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1. Jamie

   Feb 02, 2012, 1:13 #18037

   The article went downhill rather swiftly after the headline. A waste of a potentially interesting piece. I suggest that Onlinegooner introduces quality control to submissions, from now on.

2. Mark Rice

   Feb 01, 2012, 22:39 #18035

   It could have been worse with a move to Wembly ... Groan

3. CanadaGooner

   Feb 01, 2012, 19:52 #18027

   Mark, you like in a deluded world. why dont you just draft your own article and get it posted? RJ has come up with something interesting albeit different from the normal negative stuff and you just had to try to outstage him didnt you? failed woefully. Well done RJ.

4. maguiresbridge gooner

   Feb 01, 2012, 18:21 #18024

   we didn't need a parallel universe to tell us wilshere would be out longer than planned a stress fracture apparently on a different part of his foot it's going to be reassessed in two weeks by our medical team and medical experts that's him in the brown stuff then

5. Wombledin

   Feb 01, 2012, 18:20 #18023

   Completely pointless article. Gooners need to stop living in the past just because of recent and current frustrations. Once Wenger is gone and we start winning trophies again this kind of article will be laughed at.

6. Mark

   Feb 01, 2012, 15:01 #18013

   How about factual: 1997 – 2005 Arsenal finish every season 1st or 2nd in the league sharing dominance with the Mancs 2005 Arsenal win last trophy to date (FA cup) 2005/2006 Last season at the HoF. Arsenal finish 4th 2006 /2007 Arsenals 1st season at Emirates, Henri leaves. Arsenal finish 4th, again. 2007/2011 Arsenal complete half a decade the Emirates consistently in 4th or 3rd place Aug 2011- 2012 Arsenal charge the highest prices in the world for like for like tickets, and only have 1 genuine world class player, and are struggling to battle for a possible 4th place finish Jan 2012 Injury crisis AW responds to the challenge on the last day of the transfer window by signing a 19 old from Germany whose cruciate injury is expected to have healed Feb 2012 Jack Wilshire expected to be out for the season, Arsenal travel to Bolton seeking their first league win of 2012 Projected May 2012 Arsenal record their lowest league position since 1995 and fail to qualify for CL June 2012 AW declares the club cannot sell RvP and expect to be seen as ambitious, not attract world class quality July 2012 AW signs 2 French under 19 midfielders announcing that he believes in his squad and that Chamakhs potential is expected to show through this year Aug 2012 RvP is sold for 35 million to Barcelona, Arsenal suffer 3 rd consecutive league defeat with Bale scoring a hat trick…. For the Mancs Aug 31 2012 Arsenal sign Lucas Polodoski for 8 million Sept 2012 Arsenal fans are offered premium beam back viewing at Gbp10.00/head at Emirates of their choice of CL game, Spurs V Madrid, Dortmund V Chelsea, Man U V AC Milan or Inter V Man C Jan 1 2013 With Arsenal in mid table fans are offered half season , season tickets in an attempt to fill the stadium Feb 2013 Emirates cup re announced with crack Bundeliga 2 side Hansa Rostock (newly promoted) facing Arsenal on day 1 of the competition in August, and winners of AC Nicosia vs Inverness Caledonian thistle facing the Arsenal o the Sunday March 2013 Arsenal exit FA Cup in 5th round replay AW announces we have europa league place to play for with only Stoke, Sunderland, West Brom and Fulham to overtake May 2013 Arsenal finish 9th as Spurs win the league at the Emirates on the last day. City finish 2nd, Man Utd 3rd, with Chelsea taking the 4th CL slot. Sunderland take the EL slot, joined by Everton as league cup winners and Liverpool as FA cup winners. In close of season press conference AW announces that it has been a hard season, but the mental strength of the side has made him proud, referees have been against us with decisions , but we will be back again next year to challenge, but we must have expectations to match our resources. Reaching the Europa league is a realistic target , and we will use the youth players in the emirates cup in order to allow more senior players (those i over 19) to play in the league cup June 2013 A further fixture, against Dundalk is announced in our pre season tour of Ireland

7. Yorkie Gooner

   Feb 01, 2012, 14:50 #18012

   Would have been exciting ! And we'd still be at Highbury ! PS Do we go up this season ?

8. Dan

   Feb 01, 2012, 12:54 #18006

   We want highbury back **** the emi ****es.wob army..

9. Nutty's Right Peg

   Feb 01, 2012, 11:33 #17991

   Not long 'til half term now son ! Just in case you can't recall it, the club kept banging on about the need to leave Highbury "to compete". Presumably by that they meant the Europa Cup on Thursday evenings.

10. Ron

    Feb 01, 2012, 9:35 #17975

    Who knows what would have happened. It was able to reach a 50000 capacity with alterations to Clock end and North Bank, so i sispect we wdt be any worse than now and maybe would be better off.Highbury was a ground that had most teams beat before we kicked off due to its medium sized pitch and claustrophobic feel. Either way, i wish we were still there. Ive never taken to this Stadium. Its a nice ground but theres no intimacy, no character and frankly, its too big! Too remote from the fans. Its also changed the Club in ways that are negative. Dont get me going on tourists! Give me away games every time.

11. fozzy's mate

    Feb 01, 2012, 8:54 #17974

    Canada Gooner - as we can agree the clubs sole ambition of scraping into 4th place has led us to where we are today. Wengers redefinition of success and bizarre arguments with journalists at the start of each season regarding what silverware is. Then Gazidis going on tv re defining Arsenal as big spenders and of course not missing the opportunity to express his delight regarding the self sustaining business model, which he said means we can do what we are doing now forever and be proud of our achievements...

12. Tony Evans

    Feb 01, 2012, 8:22 #17973

    What ambition?

13. HowardL

    Feb 01, 2012, 7:50 #17972

    Why so serious? Who can honestly say what would have happened if we had stayed at Highbury? Yes, it's dire at present and Wenger has lost his way big-time (so I'm no longer an AKB) but there have been a lot of good times in the last few years, despite the lack of silverware. Things might have gone even more pear-shaped had we not moved home. I found the article a diversion - a welcome piece of amusing light relief in a torrid season. Only bit missing was Gwyneth Paltrow starring as Arsene Wenger...

14. Joe Fitzpatrick

    Feb 01, 2012, 2:05 #17971

    In a parallel universe this must have seemed like a good idea....

15. 1886

    Feb 01, 2012, 1:11 #17970

    Best article so far.

16. Mandy Dodd

    Jan 31, 2012, 23:26 #17969

    Lol! Certainly not typical for this site!

17. Not Impressed!

    Jan 31, 2012, 23:21 #17968

    What a load of rubbish! Call yourself an Arsenal supporter site. Ha.

18. RJ

    Jan 31, 2012, 20:07 #17967

    Goodness me - good job I didn't add in the bit about re-signing Lehman and Campbell..

19. CanadaGooner

    Jan 31, 2012, 20:05 #17966

    @ fozzy's mate & inspector clueless: and we were winning it all before Wenger came? (we had so many european trophies that we didnt know where to stack them?). get real! what I dont disagree with is the fact that Wenger + SkySports decided terminologies like 'Big 4' and CL Place should replace what really should be our business in the league: WINNING!!. I also find it very difficult to criticize the majority of Arsenal Fans because 6 patient years have come and gone and if Wenger or the board (wont waste time with Gazidis, he's a fool) want to do the decent thing, they should come out and hold their hands up, admit their mistakes and correct it by returning to running a football club and winning trophies as our first priority. 4th place must only be a consolation after a closely run season, not our ultimate goal!

20. fozzy's mate

    Jan 31, 2012, 19:38 #17965

    Clueless strikes again - agree with you. He was clever enough when made all powerful at Deins exit to take the opportunity to totally redefine what success is for any of the elite clubs of europe which we are/were part of. He changed it to what he classes as success, buy cheap sell dear and be mediocre. Hence his pronouncements about us being the most consistent team in the world, 4th place being a trophy and taking a 2nd place finish every time.

21. Inspector Clueless strikes again

    Jan 31, 2012, 18:33 #17964

    Wenger has always been a businessman. Monaco, Japan, Emirates. A professor of stats on athletes and other little gems on how to get the edge. But then he startd to make lots of money and realised how he could make even more amounts of money, doing what he loves to do and never actually being judged if he won anything or not. now he contents himself with touchline cuddles from Thierry when weve beaten a championship side and adulation when weve come back from 2/0 down to a mediocre mid table villa side. theres some that are happy with that and theres the majority who are not

22. fozzy's mate

    Jan 31, 2012, 18:06 #17963

    As amusing as it is ridiculous. To claim we would have dropped inro the abyss through lack of ambition is crazy. I think what we can all agree on is the pathetic lack of ambition shown by the club in recent years. But it gave me a laugh in any case! Todays purchase of an 18 year old from dortmunds will take some back to the wonder signing of Amaury Bishoff another german kid with no first team experience. When the german headlines said arsenal sign werder nobody. But it took me back to when we were supposed to sign the argentinian superstar of the day Gallardo but Vivas pitched up. A bit like Goetze and Eisden. If we had stayed at Highbury we would never have attracted such stellar names!

23. AugustusCaesar

    Jan 31, 2012, 17:02 #17962

    Heh! The response to this article is hilarious. The Wenger haters are going to give themselves a heart attack if they're not careful.

24. Twisted Mists

    Jan 31, 2012, 16:56 #17961

    Sorry but this is a complete waste of time! 100% counter factual assumptions and nothing more...

25. CanadaGooner

    Jan 31, 2012, 16:37 #17960

    Ha ha! Welldone RJ! Finally something different. When I read some of the posts on here from people who say "I care about the club so much that Wenger's mediocrity is killing my beloved club", I'm simply baffled. We havent won the Champions League, have never been prolific in Europe, are yet to win a back to back premiership (something even Chelsea has managed), so what's all the noise about? We are Arsenal: brilliant football in the last 15 years, a lot of it wasteful, but with some magical moments and some brilliant footballers through the years as well as a handful of trophies. Should we have won more in those years? YES. But then, those years also coincide with Fergie's best years, Abramovich's billions, and our CL nemesis (Barcelona). Many a club have toiled as hard and have less to show for it (Liverpool & Spurs being prime example). Should we wallow in a self-defeatist attitude? NO. But we do need to keep things in context. Brilliant article RJ, keep it coming

26. Jekyll

    Jan 31, 2012, 16:36 #17959

    @Apollo, yes I agree. Highbury could have been developed to whatever the limits were and we could have continued to be successful within that whilst remaining at our spiritual home. The sole reason for the move was that the then major shareholders knew it would massively increase the share price for a future sale, greatly enriching them personally whilst the club itself took the burden of the debt. And that's exactly what's happened.

27. What was the point in leaving Highbury?

    Jan 31, 2012, 16:25 #17958

    Oh ok, that was the point in leaving Highbury. I get it now and there was me thinking it was for our board to line their own pockets. Silly me. I only wish I had this kind of insight. I wonder how many times the author has got the lottery numbers right.

28. PerryG

    Jan 31, 2012, 16:25 #17957

    Jesus H what a load of crap, im trying to see the funny side but that is terrible. A return to intelligent and reasoned submissions please

29. Der Projekt ist Kaput

    Jan 31, 2012, 15:19 #17956

    May 2002: Asteroid ZG729-8 strikes Earth with devastating effect - the epicentre being the Golden Fish Bar, Gillespie Road. The world is enveloped in thick cloud impeneterable by the Sun for over a century. All life forms larger than a Monaco deposit box wiped out. 7506: 5th Round cup tie between reptiles and lung-fish abandoned due to reptiles eating fish when tempers become flared after a dubious penalty incident. 8506: Small mammals trial the 'fur-ball' - a new, lighter and aerodynamic ball made from their own facial hair. Unfavourable response from the Dino-League who say they can't give it a 'bit of welly.' 20006: Unexpected benefit of mastering fire enables cavemen to play evening games by torchlight. Unfortunately, a tragic incident occurs when Tharg, a promising young inside left is carried away by swooping giant moths attracted by the flames. 40006: To the furore of the fans, Brontoburgers at the new Arsenal Meerkats Stadium are priced at 300 credits - a rise of 6000% from the previous season. The manager says, 'Pah! What do I care? I bet these people haven't spent half an epoch in the game, like I have.'

30. maguiresbridge gooner

    Jan 31, 2012, 15:07 #17955

    If i woke up after a night down the pub and had dreamt that i'd never drink again have to say anyone who does dream or has dreamt something like that has serious problems.

31. weststandlower

    Jan 31, 2012, 14:31 #17954

    what on earth is this utter rubbish? how on earth can the online gooner let this stuff be published i'll never know. it's actually worse that the daily mail made up 'what if' stories. Most of the grounds in the premiership today hold less people than Highbury did why havn't they ALL been relegated. stupid stupid stupid

32. tim, london

    Jan 31, 2012, 14:25 #17953

    Great article, on top of it I d have even given up a couple of titles during the period, just so we could be in the actual position we are and with a great sound future. AKB

33. Mark

    Jan 31, 2012, 14:14 #17952

    utter rubbish. wenger is definitely not more ambitious than anyone ! he went to Japan for pete;s sake for the money NOT to compete with the best !!!!!

34. Carlos

    Jan 31, 2012, 14:02 #17951

    The stadium's revenue gives us the possibility to compete by generating loads of extra cash. The manager chooses to spend the cash on teenagers who may one day come good instead of signing proper pros who don't owe him a living and who may answer back from time to time. bunch is right in apportioning the blame and RJ should return to the twilight zone.

35. Gee

    Jan 31, 2012, 13:30 #17950

    People have to remember that whilst its all supoosed doom and gloom now, that this stadium will set us up nicely in a few years. We pay £25m for it per year now. Each year that figure reduces Wenger won't be penny pinching forever as he won't be around when we finally spend the money we have

36. thelondonupstart

    Jan 31, 2012, 13:04 #17948

    I know there was a point to be made here, but so badly put across. Can stuff like this just appear on the forum instead of being passed off as an article?

37. bunch

    Jan 31, 2012, 12:54 #17947

    Utter tosh. Don't get me wrong I like the fact we have a 60k stadium a stone's throw from Highbury (although I don't like some aspects of the design) but look up the Seven Sisters road. They've had some very poor seasons but they are up there and challenging and have been for the past three seasons and weren't far away under Jol. And they are still in a sub 40k stadium. Fact is we've won nothing and seem to be going backwards since we move into the Grove. But it's not the stadium's fault it is the manager's.

38. GaryFootscaryAustralia

    Jan 31, 2012, 12:39 #17946

    Since when did Stan's marketing think - tank start writing pieces for the Online Gooner? PAIN IN THE ARSE!!!

39. Apollo

    Jan 31, 2012, 12:29 #17944

    Chris 11:09am 31st Jan - It doesnt take any special kind of close-mindedness at all to find this unrealistic! Read it again! Why would Bergkamp and Henry (who both loved Highbury) want to leave it? Why would Fabregas leave and join a club with a smaller stadium? And how did Tottenham get so good all of a sudden without moving stadiums? Why would Man United want RvP at that time? Wenger leaving us for Chelsea? All legends or potential legends of Arsenal leaving us and all going to our fiercest rivals? And all because we failed to move stadiums? I don’t think so. And there’s more! Arsenal ultimately relegated with Keegan in charge? Hahaha! So we become as bad as Hull, West Brom etc. all because we stayed at the ground that we became famous at? Do me a favour with the nobody knows rubbish! Just because we don’t know doesn’t allow scenario’s like the above to be possible. We KNOW they would never have happened because they are all gibberish! Far more realistic is that if the Emirates move hadn’t happened we'd have redeveloped Highbury. And before anyone says that is unrealistic we had 4 corners to fill in and the Clock End to rebuild! I reckon we could have got near to 50,000. Dont believe the club when they say they tried all they could to stay at Highbury. They tell lies and that was probably another of them. They overcame far bigger obstacles re-locating dozens of business's to take over the Ashburton Grove site than a few old biddies complaining that their TV aerials would be blocked (or whatever lame excuse the club used) with bigger stands at Highbury! In my opinion the move to the Emirates has been a failure. Look at the empty seats! We sold our soul for money and the club will never be the same again!

40. Joe S.

    Jan 31, 2012, 12:23 #17942

    Arsene knows best in other words. What a lame apology for a failing manager. Who is to say that someone else wouldn't have done a better job. Leaving Highbury was the right thing to do - No pain no gain but so many other things have been mismanaged and wrongly handled. Why Mark Hughes or Pat Rice when there were other options. The best Scenario would have been Hill Wood selling up, Kronke thwarted and some ambitious football loving investors in control of the club's future.

41. Jekyll

    Jan 31, 2012, 11:23 #17941

    Another alternative reality: The club aren't saddled with debt, Dein doesn't leave and so can continue to keep a check on Wenger, Wenger doesn't embark on his youth project and lose his mind. Arsenal continue to win trophies.

42. Chris

    Jan 31, 2012, 11:09 #17940

    Thought provoking indeed. It takes a special kind of closed-mindedness to criticise this sort of article as 'not realistic enough'. Nobody knows what would have happened in such circumstances, just as nobody knows waht will happen if/when Wenger leaves. Have you ever seen the film Bewitched...?

43. AvenellRd

    Jan 31, 2012, 11:07 #17939

    This article is great example just how brainwashed AKBs are. I hope one day AW will be remembered as man who destroyed beautifull Highbury stadium, single biggest mistake in our cubs history.

44. Oxy-Moron

    Jan 31, 2012, 11:00 #17938

    The biggest pile of steaming **** to appear on the Gooner in a very long time. I conclude from this that AJ is in fact an AKB and this is a thinly veiled attempt at reminding all us naysayers how greatful we should be for our glorious leader. I look forward to your retration AJ when the average attendance drops below 40,000. Don't think it will ever happen? I recall sitting in a (literally) half-empty clock end and watching a turgid 0-0 draw with Sheffield Wednesday. It was in the dying days of the GG era, and the attendance was under 30,000.

45. Apollo

    Jan 31, 2012, 10:17 #17936

    Could have been interesting if done properly but absolutely none of the would have happened! Far too unrealistic. Written by someone trying too hard to make a point or trying to be funny - not sure which? But it fails miserably whichever one it is I'm afraid!

46. Herts Gooner

    Jan 31, 2012, 9:48 #17934

    What a load of tosh!

47. The Hampshire Gooner

    Jan 31, 2012, 9:43 #17933

    The most pointless article I have ever seen on here. All of the players have left or are about to leave anyway, so what is the point?

48. Gooner4life

    Jan 31, 2012, 9:35 #17931

    None of the above mentioned persons are such character , including Fabregas and Nasri.Why would Fabregas join spurs when Arsenal were sitting at the top of table and spurs in the middle of table at the year u hav mentioned? In 2008 Nasri was NOTHING !Do you think RVP would have left Invincible team and joined a cheating united? Henry and Berkamp were loyal to fans , not to the GROUND.AW was the one who gave chance to Song , and after losing his father, AW has been everythin so far in his carrier.People luv Highbury more than Emirates.But accept the changes and move on.Totally worthless article.Champions play and win any place given on the day.