Written by GoonerinExile
On the 30 September 1996 Monsieur Wenger arrived at Chateau Arsenal to find a heavy task in front of him. The most recent successful vintage was becoming a little stale, it had pretty good body, and sometimes an exquisite finish but in all fairness it was far too unrefined when drinking and often a bit dull and boring, drinkers were not so keen anymore, and supporters of other Chateaus would often taunt Chateau Arsenal for its lack of imagination, and predictability.
Wenger had to decide how to reinvigorate the Chateau, he knew he had a good base, but realised that in order to charm the locals, he would need to add something else to make the wine more exciting. So he set about blending, using the base of the most recent vintage he added to it some quality wines from other producers.
In doing so he created a potent and successful blend that came of age half way through 1997 and managed to get two big domestic awards by the summer of 1998. Between 1997 and 2004 this approach continued and he continued to win awards for the grand old Chateau. This culminated in the success of the 2003/04 vintage that was quite literally unbeatable by any other domestic producer.
During this time he was always ready to ditch wines that were past their best, or nearing it, so as to maximise the gain financially to spend on more untried wines from other producers to blend with his existing crop. These untried wines were opened occasionally to breathe and see how they drank, if they were not quite ready he was prepared to wrap them back up and cellar them for another couple of years before deciding to open them up again.
Occasionally some acquired wines just did not fit the bill or complement the wines he already had, again he still managed to convince other producers that the wine would be worth something to them and sell them on for in most cases a small profit.
Despite the success of the Chateau deep down in his heart Monsieur Wenger knew this is not how a wine producer should really create its wine, to be truly proud of your Chateau you have to produce the wine yourself, from grapes you have tended and cared for over many years. When Wenger arrived at the Chateau the home grown wines were indeed robust and solid, however the currently growing vines were not producing good enough wine to complement his blends and perform to the high levels that he expected. An occasional wine would emerge, but unfortunately they either didn’t have the legs, or were too complex to be used in the Chateau.
This did not earn him much respect and the critics of the vineyard would constantly point to the fact that the new wines were not of the Chateaus own making and the young wines that he did use had often been taken from other producers during their formative years, while Arsene provided the final finish through some careful oaking and nurturing whilst still in the barrel.
The Chateau was also forced to move its main headquarters for a bigger home to ensure more people could taste the wine being produced, the expense of this move however meant that Arsene could not spend as much money on buying in wines from other producers. This gave the critics further fuel saying that Wenger could not actually grow his own wine, he needed to be able to buy it. Wenger still continued to produce some good blends after the move but not quite up to its previous standards.
Little did these critics know that down at the vineyards Wenger had been creating his own homegrown vines, they were planted once he had relaid the ground on which they would be tended, the Chateaus main vineyard in Hertfordshire was totally remodelled and Wenger made sure the setting was perfect for wine growing, so after its opening in 1999 he set about growing the vines, we are now seeing the first crops produced by Wenger during this time, he made sure that every person on the vineyard caring for the vines ensured that every single method was applied exactly as he would like. We are only just seeing the grapes being produced by these vines, but the first inklings are that these wines will need little maturing before being launched on the unsuspecting producers who have laughed at Chateau Arsenal’s struggles in recent years.
If Arsene’s new vintages are as good as he hopes other producers won’t get a sniff of an award for many years to come, there is one wine already being used within the current blend, there are several others being opened in other producers to see how they have matured, and there are many that are queuing up behind the current crop to replace the blends currently employed.
The future for Chateau Arsenal is indeed bright.
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
Morning to you too Rasp.
Righty ho, postage to read.
GiE,
Love it.
You sit back and observe a whole day of “corked” and “sparkling” lines. You may regret this!
Are you insane,the vintage is Chateaux piss 2006.
A Vintage post. Akin to a fine Mouton Rothschild
Morning Danish,
Don’t you think with a front six of,
Nasri RvP Theo
Cesc Song JW
that we cannot outscore any of the teams in our remaining ten games. Remember they are all beautifully spaced a week apart with no other distractions like the teams around us?
Don’t you just love DG. The Victor Meldrew of blogging.
Bonjour BR.
I think the Wilshere grape has added the pepperiness I like on my palate and as the tannins age and become more subtle the current vintage may well be at it’s best next year… 🙂 Excellent post GiE!
Ca va Micky?
GIE. I really enjoyed the post, and I guess it must have been enjoyable to write. Well done.
A very neat allegory, GIE, especially given the preponderance of cheeky little french aperitifs in our chateau team! 🙂
Let us hope that the BBC reports about the swift return of JD are true. plus the strong rumours that TV is back in training and could be available post WBA.
I think we ought to blend in a touch of the robust Tempranillo Grape for next season. (For those of you less poncey than myself, that grape has enormous testicles).
Micky. I tend to be attracted to the soft, silky and smooth on the tongue Merlot grape 😉
Super libation of a post GiE 😛
The opportunities for punnery are iresistable. I just hope that our wine is sparkling come May and manure are seriously corked.
RA,
“Cheeky little french aperitifs”? Perhaps leave out references to your private life, and I think that applies to BR with his “I tend to be attracted to the soft, silky and smooth on the tongue” type.
Rasp. Any idea what has happened at TopofBlogs? I have had a look at their site and cannot figure out how to use it.
I think that we are being overkind in comparing Chateau Wenger with other footballing Chateaux.
Most of our competitors are more easily compared with breweries that produce simple, robust, unsubtle but powerful beers that are quaffed with gusto.
The delicate champagnes of Chateau Wenger need to be allowed to mature, before being sipped slowly to allow the exquisite taste to explode on the palate inducing the most exhilerating sense of contentment! 🙂
N’est-ce pas?
Morning Raddy, no I don’t, its been like that for a couple of days – I’ll investigate when I get a chance….
To anyone of Danish Gooner’s persuasion – the phrases ‘lost our bottle’ and ‘popped our cork’ are banned from this post 😦
Our vintage wine is in danger of becoming chip-shop vinegar! Campbell last year, now Lehmann?! Why not go the whole hog & bring back Vieira, Pires & Henry! Install Keown back at the heart of the defence alongside Adams while he’s at it. No wonder Man Utd beat us with consumate ease and Mourinho laughs at us! Is this what we are meant to consider as exciting progreesive forward thinking? Wenger’s wine has become increasingly unpalatable.
Thanks for joining in the spirit HCAA, I think the choice of Lehman was a no-brainer as he was with us at LC, knows the club inside out and is unlikely to play anyway. But just say Almunia gets injured, would you want to see young James Shea face totnum or the mancs?
Had Wenger not ignored this urgent issue for the umpteenth time, we wouldn’t be in this situation. There must be something fundamentally wrong with our set-up to keep getting the amount of injuries we get, and always at the same time of year. Our training methods obviously need a complete over-haul. I’m sorry if I sound so negative, you are all much more forgiving than me regarding their latest toothless OT showing.
I have sympathy with your view HCAA and will be confronting those difficult questions once the season is over. At the moment we can win the Prem and that would make this a very succesful season for us IMO.
In terms of the result on saturday, it could be a blessing in disguise for us and the straw that breaks the camel’s back for manure in terms of fatigue and fixture congestion.
Morning all, interesting metaphor used there and well worked GiE for most of us although sadly I’m a bit of an oik when it comes to such frippery and foppery as fine wines and most of that went over my head.
I’m only a deconstructed lager lout and not up to the delicate pleasures that wines seem to offer.
My bad.
Thanks for the kind comments folks.
To be fair I’d hoped when I wrote it that the Chateau would have one of those awards by now.
But I would ask the doubters to look past the current shortcomings and look longer term, the most expensive vintages are popular for many years, not just the 12 months after opening.
The Wilshere grape as Carlito says is one that will go on and on, I also hear good things about many other new grapes being grown in Hertfordshire and being sampled elsewhere.
as a teetotaller i can’t coment, but the best that could happen to us is to somehow reinstate david dein and let him do the transfers and negotiating and let wenger get on purely with the football
i know d.d. is not everyone’s cup of tea,but i see a a different type of player that has come in, since he left. the players today need to feel they want first and foremost to be proud to wear the shirt and show loyalty instead of always looking for extra salary before they prove themselves.
i know many will disagree but we need to put more emphasis on players performances not always blame the manager.
Fergie has seen and done it before at our expense 12 years ago. I was mocked when I suggested that Hernandez would prove to be better than Vela! I’m fed up with Wenger’s rhetoric & smoke-screen philosophy, and his inflexability to change something that hasn’t worked for 6 years. Just 3 weeks ago he was going on about quadruples! I really want him gone. As for the title, Wenger doesn’t deserve it for constantly selling fans short.
HCAA I would have some sympathy with your view if all injuries were training ground or muscle strains.
Recent injuries:
Fabianski – fell awkwardly in warm up
Szczesney – dislocated a finger catching a ball
Djourou – trampled by Sagna
RvP – injured scoring
Theo – ankle was fallen on by Stoke
How can training methods prevent these? Wenger extended the careers of Dixon, Winterburn, Adams, Bould and Keiwn way past what we could realistically have expected. What’s changed? Apart from luck?
This post has quaffability, GIE.
Most resplendent on the old taste buds.
Oh, for a smooth long finish to this current vintage.
HCAA are you for real…..you’d prefer us not to win the title because in your view he doesn’t deserve it?
So if he wins the title it’s nothing to do with him it’s in spite of him…..I truly despair!!
Whilst I’m sure you’d love to have your opinion on him upheld I would rather the doubters were proved wrong.
If he goes we get a new manager that will win something on the back of 6 years of hard work from Arsene in producing and gathering the current squad.
Kelsey I think the money grabbers are shown the door quite quickly….Adebayor, Ashley Cole (whilst Dein was there), Hleb, Flamini have gone.
Who do you think in the current squad is only there for the money? It is well known we are not the biggest payers in the league, never have been, Kozzer, Sagna, JD, Nasri do not play like men who are only there for the money.
If there is one thing we need it is a few players who will rip the bollocks of those around them if they are not doing their job.
This is not a new phenomenom. If it was a one-off, then we could curse our luck, but come Feb & March for the final push, we regularly have our key players out with injury. Why did Fabregas & van Persie play in the Camp Nou? And you’d think by now, on previous experience, Wenger would strengthen to negate the crippling injuries that have now become inevitable. Chelsea and Liverpool may have over-spent, but at least they’re showing some ambition. Where’s our 25-goal a season striker?
GIE,,
maybe i didn’t express my self properly.
Arshavin IMO is only here for the money, no loyalty but that could be said of any of our players if one of the rich clubs dangle a carrot.
it’s a hard balancing act to get players at a reasonable price, whatever that is, and then expect them to perform regularly at the highest level.
theo is still in transition, yet he is on 60k a week, but i suppose if he didn’t get that sort of wage he would find a better deal elsewhere.
I’ll always want us to win titles GiE, but I want the CL more, to elevate us to the level of Man Utd’s, Liverpool’s & Real Madrid’s of our world. They are top-tier, we are in the tier below, and always will be until we win it. And Spuds might be 11 titles behind us, but they’ve won more than us in Europe. The thought of them or Chelsea becoming the 1st London club to win the CL is very sobering, & frankly depressing.
HCAA find me a 25 goal a year striker at Liverpool or Chelsea, then find me one who will get 25 goals a year and who is not already at a big club being paid bigger money than we will. Then I might appreciate your view.
Kelsey you are probably right re AA23, his tired legs have become evident again in the last two weeks, he can go from hero to zero in such a short space of time. 40-50 consistent games a season is too much to ask of him unfortunately.
Wenger should have anticipated the shoulder injury to Fabianski and the fact that he didn’t foresee the damage to Szcesney finger against Barcelona must make us question his future at the club………why do I bother?
Good post though GIE.
I think Suarez at Liverpool has that potential, plus we have the 3rd highest wage-bill in the Premier Lge, though you’d never know it based on performances like those at OT. So couldn’t a club of our stature afford Suarez?
HCAA, Danish Gooner,
I thought you would enter into the spirit of the thing by at least introducing the phrase ‘The Grapes of Wrath’, but never mind! 🙂
You seem a genuine fan but have allowed yourself to become disappointed and delusioned.
Man Citeh, Spurs and Liverpool fans, after donkey’s years of disappointment and shitty stadia, still support their clubs and must laugh their socks off at the nonsense being spouted by some spoilt Gooners.
Wenger is a magnificent manager and what he has done over the years, without money, is quite stunning.
What is needed is some commonsense and maturity, please!
No London, nobody is a mind-reader, but what he might have considered is the pattern of the last 4 or 5 seasons, when at the business end of the season, Arsenal are always short of several key players through injury. And at the start of the season when he was predicting great things, instead of looking at Schwarzer, he could have bought a GK worthy of the direction our club is supposed to be going, like for example, Stekelenburg from Ajax.
Nicely worked and an amusing read well done GIE. did you see our man score for your local team last night, what does the Canary press and grape vine say of him will he make it.
HCAA: To quote a wonderful player from another sport and another era “You can not be serious”
London you are of course right I had forgotten that the UEFA coaching badge covers a section given by Mystic Meg and Russel Grant, obviously Arsene did not attend, and we should expect him to gall on his sword for that.
I’m sure HCAA will go on to judge the failings with that wonderful thing called hindsight and profess he could see it coming.
RA,
Liverpool have multi European Cups to boast of, so are still a tier above us in a global sense. Spurs are in the CL last 8 & have won our last 2 PL meetings, and Man City are being linked with Mourinho in the summer, so maybe they have just cause to laugh at the miserly skin-flint that Wenger has become. How many billionaires do we have on our board? Two? Most clubs don’t have one!
Guys,
I don’t agree with HCAA, but he is just giving his opinion with sincerity and with due respect (up until his last comment). He is contributing to the yin/yang balance of the site and expressing himself with more clarity than many with similar views.
I hope your positive responses will encourage him to join us in a collective push for the title as I’m sure that’s what we all want.
HCAA,
If you cut out the incomprehensible anti-Wenger tirade, I would be happy to chat to you, as would others on here.
You have raised points that are valid and deserve to be discussed, but please, no more miserly, skin-flint Wenger comments, they really are not helpful.
Hi RA,
I posted my comment @ 12:04 before I read the ‘miserly skin flint’ bit. I would imagine HCAA was feeling a bit beseiged and therefore went for the over-reactive response.
Thanks DanDan, the word on Lansbury from local Canary regulars is very very good. They day he has a great engine and his class stands out.
Only used as a sub last night but as you say came on to score a crucial goal.
HCAA keep beating the drum, some of the Wenger bashers might come along to help eventually.
Would you prefer to lose Szczesney, Wilshere, Afobe, JET and others currently progressing through the ranks for the sake of buying a few big named players or worse still big money gambles. Look how Dzeko is fairing on the City blogs and Adebayor did, and Robinhio did. Money doesn’t buy anything more than Wenger has achieved through making gambles at the lower end of the transfer market. I winder how many questioned the arrival of Petit, TH14, Pires, Ljubgberg and Viera at the time. Hindsight judged them well for us.
Suarez whilst doing well in Holland has had two/three games in the PL, judge him at the end of next season after 50 games at PL pace. Do you really think he’ll get 25 goals?
GiE,
I think Frimpong could also have been a very important player for us this season. He looks stronger and more determined than Eastmond at present and may well have played himself into the set up as a Song stand-in.
So we all have to hold our hands up, surrender & become apologists for someone who is constantly out-witted by every other ambitious coach? Toothless, passionless surrender at OT against a weakened Man Utd team with 7 defenders in their starting XI? Or the fact that Wenger ditched his attacking mentality at Camp Nou, & became the 1st club not to register a single shot on goal (as well as starting Fabregas & van Persie, both clearly unfit). The failure to break-down an ordinary Sunderland side, or the lack of spirit needed to beat relegation-threatened Birmingham? Or the capitulations against West Brom, Spurs & Newcastle? Things that happened last season being allowed to happen again this season, and lessons not being learned. There’s so much to forgive, not least the timid weakness of our club & the lack of any genuine leadership on or off the field. If only clubs who were actually winning real silver-ware shared our sense of humility!
GiE, Suarez was the architect behind Liverpool destroying Man Utd at Anfield. Anyone ever remember seeing Arsenal destroy Man Utd? No, me neither.
Interesting point GIE.
I have come around to the view that the occasional top quality (inevitably expensive) addition to the squad is necessary. At the moment I have my fingers crossed for a fast, skilful winger to join us in the summer.
In fact, over recent seasons, Arsene has bought expensive players in among the ‘bargain buys’, Nasri and Arshavin spring to mind. He has also bought ‘cheaper’ players of whom I think Kozzer has been excellent for us, as well as bringing thru’ kids like Jack, Gibbsy and now Miguel into the first team mix.
The best player for Manu for some time has been ‘cheap’ £6m Vidic, so buying expensive or cheap (comparative terms because who would find £6m cheap?) but as you have already pointed out, paying out big sums for a player does not guarantee success, and buying ‘cheap’ can pay big dividends if you select right.
Rasp- don’t get me started on Eastmond! Wenger always says he’s looking for “intelligent” players- and I know this is meant in terms of having “a football brain” but here is a selction of his contributions to the twitterverse:
These three posted yesterday about 7pm:
Why is it so dark
Lil man wanted 2 go 2 the park but he can’t c the ball no point
Guest I give him a lil drive 2 c nandos hahaha
And these 3 the day before in the morning:
Morning tweeps the day loooks very sunny
Who does it look likes everyone smokin
Jus open my window an it is cold out omg
Apart from the sheer lack of coherence- the picture that emerges is of a young man baffled by the movement of the sun and seasons! A Sheffield Wednesday fan friend of mine followed him on twitter at at my suggestion. He sent me this yesterday:
“I can’t remember what he looks like so I am picturing Beeker from the muppets dressed as Ali G. The lad is a genius. Surely an act? No. It is not is it. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Might ask him his views on the situation in Libya.”
Given that he’s barely getting a game at MILLWALL- I don’t give him much chance. Am I being unfair?
Carlito,
I dont tweet or twitter, but I watched him in the junior teams, and tho’ I suspect I am boring you, again, but he was undoubtedly the poorest player in each team he played in.
How perverse that when the ‘cut’ came, he was given a professional contract and quickly played in the first team, while other better players were let go or were farmed out on loan.
I know my place, I’m just a fan and not a coach, but the selection process mystifies me sometimes.
Jack, JET, Randall and Lansbury were always technically a class apart as kids, but Eastmond beating the latter 3 as a regular first teamer would really irk me.
Now look what you have done Carlito, you have got me on my soapbox, not a pretty sight!! 🙂
We do have two billionaires HCAA but are they putting money in to the club?
I think Kroenke especially likes the way it is run presently and sees it as a financial investment.
Usmanov won’t put money in unless he gains control, something that is not going to happen any time soon, and is the only way we see David Dein back at the club I would guess. But I don’t want Usmanovs money in our club, I don’t want to buy the title.
Oh dear Carlito, that doesn’t paint a good picture of Eastmond at all.
I have often wondered what is written into player’s contracts regarding press releases, statements, interviews etc. Some players are apparently that naive that they don’t expect comments made to foreign media to be reported in the UK – or are they????
One thing is for sure, twitter is yet another nail in the coffin of the English language and a vehicle by which the mentally challenged expose their deficiences to the world in an instant.
Dandan has written a post on the subject which we hope to publish soon.
Rasper,
The English language is immensely flexible and the most wonderful tool for communicating.
Texting and tweeting with their immediacy lend themselves to abbreviations for speed of response, but it would be a shame if youngsters lose their glorious language tool as a result.
It is not the grammatical errors on a tweet that would worry me, it is the inane, perhaps asinine, subject matter reported by Carlito that is revealing.
I’ll look forward to that one from Dandan- I believe he wrote on here recently with the famous Mark Twain quote “Better to keep your mouth closed and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt”. It definitely applies to young Mr Eastmond!
RA- It was the “why is it so dark” question at well past 6pm in March that was the tipping point for me! “Out of sync with the stars, the seasons, the very stuff of existence”, and earning more than 4 times my salary too!
I don’t want to buy the title either GiE, I think it’s morally wrong, but paying loyal supporters/fans deserve so much better than what has been served-up in recent seasons. What exactly has Arshavin given us for £15m? Nasri has gone off the boil for the last two or three months. It’s all about the ability to identify good quality players, & Wenger is very hit and miss in that dept. Look at Jeffers, & Reyes. Reyes might be doing it now, back in Spain, but crucially he didn’t deliver for us. Pires was an established international when Wenger bought him, and was bought to replace Overmars when we played 4-4-2. And he did unearth Vieira from Milan reserves, and saved Henry from his left-wing torture at Juventus, for which he deserves enormous credit. But he could have had van der Sar & Bale for a combined out-lay of £4m. He could have bought Dawson from Nott’m Forest for £2m, Modric for the same monry he paid for Arshavin, & could have bought van der Vaart for £8m. It’s been a long time since Wenger unearthed a real diamond in the transfer-market, and we have suffered painfully for that.
HCAA my final 2 points to you as the you said/he said arguments aren’t much fun for other bloggers.
1. FC Porto, Nottm Forest, Aston Villa, Red Star Belgrade, Benfica, Celtic, Hamburg, Marseille, Ajax, PSV, Steau Bucharest……are they all bigger clubs than us?
2. Suarez had a good game against ManUtd yes, does one swallow make a summer?( I hope Eastmond doesn’t read this blog) And yes I do remember an Arsenal player tearing ManUtd apart, Overmars, Pires, Henry have all done it in the past. Granted it’s not recent but you asked if I remembered and I do.
Now do you remember the first 5 years of the PL? We didn’t have a sniff of it, and then someone came and changed it all for us. That man is still here and he is trying win it with reduced finances, if you truly believe Wenger is a skinflint you are entitled to that opinion, I personally don’t believe the money needed to buy the players you have mentioned is viable.
GG bought Bould, Dixon, Winterburn, Groves for relative peanuts, and got rid of Samson, Nicholas and other stalwarts, that young side developed at home with the addition of some astute purchases made us Champions, I think Arsene is repeating the recipe with the current squad.
HCAA- are Vermaelen and Koscielny not diamonds?
HCAA,
The club’s mission to achieve financial stability without frivolous input from a billionaire benefactor; the creation of a conveyor belt of emerging talent; the pursuit of beautiful football; the provision of an amazing ground and training facilities all come at a price.
I imagine you (like the rest of us) would still support Arsenal if we spent every season fighting relegation. You have to see our lack of trophies recently in the context of the bigger picture. The sort of organic growth that we’ve experienced that has precluded paying huge sums of money for established superstars, means that success will come more slowly.
Afternoon all
GIE
great post, I also believe we are almost there !!!
Hi HCCA,
You have some really interesting viewpoints but in my opinon they dont stand up to scrutiny
‘Spurs are in the CL last 8 & have won our last 2 PL meetings,’ – so do we ignore the 10 years before when they were NOT in the champions league and failed to beat us in the league to give your viewpoint credence ??
You say Wenger should go….who should replace him then ?
As many have said on this site, there is a league to be won and until it is mathematically impossible we all need to stick together to ensure we SUPPORT our team. Post mortems can be done to death ( excuse the pun) when the season is over.
Some fans need to be very careful
I think HCAA raises some interesting points and I can understand/empathise with some of his frustrations plus he is stimulating debate.
HCCA A quote for you to consider.
Persistence is the twin sister of excellence. One is a matter of quality; the other, a matter of time.
Wenger is pure quality renowned for his persistence/stubbornness, our job is to give him the time.
Wonderman,
After my post all puns are valid today 🙂
GIE lol thankyou sir !
GiE “does one swallow make a summer?( I hope Eastmond doesn’t read this blog)” 😀 Just asked Eastmond on twitter- will let you know his response! I suspect he’ll say that 30 swallows makes a great evening out at Nandos 😀
Since 2006 CL Final our record in this competiton is poor. 2007 – Put out in Rnd of 16 by PSV; 2008 – QF, put out by Liverpool (though admittedly we were robbed by Ref at Anfield!); 2009 – Embarrassed by Man Utd in semi-finals; 2010 – Embarrassed by Messi in QF; 2011 – Rnd of 16, embarrassing that we didn’t register a single shot in the return leg. Unless I’m blind, that doesn’t look much like progression to me. GiE – We’ve never destroyed Man Utd in the same way as they’ve done to us, the last time we put 3 past them in a game was Nov ’97, when Platt got the winner. Carlito11 – Vermaalen has been missing since August, and didn’t significantly improve our defence last season, so only time will tell. Koscielny has made a few costly errors this season & wasn’t cheap at £10m, so again, judgement is reserved. Wonderman – Who would I like to see replace Wenger? Guus Hiddink, Owen Coyle or Paul Lambert.
Blimey GiE – that’s the first post that’s ever given me a hangover.
If we’ve got a Chateau producing fine wine, I reckon Fergie has a distillery. Once it used to produce fine single malts, now it’s churning out a bland blend made out of bin ends from other, smaller distillers. At the moment he’s getting away with it because the consumers haven’t quite caught up yet with the decline in the produce.
HCCA
Let me get ths straight, you believe that Hiddink who has won 1 European Cup (23 years ago)against Wenger’s 1 ( 20 years ago) 1 FA Cup against Wengers 4, 0 Premier League titles against Wenger’s 3, represents progress and moving forward ????
Paul Lambert and Owen Coyle ???….no comment
Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race”
And Wenger takes much stick for what his persistence and determination. Sometimes I wonder just what people want.. Paul Lambert Hmmmm
Wonderman – Hiddink had half a season in our Premier League (replacing Scolari), finishing above Arsenal & winning the FA Cup, losing only ONE PL game, so how can you compare a few months to 15 years? Wenger has never won the European Cup, nor is he likely to! Owen Coyle, 1st full season at Bolton has them in the top 7 & into the FA Cup semi-finals. Paul Lambert (CL winner as a player), took over at Norwich early last season after they were beaten 7-1 at Colchester, took them up as League 1 Champions, now has them sitting 2nd in the Championship. Wenger isn’t the only manager in the world! Arsenal existed long before Wenger, and will continue to do so long after he is gone. Stop being so myopic!
THE MORE PEOPLE I MEET THE MORE I LOVE MY DOGS.
What people want DD, is passion and commitment to the cause. Players who will earn their huge wage-packet, dig-in and find the extra resources needed to fight and do battle, not the listless lifeless crap served up at OT by a bunch of over-paid, over-hyped mercenaries who don’t have the stomach or the balls for a fight, much-less try and actually win, and a manager who is tactically astute enough to realise exactly when momentum is draining away from his side, and make the necessary changes, instead of waiting until the result is beyond doubt. Is that too much to ask of people who are paid a King’s ransom?
Hi Dandan,
Could’nt agree with you more , as I said no comment
Hi Kelsey,
I am beginning to feel the same! 🙂
At least dogs understand loyalty!!
No, because we wouldn’t want to comment on other manager’s successes whilst we’re stuck in this continuous loop of failure, would we. That would never do! Perhaps you think Arsenal will die when Wenger eventually goes, such is his influence on our club.
Don’T mince your words HCAA say what you mean…….
What you really want I suspect is trophies and bragging rights.
Never mind we have an almost debt free club with a plethora of young players coming through to play in a super modern stadium we own.
Give it two or three years when some big name clubs have gone to the receivers and probably the championship, with a 10 point deduction and we are flying high. Then just maybe the penny will drop for all the disenchanted noisy shopaholics who masquerade as fans, just what The Arsenal have achieved
HCAA – thank you for your comments; I could not agree more! Yes we play some sublime football, wonderful team work and ethics, but football is about winning. If I want to watch synchronised beautiful movements, I will go and watch a ballet.
HCAA – who was MotM for Man U at OT? their keeper I’d guess we were a liitle bit better than half hearted and listless for that to happen.
Sorry fellow bloggers I couldnt let that one lie.
As you were.
HCCA
Your ability to argue your point coherently is becoming weaker by the post. What you have written about Lambert are facts, but I doubt anyone in their right mind will look at his record and be climbing over dead bodies to sign him as their manager. By your criteria we should have Kevin Keegan as our manager
re; Owen Coyle , we agree that he has transformed Bolton…but you want to be taken seriously by suggesting that achievement is one step away from managing arsenal ??? I I like your passion for a debate and you clearly have a deep feeling for Arsenal as we all do. Your opinion is valid as is all but your rationale is ….
Big name clubs such as? Chelsea? Man Utd? Liverpool? None of those clubs are struggling financially, and given Liverpool’s & Chelsea’s Jan transfer spending, it doesn’t look like changing any time soon. So you’re quite satisfied with the gulf in class between ourselves & Man Utd at OT on saturday are you? We could still be playing now and we wouldn’t have scored. Are you comfortable with that?
If it be the case that football is about winning Evonne, it necessarily follows that by that definition the vast amount of supporters, who support the 88 clubs that have never won the premiership are idiots who are wasting their time. If that is so who the hell are we gonna play, when no one wants to watch them.
Football is about belonging to a club through thick and thin, winning is a dream for some and a bonus for others. It is not and never will be a right, we have been unbelievably spoilt.
HCAA,
One question. If (that big word again) we do win the league this season with this…..
“bunch of over-paid, over-hyped mercenaries who don’t have the stomach or the balls for a fight, much-less try and actually win”
…should Wenger still go ?
If we’ve been spoilt DD, what does that say about Man Utd or Chelsea fans? Different mentality I presume. They expect success, we only hope, is that it?
I think the club has become overly reliant on Wenger to the extent that should he become unavailable –or unable- to work the club would lose direction.
While Wenger has performed miracle s and achieved a lot for the club I’m concerned that we are seeing him as the club and vice versa.
Gazidis has always, and rightly, talked of having a sound business model, however AFC has become so reliant on one key person to the extent that if he were to exit stage left there appears to be little contingencies in place for the future, no business places so much faith in one persons continued and uninterrupted stewardship, if I was a business advisor to AFC I’d make sure there were deputies within the club who would be able to step in to make sure the club was not rudderless when the “key man” is not able to manage.
I mean who within the club has been allowed to make material decisions regarding the running of the club so they can gain experience? This has arisen due to Wenger’s lack of delegation, he should concentrate on first team activities and the process of assembling a winning ( c. Charlie Sheen) squad – it is the all pervasiveness of his influence that while it has been a strength in the past, is now a weakness.
Geoff,
If (and I mean IF) we win the title, it will be because others have failed rather than anything we’ve done. After saturday can you really see us beating Man Utd at the Emirates? Or Tottenham at WHL? As it stands now, I think we’ll finish 3rd, behind Man Utd and Chelsea.
Chelsea success is so short lived as to be of no comparison to ours, nor as it happens to Liverpool’s. Your comment does however give us a fair clue that you are a product of this instant society that has reduced our economy so close to ruin in recent years.
Unfortunately some famous football names will go the same way. Luckily not the Arsenal, under this clued up regime
Chary I would be amazed if businessmen of the calibre that run our club do not have plans in place should the unthinkable happen and Wenger be lost to the club.
HCAA- Seriously give your fingers a rest for a minute sit back and try to look at a bigger picture.
Stop ignoring facts. The only way we get what you want is to sell out to one of the billionaires.
70 million pound coins says Chelsea are suffering financially but luckily for them they have a benefactor willing to shovel more money in. Man Utd have the biggest commercial revenue in the country and second in the world (built on success in the 60’s not 90’s), Liverpool were bailed out once this year already. Financially stable I think not. In line with Financial Fair play rules almost definitely not (except ManU).
I’m sure it galls you to see us so unsuccessful second in the league three points behind with a game in hand……clearly that’s not of Wengers or the current “mercenaries” doing. Liverpool are 6th, Spurs 5th Chelsea 4th, so they all must have better managers than Arsene Wenger….forgive me for not realising you have opened my eyes.
You would think so Dandan – but can you think of anyone else who has so much influence in any other club ? Perhaps Red nose but he doesn’t involve himself in money matters to the extent that Wenger does.
Chary. One could equally say that of MU and SAF. It is a result of having a long-term manager. Replacing AW will be the key to our future, even more than the stadium.
HCAA. Enjoyed your comments – don’t agree with what you say but you make some good points.
I guess the proposal that AW should have been prepared for the loss of his 2 frontline GK’s was too much for me. Any team, and I mean any, would suffer with the loss of the spine of their side. Szczesny, Cesc, Vermælen, Song, Walcott, all missing at OT and Barca (as you say, Cesc shouldn’t have played).
What team could handle a loss like that? Take out Puyol, Iniesta, Xavi, Villa or Messi and see how Barca play. And they are the best team in the world – a team we beat at the Grove when we had a team capable of attacking.
As to your argument that we would win the PL because others failed ….. isn’t that always the case?
I did mention SAF Radders, but I think he is much more first team results fixated than Wenger is.
The same clued-up regime that chokes when it really matters? Chelsea aren’t going away, and could well win the European Cup long before us. Again, it’s not all about finances, it’s about picking the right players & having the tactical acumen to defeat your opponent. We’ve lost 6 of the last 7 games against Man Utd, that isn’t about money, it’s about hunger & desire & mentality that manager’s instil into their players. The game as a whole wasn’t a great spectacle, which is why van der Sar was MotM, but he was never really out of his comfort zone. It wouldn’t take a lot of money for what we need, but the manager lacks the tactical ability at the very top level. He has a poor head-to-head record against Ferguson & has never beaten Mourinho. Peel them blinkers off!
Hi Chary
1. There is no question that Arsenal have a sound business model.
2. We are in no weaker a position with regards to our manager than Man U are, in fact I would argue they are in a worse situation because of their recent success
3. There is alot of ‘tabloid’ repeating. How do you know that Wenger does’nt delegate. He doesnt run the academy Liam Brady does, He doesnt run the scouting network Steve Rowley does. But even if he did, anyone who has held a position of authority will tell you if their arse is on the line things will be done their way !!
Lets not get it twisted, by no means do I believe Wenger is perfect and there are decisions that he has made that leave me scratching my head, but lets be rational.
Remember Charlton fans felt Mid table mediocrity under Curbishley was unpalatable. Obviously champions league footie for 10 years and challenging for the league is not enough….be careful what you wish for
And Chary his memorial will be that his way is ingrained in the club from top to bottom as Cruyff is in Barca.
The Board will let Ivan run the finances and bring in a coach probably already identified by Wenger
HCAA
The question was, if we win the league (deserved or not in your opinion) should Wenger still go ?
I’m interested whether you feel that the winning of a trophy is the only yardstick or that the manner of the achievement outweighs that.
HCAA. No it IS about money.
€35m for Rooney, €35m for Berbs, €30m for Ferdinand, €26m for Nani, €20m for Hargreaves, same for Carrick, €18m for Anderson, €18m for Valencia, €12m for Smalling €10+ for Hernandez.
This is not a team built from a youth squad. MU are one of the most expensive teams in world football.
Hi Wonderman, as with any opinion it cannot be proved as an incontrovertible fact so of course I’m going to call it how I see it with regards to Wenger’s perceived (by me) lack of delegation skills.
Hacks always seem to ask him about a lot more non footballing issues than any other manager as they must feel his input at the club extends beyond coaching/assembling the first team squad.
Do you see Red nose, let alone the likes of Pullis, get quizzed on the world economic downturn ?
No, because Wenger, in my opinion, is in charge of a lot of non football issues at the club and while he is an extraordinary man, he is only a man so for him to take on a superhuman work load is preparing him for failure.
Finally, I haven’t “wished” for him to be sacked – I can’t see where I’ve said I wanted him gone.
As I pointed out BR, nobody is a mind-reader, BUT we shouldn’t have gone into a new season with our GK issues unresolved. And the injury thing has been a recurring theme in recent years, so you don’t need to be a mind-reader to know that injuries are always just around the corner. A couple of inexpensive additions in Jan might have got us the CC & ensured progression in Cl. It may not, but at least we’d have sufficient cover.
Of the players you mentioned BR, only 3 of them started on saturday. Our starting XI was more expensive than theirs and they still beat us far too comfortably.
Geoff,
Yes I do.
BR the cost of that squad it is frightening. Even with Man Utd’s marketing power.
When you look at Rooney, Ferdinand,Hargreaves and Carrick and the fact that all is not well with them, you have to wonder where the money will come from at season end for replacements.
Rooney would probably bring in a few bob from abroad but Smalling to replace Ferdinand is not one I think Fergie will be happy with, Scholes and Giggs do not have a full season in them either, so next year will be interesting.
Hope he has some hidden reserves 🙂
Don’t forget DD, they banked £80m when they sold Ronaldo.
Banked is a relative term with the Glaziers about,HCAA
True DD, but they carry a lot of clout. They’ve recently turned down a £1.5b offer to buy the club.
My god, what a depressing day on AA.
The players are not good enough and to make it worse, don’t care that they’re not good enough.
The manager has lost the plot and his crystal ball.
The season’s over and even if it isn’t, being league champions wouldn’t be worth celebrating because everyone else is shit and would have handed it to us.
Finally, and worst of all, the spuds are better than us because they’re in the last 8 of the CL and have beaten us twice in the league.
Do I really need this when I can read it all over the internet?
chas,
please prove those points wrong!
HCCA
I’m not averse to Wenger going but I’d rather keep him than have Owen Coyle at the moment. The mancs are the biggest club in the world so of course they have a lot of clout. If they win the league it’s because everyone else fucked up but I suspect thier fans won’t give a shit.
Welcome home Chas 🙂
Chas, Chas, Chas, 🙂
At last the voice of reason!! 🙂 Hooray!
Innuendo; rumour; half-truths; guesswork; mind reading; supposed intimate knowledge of the Arsenal heirarchy’s personal fiefdoms; bitching and more bitching!!
Do give it a rest!
The spuds won’t be in the CL next season. Went out of the cup to Fulham and we beat them in the CC. If they come up against barca we’ll see how good they are. As for them beating us Wolves beat the mancs.
And there I thought you’d all spend the day discussing your favourite wines 🙄
Nice to have you back HCAA
Any chance that any of you want to write a post for tomorrow so that we can debate some more?
Dandan – I only love my mother and my son more than I love Arsenal. Even my cat and dog come after. That is why I am in so much pain every time we lose a game.
And it is because we are such an exceptional club, including the manager, supporters and some players that I expect us to win. It is not our birth right to win, but all of the above mentioned parties worked hard to achieve the ultimate goal – winning a trophy. Please do not forget that we, the supporters pay towards our club’s success. The signed photo of Cesc wasn’t cheap at £150 🙂
Hiya Peaches,
Thanks. I guess we all have different ways of expressing our passion for our club. Perhaps we have been spoilt with our recent success, but I do genuinely believe that there’s a gulf between us and the very top clubs in Europe. Maybe it’s something that can never be closed regardless of who the manager is, but I also believe Man Utd fans have a different mind-set to us in terms of expectations and hope. We hope, they expect. Could be the reason the gulf exists.
Evonne,
You are a true supporter!! 🙂
Evonne you may be able to sell it to a barca fan 🙂
Michael – that back-kick was a mistake, stop winding me up!!
Red Arse – I am a true supporter who had to face 2 Spurs fan today – oh, they had a laugh at my expense… BTW, I do not want Tottenham to get Barca in the next round, in case they win
Hi Peachy, I’m off out tonight(boring Seminar) so I’m not a goer for a post tomorrow.
Anyhoo – I reckon there’s loads more AA’ers dying to take to the soap box.
totnum beat barca? I hope the mancs win and get the chavs next
I’m with you Evonne, I can’t bear running into any spuds at the moment.
Would Barca play the same way against them? They know we like to play the ball out from defence – pass and move – and that’s how they trapped us. Teams that launch a long ball to a crouchy may get more possession 😦
Just like to say, if I’ve irked people or rubbed them up the wrong way (please excuse the pun), I apologise profoundly. I’d support the Arsenal if we were in the Blue Square Conference, have done for 44 years. I’m sure despite the debate we all want the same thing for our club. I don’t think anyone has ever divided opinion amongst Arsenal fans as much as Arsene Wenger.
Evonne
read the points I put about the spuds. they are in the last 8. They won’t be stinking the CL out next year though. Every do has thier day
HCAA – no apologies necessary, we at AA thrive on heathly debate and strong opinions about our club 😉 I suspect you’re correct when you say that Arsene Wenger is now dividing opinion amongst us fans.
Thanks HCAA, we’ve all had times when we question the way the club is run to a greater or lesser degree but usually go full circle and reach the inescapable conclusion that we are lucky to be Arsenal supporters.
Yes Rasp 😆
Evonne, just remember those spuds who have given you grief because you will get the chance to have your say at the end of the season – revenge is a dish that is best served cold.
Having said that, I will prefer just to give them a nonchalant knowing look accompanied by ‘It was never in any doubt’ when they fail to get CL football next season.
Cor blimey- serious business on here today 😦 I think we all need a drink! In case you were on tenterhooks, I’m afraid Mr Eastmond still hasn’t replied to GiE’s question- I will let you know if/when he does 🙂
I don’t know what you mean peaches 🙄
Hiya Peaches, Barca are beatable, Milan have proven that last season. Tottenham showed a lot of determination and character lately and it is a scary possiblity, that they might do what we failed at.
HCAA – it is good to hear different opinions to have a balanced view 🙂
Peaches, my initial ideas on the “loaned out” players has been overtaken my events and is no longer factually correct. In fact, I believe the premise was wrong to begin with! 😀 What I am trying to say is that I don’t have anything to write a post about but will try and have another think!
I tried to resist entering this debate but in the end result I found it irresistible.
My feelings on “experts” that are blessed with 20/20 hindsight are well known on this site.
The folks that irritate me more than “experts” are glory hunters that feel that winning trophies is the reason for supporting a team – what utter nonsense.
Arsene Wenger’s WORST years are BETTER than 12 of his predecessor’s BEST years.
In our 118 year history we have only won trophies in 23 seasons therefore we have won ZERO trophies 80.5% of the time.
Boy I hate this debate – it’s for glory hunters not true die hard fans.
I support Arsenal win, lose or draw.
Trophy or no Trophy!!.
Thanks for the support, Evonne, Peaches, Rasp. Yes we are all lucky to be a part, however small, of the great institution that is Arsenal Football Club in triumph and adversity. Good health to all, no doubt we shall debate again soon.
Peaches. I wrote a post, it is lying in the in-tray. It may not be to the fine standard required but it is a post and I did write it 🙂
So do we all Gn5. (though I am not sure about Danish Gooner!)
Evonne Fair enough, you should worry about spuds, my brother is one 🙂 lives in Spain and still phones me with grief
Been an interesting afternoon here, AA on the computer, Cheltenham on the TV. just taken the dog for a walk and missed Peaches taking charge. Dont tell her but she frightens me.
Will catch up later dinner to cook
Hi GN5, 🙂
Well said.
Getting back to GIE’s excellent Post, I read with interest the comments from another excellent Rioja wine, named Miguel, that disappointing tho’ it was to get the push at Barca, (they wanted him back when we signed him), he immediately felt at home in the family Arsenal.
With Myaichi, Wellington and Bothelho we have another delicious wine crop growing on foreign shores, to go very nicely with our ‘home grown’ winelings! 🙂
Rasp – “cold dish” is my favourite Shakespearean quote and be asured I will serve it to scum with grace; as I have done for many years now…..
GunnerN5 – interesting statistic, thanks for that. I am not a glory hunter, or I would support the Chavs. I simply think that the club deserves a trophy, for all the hard work of all the parties
There is one more quote for today – ‘Show me a good loser and I will show you the loser’. Yes, I am a bad loser, I want my club to win.
RA. Perhaps you should send Evonne the “If” poem. The winners argument reminds me of “impostors”
Carlito just do one on Eastmonds tweets, a fun read it will be for all. Im not surprised he hasn’t answered he’s probably still trying to figure out why a gulp of water would be a summer.
LJ just posted a pic of him and Gibbs helping out the chef in aprons and chef hats, why does that make me feel like I love this guy more?
Chary what you say may well be true regarding AWs top down control of the club, but this ensures that Jack progresses and that standards are high throughout the club. Yes AW is asked questions on other matters but the press want his opinion, there is probably no one better for them to ask throughout the English game and he always gives an opinion.
I’m not sure AW has control over finances I think he is prepared to work under the constraints how many others would have done with the same success.
Gazidis announced that we have £110million to spend in cash reserves come summer.
How many players of the ilk some say we need would we be able to afford for that?
And to think I’d written a mildly amusing metaphorical post that would lift spirits for the future and raise a smile in our recent times of woe.
Ho hum…….I’ll save the Arsenal players should be treated like precious orchids post for the summer…..
£110m !! That could buy us anyone bar Messi!
I have long maintained that we need a landmark signing. Someone to be the media face of Arsenal. Cesc doesn’t quite do it, and Theo though perfect for the role has yet to become a World Class player.
We have always had a “face”. Adams, Wright, Thierry etc but now we are a team of dare I say “faceless” players.
Trouble is that there aren’t any available players of the right age, the right experience and the right image.
Adams certainly had a face!!
I was thinking that if anything we are missing the “Va Va Voom”.
GIE if you read back through todays posts by Rasp you will see he says Dandan has recently writen a post on twittering which he will post soon. Should give you all something to talk about 🙂
HCAA
No need to apologise, I always enjoy a good debate which you have contributed to…til next time
Dandan,
You show of!! 🙂
Just because I could not tell a twitter from a half twitter. 🙂
We could do with a laugh after today’s bleating so hope your post is published soon!
Radders, I don’t have the heart to get involved with Kipling’s ‘If’. It might start things off again! 😦
I am afraid it is not what you think RA 🙂
You will all be pleased to know that despite LJ subsequent tweet showing him and Kieran Gibbs using knives to produce a stir fry they have both come through unscathed….i was worried for a while there.
Raddy,
If Gazidis has said we have £110m cash reserves, that can be a bit disingenuous.
You can never be sure if that is ring fenced for transfer activity, or is part of the general working capital, two quite different things.
Say for the sake of argument it is available for players contracts and transfers, what seems a large amount can soon be dissipated.
Taking Rooney’s salary as an example, he earns close to £12m per annum, so if we went for a ‘biggee’ in the summer (say £25m) the salary added wouild be similar to Rooney’s (£10m) plus agents fees (say £5m) that would make a hell of a sum, and then there would be demands from renewing existing contracts blah, blah. £40m plus contract renewals £? = £ (a lot)!!
BigRaddy – I know the poem, but I am not a man, never will be. I am an emotional woman who is desperately unhappy about her beloved team being kicked out of 3 cups in less than 2 weeks, just like last year in February.
Evonne – if I didn’t know you, I’d think you were me 😆
Maybe we should have a poll to see how many gooners are heart-broken about the way things have gone the last two weeks.
Evonne. It is the principle not the sex! I am an emotional man slightly disturbed by our current situation but hopeful of a satisfactory conclusion
Me too Evonne, not a woman–but heartbroken! 🙂
My late sister was called Yvonne, so I must admit I just assumed you were female.
I think what Raddy meant was that success and defeat are both imposters and should be treated in the same way.
We all want Arsenal and by definition Arsene to win trophies and I am with you there. 🙂
(Anyway, you offered to help me with my computer, so you are OK by me!) 🙂
Heart broken, not me, disappointed most definitely.
To quote Jon of the Bon Jovi “Keep the Faith!”
Red Arse – bless you. The offer still stands, anything you need to know, just ask. Off to watch the CL 😦
Vintage post GiE, very very palatable !!!
One of my very favourite posts GiE,
I’ll remember this one for a long long while, you clearly thought very hard on it and its really paid off,
🙂
The media and many fans make a really big thing out of us going out of trophies in a two week spell in March. The Carling Cup finshes in March (/late late Feb?)and we were in it til the end. The CL heats up in Feb/Mar and we both beat and lost to the greatest team in the world. We lost on Sat in a performance that really left me feeling flat.
Having said that, would any fan prefer that we were out of the CC in October, the FA Cup in Jan, and didn’t make the last 16 of the CL.
You know that old phrase about a season being over in the first week of Jan..?? Ask the spuds about that year when they only played 40 games in total.
Re HCAA’s comments. Mostly well argued, but at times he really struggled. For any Arsenal fan to put forwrd Totnums ‘achievement’ ogf getting thru to the CL QF, and winning their last two against us in the PL is completely and wholly disingenuous.
Further to Wonderman’s earlier response, I’d also add that its pretty poor on your part to pretend that we never wiped the floor with them at the Lane in the CC back in Sept (Oct?).
What I really don’t get about the anti Arsene/Arsenal brigade, is their willingness to distort and misrepresent situations in a fashion that suits their own agenda.
This same bunch of losers and mercenaries beat the best team in the world less than a month ago, after giving them a one goal head start.
Arsene proved many wrong by showing us all that we already had two quality keepers in Fabianski and Sz and yet the doomers still tell us that their injuries were entirely predictable. When last did any club lose two GK’s at the same time…let alone to two injuries as freakish as we’ve just experienced..?? Answers on a postcard please. Top prize is Kelseys house..or is it DanDans..??
“The future for Chateau Arsenal is indeed bright.”
The immediate future just got brighter 😎 with manure progressing in the CL.
But a word of warning to old Mon Ami, there can be no excuses now coz Arsenal only has 10 games to play.
The PL Cup is there 4 The Arsenal to take. Just Do It!
Has Jens signed yet?
I see Man Utd have lost Vidic, Rafael and O,Shea to injuries along with Rio, SAF clearly missed crystal ball coaching badge course too and didn’t strengthen in January.
GG no confirmation on Jens yet.
And indeed 10 games and 10 wins needed…..easy 🙂
Morning all interesting read for those who have missed it.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/636429-arsene-wenger-is-arsenals-bill-shankly-when-everyone-expects-bob-paisley
That is a fantastic read DanDan. Very apt given yesterday’s activities on here.
Dandan- that you for the excellent breakfast reading! Starting the day with a smile on my face!
So I assume dandan that your point is that its time 4 Arsene to move aside & a Paisley type manager should take over the reigns?
Me? All I’m interested in, @ the moment, is the next 10 games that Arsenal play.
Gnarley, I made no comment, other than it was interesting. but to answer your question I would consider losing Wenger as immensely more catastrophic for Arsenal, than losing Shane Warne was for Aussie cricket.
Morning…..
……New post
Fortunately, I only watched the highlights (I watched Bayern) of the MU game, and once again was struck how extraordinarily lucky they are.
Three chances that even Peter Crouch would have scored were missed by Marseilles!
The Bayern game was a cracker. And once again Inter were undeserving of their win.
My idea of clubs/managers sacrificing virgins to the Sun Gods at the Crossroads in Alabama is not so farfetched.