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I have to think he is gone based on this - with Kronke in control now maybe a house cleaning is due - although my experience in Denver with Mr. Stan is that he is not one to get livid about some results and make rash decisions
Please don't take this as me being a Wenger apologist, but I really don't think that the manager is the problem. He is a very good judge of young talent and his system works well with the right players.The biggest problem is money. This squad would be completely different had they been able to keep the likes of Fabregas, Nasri, Adebayor and others. Kronke simply does not have deep enough pockets to compete for the top end talent.The second problem that I see is with the training staff. I know that there is very little to be done to protect the severe injuries of the likes of Ramsey and Eduardo, but the list of players who have had long term injuries with the squad over the past few seasons is staggering:Van PersieFabregasNasriEduardoRamseyGibbsVermaelenMertesackerRosickyDjourouDiabyWilshereSantosDenilsonClichyI'm certain that I have forgotten a few, but you get the point. I know that all squads deal with injuries, but Arsenal seem to have more injuries that drag on for months at a time than other clubs. Oh, and it is often times reported as a minor injury, then extended. Just to pull a few quotes
espite being initially ruled out for a month, Clichy missed ten weeks and returned to the team in January 2010Denilson - However, he was then diagnosed with a seemingly innocuous back injury. This, though, was not the case and he was sidelined for two months at a crucial stage of the season.Vermaelen - He started all of the first three Arsenal matches of the season before suffering an Achilles injury on international duty with Belgium.[17] He had a new injury setback when Arsène Wenger reported that the achilles problem would keep him out of action until 2011.[18] On 17 March 2011, Arsène Wenger confirmed that Vermaelen would miss the remainder of the season with a new injury setback.Van Persie - On 14 November, however, he injured his ankle in an international friendly and was initially expected to be out for six weeks,[52] but further tests showed that he would be out for five months.Rosicky - Rosický did not feature for Arsenal during the 2008–09 season due to his hamstring tendon injury. He eventually returned to full training in May 2009, after eighteen months of absence. Nasri - On 21 July 2009, while participating in a training match during pre-season with Arsenal in Bad Waltersdorf, Nasri suffered a broken leg. The injury required two to three months of rest and, as a result, Nasri missed the opening of the 2009–10 Premier League season.Wilshere - During the summer leading into the 2011-12 Season Wilshere suffered a stress fracture ankle injury during a pre-season friendly. The injury proved a persistent problem throughout Arsenal's pre-season and on 23 September 2011 it was reported that Wilshere would undergo surgery to repair the fracture. On 26 September, Arsenal announced that Wilshere had undergone successful surgery and would be out for four to five months.I apologize for the long post, but I wanted to make sure that I wasn't going crazy. There really are a ton of players over the past few years who have had very serious injuries. At some point this can't be considered coincidental. I know that many suggest that the style of play has something to do with the injuries, and I can agree to a point, but some of these injuries came during international duty which makes me wonder if it also might have something to do with their training regimen and/or training staff.And before anyone says it, ok, maybe I am a Wenger apologist.
I think he is one of the five best in the world.
If the money isn't there, then doesn't the coach have a responsibility to change his system to suit the players his team can afford? Arsenal's payroll is still larger than Spurs and they seem to be doing okay.* Maybe it has nothing to do with the money spent but Wenger not getting enough bang for his buck.And I disagree about Fabregas and Nasri. Those two left for reasons other than money.*According to GoFish's link Arsenal's payroll is twice that of Spurs.
I would love to see the updated list this year, but even if it is similar, weekly salaries <> transfer budget.And, by the way, they finished 4th in the table last year so I guess all is as it should be.
I suppose that is what his detractors will say. He has won 505, drew 212 and lost only 170 games at Arsenal though. This season might change it, but he has also never finished lower than 4th in the table. I'm of the opinion that he deserves a bit more rope.
At the top, all that matters is hardware. And the Gunners' last trophy was the '05 FA Cup. Since then Liverpool, Chelsea, Man City, and PORTSMOUTH have won the FA Cup, Chelsea & ManU have had a stranglehold on the EPL (which hopefully will be broken by Man City this year--not that I have any particular love for Citeh), and ManU, Chelsea, Spurs and BIRMINGHAM (more egg on the face given the fact they beat the Gunners) have won the League Cup.Not good enough for a team like Arsenal. Liverpool has been sucking wind too, bentley!
I would say that qualifying for European football is far more important than winning any domestic cup. Winning the League Cup meant nothing to Birmingham. I'm sure they would preferred to avoid the drop. Most people forgot about Pompey winning the FA Cup within 3 months.
But like Christo said, if you're already in the top four consistently like Arsenal, you need to win SOMETHING.
My post was in response to brewer's statement that Arsenal's situation "is as it should be" given its payroll. Clearly, getting the
that goes along with Euro qualification is big. But it's not tangible as far as the fan base goes. It's one thing to have some extra money and to be on TV a few more times. But in the end winning trophies is what matters to them.
Dortmund 15-4-3 47:14 +33 49Gladbach 14-4-4 36:13 +23 46Bayern 14-3-5 49:14 +35 45Schalke 14-2-6 50:28 +22 44
We're pulling the Cup double this year, Ace.
I know that I am in the minority, but I would much rather watch Arsenal in the Champions league than win the FA or Carling.The things are as they should be was a bit tongue and cheek, but if your salary is 5th in the league and your standing is 4th, that doesn't seem out of whack.My post was in response to brewer's statement that Arsenal's situation "is as it should be" given its payroll. Clearly, getting the
I think it's an improvement in many ways. Chelsea has really missed Ramires' running since he got hurt. And while I get that AVB's system doesn't rely as much on flank play, Malouda only led the EPL in chances created last season. I can't think of a player who gets **** on for no reason so consistently. Looks like Cole is now in for Boswinga, so you have the two full backs I think Chelsea should play in Cole and Ivanovic. And of course Drogba has to be an improvement over The Player Who Was Once Fernando Torres. I might prefer a better holding MF to Meireles and Chelsea is weak at CB, but that's nothing new.UPDATE: Sucks to have the wrong Cannavaro.
Re; this...
Sounds like what Real Madrid went through prior to the move to buy everyone and Mou.
They did seem rather cheeky today. I may have to go back through the Guardian's MBM for this one, I bet there are some gems within.
I think Marseilles will struggle without Remy and Gignac. I'm seeing a draw at best for them.
That sounds nice and I hope it happens. But, Bayern have to get back to putting the ball in the net. The 0-0 against bottom of the table Freiburg does not inspire confidence.
'Mjolnirs said:
How can a team with so much firepower have a goal drought like this?
I am very-tentatively in for this.'AcerFC said:
I think they still have a decent shot to come through this round. The good news is that Meireles is suspended, so can't play in the return leg no matter how badly AVB would like to put him out there. It was a freakish game. I thought all 4 goals were cheap. A 2-0 at the Bridge is unlikely, but not completely out of the realm of reasonable expectations for a Chelsea fan imo. Obviously, they've got to figure out the back line issues. We need to get comfortable with the scary reality that Cahill and Luiz are our CB's for the next 6-8 weeks at least. JT is not walking through that door. Alex is not walking through that door. Ricky Carvalho is not walking through that door. Marcel Desailly is not walking through that door. I hate to criticize lineup decisions and freely admit that I don't know squat about football tactics, but I'd like to see more of the 4-2-3-1 with Essien and Romeu (or Obi-wan) protecting the back line and Mata in the center, with Sturridge and Ramieres (Lamps/FloMo/Kalou) behind Drogba/Torres.
Chelsea
they deserved that one
