Hi Myles,
Hope u and yours are good.
Love the “deliberate” comment you made in response to Tom.
People with intelligence and power rarely allow fate/chance/circumstances dictate proceedings. I think the subject needs more examining in the case of AW.
The ultimate footballing example of being deliberate was SAF.
Never did he succumb to a “lack of talent” in the transfer mkt, he would go out and buy what his squad needed, Rooney and Van Persie examples immediately spring to mind.
In both cases neither was for sale, he just bought them.
Similarly on the pitch, Fergie’s teams made their own luck, I don’t recall them winning a trophy through fortune.
Yes I am including the treble in that, it was down to planning and uncompromising pursuit of a goal. “Fergie time” is another example of how he would manipulate circumstances. All this is said in total respect and to point out it was all within his power and deliberate.
So for AW to bemoan a lack of available talent, for me, shows a new low in the regard in which he holds the Arsenal fans.
It’s bullshit on so many levels:
1) Mandzukic, Martinez, Falcao all moved this off season and any would have improved our first 11.
2) The need for a new number 1 striker has been blatantly apparent since the end of Giroud’s first season. To continually reset expectations that this is a one transfer window phenomenon is a sham AW needs to be called out on. Giroud would not be first chioce striker at: Chelsea, Man City, Man Utd, Liverpool or Spurs. SO WHY IS HE OURS? Also Flamini and Arteta have been too slow for two seasons yet we have not bought another DM!
3) just because the best talent isn’t transfer-listed does not mean it cannot be bought.
With the money available surely the club should show the same type of investment as the fans have. For almost 10 years the season ticket holders have continually forked out the world’s most expensive ticket prices, on the promise that one day they would properly compete for the top. Yet with all that money we were unable to make an offer to lure any top quality outfield player to the club in one of Europe’s premier cities
4) the arrogance that the manager believes he knows what “value” in the transfer mkt is?
The Sky deal distorts the playing field, giving West Ham and Stoke more spending power than Lazio. In these circumstances you cannot pretend to be able to value or seek value as the rest of the clubs in Europe with less lucrative TV deals want their pound of flesh
5) Lack of powerful players.
He admitted in a TV interview with Martin Keown, that immediately after the move to the Emirates there was not the budget to purchase big powerful players that he had previously bought.
This is understandable, but why over the past two-three seasons has he not addressed this despite having the means?
And although the buck stops with the manager, the whole process from scouting, to bidding for players needs to be looked at and reassessed as it just not working. They should be a proper use of the financial muscle available.
We have said it before but it needs to be repeated otherwise the utter contempt for the fans will continue unabated.
Myles says:
Sky made football big and rich and Arsenal became hugely profitable in their versatile new stadium.
Fans don’t matter to today’s Arsenal as they once did.
Please remind me when AW last talked about the fans.