Dear Mikel,
Many congratulations for signing the new contract with Arsenal Fan Club. Of all the things, I do not want to see what happened to Spurs in last 2 years in managerial aspects for my beloved Arsenal. An added stability in any set up is very important, it allows one to work towards the longer goal while fulfilling the short ones.
I’m glad to know you are excited and grateful about the extension of opportunity to manage one of the best clubs in the world. When you say you (along with owners) wants to take the club to next level and compete with the top teams, I sincerely believe you. The atmosphere in stadium is great recently, we have seen some glimpse of good football (against City, Spurs) and results (United, Chelsea) and I’m sure you are going to improve on it.
As a fan, who is still in his late 20s, I vaguely remember the invincible season and few years of our domination in English football. I remember the FA cup wins in Wenger era but it was never enough; primary reason why he had to go. I remember how Champions League qualification became a trophy and from being the best, we started ‘hoping’ to be the best. We were told a new stadium finances are being covered, and it’s difficult to compete against Russian and Oil money.
However, when you say you want to be among the best without setting up a measurable target, it does not convince me. When Edu shy away in confirming whether it’s a top 6 or top 4 league finish we are looking for at the end of season, it does not convince me. When my manager and technical director openly confirms it to be a youth project but let go a young French player and do not register another for 6 months, I’m disappointed. When you cry of funds on one hand and devalue players on the other, it disappoints me. When I’m told the target is to win champions league in 3 years, and we are fighting for the Champions League spot in 3rd year, again, it does not convince me. When we see a boring display against Southamptons’ of the world, it does not give me a confidence – not because we lost but because of the way we lost.
As a fan, I deserve to know a timeline. I have seen enough of Wenger’s next year title challenges. From a technical director, I need to see the confidence of setting a target in a competitive sport. I need to see my team not only competing against City or Pool but beating them, home and away. I want to see us playing in Champions League, beating Juventus and Bayern to reach Semi finals. I want to see the likes of Saka, Smith Rowe, Nketiah, our own hale enders, lift a trophy and mock Spu*s the way Jack Wilshere did in 2015 – it happened again with a trophy in hand.
I want to see the north London in Red.
Gooner,
Ambarish
Hi Ambarish
Forget last year’s superleague farrago. This is a truly disastrous decision for fans of the club that want to see Arsenal succeed. As we know our club us also blighted by twats who fall into cult worship if managers and forget their allegiance to the team.
Arteta is a charlatan who’d pick an argument in an empty room, usually with an even more immature, preening version of himself.
The Kroenkes are money grubbing idiots and parasites who couldn’t get excited about Arsenal even if they tried (or if they had a cocaine-crazed gerbil inserted into their uptight anuses). Fuck ’em. I’ll keep following the team and wanting the players to succeed, but I feel completely alienated from this now. So a big ‘fuck you’ to the owners, board, Arteta, and other hangers on in charge of making the first team absolutely toothless and irrelevant as a sporting organisation. Also to all those stupid little plastic anorak wearing twats who write and support blogs propping up the ship of fools. They’re part of the problem not the solution.
That said, (phew! ) let’s hope the team manage to get past Leeds and get 4th by beating the spuds. The players doing it for the genuine fans.
Nurse! My bucket’s overflowing and I need a bed bath…
Kroenke
The crazy thing is there are fans who don’t fall into the fanboy category but are still pro Arteta who are becoming more and more apathetic about the club.
Why they can’t make the connection between what’s wrong and the dugout is beyond me.
I saw your comment on the previous piece having a pop at the Kroenke’s – it’ll be interesting to see how much money we spend this summer because our squad needs some serious investment – we’re not in the race for 4th because we’ve been good it’s because everyone else has been awful. I can see us having a piss poor season next season because Arteta can’t rotate and cope with European matches. What will the fanboys say when he finishes 8th again?
Jesus,I’m really struggling to say anything about Arsenal that doesn’t make me sound clinically depressed. Arteta is a dementor(for Harry Potter fans). In typical Irish fashion I will throw myself upon the mercy of alcohol…….
Fuck me ManU are bad at the current rate they’ll finish behind West Ham, as it stands the Spud’s only need a point to guarantee 5th.
Chelsea have also got to get their shit together if they want any chance against Liverpool next week.
What I said earlier about ManU was incorrect – they’re not even that good.
Kroenkephobe
I really wish Arteta goes and proves us all wrong. Clubs has their reasons to extend him, but as a fan, I wanted someone better.
In any case, this should have waited till end of season. I can live with another year of him if we qualify for Champions League..
Marc,
When you look at Chelsea and in particular utd,it puts our results against them into context. They are appalling. We fluked a win against utd. How can our future look so good under Arteta to so many??
If you are having a bad day, you should never miss a United game these days lol
Talking about them, what happened to Rashford? He was the hottest topic couple years back and he can’t replace any of the 35+ yr old strikers they got?
I’m not sure if it’s his head, philanthropy and fighting for world hunger is all good and well, but you are paid a whoooping 300k per week and charity begins at home.
MCS – if you are reading this, you should come join us. Our miseries are less than yours 😅 Manchester may not be red these days but north London will always be red.
Sorry but not sorry.
Almunia
We fluked a win against ManU! – we also lost to them when they had a manager who was caretaker for the soon to be appointed caretaker manager.
When you look at some of our results Arteta is a joke – all teams have a random unexpected loss we do it half a dozen times a season.
F6EC;
Here is my real concern for the future of AFC after listening to the opinions, by those who derive their lively hood from all things football, in the BBC Documentary “Kicking Off The Rise and Fall of the Super League”. What makes a football club are 3 things, Players, Manager and supporters. The owners have direct control over 2 of them.
I never thought that 2017 and PSG paying 400 mill for two players (Neymar & Mbappe) would change the football world so much. The Qatari state owns that club with almost unlimited resources. City and Newcastle will at least match that. What will these owners do in the coming seasons? They certainly have more ambition then the Kroenkes and for them anything then number 1 or the best is a failure.
Therefore, the handwriting is clearly on the wall, Arsenal’s owners have no ambition to take the club anywhere as long as the bottom line and the prestige that comes with it is acceptable. They do not match the ambition of those that want to see trophies at the club and the Kroenkes interest is not the same as those of the supporters. It is reflected in their choice for the two things that make a club over which they have total control.
They can hire whoever they want as manager and it is a reflection on where they want to take their club. In my opinion the Kroenkes will be very happy with Arsenal being a feeder club aka Dortmund 2.0 as long as the TV rights money keeps pouring, the occasional European football being played, but they never will push for a title. Words are cheap as was the promise to Willian about winning the CL, action is required and only time will tell for which we are now waiting going on to 20 years.
In the meantime those of us that want to see an Arsenal that will regularly compete year in year out for the title as it was in the past, we will grin and bear it as long as those who are in the decision making power remain.
Most appropriate title for them from the “Return of the Weng” satire:
Edu – bumbling Brazilian buffoon / deal making dunce
MA – pedestrian paced Everton reject
Josh – sniveling Daddy’s boy
Those who thing these things are cyclical have lost of the site that states / countries now own clubs and they will throw money at the problem of not finishing at the top until it has been achieved. Where will Arsenal make a showing there? In the early 20th century it was wealthy families that formed and owned clubs because they loved the game, today it is wealthy conglomerates that own clubs with no interest in the game, that is a disaster for those of us who live with the fond memories of the late 20th century.
Judgement on the Kroenke’s is a little more difficult than what is often put out there. On the one hand their choice of personal is poor and signals either incompetence or lack of ambition on the other they’ve never taken any serious amount of money out of the club and last summer allowed us to spend way more than we could afford with the accumulated losses we’ve been building even before COVID.
Our budget this summer will be interesting how it’s spent is another matter.
Marc,
There are many reasons to dislike the Kroenkes but as you’ve said finances are way down the list. Money has been sanctioned for new transfers,regularly, large amounts that hardly seemed justifiable (50 mill on BW for starters). This implies that the manager is being trusted,whereas even Klopp at Liverpool has a transfer committee overseeing him. Secondly they are greenlighting huge wages to attract or keep players,wages that again are unjustifiable in light of player/ team performances. Any manager would be delighted. Thirdly and imo most importantly they have abandoned the concept of holding the manager accountable to even the most basic of business principles. He can give away valuable assets for free or shatter the value of existing assets and not only does he do so free of recrimination but it doesn’t affect his capacity to spend on wages or incomings. ‘Project Deadwood’ is one of the most farcical spins I’ve ever seen in an attempt to disguise the failings of an egotistical manager who simply cannot ‘manage’. It is bizarre. Once Arteta has to operate without these incredible sugar daddy gestures,be it here or elsewhere, I feel he will be badly exposed. But from an Arsenal perspective he will have wasted a rare opportunity to bridge an ever increasing gap between us and the elite. This is what I believe most of his supporters fail to realise. His miniscule ‘improvements’ are being achieved in conditions and circumstances that no other football manager in the world operates in. Any who have his financial freedom have huge expectations which must immediately be fulfilled. Those who don’t have expectation have no financial advantages. He has both. Yet we are meant to applaud 8,8,4 and a clearing of the decks. This is now considered progress at a club of our stature and financial might. Words fail me……
Almunia
We’re on the same page – I think next season will be the end for Arteta (assuming we get 4th he cocks that up and god knows) he can’t cope with a large squad because he has favourites and he can’t rotate because he can’t leave out his favourites. He gets away with poor FA Cup runs but CL will bring more money to spend and more expectations anything less than the Qtr finals will be a failure.
I can see him having a poor league campaign and once again ending 6th – 8th.
I can’t wait to see how the fan boys call that progression.
Not to go too deep on the whole thing,but I was doing this with the lads the other day and I thought it was also a brilliant analogy for those of us who see through the propoganda( v small minority,we are the guy who escapes) and those who don’t. Marc,I find this particularly helps when I get frustrated with those who say they love Arsenal and still support everything Arteta does…
https://youtu.be/1RWOpQXTltA
Wanted to comment, but Aluminas took the words out of my mouth and more
Credit to Eddie,he seems to have moved up a level since he bulked up. Taking his chances well. I don’t think he’s the type of player that belongs at title challenging teams,but then again we’re not title chasing! Whether we keep him or nothing him for free is very poor,especially when an out of form Lacazette was the difference between Eddie getting minutes and signing a new deal or both.
Leeds are so bad it’s untrue. Have we ever had 2 easier games against a team in the same season? Ayling is a moron and thank God Martinelli is ok.He is going to be incredible in his peak years,I just hope they’re at Arsenal.
# Whether we keep him or not letting him go for free is very poor.
Just looked at reaction of Eddie to congratulatory pat downs by coaches. His reaction is Eddie has seen the ” Come into my parlour said the spider to the fly ” treatment of ESR. None is now falling for it.
Hoopah,
I just said the same thing. It was like “You can pat away but I’m making you boys pay!”.
Nketiah decided to leave last summer (if not before) we’ll get some compensation probably about £8 – £10 million but it’s just more money Arteta’s pissed up the wall.
Off the top of my head we’ve got Xhaka £25 million, AMN, £17 million, Laca going on a free, Auba new mega contract and 6 months later decides he can’t do the job we want him to, Torreira value down to nothing, Willian £10 million on wages and did fuck all and soon to add Saliba to the equation.
Forgot Guendouzi under Emery was being talked about being worth £50 million (he wasn’t worth that much but we’d have got £25 million minimum Arteta turns it into £10 million.
Love the fact the Marc wants to dwell on the negatives currently attached to the club. Misery loves misery I suppose.
3 points closer to the CL, no injuries pending for the NLD and you’ve got people talking about coming 8th next season. Would rather the club fail and be proved right than the club achieve its short term goals and be wrong.
Talk about backing the wrong horse then doubling down and make yourselves look bitter and twisted when we’re winning games.
What a sad existence of an arsenal supporter you are if that’s your outlook.
Rambinho
Reality is reading the end of Aluminas Satire post. If we contrived to struggle as one of the rare teams not competing in any other tournament, imagine what having to play in CL will do
Rambinho
The football’s shit to watch, we’re only where we are because ManU and the Spud’s have also been awful, Newcastle will be a major threat in the next season or 2 but yeah let’s all celebrate having a second rate manager who constantly fucks up.
Arteta spent over £100 million on the defence last summer, is a defensive coach and has already conceded 3 more goals than in the whole of last season but you’ll find an excuse to justify that.
What a pathetic existence of a human being to sit applauding what on his best day is a mediocre manager.
Guys, lets criticize ideas and thoughts, not people.
There is already enough hate outside.
What I don’t understand why do you guys dignify Rambinho’s twat comments. He is entitled to his opinion however screwed up it is, DO NOT dignify it with a response or you will drop to his level. We know where the club is heading and at that time the troll will vanish.