@Doc, He needs to get used to it. At least, until they sack him.
Despite the fact that the Un*ted squad last night cost more than the City squad, that side needs serious new faces.
Please tell me that, as a red, you weren't cheering Roonaldo and dem?
DocMcCoy"Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,913 Posts
J i m s t e r said:
Please tell me that, as a red, you weren't cheering Roonaldo and dem?
Never. I'd much prefer they got hammered. Firstly, it's a lot more enjoyable. Secondly, if they'd somehow managed to take three points off Ciddy, the likelihood of us winning the Prem becomes that little bit more realistic, and I can't be giving too much headspace to things like that. Waiting for a late-season Chelsea/Citeh collapse this season is like willing the wheels to come off during a peak-era United run-in. Not gonna happen. I'll take third, cheers.
God, we've gone from top around X-Mas to battling for the traditional 4th-place trophy. Wenger needs to recruit better physios in August.
and remarkable to be able to (essentially) trace it back to the loss of Ramsey -- the same player most were slating when he got a new contract in late 2012. And how a thigh strain on boxing day turned into a 4 month injury is beyond me. Either Arsenal have brittle/injury prone players, or the physios are not using enough horse placenta these days.
I never really thought the Arse had a chance at the title, but I also didn't think it would another nail biting season of us trying to patch-work a team together to battle for our favorite 4th place trophy.
And when you marry this issue, along with our ongoing inability to compete head to head with teams in the 1-3 spots, and with the seemingly never ending issue of us not getting all parts of the squad in order, I am starting to really wonder if the game has finally passed Wenger by?
I don't want him gone necessarily, but he no longer inspires me with confidence that he can figure it out going forward.
Way too soon to write off the one Wenger. Look at his track record. Tactically clueless folk would never stack up numbers like this.
I think it's the philosophies of the club that are behind the times, if not the depth of pockets required to fully compete in the PL and CL.
City and Chelski having the funds to appoint 2 upper-echelon players for just about every position has allowed them to stay the distance, whereas key injuries (when Cesc was running the show) have always derailed Arsenal, and Liverpool to some degree, ever year.
It's hard to work out what is going on in Wenger's head. I think he is starting to doubt himself and it is rubbing off on the squad. I think he might end up resigning and taking a break from the game.
I expected the wallet come out for the desperately needed striker in January..never happened.
He finally spent a load of money on Ozil, only to see him fade really quickly..I don't know if he is unhappy in England, at Arsenal or what is going on. He is totally uninterested in helping the team out defensively which is totally unacceptable in today's game..
Nobody can criticize Wenger for what he has done for Arsenal and their future but it is time to strengthen that squad properly. There isn't any competition for places and many players are just average(Arteta, Mertesacker,Sagna). He leaves Podolski on the bench most games - at least he battles and makes an effort.
Did Mourinho see something going on with Mata? Forget the excuses of being "out of position", nobody in front of the defence seemed to have a position last night! Mata has been shit and looks a shadow of the player he was..
I'm shocked the FA aren't going to punish Fellaini for that elbow - shit was blatant. Should have gone off. He sticks out like a sore thumb in a poor United team..not up to standard.
and remarkable to be able to (essentially) trace it back to the loss of Ramsey
Does he come back next week? I know I miss him from my fantasy team. I can't imagine how much the actual team would like his return.
DocMcCoy"Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,913 Posts
If we'd had Suarez for the first eight games, we'd have tied the Prem off quicker than Bayern did the Bundesliga. Imagine how many goals we'd get against our defence; "Can we play us every week?"
^^ I'd be surprised if we see him again this season tbh. He's been 'one or two weeks away' for several months now.
I think the problems with Arsenal all stem from Wenger and his over idealistic approach to the game. It's how we end up with a possession based philosophy but a side who can't really play possession football, but also can't play any other way either. He's why we're always a few players short of a truly competitive squad, cause he doesn't want to fill the spot of a potential youngster with a squad player on a long contract, but it always leaves us short come the business end of the season. It also stems from his refusal to adjust to the market value with transfers.
It's like watching a 1930s gentleman boxer go toe to toe with a MMA trained street brawler. The saddest thing is that this is the man who revolutionised so much in the PL, you can easily look at City and see an Arsenal template of teams past, with their mix of strength and skill. But Wenger turned away from that path to walk down this tipy tapy football route and he refuses to budge from that very singular approach despite it's continued failings.
you can easily look at City and see an Arsenal template of teams past
The fact that City have poached so many players from Arsenal over the past few years speaks to the fact that Wenger still develops top drawer players that work in this system. I see they are trying to tempt Sagna at the moment.
It's just disappointing that it never seems to come together properly at Arsenal. At this point it's beyond back luck or misfortune with injuries or whatever.
that lack of confindence you expressed has moved to players wanting to leave and no one wanting to join the arse
Bollocks. It's more the fact that Arsenal simply can't compete with the bankrolled clubs in the league. And it's always been the case that if you really want to compete you have to spend the most, and the like of City, Chelsea, Liverpool and ManU are happy to just throw cash at players like it's meaningless.
badder_than_evil said:
There isn't any competition for places and many players are just average(Arteta, Mertesacker,Sagna). He leaves Podolski on the bench most games - at least he battles and makes an effort.
Competition for places is an over rated factor to say the least. Sure you want a strong squad if you can afford it, but getting the most out of all those players is very tricky. What most championship winning sides have had is a strong core of players that play every game of the season. At Arsenal there's plenty of competition for places if you're a attacking midfielder, cause that's the only position Wenger seems interested in anymore.
Like Arteta, Mertesacker was a panic buy and I wasn't keen on him to begin with, but I feel he is seriously underrated. Whilst slow and useless in a high line, he's the main reason Arsenal had the best defensive record for 2013 callander year. Sagna is one of the best right backs in the game, he may not be particularly great going forward or exciting, but he's incredibly dependable which is what you really want from a player in his position. Podolski is most of the time the definition of average, he occasionally shows great fight and talent, but then he'll go missing for games at a time. He's just another example of a Arsenal 'nearly' player that we've seen way too many of in recent years.
It's just disappointing that it never seems to come together properly at Arsenal. At this point it's beyond back luck or misfortune with injuries or whatever.
I fully agree....all clubs get injuries, even the elite clubs....but as OKEM noted, at Arsenal the depth seems only to reside with young/inexperienced players, very few established veterans.
granted we can't all be as fortunate as Citeh, who currently has a 4th choice striker (Jovetic) that cost about 30mm....but at the same time, it shouldn't be as pathetic as the situation at Arsenal, where our back-up strkers are be recalled from loans (Akpom), struggling with finding form after a back injury (Sanogo), or spending their free time grinding on Taxi cabs (TGSTEL).
The fact is, Arsene and the club could balance the team much better without going bankrupt, but as OKEM said, he would rather blood in youth...which makes us a very enticing club for youngsters to join (see Ox), but a very frustrating club for senior players to stay with (see Sagna).
Even Spurs do a much better job in filling out their roster (albeit it's seems to taken every bit of 7 months for them to figure out how to play with each other). Wenger has a totally different model....and one that I am starting to lack faith in being a long term success for a club that aspires to win titles and trophies.
Diego Maradona (to Sheffield United): I still find this incredible but it is genuine. In 1978, he was spotted by Sheffield United manager Harry Haslam as a talented 17-year-old but they could not afford the £200,000 fee. By 1986, he was the greatest player in the world.
'Kin 'ell. Lad would have been 4 stone heavier after discovering the Mangla.
Wenger has lost his mojo, and an FA cup win might persuade him to go honourably into the sunset.
It can have escaped no-one's attention that the younger generation of progressive coaches ally a beautiful-game philosophy with a grit n fight reality.
Surely the annual 4th n cup run routine wears thin by now.
I think he's likely gone in the summer, provided the cup is delivered.
DocMcCoy"Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,913 Posts
Well, this Stevie-sceptic's being made to eat his words this season. Quite enjoying them, as it goes.
Off-the-pitch antics aside, I argue Stevie has been At-That-Level for longer.
I know City have the games in hand, but with two imminent trips to (the city of) Liverpool on the cards, it could happen. I mean, it's City we are talking about. Still shaken after watching that QPR/Barton rollercoaster.
It will be a glorious miracle for Kop man, fox rules.
Comments
Should've been a red.
Despite the fact that the Un*ted squad last night cost more than the City squad, that side needs serious new faces.
Please tell me that, as a red, you weren't cheering Roonaldo and dem?
Never. I'd much prefer they got hammered. Firstly, it's a lot more enjoyable. Secondly, if they'd somehow managed to take three points off Ciddy, the likelihood of us winning the Prem becomes that little bit more realistic, and I can't be giving too much headspace to things like that. Waiting for a late-season Chelsea/Citeh collapse this season is like willing the wheels to come off during a peak-era United run-in. Not gonna happen. I'll take third, cheers.
Time for the 575 haiku methinks
Each week his team reach
A new low; whither J-Mo?
Why must Glazer cry?
and remarkable to be able to (essentially) trace it back to the loss of Ramsey -- the same player most were slating when he got a new contract in late 2012. And how a thigh strain on boxing day turned into a 4 month injury is beyond me. Either Arsenal have brittle/injury prone players, or the physios are not using enough horse placenta these days.
I never really thought the Arse had a chance at the title, but I also didn't think it would another nail biting season of us trying to patch-work a team together to battle for our favorite 4th place trophy.
And when you marry this issue, along with our ongoing inability to compete head to head with teams in the 1-3 spots, and with the seemingly never ending issue of us not getting all parts of the squad in order, I am starting to really wonder if the game has finally passed Wenger by?
I don't want him gone necessarily, but he no longer inspires me with confidence that he can figure it out going forward.
I think it's the philosophies of the club that are behind the times, if not the depth of pockets required to fully compete in the PL and CL.
City and Chelski having the funds to appoint 2 upper-echelon players for just about every position has allowed them to stay the distance, whereas key injuries (when Cesc was running the show) have always derailed Arsenal, and Liverpool to some degree, ever year.
I expected the wallet come out for the desperately needed striker in January..never happened.
He finally spent a load of money on Ozil, only to see him fade really quickly..I don't know if he is unhappy in England, at Arsenal or what is going on. He is totally uninterested in helping the team out defensively which is totally unacceptable in today's game..
Nobody can criticize Wenger for what he has done for Arsenal and their future but it is time to strengthen that squad properly. There isn't any competition for places and many players are just average(Arteta, Mertesacker,Sagna). He leaves Podolski on the bench most games - at least he battles and makes an effort.
Did Mourinho see something going on with Mata? Forget the excuses of being "out of position", nobody in front of the defence seemed to have a position last night! Mata has been shit and looks a shadow of the player he was..
I'm shocked the FA aren't going to punish Fellaini for that elbow - shit was blatant. Should have gone off. He sticks out like a sore thumb in a poor United team..not up to standard.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lavalampmuseum/sets/72157619081815831/
Does he come back next week? I know I miss him from my fantasy team. I can't imagine how much the actual team would like his return.
B-Rodge = manager of the season, by miles.
EDIT: When LOL just isn't enough.
I think the problems with Arsenal all stem from Wenger and his over idealistic approach to the game. It's how we end up with a possession based philosophy but a side who can't really play possession football, but also can't play any other way either. He's why we're always a few players short of a truly competitive squad, cause he doesn't want to fill the spot of a potential youngster with a squad player on a long contract, but it always leaves us short come the business end of the season. It also stems from his refusal to adjust to the market value with transfers.
It's like watching a 1930s gentleman boxer go toe to toe with a MMA trained street brawler. The saddest thing is that this is the man who revolutionised so much in the PL, you can easily look at City and see an Arsenal template of teams past, with their mix of strength and skill. But Wenger turned away from that path to walk down this tipy tapy football route and he refuses to budge from that very singular approach despite it's continued failings.
The fact that City have poached so many players from Arsenal over the past few years speaks to the fact that Wenger still develops top drawer players that work in this system. I see they are trying to tempt Sagna at the moment.
It's just disappointing that it never seems to come together properly at Arsenal. At this point it's beyond back luck or misfortune with injuries or whatever.
Competition for places is an over rated factor to say the least. Sure you want a strong squad if you can afford it, but getting the most out of all those players is very tricky. What most championship winning sides have had is a strong core of players that play every game of the season. At Arsenal there's plenty of competition for places if you're a attacking midfielder, cause that's the only position Wenger seems interested in anymore.
Like Arteta, Mertesacker was a panic buy and I wasn't keen on him to begin with, but I feel he is seriously underrated. Whilst slow and useless in a high line, he's the main reason Arsenal had the best defensive record for 2013 callander year. Sagna is one of the best right backs in the game, he may not be particularly great going forward or exciting, but he's incredibly dependable which is what you really want from a player in his position. Podolski is most of the time the definition of average, he occasionally shows great fight and talent, but then he'll go missing for games at a time. He's just another example of a Arsenal 'nearly' player that we've seen way too many of in recent years.
I fully agree....all clubs get injuries, even the elite clubs....but as OKEM noted, at Arsenal the depth seems only to reside with young/inexperienced players, very few established veterans.
granted we can't all be as fortunate as Citeh, who currently has a 4th choice striker (Jovetic) that cost about 30mm....but at the same time, it shouldn't be as pathetic as the situation at Arsenal, where our back-up strkers are be recalled from loans (Akpom), struggling with finding form after a back injury (Sanogo), or spending their free time grinding on Taxi cabs (TGSTEL).
The fact is, Arsene and the club could balance the team much better without going bankrupt, but as OKEM said, he would rather blood in youth...which makes us a very enticing club for youngsters to join (see Ox), but a very frustrating club for senior players to stay with (see Sagna).
Even Spurs do a much better job in filling out their roster (albeit it's seems to taken every bit of 7 months for them to figure out how to play with each other). Wenger has a totally different model....and one that I am starting to lack faith in being a long term success for a club that aspires to win titles and trophies.
'Kin 'ell. Lad would have been 4 stone heavier after discovering the Mangla.
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/jul/08/mangla-sheffield-restaurant-review
They pub over the road come over the road to collect your glasses from the Mangla.
I know where of I speak, believe me.
The force is strong.
I love the dude, but I think Wenger might be past his prime
It can have escaped no-one's attention that the younger generation of progressive coaches ally a beautiful-game philosophy with a grit n fight reality.
Surely the annual 4th n cup run routine wears thin by now.
I think he's likely gone in the summer, provided the cup is delivered.
Off-the-pitch antics aside, I argue Stevie has been At-That-Level for longer.
I know City have the games in hand, but with two imminent trips to (the city of) Liverpool on the cards, it could happen. I mean, it's City we are talking about. Still shaken after watching that QPR/Barton rollercoaster.
It will be a glorious miracle for Kop man, fox rules.
chelsea real
uefa already salivating
Complacancy took psg almost took madrid
I don't think Barça are in any way guaranteed to go through.