How bad were Arsenal against Swansea???

[boundngag]

Not only do Arsenal lose now, they don’t play good football either. A few seasons ago, we used to play good football, but come up short when it came to trophies. We could beat anyone on our day and then to lose to teams we would be expected to beat. Now we play bad football and I don’t believe we can beat anyone on our day.

I don’t think blaming ‘tiredness’ is acceptable, especially not at the beginning of December. Is that going to encourage the players to play better, or will they just think something along the lines of ‘the manager never blames us and always makes excuses, so it doesn’t matter if we play badly and lose’. The players don’t look confident, tactically they look unsure and they don’t look like they are currently giving 100%. All of those things should come from the manager. Therefore, Mr Wenger is clearly not delivering.

It would seem that many Arsenal fans have come around to my way of thinking, that Arsene Wenger is the problem and that he needs to go. (While, admittedly, some still insist that Arsenal fans should not actually be allowed to criticise Wenger in any way and everything is everyone else’s fault). We, on www.allfetishforums.com were already thinking along those lines and so maybe we are trend setters in this way?!

Not only does it appear that other Arsenal fans are question Arsene Wenger’s position, the apparent lack of effort of some Arsenal players suggests, in my opinion, maybe some of the players are questioning his position as well. As well as the result against Swansea (Michael Laudrup appears to be a very good manager, as well as having been a great footballer in his playing days and in my opinion, Swansea have replaced Arsenal as the best footballing team in the league), the performance was absolutely awful. Our passing game has simply gone. Some of our players, such as Sagna, Vermaelen, Koscielney, Ramsey, Wilshere, Rosicky and Walcott were playing in the Arsenal team of a few seasons ago that played excellent passing football. It’s unlikely that they would simply lose the ability to play in that way. Maybe they have lost faith in Wenger as well.

The media are suggesting the situation by using the new money he has available (he had money available before, he just wouldn’t spend it) to purchase new players to rectify the situation, giving Wenger the rest of the season to turn it around. However, in my opinion Wenger has never liked spending money (maybe it has something to do with his economics degree?), even before the move to the Emirates stadium. He preferred spotting potential in younger, less expensive plays (like Vieira, Henry, Ljungberg) to spending more money on more established players, which he did less well (Wiltoord, Reyes, Jeffers). Given his recent transfer record, signing players such as Santos, Mertesacker, Gervinho), there is no guarantee that policy would now work, either. If he did go for big name players, would they even want to join a club that appears to be in decline, with a manager who seems to have lost his touch?

If he does spend all the money badly, he doesn’t resign at the end of the season and isn’t sacked (the board appear to be too scared of him to do anything other than continually state how great he is), what about next season? The situation will only get worse. If the board do sum up the courage to sack him, what new manager will want to come into a club that’s spent all of its’ money on players that aren’t good enough and doesn’t aim to win trophies, only to generate large profits that they don’t, on the whole, re-invest in the team? I don’t think Wenger will be able to turn the situation around. I think we could finish mid-table this season and if Wenger doesn’t go, get gradually worse season by season. In a way, we are lucky this didn’t happen a few season ago, when the overall quality of the premier league was higher and we would potentially be even worse off. Still, I could be wrong and Wenger turns the situation in the league around, we finish in the top four again and win a trophy. I just don’t see that happening with Wenger at the helm, though. Still, on the plus side, we are still doing better than the team I hated most growing up, Liverpool (everyone at school seemed to support them)! Although that is only by one place and they already have a new manager and have started rebuilding already. Oh dear.

[John]

BnG, I can only completely agree. I think Arsenal are getting somewhat of a shock this season, we anticipated it, knew it was going to happen, just didn't know when it would hit and it seems it is doing that right now.

Arsenal, on this form, are a mid table club. No doubt about it. The problem is, in the past, we just about had the players to pull us out of the mire. Sadly, this is not the case now. Our squad is a mid table squad and there is no silver lining (apart from the January transfer window...if we spend..).

Dark days ahead I fear for Gooners though the one bright side of this catastrophe is that as the club falls to mid table or worse, Kroenk will either have to spend and spend big or see his investment dwindle away as the club falls out of the champions league spots and away down the league to compete for mid table spots.

Unlike his other sporting investments in the US, there is no guarantee of profits, no select league where only the few compete, here, Arsenal can fall...and fall...and fall. Hopefully he will see reason.

Wenger is now bereft of ideas, clinging to a belief that we have always managed and will do so again now. Arsenal were once a big club...on par with Man Utd in footballing terms and with potential to go onwards...but you wouldn't see the owners, the board or the manager let Man Utd slip into mid table status within 3 or 4 seasons without a fight. Wenger should be praised for managing to do what he has with limited resources thus far but I think we now need a manager who values silverware above the balance sheet, especially within a club that has such a healthy financial outlook for their investors but a diabolical one for supporters.

dark days...

John

[boundngag]

The Glazers may have saddled Man Utd with a load of debt and do take money out of their clubs, but at least they have recognised the need to invest in transfers, in order to keep the club at the top. It makes you wonder what Kroenke is trying to achieve, as gradually falling down the league will lead to less money (no money from Champion's League qualification, no money from winning tournaments) being generated.

As well as this, Wenger seems to be suggesting that he wont spend money in January. Oh dear. What do you think it would take for the Arsenal board to sack Wenger, given that at the moment, all they ever do is release statements saying how great he is?

[John]

Note to Wenger : whilst we applaud the efforts to achieve success on a shoestring, perhaps there is a lesson to be learned. Man Utd signed Van Persie from us in order to get a top striker.....and compete for top spot. Arsenal signed Giroud and are competing for mid table mediocrity

Deperate..

[boundngag]

So, another player leaves Arsenal and now looks set for success... looks like that list of medals players who have left Arsenal have won is set to increase. I wonder if Wenger has read about that? I hope so!