Not exact matches
After years of the same infrastructure failing to bring desired
results on the
pitch in terms of ending the
club's wait for major trophies, it appears as though the Gunners are finally ringing the changes.
In order to sustain their business model, Arsenal Football
Club simply has to deliver
results on the
pitch.
Results on the
pitch certainly haven't helped matters, although there is still no official word from the
club as to whether the Frenchman will remain with his current contract expiring this summer.
It was clear from the day he was appointed that there would be tension between them, and positive
results on the
pitch were the only thing that would keep the
club sailing in the right direction at all levels.
He MUST be talking about the
club's finances, because he surely can't be talking about
results on the
pitch.
The credit for these things should go to the manager, the backroom staff, and the boys
on the
pitch for implementing the
results on the
pitch The fans who love this
club, cheer the boys
on win or lose, they without a doubt deserve a lot of credit, because they are the heart that beats the blood of this
club.
He sees the 3 dimensional aspect of the
club, from working with it as the fans see a 1 dimensional picture of the team
on the
pitch and the
results from the matches.
Time for some brutal honesty... this team, as it stands, is in no better position to compete next season than they were 12 months ago, minus the fact that some fans have been easily snowed by the acquisition of Lacazette, the free transfer LB and the release of Sanogo... if you look at the facts carefully you will see a team that still has far more questions than answers... to better show what I mean by this statement I will briefly discuss the current state of affairs
on a position - by - position basis... in goal we have 4 potential candidates, but in reality we have only 1 option with any real future and somehow he's the only one we have actively tried to get rid of for years because he and his father were a little too involved
on social media and he got caught smoking (funny how people still defend Wiltshire under the same and far worse circumstances)... you would think we would want to keep any goaltender that Juventus had interest in, as they seem to have a pretty good history when it comes to that position... as far as the defenders
on our current roster there are only a few individuals whom have the skill and / or youth worthy of our time and / or investment, as such we should get rid of anyone who doesn't meet those simple requirements, which means we should get rid of DeBouchy, Gibbs, Gabriel, Mertz and loan out Chambers to see if last seasons foray with Middlesborough was an anomaly or a prediction of things to come... some fans have lamented wildly about the return of Mertz to the starting lineup due to his FA Cup performance but these sort of pie in the sky meanderings are indicative of what's wrong with this
club and it's wishy - washy fan - base... in addition to these moves the
club should aggressively pursue the acquisition of dominant and mobile CB to stabilize an all too fragile defensive group that has self - destructed
on numerous occasions over the past 5 seasons... moving forward and building
on our need to re-establish our once dominant presence throughout the middle of the park we need to target a CDM then do whatever it takes to get that player into the fold without any of the usual nickel and diming we have become famous for (this kind of ruthless haggling has cost us numerous special players and certainly can't help make the player in question feel good about the way their future potential employer feels about them)... in order for us to become dominant again we need to be strong up the middle again from Goalkeeper to CB to DM to ACM to striker, like we did in our most glorious years before and during Wenger's reign... with this in mind, if we want Ozil to be that dominant attacking midfielder we can't keep leaving him exposed to constant ridicule about his lack of defensive prowess and provide him with the proper players in the final third... he was never a good defensive player in Real or with the German National squad and they certainly didn't suffer as a
result of his presence
on the
pitch... as for the rest of the midfield the blame falls squarely in the hands of Wenger and Gazidis, the fact that Ramsey, Ox, Sanchez and even Ozil were allowed to regularly start when none of the aforementioned had more than a year left under contract is criminal for a
club of this size and financial might... the fact that we could find money for Walcott and Xhaka, who weren't even guaranteed starters, means that our whole business model needs a complete overhaul... for me it's time to get rid of some serious deadweight, even if it means selling them below what you believe their market value is just to simply right this ship and change the stagnant culture that currently exists... this means saying goodbye to Wiltshire, Elneny, Carzola, Walcott and Ramsey... everyone, minus Elneny, have spent just as much time
on the training table as
on the field of play, which would be manageable if they weren't so inconsistent from a performance standpoint (excluding Carzola, who is like the recent version of Rosicky — too bad, both will be deeply missed)... in their places we need to bring in some proven performers with no history of injuries... up front, although I do like the possibilities that a player like Lacazette presents, the fact that we had to wait so many years to acquire some true quality at the striker position falls once again squarely at the feet of Wenger... this issue highlights the ultimate scam being perpetrated by this
club since the arrival of Kroenke: pretend your a small market
club when it comes to making purchases but milk your fans like a big market
club when it comes to ticket prices and merchandising... I believe the reason why Wenger hasn't pursued someone of Henry's quality, minus a fairly inexpensive RVP, was that he knew that they would demand players of a similar ilk to be brought
on board and that wasn't possible when the business model was that of a «selling»
club... does it really make sense that we could only make a cheeky bid for Suarez, or that we couldn't get Higuain over the line when he was being offered up for half the price he eventually went to Juve for, or that we've only paid any interest to strikers who were clearly not going to press their current teams to let them go to Arsenal like Benzema or Cavani... just part of the facade that finally came crashing down when Sanchez finally called their bluff... the fact remains that no one wants to win more than Sanchez, including Wenger, and although I don't agree with everything that he has done off the field, I would much rather have Alexis front and center than a manager who has clearly bought into the Kroenke model in large part due to the fact that his enormous ego suggests that only he could accomplish great things without breaking the bank... unfortunately that isn't possible anymore as the game has changed quite dramatically in the last 15 years, which has left a largely complacent and complicit Wenger
on the outside looking in... so don't blame those players who demanded more and were left wanting... don't blame those fans who have tried desperately to raise awareness for several years when cracks began to appear... place the blame at the feet of those who were well aware all along of the potential pitfalls of just such a plan but continued to follow it even when it was no longer a financial necessity, like it ever really was...
Although it will be incredibly difficult to ever match his contributions
on the
pitch, it's vitally important for a former
club legend, like Henry, to publicly address his concerns regarding the direction of this
club... regardless of those who still feel that Henry has some sort of agenda due to the backlash he received following earlier comments he made
on air regarding Arsenal, he has an intimate understanding of the game, he knows the fans are being hosed and he feels some sense of obligation, both professionally and personally, to tell it like he sees it... much like I've continually expressed over the last couple months, this team isn't evolving under this current ownership / management team... instead we are currently experiencing a «stagnant» phase in our
club's storied history... a fact that can't be hidden by simply changing the formation or bringing in one or two individuals... this team needs fundamental change in the way it conducts business both
on and off the
pitch or it will continue to slowly devolve into a second tier
club... regardless of the euphoria surrounding our escape act
on Friday evening, as it stands, this
club is more likely to be fighting for a Europa League spot for the foreseeable future than a top 4 finish... we can't hope for the failures of others to secure our place in the top 4, we need to be the manufacturers of our own success by doing whatever is necessary to evolve as an organization... if Wenger, Gazidis and Kroenke can't take the necessary steps following the debacle they manufactured last season, their removal is imperative for our future success... unfortunately, I strongly believe that either they don't know how to proceed in the present economic climate or they are unwilling to do whatever it takes to turn this ship around... just look at the current state of our squad, none of our world class players are under contract beyond this season, we have a ridiculous wage bill considering the
results, we can't sell our deadwood because we've mismanaged our personnel decisions and contractual obligations, we haven't properly cultivated our younger talent and we might have become one of the worst
clubs ever when it comes to way we handle our transfer business, which under Dein was one of our greatest assets... it's time to get things right!!!
Coaches are paid to produce
results on the
pitch and yo win trophies for the team.If a coach fails those basic things then he is not go enough and must leave.Sucess or failure comes down to the decisions of the coach ranging from decisions in the transfer market, training methods, team selection, tactics etc.Looking @ the transfer market - Wenger has a shambolic record - failure to act decisively and always acting when it's too late, selling our top players to rival
clubs, leaving other positions thin and reinforcing wrong positions especially buying lots of attacking midfielders ignoring defensive positions and failing to buy top class strikers or decent strikers.If Wenger is really serious about winning trophies would he buy a player like Welbeck a fourth choice play at Man United whom Vaan Gaal said is only good for the bench and now he plays every game at Arsenal.Why sell Vemaleen and buy Chambers?
The boss, I'm sure, would love to be able to give these two strikers more time
on the
pitch but as our
results have not been going so well, he must do what he thinks is best for the
club.
You can see how the financial mismanagement caught up with the
club and started to impact
results on the
pitch.
When all is said and done — Arsenal Football
Club has the same objectives — nothing breeds success, like success, Footballing Success
on the
Pitch leads to Financial Success as a direct
result of the Footballing Success.
Wright recently spoke about the situation surrounding Wenger at the moment and slammed his former boss as well as the
club hierarchy for creating a situation where the manager is allowed to do whatever he wants despite the poor
results on the
pitch.
If Liverpool weren't already a
club in turmoil
on the
pitch, Wednesday's horrific
result at home to the then basement occupants Wolves has certainly compounded their woes.