• Berth

  Arsene hasn’t won any trophy for the past six seasons there is a chance he has lost his mojo and that hurts.

• Domhuaille

  Berth, Arsenal haven’t won a trophy since 2005, by normal mathematics that’s 5 seasons not 6! I do take issue with two things you said on this article:

  Hernandez is not a squad player…he is a first class poacher and reminds me of Eduardo at his best…always in the right place at the right time! Arsenal would love to have him.

  Manure are ahead of us because they can never SURRENDER and not because the officials are conspiring to help them to win the EPL or because we have had bad luck. If we ever get that No Surrender attitude, we’ll easily win the EPL and any other competition we enter, provided we can field our best team!

  Other than that, a fairly accurate analysis and compendium!

• Berth

  By the end of this season it will be the sixth.

• Askhat

  Actually it really hurts,,,,
  It hurts to see our players walking on the pitch as if they’ve been winning titles every year and are fed up with it.

  It hurts to see that none of our players take the responsibility to lead the team when needed.

  It hurts to know that our manager is tactically clueless and cannot regroup or motivate the team when it is needed.

  It hurts to know that Man United will beat us regardless of the team sheets for the game.

  It hurts to see Clichy and Sagna hit the defender almost all the time they try to cross the ball into the box.

  It hurts to see our players not trying to put 100% effort when needed.

  It hurts to watch Denilson not giving a shit about winning the ball back when he loses it and when he even manages to misplace a pass from 5 yards several times during one game

  It hurts to see our players get injured time and time again at the slightest of touches.

  It hurts to know that our captain dreams of playing for Barcelona.

  It hurts to hear abusive comments from players like Evra and Ballack about your beloved team and know that they are RIGHT!!!

  AND the one thing that really hurts is WENGER giving excuses like “Nobody expected us to be where we are now”. Ignoring the feelings of millions of fans all over the world who expect to see their team win titles every year, beat Man United, Tottenham and Chelsea every year and expect to be happy celebrating Arsenal’s glory. Instead I would say Wenger “Nobody expected the team that has gone unbeaten all season not to win anything for 6 years”

  6 years is too much. we need a change. At least a change in Wenger’s head.

• paresh

  Another thing that struck me, if this current bunch cannot be motivated by knowing Utd won earlier in the day, and then a touching tribute before the game for an ex-player who died 10 years ago at an early age, then what the F**k will !!! They are a collective bunch of losers that need a couple of Keown-esque characters to kick their backsides when needed. They have no fear of Wenger so a more ruthless and vocal assistant manager is also needed

• paresh

  hate to say it but moanino is a welcome choice for me

• Arsefan101

  Interesting response to yesterdays post – I really feel that yesterday’s in the correct version of events – yes you have a point or two here – the future isn’t completely bleak – but the same could be said about any club. Look at Bolton, they’ve got Cahill coming through, etc etc, look at Liverpool, Suarez, Carroll and youngsters. It is easy to be near-rans or to have the image we have – but to be better than that is hard.

  Maybe too hard for Arsene.

• paresh

  Wenger said jusde us in May and I can tell you now nothing is going to change with him in charge – I can anticipate we will certainly lose key players in Cesc and co but I think we need a overhaul now – the nearly men have gone as far as they can and the clown has led this pack of jokers around for far too long

• AmriGooner

  I have to say that the “it hurts because” article was more truthful and realistic unfortunately.
  Our reality do hurts.

• Domhuaille

  We all share the pain but Devday did make some excellent points. What team’s fans in any league can honestly expect to win much when the big money teams swallow up the top players and when they also buy up the best youth players? As well, these top teams become the targets for the best youth and senior players and that makes them too expensive for average teams trying to improve!
  If any of you critiques of the Arsenal Way would take a minute and appreciate what has been and is still being done at the Emirates, you would appreciate that:

  1)5 years without a significant trophy seems like a long time but Real haven’t won the CL in 9 years and were knocked out before the quarter-finals 4 years in a row until this year. They spent 350M Euro on getting superstars in…with the result that they will come second again in LaLiga and may have to meet Barca,Manure,or Shalke in the semis…which likely means the end of their CL season…again! Do you hear their fans calling for Mourinho to be ousted?
  2)Seeing some of our players stroll around and seemingly not give a crap about what effort they put in is indeed extremely frustrating…but out of 49 games they’ve played in all competitions (except pre-season), they have won 37 and tied 9 so this laziness seems to be a passing blip in an otherwise excellent season.
  3)We are out of 3 competitions but the only really distasteful loss was to Birmingham in the CC. Losing to Barca 4-3 over two legs and having come so close in the Nou Camp was hardly a disgrace. The FA cup exit was on the heels of the away game against Barca and was as much due to fatigue and a loss of spirit as it was having a bad day.
  4)Too many Gooners are crying for Wenger’s head and for wholesale changes to the squad in the summer without thinking through what consequences this would likely entail. Who would we get to replace Wenger? Arsenal has a certain philosophy and if a new manager came in, would or should he maintain that philosophy? Would the Board give him carte-blanche to spend as he sees fit….not likely! Without the funds, or even with them, he’d face the same dilemma AW has faced since 2005…the players available are either too overpriced, too egotistical to fit into Arsenal’s style or both.
  5)There are still 8 games to go and before we throw the baby out with the bathwater, maybe,just maybe we should wait until the end of May to see if our season ends well or poorly? What choice do any of you experts have?
  6)Finally, if you Gloomers and Doomers really want to be heard, get off your whining posteriors and start inundating Arsenal’s Board with legitimate and reasoned arguments to renovate the team and,for a change…put your money where your mouths are!

• paresh

  How foolish is the pessimist, despondent and forlorn, who always when he gets a rose goes hunting for the thorn.

  The optimist has better sense; the charm of life he knows. He doesn’t mind a scratch or two if he can get the rose.

  So don’t be a pessimist, bogged down with discontent; the optimist has heaps of fun that doesn’t cost a cent.

  -unknown

• paresh

  Excellent article from Untold – see below:

  Groundhog Season

  By Sammy The Snake

  Writing something positive about Arsenal is a real challenge these days. As some of you may have noticed, and most of you haven’t, I’ve been quiet for some time. As the saying goes, if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. I’ve been awfully quiet recently!

  We all feel the pain of the past few weeks, it’s been hurting in all the wrong places. We all are looking for solutions. We are desperate for a way to feel better, more optimistic, or perhaps a bit more alive.

  This is turning out to be yet another groundhog season. We start by expecting nothing. The pundits and the media tell us in early August that Arsenal will not be competitive this season, and that we’ll be lucky to qualify for Europa League. By October, it’s decided that ManC and Sp@rs will definitely overtake us, and that Liverpool is certain to pip us to 4th place.

  We are suddenly upgraded to Championship material by Christmas… And we are declared fit to lift all trophies by the end of the season. Unfortunately, even Wenger gets carried away and starts talking about the quadruple. The fans start flapping their wings.

  When every Gunners’ ego is boosted to perfection, the media start using words like “bottlers” for the Arsenal. With that in mind, our season starts to deteriorate sometime in early March, and we are reaffirmed as failures by around April Fool’s Day!

  Groundhog Day, I tell ya! Every freakin’ season. The fans are left feeling inadequate.

  It’s at this time of the season that suggested solutions are aplenty. Sack Wenger. Get rid of the failing players, all 52 of them! Buy, buy experienced players, just buy. Sell Cesc and buy 22 new experienced players with the proceeds. Shoot the ground staff. Kill the ball boys… After you hang the board!

  Is Wenger to blame? Are the players at fault? Is the board going overboard? Gazidis gone Ga-Ga? Are the fans impatient, over-expectant and delusional? Is the media over hyping it? The pundits having it in for us? Blind refs changing the natural course of the season? Luck?! Bad Luck?!! Surely, everyone must share the blame.

  Arsene, the players, all back room staff, the management, the board and the owners are all responsible. Let’s just sack them all. Hey, wait! We can’t get rid of the owners because they own the club. Sacking all players and getting 25 shiny new ones will destabilize the team. The back room staff can’t take all the blame. And Ivan Gazidis just got the job. Hmmmm? What do we do to save Arsenal?

  Let’s just sack Wenger, and get it over with. That’s the easiest thing in the world. Sack him, I say. And then…

  Let’s imagine Arsenal swallow their pride and buy a one-way ticket for the professor back to Paris at the end of the season. What’s our best option after Wenger? Finding a brand new experienced head coach shouldn’t be that hard. Right? Just ask Dark Prick for advice.

  As my first idea for a Wenger replacement, I would like to nominate Mr. Ego himself, the special guy, Mr. Mourinho. Oh, wait! He just lost last night and his glorious Real Mad is 8 points behind the leaders. And would you like his ego to land at the Arsenal grounds? I thought not.

  My second choice would be the all-conquering Pep Guardiola. Would he leave his galaxy of stars? I don’t think so. Is he seriously thinking of leaving Barca? He’d be stupid if he did, but that is probably a great bargaining tool. Could he have ever been so successful without his ensemble of players? I highly doubt it. Would he ever come over to the Emirates? Unlikely. Can we bet on getting him? Definitely not!

  Let’s get Rafa Benitez or Roy Hodgson. Let’s just take a shot and see what happens since Liverpool had such a great experience with both of them. We’ll first hire Rafa, when he drives the club to the edge of extinction, we’ll replace him with Roy Boy to complete the job. No way!

  How about Steve McLaren? We’ll even throw in an umbrella, in case we keep losing under the rain!

  I propose giving Mark Hughes a shot. But he got kicked out of ManCity, and got replaced with Mr. Mancini! Let’s get him, our scarf sales will go through the roof, and we’ll barely manage 5th place (which is better than 2nd place after all). He’s great at spending money too, what a great match! No, no, no!

  Oh, I got the best candidate! Ranieri is the man for the job, especially if we plan to kick him out mid-season in his first year in charge. That’ll be so much fun!

  If we want to really progress in football, Arsenal must place Mick McCarthy in charge. He’ll surely give us the steel required to win major trophies. He’ll toughen up the players. Can’t you see how Wolves are shoveling all trophies back home?

  If we want to have a jolly good time and laugh out loud, I suggest the highly rated comedian Mr. Ian Holloway. We can then win some of our home games, and lose all the away ones. Won’t that be splendid fun?!

  How about dirty ‘Arry?! The scum bag can bring us momentary near-success followed by financial ruin. He could groom Arsenal for tax evasion, wheeling, dealing, and buying players above market price. Only if he wasn’t such short sighted Sp@rs dick!

  How about Leonardo? He first drove Milan down the table, then showed his loyalty by moving to Inter, where he has managed to make them look less than ordinary (same team that was so great less than a year back). His tactical naivety will bring us lots of great memories! I don’t think so.

  Success is rarely accidental, and it’s never instant.

  My fellow Gooners, be careful what you wish for, it may come true!

• Domhuaille

  Right on Paresh…………How easy it is for the Fantasy Football managers and AMATEUR pundits/fans to scream for Wenger’s head, all 54 players’ throats and the collective heads of the entire Board or something thereabouts!
  What the Gloomers and Doomers can’t seem to appreciate is that their right to criticize a poor performance, whenever it occurs, is fine but it does not give them the privilege of calling for wholesale changes because their egos have been bruised, their team disappointed them again and they pay high ticket prices for trophies or whatever.
  You adopt a team, you adopt the good with the bad, the better and worse, the lean years and the rich ones. You can complain as much as you want, that is your right to express an opinion but the majority doesn’t have to listen to you,much less agree with you.

• Charlie Croker

  I’m going insane. Are we dealing with :-

  1. A totally stubborn manager who ignores all the evidence on the pitch that we are woefully short of players in key positions who are good enough to drive Arsenal on to win things; or…

  2. Someone who has completely lost it and cannot organise and set up the team to defend? We still don’t get players into the penalty area on the end of crosses/passes either; or…

  3. A still superb manager who is being starved of transfer funds while the club is made cash rich by its sales each summer?

  I wish someone would explain the answer to me.

  I thought Gilberto was an excellent captain of Arsenal. He led by example, could head the ball, tackled and scored more than his fair share of goals before he was unceremoniously replaced as captain of Arsenal by Cesc and bundled out of the club. Gilberto was still good enough to play for Brazil (no less) and was the type of highly experienced, midfield soldier we all hope will arrive in each subsequent transfer window. Gilberto’s departure for me was as much the catalyst for our current woes on the pitch as the move from Highbury to the Retail Park.

  I hope my faith in Le Boss is repaid by him doing a “Gilberto” on the players who have let him and the Arsenal down on so many occasions and follow this up by acknowledging that standards must improve and doing some genuine strengthening of the side, buying in some real talent along the spine of the team. But we’ve been here before in seasons past and the same players who are frequently identified on this website as ‘never beens’, continue to re-emerge in the legendary Red and White the next season to further disappoint, nauseate and frustrate us all in equal measures.

  I’m praying that the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach yesterday morning was a combination of too much weekend booze and Monday morning at work rather than the symptoms of watching a wonderful and once untouchable manager in terminal decline.

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