When Arsene announced he would be stepping down I felt a little sad but mainly relieved. The infighting and media hounding had worn me down, I was glad it was over. However much I thought of him as a man and a manager I felt the time was right.
I thought we had a great squad of players and an outstanding first eleven when fit, Ozil, Ramsey, King Koss, Santi, Hector, Lacazette, Xhaka, Monreal were all, for me, top quality and some of them exceptional. There were areas that needed to be strengthened and when Leno, Torreira and Papa tipped up it seemed to me we had done just that, and in fairness to them they have improved our strength in their positions, so we should be better.
Ivan was in the driver’s seat, Sven was going to unearth diamonds for us and we had new experts in contracts and negotiations. The future looked very bright,
Emery was appointed and immediately impressed. He said all the right things and his supreme efforts to master English endeared him to us further.
I was fully onboard with him and everything going on, Arsene had gone and we were set to build and improve.
Personally I felt I had supported Arsene to the end, through thick and thin,and I fully expected to carry on and do the same for Emery. At that moment I believed I would be as much behind Emery as I had been behind Wenger.
Here is where the problem starts, because now I don’t. I find myself questioning everything he and the club is doing and has done since the Summer. Quite frankly, I find myself up the moral shit-creek with without a paddle.
I certainly don’t want to be critical, but that’s where I find myself. I am now on the horns of a dilemma, do I feign faux positivity, or do I speak my mind? Do I risk being an enormous hypocrite or am I honest about my current feelings?
I listen to all the reasons why we should be patient,accept the logic of them and yet find myself drawing negative conclusions about the direction the club is going in.
We were told that Emey would build on what we had, not dismantle it and start afresh.
We were told the team would be built around Ramsey and Ozil, this couldn’t have been farther from the truth,
We were told we would play attacking adventurous football. How is that working out?
We were told we would play out from the back and dominate games! Is that right?
Ivan has gone and Sven right behind him. We now have a bunch of strangers running the club. Which is fine, if they had given reasons to think they were on a par with what went before,but they have not. Well, at least to me they have not.
I feel there are many like me that want to be fully supportive and positive but can’t reconcile that with how they actually feel.
Now I find myself making the choice of being a massive hypocrite or being honest. So I’m afraid I have to bite the bullet and accept that I can’t do that which I boldly claimed I would do, namely back every manager through thick and thin.
The next question is where now for this blog? It was set up as an oasis for people wanting to avoid negative people, so I certainly don’t want to be the captain that steers us into those troubled waters. So it’s up to the readers and the people who comment to set the tone. Ultimately you will be the ones in control of the conversation and direction.
I honestly feel I have let people down now. I’m sorry I feel this way and I don’t like it one little bit. Unfortunately that is where I am.
Positively Arsenal 
I feel you bro!
How does one reconcile trying to get into the top 4 while not playing your best players and changing the team both players and shape consistently? Maybe the new man is a genius but I don’t see it thus far.
You are no hypocrite in my view. This situation is just weird all the way around. I have never felt this way during a season….it’s just dull as heck.
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Unquestioning support is not real support because it’s not a choice. Positivity is great to have. But faux positivity as the club’s values are undermined is not a virtue.
I think Arsenal are riding on this faux positivity and hoping they can get some things right before the inevitable backlash. Currently, I get the feeling they fear the owner’s backlash the most and that can best be prevented by guaranteeing CL football next season.
And though that will make the fans happy too, I am starting to feel more optimistic that the idea of playing positive attractive football is now entrenched at Arsenal and fans will not so easily accept dull football. At most this will be done grudgingly if results are great.
I’m resigned to losing Ozil and have accepted Ramsey’s departure. I will not accept the manner in which we’ve gone about it, regardless of any financial or sporting plans they want to say they have. It’s not what the club is or should be about. And I’m going to say it. Hopefully on this site, but if decided that’s not the direction to go here, then elsewhere.
I don’t care if we finish 10th, make any superstar signings or anything. Obviously I want us to finish top of the table and have great players at the club. But what I ask for is the club to stick to some basic values of treating players with respect, not succumbing to shady agents’ practices, and playing attacking football without resorting to diving and injuring opponents. That’s it. I don’t ask for much. I don’t ask for anything that wasn’t told to me is part of what the club is about when I started watching 20+ years ago.
Logically, the only course of action now is to wait for the summer window, see what the plan is and assess the football from there. Emotionally though, I worry that it will be much worse for the club by then.
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It is a right conundrum, which you’ve expressed honestly and artfully.
I’m not sure if this framework is helpful, but here goes.
As long as we get fully behind the players each time out, we remain positive. As long as we don’t assume that we could do the complex and challenging jobs better than the professionals, we remain positive. As long as the core Arsenal values guide our thinking and conclusions, we remain positive.
I don’t read anything you’ve written as destroying that framework.
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On a positive note, I have really Just started to realize how great Arsene’s last years were at Arsenal. 3 FA cups in 4 years! That is unheard of, no? Beating United, City and Chelsea. That is special, PL title/Top 4 or not. Makes you wonder why he kept getting dissed when you have other teams who have spent more and won nothing.
And if there is a need to spend under Emery, doesn’t it stand to reason that there was a big need to give Arsene more money?
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You’re anything but a hypocrite George. I remembered one of the first blog posts I read when I joined this community and search the archives:
This right here explain where you are currently.
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“…if you’re a supporter of a club, you have to be, through thick, thin, laughter, smiles and tears”
Copied that from somewhere near here .
Arsenal will win things again, if not very soon then at some point in the relatively near future. What we win, I know not, but win we will. A few months/season or 2 of doubt is fine, it’s part of the “thin” or “tears” mentioned above by our ‘keeper.
Huddersfield ( or A N Other FC) fans wake up every game day with positive feelings. They understand their position in the scheme of things. They, possibly to a person, know they are relegation bound with all but the most freakish of ends to the season. But they won the title 3 years in a row once. And the FA cup. Still they have positive fans, approaching a decade, since those heady years
We, undoubtedly, gained hugely from our last manager’s presence and input. I know enough to say he left us in a good enough place to ride a few rough seas and continue under our own steam, when waters calm.
Our new manager is different. A change.(It’s apparently what some wanted) I’ve supported since I first understood that you could do such a thing and wouldn’t ever contemplate not doing so now.
Jumping the positive ship because it’s on the first downslope of a potentially – but by no means definitely- big trough is tempting when you’re not convinced there’s an upside to follow and, at some point, a calm sea to sail.
There are always sea changes. Always have been. Always will be.
I’m positive because wherever the ocean/tide takes us I’ll be clinging to the only ship I know and have ever been on…the Arsenal one. Bloody good job too, imo.
(I do, of course, sometimes take a brief trip on the England canoe, but that’s allowed, I think)
UTA.
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Mcmanaman perplexed by how late flag goes up for offside. Commentator points out that’s how it’s meant to work, and has been everywhere since start of trials few years back.
‘we understand it Fletch. It’s the person walking into the stadium late who doesn’t understand yet how VAR works who doesn’t get it’
Nice try, Mcmanaman, you damn fool.
Hold up. Fuck me that should be a booking for Young. dirty prick.
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How did that shit young not get a second yellow, what an arsehole
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Like watching Utd be properly reffed though. Night and day with our games against them. Here a bookable challenge has a very good chance of receiving yellow, whatever the minute, and there’s always this sense that requires them to play differently and may trip them up.
Knowing how it’s going for them, Utd may still get a win here but it’s been nice so far to see some of the limitations of their counter style exposed.
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George I don’t think you are being a hypocrite, but I do think you are a bit foolish to even suggest you are, as there are many idiots out there who dislike you, all you have and still stand for and will try and use it against you.
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I totally get where you are coming from George. Personally I recognise that I am going through the bereavement cycle and coming to terms with the loss of the stability and familiarity of what Arsenal was for me. I will adjust in time, it took me a while to get on the AW bandwagon and it will take me a while to get on the UE bandwagon. I can’t fake my feelings in the meanwhile, but I do still support the club and the players. I don’t think I’ve slagged anyone off unfairly (I accept some may not agree!). I’ve questioned some of the things I’m seeing that don’t make sense to me, but that is normal. When I’m at the ground, I’m 100% behind the players, I’m often the one arguing with my fellow ‘supporters’ when they are calling the usual suspects ‘shit’! I want to see UE succeed so that the team can succeed. If I didn’t care so much I would not feel so unsettled.
For me the biggest problem at the club is the behind the scenes turmoil, which gives the impression of chaos and lack of direction. If it’s affecting some of us supporters, is it also affecting staff and the the players? I’m just hoping things settle down soon, because at the moment it feels like a case of “too many cooks”.
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markyb
Disappointing one. Know it’s a huge call but it should have been made.
You’d think it would be very easy for refs collectively to identify those clear pushes, which no hope or intention of getting ball, as ball going out as an easy yellow card. There’ve been serious injuries, and close calls- and that’s just with us.
Still an issue not totally cleared up for me with VAR : can only be used for red card challenges, I believe, which doesn’t feel right in cases of definite 2nd yellow/ red offences.
Saw for first time in French game month back VAR intervene to advise ref yellow he had showed could/ should be red. Consulted; Monitor; Issued Red. That’s another issue again but gives me a chance to moan about us almost certainly not getting that feature over here, when we really should
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If you had offered most people the position were in now regarding points and correlation to other clubs at the start of the season then most fair minded fans would have accepted this for a new manager.
Like everything else though it’s the bits rounds the edges that are worrying. Ivan and Sven sailing off into the sunset, the performance getting no better than Unai’s English and the perceived doubt about our higher earners.
The big problem is Arsene, yes I know we always say you blame everything on Arsene especially now he’s left the club but I think on this one you can. We have for years measured everything up to Arsene’s standards and we are still doing it the only thing is this season we really shouldn’t. This is a shaping season, a season for new things and to be honest it really won’t tell us alot.
I loved Arsene and have been extremely upset about some of our wins let alone our defeats (which I just couldn’t imagine myself saying) but I still want to believe that when the team is right the football will come back and so will the old enjoyment.
We all knew on here the songs at Fulham earlier in the season were ridiculous and so it has proved on and off the pitch and from what I here we still have the negative elements in the crowd as well as on social media so all those who were relieved about Arsene going thinking it would create victory through harmony were sadly mistaken.
I have seen many changes at ARSENAL and I know things take time football in cyclical and we will all still be supporting ARSENAL in ten years time wherever we are so don’t worry be happy
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So many grammatical and spelling mistakes in that post some of them predictive honest
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Mcmanaman kills me. Frustrated with PSG for not doing what he seems to think are simple obvious things to break down the Utd bus.
When he’ll twig breaking down packed defences can’t be as easy as he believes, I don’t know. Never, probably.
Why he seems to feel onus is on PSG to make it a better game, instead of giant budget team sitting at home, also a mystery.
Ah good, Utd behind. We’ve had to wait patiently for some of the limitations of being built largely for defend and counter, as a huge team, to be exposed properly. Hopefully this is it.
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Good stuff. Di Maria looked off real time and in replay there though
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Well deserved for Pogba. Probably a straight red. Could smell it from early on they’d struggle with being properly reffed. Such a damn shame we can never get same with them.
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Everyone, well, most have a right to their own opinion,and to express it, and change their mind. Circumstances change. This club has undergone something beyond change.
Perhaps an evolution of the blog, different times, a spectrum of opinions forming of the manager and club.
Wenger was universally backed on here, he is gone, and I was delighted when he stepped down, nobody should take the shite aimed at him, let alone our greatest manager, it was a step change. Emery and those behind him, early days, we cannot be quite sure what they are about, where they are taking us. Is there a self preserving Spanish clique forming, is the club just about money, does Stan give a shit, does Steve Bould do anything, or are they, as I suspect, just a bunch of people doing their best, but taking time.
I am nailing my colours to Camp Emery, others may not, I have my reasons to at least give him a chance. Others clearly have valid reasons to be wary. Ozil and Ramsey situations are perplexing to say the least, I live with the view there may be stuff we don’t know, there usually is. I see evidence Emery has at least tried with Ozil. But others see a stubborn manager asserting his authority at the expense of our most talented players.
If things go horribly south, as some fear, I would be looking at people who have been around a lot longer than Emery and who sit above him in the Arsenal food chain.
There are clearly teething troubles with the new regime, as there were always going to be, especially when the architect of change talks a good talk, takes the photo opportunities, then buggers off to Milan.
Emery will have learnt things, will gradually introduce his choices and develop what we have, but let’s always remember he is operating with financial restrictions, emery has been clear to a fault on that.
And, it is very unfair, and unhelpful to overdo comparisons Emery and Wenger. Wengerball now seems rare from what I can see, confined to the monied elite? Perhaps the lesser monied just don’t believe it works for them, especially in this league.
But if there are differing opinions on this blog, if not all can be positive all the time, ok, might not be everyone’s cup of tea, maybe slightly adjust the mission statement, things have changed this season, but surely we can still rejoice when they win, have a range of opinions when they lose or play badly, anticipate matches, back the players, hope to see Ozil back to his best, (ok, I know), observe how the new coaching team develops or not, watch the Utd new manager bubble burst, and above all, laugh at Chelsea.
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For me this is not about a lack of support, negativity or trying to measure things by Arsene. It’s about what the current manager is doing or not doing. I did not agree with things that Arsene did but this feels like someone is taking liberties and taking people for an idiot. We have dropped points against lesser teams and played like utter garbage with some of our best players riding the bench sake of Emery’s tactics. Playing a whole bunch of DM’s with no one to create. Not to mention some of his comments which I find insulting. If Arsene had done this I would have been vex same way.
Love and support The Arsenal, rate the players highly, but I’m just not down with what Emery is serving up. If it is not his fault and he is being told what to do, I will humbly admit I was wrong. For now all i know is that he is one running the team, players wise.
Hoping for a win come Thursday. To my surprise it’s not on TV in the US.
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Thanks George.
As others have already elegantly articulated it’s not so much the sea of change but the swirl that’s causing some sickness.
Most of the consternation out there (and from me) has only been expressed after the departure of Sven Mislintat.
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TBF George you were moaning about Alexis and his impact for a while! Is hard to describe you a hypocrite with that record. IBSF.
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Mildly annoying with Alexis as he now really looks as bad a player as his harshest critics while at Arsenal said he was!
I still maintain he was a very good, though flawed, player for most of his time with us, but boy is he not helping the cause on that one. Truly looks shot.
Anyway, water under the bridge, and obviously I’m glad, really, he’s not helping utd and is instead, given wages, a burden.
Decline so dramatic, though, that I actually felt bit of human sympathy for him tonight. When I’m feeling that for any Utd player, you know he’s in serious trouble.
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Zech Medley has signed his second professional contract with the club.
A tall, left-footed central defender, Zech joined our Academy from Chelsea in 2016. He captained our under-18s side at the beginning of the 17/18 season, before moving into our under-23s squad.
In November last year, Zech made his senior debut in our Europa League game against Vorskla Poltava, replacing Rob Holding in the 60th minute.
Everyone at the club would like to congratulate Zech on his new contract and we look forward to his continued development.
Copyright 2019 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to http://www.arsenal.com as the source.
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Chewing over game, and Arsene’s accurate comments about build up, got me thinking about Utd’s midfield options…then I suddenly remembered the existence of 60 million Fred!
It is absolutely astonishing how much of a free ride the player and Utd are getting over a flop of that scale to date.
Compare it to Mesut’s press treatment all along- the questions, the criticism, the sheer amount of coverage- how can it be explained?
Even if you are very generous and allow inflation into it, meaning Ozil and Fred fees might be similar…virtually nothing compared to so much talk, so many brutal comments.
One has played lots and done lots since joining club, the other is Fred and has bombed and barely played from off.
You could try put it down to wages, but it all started many years before that.
Meanwhile if you try defend the difference by putting it down to a matter of newsworthiness, a bigger name and so a bigger story, or even something like the particular nuances and context of Ozil within our club vs Fred within theirs…that would suggest only that all the coverage failed to address issues of context and nuance, especially bottom line ones in relation to finances, adequately in the first place.
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Wonder if this Zaniolo kid at Roma could put pay to any ideas we have about bringing in Monchi.
Not been following any of it closely but have seen bits and pieces suggesting not all well between Monchi and club or that fortunes mixed with his signings.
But then this Zaniolo kid. Seems he may be a sensation. Or at least his name cropped up a lot in recent months and, I think, it was him who I saw couple of clips of recently of utterly audacious and beautiful skill.
Also think i saw Monchi credited as pulling off a masterstroke by getting him as part of deal to sell Inter Naingolan.
We’ll see of course, but if he did manage to bring in a very special player for 4 million from a rival that will prob strengthen his standing at Roma.
Look at that goal! Who does that, at 19!?
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While I am always welcomed by George, I rarely post anything lengthy on this blog but this is time to make an exception:
Am sorry but for George to even think, much less put in writing, some apology for questioning the current direction of Arsenal Football Club has not gone down well with me. The only hypocrites are those who promised a dramatic improvement post-Wenger because, as they argued for years, all that was needed was a new and better coach given the existing squad was talented enough and new players had been signed to address previous weak areas. The real hypocrites are those who refuse to question why AFC is going in an opposite direction to what was promised. AFC is not playing attractive, attacking football and not making Ozil and Ramsey the cornerstone of the team as was promised by Mr Kroenke and his management team. In practice (vs words) the policy is clear: get rid of the wages of the established stars, invest in cheaper options such as Torreira and Guendoouzi and to play a more conservative counter attacking brand of football. Apparently they think this is sufficient to get the club back in the top-4. I predicted it won’t, but time will tell.
A word to Stan kroenke: Don’t play us for fools and imagine we will all go along with the program like sheep because of club loyalty.
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To me, what’s going on with us is grief, simple as that. We’ve lost something. People might make fun of it, but deep down every supporter who bothers to post on a blog or post on Twitter or yell in the stands has a real relationship with the club. That relationship looks different for everyone. But if at its core for you was love of players, manager, or style, then the relationship has changed permanently. That doesn’t mean it has to be over, or that it’s irreparably broken, but the thing that you knew is gone. Ergo, grief. Grief that the manager you loved is gone. Grief that players you loved are gone, or are going. Grief that the football you looked so forward to watching every week looks unfamiliar and doesn’t give you the same thrill. So, if you consider it in that light, no response should be surprising or considered wrong. Anger? Sure. Sadness? Definitely. Questioning whether you will ever enjoy anything again? Understandable.
What to do, then? Well, I consider this place family. When family are grieving, you listen when they want to talk. You don’t tell them they’re wrong to feel that way, or that they aren’t getting over it fast enough for your liking. You listen. And then, when they’re open to it, you try to help them see that things can be good again, even if they will be different. You point out the beautiful, but don’t insist that they see it right now if they’re not ready. You don’t lose patience when they want to talk about the thing that’s gone. And you don’t make them feel bad when their journey through is longer or more circuitous than yours.
My recommendation is if you are struggling, be careful who you let in. Block people on Twitter who find pleasure in making you feel worse. Maybe even make your profile private for a while. Keep the gate to this place closed and locked for the time being. Limit your interactions to people who are worthy of them. You don’t owe anyone else anything, certainly not anyone who comes at you in bad faith. Give yourself a break. You’ll get there in your own time. And understand that anger felt through grief is NOT the same as anger because your childish demands aren’t being met. You’re not a hypocrite.
And if you’re not struggling, that’s great. It doesn’t mean you didn’t or don’t care. You’re fortunate to be able to feel the joy. Have patience with your friends, they need your perspective, even if they don’t act like they do right now.
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What if it’s part of the psychology?
Let’s face it. We were great at home last year and if I’m not mistaken doing alright this year too. Or problem has been getting results away. Both Wenger and now Emery have said it is a psychological issue.
My guess is we are playing very conservatively and an Emery said after the last game ‘to get the win’ which is most important. So playing style away from home doesn’t really matter at the moment till we get some wins and built confidence away from home. At that I think the football will improve.
Similar case was when facing other top teams.
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Just did quick math Rich – with his transfer fee and wages combined Fred is costing Manutd £375k pw. You won’t see anyone criticising him the same they do Özil and Ramsey who are both way better players than him.
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It was said Arsenal needed a GK, CB, DM and STR spine to be challenging for the PL title. Leno, Sokratis, Koscielny, Xhaka, Torreira, Auba and Lacazette is as strong a spine as any team could get. Before that it was said the only thing Arsenal needed to get out of the Wenger induced funk were a young and dynamic manager and DM – both those boxes ticked. Some said that Big Sam, G Neville, Moyes, Cole, Theirry Henry, Monk etc would do better with this team than Wenger does.
Now it is said Emery need his own players to overturn our away form as well as three summer windows.
The real hypocrites here are the ones not only moving the goalposts… but changing the entire field lay out. As Fins calls them, the cunning linguists and aspiring PR what what.
Sure, Emery does need time and that its mostly to do with acclamitising to the PL and the challenges it offers compared to where he worked before. Saying Emery inherited a crap team is a lie and it fly in the faces of those who protested expecting Wenger to do have done better with them.
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labogoon
Nice one. Another in similar vein is Danny Drinkwater. 35 mill, bumper five year contract. Move has gone terribly and yet I’ve not seen a single criticism or critique of him in press.
Not sure I’ve ever seen an English player receive criticism on level of ‘stealing a living’, ‘virus’, etc.
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Wenger wanted Mbappe and almost got him for cheap before, and then went back in for him again until the figures started reaching 100m. If we could have got him before he signed his new contract at Monaco, how might our recent history have been different?
No Auba for sure. But instead we could spend that money on a top class CB/DM. Sanchez might have been the earlier more team oriented effective version and not checked out, which means no Miki. I can only imagine Walcott staying. I can’t remember if the Ox was still with us then or had already moved to Liverpool. A front three of a not broken Alexis – Mbappe – Ox/Walcott fed by Ozil with Ramsey and Xhaka(?) behind them, and Kos with a Koulibaly type next to them… Man..
This is a fun exercise. What If… Generally that’s not a good idea.. but still.. fun.
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Verratti outstanding last night was the one PSG midfielder who looked like he came from the same planet as Cazorla, Ozil & Ramsey when they played here just two years ago – AW’s Arsenal were much more competetive then Ole’s Utd against PSG, better defending plus Cavani instead of Mbappe for the opponents, and better attacking where why AFC pegged back the petro club. Iwobi even had a good chance to snag an away victory.
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Interesting post. I have only been to 5 of 21 games this season (although have seen nearly all of them on the box) even though I have a season ticket. Now although this has been because of family commitments, truth be told I am not really missing it. No longer following blogs and news (this is my first post anywhere for many months). However, I can currently make the remaining fixtures so we shall see.
My base feelings are that the section of our “support” who wanted Wenger out, and abused him disgracefully (which certainly led to underperformance on the field), do not deserve any success.
I have no grudge against Emery and hope he comes good. It definitely hasn’t helped that (i) Kroenke has taken the club private; (ii) Gazidis has gone; and now (ii) so has Mislintat. This smacks of Ferguson and Gill departing MU at the same time. Just leads to instability and poor performance on and off the pitch. But not sorting out contract renewals in good time for Chamberlain, Wilshere, Sanchez, Ozil and Ramsey is disgraceful – and this goes back to Ivan, Arsene and Dick’s days. They either sign or be sold. Tottenham have managed it on a much lower budget, why couldn’t we? Really, really poor and likely cost us £100mm at least.
But perhaps people will now be more careful what they wish for. We have the 4th highest resources in the League behind MC, MU and Chelsea – and I expect Liverpool are close behind if not in front now, and the Totts will be pushing hard once they get their stadium sorted. To expect outperformance sufficient to be challenging for the League is ludicrously over-optimistic. Liverpool are significantly outperforming, but Klopp has been given time.
So, to sum up, not at all happy with the current situation at the club, on or off the field (Huddersfield was an execrable performance) but we shouldn’t have over-expectations – and Emery should be given time.
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You and I and all those who feel this way, cared for Arsene Wenger and backed him because we believed in his philosophy, his style and his idea of how football should be at Emirates and the values that Arsenal Football Club should be built upon. And above all, what loyalty is and how we treat our players and every single employee and fans of Arsenal Football Club.
The issue now is that we see Arsenal Football Club slowly taking a 180 degree turn from all that we hold holy. The style of football and Emery’s idea of seeing football is something we don’t want to associate ourselves with, the philosophy is non-existent and we don’t know what frankly he is doing with his line-ups and formations. The new regime has come and put our 2 best players on the fringes of the squad and is basically forcing them out of the club. We don’t value loyalty now and the people who have given there life to Arsenal are no longer to be seen at Emirates(at least not in decision making). Emirates is filled with strangers now who don’t know a single thing about the values and traditions.
We are the ones who feel that the soul of Arsenal Football Club is being sucked by a dementor. So, no I do not agree with you when you say that it makes us hypocrites. We still believe in the same philosophy that we did before and we only backed Emery because we were told that he had the same views and philosophy regarding football. But it all turned out to be a white lie. So, we feel like cheated and I don’t think it makes us hypocrite. But rather a victim.
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George – I do not think that makes you a hypocrite. I remember very clearly you wondering how (or indeed whether) a fan might support a club if that club changed its whole style – and I guess, for you, that is where you are right now.
Im a lot more relaxed about contracts and sell on values than many. I have loved watching Aaron Ramsey play football, but do not think I would necessarily have wanted to offer him a lot of money per week for the next 4 years given his injury record over the last 4. As AW predicted, I think we are increasingly seeing a situation where agents rather than clubs own players forever – and it is perhaps unrealistic for fans to expect players to stay with them for more than a few years.
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Arsenal Football Club exists to make our fans proud wherever they are in the world and however they choose to follow us.
That pride is driven by success on the pitch. This means winning trophies. It also comes through our style of play, our focus on developing youth talent, our magnificent stadium, our broader contribution in the community and our self-financing approach.
——————————————————————————————————————-
The above is Arsenal’s mission statement. I wonder if they think they are living up to it?
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Hey guys. Rich and I co-authored a piece for UFV to do with VAR implementation in the Champions League. Please read and RT:
https://uniteforvar.com/?p=1740
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Interesting Pete. The club certainly haven’t covered themselves in glory on the issue of transfers running down, in mitigation it is happening to other clubs, and Wenger predicted more and more of this, but it certainly is not helping a self financed club, we have lost a lot of players for less than we may expect. I am pretty sure the club will be a lot more ruthless going forward, and selling players in the last two years of contracts may sometimes be painful. The Ramsey thing really perplexes me, for every opinion blaming club negligence or forcing him out,there is another suggesting there was an offer in place, but the agent was playing the club who ran out of patience. Guess none of us know, but good luck to the player, and something to avoid in the future by whatever means!
I suspect part of Josh Ks review last year was looking into such things, we are possibly now seeing some of the fruits, or otherwise of what he found, or perceived. It is going to be a rocky road for a while, where I have sympathy for Emery, don’t think much of it has any thing to do with him. He didn’t inherit crap players, but he has walked into an unstable behind the scenes environment as you say. One that allegedly , other top managers , and perhaps a rookie wouldn’t touch. I am really hoping a decent TD appointment will help behind the scenes in years to come, assuming that is,we can keep him,or her!
If Kroenke really is asset stripping, running things down or whatever the term, he needs to be extremely careful. From what I understand, he is into growth by media rights, if he really is doing such things, he could quickly end up with a mid table club with a far lesser brand, not sure Everton really sells in Africa and the Far East.. Everything I read, they are desperate to get back in the CL. Personally, just think Stan is doing what he has always done at the club, self sufficient model, let others run it, but we shall see.
But let’s get the TD appointment right, and let Emery do what he needs to on the pitch, with proper, if realistic resources, from all I am reading, Emery won’t make 22 years, but barring disaster, he is appointed for the long haul, unless he jumps ship as well!
Who knows, we could soon be the new Seville!
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Thanks Mandy – good to correspond with you again!
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Doesn’t fit Emery’s system. Never intended to sign. Was playing our offer against other clubs. Why all this speculation? Ramsey told us what happened. The club withdrew the offer that Ramsey had felt was acceptable. Without informing him as well, which is why he came out in the media in the first place.
The new CEO came in and decided he didn’t want to pay Ramsey to stay and would rather lose him on a free.
Let’s say Ramsey has no intention of signing with you. Does withdrawing the offer do anything to change that? Does keeping the offer on the table harm you in any way? Maybe the guy doesn’t get good offers from elsewhere and ends up staying with you out of compulsion. You still win because you get the player to stay.
No, the only reason you pull an offer is if you’re worried the other party will actually accept.
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Pete, mate agree with all you say but Liverpool have been spending big for some time.
In older markets at older rates signings of Carroll (ok King Kenny needed a pension we understand!), Henderson for big bucks back then, hello anyone remember Markovic etc. etc. etc.
They didn’t keep anything from the sales of Suarez and Courinho but spent that all so overall:
They’ve almost been spending more then Chelsea in recent years,
Though old habits die hard I see and the Gas giants from Fulham have replaced the top targetman in the world with the wave particle duality (is it a footballer?) of the Higuain-Bozo circus. I’m not complaining! I’m always happy to laugh at the self destructive stupidity of other rival clubs…
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Shard, I may have missed something in chronology of it all, but wasn’t it Ornstein who said in first place there was an offer and it was withdrawn?
If so, how can that be regarded as a stone cold truth/fact, but Ornstein’s latest, that Ramsey may always have intended to let contract elapse be regarded as blatantly incorrect/untrue?
Sorry, I don’t get it. I know it is an extremely emotive subject but I’m incapable of letting it slide all the time when people are selecting which info from media to treat as irrefutable, immutable truths, while deciding other info from same media is clearly untrue.
It feels like the true basis of the certainty and selection of what to believe derives largely, here, from a belief in the resounding goodness and complete honesty in all matters of Ramsey himself vs the current badness of the club.
First up, there’s obviously no moral fault whatsoever if he did always intend to run contract down, painful as that is. Second…I just cannot for the life of me understand this certainty it is as you say. We don’t know what happened.
I expect this will cause bad feeling, maybe permanently, between us. I hope not but just couldn’t let it go on this occasion.
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i’ve said it before so I’ll say it again, a lot of the ire currently being expressed is down to the PR spin from the club when Emery came in, and during the 22 game unbeaten run, people bought into it, others who could see the flaws in it, ignored it cos results were good, which suggested that the viewer was maybe wrong and the PR was right, but as the words decreasingly matched the actions, not least 3 of our captains not being the crucial players our Head Coach kept saying they were, they were not even starters, and then we started to see a Jose light, in Emery, defensive team selections for tactical reasons, and worst of all for me, he indulged in the media games of belittling Ozil, the mask of PR has well and truly slipped, and many don’t like what it has revealed.
of course its neither too late for the disquiet to be dispelled, nor that big a job, as most fans, just like all on here, actually want Emery to succeed, as that means Arsenal succeed, results and performance are the key, always has been, always will be.
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Rich
After the media speculation that the contract was withdrawn, Ramsey came out in the media and said he thought they had agreed a deal but he’s since been waiting for the club to get back and he’s heard nothing. Now he saw reports that the offer is withdrawn and if that’s the case, life goes on it’s football and he’ll give his best till the end of the season.
The second reason why it’s not reliable reporting is because it presumes to read Ramsey’s mind. How can Ornstein know what Ramsey INTENDED to do? Maybe the club FELT he didn’t intend to sign.
But that wouldn’t explain why they had to withdraw it without telling Ramsey there’s a time limit (so they can look at other options) The club basically confirmed Ramsey’s take by putting Raul n Vinai out immediately after to talk about smart contract management etc. It was an exercise in damage control.
It’s one thing to say ‘we don’t know’. But when we have info from a primary source whose version explains everything that happened (even in other cases like Ozil’s) it’s not just belief which guides ‘certainty’. We don’t know all the details. We know enough. (And frankly Ramsey is more trustworthy than the guy who carried out the Neymar transfer)
And in any case, whatever may be the case, Arsenal went back on their word. This is not in dispute. This, to me is the biggest deal in all of this. Letting Ramsey go is stupid football wise and financially. I can get over that. But reneging on an offer the club made damages a hard won reputation for trustworthiness. And not only is there no remorse, people support this by vilifying Ramsey, or Wenger/Gazidis/Ozil’s contract for letting this happen. Ultimately Ramsey will be just fine. It’s not him I am upset about. It’s Arsenal. It’s the new regime at Arsenal.
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Btw Rich, There’s never any danger of discussions like this causing personal animosity with me. Even if I say something harsh and rude (as I sometimes do) it is directed toward the argument and not at the individual. So, no worries on that account with me.
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Shard
Good to know on last post. We can happily leave it there I reckon.
I’m still gonna lean towards it was the darn agent wot done it, on no basis other than I bloody hate agents, and it allows me to keep high level of affection for Ramsey and give club some benefit of doubt.
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Getting paranoid here ,Shard, as just typed a response which didn’t show up and that’s never happened before.
I won’t recap it but glad to hear 2nd point. Same here so long as nothing triggers emotional animal within.
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Sokratis, Xhaka, Ozil and Aubameyang are all back in full training, the first two after injury, the second two after illness
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Ramsey a major doubt for tomorrows game
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