Arsenal

[WalkerboyUK]

I expect he'll get an emotional send off after the final home game, with all the hypocrite fans who have been baying for his blood applauding him and chanting only one Arsene Wenger.

So important they make the right selection to replace him or they could slip back even further. It's not like the new man will have an amazing pool of players to choose from either, it's going to be a long rebuilding process whilst all the time the fans are expecting success.

Hopefully this is the beginning of a long period of shite, starting with them not winning the Europa league

Don't their fans have a tendency to leave around the 70 minute mark?? There'll be no-one there for the send-off LOL

 

[rossdapep]

I think Ancelotti could be a bad appointment. The Bayern players wanted him out because he wasn't proactive enough and lacked the intensity that Pep had. Also, if Wenger hangs around, that would be two old guys with two different beliefs, could cause future issues.

 

[diamond lights]

22 years. 3 Leagues, 7 FA Cups.

He introduced a lot of new stuff in British football that changed the game - he perhaps just stayed a few years too long.

Respect.

 

[absolute bobbins]

Fingers crossed for (David) Brenton Rodgers

 

[SUIYHA]

Strange one for me. He's been our arch nemesis since I was 9 years old, and until recently he most certainly had our number. It really made me cringe at our fan base singing "we want you to stay" to a guy who was on an unbroken run of 20 successive seasons finishing above us. It took us 3 years to win a game against him and then a further 9 years before the second win. Yes, you read that right, a nine year period of no NLD wins and only one defeat against us in his first 12 years. I fucking hated that smirk he always seemed to have on his face, how he always blamed the ref every time they didn't win but "didn't see" his team having the worst disciplinary record in the league, how people kept predicting their downfall when they sold good players only for him to unearth some 20 year old wonderkid in the same position that was even better, how he had every journalist in his back pocket to wank over Arsenal - even now people are still banging on about their 03/04 side as the best in PL history when they're clearly not in the top 5, arguably not even top 10.

But now that he's gone - I have a tinge of sadness. Not only because everyone needs a nemesis. But also, because he'd massively fallen off in the last couple of years and was dragging them downwards. He'd shown far too much faith in players that clearly weren't up to it. Keane, Van Nistelrooy, Stam, Strachan etc all quite publically fell out with Ferguson but when have you ever seen an ex-player slag Wenger off? He was too nice to underperfomers, too loyal to those that didn't deserve it. Nothing illustrates the point better than the fact that six players - Gibbs, Bendtner, Coquelin, Denilson, Djourou and Senderos - made almost 1000 appearances between them under Wenger. Theo Walcott was clearly never going to become as good as Thierry Henry but he played more games for Arsenal. The last couple of years have been fun to watch Wenger's legacy tarnished and a new generation of Arsenal Fan TV based banter coming through.

This is bad news for us. A new manager coming in will mean they'll be active in the transfer market and trying to make a point. Their existing players know they'll have to step up and justify their place in the team. And unlike when Ferguson left United - this is an attractive job for a big manager. Moyes came in off the back of an unprecedented era of dominance for them, whereas it's been a long time since Arsenal were genuinely challenging for the title, even top four would represent a massive step forward. A few very good players to work with, obvious room for improvement for them to make their "mark" on the side, plenty of funds available to rebuild, London based, and what I'm sure will be a huge pay packet. Will be interesting to see who the board have in mind and whether they go for a younger "unknown" as Wenger once was, or an older, more established name. Of course I hope they fuck it up, but I am nervous about what's coming. I've absolutely loved being better than them for the past two years, and I say enjoy it now because it may not last for long.

 

[am_yisrael_chai]

Very sad day for Spurs fans. Can the goons at least announce a contract extension for Wilshere to soften the blow for us.

 

[Danners9]

heh, nope.

 

[Metalhead]

trange one for me. He's been our arch nemesis since I was 9 years old, and until recently he most certainly had our number. It really made me cringe at our fan base singing "we want you to stay" to a guy who was on an unbroken run of 20 successive seasons finishing above us. It tooks us 3 years to win a game against him and then a further 9 years before the second win. Yes, you read that right, a nine year period of no NLD wins and only one defeat against us in his first 12 years. I fucking hated that smirk he always seemed to have on his face, how he always blamed the ref every time they didn't win but "didn't see" his team having the worst disciplinary record in the league, how people kept predicting their downfall when they sold good players only for him to unearth some 20 year old wonderkid in the same position that was even better, how he had every journalist in his back pocket to wank over Arsenal - even now people are still banging on about their 03/04 side as the best in PL history when they're clearly not in the top 5, arguably not even top 10.

But now that he's gone - I have a tinge of sadness. Not only becasue everyone needs a nemesis. But also, because he'd massively fallen off in the last couple of years and was dragging them downwards. He'd shown far too much faith in players that clearly weren't up to it. Keane, Van Nistelrooy, Stam, Strachan etc all quite publically fell out with Ferguson but when have you ever seen an ex-player slag Wenger off? He was too nice to underperfomers, too loyal to those that didn't deserve it. Nothing illustrates the point better than the fact that six players - Gibbs, Bendtner, Coquelin, Denilson, Djourou and Senderos - made almost 1000 appearances between them under Wenger. Theo Walcott was clearly never going to become as good as Thierry Henry but he played more games for Arsenal. The last couple of years have been fun to watch Wenger's legacy tarnished and a new generation of Arsenal Fan TV based banter coming through.

This is bad news for us. A new manager coming in will mean they'll be active in the transfer market and trying to make a point. Their existing players know they'll have to step up and justify their place in the team. And unlike when Ferguson left United - this is an attractive job for a big manager. Moyes came in off the back of an unprecedented era of dominance for them, whereas it's been a long time since Arsenal were genuinely challenging for the title, even top four would represent a massive step forward. A few very good players to work with, obvious room for improvement for them to make their "mark" on the side, plenty of funds available to rebuild, London based, and what I'm sure will be a huge pay packet. Will be interesting to see who the board have in mind and whether they go for a younger "unknown" as Wenger once was, or an older, more established name. Of course I hope they fuck it up, but I am nervous about what's coming. I've absolutely loved being better than them for the past two years, and I say enjoy it now because it may not last for long.

Good post - in a way I am sad to see him go because it's the end of an era. His appointment marked an upturn for them after an average period under Bruce Rioch and at the same time, we were at a low point and unfortunately embarked on a series of unsuccessful appointments. His decline has allowed us to catch up slowly and now we are at a point where I think that we should be confident and not worry about what other clubs are doing so much.

 

[HildoSpur]

Wenger has had a huge influence on English football and will rightly go down as one of the best managers to have worked in the Premiership - end of an era.

As for Arsenal - this will probably have a big impact at the club and much like Man Utd they will struggle to replace him - I think they will go backwards for a few years.

 

[archiewasking]

View attachment 37627

Looking at that list, 2 really stand out to me. Sean Dyche, if they could bear to appoint an English manager, would have not only skilful players to work with, but would bring in some battlers, sort out the defence and have money to spend. Rafa, not only for those reasons, but he's a proven winner. Either of those would seriously upset me.

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

I’m going to back my ‘lightning striking twice’ theory and have a few quid on Eddie Howe @ 16/1 on the basis that they’ll try to appoint someone 'younger' with a view to him building it on and staying for donkeys years. It just wouldn't surprise me if they genuinely thought they could get two managers to stay for ages on the spin.

 

[HildoSpur]

I’m going to back my ‘lightning striking twice’ theory and have a few quid on Eddie Howe @ 16/1 on the basis that they’ll try to appoint someone 'younger' with a view to him building it on and staying for donkeys years. It just wouldn't surprise me if they genuinely thought they could get two managers to stay for ages on the spin.

I hope so! That would be a disaster imo

 

[DiscoD1882]

Im getting a load of vitriolic abuse from goons about Wengers record vs our record over the last 20 years. I stated that they shouldnt be comparing his time at Arsenal to ours. They should really be comparing his time to Fergusons time at United. Looking at his record vs Wengers makes his 20 odd years look pretty bleak. He should have won more. And at least taken home a champions league win.

yes he modernised football. But he also inherited a squad that was reaching its prime.

Hes been a good manager. But for that amount of time at a club he should have won much more.

Am i sad he is going. Only because he was ruining Arsenal. Will I shed a tear. No. I hope there are turbulent times ahead for them. Am i bitter for the last 20 years....... Maybe.

 

[Metalhead]

I hope so! That would be a disaster imo

I think that Eddie is a good manager and has been fantastic for them but I kind of wonder whether he would thrive outside of the setup that he has there.

 

[Cavehillspur]

Announce Tony Adams!!!

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

At one point his catchphrase "I did not see it" became so ridiculous that even journalists were ripping the piss out of him. It took him two or three years to realise it and once the penny dropped he hardly ever went there. I also remember his spat with BMJ, that would have been funny of he'd chinned him

I think football has moved on to the point where he became a bit of a dinosaur, he stayed on at least three, possibly as many as five years too long I think and in the end was clinging on like a tramp to a bottle of Diamond White.

From what I'm hearing, he's actually already left Arsenal, well, his nose has anyway, but they don't expect his body to reach the entrance until the end of the season, hence the delay.

So a sort of grudging respect tinged with a smidgin of 'fuckoff and good riddance' from me.

 

[HildoSpur]

Announce Tony Adams!!!

No way - why appoint Adams when you could appoint the football professor that is Paul Merson.

 

[fatpiranha]

I'd hate to seem them appoint a manager like Howe, Rafa or Dyche. Irrespective of how good they might be, they are all far too likeable.

For me there are only three contenders for the job - Nigel Pearson, Sol Campbell and Kim Jong-un. I doubt they'll go for an Englishman, and Kim could easily be tempted to leave his current position for the bright lights of London so that's where my tenner is going. Great odds too .

 

[thinktank]

Ruined my morning.

 

[dagraham]

No way - why appoint Adams when you could appoint the football professor that is Paul Merson.

Adams, Merson and Campbell. Dream team.

First comes the booze, then the Charlie, and finally paranoia and madness.