Time to let the Invincibles go

TotalArsenal

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A combination of a proud history, a glorious recent past, a new 60,000 capacity stadium, and continuous top-four finishes, have raised our expectations to dizzying heights over the last few years. Having high expectations, rather than high hopes, is a recipe for unhappiness; and many fellow Gooners have fallen victim to the former rather than opting for the latter.

Arsenal football club has everything going for it, except fans’ patience. After seven years without silverware this is fully understandable; and yet patience,  trust, and continuous belief are now required more than ever before.

Success is virtually always cyclical: it comes and it goes and then it comes again, etc. I guess the one exception to the rule are Manchester United, who under Ferguson, have subsequently weathered French and  Portuguese storms to somehow keep winning things. It all remains to be seen whether they would have won as much, or even anything, in the last eight years, if Wenger had been able to keep his players and spent more money on quality signings; and Abramovic had chosen for stability and consistency, and had worked harder on somehow bridging his differences with the ‘Special One’. But let’s give credit where it is due.

I am proud of our past, and especially our glorious recent history; and it gives me enormous pleasure to think back about the great football we have played. The Mancs might have won more silverware, but the quality of our football, epitomised by the phenomenal achievement of the Invincibles, is what football fans – Gooners as well as non-Gooners – will still remember in twenty, fifty, maybe even a hundred years from now.

However, the past is the past for me, and I enjoy the here and now as much as anything; despite our football being nowhere near as good as before, during and even after the Invincibles era.

Among a significant number of fans there tends to be a need to compare our current performances and (lack of) achievements with those of the recent past; as long as Arsenal do not at least achieve the same in the here and now, they remain dissatisfied. This is exactly the high price that comes with becoming very successful during a sustained period: rather than appreciating and accepting its specialness, we tend to make it our new norm; our yardstick against which our future performances and successes will be measured. This comparison is very likely to lead to dissatisfaction, and in some cases, resentment and anger. You only have to surf certain corners of the Arsenal blogosphere to find the raw evidence for this.

Leaving the past for what it is, and not comparing the current performances of our team constantly against it, whilst realistically assessing our current position, will lead to more realistic expectations; and as a result more inner peace and enjoyment of our football. Easier said than done, but it is as simple as that!

I am also not going to tell you that the future will bring us silverware again: there are no guarantees. Saying that everything will be fine in a couple of years is equally as nonsensical as comparing the here and  now constantly to the past.

Arsenal made the strategic decision to build a bigger stadium in order to compete better with MU and the European top teams in the future, but the arrival of oil money meant clubs could, from one day to the next, spend vast amounts of money without having to worry about the enormous losses and debt they were creating. The new reality bit our mighty team firmly in the arse: not only could we not afford to buy the sort of players Chelsea and MC were able to, they also successfully enticed our carefully developed players away.

There are plenty of reason to be positive about the future, as FFP should come to our rescue, but it all remains to be seen what will happen over the next few years: we should always expect the unexpected, which could be very positive as well as negative.

Arsenal are not going to win the league and we will most probably not win the CL, but we might have a slightly better chance to win the FA-cup. The key thing is, though, to look at the here and now and we have still four months of football to enjoy: every game matters and there is beauty to be discovered in each and every one of them.

Not everyone has realised yet that we have started a new journey this season: we are going through a full blown transition and slowly but steadily the building stones of Arsene’s latest attempt at Wengerball are becoming visible:

  1. A British core of very talented players with real passion for the club;
  2. The acquisition of predominantly Spanish and German quality, experienced players;
  3. The upwards push of talents coming through from our player development system;
  4. The removal of players who have not made the grade by either selling them or loaning them out till their contracts expire, or just letting them run out their contracts;
  5. All key players have been signed up on long term contracts now, which should enable us to hold on to players, at least in the next few years;
  6. More money available from now on, to both hold on to players better – by steadily and responsibly increasing their salaries if and when appropriate – and attract two or three quality players every season.

With these building blocks as the basis of the club’s strategy of making us competitive at the highest level again, these are exciting times; especially if you can refrain from constantly comparing our current performances with those of the Invincibles era, and you can see the progress the team is making.

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We are on a journey and who knows where it will end. But isn’t it exciting we are moving forwards again, albeit slowly? Yes, there are likely to be further set-backs, as our transition is not yet completed, but Arsene now has the tools and funds to further improve the team, if and when required.

If you can let go of the past a bit, and manage to swap your high expectations with high hopes; and mainly look for the positive developments in our football and in our team, you might start enjoying our football a lot more.

Carpe Diem.

Written by: Total Arsenal.

93 thoughts on “Time to let the Invincibles go”

  • Wenger’s methods worked in the past excellently, that I will always respect him for. Arsenal simply needs a new coach & change of tactics also change of management for the club to get back to its competitive level for silverwares. No more excuses.

  • Good Article. I, for one have been becoming increasingly annoyed by our great club and so a bit of perspective is always welcome. To match our achievements with the Invincibles and your points do suggest we are moving in the right direction. I’m still unsure whether Wenger is the right man to lead us as i can’t help but notice that he doesn’t have the same effect on his players. We have lost too many games by half time. I appreciate there has been a rollicking at half time to change things (Liverpool, chavs) but i do think there needs to be a shake up at a high level. Why are we not spending money on transfers? Can you honestly say that at least some of the signings this January would have been worth a punt? Ba might have been a risk but arn’t all transfers?

  • Brilliant mate, just brilliant. Was it shankley who said ” if you can’t support us when we lose or draw, then don’t bother supporting us when we win”?
    I know the last couple of seasons have been frustrating at times, and that we’ve lost some great players, but it looks to me as though we have done well to get all our important players( except sagna?) signed on long term deals, will have improved revenue streams from next year on, and we will be back around the top from next season on. Also think we could surprise some of our “supporters” vs bayern and we can definitely push on for the F.A cup.
    Oh and shawcross is a massive, gaping über cunt!

  • Hi Mali

    You might be right about the need for a new coach. It would be great to a coach who can focus on getting the best out of our midfielder and attackers: Bergkamp would be a dream come true!

    I think we have to give Bould some more time as well. It is not easy working next to and with Wenger, I am sure, and he has only been in the job for half a season.

  • Hi Alex L

    Arsene Wenger is very likely to stay on for quite a few years to come, but with all these building blocks in place, another manager could take over from him. I reckon this will only happen if the Frenchman decides enough is enough, and I don’t think he is planning on moving anywhere soon.

    Like you, I was hoping for at least one more signing in the transfer window. I guess the point is that Arsene still puts a lot of emphasis of developing players into the fist team as much as buying quality, experienced players now. I wanted a beast of a DM and another, quality CB, but I guess we’ll see more now of Coquelin and Miguel. It is quite likely now that we will see more quality player arrive during the summer, but if either Coquelin or Miguel can play themselves into the first team, then that would be great as well.

  • Fantastic article, spot on.

    Given the external pressures, oil money, stadium costs, fan unrest, board room wars, it is not unfair to say the Wenger has behaved like a footballing god of coaching and management.

    He is our greatest ever manager, not only is he producing our greatest ever players, he is also producing the best players Manchester have ever seen as well, lol.

    I love Arsenal now more than ever and the next trophy will be worth the wait. Bring it on !

  • Agree with Mali.Wenger alway s play the same style and is against anti soccer even though Chelsea used it to beat Barcelona and went to win the cl.I tell you what.
    If he plays this style against red faced he will in all probability lose again.If Stoke had bought expensive players and strikers like the hated ref faced,they could have broken away and won.

  • Hi h4rj

    The next trophy will indeed be worth the wait.

    By no means do I think Arsene has been faultless in the last eight years or so, but he has done more than a decent job in keeping us competitive. However, the building stones are now in place for a new era, and if Wenger decides his time is up, or the BoD decide to move for another manager (highly unlikely), the new manager can take us further from there.

  • Qualiteeeeeeeee article Total.

    The positive vibes from TMHT and yourself are rubbing off on me. Let’s get at least fourth this season and stand up and be counted next season against the big boys. Bring it on. COYG.

  • There is nothing wrong with developing players and I hope/think Wenger has the seen the error of project youth where he took it to excess. I like the looks of Coquelin even if his attitude has been called into question. We have brought in experienced pros who have benefited the team massively. You mentioned Ferguson in your article and while i dislike his cheating drunken cunty nature i have to admire how he evolves with the times. He’s not afraid to get rid of the yes men and I’d love Arsene to keep on our greats (Bobby etc) in a mentoring fashion on reduced games like Giggs and Scholes do. You were spot on when you mentioned our British core as despite the obvious weaknesses they are all dedicated to the cause and will carry on improving. Their attitude can’t be faulted.

  • Good post. Great in fact. Very optimistic. We’ve not quite signed everyone up though. Losing Sagna would be a backward step and looks like a real possibility this summer. COYG…

  • Can’t come soon enough for me total!!! I’d love to see those cunts get relegated!
    For me wenger might not be perfect but he deserves a lot more respect than he gets on most arsenal blogs. I’d love to see him go out on top and can’t stand all the people who say he should go. To them I say, name me a viable replacement???
    Oh and anyone who wants us to play “anti-soccer” ( I hate the word soccer ) to win trophies, might be better off ….

  • TA – I think you had tis article in mind before yesterday’s blog from Marcus, where this very topic came up?
    I would agree 100% with what you have listed as our route to future glory … but just a tiny addition though.

    Alongside that core of British players you also have mention the committed gunners that come from abroad? The likes of Bacary Sagna and Szcz. You can already see that same feeling for the club emerging in Podolski, Giroud, and Santi? The top players from the era that you want to move on from, came, and became true Gunners? .. No names, you know who there are?

    Binging in top quality players, given more financial freedom of late, can also open the door to the mercenaries that only come for the money … Wet Wednesday’s at Stoke and all that?

    With that in mind, I posted a late response to potential signings at the back end of the aforementioned blog.

    However, I do get a thrill at all this positive energy coming out of these blogs. It can only be good to raise the morale of supporters for what remains of this season. Keep it up.

    Cheers

  • Hi Alex,

    I did not know Le Coq’s attitude has been questioned: I think his drive and energy are great. He stil makes mistakes but that is to do with experience rather than attitude.

    Like you, I would have loved it if we kept the experience of Pires and Gilberto a few more years at the club. Younger players look up to them and learn from them more than any coach could teach them – especially the psychological stuff of how to deal with expectations, set-backs, crisis in form etc.

    I reckon Arsene does move with the times; in fact, I sometimes which he would stick to what he knows best. Let’s stick to a formation (whether 4-2-3-1, 4-4-2 or 4-5-1), make the players play really well in it, have good cover in every position, hold on to our players, and just get better and better. Look at Pool: they are trying to copy our approach and bloody hell they are making good progress now! 😕

  • Hi and welcome Megaginge 🙂

    You are right re Sagna, and I would like us to sign him up as soon as possible, unless there is something wrong with him physically. He has got one and a half year left on his contract, I believe, so there is still time.

    Sagna is the sort of warrior we desperately need at Arsenal, and the club should not unnecessarily dither over offering him a new contract.

    Would you play Jenkinson ahead of him now or next season?

  • Hi Gerry,

    I reckon there has been a shift recently towards players with different characters than the Flaminis, Nasris, van Judas’ and Adebarndoors of the past. Is Wenger perhaps looking more for characteristics in players lsuch as loyalty, team players, hard workers; on top of the usual requirements?

  • @ TA

    I love Sagna but I think if his form continues we will see the passing of the torch between both he and jenks. If he is happy to stick around as backup/in case of an emergency than so be it, if not I’d be happy to let his contract run down and bring in another/use yennaris

  • Culture is very important. If the stories are true I’m very happy Arsene has kicked out the bad seeds. The more team dinners/pre-season trips away from the media/lime light the better.

    Arsene: “who is coming to Mannone’s? He’s putting on a big feast with spag bol, meatballs, and some cannolis!

  • Hi Oz,

    What do you reckon is wrong with Sagna? To me it looks like he is carrying a little knock which makes him a bit slower than usual, but nothing structural I hope…

  • I think you are right TA. I’m not sure if it’s that or if it’s the leg breaks that have zapped him of a yard or two of pace. I’ve seen it happen plenty of times with athletes though, one minute they are quicker than a hiccup and consistent to the point where you think they can play forever, the next it’s injury after injury or the game has caught up with them.

    I think it comes down to the lack of a pre-season. Without that training some players feel as though they are playing catch up with there fitness throughout the year. Not having that solid fitness base going into the season, coupled with the most demanding position in our team (fullback), i feel hes struggling a bit. He’ll probably come back next season firing on all cylinders (i hope). You’d think it’d be hard for a complete professional like him to be down on form for too long. He can’t go forever though so for both he and Jenks best interests they should be rotated more often.

  • Good Evening Guys,

    TA,
    Absolutely great post!!! As Arsenal supporters we do make a bit of noise when things are not going our way. Let’s not forget that it took GG and AW to change the Arsenal into a winning team. I have only been following the Gunners since ’88. Whilst the last few years has been frustrating to me, I have certainly been lucky to have enjoyed so many trophies over the years. I can only imagine how frustrating it must have been for some of you guys who have been supporting The Arsenal for 30+ years. Imagine those barren decades during our history.

    Success is cyclical and our time will come again. Younger supporters are more impatient and are the ones most likely to jump ship and stop supporting or even change teams. We have had our highs (The Invincibles) and our lows, but we are The Arsenal. We do not have oil money and we do not spend a fortune on transfers. Whilst we all would want some big names on our roster, it just simply wont happen. Remember Bergkamp being dismissed and being called a bad signing as he did not score in his first 6 games???? He certainly went on to become an Arsenal Legend. All good things take time and players will find their feet at The Arsenal.

    You have made some wonderful points in your article and success will return to us. When it does, it will mean a whole lot more to the players and us the fans. The invincibles achieved something that may never occur again (and i hope it doesn’t unless we do it), but we have celebrated this and continue to celebrate this feat. The media does like to create a lot of stories and add pressure on managers and players. In this era where information is shared worldwide in a matter of seconds, it allows for biased reporting to affect the way people feel and think. We must not fall into this trap and be overly critical.

    I want us to win just as much as you guys but we know that is not always possible. We have to fight against the success of ManUre, The oil of ManShitty and Abramovic’s Billions.
    The only thing i ask for is for our players to respect the shirt and give it all when they are out there. Play with pride and heart and the fans will respect you and accept the result more than they are now

  • Hi Oz, agreed on the need to rotate more. You explained it really well, and I hope he will get back to his very best again. He must feel quite anxious with his fitness issues and his contract running out…

  • Hi all.. TA another great post.. two tumbs up..

    I agree with you for focus in the now.. not Yesterday or tomorrow..
    As they say : Yesterday is History.. Tomorrow is Mistery.. Today is a Gif.. So it call ‘present’..
    With this squad.. we can compete to all teams.. even Muenchen.. hehehehe..
    And we can win all the games left.. Sunderland this week will be a good trial for our team..

    I like the way Wenger manage our team.. By not bringing an expensive – super star.. but building the team of a good material players in an avarage price.. A Superstar can only ruin our solidity.. And for that reason.. I am glad we didn’t bring Villa for about 18mil.. and bullshit rumours about Cavani for 42mil.. but bring Nacho for only 8mil..

    But TA.. I don’t agree with you about Coquelin.. I prefer Ramsey to Coq.. even as a DM..
    I don’t see Coq is good enough for our team.. With Arteta, Diaby and Ramsey are setting for DM rules.. And Wilshere also can do that thing.. there will be no room for Coq in our squad as DM.. unless one of them are injured.. or Wenger change him to an AM or LW.. as he did several games before.. but I don’t think that a good thing also..

    And if you are really want Wenger to bring Diame or Capoue in the summer TW.. then you must willing to let him go.. or loan as frimpong did.. Don’t hope for a great DM to come if you still think Coq is good enough in that position.. (as Wenger maybe think also..)

    But for now.. untill summer transfer window.. let’s focus to our team..
    And I prefer Wenger give confidence on the youngster..
    Jenkinson, Miquel, Yennaris, Meade, Eisfeld, Gnabry, Akpom and Afobe to subs in one or two games so our main team have a better rest and fit for the games..
    If we win 10 more from 13 games left.. Then we will be at 3rd position.. hehehehehe..
    Go Gunners..

  • Cheers William R 🙂

    Hi Henry 🙂

    Thanks for a fine comment and good to see you believe in the current squad and our up and coming youngsters.

    I think Coquelin is the better allround footballer and has a great future ahead of him. I hope Ramsey will still come good, but I have my doubts now. I would like us to get an experiened DM because it is such a vital role, and it would liberate Jack and Santi to do great things on the pitch. Coquelin is not yet that sort of player, but I hope he’ll make great progress in the next few months.

  • Henry,

    I totally agree with you on bringing in some youngsters to get them ready and up to speed but the dilemma is that we have to make every game count from this point onwards. That is why it will be hard to do so but integrating them is a must to see who can stand up and be counted and who may need to go out on loan to get more experience.

  • Henry.

    I agree with you. We must start giving our youngsters some run outs occasionally. We are starting to get a long list of players that will/might be looking towards their futures. And without recognition will be getting itchy feet.

    We have competent youngsters such as
    Gnabry/Eisfeld/Yennaris/Meade/Miquel/Miyachi/Campbell. Some of these guys need to be tried out at some stage soon.

    Coquelin is now 22 and has played 25 games with 16 as substitute. It is now he needs to step up to the plate if he is going to kick on with his career as a top professional footballer.

  • http://www.sabotagetimes.com/reportage/arsenal-fans-need-to-accept-they-are-the-biggest-problem-with-the-club/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=arsenal-fans-need-to-accept-they-are-the-biggest-problem-with-the-club

    Can we post links here? Thought this was an interesting read.

    I agree with oz re sagna missing the pre season and playing catch up to get to a level of fitness required for his usually excellent consistency. Although I’m not that confident he can return to his very best after his 2 leg breaks last year, it just seems to have taken a fraction of his pace and power away. Would love to be proved wrong though, bac is a true warrior and I’ll love him forever for THAT goal vs the swamp-dwellers!

  • Hi TA
    When I discussed le Coq’s attitude I meant his threat of moving away if he doesn’t play more from a few months ago. I completely understand his view, maybe he shouldn’t publicise it. I’m looking forward to the next few months to see whether this team can kick on and get champs league

  • Best post you have ever written TA, and you have penned some corkers

    I have nothing to add, you have said what needs to be said and i agree with you whole heartedly.

  • Thanks for the link Greenmount G,

    I like the content, although the title is a bit harsh. The fans are not the biggest problem at all, but recognising that a lot is very good at our club is definitely important.

    All agreed on Sagna.

  • Ha, ha, re Sagna – You see I am not a million miles away from the truth when I said they may be contract talks in the offing? Well ESPN are quoting Bacs saying just that .. a contract beyond 2014!
    Now you know why he looked more like his old self against Stoke?
    I was fairly convinced that it was the uncertainty playing around in his head that made his form dip. Let’s hope he gets a good deal and he stays?

    Reference to Le Coq’s attitude may be more to do with the lack of playing time … and thoughts of moving away to get it? There was a link, however true or not, that he might move to Real Betis in the latter part of the Jan ‘window, and it may not have been a loan deal?

    I think he has a lot of qualities that suit the gunner’s style, but his physical presence is the one thing that may be keeps him from being an out and out DM. And there is the dilemma, he is behind Jack for his ideal position. Not in a challenging position just yet, but that would be his ultimate destiny if he stays?
    Apologies @ Alex Lilley, I just looked up and saw you posting that very thought re Coquelin.

  • All understood and agreed, Alex L 🙂

    Terry, thanks for your compliment. I am sure you will have recognised some of your own rethoric in today’s post! 🙂

  • I didn’t like the title either TA, and I certainly don’t subscribe to the notion that our fans are the biggest problem we’ve got. The biggest problem we have is what you alluded to in your excellent post.
    -Raised expectations from a period of success coupled with a very entertaining style of football.
    -Certain blogs constantly attacking the club for just about everything and anything.

    The club, I think, let’s itself down big time when it comes to the PR side of things, and should do( and by all accounts is starting to) much better on the commercial side. Aside from these things I’m extremely proud of how the club is run and I know when we go through our next period of domination we will all look back at this time and realise just how important it was in cementing our place as one of the biggest, and by far the greatest, teams in the world.

  • @TA; Great article! is it any wonder that with articles of this quality many of us continue to contribute to positive sites such as this. Unfortunately I don’t have time currently to join todays debate hopefully I’ll be able to make a valuble contribution later. Props TA!

  • Greenmout G

    Beautifully said and all agreed.

    They do let themselves down on the PR side of things, and what is lacking is a clear and simple summary of our strategy and how the club aims to both win silverware again and stay financially sound going forward.

  • I am very happy, that my friend, TA, is being recognised more and more for the fabulous in depth Posts he writes, and the positive attitude he imparts to Arsenal matters. Excellent!

    I am very unhappy, that my cheeky friend, Glicster, has gone missing again, anyone would think building his love shack is more important than making us laugh. Naughty!

    I am very content that the quality of the comments on BK are consistently of a very high standard, and in themselves make great reading.

    I am less than content that I still cannot think of anything worthwhile to write about – but at least my comments are balanced, pretty much like the yin and the yang of blogging!!

  • Hi TA,

    Top notch article and your positive outlook and appreciation for this team resonates throughout. You raise some very good points about having some good pieces in place and that there’s a lot to look forward to down the road. However, I can’t shake the feeling that this is a slight against me and the first article I ever wrote for your blog hahaha.

    Greenmount Gooner raised my concern of the biggest failure this club has had over the last 8 years and that’s on the PR front. There is no leadership at the very top of the club and that eventually resonates throughout the entire organization – Silent Stan’s lack of involvement in general, but more specifically on a PR front, leads the rest of the organization to believe that they can work behind closed doors and are not accountable for the lack of results. Coming out 7 years after the fact to apologize to fans for the lack of silverware, results and activity in the transfer market is way too late.

    I completely understand the negativity that is now manifesting from fans, though I believe there should be an allegiance to this club and everything we’ve accomplished and are yet to accomplish. I could not imagine ever supporting another club and that is the passion that binds me to the Arsenal. For me, what has bothered me about this club (before this year) is not directly correlated to the Invincibles era, but a feeling that we as fans, have been somewhat deceived time and time again.

    Not winning a championship or competing for one is perfectly acceptable, so long as that intention is made public by the club. A rebuilding process happens for every club, as things come in cycles and it’s near impossible to stay at the top for so long. However, for a while there has been no clear direction over what this club hopes to achieve (aside from the usual we’re aiming for the title bs with a clear lack of quality) and how we plan to go about attaining this goal. There has been a call for patience and to have faith in the squad over the years, but a complete lack of results and any real positive progression (until this season in signing players to long-term deals). TA, you call for fans to temper their expectations, but lest we not forget that the organization comes out year after year misleading people to believe that this is the year the squad will compete for a title or that we’re in for “something special”.

    In respect to point #4, I’m not upset with AW but would have liked a formal apology or acknowledgement that he failed with some of his signings. Instead, fans question if AW really sees quality in them and is just refusing to let them go (not the case but I understand how a fan could feel that way). Whether it be because of the stadium financing or AW’s frugalness, there have been too few attempts to replace them over the years. The lack of being proactive has led people to question the ambition of this club and whether or not it is still Arsenal’s long-term goal to just finish top 4 year after year.

    It has only been this season that we’ve started to see any real positive steps forward for the Arsenal. Locking up the young core who have grown up together and are passionately bound to achieve the same goal will be immense for this club going forward. The infusion of loyal, quality International talent will only reinforce my belief that we’re on the right track to achieving a long-term goal of bringing silverware back to the club.

  • HH – I must be further down the positive scale than yourself? Perhaps it is an age thing, After a certain point you get happier with less because you have a lifetime of more behind you, so you are ready to grasp at any small morsels of joy that still come your way?

    Your line on ‘ambition’ and ‘direction’ of the club is not shared by me. I must be naive, but I just assume that the club are doing what is best.

    I mean, it is in their interest to have a ‘brand leader’ out there? They would not willfully run the club into oblivion. It is a business, their business. They have a manager who is passionate about football, about Arsenal, and about what it represents in that world. If they really had no clue as to what they were doing they would have appointed Roy Keane as manager, quickly followed by Hughes, and then someone else to see us plunge down the divisions?

    No, sorry but I am with TA on this. Times have been tough, but it will come right again. You may be right on the PR front, but sometimes there is no way of knowing beforehand the way things will be at the start of any season. It would be a strange club that came out on September 1st and said, ‘Sorry guys, we haven’t got the right players in this season, so we are not going to win the league, or the Cup. The good news is, we may have a run in the league Cup, and perhaps finish 4th!’

    As Walter said *elsewhere, ‘it is like picking your wife. You may not know why you chose your club/wife but you will love it through the good times and bad. But if it/she makes you miserable all the time … get a divorce?’

    You are clearly not that far down the road, but if you sympathise with your neighbour who is always arguing with his wife, then suggest the above? Don’t let that make you have the same argument with your own wife/club?

    *elsewhere= Untold Arsenal

  • Splendid piece TA and what a lot of fine comments it has spawned!

    I remember in 1998 (let alone in the Invincibles season) standing next to my mates at Highbury and we were all saying “whatever happens in the years to come, even if we never win another thing, we’ll always have this.”

    But success breeds expectation and expectation breeds entitlement and entitlement breeds anger… and here we are today where people are furious with a manager who brought us through a stadium move and a worldwide recession (and the arrival of the oil barons) and kept us competitive while spending NO money (net).

    Wenger’s achievements between 2005 and 2012 will one day be the stuff of legend and wonder.

    That said, it’s not unreasonable now, when we are assured that there is money to spend, to be hopeful of brighter times around the corner.

  • OK you have made a few good points but I would like to make a few also.
    You say “Success is virtually always cyclical:” well that is often true but it does not come back by just hoping it will. And the biggest reason it is Is because success often is followed by a period of complacency. If you guard against complacency and Build on your success you stay successful and THAT is why ManU have continued to be successful NOT some magic Ferguson has somehow invented. ManU held on to certain key players that Ferguson still has not replaced yet (remember Scholes was even brought back last year) or made sure to get replacements that where ready to fill the role NOW.AND ManU’s Management IS not afraid of debt as they know success is the best way to strengthen the brand and selling the brand makes more money then selling players.

    Arsenal FC after the Invincibles begain a steady migration toward the youth experiment not wanting to give older players more then 1 year contracts and selling off key players hoping youngsters would fill the role.

    As I said in a previous comment I blame the Phemon Cesc Fabergas. It was his unusual talent at such a young age that included a level of maturity in his game far beyond his years and experience that I think really lead Wenger and the board to believe we could continue your winning ways with only talented young players. Now developing young players IS important for future success you also have to hold on to your veteran players as well and if you do sell them you have to buy to replace them.

    I really think Wenger actually believed he could win with his youth policy and He also did not plan on losing them when they had developed like he did ether. But there where several key events that in combination were the perfect storm of failures in my opinion.
    one of those events Wenger had not banked on was the introduction of Oil money at Chelsea and now City.

    The retirement of Bergkamp was inevitable but a huge loss And when you lose a player like that there are no transfer funds to replace him with. As was the departure of Vieira (which because of the pairing of Cesc and Mathieu Flamini Wenger did not think would matter) and then there is the sale of Henry to Barca. The last one is what I think was the biggest mistake of management Henry left for €24 million WHY oh WHY did we not spend every cent of that money and even more if needed to bring in a replacement one answer RVP. But we all know how long it took before HIM to come good and and what happened next. And besides I STILL feel RVP was the Bergkamp replacement NOT a Henry replacement and Arsenal tried to get a replacement on the cheap so they could pocket the money. The stadium debt is financed and the normal revenue is plenty to make the payments on that debt there is NO reason the club has to be so fiscally conservative with not one but 2 billionaire owners. and the Emirates deal.

    I do believe we have turned a corner and things could have gotten even worse (Look at Liverpool or even Newcastle who got relegated remember they where top 4 in 92-97 era and again in 01-02)
    SO Yes I agree we are now on the right track but we are far from through this spell yet and the same people that lead us down this path in the first place are still in charge so it is up to the supporters to make sure they stay on the right path now as getting too carried a way over a small success could easily turn the corner back toward complacency.

  • Gerry,

    A lot of what you just said sums up the issues that this club has. Settling for less and mediocrity isn’t even in the interests of a business. Constantly striving to be better and the taste of success is what breeds an aspirational global brand. The fact that we celebrate our record of finishing top 4 is a complete embarrassment. It’s ok to be happy or relieved to have finished top 4, but to consider this an accomplishment is insane.

    As I previously said, the expectation is not to see this club win a trophy every year, but simply to show signs of positive progression in attaining a future goal. We’ve had nothing to realistically cheer for these past 7 years, besides the fact that we have continually sold our best players and play an aesthetically pleasing brand of football.

    Never once did I say that AW lacked ambition. I simply said that the head of the organization, Stan Kroenke, lacks any real passion or footballing sense to drive this club to a higher standard. As a result, this has filtered down to others in the organization, notably the board and thus a lack of resources to meet AW’s ambition. The only minor knock I had on AW was his lack of acknowledgement that some of the players he bought were not good enough and have stayed within this squad for far too long. Every club makes mistakes, but they are quick to resolve them; for some reason we have held onto these mistakes for far too long and it’s hindering out ability to move forward.

    I never once said that the club should have come forward to state that we would not be competing for a title. I simply said that the club should have done better on a PR front to temper with the expectations of fans, and instead of feeding the usual we’ll be challenging for the title nonsense, taken a different approach. Something along the lines of, “we’re in the process of rebuilding this team to where we want it to be and will do our best in all competitions” would have sufficed. Instead, we start off the season proclaiming how our squad is good enough to win a title, then half way through realize how unrealistic this is and change our goals to simply finishing top 4.

    If I, as a fan, can realize that our squad has never had the quality to win a title the past 7 years, how can the “experts” not realize this? This has been perhaps my biggest issue with the club the last 7 years and even AW admits there has been a disconnect between the club and its fans.

    Aside from the failures on the PR front, my past disappointment stems from not actively improving this team through the transfer market. Not that we haven’t spent large sums of money, but that we haven’t proactively tried to solve the squad’s lack of quality. For example, it took an injury to our starting LB for AW to finally buy another LB (he admitted this was the sole reason he bought one). Was there ever any doubt that Santos is not Arsenal quality, let alone even PL quality?

    Anyway, going forward I’m very positive now that there seems to be a clear direction for the club. We’ve re-signed the young core of this team and have seemingly brought in some passionate, loyal players from France, Spain and Germany that are committed to AW’s cause. We just have to wait and see how this squad develops over the next 4 months and hopefully AW will add to the squad in the summer transfer market accordingly.

  • What an excellent and very positive post TA, and I am in total agreement with you on all your key points. I still have agreements with some of the other comments today that show reservations in certain areas, and despite the obvious financial constraints over the last 8 years I would agree that some of Arsene’s and the boards policies have been wrong and have potentially hurt the club to some degree. Not many, but a few.

    You can never lay blame where there was no alternative but, for me, there have been a couple of areas where there were alternatives and we picked the wrong option. Having said that I still feel the positives that Arsene has brought have far outweighed any potential incorrect decisions. I too feel that the club could be on the verge of turning a corner now and we need to dot a few i’s and cross a few t’s to push us back up to the top. Potentially exciting times ahead me thinks.

  • Evening Splooge Mouthwashers 😆

    An absolute stonking post Dr van Smallcloggwinkelpecker !. 😆
    Two for the price of one with a link to Redders fine post.

    But, back to last night, when you boys were having a glic hampton ridiculing party in my absence !. :evil

    So today I have been in touch with a new team of celebrity lawyers I have assembled , they include ex-footballers….former Arsenal player Ian Ure, Sheff Wed`s Peter Shirtliff, Independiente`s Fabian Assman, Portsmouths Eoin Hand, Sunderlands Bernt Haas, Stephen Kuntz, along with Olympian Mark Spitz, Sex Pistols Johnny Rotten and the man who trained GB`s Olympic Blind Football team, David ” Braille on ” Mycock.

    So dont be surprised when a letter arrives for ………..you…… Shirtliff, Assman, Kuntz, Mycock`s, Rotten, Hand, Spitz, Ian Ure, Bernt Haas ……are my solicitors dealing with the proceeding`s !.

  • Mike
    Well argued points, but I think the charge of complacency can only really be levelled now, today – not retrospectively for the years after the move from Highbury.

    “Project Youth” was a financial necessity because of the stadium move (but would also have appealed in principle to AW: his chance to create an Ajax style Golden Generation).

    However, the fact that it became an almost total reliance on Youth was caused by the credit crunch of 2008.

    I believe the club had a valuation of what it would make from property sales in redeveloping the Highbury site – a pretty tidy sum – and that figure shrank massively because of the crash. So not only did we end up “promoting youth”, we also sold off our more experienced players more quickly than we would have liked to, just to get some cash through the door and reduce the debt.

    With the Oilers arriving in London and Manchester the whole game got skewed and we were found wanting, financially.

    That’s why I think it has only been in the last year or so that a charge of complacency can fairly be made against the club. But in the last year (and a bit) we have also had our best players pinched by others.

    Which is why TA is right to say that AW is carefully building again. This season is all about gradually adding more substance to some of the foundations that were laid last year. Obviously the loss of RVP was a setback, but the club is definitely giving off signals that it has money to spend and intends to spend it.

  • I already got my letter Glic but I think I have been falsely accused. It was the others not me… I would never ridicule such a fine and bloggosphere famous hampton. If I do get dragged into this awful legal mess though I will be represented by Urea Runny and Harry Redknob esq.

  • GLIC
    Have you changed lawyers?
    I could have sworn you were represented by Messrs Benn, Dover and Taykit.

  • Hahaha Glic, we were all wondering when you’d finally come around and comment how we were all having a big laugh at your expense. I’d have to say though, TA had the post of the day in regards to the potential embarrassment you would have suffered had you tattooed Reus on your todger :).

  • @ GoonerB 20:04,

    I agree with everything you say and that AW’s work for the large part has produced more positives than negatives, especially considering the resources he’s had to work with in those times. No fan can be truly happy with how our team has performed in those years and to not admit fault or mistakes is simply ignorant. What’s important is that we don’t let history repeat itself and that we learn from those past mistakes, move forward and improve the club in the way AW originally intended to.

  • Thank you Go Boner and Rocky Evils, but I am trying to be serious about the blatant flaunting of BK rules !. hahaha

    I heard some thing about this on talkSPORT today , but had a bad reception, all I know is that UEFA have their beedy eye`s on the Chav`s, City and PSG.
    The bit I heard was something like ( and dont quote me as It was a dodgy signal ), that if it wasn`t for pre 2010 wages not being taken into account, Chav`s and City would have been chucked out of the CL !.

  • Don’t hold your breath GLIC – money always talks.

    But it might force the cheating oilers to be a bit more conservative going forward.

  • My problem Rocks, is that when someone tells me something , I believe them !. I`m the gullible one , whereas the missus always susses people out straight away !. 😦
    I` m probably still being naive , but I believe FFP will work as they said it will !.

    Double H

    That ” Giant ” looked a good player, but I still want Isco, aparrantly he`s got his Spain call up !.
    Malaga have got a CL ban, so will they be able to hang on to him ?.

  • Good piece on WiganGooner’s site (link in BK’s blogroll above) about how crap Match of the Day has become.

  • Glic,

    The difficulty with Isco is that Malaga’s his boyhood club and he has no real motivation to leave. He strikes me as the type of player who won’t be lured by the big money that $hitty and Chel$ea can offer him (I hope at least). We’ll see what happens but I’m not confident of our chances of ever acquiring him.

    Gerry Lennon wrote a good comment yesterday that Wenger will only buy finished articles at a discount, so if Malaga run into any further financial trouble, then the possibility exists that we could bid for Isco at a price < £20 million. However, as it stands now, the club re-signed the player and valued his buy-out clause at £34.6 million and see him as the future that they want to build their club around.

  • Hi HH at 17.51 🙂

    A very fair and well-balanced comment my friend. The post is definitely not a slight to your brilliant maiden post. In that post you compared the current team with the Invincibles, and there is nothing wrong with that. The essence of my post today was to highlight the importance of living in the here and now and enjoy our football as it is, and not ‘torture’ ourselves so much by comparing against against the achievements of the Invincibles.

    You are so right about the lack of effective PR in the last few years. Whether the last eight years have been a failire, ok, or a fantastic achievement will probably always be a subjective matter.

    However, as you said at the end of your comment as well, I genuinely believe Arsenal have put solid new building stones together and it will be really exciting how our journey will go from now onwards. 🙂

  • Gerry and Rocky: fine comments this evening. 🙂

    Rocky said: ‘I remember in 1998 (let alone in the Invincibles season) standing next to my mates at Highbury and we were all saying “whatever happens in the years to come, even if we never win another thing, we’ll always have this.”

    That is the essence Rocky: enjoy it in isolation and make it part of your fantastic memories, and treat new times as they come.

  • TA :),

    @21:13, all I wanted to point out is that there has certainly been disappointments and failures. To think anything less than that is to hide from past mistakes and an excuse for the organization to not feel accountable. We all make mistakes and it’s important to learn and grow from them; it’s the only way to move forward in life, and in this sense, as a football club. I don’t care what anyone says about us acting in the interests of a business – the passionate fans are what this sport and club play and stand for. This club will always be here long after fans come and go, but to feel disconnected to the club and their direction is what has bothered me the most in these past 7 years.

    The steps and progress we’ve made towards a brighter future this past year (transfers, re-signing the young core, public apologies to the fans, freezing ticket prices etc.) have certainly made me feel more appreciated as a fan. It’s now clear that there’s a direction and strategy this club has chosen to follow and I’m positive that we’ll continue to build on the foundation we already have in place. To follow a youth and in-house development policy is useless if we cannot retain the fruits of our labour; we’re now seeing a changing of the tide and the promise of better things to come.

  • Mike at 19.38: thanks for a very fine comment. 🙂

    Re MU success: yes they kept investing money but I disagree with you on your views on Ferguson’s importance. He is a calculated manager who always plays the same football: rebound/counter football – and who focuses on three thing: a strong attack, a solid defence (failing miserably this season) and hard workers in midfield. What they really want is the opponents to come towards midfield, then take the ball of them and benefit from the space in front of them by attacking fast and via the wings. Look at them when they need to build up from the back and you will seldom see a goal come from their play.

    Anyway, they have mainly been successful recently because we have been in constant transition and losing a number of top class players in the process, and Abramovic does not like to stick with something for very long; unlike MC who have stuck with Mancini, but unfortunately for them and luckily for us, he is not a very good manager. Ferguson, Old Trafford, High income, and stability in ownership and management have meant, and still mean, that MU have had it relatively easy for the last few years.

    At least Arsenal is now manoeuvring into a position in which it once again can compete with the Mancs going forward.

  • Identity in football is very very important. When you walk into the Grove the place has a completly different atmosphere to Highbury. This permeates around the ground and has an effect on everyone there including the players.

    The truth is the place has no history, and without history and memories the edge is lost.

    Our early teams at the Gove still carried Highbury and its legacy with them. What is needed is a new bunch of players, with a spine built on players with arsenal in there soul

    Forgive me if i patronise, but people who dismiss this do not realy understand english football. You need an edge, and that edge is the difference beween also rans and Champions.

    We are getting there, but it needs a bit more time. How many trophies did the likes of Scholes and Giggs win at Utd, or Adams and Winterburn at Arsenal? How long did these players represent there clubs?

    Thats what this current crop potentitaly could give us. The Grove and Arsenal is there home.

  • Gove? Hes that odious little creep who is in the government aint he? He looks like the type of bloke that deliberitly burnt currethers muffin at eton so he could take a good arse thrashing

    In public the education secretary. In private, wearing a nappy and taking some whip cropping from his Philipino rent boy.

    I feel better after that. hahaha

  • GoonerB at 20.04 🙂

    No doubt that mistakes have been made in the last eight years, but I am sure you’ll agree it could have been a lot worse as well. I have watched so many fine performances in the last seven years and really enjoyed our football in the process. A real shame we did not win anything but it is what it is, and who knows what will happen next.

    Sunderland on Saturday will be another fine battle to watch: that is all that really matters now 🙂

  • BTW, Glic, I will be represented by Jan Vennegoor of Hessestink and Jimmy-Floyd Hasawank and they have the two biggest TODGER-TATOOS in the world; your lawyers will all end up with wet Southamptons! 😆

  • haha, yes TA “fine form”, are two of Goves favourite words.

    By day, lecturing us all about how free schools are the way forward for our children

    By night, an evening at the opera admiring the fine form of his Philipino rent boy “Francesco Domingo”. As caboletta from ill travotere blares out, Gove gropes and fondles Franscesco in areas that no man should touch another.

    And poor old Francesco is not even gay. hahahaha

  • Yes Terry, Gove is ugly, ambitious, opinionated, in power now, and horny as hell: a very dangerous combination! Poor Francesco hahaha 😛

  • Cheers TA, im as far away from that shithole as you can be!!! I’m in Western Australia mate, have been since September 89 (best year ever, “thomas, its up for grabs now…….”) Apologies for the late reply, was sleeping. As I imagine you are right now!!!

  • @Greenmount G I must congratulate you on using Shankley’s quote, (if you can’t support us when we lose or draw, then don’t bother supporting us when we win”?) it sums up the unfortunate situation we as a club find ourselves in because we’ve ended up with a young fan base that knew great success and not much else, therefore they expect nothing but more of the same. I can’t help but point out that those who believe it’s wrong to celebrate 4th place are also failing to fully understand the dynamics. Of the Prem currently. If we somehow make 4th and finish above “the Chav’s” for example it would be a mammoth achievement considering their spending power. That would therefore IMHO be something to celebrate.

    It’s not rocket science to understand that the prem has often been bought, in 92 Manu’er were the financial power in the prem and they therefore won without hindrance. Until Mr Walker outspent them for one season only and bought the league for Blackburn. The following year SAF’s mob were back to the top spenders and back on top, in all probability SAF’s Manu’er would’ve continued to win unchecked if it wasn’t for an upstart coming along called Wenger. Who threw the norms up in the air, he didn’t out spend anyone, but bought very cleverly, and in those far off days there was only one challenge to Manu’ers supremacy The Arsenal.

    It was recognized by both the BoD and Mr Wenger himself that Arsene wouldn’t be able to pull the rabbit from the hat (in the form of cheap star buys) year on year, the cheap player buy well would eventually run dry. Therefore the club embarked on a very ambitious scheme in an attempt to put the club on an equal footing with Manu’er. A new stadium build which would mean a revenue source almost equal to SAF’s mob. Two things were not allowed for in this bold move. The arrival of Russian oil money and a World wide recession.
    Normally the recession would’ve meant lower prices for players, but with Abromovich splashing the cash that didn’t happen. The property prices that would’ve helped to pay off the stadium debt dropped and even lowered considerably didn’t sell. Arsene embarked on a damage limitation exercise. Sell off players that were on big contracts and bring in youngsters on lower wages.

    Which brings us to the here and now, despite their massive debts Manu’er are the financial power house of the prem. Oil money out buys them but their turnover as a club is easily the leagues biggest, with their massive turnover they remain a viable product and can continue to borrow without problems. Arsenal as a club would never have been allowed to incur anywhere near half the debt Manu’er are able to before the banks pulled the plug therefore we have had to remain prudent. Moreover it’s a trait of our club and indeed Mr Wenger that I personally like. I like being the financial under dog that still competes with the mega rich sugar daddy money losing clubs, I’m just kinky like that its part and parcel of Arsenal’s long history of not being a big money spending club.

    Supporters need to be realistic and appreciative of the fact that we have come through a massive upheaval in our clubs history, we need to allow time for the rebuilding of the team and at the same time understand the massive challenge we now face as a club with the financial doping stacked against us. The thing that should bring everything into perspective though is the fact that we have remained top four, we have never during all the upheavals even flirted with lower than the top 4 never mind last 4. So as supporters lets just not forget Shankley’s famous quote eh!

  • Apologies Greenmount, I now remember you introduced yourself in your first comment!

    ‘I am as far away from the shithole’ hahaha 😛 Lucky, lucky you!

  • WoW Riichie! 🙂

    You are at your sharpest when everybody is REMing! Top stuff.

    For me playing CL is always a price. The day we start pooh poohing that is when it will all go downhill. Let’s remain hopeful, but lower expectations, and keep enjoying our football.

  • I was thinking there might be a new post, but as we begin again in this morning I will respond to the earlier comments made.

    Thank you Richie59er, you touched on the one point that Mike missed out earlier. The recession, and fall in house prices. It was indeed a perfect storm that engulfed AW at that time. Without it, the £9m needed to be recovered from net sales would no doubt have eased the purse strings a little, and may be a tad more?

    Which brings me back to HH. The eight lost years you speak of were maybe a couple of injuries away from a title at least once, only to fade away in the closing stages. You may well point point to the weakness in the squad, but given the pressures that were not envisaged, as outlined above, it is hardly surprising. The remarkable thing is that last season we actually finished strongly, which was the start of our turnaround, which I will come back to later.

    HH, I am not having a go at your passion or desire for the club to do well, so I won’t go down the road of of ‘I never said that you said, etc’ in your reply at 19.53. I only was pointing out a different point of view. That said. Can I now say I think you have a valid point in remarks made about the top of the organisation, but your view of it is somewhat different to mine.

    So let’s go back to when Kroenke took over. He said he had been around for a couple of years and he saw how well run the club was’. No dispute there I hope? What he failed to see, as you are probably correct in thinking, he is not passionate about football per se, and that, he did not realise the vacuum that Danny Fizman left behind. He was passionate about Arsenal and football. The other board members were quite content to think they had done their bit and could live off the ‘glory days’ for their remaining years. Danny wasn’t like that. He was a driving force. That then was Kroenke’s error, in thinking the club would be the same without him.

    Danny also had one legacy to give to Arsenal, in that he saw through the intent of our ‘other billionaire’. He knew that a person who acquired money through dubious, and in all probability, corrupt means, would not be a suitable person to control Arsenal Football Club. I am truly sorry that you even hinted that this would bring missing glory to our club? Imfamy, possibly? Going the way of Rangers or Portsmouth. He would, and still is, in it for himself. A chance to ‘clean up’ some of his money, and find ways to take as much out as he could get away with.

    Back to the lack of ‘drive’ at the top. AW found it left on his shoulders to do it all. So yes, errors were always likely. So they bring Ivan Gazidas. Unfortunately HH, he is a money man, not a footballing superhero. That said, I do believe that has given AW more time to deal with the football side. No coincidence the strong finish I mentioned earlier, and this appointment. I also think he is growing into the job, and will be worth every penny of his quoted salary over the next few years, but we shall see? As he get more familiar with what the whole club want, fans and players alike, you may see less of the deflective answers that so infuriate some people??

    Which brings me nicely to our differing viewpoints. How is ‘We are re-building the side and hope to be in a position to challenge for titles and trophies’ different from the reality of ‘We are not going to win anything this season, but we will do our best? I am sorry if you need the sugar coated pill, but on the one hand, it is obvious we are rebuildimg a new squad. In fact have been.for some time? Unfortunately, for the last 3 years it has been two steps forwards, and two steps backwards, thanks to the exit door? Which it was why we needed to get Walcott on board this time. Pity it took so long, eating into the transfer window as it did. Otherwise we might have beaten Newcastle and got Capoue?

    Then you say AW ‘only’ bought a LB because of Gibbs injury? I think the better phrase would have been ‘only bought now’. From my (different) understanding AW had Nacho lined up for an early summer purchase, which was brought forwards. Which explains how it was done so quickly? He had every right to think the way Gibbs has been playing, with a bit of rotation, he would remain injury free? Unfortunately, when Santos declined the Gala move, he was the available rotator, and possibly why Gibbs wasn’t rest more? But fate moves in mysterious ways. It also raises that unspoken deed of players ‘tapping up’ players … but I won’t go there.

    I could, whilst i am in the mood, say that the ‘core 5 UK players signed up’ that are giving you optimism for the future? well they did not arrive by magic. These are players bought in or developed as youngsters over the recent years … so the regeneration mood had already begun?

    The reason why my posts are a little different is because I try to see what is behind what is being said, or not said. See things in a broader perspective, and always more optimistic, in a McCawber type way, that something will turn up?

    HH, don’t take it personal, you just voiced what may others think. This is my response to it, okay.

  • Morning Gurgling Gutbusters 😆

    Fine comment kinky richie !. How far from Malagas ground is the BK escape…….sorry your house/villa 🙂

    My predictions for the 1 UMFL :

    Erectile Dysfunctionals

    Tea Baggies

    Rugan

    Astonishingly Vileness

    Ever Tongues My Scrotum

    All to win.

  • Hi all..
    My prediction for this week UMF :
    Spurs – Newc draw
    Chelsea – Wigan draw
    Soton – City draw
    MU – Everton
    and Arsenal away win.. hehehehe..

    And tonight Holland win again Italy..
    Want to see Adam Maher.. How good is this boy..??
    And Bas Dost for RvP subs.. hope he play in second half..

  • Hi Henry.

    I guess you will be watching the Dutch against the Italians tonight. If I can I will watch Holland as well, although I am mostly looking forward to watching Jack against Brazil tonight.

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