1. Home
  2. Online Exclusive

I was wrong in wanting Arsene to go

Has it been such a bad start to the season?

22 November, 2011 9:00 29 comments
I was wrong in wanting Arsene to go

Arsene: Some have changed their view

SUBSCRIBE TO THE GOONER

Universally, our start to the season has been condemned as being terrible. We were in a relegation battle. We wouldn't make Europe. And indeed, the first few games of this season were a horror. I am firmly in the "keep Wenger" rather than the "AKB" camp - but even I reached a point this season where I decided enough was enough and OGL had to go. Not after Old Trafford, but after Ewood Park. OT was an abject failure by a second string team that was simply outplayed - 4-2 would have been a fair score, 8-2 was a mickey take - everything went for ManU that day. But Ewood Park was a surrender from a position of strength against a team we should beat - even away, with a manager more vilified than ours. Indeed, I said to one of my Gooner friends out loud - it is time for Wenger to go.

I now concede that I was wrong. For the AMGs who would have kept Na$ri and Cesc, and would have bankrupted the club in the transfer market - I give you two thoughts.

We had what seemed a blindingly good start to last season…. After 12 games we had secured a magnificent total of … 23 points. And I would argue the opening 12 games this season were harder than the opening 12 last season.

Excluding Swansea and Norwich (we did not play them last season) we have played ten games and taken 16 points - from the same fixtures last season, we had 13 points.

All this without Na$ri and Cesc. Hey, I would have loved to keep Cesc (Na$ri - not so much to be honest), but maybe, just maybe, we will become a better TEAM without him. I miss his brilliance on the ball, vision, etc - but I really like winning 10 out of 12 games. And it's not been boring to watch either. Long may the run continue, and, my AMG friends - just IF we do win a trophy, or get into Champions League again, spare a thought for OGL. And perhaps try and enjoy yourselves a little. Come on! The amount we pay to go week in week out, we might as well try and enjoy ourselves!

Come on you Gooners!

NEW! Subscribe to our weekly Gooner Fanzine newsletter for all the latest news, views, and videos from the intelligent voice of Arsenal supporters since 1987.

Please note that we will not share your email address with any 3rd parties.

Article Rating

Leave a comment

Sign-in with your Online Gooner forum login to add your comment. If you do not have a login register here.

29
comments

  1. Anti-Wenger

    Nov 24, 2011, 13:52 #15318

    It's actually the AMGs who are being proven right. The whole point was that AW was obsessed with the PRoject Youth that he simply refused to accept it has collapsed until,thanks to ManU. The AKBs would have been vindicated if AW turned it around without 'changing' his philosophy. With the solidity Arsenal seems to have achieved now, it's even more annoying to realize that we had a everything we needed to be challenging for top honours,but a stubborn coach who wasted 6 years trying to prove everybody else wrong ( and failed in the end)

  2. legolas is happy

    Nov 24, 2011, 11:52 #15310

    from the first day of this season i wanted to keep arsene wenger come on guys!!! he LOVES the club with him we achieved many gr8 things . we have our major set back but i believe in him always . we still need to buy players and most thing is to get rid of : Squillacci & Djourou if we can get gary cahil & jan vertonghen. why not we should buy PODOLSKI amazing player ( german players fight till the end ) & we should get Reus amazing german player. COME ON GOOONERS CHEEER UPP

  3. king gooner

    Nov 24, 2011, 11:35 #15307

    wenger has recently "come out"& admitted project youth is dead in the water & that his football philosophy now is "shortism"i.e experienced players & expect more transfers-the penny has dropped....

  4. Sydney Gooner

    Nov 23, 2011, 23:39 #15290

    If people could use their own minds and make decisions based on facts and not what the papers or media say, Wenger would never have been in trouble. Nasri was off before the end of last season as was Cesc, look at their performances.... and if that doesn't destablisie a team I don't know what else will. It has been sad watching some sections of the Arsenal fans calling for Wengers head (the most successful manager of our history) without offering an alternative just shouting spend, spend, spend. it is a sad reflection of the day we live in.

  5. win AFC

    Nov 23, 2011, 16:01 #15283

    Football is now a business and it's killing the game,I admit you can't stop progress. I think Wenger as took on more than he can handle with the running of the club, Just let him deal with the first team only,In the past he as made our club the best, And now he is a scapegoat of his own making which is a shame.I still think ARSENAL will win a trophy this year. 100% ARSENAL

  6. Jonesey

    Nov 23, 2011, 13:48 #15273

    Harry Barracuda- Please tell us what Wenger is building for the club. A smaller trophy cabinet perhaps?

  7. chris dee

    Nov 23, 2011, 13:35 #15272

    A few defeats and Arsene must go,a few wins and Arsene is OK. Fickle fans? Nah!

  8. will

    Nov 23, 2011, 12:55 #15271

    Perspective is always useful, hope springs eternal but maybe the real question we gooners have to get our heads round is that unless the financial fair play rules have an effect ( extremely doubtful )we are unlikely ever to win the league because we can't compete either in the transfer market or in terms of wages.The debate about limited expectations is made now redundant.The pain is the wasted opportunities when a little less transigence on Wengers part could have secured at least one more league title. If we really want to win the league again it will require Usmanov's roubles, that's the real debate.

  9. Brian Dawes

    Nov 23, 2011, 10:09 #15270

    It strikes me that it is just as well that Wenger has far more mental strength and conviction than what seems to be the majority of our knee-jerking fans. Most can't see any further than the last 90 minutes of football and condemn any young player as crap as soon as they have an off day. Song I was told was the worst player ever to wear the shirt. RvP was an injury prone waste of space whom we should cash in on. Walcott would never be a real footballer. Kos hadn't got what it took for English football. Chamberlain wasn't what we needed, we needed experience not another teenager. And Jenkinson was a £1m joke purchase. There are way too many knee-jerkers amongst our fans.

  10. Ramgun

    Nov 23, 2011, 10:01 #15269

    Whether you want Wenger to stay or to go is up to the individual. One thing though, the comparing of results between this and last season against the same clubs is totally meaningless. We are different and so are all of the others.

  11. sparksy

    Nov 23, 2011, 9:40 #15268

    Yes the team does appear to have a bit more steel and i like that his new buys seem to have a bit more of a winning mentality than some of the dross that went before. However, lets not forget that the reason we we had the start we did, was because of the failure of manager and board over the last 5-6 years and also that their transfer business wasn't done in the close season, rather wait until the last day of the transfer window. Beacsue of that the height of our ambition this year is 4th place. Too many people change their tune depending on if we have won or lost each game.

  12. Tony

    Nov 23, 2011, 8:07 #15267

    Wenger was to blame for the poor start by his failure to buy until transfer deadline day.That was rank bad management and unforgivable.What the AKB's dont mention is where would we be if we had brought in replacements for Cesc and Nasri in July.Now we are coming up to the january window.When he strengthen where we are weak at LB DM and striker?Will he ****

  13. Harry Barracuda

    Nov 23, 2011, 6:44 #15266

    Comfort yourself with the fact a load of Mancunian idiots wanted Ferguson out at one point, and now they're back in their boxes. Most of the AMG mob have only been supporting the club since Wenger came and won us trophies. They have no idea of the true importance of what Wenger has achieved and what he is building for the club.

  14. The BearMan

    Nov 23, 2011, 5:46 #15265

    There was a period - when most players were going backwards. Denilson after a brilliant season, the following he could not put one foot right. Players like Rosicky, Arshavin, Eboue to name but a few. They all went from very promising to the ridiculus. Not one bad game, but almost an entire season. I could not believe our coaches could not, did not pick up on that. Now we appear to have players wanting to play for the club and making vast improvements. The senior coaches having an understanding of closing out a game. Opposing teams could not wait to play us on our own turf. Le Boss, even after a dreadful team performance, will describe de offending players as having much quality. A squad of 25+ players and only 11 could be relied upon to put in a decent shift. Every new signing we guarantee would be French, and along came Squallaci - another bargain bucket player. It had taken six seasons to plug the holes in the defense. Arsenal's only ambition was finishing 4th place. Some may wonder why Wenger and the board had reached an all time low with fans. These were just a few of the reasons!

  15. DW Thomas

    Nov 23, 2011, 4:12 #15264

    One thing many have overlooked in addition to RVP's scoring is his leadership. I questioned it in the early season when the **** was hitting the fan. However, he has proven me wrong and is not only leading by example, but I think really loves the club. Yet, he wants and deserves to win things. Wenger has given him loyalty, he should reciprocate. We'll see if he is greedy like Nasri (warmed the bench in CL tonight for 70 minutes by the way!) We are a club with style, character, and history. Arsenal should be one of the five or six elite teams in the world. Only a few additions in January will start the road back to the top level. We can compete if just given a little more squad depth. I am no professional coach, but some of Wenger's decisions boggle the mind. Not bolstering the squad last season when TV was out long term is an example. How many of these situations has Wenger ignored or overlooked? Even when we were close in 07-08, he let Flamini, the perfect partner to Cesc, go the next season. Look at Arsene's track record of keeping players and not buying/playing the right kind to wear the Arsenal shirt. I still think come May and no trophy, AW's job can no longer be guaranteed. He should continue the change from his project youth and buy quality, even if it is young quality. Gotze is a good example. A player like him could boost our team and fans and show the world we are still a top tier club. He is like the German version of Wilshire.

  16. Timao

    Nov 23, 2011, 0:58 #15260

    After the Blackburn result i sat down and wrote a letter of support to Arsene Wenger. But of course, I'm no expert, I'm a just a football supporter.

  17. GoonerRon

    Nov 22, 2011, 21:27 #15259

    @ CT Gooner - I'm not entirely sure our SQUAD is weaker now than it was in Feb. We have added depth with a 5th centre back, like for like changes at full back and up front and have replaced Cesc, Nasri and Denilson with Arteta, Gervinho, AOC, Benayoun plus we have Frimpong and Coquelin available now too. We also have a more experienced and established Ches in goal and Kos at CB. Whilst losing Cesc and Nasri has arguably made our first XI slightly weaker I think our squad overall is stronger.

  18. RJ

    Nov 22, 2011, 19:55 #15258

    Gus Sneezer & Kenny - sorry I was not clear enough above - 23 points form first 12 games LAST SEASON. When we had a good start. And Kenny - you get me wrong, I am happy to finish fourth best if it can be done with financial prudence - Fourth best MINIMUM that is. Solid fourth gives us a remote chance of shooting for the top - but do you really see us having the money to compete in the transfer market with City? Do you want to take loan players from rivals like the Spuds have (Oh - we have - d'oh!). Do you want to become a Villa and mid-table mediocrity? Top is the dream and the ambition - but no Leeds Utd please.

  19. goonergal

    Nov 22, 2011, 19:02 #15257

    Kudos to you for this article, yes we did have the start from hell, some prefer to sit on the dark side and believe that we are not good enough, wound up by the likes of talk ****e and the sun who have gone noticibly quiet since we started a run of wins ~ some of the comments towards Wenger over the past few months have been truly disgraceful. I have decided to go one game at a time and keep the faith, the best teams are not made up of superstars but a mix of talent and players who play for the shirt, I can see real heart and fight in this team. Van Persie has come forward as a real leader and the younger players now have a real man to look up to (no offence to Cesc) and he fully deserves the captaincy. The confidence is returning, maybe because expecatations have lowered, I don't know, I well be crying into my very expensive emirates hotdog at the end of the season, but I do not believe wenger feels the pain any less than the rest of us, and I did not see a man who had lost it, but a manager let down by his players when it really mattered they are the one's who owe him and us what we all deserve success! COYG's

  20. Arinze Uche

    Nov 22, 2011, 18:51 #15256

    Win trophy is important but interm of developmental footall i give it 2 Arsene.

  21. Jonesey

    Nov 22, 2011, 18:16 #15255

    If we lose to Fulham on Saturday are you going to want Wenger to go again? Ask Santa for some mental strength RJ.

  22. Dan h

    Nov 22, 2011, 17:46 #15254

    It's been a good run no doubt about that but please don't lose sight of why the season started so badly.The current run will needed to be extended for a few weeks yet to help repair the damage the transfer window bestowed on us.We need to push on again in january & add quality a forward is obviously required.My problem has always been use of our resources not being utilised and i know im not alone in this view.The team has started to gel nicely had the squad had the summer to bed in imo we would be at least 3-6 points better off in the table already.

  23. GaryFootscrayAustralia

    Nov 22, 2011, 15:21 #15252

    The impression I get from the recent upturn in results is that a lot of the improvement can be attributed to the personalities of a core group of players. Van Persie, Arteta, Vermalen, Szczesny and (don't laugh) Mertesacker seem to be knitting together a more resilient sense of team spirit, and by doing so are dragging better performances out of the others. I wasn't at all surprised when Art & Mert spoke out against "faction - eating". and were bold enough as newbies to assert that the squad should behave with a sense of unity off the pitch as well as on it. I have no idea of AW's level of involvement in this, as he has often displayed a laissez - faire approach to that kind of issue. Even back at the start, it was widely known that the core of the GG boys & Bergkamp were the ones sorting out the rules off the pitch, and doing the organising on it, so not a lot has changed there, just the players involved. Sure, there's still a long, long way to go to even catch up to a 3rd / 4th place challenge, but I'm currently more positive about the attitude to the task at hand of those players mentioned at the start, and their ability to transmit that through the side.

  24. Gus Sneezer

    Nov 22, 2011, 15:02 #15251

    22pts yes 22 not 23pts from 12 games and Wenger is a genius.So what do you say to the stat of 19pts from 18 games which Wenger achieved after the CC defeat.That like the 8-2 has been airbrushed from history by the Wengerites.There are two things certain in life RVP will get an injury that will keep him out for at least 2 months and we will collapse in march.Dont you want to see Arsenal will the title again?

  25. Kenny

    Nov 22, 2011, 14:12 #15250

    No it wasnt a bad start to the season was it?.We always lose 8-2 every season dont we?We always lose to the bottom team conceding 4 goals when we led 2-1.Where do you get the 23pts from did we get another point for artistic content?We are 3pts behind the Spuds and they have a home game in hand.We are now 7th.Fans like you are the fans Gazidis and Wenger love.Happy to finish 2nd best.Its sad but thats the type of fans we get at the Soul-less bowl

  26. CT Gooner

    Nov 22, 2011, 14:04 #15249

    I don't disagree, but I'm afraid I want to see my Arsenal at the top of Europe, not the top 4 of England. Even the biggest AKBs will admit our squad is significantly weaker today than when we collapsed in February, so it's very difficult for me to get excited by our team, knowing one knock on RVP and we're done again! I wanted our squad to be strengthened over the summer, building on what we had, not moving backwards...so I gave up my season ticket

  27. Ron

    Nov 22, 2011, 13:52 #15247

    Many opinions abound! The trouble is, a high proportion of football perspectives are shaped by SKY tele and the Sun. Both love to detract from Wenger so youre probably peeing in the wind with this. Get your hard hat and toe tector boots on. Youre going to need em soon enough.

  28. The BearMan

    Nov 22, 2011, 13:40 #15246

    On like most Arsenal fans, the Bear felt the weakness with Arsenal was in the coaching n coaches. However, after loosing my voice, I can see improvements on the pitch, especially in the weaker areas. Despite Arsenal not buying "super stars". The performance levels of the players have vastly improved. We are heading once again in the right directions. Cannot wait to see Park and Alex O-C, get a good run out in the team. However, the season is long.

  29. Jekyll

    Nov 22, 2011, 13:26 #15244

    Again the silly argument that those who think Wenger should go want to bankrupt the club. Again, no, it's make the most of the resources we have as a club to maximise our chances of success on the pitch, rather than just maximise the profit margin. And just as it would be churlish to shout WENGER OUT after a string of decent results, it seems premature to declare Wenger vindicated as well. After seeing a lot of false dawns it seems sensible to wait until the sun actually rises.