who daren't disrupt the dressing room.
They've gone from a nasty, snarling, menace of a team to a soft-bellied, weak-minded bunch of pretty boys.
To cap it off, Spurs will go marching on.
This summer was yet another opportunity for Arsenal to get back on track. They've passed it up. Again.
Good luck, Arsene. You'll need it.
tl;dr? - Au revoir Arsenal.
Sad thing is, there is probably a fair few players amongst that Arsenal squad who are quite looking forward to the prospect of playing in the Europa League - because playing against lesser opposition and with a greater chance of success, will no doubt make them believe they're better than they are.
They'll lose Sanchez.
The Emirates Stadium is often used as totem for how big a club Arsenal are. Which is pretty damning in itself. It's a stadium for feck sake, not silverware. Reality is, Arsenal haven't shown the kind of ambition in recent years to warrant being mentioned in the same vein as United, City, Chelsea or Tottenham. The attention they deserve is equal to that of Everton - hell, even Evertonians have more reason to be optimistic than 'gooners.'
Wenger has brought this on himself, he's shredded his own legacy and indeed his integrity. His crippling fear of life beyond Arsenal F.C has made the people who truly matter (the supporters) suffer as their club accepts mediocrity, but demands the most at the turnstiles. His crippling fear of anyone challenging his authority has seen him pass up on players who can hold their own, in favour of yes men, who daren't disrupt the dressing room.
They've gone from a nasty, snarling, menace of a team to a soft-bellied, weak-minded bunch of pretty boys.
To cap it off, Spurs will go marching on.
This summer was yet another opportunity for Arsenal to get back on track. They've passed it up. Again.
Good luck, Arsene. You'll need it.
tl;dr? - Au revoir Arsenal.
Am I missing something here ? Hasn't Wenger just won them their 3rd FA Cup in 4 years ? First time they've finished outside the top 4 in 20 years isn't it? It's difficult winning trophies full-stop when you've got 3 mega-rich clubs competing in the same league. Sometimes a club needs a change of manager before they realize that a change of manager wasn't needed.
Sanchez has looked miserable at times this season and I don't think mega money can keep him. I think if you're a top team in Europe you have to put in a cheeky bid.
The FA cup should be the cream on top of the main prize for a club like Arsenal. I doubt Chelsea will be too bothered at missing out on it seeing as they've won the league. As for getting Arsenal into the top four consistently, what's the fecking point when they lose cricket score style to the first elite club they meet? If I was an Arsenal fan, I'd be fuming right now, as they're being completely shafted. Wenger is a manipulative, selfish, delusion of a man. He's already talking his shite about adding one or two more players and they'll complete for the league bullshit.
You know how our next 2 seasons are gonna be:
august-december: world beaters, Wenger says he has never managed such a strong team.
december-april: laughing stock, Wenger says he can't explain our problems.
april-may: world beaters again, Wenger praises our mental strength.
august-december: world beaters, Wenger says he has never managed such a strong team.
december-april: laughing stock, Wenger says he can't explain our problems.
april-may: world beaters again, Wenger praises our mental strength.
Take no notice of me, I'm just an old-fart who believes that any manager who wins 3 major trophies in 4 years might just have something going for him.
You forgot 'we were not mentally prepared' for the first game of the season. Arsene might be lucky if he gets a shite team for the first game. Then again it didnt stop you guys losing to Villa a few years back.
Well, no international or european tournament this summer so i expect at least a draw in the first game
The man's a genius, and there's no two ways about it. In fact I'd argue his genius is unparalleled in the history of football.
The way he's pulled off the biggest con ever is just amazing. Arsenal fans have been falling back on 'top 4' for the past decade, and now that they're out, he still has his unwavering support wanting him in!
The way he's pulled off the biggest con ever is just amazing. Arsenal fans have been falling back on 'top 4' for the past decade, and now that they're out, he still has his unwavering support wanting him in!
I'm surprised at 2 years. Surely a 1 year rolling contract at his age?
Thanks Arsene!
Really!
Really!
Whatever you think of Wenger the idea that at nearly 70 years of age he'll be sat there in a stadium full of fans screaming for him to go and protesting his management of the club, is just tragic. Nobody wants to see that. Now would have been the perfect time to go with fans uplifted after the FA Cup win. Can't for the life of me why he's staying on. Only reason I can think of is that he's desperate not to go out unless he guides club back to the top again but he could be there until he's 90.
I have a feeling Arsenal fans will regret the FA cup they won this year really hard in the future.
My Arsenal season is usually ruined at the time indicated on the boom-bust graph. Thanks to Wenger not only next season, but the season after has been ruined for me before they even started.
His fanboys never failed to tell us how we'll slip to fifth if he left, well we have managed to do just that with him at the helm. How much worse really could someone else had been? The fact that his new contract has been received with such enthusiasm by opposition fans pretty much says it all.
His fanboys never failed to tell us how we'll slip to fifth if he left, well we have managed to do just that with him at the helm. How much worse really could someone else had been? The fact that his new contract has been received with such enthusiasm by opposition fans pretty much says it all.
The majority of fans have wanted him gone for years and that number has reached like 80-90% now.
His true con job has been figuring out that the fans don't really matter as long as the board and owners are on his side. And that they'll stay on his side as long as the team makes money.
Blame should be on their board as well. He is still a good manager if you provide him enough support on transfers. I would happily have him at united .
Where's the white text ?!
Plant your coat on Man City or Chelsea posts, more your cup of tea.
Such is the inaccurate perspective of a distanced American fan
Wenger has spent quite a lot in the recent years.
You can't sack Wenger. He's done everything for Arsenal.
It would be like sacking Ferguson. Granted he's not as successful but he embodies the club like SAF did at United.
It would be like sacking Ferguson. Granted he's not as successful but he embodies the club like SAF did at United.
Umm... I don't know what to say... Have you been on the sauce?
Just like Kroenke...
Times think Sanchez prefers a move to Bayern Munich over Manchester City, also Ozil will stay but won't renew his contract and leave on a free next summer.
Who only expects and wants to invest the level for top 4, yet fans complain when said manager 'only' achieves that.
Exactly my point - given the budget he has spent good. Back him with a good amount and he will do quite well.
Has a good eye for talent, promotes youth, attacking football and trophies will come eventually
I think two years was sensible actually. It minimises the chance of player power come Feb/March time, they seemed to jack it in and want him out around that time over the past few seasons and only really been arsed again when it became clear he was staying. Obviously doesn't stop them sacking him next summer though if targets aren't met and the extra year is simply a golden handshake which you can't deny he hasn't earned considering how he kept that CL money coming while they paid the stadium off
What evidence do you have to claim that those numbers are off base? The AST survey recently had 15% wanting him staying, 78% wanting him gone, and 7% not sure. That is not necessarily a representative cross-section of supporters but its not obvious which way any bias would run. A lot of those AST people are hard care supporters with huge historical attachments to Wenger. If anything, more casual supporters who didn't really experience the glory years may be more willing to show Wenger the door so the real number could be well higher than 78%.
I also see no reason to believe why geographic proximity or distance from a club's stadium gives one some superior perspective on the nature of support, especially given that the number of supporters outside England of a club like Arsenal (or United or any other big club) absolutely dwarfs the number of supporters inside the country. Saying that "distanced American fans" just naturally don't understand such issues is a lazy cheap shot and no substitute for actually making a real, evidence-based argument.
Last edited:
Fans like me have been going to Arsenal games for almost two decades now, so you have no right to tell anyone what to do. Precisely because of fans like yourself the board takes us for a ride. Some of us are fecking sick of not only Arsene but his cheerleaders who fail to see the steep decline our club has endured and decline which has culminated in us finally dropping out of the CL. A competition where we were thrashed year in year out as it was.
The problem with the two year deal at this point is the timing. Wenger's contracts are just out of sync with when the best managers contracts end. So next summer for instance, Allegri, Sampaoli and Jardim all have their contracts expire but now Wenger is signed on for an additional year so that makes it very difficult to recruit the best replacement when the contracts are just not syncing up.
That was the biggest reason I thought they would only give him a 1 year extension this time because besides just those three (whom I rate as the best three managers Arsenal could realistically sign) next summer is the World Cup and WC seasons always have chaotic potential to elevate or sink some prospects.
So for me, it would have been the most prudent to only give Wenger a one year extension with the express intent of preparing the way for a succession plan next summer when the best three managers we could capture become available. Two years this time is just a massive risk for the club. If Wenger has a typical Wenger-ish season then 2018 could see the most toxic environment at Arsenal since I have been alive. This time, one year really was the most logical and strategic business as well as footballing decision for the club.
Poor poor Claude.
It would have been a blessing in disguise if they lost, to be fair.
Insanity describes Arsenal's management to a tee: Doing something over and over again and expecting a different outcome....absolutely embarrassing.
16 trophies in 21 years is a pretty respectable haul for any club.
Arsène Wenger’s new contract seems unlikely to break the cycle at Arsenal
Picture the scenario. Arsenal are at home to mid-to-low ranking Premier League opposition at the beginning of next season. They concede and, try as they might, they cannot find the equaliser. It is a match that has been played out plenty of times over the second half of Arsène Wenger’s long tenure – the shock Emirates Stadium defeat that is, actually, not that shocking.
Do the fans: a) Take the phlegmatic view that these things can and do happen? Or b) Boo the team off, lose themselves in a pit of existentialist despair and blame Wenger?
There would be many who chose option b and, if Wenger is honest, the proportion would be significantly higher than the “1%” he spoke about on Saturday night – the guesstimate he put on the dissenters after the FA Cup final victory over Chelsea.
As a part of the same topic, it is worth revisiting Wenger’s pre-final comment about those fans. “The lack of respect from some has been a disgrace and I will never accept that,” he said. “I will never forget it.”
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/may/30/arsene-wenger-contract-arsenal-emirates-stadium
Picture the scenario. Arsenal are at home to mid-to-low ranking Premier League opposition at the beginning of next season. They concede and, try as they might, they cannot find the equaliser. It is a match that has been played out plenty of times over the second half of Arsène Wenger’s long tenure – the shock Emirates Stadium defeat that is, actually, not that shocking.
Do the fans: a) Take the phlegmatic view that these things can and do happen? Or b) Boo the team off, lose themselves in a pit of existentialist despair and blame Wenger?
There would be many who chose option b and, if Wenger is honest, the proportion would be significantly higher than the “1%” he spoke about on Saturday night – the guesstimate he put on the dissenters after the FA Cup final victory over Chelsea.
As a part of the same topic, it is worth revisiting Wenger’s pre-final comment about those fans. “The lack of respect from some has been a disgrace and I will never accept that,” he said. “I will never forget it.”
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/may/30/arsene-wenger-contract-arsenal-emirates-stadium