From Bradley Strauss: You are wishing for a disaster
I just wanted to add to Myles’s comments regarding Arsene Wenger.
For all Arsenal fans that think that ‘Wenger must go’ my only comment to you is that your wish is a disaster.
You should all stop and think about it because your bad vibes may cause the unthinkable to happen and for Mr. Wenger to consider quitting.
Who was the Arsenal manager before Wenger when an Arsenal team went unbeaten the whole season?
Who was the Arsenal manager before Wenger who won 2 doubles?
Who was the Arsenal manager before Wenger that got Arsenal to the final of the Champions League.
Who was the Arsenal Manager before Wenger who got to 2 European finals?
Who was the Arsenal Manager before Wenger who won 3 titles and had a great chance of winning the 4th?
The answer to all the above questions is NOBODY !!!!!
Even the great Herbert Chapman, who is commemorated as a genius by Arsenal fans, has had his bust at Highbury and Emirates, never even got close to what Wenger has achieved at Arsenal. Why on earth would any idiot think that Wenger should go !!!!!
The trophy less period occurred for one reason – money !!!!
Wenger appreciated and I have come to appreciate the situation. Arsenal cannot compete with the likes of Man U, Man C, Chelski, Barcelona and Real Madrid. if Arsenal bid for a player and one of these other clubs want that player, the other club will get them because the agents will make sure because there is more money in it for the agent themselves.
If Abramovich had not purchased Chelski, Arsenal’s squad would probably include, Didier Drogba (French and liked by Wenger), Michael Essien (ditto) and Florent Maluda (ditto). they are only at Chelski because we cannot compete with them in buying power and, what would Arsenal have won with those 3 players in our squad instead.
When it was Man U v Arsenal, despite having far less money, Wenger still won things regularly.
So Wenger came to the conclusion, when all the money men arrived into football, that it was better to create a team and a way of playing that got you success than to spend money you didn’t have to finish in the top 6 and, (a la Totters) achieve a Champions League place once in a blue moon.
Look at the spending league over the past few years, Arsenal are behind,
Man U (regularly spend £ 30m on players), Chelski (regularly spend £ 30m+ on players), Liverpool ( £ 25m+ purchases), Totteringham ( £ 20m + purchases), Man City ( £ 30m + purchases).
If you look at what we have achieved over Wenger’s managership, there is only 1 team on that list that has achieved more. Even the ‘special 1’ couldn’t do more and Ferguson has had 9 more years and hundreds of millions more pounds than Wenger.
Yes Arsenal could spend more, but on who and are they going to be better than what we have already got ?
Look at the relative squads;
Man C – bunch of mercenaries (like Adebayor) – will they ever be a proper team.
Chelski – an aging squad which needs major overhaul.
Liverpool – a second rate squad that has achieved very little over the same period.
Spurs- Another aging squad that also needs major overhaul, watch as Harry jumps ship when Modric and Bale leave at the end of this season.
Man U – An aging manager and a few stars, a number of whom are at the end of their careers, mixed in with some very average players (Gibson, Obertan, O’Shea, Evans).
Arsenal, sitting there with the experience of a 24 year old Fabregas as Captain, with a first team where the average age is no more than 24 and Gael Clichy at 26 is a veteran and Van Persie, at 27 is positively over the hill when compared to the others in the first team.
So what has anyone got to complain about?
We watch great football, are in the running year after year, were the last team this season who could have won all 4 cup competitions (yes we didn’t do it, but that doesn’t mean it is untrue), got to a final, may still win the league, got knocked out by the supposed best team in the world by 1 GOAL, whilst playing 12 men and being a player down for a substantial part of the tie and going to OT and playing Man U off the park only for their goalie to play a blinder and them to score 2 flukey breakaway goals.
Is that a bad season ? OMG, what do you guys need for a good season !!!!!
What other manager would achieve any of this?
Would Mourhino come knowing that going to Chelski, Man C, Man U, even Liverpool he would be able to spend a far greater amount on players? Of course not.
Stop complaining and enjoy the best period of Arsenal’s history – may it long continue under the managership of the incomparable and masterly Arsene Wenger.