From Pete / WebSwami :
This will be a case study.
Announcing that we couldn\’t be considered a serious club if we sold Fabregas & Nasri is looking like it\’s going to be a classic of press mismanagement!
People will actually use it as a case study in books.
From Nigel Hubbard: Wenger looks shattered
I arrived early for the game on Tuesday and saw the Wenger pre-match interview on the big screens.
I’ve never seen him looking so drained and shattered.
He seemed noticeably older and his tone was completely flat.
He didn’t look to me like a man with the emotional energy to cope with the season ahead. That to me is an even bigger problem than who we sign.
From Michael Wallace: Silence or not?
You say that Wenger’s silence is a blessing but am I the only one to think that Wenger’s refusal to speak to the media after the Udinese game is an afront to all Arsenal fans?
And maybe a realisation that the team he had to watch on Tuesday night from the stands actually made him realise that we are not good enough – one dimensional, lacking creativity, too many players that are simply not good enough to wear the shirt and afterwards he could not face the media and explain why Arsenal were so poor and then field the usual questions from the media – Is Nasri going? Who are your targets after the Fabregas sale? etc etc etc. Is he now tired of Arsenal?
Going this far into the transfer window knowing you are going to lose your two best players and nowhere near signing replacements is criminal, especially when he is facing the hardest start to a season since he became Manager.
Where is the leadership on and off the pitch? He needs to speak up and sell us the future!
He needs to man up and tell us he got it wrong.
Silence is not what is needed, it is leadership we need now. He needs to tell us he is still in control and has a plan. That is what good managers do. Where is the future coming from? Walcott? RVP? AOC? (please not Rosicky or Chamakh!)
Leaders are not silent. They rally the troops and get them ready for the next battle. They motivate, they get us believing that we can move forward and compete. They also bring in reinforcements where needed!
From Rob Young : Where did this team come from?
Good morning Myles,
I have been reading ANR for many years now, great to hear a voice of reason amongst all the rose-tinted blogs out there!
You wrote, “A Udinese victory could signal the end of The Stubborn One.”
So does this mean we would like an Udinese victory? A season of ‘transition’, out of the Champions League, a new manager, a new perspective maybe? It is very tempting!
I was on the season ticket waiting list for 7 years, when my name finally came up after the move to the Emirates.
I lasted 3 years and then could no longer justify spending that amount of money to watch Groundhog Day week in week out.
That Spurs 4-4 game, still grates on me!
My Arsenal-mad friend has had my ticket for the past couple of seasons. He sent me a text on his way back from the Newcastle game on Saturday evening, saying he won’t be taking it up next season…One game in and he sees nothing has changed!!
When will things change? Will another clean sheet give Arsene the excuse he needs not to buy a centreback?
We were all sold the dream of the Emirates, it was going to ensure we were able to compete with Manchester United and Chelsea.
6th season in and we are no closer. We are a club in limbo and my apathy towards this season surprises me sometimes!
Ps. What happened to Jagielka and Cahill!
Myles says :
Many sincere thanks for all your emails this week.
That 4-4 draw with Spurs was a disgrace and while I did not feel rage and humiliation, as many fans did, I was terminally disgusted and gave up on the season. That collapse proved what I had been saying for years.
A friend called last night and said, “Fabregas has been failed by the regime. It’s death in slow motion. We’re all waiting for Wenger to go. It will be a messy divorce and the players are the children.”