One of my darker moments. Even Giroud is coming round!
But lets face it how close were we to the abyss till this summer? Even most of the people who had put complete faith in Wenger wanted him out. I hope Ozil is the move that starts the thinking I was referring to above. There was no bubble and the market is still growing exponentially. To the point that even Gazidis has joined the Glactico club.
I will forgive you because you are right 99% of the time hence the Jenius99
I've just had a look back through loads of old posts and realised how fickle I have been at times, maybe less so these days but when I first signed up my opinions were back and forward like a soddin see-saw.
Just because they have changed their strategy now doesn't mean either of us were wrong reading the mess at board level at the time. Lets face it the whole situation rested on Walcott. That blokes intransigence broke the camels back.
Theo could have got fed up and walked to Man City or Chelsea. We came that close to losing a £25m asset over £20k a week. Somewhere along the line Gazids/Wenger/Kroenke relented and finally put an end to the wage structure. Obviously Wenger's own reluctance to sign a new contract put a shot across Kroenke's bow. And low and behold we have now broken the garbage wage structure and transfer record.
Let the flood gates open. If it hadn't happened this summer Wenger's position would have been untenable. Maybe we can even follow it up with a trophy. I think the board/Wenger are probably astounded at the positive reaction from the press and fans and commercial revenue. Maybe they should have done it when Kroenke took over instead of selling RVP and Cesc.
Pretty spot on there to be honest, can you imagine if we'd let Walcott go after what he ended up providing for us last season? I believe Theodore leaving came close to happening too. One cannot always be completely right about everything when predicting the future
It would have been rather pathetic had we decided we'd rather take a transfer fee (one that would not have been anywhere near his real value as his contract was not too long from expiring) Fortunately Wenger realised how important he was going to be for us following Van Persie's departure and the backlash that would have ensued had we let him leave so soon after losing VP.
He was then and remains, one of our best and most valuable assets. Sheer pace can be enough to score goals against some of the best teams (when he produces a good performance) which is why many remain frightened of him and sit back and pack the defence.
Talk of us going after Suarez in January. What a team we would have, I have taken a very pro-stance to him joining since the rumours started this summer, Wenger would get the best out of him.
A trophy is certainly a possibility, I think we'll have a better idea of whether we are capable after we have played another 7 or so league games and faced Dortmund & Napoli in the Champions League. If we are still standing strong then, the defence hasn't collapsed and we are not hit with our usual chronic level of injuries then anything could happen this season.
Something inside me making me think it will be between Chelsea & Arsenal for the top two places this season whilst Manchester fight for the other two CL Qualification spots. If we sign Suarez in January we will definitely be challenging.
I don't think Wenger is overly surprised with the positive reaction. He knows how many of the fans feel and addresses (or at least attempts to) concerns when he has the chance. But because he's done a lot of talking and not enough spending for quite a few years now people get fed up and stop taking him seriously. It is also a case of the classic mantras of "Everyone wants what they can't have." & "You only know what you've got once it's gone." Even extremely negative fans who have been depressed for years and unable to cope flipped very quickly to elation. In recent years, in all honesty we have all been desperate for some success or a big transfer to make us buzz, even just some positive news for a change!
I do still think we are very sensible in our long-term strategical financial planning, although I think we would all admit that it can get frustrating when you want immediate success. We have steered our ship slowly & safely through this long transition and now it's time to fire the guns.
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Gibbs, Jenkinson, Chamberlain & Wilshere
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posted on 5/9/13
One of my darker moments. Even Giroud is coming round!
But lets face it how close were we to the abyss till this summer? Even most of the people who had put complete faith in Wenger wanted him out. I hope Ozil is the move that starts the thinking I was referring to above. There was no bubble and the market is still growing exponentially. To the point that even Gazidis has joined the Glactico club.
posted on 5/9/13
I will forgive you because you are right 99% of the time hence the Jenius99
I've just had a look back through loads of old posts and realised how fickle I have been at times, maybe less so these days but when I first signed up my opinions were back and forward like a soddin see-saw.
posted on 5/9/13
Just because they have changed their strategy now doesn't mean either of us were wrong reading the mess at board level at the time. Lets face it the whole situation rested on Walcott. That blokes intransigence broke the camels back.
Theo could have got fed up and walked to Man City or Chelsea. We came that close to losing a £25m asset over £20k a week. Somewhere along the line Gazids/Wenger/Kroenke relented and finally put an end to the wage structure. Obviously Wenger's own reluctance to sign a new contract put a shot across Kroenke's bow. And low and behold we have now broken the garbage wage structure and transfer record.
Let the flood gates open. If it hadn't happened this summer Wenger's position would have been untenable. Maybe we can even follow it up with a trophy. I think the board/Wenger are probably astounded at the positive reaction from the press and fans and commercial revenue. Maybe they should have done it when Kroenke took over instead of selling RVP and Cesc.
posted on 6/9/13
Pretty spot on there to be honest, can you imagine if we'd let Walcott go after what he ended up providing for us last season? I believe Theodore leaving came close to happening too. One cannot always be completely right about everything when predicting the future
It would have been rather pathetic had we decided we'd rather take a transfer fee (one that would not have been anywhere near his real value as his contract was not too long from expiring) Fortunately Wenger realised how important he was going to be for us following Van Persie's departure and the backlash that would have ensued had we let him leave so soon after losing VP.
He was then and remains, one of our best and most valuable assets. Sheer pace can be enough to score goals against some of the best teams (when he produces a good performance) which is why many remain frightened of him and sit back and pack the defence.
Talk of us going after Suarez in January. What a team we would have, I have taken a very pro-stance to him joining since the rumours started this summer, Wenger would get the best out of him.
A trophy is certainly a possibility, I think we'll have a better idea of whether we are capable after we have played another 7 or so league games and faced Dortmund & Napoli in the Champions League. If we are still standing strong then, the defence hasn't collapsed and we are not hit with our usual chronic level of injuries then anything could happen this season.
Something inside me making me think it will be between Chelsea & Arsenal for the top two places this season whilst Manchester fight for the other two CL Qualification spots. If we sign Suarez in January we will definitely be challenging.
I don't think Wenger is overly surprised with the positive reaction. He knows how many of the fans feel and addresses (or at least attempts to) concerns when he has the chance. But because he's done a lot of talking and not enough spending for quite a few years now people get fed up and stop taking him seriously. It is also a case of the classic mantras of "Everyone wants what they can't have." & "You only know what you've got once it's gone." Even extremely negative fans who have been depressed for years and unable to cope flipped very quickly to elation. In recent years, in all honesty we have all been desperate for some success or a big transfer to make us buzz, even just some positive news for a change!
I do still think we are very sensible in our long-term strategical financial planning, although I think we would all admit that it can get frustrating when you want immediate success. We have steered our ship slowly & safely through this long transition and now it's time to fire the guns.
Page 2 of 2