By Ian Grant
Andy Rayner
Wenger
For the first time in my 25 years I have switched off an Arsenal game. [Me too, for five minutes] The Munich game is the most shocking in Wenger’s reign, and completely predicable.
You wrote a fine book on Wenger and called him the Proffessor. To me he is when it comes to sub standard non tactical teams and managers…But when it comes to stepping up and playing better teams or teams with tactical know how, we fail every time.
It is a disgrace to not buy defenders good enough to wear the shirt, it is a disgrace to buy goalkeepers that have never really made the big time for £1million here or there and put them in the shirt, it is a disgrace to only have plan A, it is a disgrace to concede goal upon goal with set pieces and not do anything about it, it is a disgrace to play players that when the going gets tough their heads drop and they don’t perform.
To me Arsenal will never win the Champions League and indeed the League again under Wenger. I think now it is impossible. Winning teams defend well.
Toure was a one season wonder.
Lauren cannot defend, he is a midfielder.
Cygan..well I don’t want to express myself to with him.
Lehmann and Almunia are a disgrace and not fit to play for Brentford.
Ashley great player but is loving the high life and with that life he needs money…money is his first thought in life.
I cannot name any other defender because we don’t have any at the club. Clichy a trailist then £500,000 from France playing Champions League football way out of his depth.
This , tonight is as far as we can come under Wenger. He has done fantastically but for me its time to move on. With a defence tonight and with a tactically sound coach the result would have been different. There is nothing special in Bayern. They even told us the result along with our faults before the game. In fact every watching football fan has been able to describe our problems. The only person on this planet that either cannot see them or has shockingly ingnored them is the most important person of all..the club need to move on.
We are a shambles.
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Lovro
munich game
Dear Myles,
After I’ve watched the Munich game I can’t keep wondering why Wenger insisted on playing Pires on the right side for 85 mins (until Ash came in) since, in my opinion, it was obvious from the beginning that it wouldn’t work that well.
Looking forward to getting your reply, Lovro
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Bernie
The Professor
Dear Myles,
I’m not German, but I have mended a tumble dryer.
Can I have a signed copy of the Professor too?
Bernie.
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F Ferguson
Female Footie Fans Exist Too!
Myles, please don’t cram all women into one basket! I love football, am an ardent Gunners fan and tragically for me even more of an Italy fan. I can discuss strategies, enjoy good plays, do not watch ‘to look at men’s legs’ and have even taught the offside rule to my own father.
Let’s not have someone with such a seemingly sharp and broad mind be surprised that women not only watch football on TV and follow their club off-screen but have the same passion for the game that men do.
(In reply to “I’m surprised to have female readers and can quite understand why a female reader would not be on my wavelength.”)
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I like the information that you provide on Arsenal. However, why didn’t you write about Arsenal’s Champion’s League opponents Bayern Munich?
I don’t really care about Manchester United. We are not playing them on Tuesday. Bayern Munich have won the European Cup more times than Manchester United.
A bit of insight into Tuesday’s opponent’s would have been useful.
Best Regards,
Jamie Macdonald
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Paul
So what myles,
What theory are you trying to develop here about team facing CL game win win/loss/draw ?
I am sure we will beat Bayern in Munich. There are enthousiastic and very optimistic. That’s good for Arsenal.
I am not unhappy about the draw. Warnock was so happy I think a draw is a nice gift. The lad came with his family. he was very happy and get a deserved draw. Denis’s decision was hasrh, but we should keep Reyes. The boss will do anything he can to get him at Arsenal until Ryan Smith prove what he can be. You will never see a week left side Arsenal under Wenger.
Denis should go to Munich or play Reyes-Henry and Pires on the left.
Bayern vs Arsenal: Arsenal win 4-1 {Ed: Errrrrrrr}
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Paul
What should ARsenal spend so much for 2 players?
Nice articles, but I feel uneasy about the idea of spending 4O millions pound for King and SWP. I highly rate both of them but we can get cheaper outside England. In any other country we could get them for 20 millions pound or less.
We can get Essien at 10 millions pound. To me ESSIEN is the new Franck Rjkhard of Holland and Milan AC. He’s better than King.
I would spend up to 18 millions on SWP. Not more. SWP is a great player but surely not better than Reyes.
We need “home grounded” players though. We should sign players from lower league in Enland as cover like Cygan. Because if we buy first team players not commited to the club, Chelsea will tapped in them.
The UEFA rules and the Cole’s story are just scaring. Personally I would prefer Arsenal fight in Champions league with just 21 players. There’s no way we are going to break our standard and play players for passports. If Arsenal was a faschist team I wouldn’t be a supporter.
These UEFA people are not far from spanish fans.
Football is a modern game. it should not be used to bring the world back to his daskest days when feeling like “US” and “they” were what made war criminals unware of their crime.
UEFA move is against EUROPE long awaited dream to build a society witout national border. Some old guys fail to understand that the world has changed.
Feeling like us and them have no place in a world that has produced Internet and the nuclear wappon. It’s chame for the game.
Unfortunatly really well educated people like Wenger are not common in football.
Most football managers are right wing voters. That’s why national team get the priority for them. These people are forgeting where football come from an what it is. It is game and not a mean to divide or promote medriocrity.
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indi
Arsenal’s Englishmen
All this noise about the AW selection against Crytsal Palace…and how the 16 man squad didn’t include one single Englishmen got me thinking……
I’d say Arsenal have produced more English players under the age of 25 playing in the Premiership today than any other club. I’d be suprised to see a club with more English youth system products in recent years plying their trade in the top flight.
Arsenal’s English youth system products.
A Cole (Arsenal)
J Pennant (Arsenal)
D Bentley (Arsenal)
J Gray (B’ham)
R Rickets (Spurs)
S Taylor (Pship winners medal)
J Hoyte (Arsenal)
J Bothroyd (Blackburn)
M Upson (Bham)
J Thomas (Charlton)
Granted, all these players haven’t made the grade at Arsenal….but you can’t argue that Arsenal have neglected focusing on developing top flight English footballers with the influx of foriegners.
The majority of Premiership clubs would be happy if they produced one English Premeirship standard player every two years.
Regards,
Indi.
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Daniel Harris
If Arsene Wenger is the greatest attacking coach since Johann Cruyff, why do his teams not score the most goals?
Why are they incapable of finding a single solitary goal when they most need one?
Why are they consistently low scorers in Europe, irrespective of the team they are playing, wherwe the game is being played and how many player the other team has on the pitch?
Please.
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Darryl Coulter
Arsene Wenger ‘plays to win every game and he invariably thinks he is equipped to win every game’
Myles,
If this is the case then why did he play one up front against Galatasaray in the 2000 UEFA Cup Final in Copenhagen and seemingly instruct no other players to venture across the half-way line? I delight in his attacking style of football but it is a shame (for Arsenal and for my pocket in terms of airfare and accommodation) he blew it on the biggest stage.
Your comment is correct about his general approach. But you should have flagged up this proviso.
Darryl Coulter
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Edward Zarecor
Replies and Web Design
It would be nice if the ANR entries that responded to reader mail distinguished the letters from the replies via some indicative formating, e.g., font, indentation, whatever. This is a rather easy thing to accomplish.
Thanks.
Ed.
{Ed reply:Our programmer is working on an interactive reply system – but it takes him time)
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Hi, Was wondering if you were interested in exchanging website links. I have just recently launched my site www.arsenalimages.co.uk showing paintings, prints and cards for Arsenal fans. I would be grateful if you have time to have a look and let me know. Regards Dick
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onyechi, olosi lucy daphne. AJ
julian allen’s comment on jose reyes
he said that it seemed like Henry has an attitude with Jose – blanking him after goals in celebrations – and also during play.
well in my opinion i don’t think so.when henry celebrates his goals,he usually acknowledges the person who gave the assist first before every one else.
Nevertheless if at all Thierry has a problem with him he has every right to.remember the two were all butter before reyes left for the international friendlies and his coach called henry a black shit. Reyes has repeatedly defended his coach even when Henry told everyone that he has not forgetten the issue.when Reyes has refused to accept that his coach has slighted Thierry what do you expect….a strained relationship -.no one will feel good about anyone who defends the one who racially abused you.
period.
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Henry Vs Reyes
What do you think? Is Henry threatened of Reyes and that is why there looks to be some friction between them……
Henry always seems peeved off at Reyes unless every pass is there on a plate for him
Kind regards,
NV
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marc heller
the arsenal of course
Dear Myles
Went to see the Arse last night for the time time in a long while. After a jittery (to say the least) first half hour, well it was bang bang bang game over. Second half had a couple more bangs and a goodbye to Palace, see you in a couple of seasons time.
Papers are loving the fact there is so much uncertainty over our boys but I wanted to ask Myles 2 questions:
1) If he could only keep 2 of the 3 players in question, which 2 would they be between Cole, Reyes and Edu?
No doubt you will say we have to keep Cole (one of our very few English players) but I think it will haunt us one day if we lost Reyes and / or Edu.
Edu makes such a difference to our midfield, he makes PV4 look his old commanding self again and in just two games back he looks the business again. You don’t get to play regularly for Brazil unless you are class. Arsenal fans will be gutted if / when we see Edu strutting his stuff for Valencia on a Sunday night in watching Sky’s Spanish La Liga coverage. We have Edu until the summer, Wenger and Arsenal need to change Edu’s mind and get him to sign for us again.
Reyes will become a genius of a footballer if Arsenal fans and Wenger are just a little more patient with him.
One day Henry will get an injury that will keep him out for more that one or two games and that is when Reyes will get to feel like what it is to be the number one man. Then we will be boasting about having another one of the best stikers in the world wearing the red and white of Arsenal. If we let him go to Madrid, it wont be long before we feel that gutted feeling again on La Liga nights.
Bringing me on to my second question:
If any of the ‘rumours’ are true…..what does Myles think of Owen (admired by Wenger) for Reyes (Wenger’s biggest gamble in the transfer market)?
Do Arsenal fans want a quick fix or would we prefer to see another Wenger chosen genius flourish in time?
Loving your stuff Myles – keep up the good work!
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Jason Gooi
Short corners, Henry & Reyes Brilliance
Short corners work for this Arsenal team, with player movement in the box, and with Reyes, Henry or Ashley interchanging and cutting inside at speed from the left. They must be at least 1000% more effective than corner crosses.
Reyes is a instinct and spurt player, always fancies sprinting with the ball at top speed, otherwise looking for the early pass, his shooting is usually either brilliant or abysmal. He can win you a game, but so far his execution in the above departments are far from consistent.
Wish the 2nd and 3rd crystal palace goals by reyes and henry had been left against bayern munich away, such brilliance is hard to legislate for. They will be needed to have any chance of beating the germans who will keep it tight.
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Shishir Kulahalli, Singapore
A Day In The Life Of A Football Manager
Check out this column by Alan Curbishley on The Guardian.
http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,1563,1411920,00.html
I know we have heard it all before, but this for once feels so original and frank, the other side of football we hardly see.
You guys probably would have read it, but please copy and paste it in your mind, and everytime you castigate and criticise managers (or players for that matter), think of how much they are losing socially and personally. They give up indispensible luxuries for a cause which I feel is a tad bit inferior.
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Aaron
The team and new signings
The three positions we need to strethen in the summer.
Centre Half, Keeper and striker.
Quite obviously defence has cost us back to back titles this year. The first thing we should do is sell Cygan, Lauren Almunia (i know selling Almunia may be a little hard) and buy a top international centre half and i don’t mean spending 1 or 2 million. Lets spend 7 or 8 million pounds and get a top top player. I’d then put Toure out onto the right, in the couple of games he has played there he looked outstanding and it would allow him to get forward which he enjoys.
I also think that keeping Edu for a little extra $$ a week will be better for the team on the field and also will be cheaper than buying some thats as good as him.
As for a new keeper, i think Jens(except against Chelsea in the CL last year) has been outstanding. If we are going to buy someone lets get someone who is clearly better that what we’ve got instead of just trying to fill spots with whoever we can.
The third place i would be looking is up front. Realistically Denis has not got long left and if Henry gets injured we dont have a constant supply of goals. Alot of you will say we have got Reyes, Van Persie and Bently, but they are still kids, are inconsistant and they are not strikers. I think letting Wlltord go was a big big mistake.
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Will Salem
James Beattie Sending Off ?
Dear Myles,
I love your insight into the game…I’m not much into conspiracy theories…I don’t have any problems with Chelsea winning the title as they deserve it…BUT….can you please comment on why should James Beattie decide to get sent off so blatantly and so early into the game…He was barely intimidated by Gallas..yet to chase him and head butt him twice is beyond me…As soon as he was sent off, the initiative was with Chelsea…Do you see where I’m getting to here…(P.S:The Croats were behind the recent betting scandal in Germany… The commentators repeatedly said that they it was a mystery why he decided to get sent off…Paul Walsh was mystified and argued that he couldn’t see where the anger and frustration developed in Beattie in a few minutes?
If you feel that the above is not worth even thinking about, feel free to let me know as your views are highly valued…
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A Gunner…
einarsson
henry/reyes etc.
Wenger has been buying men off the substitute benches of europe
he has hit jack pot once with henry who has seemed like a modest
role model for other professionals, other purchaces are in my
mind mediocre buys.. exeption might be Gilberto .
In comes Reyes the most expencive player in Arsenal”s stable
Wenger starts playing him as a winger.. he becomes the next hope
and everybody’s favorite for two or three months .. he is making
passes that nobody has seen .. at least at Arsenal
va voom
suddendly everything is changed .. why did it change and whose
fault is it ?
After Reyes is hoaxed to admit an interest in Real Madrid deal
(just like our captain !!) Henry is now committing his loyality
to arsenal forever … I figure the comment to be Henry’s media conscious ways of late time
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