It’s hard being a contrarian on Arsenal Twitter these days. Like any strict, self-regulated community, there is a stridency among a majority of posters that demands and enforces conformity. It punishes dissent via the block, unfollow and mute buttons for committing any of the following heresies:
- Not vocally supporting the new manager
- Criticizing any of the mooted new signings
Instead of summer hostilities between the former WOBs and AKBs, which usually reach boiling point during transfer season, both sides for their own reasons are currently wishing and hoping for the new manager, Unai Emery, to succeed, bigly. Obviously the ex-WOBs are delighted that their bête noir, the cheapskate, deluded, out of touch, omnipotent (choose your epithet) Arsene Wenger is now gone. Should Emery succeed, it will be a ringing endorsement of their long-held claim that the club was being held back by the former manager.
On the other hand, it seems to me, the so-called AKBs are on the defensive, not wanting to be seen as mindless acolytes of the old gaffer, fearing they will give credence to the years of repeated taunts by the anti-Wenger crowd that they support Arsene FC rather than Arsenal FC. They too are just as wishful and hopeful that the new manager, who seems to be as modern and progressive as the old, will be able to overcome all the external and internal obstacles that held the club back.
WOBs, AKBs and the Middle-Of-the-Roaders
Strange and as incongruous as it may seem, former WOBs and AKBs are now locked together, singing the same tune; leave Emery alone and he will succeed.
Let us not fool ourselves. While there appears to be two extremist camps in the Arsenal fanbase, there is definitely a large, if not larger, middle-of-the-road contingent which often takes one side or the other depending on results. It wasn’t that long ago, for example, we had the experience on the opening day of a new season at the Arsenal stadium, with the transfer window still open, that a majority were in uproar demanding the club spend some “facking” money as the club was losing to Aston Villa. The fact that Arsenal eventually came 3rd or 4th that year, qualifying for the Champion’s League, at a time when it was still struggling under the stadium-related austerity, stands in sharp contrast to the £200 million spent on transfers these past two years while coming 5th and lately 6th in the Premier League.
So conventional thinking has concluded that leaving Emery alone, rather than the relentless attention to the every move and statement made by Arsene Wenger, is now a guarantor of success. The underlying assumption is the belief that the Wenger years, particularly the most recent, were a failure which Emery must avoid. The problem is this hypothesis is not fully supported by the facts.
Note the “unbiased data”, on which we should rely, is diligently avoided by the mainstream media and most of its cohorts on twitter and in the blogsphere, who are now bloviating with optimism and goodwill towards Emery.
Take a gander, below, on some key performance metrics for the last 11 years of the Wenger era.
| Year | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | GF | GA | Win % | Loss % |
| 07/08 | 58 | 36 | 15 | 7 | 113 | 52 | 62.1% | 12% |
| 08/09 | 61 | 33 | 16 | 12 | 113 | 55 | 54.1% | 20% |
| 09/10 | 55 | 33 | 8 | 14 | 116 | 63 | 60.0% | 25% |
| 10/11 | 58 | 31 | 13 | 14 | 113 | 55 | 53.5% | 24% |
| 11/12 | 54 | 31 | 9 | 14 | 96 | 67 | 57.4% | 26% |
| 12/13 | 53 | 29 | 12 | 12 | 105 | 60 | 54.7% | 23% |
| 13/14 | 56 | 37 | 8 | 11 | 99 | 57 | 66.1% | 20% |
| 14/15 | 56 | 35 | 11 | 10 | 109 | 53 | 62.5% | 18% |
| 15/16 | 54 | 28 | 12 | 14 | 91 | 59 | 51.9% | 26% |
| 16/17 | 55 | 35 | 8 | 12 | 121 | 65 | 63.4% | 22% |
| 17/18 | 57 | 30 | 10 | 17 | 108 | 70 | 52.6% | 30% |
| Mean | 56 | 33 | 11 | 12 | 108 | 60 | 58.0% | 22% |
Main points:
- Wenger achieved an average win percentage of 58% across all competitions never falling below 51.9% and going as high as 66.1%.
- 52% was good enough to qualify for the champions league up to 15/16. But in 16-17 a 63.4% win rate and a FA cup was apparently not good enough for some in the club hierarchy as evident in Wenger’s 2-year contract, which in retrospect was putting him on notice.
- In 17-18, the win percentage was 52.6, not the lowest historically, but it was marked by the highest ever GA, a total of 70, compared to an average of 60 GA over the 11-year period.
- Wenger’s loss percentage while averaging 22% increased by a dramatic 8 percentage points between 16-17 and 17-18 coinciding with the highest ever GA of 70 in the latter year.
The GA seems to be the key. As Finsbury, a long-standing and frequent contributor to Positively Arsenal has repeatedly argued, Wenger’s biggest challenge in 17/18 was maintaining or recreating the defensive stability he had achieved during the four year reign of Mertsacker-Koscielny, which was one of the premier central defensive partnerships in club football. The 2016-17 season-long loss of the BFG and his subsequent relegation in 17-18 to a mere squad player combined with Koscielny’s well publicized chronic Achilles injury coincided with a growth in GAs from 59 in 15-16 to an unheard of 70 last season and the dramatic increase in losses from the average of 22% to 30% over the last two seasons.
Based on the facts as presented, surely it is reasonable and necessary for us to ask Mr. Gazidis and his rising number of busy-bodies (Mislintat, Sanllehi and a Marcel Lucassen who is to become Director of Football Operations on August 1st) the following questions:
- How will the signing of Lichsteiner, a 34 year-old injury-prone right back, improve and stabilize Arsenal’s central defensive partnership?
- In a world where a Virgil Van Dijk costs £70 million, how do Arsenal plan to replace the retired Mertsacker and an ageing injury-prone Koscielny?
At a time when mainstream media, Twitter, Facebook and Google are doing their best to censor and block non-conforming points of view, it is frightening the level to which Arsenal-twitter has engaged in self-censorship to not rock the boat during this transition to new management. Apparently Ivan and his team are now omniscient and omnipotent. They have free reign, without any challenge by fans, to give Emery any players they deem necessary, because, to paraphrase managerial genius Tony Adams, coaching is over-rated, what matters is the director of football and those who do player recruitment.
So “keep schtum”. Don’t rock the boat. It will all work out in the end. Hmm.
Positively Arsenal 
Nice words from Per on Freddie’s return, two people who I am sure live this club, fills me with optimism such people are there, big changes, but I believe we are in good hands and will compete. I Wenger in the very highest regard as a human being and our greatest manager, and wish him the very best at whoever is lucky enough to recruit him, yet respectfully look forward to the future under a different team, hopefully that is not disloyal.
Torriera, cannot say I know a huge amount about him, unlike it seems most of Twitter but would that mean a Jack departure?
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https://mobile.twitter.com/bbcsport_david?p=s
Pornstein has spoken
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ha ha ha, media and ITK’s in last couple of weeks, “Emery looking to add height and power to AFC midfield”
Now
Arsenal signing 5ft 6in DM Torreira
those that talk don’t know, those that know don’t talk
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the reports on Torreira is that AFC are paying €5m more than his release clause of €25m, so that the fee can be paid over a five year period instead of the up front fee in his release clause.
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Cheers for the Collina link, Fins
Good sense as you’d expect from the man
Key bit seems to cover what we discussed on here around cup final time, when our lot stuck with their practice of not using available pitch side monitors even though elsewhere they are widely used on anything that is somewhat close, subjective, very important to game, and where a referee, the on-pitch one, could easily change his mind with the benefit of replays and different angles.
Instead we seemed to go with ‘the calls been made and (check) unless it is beyond debate- i.e. a matter of objective fact (which few pen and red calls strictly are)- it is the wrong call, ( Swarbrick: ‘not clear and obvious enough to change, guv, stick with it’) it stays’
——————————
‘The referee can accept the information relayed through his earpiece by the VAR team, an option usually reserved for objective calls of fact, such as if a player is offside.
For more subjective decisions such as red cards and penalty-area fouls, he can review the footage on a pitchside television monitor before deciding whether to change his initial call.’
——————————————-
Maybe if and when we fully implement it here we will start to follow these guidelines, in line with rest of VAR usage, or perhaps, for reasons unknown, not.
As Scudamore’s gone, it’s possible to feel a little hope Riley’s days are numbered, though he is on pgmol board now.
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A huge test for VAR over the next month and hopefully the match officials and the assistant referees in their control rooms are fully trained and confident. If the tournament is messed up by bad process or poor technology the VAR process will be put back 5 years.
I am quietly confident, with everything crossed.
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Mandy I don’t think it’s an matter of loyalty to AW if we are discussing the importance of having a ‘handover’ coach in the first team set up.
Pep recruited Arteta to be his eyes and ears on the premier league.
Arsene was gifted Pat on arrival (I always thought it was Rice who brought through the younger players in the 80’s? I could be wrong there but for me Pat Rice was the second biggest figure at AFC since 1970 odd. To ignore his impact especially from ’97 onwards is one of the saddest signs of stupidity from our experts: When Rosicky speaks so highly of someone in football I am listening!
Which is why it was so important to see Pat Rice there alongside the Great Bob and Arsene again: they put the band back together!
if we’re hoping the club doesn’t make a strategic error and send Bould packing it’s not about loyalty to AW but a hope that the the chances of success for the new coach are reduced by removing such a resource
Eg.: Bould might have a different opinion on JW given Ramsey’s fitness restrictions, which he has experience with. Though if a new midfielder possibly coming in alongside AMN’s promotion (yep AW definitely lost his touch: LOL!) it’s going to be a tricky call and one I’m glad not to worry about!
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NOTH:
You made a good point yesterday:
“I would refer you to the subsidiary company, Arsenal Stadium Management Company Limited.
“This is the Company that holds the Bondholders security, namely the Season Ticket sales. The end-of-year total, will include some future years.
“With the new stadium not far away and the poor uptake of renewals, I suspect the alarm bell rang loud and clear in Highbury House.”
That would explain a lot. If you are right, which I have no reason to doubt, I still maintain the board acted prematurely. They acted reflexively. They acted like fans who are motivated by emotions not by reality, i.e. the unbiased data.
To this day I am convinced that being 4th in spending power in the PL for the past 10 years, AFC under Wenger over achieved. I am also convinced by the data that losing Cazorla in October 2016, Per for that entire season and Koscielny’s chronic Achilles problems from 16-17 onwards (plus the Alexis shenanigans) was a substantial blow that it would have been miraculous to overcome.
This whole episode reminds me of the story of Apple. It was only recently that despite having some of the best machines and software as well as a very passionate user-base, the company was on the verge of liquidation with investors including insiders bailing at a mile-a-minute. At their lowest ebb the company returned to its visionary founder, Steve Jobs, who had earlier been banished from Cupertino. He focussed the company on its innovative roots with fantastic success; starting with the Ipod and shortly after with the Iphone. The rest, as they say, is history.
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Interesting thing on the season tickets – I just went on to Arsecom to renew my Red Membership for next season – which I have had since we arrived at the Ems – to find I had the option of upgrading to Silver – which I did. £53 v £35’ish.
They may let in a lot of riff-raff but I’m top table – well halfway anyway.
Any other Red Members on here who fancy an upgrade get in there now.
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Ornstein did mention him, so I suppose it’s safe to bring him up – Lucas Torreira does look like an interesting player. Note that he was actually a second striker until he got into Pescara’s first team, which explains that peculiar mix of bite and finesse. Dunno how good he’ll be, but you don’t see that combination often.
For years you’d see people moaning that we only bought attacking midfielders for our academy/reserves. But at that level positions don’t really mean anything, and it’s just natural that the most lucid and technical players – the ones who have the best chance of making careers – will play in creative spots at other clubs.
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I don’t think it works quite like that Andy. I think Red Members eventually get invited to become Silver after several years loyalty (and maybe amount of games attended). As a relative new boy there is no such offer for me at the moment, although I do note that I am number 15304 on the Season Ticket list.
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Ah Tim – ‘loyalty’ – and cash spent – I like it – uncomplicated, straight out of Stan’s LA playbook.
I am 79,234 on the ST list – I have no idea why I bother – I would not take one if they offered – I think you are right.
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I’ve decided to join the prawn sandwich brigade this season, so I expect big things or I’ll be joining the EOB, isn’t that how it works these days?
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In honor of The New GodFaadaa of Arsenal
Those that talk don’t know, those that know don’t talk.
https://www.google.com/search?q=Our+lips+are+sealed+-+Fun+Boy+Three&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b
Interesting times
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Fixtures announces, first two games city at home ,Chelsea away. So wengers departure not initially leading to any favours our way from the powers that be.
But at least we can take comfort in that Utd have their usual , erm,,challenging start to the season
Welcome to the Premier league Unai
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“It is unclear if Spurs’ new £850m stadium will be available in time for the start of the new campaign, and they must confirm by Friday if they need to use Wembley for any home fixtures.”
Will the “shambles” meme be unleashed in our media and amongst the hangers on upon this well run football club that knows how to coach defence, to coach young players, make tasty bread etc…
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Oh no – another PL conspiracy – and its only 14th June.
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“Spurs’ new ground is close to completion but will not be ready for the start of the Premier League season.
They will play promoted Fulham at Wembley in their first home game of the season on the weekend of 18-19 August.”
Ah ha!
There’s the solution. The accidental coincidental Wembley Derby.
Thank you Mr. Fixture Computer. Sir.
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Cracking start to the campaign – I will be on holiday for Citeh and the game at the Bridge, easy six points so no bother. It looks like the Appy Ammers will open my season at the Ems.
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Interesting opening fixtures for Arsenal and the new boss. It’ll be interesting to see how both sides perform and how many players they are missing due to the World Cup. The fixture list seems strangely suspicious, but I will not complain as long as the refereeing is fair.
A good chance for Arsenal to come out flying off the blocks next season. Hopefully this focuses the players’ minds during the pre season. Just hope Emery has enough time to get them familiar with his plans and tactics.
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Have Spurs got permission from the PL to switch home stadiums in the middle of a season? The PL rules don’t allow this as far as I remember.
Spurs are likely in last chance saloon to start to win now. Another year of the same and they will start to see their best players leave as the finances start to bite. Watch them kick and dive their way to ‘success’ with the blessing of the PL’s game managers.
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Rules don’t seem to apply to them like everyone else, just ask Battenburg.
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Liverpool in the 16/17 season has to play 3-4 opening games away from Anfield ( presumably a couple were due to be at home) I thought because building work had overrun. I cannot see why Tottingham cannot do the same or why it would be much bother for them either.
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It’s the usual carve up
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Liverpool’s summer extension was always planned as thus and they stuck to their schedule?:
“To have enough time, LFC have already applied to play their first game away from home. Ironically, Liverpool will benefit from their failure to qualify for European competitions, leaving the stadium unused until late August.”
http://stadiumdb.com/news/2016/05/liverpool_new_main_stand_in_3_months
As opposed to a failure to meet a deadline on a billion pound plus development that started on site years and years ago? With lastminute.com negotiations with the Sweet FA & the random Mr. Fixture Computer required? At what extra cost? With copious extra sums being thrown on overtime and negotiations with the local authority to allow out of hours construction work in a residential area.
Such an enviable well managed well run club?
LOL?
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For all those complaining about how Arsenal are run and the CEO
We could always have this guy
https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/sporting-lisbon-bruno-de-carvalho-president-re-election-donald-trump-of-football-a7606676.html
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Looks like December is going to be a critical month spuds and plastic mancs the start of a nine game month, I would imagine Freddy and Robert will get games in that period
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I have noticed that the best sides seem to be strong throughout the season, due in large part to the depth and ability of their whole squad, whereas less well-off clubs tend to be better at the beginning of the year as they are more likely to have everyone fit and available then. By and large it would also seem that many of our better players are not involved in the World Cup this year, so I reckon we will be in a good position to start strongly.
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Foreverheady.
Hope so. We got none of the benefits I expected last year from most of first 11 not playing in Europe till knockouts but hopefully different this time around.
I’m excited anyway by those two huge games first, though I would definitely have taken an easier start instead.
Had a lovely moment looking at fixtures when I genuinely forgot about Stoke and was looking for them for a bit. Ha ha ha ha.
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https://www.superbru.com/worldcup_predictor/pool.php?p=11874258
World Cup prediction game pool, if anyone would like to join.
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Re upgrading of memberships (red to silver) don’t forget that reported ‘thousands’ of memberships were cancelled by the Club after the Europa League fiasco of ‘members’ selling to German fans in large numbers in all parts of the stadium. Maybe many memberships have become available because of that and maybe it’s touts who have been cut out. I wonder what effect such an event would have on Spurs ‘waiting list’?
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Spain sack the new Madrid manager as manager of the national team on the eve of the World Cup.
Former Real Madrid coach/assistant manager and Real Madrid legend is named the new manager.
Real Madrid & Spanish Captain to host the Spanish team’s press conference on the eve of their opening game against the European champions, Portugal.
The World Cup is always entertaining!
(Former Real Madrid youth player scores a great goal for the hosts in their opening match).
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What a load of rubbish this game is. Saudi Arabia are so poor they’re making the Russians look good
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somebody on here has said a few times that they wondered how AFC would be treated by the BPL etc now that AW is gone, well Man City and Chelsea first two games of the season, I think answers that.
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Is he thinking of retiring?
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Guardian have an excellent feature here allowing you to easily look through all the players at world cup
https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2018/jun/05/world-cup-2018-complete-guide-players-ratings-goals-caps.
Profile of our potential new Uruguayan says that as young player he played through pain in new country for months, before docs finally found out he had 9 warts on his feet which were making even walking (wal-king, with an ‘l’) difficult for him!
Was surprised just now to see Fred, due to sign for Utd, was banned for a year in 2015 for taking hydrochlorothiazide, apparently used in sports to mask performance enhancing drugs.
Strange that a media who were all over Xhaka’s historic disciplinary record haven’t, far as I’m aware, made anything of that. Doubt it will get 1/100th of a mention of Xhaka’s crimes if he joins, but seems a bit worse than getting sent off a few times to me.
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Lucas Torreira
Is following the story of Sergio Busquets
Both were No.10s or second strikers
but at 5ft 6in he is a quicker across the ground and more agressive in the challenge in a very Uruguay way (Each continent and country has a unique style of playing .
Think a skillful Stoke City with the Pulis mentality)
Football was brought to Uruguay by the railway workers from England
The other cool thing is he comes from Fray Bentos , yes the place where corned beef comes form. Ah my youth.
A very interesting player
If Arsenal get him
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Jermaine Jenas to Phill Neville “Are you trying to tell me how to play midfield?”
But non the less they sit in a studio, criticising players they both should not allowed to clean the boots of.
There is a word for it
I just not sure what it is
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What a muppet collection that is in the studio
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Uruguay are reverting to type late in this game with 2 ‘soft’ free kicks leading to that goal. Egypt have at least made it more of a game than Saudi Arabia yesterday.
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Nothing in this world cup can beat watching Óscar Tabárez leaping to his feet clebrating the Uruguay goal.
Oh what joy football can bring!
Oh yeah Sergio Ramos was man of the match
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I fucking hate that Suarez. I hope him and his team get dumped out soon
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Interesting interview with Martin Atkinson in the Times this morning. Here is an excerpt;
“There is stuff from years ago that I still think, ‘I really wish I hadn’t done that.’ That wrong decision, a bad call. That’s what people don’t understand. It’s constantly there. If we can have something that can clear it up straight away and save you that feeling, how brilliant is that? Why wouldn’t you do that?”
Sitting in a pub garden at the end of his 13th season in the Premier League, Martin Atkinson is explaining the hauntedness that stalks even the best referees; even one still going at the top at 47, hardened by years working as a Leeds policeman, handling informants and making drugs busts.
He talks of wretched days in the aftermath of a bad mistake as an official. “You go to the gym and you think people are looking at you. You sit in a restaurant and you are thinking, ‘Are they talking about that penalty?’ Almost certainly they aren’t, but that’s what you carry.”
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I have commented before about Fans who say Alex Iwobi and his suggested ability to play ‘Free-er’ because he is playing for a ‘Developing Country’ , people who have no idea what the are talking about.
After the first game
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5847789/Saudi-Arabia-players-facing-penalty-World-Cup-defeat.html
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Kylain Mbappe admits he ‘dreams’ of being managed by Arsene Wenger and has hope now he is ‘free’ from Arsenal
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anicoll, that sounds a bit like iffy mental health, and an indication of the pressure they work under.
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Andy
I agree with Atkinson. Why wouldn’t you do whatever you can to go back and get the decision right. And therein lies a question for Riley. Atkinson can only talk now because he’s not confined by the Pgmol’s media ban for refs?
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