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By Dr Billy “the dog” McGraw, senior psychiatrist at the university hospital of the North Circular Road.
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A number of changes are needed I think.
First off, the number of club psychologists needs to be enhanced, as judging by commentaries on some blogs there are a number of people around who find it very hard to manage their own disappointments. As this is a fundamental requirement of a balanced human psyche we really should be doing more for these poor souls. I have offered my services to the club.
My advice, as a medical man is, “don’t take it so personally guys.”
Second I think we need a new fans’ group to help promote good feeling and positive noise in the stadium. I used to receive emails from Red Action regularly, but for some reason they stopped a while ago, but According to the Evening Standard before the match against Watford they called for a boycott…
Arsenal could play Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Watford in front of thousands of empty seats after fans were urged to boycott the game in an ongoing protest over ticket prices.
Three prominent supporters’ voices — Black Scarf Movement, REDaction and The Gooner — have released a joint statement urging season-ticket holders not to take up their seat to avoid an additional cost on their renewal for next year.
Now Black Scarf I can understand doing this – most of the campaigns of theirs that I hear about are negative and orientated in this way. Although I am not sure how many paid-up season ticket holders they actually have on their books. Most of them must be pretty miserable by now, considering they have been running this campaign for years and years without success. I would offer my services to those guys too, but I’m not that magnanimous.
But REDAction is supposed to be a positive group, so I was a little surprised about this. If that is what they did, then it’s a shame.
As for The Gooner, as my medical chums and I approached the stadium on Sunday we saw a Gooner salesman, and asked him if it was true that the Gooner was calling for a boycott, but the salesman said he didn’t know, he didn’t read the magazine, only sold it. We left it at that and didn’t buy a copy.
Anyway, the long and the short of it was that most tickets in the RedAction section seem to have been taken up, and it was occupied as much as normal. So if as seems possible, the Black Shirts (sorry Black Scarf, I often make that mistake) and the Gooner and REDAction have all failed in this activity (either by not following their own advice, or by coming up with a scheme that was bound to fail, since people do like to go and watch Arsenal) they should perhaps wind themselves up. One way or another. At least it would save me winding them up.
Third I think something needs to be done about security. Having seemingly got rid of the blight of flares and/or smoke bombs when Merseyside clubs play, we now seem to have problems with Watford.
Since the stewards are clearly finding it very hard to search people for flares etc, the only answer surely must be to say to each club Arsenal plays, “if anyone in your end lets off a flare or smoke bomb at any time, then the number of tickets you get next time we play you will be halved. And then if repeated, it will be halved again, and so on.”
We have Watford in the next home game, so maybe we should start then. That might lead to a bit of self-policing, which is probably the only thing that can work.
Finally at the next Untold Board Meeting I am going to suggest that we ought to think up a new way of changing our publishing policy for comments. It has been very frustrating in the past to find people writing in without any idea of what has gone on before on this site, and we have started to delete a few comments that show that tendency.
But now we have people commenting who clearly haven’t actually read the article on which they are commenting – which seems a bit bizarre.
Of course as a specialist I am often called upon by my colleagues to give answers on specific issues relating to the site, but people who are anti-Wenger not reading an article and then coming onto a pro-Wenger site in order to be abusive about Wenger is beating my understanding of reasoned behaviour.
Last, and this is just a personal observation, having travelled through the comments (both published and unpublished of late) isn’t it strange how very few people who are saying “Wenger out” are not also saying who we should get in. I mean, there’s no point getting rid of one person if the next person isn’t any better.
And that is an issue, given how long it has taken Chelsea to find a manager, and the problem Man U have had with their manager.
Or could it be that they are all arguing for Wenger to go because they know how hard it is to get a better manager to Arsenal, and they just want things to get worse. I thought of this in relation to the person who wrote in claiming that Bertie Mee had the grace to go quickly, when things started to get a little rough. Such a re-writing of history suggests that anything is possible.
Given the way the crowd in the East stayed on at the end and applauded the Arsenal players, I wonder if some of these people are actually Arsenal fans at all.
Anyway, I am proposing that we shouldn’t publish any more “Wenger should go” comments unless they are accompanied by serious commentaries on who could take over and why – that person being someone who is likely to be available. Just a thought.
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To save you from writing all that the simple suggestion I have would be to hang I mean change the manager.
Fransico
Here’s hoping you’re a youngster with a chance to grow up and out of it.
That or, the admittedly not promising, that you’re a genuine troll who gets pleasure from trying to wind people up.
Basically, anything other than you being an adult who is for real.
Be the first, help everyone reach a better understanding: a few simple sentences on why you feel as you apparently do and yet see this site as a good place to visit and share your views.
Rich, you’ve obviously missed the boat mate. Go and read the previous article by Walter. Loads of information why the managers time is up.
Fransico.
You show your intellect with the comment ‘hang’ the Manager.
It’s this type of childish comment that does you and your ilk no favours.
It is also interesting that instead of visiting the WOB blogs where you spend all your time moaning like old ladies, a loss sends you over to Untold.
This sums you lot up. Its all about you isnt it?
No idea how anyone can get so much pleasure when the team they claim to support, sorry wrong word, loses.
I pity the fact that you are unable to derive the same amount of pleasure I get from supporting my club. It must be hell.
Billy
I got sidetracked and didn’t address the article, but just wanted to say it’s a good point : the typical inability or refusal to elaborate on what should follow Wenger and what would be nearly guaranteed to see us perform better (which can only mean winning or getting very close to the title, plus getting closer to Barca standards in the CL) is revealing.
They might not believe it, but I’m ready and willing every day to be persuaded by Franciso et al that I am wrong. Yet generally the standard of argument is so damn weak (or non-existant) it’s only likely to make me feel a little surer I’m not wrong.
If the aim is to make any of us change our minds, they sure do need to up their game considerably.
That there are so many people who vehemently insist, abusively or not, that Wenger is done, and that, despite that, I’ve yet to see any argument, even from among the better candidates, that isn’t flawed or incomplete, makes it so much easier to believe that killer argument doesn’t exist.
I’ll keep my ears, eyes and mind open as always,though. Just in case.
Proud kev…yes I am a loyal arsenal supporter not an akb as some call me .loyal but have always questioned wenger as i question any player too or myself when i played and coached too. i felt long ago we would never win a champions league under him.this year unlike previous years i felt we had the best squad not necessarily the best team and would win the league .we had money to spend hadnt had to sell our best players.i have played many many years still play friendlies at 51 coached and managed local teams in high wycombe for around 20 years in the past so can see bigger pictures and appreciate and know parts of the job though not from a professional level.this second half of the season the players have underperformed defenders too many turned backs or out of position ,ramsey and sanchez showing plenty of skill and endeavour but poor in positional discipline and decision making on the ball.in the past i looked at the bigger picture and allowed for the financial restraints and city and chelseas financial power and its no coincidence they have won all they have since abramovich and the sheikhs came in. however having had money at his disposal and seen the basic mistakes this season i feel he has reached his limit and we need to move on.he was a great manager for what he has done in the past and his longevity but reflecting him bergkamp and henry were great players world class no doubt and i love them both what they did for us but being brutally honest they too often didn’t make the difference in the biggest matches of all like arsene.how many cup finals for club and country did they score in or really make the difference ?it’s my honest opinion some may agree with some not.whether i like someone or not i give it.this group of players have won virtually every major club and country trophy in the world yet have underperformed this season under arsene wenger he bought them he plays them they cannot be as poor as they have been lately.
Oh Harry poetry in motion was that supposed to impress your mum with the beauty and Essenes of a true troll on love with the sound of his own voice do you climax to oblivion when you were pulling your own love strings?
Oh rich and Proudkev the world is true full of strange and wonderful beings who’s speech and thought are of so one tracked minded if they were true to use more than 2 brain cells we would lose their lively souls so full of grace when the gunners lose. It’s only a downward spiral to true self inplosion of the aaa sewer rat kind!
Arsene mate.do the honourable thing & pack it in at the end of the season.nothing lasts forever.even your devoutest supporters must realise this.why take the grief?you don’t deserve it.move upstairs.keep your council within the club.would be invaluable.pass the reigns & the money youv’e hoarded onto the next manager.you always said that was your aim.now’s the time.& while yor at it tell Kronke to sell up.youv’e had enough of filling his pockets & give the club over to a fan of the club.not a leech…p.s you must be crying watching the civil war that’s happening amongst the loyalist fan base in football.that is not a joke.do you think manure fans would wait 12 years for a title.?they were screaming for fergies head when he went two seasons without it.a man who’d by that time had won them 10 titles!…
when you think about it, Wenger has two choices now.
He admits that his squad aren’t playing for him and he dismantles it and starts again. At 67, the chances of that are very slim.
He resigns, accepting that he’s taken the club as far as he can and he moves upstairs.
Sad thing is, for me, I have my doubts he’ll do either. He’ll be praising the spirit and the mental strength of the squad long into the summer, he’ll not add anyone of note and we’ll be here cursing him again next season.
… bigger worry is Wenger is no longer a managerial force. If you’re coming over to this league, you’ll have Pochettino, Klopp, Mourinho and Guardiola to work for. Where are you going if you’re major talent? I’m not sure I’d want to play for a manager who doesn’t know how to win?
Things are also getting very worrying in the league. West Ham are 3 points behind us and in good form. United are within spitting distance. City are 2 points behind us and capable of a very good run in. We are in shocking form, 13th in the 2016 Premier League table. We’ve lost 3 home games on the bounce for the first time since the dinosaurs. We’ve won 4, lost 5 and drawn 5 out of our last batch of games.
Francisco ol pal.you just lifted that little piece from ” le grove”…
Francisco, you’re hang him did it as civilised people don’t talk lat that.
Hary if you would have read the article you also would know and understand why
To be honest, I think this squad needs dismantling and rebuilding (and I don’t read “le grove” whatever that is).
And is it so difficult to use . and , or even ; and press the enter every now and then. Now most of the comments from you know who are unreadable. But that is mostly down because of the copy+pasting of course…
Hary, your comment was not published because it had nothing to do with the article itself and because it made a series of accusations saying the “evidence shows” but without any evidence.
As one who has had a number of posts put up before I might let one of these two slip through, but when you break two rules, that’s going a bit far.
Editor.
a reminder: Anyway, I am proposing that we shouldn’t publish any more “Wenger should go” comments unless they are accompanied by serious commentaries on who could take over and why – that person being someone who is likely to be available. Just a thought.
And yes for the one saying that this is not really done as you are not a specialist enough…. but you feel specialist enough to say to have the current manager removed? Okay….
Billy, you will have not enough time in a day to help those desperate people.
You’re advice : don’t take it personal is not taken up by some it seems.
But given my Jay article who pretended to be a supporter for a long while before blowing his cover not all is what it seems
Fransico you just took the comment written by chief WOB Peter Wood on his Legrove site and posted that here.
That is pathetic.
Unfortunatley its not the first time that has happened on here.
So many on that side of teh fench can’t even think for themselves, they just follow like bloody sheep!
oops.
Meant to type: “So many on that side of the fence can’t …….!
What’s with all this copying and pasting. I thought it was Untold policy that anyone who does that is banned.
Personally I would ban all the anti Wenger brigade, they spoil the site for the people Untold was set up for. They have no place here any more than we would on Le Grove.
Just updated my ‘Table of Shame” prior to starting the ref preview for Saturday – after 28 games the total now stands at 88 wrong Important Decisions against us and 5 in our favour. I also make it a total of 22 points that these clowns who pretend to be referees have cost us. We should already have won the league with honest officials, every decision seems to be given against us so there’s no wonder that at times we play ‘safety first’ football with the easy pass rather than the probing one. Of he 88 decisions, 38 second yellow cards, 12 straight red cards, 27 penalties and 11 goals. At the current average of 3 a game the season end total will likely reach 120. No team can cope with that level of bias and win anything. It has absolutely bugger-all to do with the Manager, Players or Injuries just constant wrong decisions by a group of people who should all be sacked for gross incompetence or in jail for bribery/corruption.
The ref for Saturday – Clattenburg assisted by Beck and West and with Moss as fourth official so don’t expect any miracles like evenhanded decision making.
Fransisco is not worth responding to …..just another copy paster.
Most of his 3.45 post copied from today’s Le Grove lead article. Quite a few copy plasters about at the moment.
But on another note Dr Billy, think you are being a bit harsh on the WOB, many have at various times suggested replacement managers ……Owen Coyle, Gary Monk, David Moyes , Harry Redknapp, AVB, Martinez spring to mind…credit where it’s due, the club would now be flying with managers of such calibre.
Francisco – go & play with yourself. Wenger is here for another 10 years so go support a lamppost.
uwot – learn to read. Arsenal do not have a huge amount of money. There is still a debt(money owed to another) that they have to service. Spend some time learning the game – read the Laws of the Game on FIFA web site.
What I find incredible with these so called supporters who want wenger out is their inability to explain what would happen next. Not one mmedia person has come up with a credible replacement for Arsene, but these morons keep valling for him to go.
The other point that these idiots do not mention is the number of injuries that we have. Ten players who would certainly feature in Arsene’s squad are currently out.
How on earth could the club forsee this situation?
That vilest of men, Piers (I cant tell aforged phot from a real one) shouts from the rooftops that Wenger should go and then accuses David Becham of being a attention seeker…just remind me which of these two played professional football and represented their country? It certainly wasn’t Morgan especially when remembering the photos that caused him to resign from the Daily Mirror.
As for the “Francisco Kid” I’d give you my credentials if I thought they were of any relevance, but just like yours they are not.
We were beaten by a team that played better than us on Sunday, accept it and look forward to the next game. I will give you two facts about myself: I have supported Arsenal for 63 years and I am a season ticket holder who will always believe in Mr Wenger, the greatest manager I have ever known to date.
The other point that these idiots do not mention is the number of injuries that we have. Ten players who would certainly feature in Arsene’s squad are currently out.How on earth could the club forsee this situation?
Well those same WOB idiots predicted it before the season began. Also, we’ve had similar situations for the last five years, but of course we can’t blame Wenger for not seeing what the idiots saw
Wenger is the greatest manager in the Premiee league. What he has done in England exceeds what any other has done.
If you disagree it’s your freedom; time will show you your ignorance. If Wenger was English (or even British) he wouldn’t get this abuse from the media and refereeing decisions… thered be nothing but praise.
So here is the scenario when the transfer window opens:
Arsenal F.C. have been told by a small section of their supporters that they will have at least ten first team players injured from the start of the new year and must buy players.
Acting on this solid unrefutable information, Arsene Wenger is told to go and buy the equivalent level of player to maintain our depth of playing staff.
as an example, he asks Lloris of Spuds if he would like to join us as we might have a problem with injuries. Multiply this by nine and you might just begin to see how ridiculous the arguments given by the WOB brigade are.
As for the last five years being the same… we won the cup two years running, we qualified for Europe five years running. Compare that to any other team in the Premiership with those amount of injuries (using jamiestunner’s facts). There isnt a comparision as far as injuries are concerned and I expect the next claim from the WOB’s is that Arsene was actually the man who delivered these injuries!
Last point, still didn’t see the name of a manager to take over from Mr Arsenal…thank you Arsene, if only these so called fans could see beyond their knee jerk reactions and supported our club, the players might relish playing at the Emirates instead of being scared witless of putting a foot wrong.
So jamestunner,
what do you suggest Arsenal F.C. should have done?
Buy ten full internationals to cover these injuries “in case it happened”?
If it was even possible, the salaries and signing on fees would have crippled the club
So perhaps you can tell me what international player would sign for a club
Regarding the injury issue, we do have some players more prone to this problem.
like I said to a guy that said he’s been supporting since 1998,they are just the win win win and win fans.they barely take time to know what exactly is going on in the entire club.I always call them the pathetic ones.
Great article and so right.
Do these children not understand that when you support a team that you take the good along with the not so good times and that a lot of factors play their part on how the team are doing at any given time.
These children only come to Untold to whine people up bad mouth both team and manager. Childish just plain childish and it sticks out a mile.
If they cannot or will not give evidence to back up what they say and only come on here to abuse AW then please think about giving them the audience they so desperately want. Behaving like the spoiled selfish it’s all about me and what I want and if I say so then of course I’m right kids that should have been put in their bed’s hours ago.
AW does not deserve the vile abuse or stupid childish banners and they have really shown their true colour’s and it is now RED and WHITE.
Below are my opinion base on reading/observing from the Internet.
Diego Simeone is the flavor manager at the moment that the WOBs want, he’s similar to a mourinho playing defensive-counter attack but without the mourinho baggage.
Pep wanting to join Arsenal was just a fantasy, he was heading to Manchester City long before the announcement, you only need to see the bookies odd on that.
Klopp the most hyped up manager that Arsenal should have got for a long period would have been a good choice but he’s gone to Liverpool, let see how he do in the next few years.
Ancelotti well if he had a choice between managing Bayern Munich and Arsenal, which one you think he would choose? Bayern Munich would be my guess. Well he will be their new manager next season.
Joachim Lowe, he has a good international management record but not sure about club level especially the intensity and frequency of the PL matches. I think at the start of his rein as Germany manager he didn’t do well and there were people saying he should leave. The World Cup win was a bit lucky though, was it Higuain who missed the goal sitter?
Sooner or later AW will have to step down as he cant do it forever (unfortunately but it’s a fact of life) so the important thing the Board need to do is find a suitable replacement when AW decides to step down to make the transition smoothly. In the meantime, AW is the manager and he have my full support whether win, draw, or loss.
There isn’t another manager in football that can hold a candle to Wenger. The glory boys who flit from successful club to successful club are not managers just lickers of ice cream before it melts. They cannot do a Big Sam or Pulis type job of survival. Their forte is burn out the troops for a small period & short lived glory. That is not what Arsenal shareholders want. The shareholders want a consistent earner not a trophy hunter like the swine that killed tigers in tens & robbed generations of nature.
Ah , Billy , that there are so many in need of medical and mental help and there is not ever enough time , personnel, nor medication , has always been the bane of our profession .
And compounding these with learned internet stupidity , ignorance and ‘well informed’ friends will just about keep us all in a job ! While we make medical advancement on one hand to reduce death and illness , another door opens where DIY patients are being ‘ born’ everyday . Barnum and Bailey were right !
I say let nature take its course . I await the day when stupidity and ignorance dies a natural and eventual death . The easiest way to do is this is not to touch nor feed it and hopefully it will mutated back to normalcy.
To the AKBs , I would again ask you to refrain from any interaction with ‘them’ and to avoid naming them , but say your piece with the clarity , class and humour that you have always shown .
I for one don’t read comments from ‘them’ , as well as some who claim that they are not ‘them’ – that’s why I’ m always cheerful ! Never learnt anything worthwhile from that lot anyway .
In Arsene we trust ! Up the Gunners ! Onward and forwards ! WOO HOO , HOO !
Nice post Billy. The over reaction in the media and the like of Harry and Francis has been diabolical.
After other such setbacks, I might point out that it was the players who let Arsène down. After all, looking at the XI, who among us didn’t think, “that’s a strong squad, and we’ll advance”? However, after fifteen minutes of futile domination, we settled into a grim and pointless possession with little to show for it. It was only in the last ten minutes of the match, by which point we trailed 0-2, that we again played with any kind of passion, grit, or determination. Too little, too late. Lament the sitter that Welbeck fluffed if you will. That’s missing the forest for the trees.
Maybe Tony , could come out with a humorous book with the comments from ‘them’.
Could title it , ” (Alleged ) Arsenal fans say the darnest things !” , we could start with a chapter on managers suggested by ‘them’ and what eventually happened to each one .
The rest of the chapters of the book would be on the thousands of players recommended by those smart alecs . We could divide it according to their respective playing positions .
A few lines for some or any positive comments and great suggestions on how to unite the fan base ; sound financial and investment advice ; on how they would handle medical injuries and rehabilitation , that apparently the club’s qualified doctors and staff are not able to at present .
I think that this could be a best seller , Tony . All the research are already in your archives ! And you don’t have to spend any money at all.
Now , why didn’t I think of it then ?
I see that my suggestions are biting ! Anyway since this is a medical forum of sorts , let me tell you of the stupidity I daily encounter .
As most of you know , a doctor gleans much information from questioning the patient , parent or relative regarding their complaints and ailments . Woe be to him whom who gets a moron – and not they are not uncommon either .
One was when I asked the mother if her infant child was having a cough . Her reply ? ” Couldn’t you check to see if he is coughing ? ”
Well that got be me into a coughing fit !
Have you ever wondered where most of ‘them’ come from ?
I Googled it and here is what I found . Not surprised by the way !
Customer Complaints
A man boarded a plane with six kids.
After they got settled in their seats a woman sitting across the aisle from him
Leaned over to him and asked, “Are all of those kids yours?”
He replied, “No. I work for a condom company. These are customer complaints.”
I don’t ce Arsene leaving soon,rada I forece an encompassing overhaulof d team come summer; it is baffling dat a team wich showed so much promise during d 1st half of d season has dramatically lost its verve, guts, spirit nd kno how;wat we nid here at Untold is to find out d remote nd immediate cause(s) for dis lacklaustre performance in d 2nd stanza of d season.for me dats wat’s bin so worrisome;d tru believers shuld help unravel dis mistery nd help d team back on course,rada dan dis noise on Wenger’s successor(s) wich is presently unrealistic.yes, we may nid a change , but I tink we must support our Club to d end,summer is close by,until den it behoves on tru gonners to give full support to d team,win or loose!!!