The Arsenal Thread XIX

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You can't really compare the two, because you haven't factored the construction of the Emirates. Arsenal as a club sacrificed short term gain for long term success. It's a miracle we stayed in the top four with all our contrains. We were never going to win the league whilst handling the stadium. If we stayed at Highbury Arsenal would have won the league no doubt but if we stayed arsenal wouldn't have the funds to compete now

We've already seen the signs that we'll p be consistent winners, there's a lot of promise in the future.

No is the Answer to your question

Reply 721

Zenzic

Original post by Zürich

Arsene Wenger has met his targets.

He sold, he funded, he saved, he built and here we are. Well done to him. A.F.C is not a plastic club built over days is it?

I was under the impression 9 years (or 10?) without a trophy is classed as failure. Guess not...

Reply 722

ZÃ¼rich

Original post by Zenzic

I was under the impression 9 years (or 10?) without a trophy is classed as failure. Guess not...

I can't think of anything he's achieved in the last 8 years, can you?

£450M stadiums do not grow out from Holloway daisies. I'm very thankful to Arsene for that, always will be.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 723

AR_95

Original post by Zenzic

I was under the impression 9 years (or 10?) without a trophy is classed as failure. Guess not...

Your impression of success is wrong then.

Reply 724

Zenzic

Original post by AR_95

Your impression of success is wrong then.

Please tell me your interpretation of success then.

Reply 725

username912610

I don't think Arsene Wenger gives a toss if a few kiddies on an internet forum don't rate him tbh. At the end of the day he has won the league, how many of you kids on here can say you've won the league before.

Reply 726

yaboy farewell

Yeh Zuirich why not show off a 60k seater stadium because that is in itself is a massive footballing achievement, you go man...

anyway whoever made the first page of this thread needs to be raped, it's atrocious lol.

Reply 727

AR_95

Original post by Zenzic

Please tell me your interpretation of success then.

When you ignore our financial situation and the building of the Emirates, I'm sure 99% of Arsenal fans will agree with you that these past 9 years have not been successful.

If you're ignoring the circumstances we've been in it makes no sense at all to judge our performance. The decline was inevitable but it was a worthy sacrifice to put us up where we are now. Can you genuinely name another manager who would have thrived in the same situation? Like Zurich mentioned above, the goal was to finish at least top 4 to manage and keep up with the finances and that's exactly what we've been doing. We could have easily dropped a few seasons just like United has this year.

Arsenal are now the 4th richest club in the world in terms of value, and 6th for Revenue. That's quite impressive when you take into consideration of the other sugar daddy clubs, chelsea/city etc. We've actually got a financial backbone, the same cannot be said for some of the other rich clubs.
We're only going to improve from now on tbh.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 728

Pete_91

Original post by Zenzic

Please tell me your interpretation of success then.

Tell me, if a club wins the treble on year, goes bust the next, is that successful?

If you jeopardise the future (even in the medium term not just long term) of a football club for a single piece of silverware (which is what going for the FA cup at the expense of top 4 would have done) then it is not worth it.

This mentality is what put Portsmouth and Leeds where they are today, and save for Abramovich Chelsea would have suffered a similar fate.

Reply 729

Peggles_*

Original post by Kruz

Not just kiddies on an internet forum though, a lot of gooners don't rate him anymore.

Reply 730

Zerforax

Original post by Zürich

In the context of the new stadium, CL qualification was absolutely crucial. Wenger knew that more than anyone of course.

Arsenal became obsessed with 'top4', because we had to pay some hefty bills which could not be paid with silverware.

Original post by sevchenko

Well where you have the Emirates factor, Liverpool equally have the Gilett & Hicks factor which dragged the club into performing below par for about 3 years (before FSG made some mistakes).

Wouldn't you say Liverpool had more constrains in the past few years than Arsenal and yet are somehow ahead this season? We've had no CL football to lure players with. Less funds than Arsenal to compete with. Lower wage bill too and yet we're favourites to win the title now.

Does it worry you that Liverpool could leapfrog Arsenal for a few years now? Ian Ayre has already come out and said Liverpool will spend this summer and back the manager.

Reply 731

qwerty_mad

Original post by Zürich

That is the genius of Arsene Wenger. He would disappear into the night without looking back for thanks, knowing exactly what he has done for AFC. He's a special, special man.

Always building, never looks for praise.

Can't help but feel a little emotional reading that. He is simply a man who only Arsenal fans, even the ones who want him out, will appreciate and deep down always love. No other team fan can know the feeling. They simply cannot.

Posted from TSR Mobile

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 732

yaboy farewell

Original post by Zerforax

what can you buy with 60mill these days?

Reply 733

ZÃ¼rich

Original post by yaboy farewell

Dont know if you know Holloway, but the Emirates is the biggest thing to happen to the area in 100 years. Since Highbury in fact.

Cheers Arsene!

Reply 734

doobucks

Original post by Zenzic

Please tell me your interpretation of success then.

Being a nearly team, or just about doing the minimum required.

Reply 735

doobucks

Original post by yaboy farewell

what can you buy with 60mill these days?

2 Luis Suarez's or 5 Daniel Sturridges.

Reply 736

Zerforax

Original post by yaboy farewell

what can you buy with 60mill these days?

1.5x Ozil?

Or
Sturridge - 12mil
Coutinho - 8.5mil
Sakho - 18mil
Mignolet - 10mil
Aspas - 7mil
Alberto 6.5mil

If we do it well again, we could add plenty of quality and depth to our squad.

Reply 737

heyimbored

Original post by Pete_91

This mentality is what put Portsmouth and Leeds where they are today, and save for Abramovich Chelsea would have suffered a similar fate.

Not sure about Leeds, but Portsmouth's demise is half the fault of the Premier League's and football league's supposed 'fit and proper persons test' that failed to identify the fact that all of the owners we had were part of the same circle, none of which were capable of running a football club in any respect. (The club is also at fault for falling for the fake proof of funds provided, but the PL is also supposed to stop this).

EDIT: I'm also not denying that we spent well beyond our means of course.

Reply 738

Peggles_*

Original post by Zerforax

The only reason I want Liverpool to win the league is it stops Wenger and Wengerites using petro clubs like City and Chelsea as an excuse. If Liverpool, a club with considerable less financial resources (granted you would have had more had you not wasted a bunch on Carroll & Downing, nevertheless) than us, and no CL football can essentially leapfrog us in half a season is worrying, and what does it say about us and our direction? Rodgers has done in 2 seasons what Arsene has been trying to 9 and fair play to him.

You got Suarez didn't you? And he left a CL club to join you when you were missing out, This idea that CL football is necessary to attract top top top players is a myth as far as I'm concerned, we've been in it year in year out since our move to the Emirates and out of all the players we've signed, the majority have been the ilk of Chamakh rather than Ozil. Yes the stadium has been a factor but I look at your team and the likes of Suarez and Sturridge didn't go for crazy money when you initially bought them, well within our transfer bracket.

I don't quite see you leapfrogging us for a few years, simply because we signed Ozil, surely Wenger told him about some big plans for the summer unless he sold him a dream like he has been doing to the fans for a few years, on that basis, I do hold some hope for the summer!!

Reply 739

Peggles_*

Original post by jam277

Being a nearly team, or just about doing the minimum required.

That is what Wenger wants, he's getting paid £7m a year to be a nearly man, sell dreams about what he wants to do and to the hapless fans who actually believe him, them Wenger blinkers!