On the anniversary of Tottenham’s biggest home defeat to Arsenal we look at how the balance of football in North London has changed.
————————–
Glory, Glory Hallelujah…… by Paul Fowler
After an incredible Sunday afternoon at ‘The Lane’, and two previous close 5-2 derby game defeats, Tottenham supporters are reported in the media to be cock-a-hoop and rightfully crowing after a famous victory over their close rivals, Arsenal, hammering the Gunners 2-1.
For the first time in 19 years it looks odds on that Tottenham will finish above Arsenal at the end of the season and many Tottenham fans believe that this is truly where their club belongs.
As both sets of fans would admit, it has been a long time coming but to erudite students of the game, it has always been there on the horizon, since Tottenham’s League Division 2 championship winning season of 1950 – a division which significantly Arsenal have never won.
Some Tottenham fans and quite a few Sky Sports pundits, not surprisingly believe that Spurs’ current league position justifies their claim to be the top club in London in spite of the claims of West Ham and Fulham, who, in many respect it could be argued, have a better record than Tottenham when it comes to not having won much.
Many Arsenal fans far from satisfied about an increasingly appalling record under Arsene Wenger are crying out for his resignation. They are mortified that their club has only managed UEFA Champions League qualification for the last 16 years or so in succession and that during that time, despite the odd ‘famous’ victory over mediocre opponents such as Inter Milan in 2003 (5-1 away) and Real Madrid in 2006 (first English team to win at the Santiago Bernabeu), they have failed to win the coveted trophy.
They also point to an embarrassing loss in the subsequent final in Paris to Barcelona (hardly a European giant) after their goalkeeper’s late sending off (17 minutes into the match ) and of only being able to hold on to a one nil lead gained by the ten men until the last 13 minutes of the match, and then spinelessly conceding defeat.
Add to that Arsenal’s abysmal recent record of not having won the Premiership title since 2003 ( 13th time, unlucky?) with a unique unbeaten season and the FA cup for only the tenth time in 2005, then it is easy to see why this once great club is in ruins.
Contrast that with the record of their illustrious neighbours, Tottenham Hotspur. Tottenham not only point to a mammoth 12 match unbeaten current run, but also boast a record of not having won the ‘championship’ since 1961 – a mere 51 years.
Furthermore, unlike Arsenal, Spurs only have to look back to 2008 for their last trophy – the League Cup. This recent success means that Tottenham have won the League Cup in all its guises a massive four times as opposed to Arsenal’s paltry two. For Tottenham supporters this statistic tips the balance when football pedants compare Tottenham’s 8 FA Cup wins and 2 Championship wins with Arsenal’s 10 and 13 respectively.
Tottenham’s recent foray into UEFA Champions League football in 2011 brought back those ‘glory, glory’ nights to the Lane, and thrilled neutrals everywhere. After scintillating fight backs against European stalwarts Young Boys and FC Twente respectively, the coup de ‘grass’ was a fantastic 1-0 victory in Italy against AC Milan, thus setting up a mouth-watering Quarter final tie with Spanish giants Real Madrid.
After two hard fought matches, many observers commented on how well Tottenham had acquitted themselves,and their manager at that time, Harry Rednapp, gave a rare, exclusive interview to Sky Sports. Tottenham lost 5-0 on aggregate, but quite clearly they had graced the competition and were very unlucky not to win it.
Now, the Tottenham fans truly believe they are back where they should be and that no one can dispute the evidence. This inherent belief in the sanctity and status of their club is apparent from the collective response of their supporters to Sunday’s derby victory which has been calm and restrained as befits supporters who expect to win such games.
Indeed not for Tottenham fans the hyperbole which often accompanies the reactions of so called ‘lower’ clubs when they manage to topple a giant. Not for Spurs fans the smug disdain for those clubs in the league below them; and not for Tottenham fans, the facile suggestion that they are a ‘one man team’ when people point to new Eurostar Gareth Bale’s goal scoring contribution as opposed to that of Robin Van Persie for Arsenal last season.
The Tottenham players are convinced to a man that the ‘glory times’ are back at the Lane. Many cite the recent revival of Chas and Dave on tour, and the more philosophical point to straightforward logic; namely, the club that has won fewer trophies is ipso facto more likely to win more trophies in the future when compared with the club which has won more because the latter cannot win all the time especially when the former wins the trophies. (If you see what I mean).
It is no surprise then that the football world now looks forward to a new, vibrant Spurs winning at the very least four trophies next season and continuing its remarkable development as both club and team since 1961. The sheer chasm in class between the two teams on Sunday just could not be ignored, and, unfortunately for Arsenal fans, would point to a new era in English and European football.
‘And the Spurs go marching on!’
Paul Fowler
Recent posts
The books…
- Woolwich Arsenal: The club that changed football – Arsenal’s early years
- Making the Arsenal – how the modern Arsenal was born in 1910
- The Crowd at Woolwich Arsenal FC: crowd behaviour at the early matches
- Royal Arsenal: from the Common to the Manor. Coming next.
The sites from the same team…
- Referee Decisions – just what are the refs up to this season?
- Parent News – what is going on in schools these days?
- The weight loss programme: The only guaranteed way to stay fit
- The Arsenal History Blog from the AISA Arsenal History Society
- Untold Dylan – the music, the lyrics, the meaning
very good
A sure sign of a club’s decline when it produces articles of such desperate sarcasm. It’s really quite sad when for years we’ve been mocking Spuds for being hopeless in the league and then when they do look like finishing above us we resort to the same mocking tone we used when they were inferior. The fact is that their season at the moment looks better than ours.
And if you are going to write this sort of piece you should get your facts right. We have won the league since 2003, we won it in 2004 with the Invincibles or are we so poor now our greatest achievement has become invalid.
Pain in Like rather a large number of emails coming in today this one was from a false email address. Sorry we don’t publish those.
Paul, your bitterness is extremely satisfying!! I think the comments of Rupert say it all. Keep it coming
Very clever! Sarcasm is clearly the lowest form of wlt and you have proved it. Your arrogance is only matched by your bitterness. Get over it and you will be a lot happier in your life. COYS,
I think the author is mocking the hysterical Arsenal fans who after every defeat, draw or ‘lucky’ narrow victory start throwing their toys out of the cot like some four year olds would. Do you not get that? I for one am sick of it and have started avoiding some Arsenal blogs as much as possible because some of the stuff that spews out of some people’s keyboards borders on the psychotic. So yes, the article may be slightly over the top, but in this case its a good thing. Kind of like fighting fire with fire.
Calm down Rupert.
Sometimes something just needs to be said!
bitter deluded, bad losers, we played you off the pitch, did you manage a shot on target? we should have won 4-5 nil, bellends
Awww! Already referring to history! Are Arsenal the new Liverpool? Can you please say “Come back when you have fifteen” now?
It takes decades to make an empire fall. Arsenal’s decade began eight years ago.
The fact you have spent this long on an article trying to be vindictive and mocking a side that 10 years ago you wouldnt even expect to compete with Arsenal shows how worried and downbeat the average Arsenal fan is.
The whole country is mocking your club, and praising Spurs, they have the better players and have produced better performances this year even though its supposed to be a transitional year with a new manager, you have no excuses, the fact you beat us with 10 men earlier in the season means nothing more than the 2-1 the other day, we both got 3 points and nothing more.
To be honest the average Spurs fan expected to beat Arsenal and it was no surprise we are now looking at City and Chelsea as you simply wont catch us as you have no spine or mental strength and will get turned over by Swansea in your next league game.
Coming on websites and seeing articles like this makes me realise how bad it is for you lot….10 years ago you had beaten us 3-0 at Highbury with Bergkamp, Henry, Vieira and Pires, we had Goran Bunjevcevic, Michael Brown, Simon Davies and Dean Richards playing, wow how you lot have MESSED UP!
Rupert,
Stop behaving like a Rupert.
LOL Paul 😉
One season that they might end up in front of us means nothing in the grand scheme of things. Yes it would be painful but we have had this before at times. Nothing lasts forever.
And the league isn’t over yet. They still could hit the wall at some point. Still 30 points to go for. Remember last season… it’s only over when it is over.
I said last week that some masks would be removed. Some pretend to be Arsenal supporters and then want Wenger out, slag off the players and go over to all kinds of name calling.
You should read the comment of Jayjay at 9.22 and you see he is a tottenham supporter.
The fact you have spent this long on an article trying to be vindictive and mocking a side that 10 years ago you wouldnt even expect to compete with Arsenal shows how worried and downbeat the average Arsenal fan is.
The whole country is mocking your club, and praising Spurs, they have the better players and have produced better performances this year even though its supposed to be a transitional year with a new manager, you have no excuses, the fact you beat us with 10 men earlier in the season means nothing more than the 2-1 the other day, we both got 3 points and nothing more.
To be honest the average Spurs fan expected to beat Arsenal and it was no surprise we are now looking at City and Chelsea as you simply wont catch us as you have no spine or mental strength and will get turned over by Swansea in your next league game.
Coming on websites and seeing articles like this makes me realise how bad it is for you lot….10 years ago you had beaten us 3-0 at Highbury with Bergkamp, Henry, Vieira and Pires, we had Goran Bunjevcevic, Michael Brown, Simon Davies and Dean Richards playing, wow how you lot have MESSED UP!
But look at his comment from last week:
The ref will make a huge difference in a game like this.
Basically the only way to stop Dembele and Bale is to foul them they are too big strong and powerful and Arteta wont be able to stop them on his own.
If Bale is on his game then we have not got a chance just get Jack to man mark him as that is our only chance.
Adebayor is a donkey but on his day can be unreal and if he ups his game against us then he could be a problem
So you see that last week he pretended to be “one of us” and now came out and confirmed what he really is.
I wonder how many more of those we will see?
Are you still getting over your loss? Sad.
U didnt mention spurs have won 3 European trophies to arsenals two. Just a small pedantic point.
So the harvest of pretenders this week is :
– one spuds fan pretending to be an Arsenal supporter
– one “unknown” fan slagging of all the players and the club pretending to be 3 Arsenal supporters but being only one person in real life.
And those are the only ones we have caught with their hands in the till. And we don’t even do active search for this as we don’t have the time to do it. But sometimes they make it too obvious and get noticed.
And then they wonder that we wonder about some of the AAA (that doesn’t exist of course) really being Gooners…?
I just want to tell the doubting thomases that like it or not spunks will never be like arsenal and even before the end of this season I’m betting that the Arsenal with 10 matches to go will be above spunks come May.
As of some of my arsenal pals for them red is the same as blue so they don’t surprise me at any given day. They dream that the Arsenal is dead and they forget that they are day dreamers for a while when we win they disappear in the sewers and when we lose honorably the sewers let them out. As sewers they are entitled to their sewer minds after all the sewers are not a very nice place to be always.
I hope to hear what they will be sewering by the end of the season.
@Dobromir, of course I get it but it doesn’t alter the fact that we have not progressed in years and it looks like Spuds are. What’s the point of writing this? It’s not particularly funny, it just appears bitter because one neighbouring team seems to be forward thinking while we are getting slightly worse every season.
A big LIKE from me – nuff said !
hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
You really spent time writing this about us? I thought you didn’t care? Perhaps you could write a similar comparison about Man Utd, as they are you closest rivals, n’est pas?
Now we’ve all patted ourselves on the back for swatting those upstarts Spuds while we stare at their disappearing backsides as they march up the league table here’s an objective view of the season.
http://www.thefootballnetwork.net/main/s378/st181390.htm
I doubt any of you will read it but if you do I’d be pleased to hear your measured response.
As a spurs fan, I what I say may seem a bit harsh, but I don’t mean it to be, it’s objective and my point of view.
Never once have I thought we have the right to be in the Champions League. This though seems to be your mentality and is the reason for your decline. A lot of people have always thought of you lot as arrogant, it is coming back to haunt you. I mean, Wenger comments about not preparing differently to play us in itself is arrogant, surely as a manger you have to set your team up differently to suit who you are playing? For example – AVB dropped BAE and shifted Vertongen to left back so we had more height in the box for the Spammers game. You have to pay respect to others strengths to give yourself the best chance of getting a result.
Historically, I have never seen a more motivated Tottenham side, since our loss at Everton in November, we have seen our team fighting tooth and nail to the very end. In previous years, I would never believe we would score crucial goals in the last minutes of games, now I do, and it is no fluke we have done it on several occasions now – AVB has made us tough to beat and made us a team.
Do I believe we have better players than you lot? No, if there is a difference it is marginal. The difference in mentality though is massive.
I don’t think Spurs are going to finish above Arsenal, the fact is that despite their victory, we’re still more technical and coarsive than they(spurs)…Our defensive blushes cost us(Arsenal)..Plus even though they(spurs) eventually’d finish above us, it’ll only be for a season. Up Gunners!!! My own…
After yesterdays match Furgus was too distraught,he could not stand to talk to the press, I’m more mentally stable to talk to the press said his second in command hmmmmm i liked that. So is Ferguson throwing it away like they said to a certain Wenger?? Or is he mourning like they said to a certain Wenger thank be to GOD UEFA is not the FA he will have to explain. And as of the BBC,Dailytelegraph,The sun and the rest claim that the ref was the destroyer! give us a break we have seen worse than this and when you are judged according to the rules and regulation of the game don’t cry ,do not mourn ,we have no baby sitters for old men stand up like the Professor even though he always have no shoulder to cry on. Ans as of now it official that ARSENAL THE CLUB is the only and only team in the Champions League(UK) hmmm how does that sound???
Just reading the first post…forget about 16 years,Inter Milan, Real Madrid….THERE IS ONE FACT YOU NEED TO SWALLOW, SUCCESS IN FOOTBALL IS DEFINED BY SILVERWARE, ARSENE HAS WON F**K ALL IN 8 YEARS… DO YOU THINK THE CURRENT ARSENAL SQUAD WILL TAKE GREAT PLEASURE SHOWING THEIR KIDS AND GRAND KIDS A 4TH PLACE CERTIFICATE FOR ENDING UP 4TH EVERY YEAR… GET WITH THE TIME, YOU HAD A CHANCE TO BEAT BIRMINGHAM WITH A FAR BETTER SIDE AND LOST, YOU HAD A CHANCE TO BEAT BRADFORD (4th tier of football) AND LOST, YOU HAD A CHANCE TO BEAT A STRUGGLING BLACKBURN SIDE AND LOST….CAN YOU SEE THE PATTERN STARTING TO DEVELOP..NO ONE CARE ABOUT 16 SEASONS IN IN CL, THAT HAS BEEN AND GONE AND YOU WON NOTHING
” Ans as of now it official that ARSENAL THE CLUB is the only and only team in the Champions League(UK) hmmm how does that sound???”
Very desperate and factually incorrect
@Darren you are right we have won nothing but who cares,Chelsea won after 40 years so let wait and in 40 years time we will win something to show to the great,great grand daughters.
Darren, we finished 3rd last year.
or WE FINISHED 3RD LAST YEAR
We know spurs are not different from the team they have been before. But they grab the opportunity that real big teams like Arsenal, liverpool and chelsea are blowing. We have to give them credit for this.
This is hilarious. One of the funniest I have read. I believe this article has the potentiality to cure any frowning faces, except to those who seem adamant to frown religiously – as if their frowning will turn our season upside down instantaneously.
On a serious note, is the english football quality falling or is it just the germans rising?
And if you know your history….amusing but ultimately pointless article…you would be better served concentrating on your own clubs shortcomings rather than digging out some, admittedly, gung ho Tottenham fans..
I’d be amazed if we finished above Spuds. Fourth place, no don’t see it. We are far too inconsistent. A few years ago I’d say we had an easy run in but with our current team I can’t see many easy fixtures. Swansea and Fulham away, tough. Even QPR will be hard. Anyone can beat us as Bradford and Blackburn have proved.
If Wenger is so arrogant that he doesn’t regard the strengths of opposing teams then he’s getting what he deserves. You maybe able to afford to do this when you have the sort of team we had ten years ago but not with our current squad. Barca can get away with it because they have world class players, based on what I’ve seen this season I’m not sure we have any, even Cazorla has been inconsistent. And even Barca have been found out of late and why? Because their opponents have studied them and nullified them. A lesson to be learned.
Dear Plumstead
Sorry for your sad loss.
Regards
North London
3rd or 4th, no difference, you still dont get a trophy, you still have nothing to show for it, can you imagine fans of big clubs talking up finishing 3rd or 4th, can you imagine the Arsenal of 10 years ago and the fans settling for 2nd let alone 3rd or 4th,regardless of the money the club has it is a mess on the pitch, the back 4 wouldnt look out of place in the championship, Carzola is not david silva or mata, the forward line is shocking and since theo stole 100k a week he has hardly scored
Good article.
I would have thought that rupert (depressive Russian AAA sewer rat) would have appreciated the article, after all sarcasm is his specialty. Perhaps rupert can only appreciate sarcasm when it is directed against the club in the most infantile manner.
It’s really OK for Sp#rs to have a better season than us once every blue moon. We’ve finished above them in majority of seasons… They’re having a good moment after a long while, congratulations to them. Let’s let them enjoy their moment!
couldn’t believe the Tottenham lovefest leading to during and after the game on Sunday you wouldn’t even know that Arsenal were also playing.
Did not once hear anything about the last 2 games that arsenal won 5-2.are these tottenham fans on here the same ones who were saying after a month of the season that AVB should go.
will they also be the same ones who at the end of the season when spurs mess up as usual be calling for AVBs head.
when the constraints of building a stadium (although the bale money will come in handy for that) start to affect spurs they will be back in their rightful place – competing for a place in the europa League and if they’re lucky winning a league cup once every 10 years.
I think right now AVB is a little more astute than Wenger and I suspect even if Spuds do implode it won’t be significant because we are far from convincing enough to win all the necessary matches to ensure fourth.
When spurs last won the league in 1961
the Beatles were still the quarrymen
elvis had just left the army
and JFK had just been sworn in as president.
How you can even compare Spurs to Arsenal is laughable.
Huddersfield Town have won more league championships than Spurs !!!!!!!!
EMM Another bit of history the author probably doent know?
Spurs second div champs 1950 had a higher average home league gate than the Goons who finished in top three of div 1 and as champs the following season 1951, spurs also had a higher av home league gates over the season.
Just take it on the chin my friend and brush up on the history of youre nearest and dearest you sarcky sad one.
From the first british club to win a european trophy and the first british club to win two european trophies!
Yes Sp*rs have a history that places them below ours!! Yes we lost the champions league final with 10 men and all that!! WE KNOW HISTORY!! The fact of the matter is we are in the present and at present they are sitting 7 points clear of us and by merit. The anger from the real gooners comes from the lack of ambition, drive and most importantly in my eyes mental strength of the Arsenal, from the board all the way down to the players. We have not got the god given right to win things but if this problem does not get addressed now we will be fighting for a top half finish with the scousers as soon as next season. Its like getting an illness and not doing anything about it until you need an ambulance.
LOL 🙂
You should reread the article and then put TT dave his comment behind it. 🙂
From competing with UTD to now competing with spuds and the author feels proud?
Paul try getting a dictionary, check for the meaning of regression and re read what you have written.
For those saying if the spuds finish above us, it’ll only be for a year, i bet you all said Arsenal won’t go trophyless for 3 years back on 06..
asd,
I think you are missing the point.
Is there really a complete shift in power in North London after Sunday?
By the way. We would have won the league in 2007/2008. Then refs stepped in.
Maybe next year we win the league 😉
U MAD BRO?
Walter
To your question No but while we have been regressing, the spuds have been progressing and i find irritating when Arsenal fans see finishing above the spuds as an achievement.
We would have won the league in 2007/2008 if Wenger has be more pragmatic than philosophical.
1) we were actually tipped to finish above you last season also – obviously we didnt but your credibility is already diminished from the 2nd paragraph. We were also tipped to finish above in the lasagna gate year so its actually 3 times.
2) your recent record under Arsne HAS been awful by your own standards. Look at all the glory you are citing, all the magical days back in the mid 2000 era. You are not the same team now. Your own players from the invisible side – your heros have come out and said that this arsneal team is in trouble.
3) A definition of insanity its doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. 16 years consecutively in the CL? how many times have you won it? I mean, what is the point in being there if you guys arent even going to try? and buy try i mean actually buy some world class players to help you compete.
4) Wenger has lost his touch and is too arrogant to change his ways. You dont have the team or the players to keep playing ‘the arsenal’ way and wenger seems incapable of utilizing his players in a system in which they can play. Giroud in not RVP, since 6 games into the season your team has repeadedly been caught out playing thier high line. AVB no the other had is open and honest and shows clearly that he can change things – after the everton game we and he were lambasted about conceding late goals….. AVB admitted there was a problem and we havent conceeded a goal in the last 10 mins since.
5) Lloris has been as much of a stalwart as Bale. If you had a keeper who knew how to sweep behind a high line neither of our goals would have been scored on sunday. Since he has been the regular between the sicks we have the second best defensive record in the country.
6) No spurs fan i know is citing that we are the new great hope of english football. Just after 18 years of pain we are now 100% on a par with you guys……there was only 1 point between us at the end of last season….1 point – we have been slowing improving while you guys have slowly been declining. We replaced our teams heartbeat (modric and VDV) with players who have picked up the slack and who make an incredible difference, you guys have failed to do so year in year out.
7) I watch arsenal every week, my best friend is a Gooner and we rarely play at the same time on any given match day. I just dont see where the hop is for you. Your bench is not in the slightest bit daunting for any oposition to see – Ramsey has lost it, the ox has done nothing all year, gervinio is a joke even among your own fans, your keeper has never done anything to back up the plaudits he gives himself, Arteta isnt world class, Podolski wasnt good enough for Bayern and is not the man to win you anything, Santi is good but doesnt boss games consistenly, Wilshire actually is great, he looked so sad on sunday because i think he knows in his heart of hearts if he want to win anything he is probably going to have to part ways with you guys sooner than you think. Dont even get me started on Per……
8) COYS
You are just another sad Wenger apologist.By the way your lovely manager have repeatedly said he never looks back always forward that is one of his lovely little quirks ,what a bleek future we have.
A good article. Sarcasm justified as a response to the media love-in with Spurs.
Particularly liked the reference to Harry’s “rare, exclusive interview”
And someone here suggested Mourinho would destroy Arsenal but you can only destroy what isnt destroyed and Arsenal are finished as a major club incapable of winning trophies and it is all down to a stubborn,arrogant,self important know-it-all.Watch Munich destroy this rabble.
I’m used to being slagged-off on Spurs sites, so why not experience the same thing on an Arsenal one – a change is as good as a rest! Yes – Arsenal have won the league many more times than Spurs, because they’ve maximised their opportunities, while Spurs have wasted their’s. Arsenal’s success has largely come in blocks during which they’ve filled the trophy cabinet (the 1930s obviously, and the early Wenger years), in contrast to Spurs, who’ve won odd titles gloriously, but failed to consolidate. Thus we failed to retain the league title in 1952 (finishing runners-up to Man Utd) but thrashed Utd several times on an end of season tour to Canada, and won the title once in the early ’60s instead of the four consecutive titles we could and should have won from 1960 on, when we were indisputably the best side in the country. Obviously Arsenal are ‘bigger’ than Spurs at present, courtesy of a stadium almost twice the size of ours, but we were always better supported than Arsenal before the Wenger era, and we will be again – all good things come to an end (but I STILL wouldn’t bet against Spurs blowing it yet again this season – glorious/abject/hilarious failure is in the club’s DNA, just as ruthless efficiency is in Arsenal’s).
FOOTBALL IS DEFINED BY SILVERWARE, ARSENE HAS WON F**K ALL IN 8 YEARS — True, no wins at all, I wont even bother to point out the near misses. In that period Spurs win 1 League cup. Spurs definitely better, but 9 years, 10, anything longer and you cannot say that any more.
CERTIFICATE FOR ENDING UP 4TH EVERY YEAR… GET WITH THE TIME — I agree, 4th is worth no more than getting us into the champion’s league, but is notable that Spurs have finished 4th only once in the same period, in a year we finished third.
YOU HAD A CHANCE TO BEAT BRADFORD (4th tier of football) AND LOST.– Yup, going out on penalties really sucked, and we should have done to them what Swansea did. Of course Spurs had gone out a round earlier.
YOU HAD A CHANCE TO BEAT A STRUGGLING BLACKBURN SIDE AND LOST — Yup, should have won that as well. If we’d taken even half our chances…but thats football. Oh just remembered, Spurs went out to a championship side in the previous round.
CAN YOU SEE THE PATTERN STARTING TO DEVELOP. — I think so, but not the one you may think.
What saddens me is the degree to which many Spurs fans define themselves around our failures, and then any small success they can achieve over us. They belittle us for our performances, despite the fact that they are better than their own. The one thing they can say they have done better, they choose the only time period over which it is true. I suppose that is where the phrase ‘forever in our shadow’ originates.
The article is a pretty unsubtle attempt at morale-building, but the key point is that it is built around our successes.
That said, Spurs could very well finish above us this season. If they do, then I will genuinely congratulate them (might need a shower afterwards but..), but even that shows how they are defined by us. For how many Spurs fans is it not about 4th (or 3rd), or the Champion’s league, but finally finishing above us?
What does annoy me is the way that they (and the media) take it as a given that it will happen, I remember Spurs counting their chickens (should that be Cockerels?) a couple of times in recent years, and it has never ended well.
Even more, that one potential success is extrapolated into an automatic shift in power in the long term, with no evidence to back it up. If anything, Arsenal are going through their roughest patch in 2 decades, and there is every sign that they are at their nadir, and things should get better from next season.
I guess we’ll just see.
You need to argue against the immense sound of Tottenham superiority. It’s ringing in your ears so loudly that you need to argue vociferously against it. It’s understandable.
Personally I could’nt give a monkey’s crutch about where sp*rs are headed, I’m concerned about Arsenal.
We were superior to them in every statistic apart from the one that counts, and I don’t buy the story that their players are better than ours. I think our squad is a class above almost all their players bar perhaps one or two like Vertongen.
Our squad is down on confidence and whatever is going on on the training pitch is just not working right now.
Sp*rs played us at the worst time for us and the best time for them, normal service will resume once whatever is going wrong at the club is sorted out, and in time, sooner or later, it will be.
By the way, I was not going to include St Totts, but as it has been brought up — In the end it is purely designed as a wind-up, particularly considering the attitudes of many Spurs fans as described above. The whole point is not to celebrate, but to highlight the inevitability of it.
Of course if it is not awarded this year….
Yeah the only problem with this ‘sarcastic’ take on Wengers acheivements is that it further illustrates the argument that change is required. From your examples of great Arsenal performances the last date you use is 2006. That’s nearly 7 years ago.
I don’t think the majority of people have forgotten Wengers acheivements and are are grateful for the memories of great teams assembled and football played but unfortunately that’s all we have left.
Play the long game my friends. My club did not end, die, or disappear on Sunday. We shall endure the slings and arrows of those that wish us ill and emerge stronger.
VICTORIA CONCORDIA CRESCIT
Good article Paul. The sarcasm not as good as Walter’s, but still funny.
@Rufusstan : Explaining things logically to spuds… That’s like expecting a referee named Mike to be fair in an arsenal game – possible but has never ever occured .
@Rupert : I hope you are a spud troll , if not I fear for your sanity . Please get a psych consult ASAP , your “support” is unbelievable(literally)
@ a Rupert – A sure sign of a club’s decline when it produces articles of such desperate sarcasm! This article was not by the club u moron…and if you feel so hurt why don’t u stick to your Chelski blogs…
And why are the One Man Team Spuds fans so happy? Just because they have won by a single goal at home after losing theirs by 3…common get some perspective in life. Yes we are going through a bad time but the difference in class will always remain…! However…in the overall context, our stats for this season are P2W1L1GD+2…so go get a life u spuds fans…soon u’ll be back to sulking.
Never lose touch with reality…as put by one of you…glorious/abject/hilarious failure is in the club’s DNA just as ruthless efficiency is in Arsenal’s
I don’t care if the spud trolls care about Arsenal’s “decline”. Enjoy the pinnacle of your success… While it lasts.
My bet is on the bottlers bottling it as usual.
@Walter, it’d be cool if you could assign titles next to the user id – spud troll, REAL fan, “concerned” fan, Chav idiot, glory hunter(ManC atm), Rugby fans, etc.
I’m afraid too many Arsenal fans won’t take their heads out of the sand. You get stupid insults from clowns who can barely form a sentence if you dare to suggest that the team is in decline.
Well if you haven’t noticed we’re practically out of the CL, miles behind leaders Manu in the league and out of all other competitions so how this can be construed as a club progressing is not only mysterious, it’s downright idiotic.
And why are the One Man Team Spuds fans so happy?
12 games unbeaten in the league, 2nd best defensive record since Jan, took 4 point of United this year, we have a manager who is capable of admitting mistakes and doing things to rectify them, we have one of the best player in the world right now playing for us and playing well consistently, we are 3rd in the league on merit, we have one of the best keepers in the world right now who can keep the high line to perfection, we have a great team morale right now, we as fans have belief in our team and players for the first time in a long time, we have been consistently gaining on our nearest and dearest rivals and we have been watching them decline ever so slowly for years now, seeing arsene’s face wither and age as the weeks pass…. for starters
Hey pure arsenal fans why bother with the current arsenal, shift your butt to spunks and when the professor is gone bring it back otherwise shut the fuck up.
Walter,
The good news?
Well, in this year of “his” cosmic wet (as in drink) dream of a season known as the Rednose XX, the bad karma sown as The Crime at Old Toilet has come to harvest and – in the form of a UEFA referee – has been reaped. ManUre is out of the CL. There are good reasons to re-member history, and if we were not so on the back foot these days, there’d be celebration for his loss, for RVP’s loss, for Rooney’s loss, and the rest of the Nuremburg rally that stood on its haunches that day at Old Toilet and pretended to themselves that gangster Micky R had not just gifted them the end to our record-shattering run of runs. Without Micky R to save Don Fergus, this “red card happy” ref became the karmic vehicle to deny Lord Football his ultimate wish to win the EPL and CL in the same season. Perhaps the Coronation has been de-railed, even as the sychophantic stenographers of the English Media United belch forth in United Rage. To all of them, I wish a hard look in the mirror.
I enjoyed this article through and through. Very ingenious and haters are obviously Spurs fans, including Rupert.
After years in the shadow it’s hardly suprising that Spuds fans will make the most of their time in the sun. They will doubtless exaggerate the current difference between the sides which is hardly great. I don’t buy the line that they are a one-man team, although their current position is largely down to an amazing run of form by Bale. That won’t go on forever though. The more significant difference is that they are better definsively than we are right now. They are not world beaters in that department but we are woefully below what should be expected of a top 4 side. Fix that and things will look very different.
Wow, the numpties are out in force today.
Nice read cheered me up after being in London and having to drive through Tottenham to get home, I cannot believe they are still celebrating down there, street parties, its a carnival. the police are out in force, oh hang on , im told that’s normal for Tottenham. Reports suggest that this will continue for the next 6 weeks, so no worries of any riots breaking out in Tottenham.
In fact David Cameron is in talks with Arsene Wenger to decide on a way forward as its clear that a Tottenham win Over Arsenal keeps all the unemployed of London happy for a two month duration, Crime rates drop, Hospital intake figures drop. saving the current government millions.
So cameron in conjunction with Sepp Blatter wants to award Arsene wenger the highest honor bestowed on a mere mortal.
The Swiss navy’s order of merit.
Adam,
how would you think a minority and/or poor/unemployed and/or non-tory Arsenal supporter might feel after reading your posting about your drive through (that wouldn’t be on a public bus now, would it?) Tottenham? Or wouldn’t you give a fig for the great unwashed? Surely we have better ways/higher ground to slate people, unless Spuds fans have forfeited their standing as people in your defense of the badge?
Lol. Funny blog. But if i may ask?so our season has so degenerated that we now compare our achievements with that of the tots.isn’t that a sad state of affairs in itself?
I’d just like to point out that the reaon Arsenal have never won division 2 like Spurs is because Arsenal are the only team never to have won their way into the top division and are only there due to a “monetary donation” to the football league by Henry Norris in 1919. It was around the time you became the first M K Dons when moving from Woolwich.
Spuds fans are hilarious, but a few of ours could learn a thing or two from them; that you stand by the club even if you went 50 years without winning anything.
A good read about sticking together.
http://goonerholic.com/2008/12/i-am-not-a-number-i-am-a-free-man/
@bob, I thought “The Swiss navy’s order of merit.” would be the giveaway to the fact that I’m taking the Piss, since its a land locked country. Or have I missed your irony?
And anyway, I’m from around there (well, higher ground), If anyone’s allowed to take the piss its me.
HELP.
@Al, Some supporters go a whole lifetime knowing only lower league status and no big wins.
Arsenal for life.
So we lost at Tottenham on Sunday….so what, we won at home earlier in the season.
‘But Tottenham are better than us now’ some may believe until you remind them we won at home and lost away last season also, incidentally by exactly the same score lines too.
Did they bring out a DVD again?
By the way, a little off subject but I suppose the spend some f#@king money brigade will be out in full force again armed with their documented evidence of the PSG draw at home to Valencia that it is a sure formula for success.
Thanks, Adam,
I missed the Swiss navy bit. (Shamefaced.)
I just didn’t like who got the short end of the stick,
even if you’re from there (not that I’d know). Cheers.
You have to remember, we have won more titles at WHL that Spurs have, Ray Parlour has won as many league titles as spurs have, and Christopher wreh has more league winners medals than glen hoddle. The media wankfests will have you believe a shift in the balance of power, we know better……then there is the new stadium for,spurs…….lack of form is temporary, greatness is forever…..
Mandy Dodd, all,
A thoughtful analysis of our defense and a well-deserved advocacy of ensuring that Sagna stays:
http://1nildown2oneup.net/bacary-sagna-should-stay-and-could-he-play-at-centre-back-next-season/
“the spend some f#@king money brigade”
Stuart,
do you really think that we shouldn’t?
do you think that the club is busy bandying about the 70M available figure because it doesn’t realize that there’s a point to spending big to upgrade our performances?
why keep pouring cold water on this burning need? Is it reflex, or does it impact someone’s christmas bons if we do finally spend?
sorry, meant bonus above, not bons (but more or less they’re the same)
Man oh man ,what a lovely laugh fest !I can’t remember when I last had such a good chortle as this .Thanks guys !Even if you didn’t mean to!
Rufusstan -@March 6 ,12.57 pm and subsequent post – SWEET !
GoingGoingGooner -@ March 6,1.27pm – Oh yes ,we will overcome!
& @ 8.35pm – Thanks for the link , just popped over to post a comment on a very fine post .
Adam – @March 6 ,5.07 pm .and subsequent posts – Damn ! You good !Will the presentation take on board their latest warship ? For many years I used to pose the following question ,” What is the highest rank in the Swiss Navy ?”. Sad part almost everyone didn’t know that it was land locked .
Stuart – @ March 6 ,11.18 pm – What are the old dvds, mugs and other Spuds commemorative items going for these days ?
Ahh Strategy 1: put out a blog entry on Spurs. Get lots of hits and comments. Well done
Strategy 2: Our team is no longer so great. So let’s focus on the “positive”. I am Spurs fan. Most spurs fans I know are the pessimistic kind – where we tend to have the “now, don’t screw it up” feeling. I get the feeling that same attitude flows through the club as well, but is hopefully changing. So definitely not lots of celebrations here, but more optimism -yes. As for Arsenal, as a Spurs fan – I think it is terrific that you are more focussed or just being better than us. It means that instead of Arsenal being focussed on being champions – you now more or less have the same goals as Spurs – I. e finish in top 4, and maybe win something. We all know you guys have been top tog for the last 15 years or so, but I would be more worried about the next 15 rather than the previous 15.
Now if you compare Spurs and Arsenal – you have a stable management team, have been in CL for ages which means more money and ability to convince better players to join, and you have a bigger stadium – again more revenue etc. Yet with all of that, you are now just marginally ahead of Spurs at this point of time. If I was an Arsenal fan, that is what I would worry about. I feel great that you guys console yourselves with being better than Spurs. It means you are looking down, rather than up.
Ray, the Arsenal History Society is offering £100 to anyone who can give any reasonable evidence to support what you have said. I am sure you will be filling in an application today.
http://www.blog.woolwicharsenal.co.uk/archives/5215 for full details. It will be interesting to read your submission.
I have no idea what it’ll take for some Arsenal fans to pull their heads out of their own backsides. The arrogance of some our supporters is really quite disturbing. I expect when we’re playing in the Europa League some will begin to wonder what the hell is going on. A club in a great position like ours has squandered our advantage by putting making money ahead of making progress.
We have all the elements in place to attract good players and yet Vertonghen chose Spuds instead of us. Lloris, a better goalkeeper than anyone we have, went to Spuds. We apparently have a great scouting system and yet Michu went to Swansea for 2 million, even cheaper than our great signing Park. We could afford all those players plus Dembele who looks like the sort of player we need.
Instead we have an injury prone Diaby, Oxlade Chamberlain who has regressed it seems, Giroud who is a pale shadow of a replacement for RVP, Ramsey who seems to be no better than he was two years ago, Vermaelen who seems to have forgotten how to defend and a ponderous German defender. Podolski seems to be below par frequently and Cazorla who has talent aplenty seems to disappear a little too often. Wilshire is the one player who seems to give his all consistently. Oh and Walcott who can be amazing in one game in four.
All these problems can be directly linked to Russian billionaires apparently, or dodgy refs depending on your paranoiac point of view. Strange that Spuds who are seven points ahead don’t have any Russian money behind them. In fact our bulging bank balance is far superior to theirs and yet here we are stuck in fifth.
Some Wengerites would defend him if Arsenal finished 10th. Personally I’m tired of the same old collapse every season. If any of the reports are true about Wenger curtailing Bould’s defensive training, for whatever reason, then the man should be questioned about it. What the hell is going on?
Exactly what company would employ a manager who has not improved the business after seven years?
Some people are confusing stability with stagnation. After stagnation comes decline. We’re witnessing it now. WAKE UP!
Rupert,
I admire you for your desire to convert us all in to doom mongers. But I don’t think many over here are interested in walking through live in a moaning mood.
A very funny article. Bale Will be gobbled up by a multinational and Spurs will understand the remorseless fiscal logic of 21st Century football. As with Tantalus and the grapes – so Spurs and Major honours
@Ray “was around the time you became the first M K Dons when moving from Woolwich”
Manchester United were founded (as Newton Heath) in the Manchester neighbourhood of Newton Heath in 1878, and moved within the city to Clayton in 1893. After adopting the Manchester United name in 1902, they moved just outside the city to Stretford in 1910, where they remain to this day.
@Walter, that’s right. It’s best not to moan is it? Let’s all pretend we’re the best team in the league shall we?
Imagine if you had cancer and everyone told you to stop moaning. “Oh shut up with your whingeing and enjoy life”. “Oh but I feel so unwell.” “Stop moaning, you’ll feel better tomorrow.”
A week later the poor cancerous moaner was dead. But that’s ok because we don’t like to listen to constant moaning do we?
You’d probably be happy if we got relegated. That’s fine. Let those who love Arsenal worry about the club.
A bit extream Robert Cook
It is said Football is a sport of opinions and opinions on football differ greatly just look at the Nani sending off or people’s opinion on Bale. Your view of Arsenal is towards one end of the opinion spectrum while Walters is towards the other. I have spoken to many fans who are further left and right of yours and Walters opinions over the past year or so and no matter what I said moving their ideas on Arsenal and its current situation was and is nearly impossible. Who is to say which way Arsenal go is right or wrong only the future will tell us that. We will then get the ‘I told you this would happen’ moment but for now if you have differing opinions either keep it sensible and argue the points politely but with perpose and vigour or find a forum that matches your opinions( I suggest the gooner forum)
@Steve, and what’s your opinion?
And what’s impolite about my response? You obviously don’t notice the abuse I get for suggesting our team needs a change of direction based on facts, not opinions. Those facts being that we have won zilch in 8 years under the same regime. Now logically what would you glean from that fact, bear in mind that we are a supposedly top team and not Stoke or even Everton.
My opinion and that is all it is not fact because I do not know the ins and outs of the Arsenal board, I do not know how to run a multi million pound football club, I do not know how to get in multi million pound sponsorships and I do not defiantly know how to manage a top football club.
So
I think Arsenal football club have been playing a long game, the move to the new stadium was first conceived back in 1998 ish before the invent of the mega owners of Chelsea and city. To finance the build Arsenal football club financed themselves to the hilt having to get fount loaded sponsorship deals that were more in favour of the sponsors than the club. This was needed as when they first moved they were a cash poor club. The building of flats at the old Arsenal Stadium was ment to help fund the club but due to the crash in property prices this was less than forecast so funds had to be found from elsewhere to balance the books. Added to this was the coming of Abramovich and the disruption of transfer fees this produced which affected Wengers buying of players with less money coming in due to the stadium build. You may point out the ‘we can compete with the best in Europe’ quote at this point but in truth what were they going to say ‘we have moved to a new stadium and we are going to be broke for a while so just hang in there please whole we sort it out’.
As I said I don’t know about sponsorship deals etc but is it a coincidence that both shirt deals and Wengers contract all finished around the same time a time when the cash balance in the club is back to a high enough level to keep paying off the stadium and associated debts without having to worry about funding them by other means. Tom Fox in an interview last year said that Arsenal were changing the way they were looking at contracts etc and moving to a more Manchester United way of lower wages but higher personnel sponsorship deals(kagawa reportedly on £50k but with 4 new personnel sponsorship deals to his name since moving to MU). They are also looking at more associated sponsorship deals(training kits etc).
All this has effected the playing side of the club selling to buy, more expencive transfer fees, higher wages etc have lead to a over reliance on younger or more average players. You can look at this 2 ways 1 as a stepping stone to keep Arsenal in the top 4 so the CL money etc still comes in to help Arsenal get to a cash level as mentioned above or 2 a cop out by the board to get in as much cash so they can keep it for themselves. Wenger has his faults, playing players out of position, to much faith in some and not enough in others.
So in short I think The Arsenal it’s board and Wenger have been looking at the bigger picture over 10 to 15 years rather than the short 1 to 5 years it may hurt and it may hurt for a while longer but I hope that in 5 years or so Arsenal will be back up there challenging for the title. If that’s with or with out Wenger who knows.
Rupert,
I said I admire you is that abusing you?
You don’t have to say what I would think if we would get relegated. First : I don’t think it will happen so I don’t have to worry about it. And if it would happen it would be the worst blow in my Arsenal years.
The only other worst case scenario is Arsenal going bankrupt. That would be the ultimate worst case scenario.
Would you be happy if we would win a trophy next season and then go out of existence the year after?
You see you could ask me how I would feel about it without predicting how I would feel. Like I did.
@Rupert
‘Based on facts’ is your call to arms
Based on facts, Arsenal should have been a mid-table club for many a long year.
In the league tables of expenditure we rank very low, below such luminaries as Stoke and Sunderland. That is cold hard logic.
Based on facts, such as Walter’s evisceration of the refereeing system, Arsenal should probably be lurking in the relegation zone.
The only argument you really have left against Arsene is that he should spend more money.
To which it has to be said
1) Does the board really give him these supposed budgets
and
2) Buying top players with exorbitant wage demands shifts the whole wage structure, because all the other players demand more
Not an easy conundrum…
“Without a struggle, there can be no progress.” – Frederick Douglass
And Rupert,
I would like you not making such comparisons.
I really dislike you comparing such things with a football club. It leaves a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.
I will not go in to detail because my personal life or the personal life of my relatives is no subject of a football blog.
On the other hand it might be the reason why I can see Arsenal in a different perspective than you. I know there are far worse things in life than my football club being in 5th place in the league with still 10 games to go.
As far as I know Arsenal is not suffering from a terminal disease. A little virus maybe. Or a bug. A few good pills, some rest and the patient will be back on his feet in no time.
Amazing what a bit of humour does to those who don’t want to hear it.
What amazes me is that supporting Arsenal has always been like this, not that anyone wants to hear that. I’m pretty certain that during the title wins of 1998 and 2002 there were some annoying defeats to teams we should have been beating. I also remember the 2000 UEFA Cup Final being a clusterf**k, our famous 5-1 victory over Inter Milan actually being a 5-4 victory over two legs, etc.
Of course this view that Arsenal have always been maddeningly inconsistent doesn’t fit with how people view the club.
Hi Tony. FACT : Arsenal have never won their way in to the top division of English football.
@Ray
Yep,
So,
Next….
@Steve, good reasoned answer. The long term maybe what some at AFC have in mind, it may not. We don’t know. Trouble is players want success today, not tomorrow, and that’s why we lose so many good players every season. Eventually the team will suffer as we’re seeing now. The fans are almost the same. They wonder why not one trophy has been won and yet the cost of watching the team is prohibitive for many. Value for money, not yet.
@Marcus, yes we rank low in expenditure. Have you wondered why? Because we had a very good team which didn’t need huge investment until about two years ago. Sunderland and Stoke and their ilk have to keep investing just to keep out of relegation battles.
@Walter, we’re not going to be relegated, whether Wenger stays or goes, unless there is a total management meltdown and that’s highly unlikely. It was an extreme example. And neither are we going to go out of business if we spend 100 million. Not that we will anyway, though we probably need to spend well over half that to win anything like the CL or league.
And my aunt died of cancer so I know exactly what that illness is like. I’ll say no more on that issue.
Don’t worry Rupert. We will spend. 😉
But as Walter points out the risk of going all out for trophies now could have high cost to the future of Arsenal football club. It’s a fine line Arsenal, it’s board and Wenger have been treading these past few years. Nobody knows what the future holds for Arsenal football club but do we entrust it to the current board or do we go with the Russian.
If Arsenal do go down the Russian route is there anything really different he would do, is there any evidence that his way would be in the long term more sucsesfull. By reading his well timed letters to the media I can only see lots of political speak promising this and that but with no real answers to how he will achive it.
Silent Stan has come in for a lot of critisium for being…well silent but what is there really to say. Does he come out and say Arsenal are on a long term plan that is only half or two thirds of the way through. This will give no confidence for the short term fans will go well what’s the point in going until the plan has ended. Sponsors will go well what’s the point of investing in a club that will not compete etc. By speaking out he could cause more problems for the club.
By 2014 Arsenal could be in a position to be virtually debt free(enough money in the bank to cover the stadium debt) if this is the case then any and all money raised from sponsorships, match days etc could be pumped back into the team and not the debt.
Of course I could be totally wrong and Stan is in it for a huge profit from selling his shares soon and the Russian will take over go for the short term success which the fans would love.
What I hope is that when I’m 72 I am still going to see The Arsenal with my children like I do now with my dad.
Ray — if at any point in the last 94 years we had got relegated, then we would have.
@Ray. Really Ray, how seriously pathetic to roll that old chestnut out again. Yes we did probably bribe our way into Div 1. Now when was that…let me think? Better you should have said how we spent £25 million of public money on our attempted & failed move to the Olympic stadium. Oh wait a minute…… that was Spurs!
“Would you be happy if we would win a trophy next season and then go out of existence the year after? ”
Why these extremely hyperbolic statements that have zero reflection of reality, and framing as though it’s a clear choice between a trophy and bankruptcy akin to Leeds and Pompey. There can’t be a honest conversation about our state if the pre-defense is set up as such unrealistic hyperbole. No rational analysis can suggest we are going to go bankrupt the season after investing for a trophy (nor is any gooner calling for a City-esque spending spree in the first place). We are nothing remotely like Portsmouth (in terms of location, global following, wealth, revenue etc etc etc.) so we won’t “do a Leeds or Pompey” if we either a) invest a bit more in quality and b) utilize the resources we do have a bit more efficiently in order to do “a”.
Let’s have an honest discussion regardless of which side of the fence we as gooners sit on. The hyperbole about fans wanting us to spend like Chelsea/City, buy 50M rated players, a choice between a trophy of Portsmouth-esque finanical ruin..is intellectually dishonest.
“But as Walter points out the risk of going all out for trophies now could have high cost to the future of Arsenal football club. It’s a fine line Arsenal, it’s board and Wenger have been treading these past few years. Nobody knows what the future holds for Arsenal football club but do we entrust it to the current board or do we go with the Russian.”
No-one knows what the future holds for any club, business or anything at all for that matter.
All investment has risk and uncertainty attached. Mere risk or uncertainty shouldn’t preclude investment, that’s why successful clubs, businesses, governments etc employ intelligent people to mitigate risk as much as possible when making investments to maximize rewards. Does it always work out well? No.
But To be content to stand still, just because of the inhrerent uncertainty involved in investment does nothing but maintain the status quo, if you’re fine with that, then cool.
Regarding “the Russian” and no-one knows what the future holds. No-one knows if “The Russian” may spearhead a sustained period of success for Arsenal at the top of the game vs spearheading a sustained period of failure. No-one knows if he would seek success by going on a Chelsea-esque Oligarch spending/management style or whether he will attain success differently than our current model but with less upheaval and rash spending than say RA.
One thing though, “The Russian” is a highly successful business man, who has made very successful investments into a diversity of sectors. Maybe he knows how to invest wisely?
Regarding Spurs…who cares if they (fans and team) feel confident and are getting good press.
Postings such as this just show a deep insecurity and sense of being threatened, and a need though sarcasm to remind ourselves of our superiority because we feel threatened.
Forget Spurs and focus on ourselves and what we can do to improve our situation and return closer to the stop as opposed to closer to the next chasing pack as has been increasingly the recent trend.
@Rupert
Have I wondered why Arsenal have such low expenditures? No, never.
Arsene Wenger is first and foremost a realist. He understands the basic economic axiom lost to several generations, and completely forgotten by the present generation, that you cannot spend more than you earn. His stance may seem slightly idiosyncratic to some, but as and when AIG goes bust, and Man U ceases to be, then his common sense will look like prescience.
Wenger understands that saddling a club with a heap of debt and then disappearing is not a responsible way to behave.
Furthermore he is extremely canny at buying cheap and selling high.
Asking me why I think Arsenal are fiscally responsible when the manager has an economics masters is not the most challenging question.
I say Wenger is a realist, but he is also highly ambitious, and that is his undoing. Had he stuck to a couple of league cups and an FA cup in his tenure, he would be viewed as a succesful manager. But tilting at the European Cup, and creating the best domestic team probably ever seen on these shores 10 years ago, (on a modest budget to boot), has created a rod for his own back.
If he’d just looked at his budget and assembled a team with more modest ambitions, he would not now be marinating in this media pickle of being declared an utter failure when his team his only 5th in the league, and the last remaining English team in the world’s premier club competition.
btw, Wenger might get Ashley Williams according to the Mail. Exactly the sort of purchase he needs to make I think.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2289317/Arsene-Wenger-plans-ditch-Thomas-Vermaelen-Per-Mertesacker-Ashley-Williams-potential-replacement.html
Apart from Arshavin there isn’t many Russians I can say I can trust
The Williams story get printed the day after a twitter poll asking which new CB would you like to see at Arsenal voted for……
Go on have a guess who won the vote
A.Stewart, with regards to Spurs, Im going to be watching the game and hope for a hard fought score draw with the return leg also the same result Im hoping for extra time and penalties and a Spurs progress into the next round.
Make it as hard as possible to progress, with their premier league charge suffering as a result.
Im hoping for a Spurs loss in the final of the Europa legue.
Bit sad, but anything to help us out (please don’t state we should be doing better than them through our own qualities, I know).
Adam
Will be hoping for pretty much the same, wont be watching the game though:)
AL, I’m just mad for football, I will quite happily watch a Sunday league match over the local park.
And I have stated this before on this site. If I wasn’t born in to the Arsenal I would have been a Tottenham fan due to geography and my family history.
Just as I’m writing this poxy comment, up pops Bale.
Weird how people moan about Arsenal but I’m watching a team that won the champions league recently losing to a team in the Europa league. Oh how the mighty can fall?
Bale Booked again for diving, will miss the return leg.
Diving again, maybe he thinks he is playing in the prem where he gets away with it every week.
He will miss 2nd leg
Tell you what, there is a lot to be said for confidence.
Everywhere on the pitch Tottenham players look like they are going to beat Milan man for man. Any time there is a 1 v 1 situation the Spurs player/s will take the initiative and threaten to go past their opponent or go past, pulling Milan all over the place.
Does this make them better than us, NO, just more confident me thinks?
Anyway this aint a spurs love in. Just wanted to highlight what collective confidence can do for a side.
Does anyone remember why Wenger & Nasri get banned in Europe after the Barcelona loss a couple of years back? Surely their conduct wasn’t as bad as Ferguson’s & Rio’s? Let’s hope uefa come down on both like a ton of bricks…..oh, who am I kidding, Rio’s already got away scotfree. Guess its who you play for.
Why does this article go on about Spurs losing 5.o to Madrid?What do you think the aggregate score is going to be after the second leg against Bayern?Seriously,Spurs have just beaten Inter 3.0,when was the last time Arsenal beat a top European team over 2 legs? This article,like the club,reeks of complacency,and relying on past glories.No wonder Henry Ford said “History is Bunk”.Well,any so called Arsenal fan who sits back with their arms folded, happy that the club is doing nothing whilst Spurs overtake us,is no Gooner.An Arsenal supporter,yes,but no Gooner. Spurs HAVE got a better team and squad than us, and play effervescent,exciting football;soon there will not be a single Arsenal player that would get into a North London 11.Keep ignoring it,keep convincing yourself Arsenal are the Kings of North London..What do you care that kids in North London are becoming Spurs fans and turning their backs on Arsenal? The long term implications of this are massive,but who cares,as long as Arsenal has got a few more Vietnamise fans(who will switch to United or Barca in a year or two)
@Marcus, do you seriously think Manu will go out of business? That’s wish fulfillment gone mad. Most football clubs are in debt. That’s how it works in football world.
And let’s not harp on about being the last British team in the CL because barring a miracle we’ll be out of that next week.All we do in that competition is make up the numbers.
@AL, bit harsh on Russians. I married one and that wasn’t a great decision but I don’t hate them all. I take it your comment was probably tongue in cheek.
@Walter, are you in charge of Arsenal’s finances? But yes we’ll probably spend because we’ll have to.
@A.Stewart, as usual your posts reek of common sense.