I think you're being overly negative here. I can't see anyone important, apart from RVP, leaving us if we get mid-table. The point of this is to force neccessary changes to make us competitve again. If we scrape into the top 4 or 6, it will be the usual patch up job to keep us in the top half of the table. Remember, the main reason alot of the players are with us is we have Wenger, as long as he stays, the majority will. I genuinely believe that we are not too far off from winning. For once, we are developing a good spine and all we need to do is supplement it with the right quailty and organisation to make us win. We already have a top manager, all we need is for our manager to look back at what made him successful and a winner in the past.....
I was told you were not a youngster even back then please log in to view this image Incidentally I picked this up googling Mickey Thomas since he was not in my time as I didn't follow much footie from 92-96 on account of work schedules. From The Times -
I honestly believe AW tried this tactic in the notorious Man Utd game. He could have set the team out to at least attempt to restrict our inevitable loss to a couple of goals, but didn't. However badly many seem to view AW these days, I can't believe anyone honestly thinks he is bad enough to have put out that team/formation by accident? Regardless of who he eventually bought in the transfer window, do you think he would have been given those funds if we hadn't lost 8-2? It was a high risk strategy, but I think it worked to a point. That said, accepting a little humiliation after that game falls a long way short of deliberately sacrificing a whole season and I think we will see some big changes during the January window to enable us to climb up the table and reclaim our hereditary spot in the CL.
But who else do we have that really really stands out now? RVP, Vermaelen (who's only got 2 years left) when fit, Chessers and Wilshere are the players for me. Happily Chesney and Jack are on long term deals but in a worst case scenario we could lose RVP, Vermaelen and Walcott on top of being out of the Champions League. Bad for our team as well as our image as a 'top side'. I genuinely don't like being negetive but I am worried. I'm friends with quite a few Pompey fans and I remember them almost being pleased to drop a level. They cited getting their finances in order, rebuilding a solid team of hungry young players and coming straight back up. They took 500 fans to their last away game and they used to have a reputation a great following (numbers/noise/commitment)... However, whether I like it or not we're in the ****e this season and we'll get the wake up call you're craving. Whether we suddenly rouse from our slumber and spend like we'll need to to get back amongst the big boys is another matter entirely. I certainly can't see it happening whilst Wenger is in charge and Stan/Gazidis holds the purse strings.
I agree with all of this. Higher tempo play, pressing higher up the pitch. Transition from defense to attack faster. Defending as a unit, as a team. Tactically setting up to face the opposition and nullify their biggest threats. Sort the wages. Loan more young players out if needed, and sell those, or even release those that are not going to feature - Almunia, Vela, Bendtner, Denilson, Squillaci. If they're not going to feature, cut the losses and get rid. Get tough with the youngsters. If they're not performing, get rid.
I agree but do feel that with injuries picked up so readily as it appears, we may need some cover such as on the RB position. What the weekend has shown is that we have no cover at RB which I would have thought was a big risk. OK, we could move a few players around but it seems all so makeshift .....
It just concerns me that CJ does not have the experience but who knows what he may be capable of when thrown into a difficult situation? Too late to recall Eboue now and like many of us, questions have to be raised as to the wisdom of some of the decisions that are made.
I am. I'm also about a year away from being a Doctor. So that puts me a level above Wenger with his Economics Masters right? I'll do it for 1/10th of his salary, freeing up enough money to offer an additional 80k/wk to keep van Persie
Jenkinson should be no where the first team..... Poor lad, he is no where near Sagna, not even close... Better than Sagna going forward, basing your judgement on a handful of games? Unless you saw him play at Charlton.... We have no backup at rightback at this moment in IMO.
Have a bad season or two like Liverpool did.. but Stan is not going to bring you up - would he? Jack, Chesny, Sagna, Would leave if you drop out of top 4 - wouldn't they? yeah RVP would definitely stay - cue his impending season ending injury anytime ... He is senior to Verminator in that regard also..
Sorry but that is just stupid! Look at liverpool, they dropped out, and spent a **** load of money and now? Their still ****, with expensive **** players. If we drop down to mid table, chances are the good players would leave, meaning we'd have the likes of denilson, almunia, squallaci diaby etc as our top players..... We'd lose aload of money from being a big club in the top 4, in the CL etc, which means we'll have to keep spending nothing for longer due to the debt being more than we can manage without them we need to sort out the youngsters, offer them performance based contracts, instead of giving them 40k straight away give them a normal 5-10k, then if they say stand out in the reserves and look to be pushing for the first team squad, give them about 20 30k, then if they start doing good, maybe make a few decent performances etc, offer them the 40-50k and so on and so on We'd save millions a year, the players would have something to aim towards and constantly keep trying to improve and push for a place get the players to play as a team when defending, press the ball all over the place, don't give anyone any time on the ball, how many teams in the PL would be able to out play arsenal?! especially without any time or space, this would also give the fans more to shout about, and ease the pressure on the defence having to do it all themselves