Man Utd 8 - 2 Arsenal

[garetgax]

I completly agree with the financial prudence bit but there is a but and its a big one. Arsenal's debt (stadium payments) is around the 20mil p.a our revenue from gate receipts alone is a little under 100 million p.a revenues from sold players this window circa 60 million plus a transfer kitty of 20 million from recent property deals meant wenger had at his disposal 80 mil and that's conservative.

 

The issue is the management of this transfer window and the wage structure within the club. There is a reason we cant shift the dead weight as they were all given ridiculous packages at too early a stage in their careers i.e bendtner,denilson etc. If the Cesc and Nasri situations were dealt with early which could have and should have happened plus the quality signings needed to bolster the defence, replace clichy, bendtner,cesc and nasri Sunday wouldn't have happened. Emphasis on the word quality as well as Arsene uses it a lot and tbh I dont think he understands what it means. We needed/need players that can hit the gorund running, that means players who have experience and have actually proven records NOT gambles/prospects teenage wonderkids etc. We've spent siginificant money this window on future talent and not on experience.

 

Add to this Arsene refused to give Bergkamp,Adams and Viera roles within Arsenal which would have strengthened our backroom staff and given leaders off the pitch and would have helped with coaching a strong defensive unit.

 

I truly believe there are managers out there that could and would have purchased more wisely this window and would turn the current crop of players with some additions into a winning team. We may not be as pretty to watch but at least we'd win stuff and more importantly wouldn't look like the shambles we were on Sunday.

 

Quite frankly weve looked like we did on Sunday for the past 3-4 months. I fear for my football club right now but Ill stick with them till im in the ground. My loyalty is to Arsenal FC not to Arsene, Gazidis,Kroenke or P Hill-Wood.

[coldel]

I agree, was surprised Wenger hasn't strengthened the club sufficiently this year, but there are two days to go he might yet pull a couple of transfers out the bag. I am not so sure about your transfer calculation though, day to day club running, staff costs and the biggie - tax payments - come to multi-millions per month. That would easily soak up all those ticket incomes plus a bit more.

 

Seems to me nowadays player purchases are coming from the pockets of the owners rather than club profits (if such a thing exists anymore!). Clubs are paying out so much on players wages that they are in effect running insolvent, which is why the financial rules are coming into play.

 

Think it would be good for Adams to come back, but having cut his teeth with a few other clubs successfully first and gotten all his coaching qualifications. I find it somewhat frustrating that players seem to get an auto route into coaching with clubs thinking that a playing career automatically creates a good coach.

[coldel]

Joe Cole to Lille?

 

What a waste of an extraordinary talent he was.

[350 Russ]

Samba? I'm pretty sure he's after a move to a bigger club, and he's one hell of a beast. I thought he wasn't even getting played at the moment because he wants to move..

 

Him + Vermaelen would be good I reckon. Samba has been doing well in the PL for a looonngggg time. Would be no good without someone decent to replace Sagna and Clichy though. Sagna is just terrible in so many ways.

 

By the way.. have a watch of this, the guy's voice is quite annoying, but the verses are awesome and the way he gets the line so close to the original song is brilliant!

 

 

 

keep your hands off samba! NOT FOR SALE!!! he wasnt playing because he was injured, only just came back at the weekend vs everton.

[350 Russ]

Only three clubs have won it (plus Blackburn once)

 

FOUR teams have won it.

 

do you not count that we won it due to us only 'being a small town club'.

[coldel]

I support West Ham, so certainly don't consider Blackburn a small town club...is that a dirty great chip I see hovering just to the side of your head Russ

 

I was trying to emphasis the point that since the inception of the premier league, the never ending pursuit of money and the focus on champions league (which has to be trade descriptions act surely?) that the possibility of a club outside of a top 3 or 4 as alluded to by a previous poster in reference to the Scots Prem League, winning the title is pretty low.

 

...anyway, Blackburn have a very big thank you to West Ham for winning that - I remember Ludek Miklosko keeping Man Utd at bay whilst Blackburn proceeded to make a pigs ear of their final game against Liverpool I think it was

[350 Russ]

I support West Ham, so certainly don't consider Blackburn a small town club...is that a dirty great chip I see hovering just to the side of your head Russ

 

its a kind of little club complex , all my mates know that its the easiest way to make me bite to their banter

 

 

...anyway, Blackburn have a very big thank you to West Ham for winning that - I remember Ludek Miklosko keeping Man Utd at bay whilst Blackburn proceeded to make a pigs ear of their final game against Liverpool I think it was

 

shall we call it evens for the year we kept you up with that 2-1 west ham win at ewood? the one where bobby zamora "scored" but carlos tevez cleared it off of the line whilst being offside.

 

i was at ewood that night and ive never in my life sreamed such abuse at a ref or single player, so much so that i lost my voice , made for an enjoyable 4 hour drive home after.

[captain]

Captain first and foremost a couple of things :-

 

Firstly .Tatty stadium...... Highbury will always have a very special place in any true Arsenal fans heart.......Pathetic comment.

Secondly won a few cups? Have you not looked at Arsenals history pre wenger......... Pathetic uninformed comment.

Thirdly He has been a genius spotter of talent .....Grimandi,stepanovs,almunia,90% of the current squad and theres a whole host more....

Fourthly. True arsenal fans couldnt give a rats backside about "an envious bank balance" the purpose of a football club isnt to win trophies for share dividends etc its to win trophies.

and lastly I love Arsenal football club and have been going to Arsenal since I was eight and Im now touching 40. Arsene Wenger is NOT Arsenal and is definately NOT bigger than the football club.

 

Just for your information Captain Sundays result was our worst result for 114 years this after we sell 6 players (2 of which are our best midfielders) and sign a bunch of kids and you think thats acceptable? Are you Ivan or silent Stan? Seems to me your main interest is in the profits made from the club not success?

 

 

 

1. Highbury was lovely but past its best and a new stadium was needed. Wenger made it possible.

2. Aston Villa 27 Arsenal 35. Honours won since both clubs inception up until 1996. About even I'd say. Look at their comparative success since 1996. Still hate Wenger? Oh and by the way, Villa have spent more (net) in the last 15 years for how many trophies? As have Liverpool, Spurs, Newcastle, Leeds, Everton etc.

3. Yes, a genius. Acknowledged as unsurpassed in the modern game. Did you hate him when you watched the gangly Juventus winger slot 226 goals for us?

4. Well, I'm a true fan in my 41st year of supporting them since I was 7. You should care about the bank balance because when Chelsea, Man City etc etc. have lost their sugar daddies and become the next Leeds or Portsmouth you will still be watching Arsenal in the Premiership. If you know your football history you'll know what happened to Derby or Preston North End or Sheffield Wednesday. All "Invincible clubs" in their day who never invested in the future. Where are they???

 

The "point" of a football club is not to win trophies. If that was the case about 90 football clubs lead pointless existences each (and nearly every) year. In my view the point of a football club is to play football brilliantly and entertainingly and this should lead to trophies AND a healthy profit. The model of Man C and Chelsea is unsustainable (Barcelona's is better with fan ownership) Wenger knows this and he is backed by the board in refusing to pay ridiculous transfer fees and salaries.

 

IMO Wenger will be with the club in some form until June 2014 and will produce one more great team to add to the 3 great teams he has already produced.

 

Looks your your bile has got a lot of time to boil in your throat. Open your heart and enjoy the ride.

[coldel]

I support West Ham, so certainly don't consider Blackburn a small town club...is that a dirty great chip I see hovering just to the side of your head Russ

 

its a kind of little club complex , all my mates know that its the easiest way to make me bite to their banter

 

 

...anyway, Blackburn have a very big thank you to West Ham for winning that - I remember Ludek Miklosko keeping Man Utd at bay whilst Blackburn proceeded to make a pigs ear of their final game against Liverpool I think it was

 

shall we call it evens for the year we kept you up with that 2-1 west ham win at ewood? the one where bobby zamora "scored" but carlos tevez cleared it off of the line whilst being offside.

 

i was at ewood that night and ive never in my life sreamed such abuse at a ref or single player, so much so that i lost my voice , made for an enjoyable 4 hour drive home after.

 

OK evens it is

 

So, Sam Allardyce, discuss!

[garetgax]

Captain. I was Wengers biggest fan but enough is enough, the total mismanagement of the previous campaign and this transfer window is quite frankly unacceptable. We are now the most expensive team to watch our cheapest season ticket is Utd's most expensive and for what? 6 years and counting. The worst result in 114 years and all of this could be avoided with just a bit of forthought.

 

This transfer window was a complete shambles and our beautiful club is being systematically destroyed its a slow and painful death but its there. Ivan,Wenger and Silent Stan are all to blame.

 

My opinion but Im not alone and the depth of feeling is shifting within the fan base. This isnt just about results or pretty football this about getting our ARsenal back. Good football, results and fair ticket prices instead we get sub standard on the cheap signings, overpriced tickets and shareholders only interested in paying off the debt and lining their own pockets.

[350 Russ]

I support West Ham, so certainly don't consider Blackburn a small town club...is that a dirty great chip I see hovering just to the side of your head Russ

 

its a kind of little club complex , all my mates know that its the easiest way to make me bite to their banter

 

 

...anyway, Blackburn have a very big thank you to West Ham for winning that - I remember Ludek Miklosko keeping Man Utd at bay whilst Blackburn proceeded to make a pigs ear of their final game against Liverpool I think it was

 

shall we call it evens for the year we kept you up with that 2-1 west ham win at ewood? the one where bobby zamora "scored" but carlos tevez cleared it off of the line whilst being offside.

 

i was at ewood that night and ive never in my life sreamed such abuse at a ref or single player, so much so that i lost my voice , made for an enjoyable 4 hour drive home after.

 

OK evens it is

 

So, Sam Allardyce, discuss!

 

 

can we have him back? you can have our own coco the clown

 

 

we owed him a massive debt when he kept us up after paul ince turned a top ten team into relegation fodder (similar to kean now!). i think that he is an excellent tactition, but he did play some disgustingly ugly football with us, but its a results business and he got us them so fair play to him. i think west ham have played more football in the few games of this season than we did in the entire time he was our manager.

 

what are the hammers fans views on him?

[BACON]

To put a slightly lighter tone on this discussion.....I feel that the title this year is definitely going to be in the hands of the Spurs boys!!!

[garetgax]

Bacon..............................so not funny FOYS

[coldel]

Mixed views on Allardyce, some fans just immediately associate it with bad football and rant on about how he will ruin west hams style of play...given how badly we have played over the last two seasons I would quite happily have him come in and ruin that!

 

Tomkins, Noble, Collison, Cole etc are all good footballers who can knock it about - they suddenly wont lose that ability just because Sam is there.

[Ekona]

The "point" of a football club is not to win trophies. If that was the case about 90 football clubs lead pointless existences each (and nearly every) year.

Of course it is, and that's true. That's also why they come back the next year and work harder (hopefully) to get the trophies. Playing pretty football is all well and good, but I'd rather see long-ball and have a few trophies than loads of intricate passing and nothing to show. Also Highbury was rubbish and although it was a shame they made it into flats (and it's very weird walking past them now), the Emirates is a wonderfully modern stadium that is the nicest I've ever been to. Just a shame that 90% of the crowd are so utterly silent, the club and ground deserve more support.

 

On a side note, I notice that we're now selling Gradel as well so that's him, Kilkenny, Schmeichel, and Johnson all out the door this year. We've got naff-all up front as everyone's injured, can't stop shipping goals, and struggling for form big-time. Oh, and we've Man Utd next in the Carling Cup. Brilliant. I reckon you Gooners have got it easy compared to us.

[captain]

Open your heart and enjoy the ride.

 

We have lift off.

[HassanZ]

Open your heart and enjoy the ride.

 

We have lift off.

 

Well done to Arsenal for showing the pensioners how its done. That was a great 5-3 win, hats off to you. I was so happy watching you beat them!

 

As you can see I hate chelsea...

[ds2000]

As a United man, I was delighted to see you knock 5 passed Chelsea

 

Also just reading up, the comments on Wenger seem extremely harsh, he has done more for your club in 14 years than pretty much any other manager; Arsenal have the best business model in the league and are nearly free of your stadium payments, I might be wrong but I'm sure you turned £165m (approx) recently, once that stadium is completely paid off that is one hell of a lot of cash to spend to either expand the Emirates or spend on players and in line with the financial fairplay rules. To write Wenger off is as ridiculous as some United fans writing SAF off during Chelsea's dominance, the post Keane, Stam, Beckham, RVN era. Teams go in cycles we all know that and we also know who are the leagues two best managers.

 

Let City carry the mantle of favourites and see how they cope, let the Spurs fans laugh at your getting tanked and just quietly plug away, its harder to lead at this time of the year and keep there in the long run, especially once the Carling Cup, FA Cup, Champions League knock out and real business end starts.