Your Vision

Your Vision - If I were Wenger...

PLEASE NOTE THAT YOUR VISION ARTICLES ARE SENT IN BY READERS AND ARE NOT WRITTEN BY ARSENAL VISION WRITERS.

It really feels like groundhog day, every season for the past few seasons ends in disappointment, no silverware, one of our best players is linked to another club ( more times than not, said player leaves) and no quick important signings we so desperately need. Oh and everything is blamed on injuries!

Wenger needs to have a long hard look at the players, the youth policy & the staff. He needs to do what's best for the team & show the world that we mean business next season. Barcelona just won the league a few days ago & they went and bought David Villa.

If I were Wenger.......I wouldn't have signed Chamakh and instead go all out to buy a world class striker, everyone can see what a difference Van Persie( our only class striker) brings to the team when fit, as opposed to Eduardo, Vela, Walcott & even Bendtner. I'm not saying he won't be a good signing, but he isn't a strikers that sends fear into defenders.

If I were Wenger......I would resign if Cesc does leave to barca. Before i get sweared at & called fickle fan, let me explain. For the past few seasons we've been buying young exciting players for next to nothing, we've developed them, payed them more salaries than they would have dreamed & playing them as starters whereas the would have been benchwarmers in any other big team. This is all well and good and actually just fighting for the title with the likes of chelsea and man utd with such young players is great, but the problem is that just as these player start to mature and reach stardom status, the up and leave. It defies the reason we bought them young in the first place. If Cesc does leave, why not song, walcott, clichy, wilshere and nasri in the next few seasons.

We are considered a selling club thats a fact, that's why we are always billed as underdogs....& I hate this. Wenger needs to man up & defend Arsenal's status between the big boys. I would love it if Arsene came out & said that we aren't selling fabregas & that we are trying to buy iniesta, julio cesar & chellini.....why not??? lets show them that we have money and arent afraid to lose it. Maybe even Gazidis would pay newsof the world to releases the headline "Barca ready to sacrifice Iniesta, Bojan & pique for the sake of Cesc". Lets show them that two can play that game.

If I were Wenger........I would buy a world class keeper before the World cup, not hart, green or the like but buffon, Cesar or ankiev would do. Each one of those keepers is worth atleast 10 points, not -10 like the douchebags we now have in our lineup.

If I were Wenger........ I would have a long talk with Denilson, Walcott & Vela, Tell them that if they don't step up & be more consistent , they will be kicked out in the winter window. Some might say that Walcott particularly has been good & that without his injuries would have been better, well lets see his most meanigful contributions this season. The first is his goal home against Barca, although his run was graet & he actually scored, but the way he took his shot was laughable, he had the whole goal to aim at but decided to side foot it just under Valdes' legs. I'm sure any other good keeper(except Almunia) would have stopped it. His second is his assist away to Barca, which in my humble opinion is one of the worst assists in this position I have ever seen, & only because of Bendtners fight did he manage to eventually score.

If I were Wenger......I would buy and experienced center back & another young one. First to cover the likely exits of Gallas & to a lesser extent Silvestre, and also because Djourou is not like a new signing!

If I were Wenger......I would be re-evaluating the whole youth project, not many players in the world today will play out their whole career at one club, whethers its because they've achieved everything they could (c.Ronaldo), haven't achieved anything ( Cesc) or even cold weather (Reyes) . So buying players so young only increases the chance of them leaving just before they reach they're peak.

I'm sorry for the long article, but I'm really let down by the players, but mostly by Wenger. I wouldn't want anyother manager for our club, but I can't deny that I felt alot of envy towards the chelsea fans happy with their double, that a manager that has been only there for one year has given them, without any major signings. I felt envy that in just two years Mourinho has won inter 2 leagues, an Italian cup & a champions league.

I'm also scared that Man utd could lose the best player in the world at the time, plus one of the most hardworking strikers I have ever seen in Tevez , & still manage to beat us twice, scoring more goals & finish 9 points clear of Arsenal. So What will happen next season when both they & chelsea Strengthen with new signings?! If -god forbid- Cesc does leave, we need to sell for at least 60mil, & USE THE F@%KING MONEY. We need to use the money to buy 3 or 4 really world class superstars. That would be the only way to get better and have a chance for silverware next season.

I might sound like a glory hunter who only wants silverware not doing it the Arsenal way. Well I am not. I might seem harsh towoards our players & management, well I am not. We have to see our season as it really was, a FAILURE. We played 3 big teams this season, won 0 lost 5 and drawn 1 , scoring 5 goals & conceding 16!!! That is rubbish. I want us to reach our potential, I want us to not have any sentiments towards our average players. I would sell walcott, vela, eduardo & bendtner in a heart beat if we can get 2 world class strikers to compliment Van persie & Cesc. Because if we can't admit they are average then we will never progress. Maybe Bendtner is good but he's not world class. He might be one day, but I don't think we can't wait anylonger.

Next year has to be different, I want other fans, managers & newspapers to see us as a footballing beast. I want us to be billed as favourites in all compitions & against all opponents. Wenger always says we like to be underdogs.....No we don't , we are billed as such because we have mostly average to good players ( with the exception od 2 or 3 players) & 2 of the worst goalkeepers in any top flight leage in any country. We need to change all this, the time for winning is now, the time for winning the league has come, why not the champions league as well?? In the past 3 seasons Man utd, Barca & inter have won both in the same season but because when they do rest players they have great backup.

If Cesc leaves, if we don't buy quality players & if we don't win the league or champions league next season, then I'm afraid Drastic changes should be made to the club. Hopefully it wouldn't come to this, hopefully wenger already has some great signings up his sleeve, hopefully everything with keeping cesc & the new signings will be sorted out before the world cup & hopefully we'll get our silverware next season. Hopefully someday soon I'll be hopeful, but unfortunately as things stand I am not.

Mean Lean's Response

Thank you for the article, and apologies for the delayed response, those who read my blog yesterday will know that I have been out of action for the last week due to a virus *cue violins*

Your article is obviously very emotional and passionate but I have to say that I disagree with many of your views. I will attempt to answer as many of your points as possible.

Your first point about signing a world class striker instead of Chamakh doesn't appear to have much weight behind it. Firstly we do not yet know how Chamakh will influence this Arsenal team, we do not as yet know what plans Arsene Wenger has for him. Secondly Chamakh is a free transfer so the risk factor is very low. I imagine that Wenger is bringing in this player to help his team mates. Scoring goals has never really been a problem for Arsene Wenger's teams and I do not believe that Wenger is buying him purely for his goals.

My question to you would be, which striker are you think of? What role would he have in our set up? It is easy to say we need a world class striker but it is much more difficult to explain his role and how this would help others around him and our team.

I do not understand the basis for your next point. I would resign if Cesc does leave to barca

How does this make a difference to Wenger being in charge of the club? Arsene Wenger obviously wants to keep Cesc Fabregas, he is not trying to force him out of the door to bring in a lesser player. It is widely known that most managers do not try to keep hold of players who want out because it destabilises the team.

Should Alex Ferguson resign because Cristiano Ronaldo forced his way out of Manchester United? Should Ferguson leave because he let go of Carlos Tevez to their neighbours?

the problem is that just as these player start to mature and reach stardom status

You have taken a few examples and have generalised our whole squad. We have a whole host of talented players who have been with us for a long time and are likely to remain with us. On one hand I hear that we let go of our players too easily and in the next breath I hear complaints that we are giving too many long term contracts to our squad.

We are considered a selling club thats a fact

Nope, that is your opinion. Our players have been targets of big clubs every single season yet we kept Pires, Vieira, Bergkamp, Henry, Campbell during their prime. We have kept hold of Van Persie, Clichy, Sagna, Cesc, Bendtner etc who have been approached on a regular basis.

You say that the goalkeepers that you mention would be worth 10 points but the likes of Buffon, Cesar or Akinfeev have never played in the Premier League and you have no idea how they would settle into English football against the likes of Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City. Wenger may well bring in another goalkeeper, only time will tell. I also hope he does.

I think it is insane that you are criticising one of our players for the way he scored and assisted against arguably the best club side in world football right now (cringes) but I agree with you about the need to bring in an experienced center back. Johan Djourou is a player I like very much but it would be good if he was pushed by someone who can slot in and perform at a very high level alongside either Johan or Vermaelen.

Your point about re-evaluating the whole youth project is very interesting. I get the feeling that you feel that our 'youth project' is just a crazy experiment designed to prove a point. Well that is the view I get from many who want it abolished. I think the key point is understanding the reasoning for developing young players. We have built the club on those foundations because it is very profitable and organic. The reason why we are able to pay our younger players more than many other clubs is because it generates profit every time (or more often than not) we decide to allow a player to join the likes of Birmingham City, West Ham, Tottenham Hotspurs and many Championship clubs and lower division sides.

The policy does not mean that we can only have a squad full of youth players who have come through. This appears to be the confusion from many fans who want the club to stop developing players. This system allows us more than one avenue to get talent into the first team. If it wasn't for this vision then we would not be watching the likes of Cesc, Song and Van Persie plying their trades at Arsenal. That always seems to be ignored.

The reason why we have not spent as much on players for the last few years, coincidently coincides with the building of the Emirates. Of course this is not a coincidence, money has been tight and the facts are as clear as day. Arsene Wenger has balanced the books every season since arriving at Ashburton Grove. As you may or may not know, we are now debt free in regards to the Highbury flats, so more funds will be available this time round.

Back to your point, stopping player development could mean an end to a self sustaining model and surely no Arsenal supporter wants that.

You speak of the success of other managers in the last season but you do not take into consideration the circumstances. We are not on a level playing field with Chelsea. Inter Milan have spent plenty of money on their squad in recent years. Wenger is not sitting on billions of free cash contrary to what anti Wenger posters would want you to believe. The question is can you wait until we are able to spend big or can you wait until our younger players are consistent?

What would Jose Mourinho have done if he had a young squad with inexperience of winning trophies. What would he have done if he was told to balance the books and think of the future of the club yet challenge against Manchester United who were borrowing big to finance the purchase of players and Chelsea who were given their large chunk of pocket money from Roman Abramovich each season. What would Mourinho, Ancelotti, Hiddink etc done differently to Wenger to have made us win trophy after trophy during a major club transition period?

You obviously want trophies, the feel good factor and all that comes with winning but you have left out some very important information. We haven't been where we want to be but we are not as far as some make out.

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Comments

#1 - vote eboue Says:

then thank goodness u r not wenger!!!!

#2 - CHGooner Says:

A lot of fair points, the main point is though you're not Wenger. The big question is 'will Wenger change?' the big answer is 'no'. Arsenal have provided Wenger with the wherewithal to follow his dream. He cannot and will not abandon that so we are stuck with it until he goes. Readers of this site know my views on that.

#3 - jgunz Says:

*Buffon in(9-16m); - Fabianski(250k), out on Loan(for the season):
Lucio(10-18m) in; - Silvestre(free)+ Senderos(free) out
M.Richards in(6-11m); - Sangna/Eboue(9-14m),out
Parker in(7-12m); - denilson out on loan(for the season):
eduardo/Vela out on loan(for the season):

If i was wenger this would be the rest of of my transfers for the summer these transfers would give the team experience and give allot of players already here chance to mature away from allot of the criticisum that they get in england.
of course now that i have released wengers secret plan he will no longer do any of this

#4 - Bobby Matwala Says:

@ Mean Lean i agree with everything u have said, who do u think we should buy? I think maybe even Holland's number 1 could do á good job for us but i do believe we have to get a new goalkeeper, with regards to central defence im hoping Wenger could pull out another gem like thomas veermeelan, i would love some1 like vidic or chilleni, i no he would cost alot but he would be a great signing and i do believe we need another defensive midfielder how bout laurent menard? on football manager he is great lol, anyways i'd like 2 no ur opinion and i got a season ticket for next season so might c u there...cheers ( arsenal 4 life)

#5 - raj Says:

So what if Barcelona went and bought Villa..thats what they do..spend big and if that player fails then they simply replace by spending big again..Arsenal. The funds have not been available to AW over the last 5 years and only this coming season he's admitted he has some more to spend...These big games we've lost this season look how much these teams have spent. Oh and you cant just simply go out and uy a world class keeper, they have to want to come..Buffon for eg has said he'd like to stay in italy

#6 - Ian Says:

Uefa are phasing in new rules starting today that mean clubs have to break even to enter their competitions. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/european_football/article7137141.ece.

This means that clubs like Liverpool, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter and Villa (sic) will all have to change their financial model if they want to enter the ucl.

That is coupled with the new premier league rules governing home grown players.

Arsenal are ahead of the game on this one. We are one of the only clubs that are set up ready for the new rules. Watch us laughing at other teams in a couple of years time as they try desperately to follow Arsene's lead.

#7 - Eddie Says:

If i was Wenger..........I would resign

A great manager in his first 8 years at the club.But he has lost the plot with his project.

Only one of the present team would get into the 2004 team thats how far this team has gone backwards

Average players like Almunia,Silvestre,Denilson,Diaby and Vela should not be near a club like ours

#8 - Terry the Red Says:

Mean lean

Wenger should resign on principle if Cesc is allowed to go.He should say Cesc stays or i go.Even if Barca offered £60+ million

#9 - omar Says:

Cesc was always going to leave Arsenal, regardless what Arsenal Won. Ronaldo left Man U, and when to Real to follow his dream. If it was not for Wenger you would have never had the chance to see Cesc play

#10 - Kenny Says:

Now if i was Wenger i would

1.Get rid of all the deadwood at the club.Almunia,Flappy,Twetty,Denilson,Diaby,Rosicky,Vela and Walcott

2.Buy some experienced players

3.Buy a keeper for gods sake.We have two clowns as our number 1 and 2 keepers

4..Bring in a number two who is not afraid to tell me i am doing wrong,unlike yes man Pat Rice

5.Get brand new medical team at the club.Players who get injured at other clubs are back in a few weeks at Arsenal it 3 months

6.Stop making excuses

#11 - The Law Says:

It's a great big shame seeing the mentality of this American Idol/Instant Fame generation, and knowing that only the very worst opinions are ever heard, all in the desperate push for hits and clicks. I once sent ML an article about the class of supporters in the Emirates, he never published it, that's his right, but ultimately, it is that attitude posts like this spring from.

If you were Wenger, how would you have managed keeping your team competing at the elite level in Europe while managing the massive debt created by the brand new stadium you were responsible for building? At what point would you have declared you'd had enough of the morons attacking you for not spending cash you don't have, and quitting?

When Ivan Gazidis came to Arsenal, he made all the "right" noises about knowing fans wanted to see some exciting signings, etc. In less than 6 months, Ivan was saying that the priority was keeping our existing team together, and looking to add players where possible. That wasn't Wenger speaking, that was Arsenal's CEO. The man came in all blood and thunder, then saw the reality on the ground, the financial constraints the club is facing, and knew that he had to change tack dramatically. There is no top manager on Earth who would agree to come to Arsenal once he's been shown what Wenger has had to work with over the last 6 years.

You criticize Walcott for scoring a goal? That is such an absurd comment that I cannot even begin to examine it. All I will say on that is that you must have the IQ of a bar of soap.

If Cesc is sold, Arsenal will continue to exist and thrive. We've sold players in the past, we will sell players in the future. Arsenal will still be here. To say Wenger should resign if Cesc is sold is utterly stupid. Did Ferguson resign when Ronaldo was sold? Of course not. On what planet does that happen?

About the only point I will agree with you on is that our goalkeepers are not of the standard we have come to expect, and that is down to Almunia's astonishing regression. He was (during the battle with Mad Jens for the #1 jersey) a capable if unspectacular goalkeeper, and there was no reason to expect him to go backwards as much as he did last season. It is possible Arsene is right now looking into that situation, but the bottom line is, it is his decision what happens there, and if you can't support your own players, why the hell do you watch the team?

If you were Wenger, would you sacrifice your own personal ambitions, rejecting the advances of a cash-laden Real Madrid, to continue to guide a club through what must rank amongst its most difficult periods, all the while accepting insults and idiocy from those who call themselves supporters?

Go back to your Football Manager screen. Eejit.

#12 - David Gorman Says:

These are things Wenger shouldnt have to even think about doing

Sign a quality world class keeper.There is no excuse for not doing that

Buy two CB's who are out and out defenders who can head a ball.Let TV burst upfield but his patner has to stay back.So many times we were caught with both our CB's upfield last season

Buy a DM

Buy a replacement for Cesc

Give Jack Wilshire a chance.More talent than Walcott will ever have

Buy a 20 plus goal a season striker.We just cannot rely on RVP staying fit for a whole season

Sell Almunia,Fabianski,Silvestre,Senderos,Diaby Eduardo and Vela

Learn that you get the same points for a scrappy 1-0 win as you do for a 5-0 win

Bring in a top goalkeeping coach and a defensive coach

#13 - Ahmed El Hawary Says:

Thanks for your reply ML, & sorry if i seemed like an american idol fan! anyway what i meant when i said that wenger should resign is that in selling merida, reyes, hleb & especially Cecs ( if he does leave) it defies the whole logic of the youth policy. Yes we needed to buy young to cope with building the emirates, but we should be stronger in keeping our players, because the message that every players has is that when they want to leave we'll let them. We need to change that, Wenger needs to come out and say that no player will leave until he's not needed, other than that no one will leave.
As you say we needed to be on a strict budget, that doesn't mean we couldn't have bought quality experienced players. For example Given as I recall went to cityfor around 4 mil. , which is a little less than what was paid for unexperienced players like ramsey & walcott, both of which may turn into great players but still what a difference given coould have made.
on that note you say that you don't see how a world class keeper could have saved us 10 points, does this mean you think almunia is good??!! A class keeper might not have conceded that stupid penalty away to utd, that stupid goal at home to utd or the goal at birmingham. Not to mention fabianski's two errors against porto or almunia's unwarranted run out of his goal to face Ibrahimovic in barca's first goal at the emirates.

#14 - Tom Says:

ML

Buffon,Cesar and Akinfeev have never played in the premiership but neither had Lehmann 49 games unbeaten,Cech and Reina

Our top priority has to be a world class keeper .The number of mistakes Almunia and Fabianski made last season were beyond a joke

A class keeper will win you 10 pts

#15 - gt Says:

Rather OT but if I were Wenger, I would consider switching back to 4-4-2 for some games? 4-3-3 isolates the lone striker too much as shown during last season. Both vp and NB have done impressively but not so for Arshavin. AW didn't even trust Dudu and Vela in that position alone. It would be interesting if we can mix things up at bit.

#16 - Btw Says:

Have a clearout of the dross.Denilson is not going to get any better.Silvestre is finished(he was when we signed him) The two keepers Laurel and Hardy.Vela the new Reyes

Keep Gallas still the best CH at the club and Sol as 3rd or 4th choice CH.

Buy 2 keeper,1 or 2 CB's Another striker

Read the riot act to Walcott and Diaby tell them they are drinking at the last chance saloon

Change the tactics.Stop being so bloody gung ho.

#17 - SolsaGooner Says:

re;eddie"But he has lost the plot with his project." how has he exactly lost the plot please remind me? we have qualified every year in the last 5 years for the champ league,have been to two finals!! been to a few semi finals and have just finished 3rd after a injury plagued season were we were written off by everyone to the extent that we were not supposed to finish in the top 5!! all this was achieved on a STRING budget whilst united chelski ect have spent millions upon millions!! o and we have being playing in a brand new sate of the art stadium for 4 years now which every other club is enviuos of!! i hate idiot fans like u fuck off u gloryhunting prick,no club has the right to anything yet we have been competing somehow on a noting budget just because of one mans genius...SIR WENGER!!

#18 - Mo Says:

Article a load of tosh really, I think mean lean & the law dismantled it pretty well..some of our fans are just rediculous...they should get a taste of what really supporting a club is like..5 years with no trophy is shame AT ALL (unless you're real Madrid) & were certainly not real Madrid..not yet anyway..Liverpool with all their massive massive history haven't Ron a title in 20 years, united who also have had the likes of best & charlton didn't win the title for 26 years!!yes 26 before fervor Ron it in 92 (in his 7th season I might add)..Chelsea before a few years ago didn't win in for 50..thru have barely any history & their success is built purely on roubles..
While for us our most successful spell prior to wenger was in the 30's!! When football was nothing like it is now..& considering the state of things at the club inside & out...I don't quite think wengers gone a bad job..I think he's done a remarkable job...& for me I would have no one else in the world..yes he makes mistakes & infact some years we really shouldve done better(02/03 & 07/08 should be 2 more titles to our name)
I think there's no sound anti wenger argument..ch gooner who gets really excited when we lose (& I suspect is a bit xenophobic) & the other doomers bleat out the same dross all the time..we've heard it all before. i really hope all the glory hunters would Just piss off & support barca or Madrid...I want real fans at the ground who actually support the team...I know it's all corporate business now & so theres the 'we pay-so you play' argument..but really if I was a senior player I wouldve left a long time ago just based on the way the fans behave to our own players..

#19 - podge Says:

i wonder if its harder to motivate yourself to lift trophies infront of a crowd that dont support you? please support the team before you criticize them. almunia was solid when he took the no.1 spot but over the last 2 years he has been dire wenger gave him a second chance he didnt take it. fabianski is 23 and his only fault is his decision making before he played chelsea last year everyone was raving about how good he was and why he didnt start sooner but now his confidence is shot and his decision making hasnt improved a loan deal might help. anyone who thinks we should sell sagna or eboue should just give up following football now you know nothing and thats not likely to improve. eboue is a hard working versatile squad player who adds strength and pace to our team sagna is the best full back in the world defensively. vela diaby denilson stop writing off players that young they are better than u are giving them credit for now and will improve no player was ever better at 22 than 25 unless he got seriously injured or addicted to drugs. eduardo needs first team football loan deal to a premiership side any one of the promoted teams would want him and start him.
new signings, a goalkeeper duh! buffon wont leave juve lloris not convinced too eratic sometimes great france vs ireland sometimes awful lyon vs bayern. schwarzcer(

#20 - podge Says:

ok half of that didnt go up so i'll shorten what was missed schwarzcer(

#21 - aditkus Says:

if I were wenger, i wouldn't think to buy new players because they price too expensive. Arenal don't have enough fund so I only can buy young player and I'll sell it when he mature

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