Fear and loathing at the Emirates; supporting the club or foul mouting it

72 Replies to “Fear and loathing at the Emirates; supporting the club or foul mouting it”

1. well written let them all find another F B club to support, we dont need them, but he makes life hard for us supporters, who love our club,

2. Very well written Walter
   I just don’t understand why these people don’t get their Man U or Chelsky or Toons shirts and go somewhere else where they will have lots more fun, victories, games won, moneyspent, etc.
   Why in the world are they making their life so miserable by supporting a team and a coach they in fact hate or pretend to hate becasue they are probably all too cowardly to stand up and say it out loud. Internet is a very practical place to abuse others….?

   Keep on doing your best to keep the Arsenal web sane….!

3. As a scientific and pragmatic manager ever evident, we could imagine fitness levels needed during crunch time of (long) season, instead of the beginning, as being part of his plan. < for optimist supporters

4. Walter a good piece and I also a lot of other media to do with Arsenal .
   I have numerous times in last couple of months written the words regurgitated turgid drivel. I do find that most of the hateful comments I have seen tend to come from supporters abroad mainly the African continent, however , just in last few days there have been ones coming more and more frequently from English supporters. I mean we were after a defender and in all probability one that could cover full back and CB. The injuries to mertesacker and Gabriel were unfortunate and unavoidable though some would have you believe Wenger and his training technique is to blame, the fact is the majority of impact injuries are not fatigue related. Now Wenger has tried to improve the number of impact injuries by improving things on the turf at both Colney and Emirates part of the reason for the returning during close season. And let’s be honest had vardy signed people would be saying the same thing Wenger is not ambitious enough and has not been proactive in the market. For me I support the manager because he is manager of the team and when he leaves I will still remember all the great stuff he did for this club. I wish for once these people would realise it’s their choice to spend money on tickets and merchandise and at no point does anyone force them to do so. They should also realise all that their ticket price guarantees is a seat to watch a football match that lasts about 90 mins and that is all it guarantees though things like policing freak weather power failure may intervene on that even. I will echo the same sentiments I utter every year. Let’s judge Wenger at the end of the season not at the start or before it has even started.

5. I allways want our Arsenal to win toxic fans like t Aaa’s and others like them have no place supporting Arsenal these are not fans you support your team allways. Laying in to Wenger all the time do they think they can do better . They should have been around when terry o Neill and the like . They probably self combust . I have followed Arsenal all my life and will do till the end . There are plenty of clubs out there that would love to have wenger as their manager COYG

6. A sobering post, Tony, which highlights the appalling degree of hatred which some misguided souls direct at Arsenal FC and Arsene Wenger.
   Only yesterday I read a comment from a so-called Arsenal supporter wishing that Ramsey and Wilshere would stay injured for a long time because he didn’t rate their performances.
   I can understand the ignorance of tribal hatred but much of the bitter tirades being spouted at the moment, are from folk who claim to support our great Club.
   Wenger is pilloried for not signing new players early enough in the Transfer Window, completely ignoring all the vagaries which many transfers appear to attract. Plus the fact that the Window still doesn’t close until the end of the month is conveniently overlooked.
   True supporters will await the outcome with quiet confidence in sure and certain knowledge that decisions taken will have the Club’s future guaranteed. 😉

7. Walter good post and completely agree.
   I think these AAAs are mostly teen agers who dont know the realities of life and want results asap.

   But i think these are a minority as we found out during the penultimate match of last season. Do you think the same or i am wrong?

8. Good post Walter.

9. Can’t believe the vitriol directed at Wenger. I understand the frustration with the club and the way they appear to do (or don’t do) business, but this should not be directed solely and so personally and nastily at him. No other manager is treated in this way, we should value what he has done for Arsenal, anybody who has been a fan for more than 20 years know what went before. In the 100 years or so before he arrived we had finished in Top 4 16 times, since then 19 times, every year. Support the club not the trophies. If that is your need, or what your ego needs support one of the Mancs or Barca or a different team every year. COYG

10. Wenger is autocratic. It causes problems. There are always different ways to look at a problem and you have chosen yours. I have been an Arsenal supporter through thick and thin for 65 years. This is the first time ever that I have wished a manager to go. He has destroyed my support with his supine arrogance. This is not abuse. It is fact. You are the abusive one for failing to recognise that Wenger has destroyed faith in the club for a great many people. Their language simply expresses the nature of the times in all fields; exageration for effect. Get your head out of the sand and recognise that managers either move with the times, get ahead of the times (as Wenger dis 20 years ago) or stagnate.

11. I agree totally with the article. The world is constantly evolving and Arsenal has evolved. Some people like the way it has evolved, others don’t. Personally, I had been a supporter since the early eighties but no longer consider myself a supporter, as i no longer spend a penny on them and I despise the fact that it has become a business with little sporting ambition, that fleeces it’s fans without using the available resources accumulated by having a large support base. I cannot blame Wenger for this, nobody can, as we have no idea what resources are being made available to him and who could blame him for hanging on to his £10 million per year post as long as he can get away with it. It’s the mugs who go to watch them every week that I feel sorry for. I’m happy though to have supported Arsenal when it was fun to support Arsenal

12. Some years ago I attended a conference one of the speakers was the then editor of the Daily Telegraph. He said something that stuck with me.

    He said the more channels of communication we have the less we are able to communicate.

    We see this with the internet. It is a marvelous means of communication and there are intelligent communications. to be found on the internet.

    Within the internet is a mass of evidence of how poorly people are able to express themselves.

    Unfortunately football in/on the internet is swamped with the inarticulate spouters of one word thoughts and foul language.

    Then there are those who have nothing to communicate and seem to delight in telling the internet world they have nothing to communicate.

    So it is the more means the world has available to it to communicate the less it communicates.

13. Well said Walter. The solution to this lies with the AAA and plastic supporters, start supporting another team. Get a paper, write down your personal requirement’s, use the check list to find the club that spends, buys new players, tosses them when done and then buys some more. Because nobody forced you to buy a season ticket or merchandise or subscriptions. You did it on your own. If supporting the club, it’s manager and players through thick and thin isn’t your cup of tea, then stop watching and supporting the club till changes are brought about. There are others who with their optimism will be able to support wholeheartedly with out pre set conditions. Manchester United waited 26 years before they saw light. This patch is Arsenal low point and it needs the energy from supporters and players alike to get through it. Certainly not moaning and groaning. Hope next week we don’t see the whiners, fingers crossed. COYG.

14. Is it ok to have an opinion different to the general view point because I believe I see where the frustrations of those that you say aren’t real supporters come from. I totally disagree with someone that wishes someone else was unwell. I don’t even want to see a player from a different team injured. But I’ve also seen Wenger not activiley improve the team when he could. I’ve read many a time how Wenger has come out saying he opted out of buying a very good player but was aware of him etc. Many a time this is said when the player has become a top top player. I’ve also seen some players kept at Arsenal for years on end on crazy wages when what they have achieved at Arsenal is a staggering record of inconsistency. Many feel that those that he has taken under his wing are untouchable, never mind their lack of meaningful contribution and lack of improvement in their game. We know how well Arsenal does when it comes to our balance sheet. However we just won’t spend even in areas we need spending , a striker for example. I remember Wenger saying that there are 2 players Arsenal can’t afford. Ronaldo and Messi. I think we could add many many other player to that list. The market is inflated. There’s loads of money around football without much talent to go round. And to address our needs many fans argue that we must pay over the odds to address our problems. It’s a concept Wenger we’d think appreciates. The risk is 1) being overtaken by a few clubs that’ were unstable last few seasons 2) coming back to sign the same players when they are even more expensive in a season or 2, Higuian for example. We made a bid lower than that was made by West Ham for Licuizette that Lyon rejected. Seriously. I’m not sure but a lot of things don’t sit well with fans. And I understand their frustration especially if we are so profitable and whilst selling possible the most expensive ticket in football. Fans want to see a bit more investment. Barca. Madrid. Bayern etc attempt to strengthen every season whilst Arsenal seem stale, stagnant and content.

15. This article is a little verging on bury your head in the sand type attitude. If you want your team to do well and be successful and it hasn’t been for many years now, then you would be open to change. Rose tinted glasses springs to mind and no-one in the results business should be abject to criticism or safe in their job. Wenger hasn’t changed and the board have got worse. I have respect for Wenger as a person, but not as a manager anymore.

    The same old transfer fiasco leaving it too little too late, refusing to move with the times regarding transfer fees and failing to bring in the players we badly need i.e. an experienced centre back and a proven striker, appointing a captain who is on the way down and won’t even be on the pitch for half the season, numerous injuries due to rushing players i.e. Ramsey, playing players out of position and benching those who have had a good pre-season i.e. Santi, Xhaka, Ox and Akpom, keeping faith in players like Walcott who haven’t shown their true potential for years, constantly blaming officials, the opposition, tiredness, the Euros and anything else for our failure to perform rather than himself,…I could go on and on.

    It’s the same every season, Groundhog Day again and again. The most baffling of all is Gazidis and the board stating we can’t compete financially with the big clubs…WHAT THE HELL DID WE MOVE TO THE EMIRATES FOR THEN??? We should’ve stayed at Highbury in that case! It’s like Patrick Vieira once said of our move, ‘There’s no point having a world class stadium if you haven’t got a world class team to put in it!’

    I agree wishing someone dead is too much, but wishing for the manager and board to be replaced when nothing improves for years is perfectly reasonable and I can understand why these loyal fans argue for that. And before you question my support, I have been a season ticket holder for over forty years and my father since the 1940’s, so by telling those fans to cast aside isn’t very respectful or understanding as they have Arsenal in their blood as it’s the team they are loyal to…they just want to see ARSENAL succeed.

16. Rosicky

    Unfortunately more and more supporters are turning and becoming frustrated with what is going on

    It was nasty by all accounts at the ground on Sunday. I can see it getting worse if we fail to strengthen at the back and upfront. Every lost point will be booed.

    I read the majority of the Arsenal blogs and the comments section. Atm it’s very difficult to find many positive comments in any of the comments section. There is a lot of ill feeling negativity and anger about currently and I’m just afraid it will get worse. This is from genuine fans I’m sure until recently were supportive kof our manager.

17. Geoff beat thing I’ve ever read on this blog. Realistic, measured, fair and very sensible. We all want the club to succeed, however some would rather see Arsene and the club stagnate than be proven wrong and see victory with a new regime.

    Bravo

18. Oh Geof

    For all the allegations and still we were runners up last year.

    Ahead of both Manchester clubs chelski Liverpool.

    Take a bow man

19. I wonder what the haters will do when Wenger does eventually call it a day, and Stan and the board carry on with exactly the same policies of running the club, albeit with certainly a less experienced, and quite possibly a lesser manager.
    Wenger leaving isn’t going to mean a chequebook manager you know!
    Who will the haters turn to then. Stan……like he will really care, Ivan, probably water off a ducks back….the new manager….their pets, colleagues, people of another religion, their unfortunate spouse, kids?
    Unfortunately, social media has given a great platform to some very loud, obnoxious, ill and unfeasibly stupid people.

20. So
    Geoff, whats your excuses for not being successful?. Because if you’re really “Successful” you wouldn’t waste your time writing the above post.

21. Geoff
    Come on now. Last three years two FA cups and second in league. Yes, I know we all want them to win the Premier but only Leicester could be said to have been more successful last season….oh and we have only played one game so please calm down. You have been a supporter for over forty years so like me you must have been at Highbury in crowds sometimes under twenty thousand and the team coming nowhere year after year so you should agree that the Wenger years have been special and will continue to be, but what top player will want to come to a club with supporters such as we have at the moment.

22. Geoff
    August 16, 2016 at 7:13 pm
    from Geoff

    This is classic myth creating quote out of context.

    Geoff writes:

    “The most baffling of all is Gazidis and the board stating we can’t compete financially with the big clubs…WHAT THE HELL DID WE MOVE TO THE EMIRATES FOR THEN???”

    We moved to the Ems as a starting point to enable the club to compete financially with the 77000 seat income of manure’s stadium.

    Note that ‘ a starting point’

    Since then have come as you well know other sources of income to clubs the suspected money laundring of a Russian oil well that knows no bottom to Chelski and the oil wealth of an undemocratic country to mancs.

    It is these you know that Arsenal being a self financed club can not compete with.

    This you know but choose to quote out of context.

    manure chelski and mancs have proved that you can throw cash like confetti and win something.

    They have also proved you can splash the cash like rice at wedding or grains of sand in the wind and come wait for it 10th! or if you are lucky 5th.

    Geoff my opinion is you are right.

    Quoting out of context will persuade more people you are right than quoting in context.

23. “Who will the haters turn to then. Stan……like he will really care,”

    Mandy I agree with you. Stan will only take money out of the club. As far as we know £6 million to date.

    He will only care about the club. When the share price goes below the price he paid.

24. Geoff I am in agreement. My first match 1956, and to the glib remarks about changing club I say to those people ” Get a Life ” and try to understand what supporting a club really is. It’s more than being happy with the status quo , it’s about wanting your club to be the very best it can be. Unfortunately this is not the current situation . At the moment we are as good as we can be within the restrictions that we place on ourselves . I would like to see a new manager , not because I wish ill on the present one but because I cannot agree with his football decisions . I cannot see the merits of the way he sets up his squads. It can’t just be coincidence that we are always short of players often in the same positions for long periods of the season and the much vaunted style which people still go on about in truth , left us with Henry , Pires , Bergkamp & Ljungberg . The last few years have been turgid and predictable and the mistakes players make have not seemed to be addressed either by extra training , coaching or replacement. As a football team we have gone stale and require fresh impetus , I do believe that part of the reason that we are not concluding transfer purchases is because the players that we are targeting are not sure about joining us . No doubt they have their reasons but something is holding them back and I can’t help thinking it’s because no-one actually sees us pushing forward on the pitch. I don’t actually like writing this but it’s how I feel at the moment. I would welcome change both in the boardroom and the manager’s office and am quite prepared for the heartache and possible decline from the position we currently hold. I want the club to take strides forward but I feel a fresh approach is the best way to achieve that. I also know it doesn’t make me any less of an Arsenal supporter to hold these views.

25. Well said Walter.

    The voices that chanted ‘spend some f&cking money’ need to ‘get some education’.

26. Porter right on the money…Niro dithered while Rome burned.

27. Richard,
    “I do find that most of the hateful comments I have seen tend to come from supporters abroad mainly the African continent”. This is a blatant accusation with no evidence to prove the allegation.
    I am an African Nigerian and I live in Nigeria. I know many Arsenal supporters and I don’t think they’ve ever gone to the extend of castigating the Boss on the internet. I as a die hard Arsenal supporter of many years have never abused the Boss nor condemned Arsenal FC that I so love.

    I believe the Boss must have gotten accustomed to the abuses and insults being rained on him on the internet almost on daily basis. The Boss has become a Cult and no abuse or insult that is dished out at him will make him to be fazed anymore.

    The Boss has been over-analysed, over-scrutinized, over-pundit, over abused, over-insulted, over-criticized, over-advised, over-castigated and over-condemned by the football experts, some AFC supporters and football pundits over the internet World. But those has not deterred him from doing what he believes is correct for Arsenal. However, the African continent should not be singled out as the place where the most hateful Arsenal fans against the Boss originated from.

28. A cut and paste form Wiki on the Nero etc

    It is uncertain who or what actually caused the fire—whether accident or arson.[84] Suetonius and Cassius Dio favor Nero as the arsonist, so he could build a palatial complex. Tacitus mentions that Christians confessed to the crime, but it is not known whether these confessions were induced by torture.[6] However, accidental fires were common in ancient Rome.[96] In fact, Rome suffered other large fires in 69[97] and in 80.[98]

    It was said by Suetonius and Cassius Dio that Nero sang the “Sack of Ilium” in stage costume while the city burned.[99] Popular legend claims that Nero played the fiddle at the time of the fire, an anachronism based merely on the concept of the lyre, a stringed instrument associated with Nero and his performances. (The fiddle was not invented until the 10th century.) Tacitus’s account, however, has Nero in Antium at the time of the fire.[100] Tacitus also said that Nero playing his lyre and singing while the city burned was only rumor.[100]

    According to Tacitus, upon hearing news of the fire, Nero returned to Rome to organize a relief effort, which he paid for from his own funds.[100] Nero’s contributions to the relief extended to personally taking part in the search for and rescue of victims of the blaze, spending days searching the debris without even his bodyguards.[citation needed] After the fire, Nero opened his palaces to provide shelter for the homeless, and arranged for food supplies to be delivered in order to prevent starvation among the survivors.[100]

    In the wake of the fire, he made a new urban development plan. Houses after the fire were spaced out, built in brick, and faced by porticos on wide roads.[85] Nero also built a new palace complex known as the Domus Aurea in an area cleared by the fire. This included lush artificial landscapes and a 30-meter-tall statue of himself, the Colossus of Nero.[86] The size of this complex is debated (from 100 to 300 acres).[101][102][103] To find the necessary funds for the reconstruction, tributes were imposed on the provinces of the empire.[104]

29. Quite amazing what’s out there. mustapha defender, a striker, any defender or striker, and make sure to come in with a bid of more than they are asking to ensure we get the player. Can you imagine regular business working like that…..

30. @ porter
    August 16, 2016 at 8:15 pm

    “and am quite prepared for the heartache and possible decline from the position we currently hold.”

    Really. You want the decline of the Whittaker days, the Mee days. the nowhere near ness of the Neil days and the decline of the back four in the Graham days.

    You want to go back to all that!

    Have you tried THFC – The Horrible Football Club – known around here as spuds?

    What league have they won since 1961?

    And the answer is Division 2

31. No I can’t and that’s not the way to negotiate.

32. You miss the point Coario, the want is:
    To compete at the top table, at home and in Europe. Or at least try.

33. People are really going out of line here. @ Walter and Chris seriously, change club because they don’t want a manager anymore? You must think they support Wenger and not arsenal. @BennE, your comment about Geoff is very very unfortunate.@Nuttn Tiddy,even if arsenal wins the league,I’ll still want us to win it again and again and again. So we can’t be satisfied with what we have achieved when we can go higher. @Colario,it’s not even competing with anyone financially, it’s doing the basic. Bringing in the players you need when you need them and on time.It is wrong to either wish Wenger or the club bad also bad to insult people here because thy have different views. If I spank my child I do it out of love not hate.Supporting obvious ills about arsenal is as bad as wishing Wenger or our darling club bad

34. The thing is, all this angst may come to nothing. If, as I believe they are trying hard to do, and they bring in a defender and striker, that will take our net spending somewhere north of a hundred million , this calendar year, the sort of amount the critics have been saying we need to spend. Add onto that, the reported twenty million being spent on infrastructure improvements. Ok, I know a striker and defender is an IF at the moment, but let’s wait and see.
    Why didn’t we sign players earlier…could be a multitude of reasons. Players and agents playing us….perhaps needing to sell before making squad space to buy…..and then, let’s imagine we have everything agreed for defender x….but we lose a game, our defence looks suspect for twenty minutes or so, and as a result, the fee for player x now goes up by ten million, plus another couple million in agents fees. Is it right to play into such hands…..because I can guarantee it has, and quite possible is happening to Arsenal and other clubs.
    Let’s wait and see.

35. Hatred for Wenger stems from loving Arsenal. He’s not performing and worse off he is not showing ambition to perform so the hatred is perfectly fine.

36. Walter, these people like Arsenal not Arsene et.al. seem to be spouting the same nonsense as if they were;

    1)Reading from the same script or organized by someone whose agenda is totally anti-Wenger,

    2)Always using hyperbole and inaccurately diminishing AFC’s achievements over the last few seasons in order to pretend that the Club is ¨going backwards¨, without any proof whatsoever, based solely on their personal bias,

    3)Hate Wenger for multiple reasons but cannot rationally explain how they canjustify that hatred. They pretend to know what the Club needs, but in actual fact fail miserably to either prove it, or offer realistic alternatives.

    4)Enjoy the anonymity cyberspace offers them….typical of adolescent and immature snipers who hide in the bushes and are afraid to face being falmed by true supporters.

    5)Display a depth of ignorance and a complete lack of contact with reality as they repeat the same memes the media and their fellow moaners rehash endlessly. It is clear they haven’t done any real or in depth analysis of the facts on UA and have no intention of ever doing so.

    6)React immediately and always negatively to a loss or draw but never come here to compliment the team or support them when they do well….a sure sign of a myopic obsession with one man and a compulsion to damage the Club they claim to love,driven by fear and hatred of that same man.

    7)Inevitably proclaim their ability to know what Wenger is thinking, what his intentions and ambitions are, where his weaknesses lie, what the Board and the owner are planning, how things should be done in the transfer market,despite NEVER having actually been involved in professional Football or management of any kind etc.

    I believe we give too much space and time to these pessimistic, negative whiners….we need to return to supporting the Arsenal and its manager and bury these creatures in the past, where they belong.

37. Great stuff Walter and too much mouting mate.

38. Worrying times ahead fans bickering dividing into two sides it’s only going to get worst , fights ahead civil war and this is football and none of us want to stop it . Fucking shame but hey bring it on

39. Geoff we moved to the Emirates to compete with man Utd . The football scene here changed with the arrival of abromovich then the sheikhs and the money they ploughed into their teams. As a note the first time city were self sustainable were last year.

    Now I will use Hiquain in my example as he is a top striker, now had we paid his release clause of 79 million euros and paid the wages on top we would have not been able to have xhaka or a centre back we have to be sensible with the money we have available we have to be clever and secret about who we are after so we don’t get dragged into a bidding war which we can’t afford to do.

    Wenger has achieved much more than you think in the last twelve years if you look at what money he has spent in that time period mostly down to funding the Emirates move, now he may have not won things but he was close finals including a champions league final were made and every year a to four finish and qualification into the champions league. Now you may not think that’s an achievement but look at the players lost to balance books and those replacements brought instead and we still finished in top four. To put this into perspective Ferguson probably the greatest manager of the premier league era didn’t qualify for champions league football every year, the self proclaimed special one Mourinho hasn’t done it either and neither of them has achieved a season unbeaten.
    Yes it’s a disappointing result to start the season but it’s not the end of the world and Werner has been pro active in this window xhaka and the vardy tempt proves that. Now we don’t know what Wenger and board are looking for and what their remaining plans are for the transfer window.
    Let’s see what happens at end of season, I would be happy if we won a trophy finished second in league 2 or three points of of top spot and got to the qf of champions league that would be progress. But I am also just happy to attend games with mates or family and have a drink catch up and for 90 minutes watch a game of football and forget about real life for a while. Let’s be honest Wenger has made mistakes he is human after all we make mistakes it’s in our nature but whatever his failings he is our manager and has been a good one at that.

40. there was recently a poster boy for the angry Arsenal fans. I will not name him for reasons that will become obvious, but last year, I commented on here that the guy clearly had anger management issues. Sadly, and I didn’t know at the time, but the poor guy suffers from a depressive illness. I can only wish him well, but my point, this person was mentioned on mainstream radio, papers, quoted endlessly on anti Wenger blogs, and by celebrity super fans for being a passionate Arsenal fan wanting change, and expressing this in the loudest, and at the time, I thought most obnoxious way possible. His illness doesn’t make his views any less valid of course, but he became famous for the extreme way he expressed his views, it was over the top, it looked like he wanted to his one guy in particular that disagreed with him.
    Back to the point…..anyone that genuinely hates the football club they claim to support, or its manager needs to examine themselves, there just may be underlying issues with some. And it works both ways, don’t agree with them, but would not wish hate on the banner boys either.
    Not aimed at genuine critics, but it seems some of the loudest opinions and those most full of hate need to be seen for what they may well be.

41. Ben
    You spank your child?

42. I love the club and have been a vocal supporter of AW; as anyone who’s read my posts will acknowledge. The need for an experienced CB did not arise during the Liverpool match. In his pre-match interview AW said the club were “ambitious”. Leaving oneself short starting the season does not speak to ambition. Until top-class footballers are beating your door down to join you have to pay over the odds. If the blogosphere is to be believed, the delay in signing Mustafi is over the transfer fee. Is it worth tanking the season for 5 or so million? Granted it’s not mine to spend but what is 1st place worth? Or 2nd money like last season. Easily covers the freight. From a position of weakness AW wants a bargain into the bargain! If money is that tight, go to the board and request an exception to the transfer policy. Don’t undermine the season. I don’t want to hear ‘it’s early’, 3 points are already gone. Most of the competition for the title have reloaded. I’m aware that AW could buy an experienced defender and play him, and lose, but buying him would show he is “ambitious”.

43. Gooner72, yes, signing players is difficult. The club at least appeared to believe in FFP…they got that wrong……now all the English clubs have money, some have a hell of a lot of money.
    Arsenal run a business like model, they might not entertain a team who raises an agreed fee after a defeat…..say, for right or for wrong.
    Arsenal have to play a smarter game than some who have either unlimited funds, or are going for lesser players than Wenger is interested in.
    Basically, arsenal have the unenviable task of getting elite players on some sort of budget, Chelsea, Utd and City have no such constraints.
    We just have to wait and see. If Wenger really is capable of wrecking the season over a couple of million….and I certainly don’t believe that or that it is that simple, then it will all come out in the wash, should it happen, maybe not in the public domain but at board level. Does Stan seem the type to allow the loss of forty million due to a manager that had quibbled or dithered over a few million?
    if Wenger is unilaterally doing what some blogs or media outlets are suggesting, he is probably doing himself out of a new deal. Why on earth would he do that? Makes no sense at all.
    Just wait and see.you have supported since 72, you will therefore know better than most, patience is a virtue.

44. Why do you keep bringing money into this? It’s about football and that’s why I go to The Arsenal to watch it.Colario I’ve been to Tottenham I was there in 61 and 71 ,they had a great team with some great players but I was always an Arsenal supporter.In fact it is a mild irritation to me the way they are denigrated by people that never lived in North London. The Arsenal need Spurs just as Man U need City. It,s called rivalry. But back to the point there is no reason to believe that the post Wenger period means recession but sometimes you have to step back before you can go forward and as I said I feel that the club needs a change to progress.

45. Compared to the money clubs throw around, £6M is chicken feed and after all it’s his club is it not?

    Like to see anyone that owns a money making machine and does not take any money from it.

    //
    Now everyone will be disregarding Arsenal, and hopefully leaving them alone. What? Of course the words will get stronger and more damning.

    When Arsenal does well and plays brilliant, it is these same people that cannot force themselves to be amazed. They force their comments through closed teeth and a thin lip, no wonder then that they are like this when things are not well.

    I for one know the team is better and we will be seeing it as time passes. This loss was important and Arsenal need to stop being so gullable.

    This is not a game of football so much as a “war” and you have to prepare and to be determined to win it.

46. Porter,

    Why do we keep bringing money into this? I’ll tell you why. Because until we live in a world without currencies, money will be the unit of valuation for all goods and services. And guess what, football falls into that category too. Next time you want a ticket to an Arsenal match (or any other professional match for that matter), go and ask them why they keep charging you money for the ticket, and see what they say.

    I’m sorry but this question is nothing short of idiotic.

47. Hey Walter and everyone on untold great job you are doing here. I am really disappointed in lack of articles on all arsenal fansite regarding Arsenal tactics
    as compared to German clubs that I follow
    , everywhere it is about someone in someone out and someone bad someone good but nothing about tactics

48. Ken Robertson I was most interested in your statement that

    I have been an Arsenal supporter through thick and thin for 65 years. This is the first time ever that I have wished a manager to go.

    This means that during the three seasons with Bertie Mee at the end of his reign when the club came close to relegation, you didn’t want a change of manager. And during Graham’s final season when he left the club floundering below mid table with the lowest scoring rate of any club in the league one season, you didn’t want him to go.

    Nor during the highly autocratic reign of Swindin, or the arbitrary decision making time of Wright and that long period up to 1970 with no trophy of any flavour since 1953 you didn’t seek any change? So, 17 years of no trophy, and not even looking like we might win a trophy, playing very much mid-table football, ending up with crowds coming down to the 10,000 level, and the highest entry cost of a league ground in the UK, you didn’t fancy the manager going, and yet with a manager who has kept us in the top four for 20 years, brought attacking football, and took the team to runners’ up position last year, and won the cup two years before that, you want him to go… I just find that extraordinary.

    I would love it if you could explain why you didn’t want Swindin, Wright, and in their latter years Mee and Graham, to leave but you want Wenger to go.

49. Sam, there are seven people writing articles as and when they can, and each follows his own line of interest. If you would like to contribute an article or two along those lines, please do send it to me: Tony.Attwood@aisa.org

50. It seems there a lot of Trolls on this blog at the moment claiming to love the club. The ‘Over 40 years’ mob are all the rage. Seems the Brexiters are now the Wengxiters. An Arsenal recession is what they want. Frenchie aht! Idiots.

51. Nice article Walter. I just wonder that , if ‘them’ persons are of the united opinion that we AKBs are all deluded , have collectively buried our heads in the sand , and don’t count for nought in the bigger scheme of all things Arsenal , why do they still insist in coming on here ? And in droves !

    And like that guy in Casablanca who said ” Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.” , I too often wonder , ” Why here ? Why us ? ”

    Is clicking the dislike button multiple times a form of release ? Does it help?

52. ~Markyb – you are right, and we are working on removing them – they are however persistent buggers. The majority have been stopped, unless I feel like making a response to a particularly bizarre comment, but we will get there.

53. Tony

    Excellent post at 632

54. Different horses for different courses .
    Here is a tale of why you have to listen properly to the expert.

    Jim strode into ‘John’s Stable’ looking to buy a horse. “Listen here” said John, “I’ve got just the horse your looking for, the only thing is, he was trained by an interesting fellow. He doesn’t go and stop the usual way. The way to get him to stop is to scream ‘heyhey’ . The way to get him to go is to scream ‘ Thank God !’.”

    Jim nodded his head, “Fine with me, can I take him for a test run?””
    ” Sure, have fun!”
    Jim went on a gallop and was having the time of his life. “This horse sure can run.” He thought to himself. He was speeding down the dirt road when he suddenly saw a cliff up ahead. “STOP!” screamed Jim, but the horse kept on going. No matter how much he tried he could not remember the words to get it to stop. “Yoyo” screamed Jim but the horse just kept on speeding ahead.

    It was 5 feet from the cliff when Jim suddenly remembered.“HEYHEY!” Jim screamed. The horse skidded to a halt just 1 inch from the cliff.

    Jim could not believe his good fortune, he looked up to the sky, raise his hands in the air, breathed a deep sigh of relief and said with conviction, “Phew, thank God.”

55. Anybody who disagrees with tonys and walters posts will be banned.

56. Tony on a serious note where has all the money gone that the club has made over the last 2years?Are you convinced the club will spend this vast fortune?And why are the true fans who dont sit behind a keyboard in india, nigeria,, kenya etc , but the ones who go to games,having to pay some of the highest ticket prices in world football.Why are they being fleeced when our owners , board and manager get richer.Wenger has earned over 100m since we last won the premier league .That is a fact.Quite shocking really.

57. “Fucking shame but hey bring it on”

    10 years of their infantile and simply unwell AKB smears and attacks of the club have got the AAA far eh? Bring it on? Can we use the word beloved of the self-texting multiple IP AAA, “Delusional” here? There is some evidence…

    No amount of disingenious dishonesty can cover the magnitude of the stupidity on display here, which is unfortuntate. But hey, there it is. In all it’s glory (not very glorious at all. Certainly not celebrating the recent glory of two back to back FA Cus, which in itself tells the whole story here…: Nevermind the Football. Eh?)

58. Florian , you never talk football which strangely is what The Arsenal should be about.

59. Firey, you can’t agree with everybody. UA supports Arsenal, its players and manager.

    Try LeGrove, I found it before I found Untold Arsenal but since I did, I never went back there. However if you find UA too right and Legrove too left, you may set up your own blog and there are many who will follow you.

    GENERAL COMMENT
    Personally, I don’t have the time or strength to convince people who don’t see Arsenal and Arsene Wenger the way I do. Tony set up Untold Arsenal because the media and blogs at the time report what wasn’t true about Arsenal and he disagrees with them. What I’m worried about is losing UA to them now. I expect Tony and Walter to be stricter with their comment moderation.

    This site supports The club, players and manager and if that is not your intent as a reader, you don’t need to visit the second time. Go to places where they hate, criticize and wish Arsenal losses.

    Can we get back to supporting please.

    COYG.

60. @ Firey,

    ‘Why are they being fleeced when our owners , board and manager get richer.’

    Ever heard of choice? I’m sure the Arsenal Football Club staff are not forcing you or them to go to the match or even support the club.

    AW earn £100 million over 20 years but ever thought how much money he made for the club? Shouldn’t you be at school?

61. Firey, we can always wait and see if they will spend or not. Transfer window is still open.

62. Aimed at me Mark ?
    I don’t mind ,I will discuss the football on the pitch with you whenever you want and I will not have to resort to using a racist remark to back up my opinions.

63. goonersince72 posts

    ”The need for an experienced CB did not arise during the Liverpool match”’

    How are players supposed to learn?

    If they don’t get put into tough games where they make mistakes, struggle to maintain the composure needed to make the right decision, then they will never mature as players and people.

    In the long run that will mean the end of ‘experienced ‘ CBs.

    Either football has to allow for players to learn, which means making mistakes, which means teams lose, or football can buy itself perfection, play in some super-reality far above this world.

    Roll on Saturday.

64. Zed they have to learn with experience alongside them . One rookie centre back is fine but two is not. We currently have but two really experienced players for that position and three hopefuls. At the moment and for some time we are short of the two with experience Mertesacker and Koscielny who reportedly came back from France not at 100%. It did not help that the more senior players that were charged with the central midfield in front of them were found wanting in their defensive duties allowing Pool players far too much freedom to run in numbers toward our defence. Sanchez bless him was never going to keep possession on his own against a physical defence , Theo and Iwobi were too far away from him. The fault does not apply solely to the central defenders , collectively as a team they do not defend . Leading up to half time , two banks of four would have stopped their approaches and probably Holding would not have been in the position to be trapped into what looked like an extremely phantom foul . Just for 10 minutes either side of half time we should have defended our lead , We did not and paid for it.

65. Zedaunt
    Not in an important PL match without cover. League Cup, FA Cup – these are traditional venues for blooding the inexperienced. Also, a run out in the second half. Your last sentence just doesn’t make sense.

66. Well said again Walter. I’d also just like to share an unbelievable post I found on Facebook yesterday,

    “The only downside of the invincibles is Wenger choked in every other competition and Arsenals best chance to win the CL Wenger blew it and don’t forget Porto won it that year…..

    Wenger got a novelty record by putting all his eggs in one basket when other teams have got more points, clean sheets, wins and goals in prem season but did not go unbeaten and also won other big competitions in the same season which wenger has failed to do”

    I could not believe that someone could be so pitiful as to criticise AW for going unbeaten in the league for a whole season. As you say, everyone is allowed an opinion whether I agree with it or not but to actually be critical of this achievement suggests that the person posting will never be happy unless we win every game and every trophy by a huge margin and without conceding a goal.

    If this chap isn’t a perfect example of an AAA predicting doom, circling and getting some perverse enjoyment from the defeat, I don’t know what is.

67. In Nigeria where myself, Damilare and Samuel Akinsola Adebosin come from, Arsenal is seen (at least in my own circles) as the “Gentlemen’s Club”, Chelsea is the “Touts/Urchins’ Club”, ManUtd somewhere in-between while Liverpool is the “Old Men’s Club”. Damilare and SAA please let me know if this perception is similar in your areas. Since at least 3 out every 20 African is a Nigerian (15% is a reasonable sample size for most statistical analysis, I presume), it will be wrong to say African fans are the majority of those wishing Arsene evil. On the contrary, we Africans are very respectful people.

    So Richard, if you don’t live in Africa don’t make biased, untrue judgements about her or the people thereof. I can tell you for free that most of our thugs here are westerners wannabes.

    GA

68. And by “Gentlemen”, I meant “respectable” people, before anyone starts getting ideas. 🙂

69. This is a nice post Walter cos I actually don’t think abuse or hatred directly at the manager is OK but am actually not against constructive statements or argument.
    Having said that you mention some of the fans wanting us to loss against Liverpool personally I think it’s bad but then again you have to consider something which is : why was it after Man u beat us 8:2 that we went to buy players? Pls I will like you to answer that @ Walter.

70. porter,

    I posted a comment the other day, highlighting the stats that based on stats demonstrated that our defensive midfield did not properly cover the center backs. So yes, I do talk football.

71. Sorry Florian but I did not see that but stats on stats ?
    In my case the eyes have it . You only have to watch to see those that are working and those that are not.

72. @Gideone and Samuel A A, you are both on point re Richard’s comment.

    I’m sure Arsenal as a club understands and appreciates the size of Arsenal support in Africa especially in Nigeria. Little wonder they planned for a summer tour in Nigeria a couple of years back but had to suspend it because of perceived or real security issues at that time.

    There are AAAs in Nigeria especially in various shanty viewing centres (guys who go to Emirates and boo are ingrates) where I watch Arsenal matches , they are mostly teenagers and ‘gamblers’. The truth is AAA abound in every continent Arsenal is supported. To label them as Africans is unfair and definitely below the belt.

    I would have demanded an official apology from Richard, but that won’t be necessary as we are yet to officially unveil our ‘Untold Arsenal NIgeria’ (:

    COYG