Graham Simons
And so we find ourselves contemplating another season in which we’re left empty handed. There are those that would call for the manager’s head and those that defend Mr Wenger with the same blind loyalty that Michael Jackson fans reserve for the late king of pop. I've criticised Arsene as much as anyone but I'm now slowly coming around to the idea that we are where we are.
We simply cannot pay the same wages as certain other clubs but one of the major issues for us has been Arsene's collecting of cr*p young players in the hope that these ducklings will become swans one day.
If Wenger’s gamble had paid off then our front line would currently consist of Bendtner and Vela supporting Van Persie. Denilson and Diaby would be joining Wilshire in midfield and Senderos would be the other half of a centre back duo with Djourou his partner.
But none of these players now play for us and most are now plying their trade on loan for other clubs. The number of players on our books is ridiculous as we seem to have gone for quantity over quality and it is here that the club has been wasteful and our fans rightfully aggrieved.
I don’t think the faithful would begrudge Van Persie £150-200k a week but the wage squad solidarity we have means we can’t rid ourselves of the deadwood and that is really costing us.
When everyone is paid similar sums – where is the incentive to landing a first team place and keeping it? We have to return to rewarding success so there is a distinct difference in the earnings of players that are going out there week in, week out playing for Arsenal football club such as Szczesny and the likes of Almunia who has fewer clean sheets in goal for West Ham than Henri Lansbury.
The problem is that the cash in the club’s coffers do not belong to Arsene but he spends it as though it is. His reluctance to spend said cash is admirable, given the debt burden of the stadium. With Arsene at the helm, every season we have moved further and further to 2014 which will hopefully coincide with a cash bonanza brought about through a new shirt sponsorship deal and the subsequent clearance of the club’s debt.
When you consider all that Arsene has endured in terms of abuse from fans at having completed yet another season sans silverware, it would seem harsh to ask him to stand aside following fifteen years in which he has helped move the club to a bigger stadium and left it in a position where it stands on the edge of clearing its debt and challenging United as a self-sustaining beacon of virtue in how a club should be run.
I’ll go on record and say admit I was wrong and that Arsene should be the man to lead us now and when the debt is clear – let’s just change the wage structure, eh Arsene?
