Arsenal Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2013/14 mod warning post #5144

omega man wrote: »

Right this minute I just desperately want to see us win the FA cup and that's all. I'm getting a bit bored (or maybe exhausted) of the standard end of season battle for fourth for us to only go on the following season and exit in the 2nd round.

If qualifying for the CL is just about maximising profits for AFC then I'm losing interest, fast. Yes I want to see my team playing against the elite of Europe but not just to make up the numbers. I want to compete to win the CL but for now I just want a flipping trophy and a day/night of celebrations and to forget the last 8 years. Please please arsenal do not screw up the cup, that's all I ask this season. The CL can wait.

Agreed! for the last few years i was all about getting the top 4 and that we had to be there but this season i really couldnt care. Obvious the higher we finish the better, but for a season that could have been so much 4th doesnt feel like much consolation. The cup is vital tbh, if we dont win it then I dont know where this team goes from here as they would have probably took another step backwards from last year.

omega man wrote: »

Right this minute I just desperately want to see us win the FA cup and that's all. I'm getting a bit bored (or maybe exhausted) of the standard end of season battle for fourth for us to only go on the following season and exit in the 2nd round.

If qualifying for the CL is just about maximising profits for AFC then I'm losing interest, fast. Yes I want to see my team playing against the elite of Europe but not just to make up the numbers. I want to compete to win the CL but for now I just want a flipping trophy and a day/night of celebrations and to forget the last 8 years. Please please arsenal do not screw up the cup, that's all I ask this season. The CL can wait.

Raf32 wrote: »

Agreed! for the last few years i was all about getting the top 4 and that we had to be there but this season i really couldnt care. Obvious the higher we finish the better, but for a season that could have been so much 4th doesnt feel like much consolation. The cup is vital tbh, if we dont win it then I dont know where this team goes from here as they would have probably took another step backwards from last year.

Yes Yes Yes but we do have 4th pretty much sorted anyway.

purplepanda wrote: »

All the money made by selling the old stadium & profits on building 3000 homes, not to mention increased lucrative TV & sponsorship deals, added to highest priced tickets in world football, has been wasted by Wenger on lucrative contracts for injured & substandard / deadwood players & his own salary amongst others.

Ever since the stadium move the club has constantly been amongst the richest clubs in world football & amongst the most profitable. The stadium loan payments have easily been covered by increased home match revenues.

We are the 4th richest club in England, but the club & Wenger are constantly chanting their mantra that we have no money whilst lining their own pockets.

Every season Wenger says judge me in May, which May does he mean?
Next season will be the season when the club spends big, like every close season promised before. :mad:

Wenger is becoming a later day Brian Clough, yesterdays man harking back to the long gone glory days. Wenger will never win a League or European Cup as Arsenal manager ever again. His time is up.

Revenues were up over that period but much of that was swallowed up by paying back the loans for the stadium. Also in that period Chelsea and then City got the Russian and oil money and blew us out of the water. During this time AW has kept the team competitive.

Sorry for the history lesson. I'm sure you're aware of this but you make no acknowledgement of it in your post. Revenues are to jump considerably again and stadium is virtually paid for. This puts us in a position to hold onto our best and recruit top talent. Today hurts, it hurts a lot but Wenger can and will turn this around.

greendom wrote: »

Revenues were up over that period but much of that was swallowed up by paying back the loans for the stadium. Also in that period Chelsea and then City got the Russian and oil money and blew us out of the water. During this time AW has kept the team competitive.

Sorry for the history lesson. I'm sure you're aware of this but you make no acknowledgement of it in your post. Revenues are to jump considerably again and stadium is virtually paid for. This puts us in a position to hold onto our best and recruit top talent. Today hurts, it hurts a lot but Wenger can and will turn this around.

Not so sure about the bolded part.
Wenger is very poor tactically.

greendom wrote: »

Today hurts, it hurts a lot but Wenger can and will turn this around.

And even if he can't and doesn't he's left the club in fantastic shape for the next guy to come along and do it.
For all his flaws he's a great man, and manager.
He deserves to be questioned - sure he does. Results like today and liverpool away have to raise difficult questions.
But he deserves our respect and thanks too - and thats why Purple Pandas posts irked me so much. I dont want to see him disrespected when fhe's forgotten more about football than most of us will ever know.

Courtesy Flush wrote: »

Everton have a game in hand on Arsenal and are 8 points behind. Ye go to Everton in a few weeks, could be a massive game for both teams. Dont think 4th is done and dusted yet

you're right but we do have some key players coming back over the next while and even if we lose to city and everton I'ld be confident of getting the points we need. we've 5 winnable games to close out the season.

tayto lover wrote: »

Not so sure about the bolded part.
Wenger is very poor tactically.

I dont think you can say a man that has won 3 League titles, 4 FA Cups and went a season/49 games unbeaten is tactically poor. In fact I think its a ridiculous statement.

Like nearly every other manager there are some very bad days. United got many a 4/5 thrashing under Fergie too.

Bit much over reacting and calling him tactically poor.

Iv never saw such a reactionary bunch as us lately. Lose and its absolute meltdown.

If anyone looked at the fixtures at the start of the season they wouldnt have been gettin over excited in December/January. We are still not good enough. Its a process. Top 4 and a trophy was my best target at start of year and I still expect that.

We had an extrenely kind fixture list until December and I think it put expectation levels through the roof.

We are not a top 2 side yet and wont be until we get a top striker and def midfielder. I think we will get them and despite the hyperbole i think we improving a lot from the past few seasons.

Ok let's try and focus on the positives from today.
1) hopefully Arsene now realises that he needs to spend significantly in the summer if we are to compete. A striker, a defensive midfielder and a full back. If we had got closer this year the weaknesses in the team may not have been so apparent. And let's not try and buy cheap unproven kids.
2) we can now put complete focus on winning a trophy. Win that fa cup.

Deleted User wrote: »

I reckon Wenger won't re-sign this season.

Martinez to take over.

Top 4 battles guaranteed

if arsene doesn't sign I'd be happy with Martinez as a replacement.

greendom wrote: »

Revenues were up over that period but much of that was swallowed up by paying back the loans for the stadium. Also in that period Chelsea and then City got the Russian and oil money and blew us out of the water. During this time AW has kept the team competitive.

Sorry for the history lesson. I'm sure you're aware of this but you make no acknowledgement of it in your post. Revenues are to jump considerably again and stadium is virtually paid for. This puts us in a position to hold onto our best and recruit top talent. Today hurts, it hurts a lot but Wenger can and will turn this around.

Sounds like the type of press release made by the club every season since the move, a quick study of the clubs annual account shows the stadium debt is more than covered in the clubs cash reserves. As I mentioned the extra gate receipts for home games are much more than the annual stadium payments are.

Even with the annual stadium payment costs included the club is vastly more rich than it was at Highbury, not including better sponsorship, merchandising & TV deals.

The former & current board members who sold their shares for hundreds of millions of pounds profits since the last cup win in 2005 are all the proof you need of the substantial worth of the club. :rolleyes:

We have the club saying for years we can't compete in the transfer market yet the clubs shares are worth £15,000 plus each & the club is valued at £850 billion. But please pay for your annual ticket price increases because we are broke!!!

.jacksparrow. wrote: »

Adding to the squad will be the least of our worries this summer.

Replacing a lot of players is the first.

I've said it before and I'll say it again we need to sign players who will be definite first 11 and push some of what's there to the bench thus improving the starting 11 and squad

Soups123 wrote: »

There are genuine questions to be asked of Wenger and the board and people shouldn't get defensive if asked. I don't know if after all this time he still has it in him to compete st the top and if he signs another contract then I'll hope he can but I don't fear losing him.

Either way the man will forever have my respect and appreciation for giving up so much of his life to the club

Id agree with you. I think he is probably the best manager in the league but arsenal need a change. They need to freshen things up.

Deleted User wrote: »

I reckon Wenger won't re-sign this season.

Martinez to take over.

Top 4 battles guaranteed

its best he doesnt

.jacksparrow. wrote: »

Adding to the squad will be the least of our worries this summer.

Replacing a lot of players is the first.

Who? This isnt Football Manager. You cant just decide to sell everyone and buy a new team.

Agree he got it badly wrong today. Awful awful day but surely, surely we are not at the point of already discussing his departure and possible successor?? Really??

I for one believe the man deserves 2-3 years to compete on a similar financial footing to his rivals and i believe that is the 1st year we have reached that level despite the absolute guff and tripe about our 'excellent' financial position as outlined by a poster today.

This is the 1st year we have been able to spend big without jeopardy to the club. I believe a man who sacrificed his career for 6/7 years deserves the respect and chance to compete when we are back to the top.

I know we get annoyed cos our friends down the pub slag about 9 years bla bla bla but we should be bigger than that and know the case. I believe we will win the FA Cup and get top 4 and will strenghten significantly in the summer.