Andrew Stevens
Dear Arsene,
So after another self-fuelled collapse we have arrived in an all too familiar place...
Although the last six years have been frustrating, I have refrained from jumping on the media wave of "Arsenal haven't won anything for six years" because I firmly believe our club has been run the correct way and a large part of this is down to you. I don’t know who else could have manufactured and managed a team through the transition from Highbury to Ashburton Grove without spending any money and actually making profit. Continuingly qualifying for the Champions League has been remarkable as we have lived without a Russian thief, without a couple of US muppets and without a middle eastern Oil Tycoon.
For the above Arsene, I thank you. You have done amazingly well. But where now?
Forgive me Arsene for sounding downbeat. It’s probably because we have been here before and you have not learned and I am frustrated because you are the only one who can do anything about it. It seems every year at this point we find ourselves out of all the cups within a four week period. I sometimes wish I could store up the disappointment and hurt that this period causes us all and remind you of it during the summer transfer windows because you obviously forget.
If the financial results are correct, you now have money in the pot so why don’t you spend it? Let’s be honest, Bendtner, Eboue, Denilson, Almunia, Squillaci, Fabianski, Diaby, Rosicky and Arshavin (disgrace on Saturday at Man Ure) are players who aren’t good enough for The Arsenal and you have the stats, performances and results to prove this. They have all let you down by underperforming consistently so your continual trust in these players is baffling. If you were getting the best out of average players then I wouldn't be so annoyed but they don’t even give you everything. If they ran their hearts out, tackled and worked until they dropped, I could understand your patience with them. But they don’t. They don’t even give you 100%, nor do you get that out of them.
You used to be a ruthless winner but those champion qualities that made you a double ‘double’ winner and an Invincible have disappeared. Clouded by an unbelievably stubborn streak to prove us and the media wrong with your project. You aren't a winner anymore and this concerns me. If you were a winner and wanted to be the best you would go all out to do it. You don’t have to spend millions upon millions but you know full well we aren't good enough as a squad. You won’t sign players because you have lost your ruthless streak and now our squad have no discipline nor do they wear the shirt with pride. They are under no pressure because you are so comfortable in your own job the players believe they too are untouchable. You don’t sell the dross and the deadwood, you keep them and you keep telling them they are world beaters. They are in their comfort zone so much they feel they just have to turn up and they get praised from you (which is exactly what happens). And why? Because you are not ruthless anymore Arsene.
According to you:
"This team has great mental strength"
"This team is maturing"
"We lost in special circumstances"
"This team has a great togetherness and special spirit"
Recent quotes. Recent but also six years old. Longstanding, overused and now unfortunately worthless. Did the team that was 4-0 up at Newcastle demonstrate great togetherness and special spirit to cling on to a 4-4? Did the maturing team handle the pressure against Birmingham at Wembley? I suppose we will see this great mental strength in the next 10 games. But I doubt it.
We used to earn the right to play by winning the battle, winning the 50/50's and destroying teams in the first half. We used to hit teams so fast on the counter attack they didn't know what had hit them. We used to rough teams up and we used to terrify teams with our physicality and speed. Now we have to witness Arshavin standing hands on hips after messing up, Denilson bottling tackles on the halfway line and passing backwards and Bendtner doing no more than chewing gum (he's a laughing stock now Arsene and a perfect example of the problems we have).
Surely you don’t honestly believe that this is your strongest ever squad? You took two teams to a double and that second double team to an unbeaten season. Surely you remember the qualities we had back then?
Impact injuries from tackles are unavoidable but pulls, strains and tears have been commonplace with us for years and this has got to be consequence of tired and overworked muscles? Do you not think an extra 2-3 players could help ease the burden? Just think, if you had another top class centre half, midfielder and winger you would have a great pool of players, be able to rest a few here and there, protect a few and on top of that have more options. You've had the chance to buy but you didn't. You need to stop being loyal to those players who aren't loyal to you Arsene. Players at our club have had their chance and failed and you need to get rid of them and you have cost us by not signing the players we needed. You have cost us again.
I don’t want to be caught up by Spurs. I don’t want to be beaten by Birmingham in a cup final. I don’t want to go out against Barca without so much as smashing one of their players in a 50/50 tackle or having a shot on goal. I don’t want to beaten by a Man Utd team with three defenders in midfield. I want to fight and battle and win. Like you used to make us Arsene. What happened?
Sort it out because for the first time your most loyal fan is beginning to question your motives, desire and hunger. I thought you were a winner.
