Change is needed at Arsenal! Wenger out? Rice out?

Comments

1. S Newman says:
   February 22, 2009 at 2:16 pm

   Gaffer,

   I don’t know how long you have been a supporter. Even at 5th place it is much preferable to some of the dire positions we were in during the 70′s.
   Yes it is disappointing and we have been unfortunate with injuries but too many people look for a quick fix when things do not go according to plan.

   Keep the Faith. Wenger has, and will continue to make Arsenal into a great team whose effects will last far beyond his tenure.

   Simon
2. frankie boy says:
   February 22, 2009 at 2:35 pm

   A change is needed but it’s not with Wenger or Rice. Its the players that need changing. With Fab, Theo, Tomas returning and once Eduardo is fully fit then thing will start to change for the better. Having 2 centre mid players like Song and Denilson who can’t shoot or mainly don’t want to shoot then we will struggle to find goals from anyone else other than the strikers and you can’t expect them to score every game. Van Persie has been carrying the team for the last couple of months it showed yesturday. They just seemed to run out of ideas. Add the missing players into the mix then the ideas will return and a different dimensions to our play will com back.
3. RedandDread says:
   February 22, 2009 at 2:37 pm

   I agree with you in part-whether it is pat Rice that needs to go is another story. However, A CHANGE is MOST DEf. required. We have had the SAME failings as a team for several seasons now……..inability to break down the perverbial BUS in front of the goal. Terrible crosses, wasted opportunities to cross the ball. Not enough attackers in the box when the ball does arrive. Defending from set pieces. A destroyer in midfield (although Flamini did fill that role last year).

   Our style of play has become STALE! Supposedly, lesser talented teams are able to NULLIFY our game way too easliy! We need a shake up in our style of play-it has to become more direct! Our play has become too languid, too impotent, too sterile. No pace, no zip, no threat! You see the players trying the SAME thing every game-I groan when I see clichy or Sagna dump a cross into the 1st defender. Worse still when it is Bendter crossing for either RVP or Denilson/Song (who are never gonna win a header against 6-3 defenders). I groan when I see Denilson & Song make 100 lateral passes a game.

   I agree, shake it up……..how, is the $64 million dollar question! But I really think that some fundamental changes to our style of play are reqiured URGENTLY. The buck stops with the manager!
4. Mike says:
   February 22, 2009 at 2:40 pm

   The lack of passion horrified me yesterday.

   If Wenger thinks the attitude of the players was good then really does need someone to give him a kick up the rear.

   When Gallas came out and stated that the team had an attitude problem, he got bulleted.

   So now everyone is too scared to tell the truth

   Get Roy Keane in, maybe that would shake some of these players (and Wenger) out of their complacency.

   Enough of this kid-glove rubbish, time for a few well-aimed boots to he scrotal areas.
5. RobC says:
   February 22, 2009 at 2:40 pm

   I fully agree with the first response, we do not have a god given right to win something every year but given the amount of injuries we have suffered this season we are in a position that most of the other premiership sides would love to be in and looking at our run in compared to Villa’s I feel that we will comfortably overhaul them as with the returning players I can see us going the rest of the season unbeaten. Eduardo was a big miss yesterday as had he had the chances that fell to our Danish muppet we would have won the match easily. When we are back to full strength we will be good enough to beat any team in the world and that includes Manure.
6. Dave says:
   February 22, 2009 at 2:46 pm

   Clearly not a fan for too long or a student of Arsenal history.

   In fact, Theo Foley was on the staff as Arsenal’s star was rising under GG and actually left the club in 1990 to be replaced by Stewart Houston. It was at this point in the early 90s when Arsenal started buying duds like Jensen, McGoldrick, Kiwomya et al, rather than picking up the likes of Winterburn, Bould, Dixon, Smith, Limpar and Marwood who went on to be winners and stalwarts for the club.

   Theo Foley was also part of GG’s success at Millwall which got him the job.

   Students of history will also note that Wenger worked miracles at Monaco befoe going slightly mad and getting rid of top players to bring in young players. Sound familiar?

   Everyone has a shelf life, but before jumping to conclusions, is this Wenger’s experiment or the board imposing such financial restrictions that no-one but Wenger could have even kept us in the CL over the last few seasons. If it’s the former, the board should call time.

   Barring a massive collapse, Villa will finish in the top four. They have easier fixtures and we have drawn 7 of the last 10 games which is hardly awe-inspiring form. Looks like we’ll have to win the CL to be in it next season.
7. Gooner2death says:
   February 22, 2009 at 2:52 pm

   Nah when every one was Jumping on willy gallas’s back it was all good but i believe in what he says to many players think there to big at the minute and there really is no passion he is our best player at the back rite now and he is proving his point with the clean sheets but i think a change at the top must come either HILL-WOOD or WENGER.

   I want to see Usmanov and Dein back running things properly Arsenal are a business first and a football team second right now….
8. alan says:
   February 22, 2009 at 2:55 pm

   get rid of wenger and rice we need someone who isnt afraid 2 spend money. wenger is alegend but he is not the manager he used 2 be.
9. Yousif says:
   February 22, 2009 at 3:16 pm

   i see bergkamp becoming involved next season, in the queiroz mould.

   we should have WON yesterday. the flash players coming back would have made it a thrashing, but with the ‘talent’ we had on the pitch yestrerday. 1-0 was a minimum requirement. It’s looking increasingly like this team are weak emotionally, tothe point it affects their in-game confidence and mentality. This is the weakness of youth. Sure, we can wait on them to gel, but we run the risk of subconsciously stereotyping them as alsorans. They need a group of leaders to take the league by the scruff of the neck like the invincibles did, and let them taste blood.

   Right now they’re at the petting zoo.
10. tom says:
    February 22, 2009 at 3:41 pm

    its no wonder BORO, are near the drop zone with aliadiere and hoyte recruited from arsenal.two more of wenger boys, one was 25 and with the club for 9 yrs before wenger decided he was as much addition too the club as an ashtray on a motorbike and he seen justin was useless at 23yrs of age
11. GoonerVance says:
    February 22, 2009 at 3:57 pm

    Get rid of Wenger, are you crazy? Yeah it won’t be 5 seconds before we let him go that a team like Real Madrid snatch him up. That’s how you measure the quality of a manager not by what he has done, because lets face it with injuries and age and what not there are other reasons we are 5th place this year, you judge someone’s quality by the kind of teams that are willing to hire them. Last I checked Real Madrid is kind of a big deal. Just ask Chelsea about firing a quality manager, and now look what Mourinho has done at Inter.
12. arsenalaction says:
    February 22, 2009 at 4:02 pm

    Were did i say anything about getting ride of wenger?
13. RedandDread says:
    February 22, 2009 at 4:06 pm

    Wenger needs to understand that what is going on IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH. Him & the players need to get out of that comfort ZONE that they all seem to be in right now. Although I am sure he would be first to want an improvement in team results.

    He created a team of INVINCIBLES and hasn’t won anything of significance since……hmmmm. Maybe he thought he had license to do what he wanted after that great achievement-his pet project is at the end of it’s tether now. Results or else!
14. Mr B says:
    February 22, 2009 at 4:09 pm

    The thing that worries me is the the term nervousness which Arsene used to decribe our players after the game.

    I can’t ever think of any top flight managers mentioning that their players are nervous before a game. Managers are supposed to install confidence. It begs the question do they have the mental strenghth to sustain a real challenge for the title! It might have something to do with the way Arsene handles them ( no jokes intended) by being to soft on them. It does not seem he has a big enough hair dryer!
15. Will says:
    February 22, 2009 at 4:21 pm

    Why don’t we judge the team at the end of the season? I know we’re all frustrated, especially at the performances and attitude of the likes of bendtner and eboue etc, but we have also been extremely unlucky with injuries. With a top quality defensive midlfielder we can and will challenge next season, and who knows, maybe try and swap Adebayor for Huntelaar? One thing’s for sure, we are extremely unlikely to find a better coach than Wenger and if we’re being pragmatic our key player’s loyalty is much greater to him than the club so there could be well be an exodus and then we really are in trouble. Our future is still extremely bright and we’ve got to see this through or we run the risk of completely blowing it. Usmanov is NOT the answer. Like most i’m not a fan of PHW but Usmanov is a total crook and a scumbag and I hope he dies a very horrible death long before he gets to 30%.
16. Maciek says:
    February 22, 2009 at 4:54 pm

    Hi.
    I respect Your view but I can’t agree with all of them. If Wenger will be sacked we won’t be finshed.There are many quality managers around here( Laudrup,Spaletti, Van Basten) who can improve our team and aren’t so stubborn, and want to learn.Uefa Cup or Intertoto means less revenue, income and inability to attract many star players.Wenger earns almost 5 milion per year, and I will ask-FOR WHAT?????
    For 4 bare, trophyless years?For Denilson and Song with Eboue in our midfield?For zero CL trophies?We are a joke Club, and it’s all “thanks to ” Wenger, Hill Wood,and our board.We are lacking an ambition.We will be in United’s shadow forever, as long as they are driving our Club in the WRONG direction.
17. steve says:
    February 22, 2009 at 5:09 pm

    most of the arsenal crowd are a bunch of wankers, if u want fucking ruck the team go down the other end of ss road they know how get the team down, wenger has not play to holding m/f when he knows teams are getting 10 behind the ball yesterday the m/f should have started gibbs nasri denis neilson or song arsesaving, the holding m/f takes a couple of years to be able read the game well i.e gilberto was ? 25 when he got be good at that pos
18. dfb says:
    February 22, 2009 at 5:17 pm

    Why wait until the end of the season to judge ? Will the current team suddenly click into gear and sweep everyone before them ? This actually seems to be Arsene’s game plan at the moment. How else can you explain him playing the same ineffective team in match after match with exactly the same result week after week ?
19. Muppet says:
    February 22, 2009 at 5:37 pm

    The usual article that fails to analyse why we are in our current predicament – injuries.

    Anybody notice that we had 5 potential match winners missing yesterday ? Eduardo, Fabregas, Adebayor, Walcott and Rosicky. The other match winner not yet fully fit was Arshavin.

    Anybody notice the long unbeaten run where previously mantra was that Arsenal had a weak underbelly and a poor backbone ?

    This article is the usual knee jerk reaction that flies in the face of facts and unfortunately doesn’t help.

    Totally disagree with the tone, content and the opinions of the author. Sorry.
20. Paul g says:
    February 22, 2009 at 5:57 pm

    Goonervance is right but let’s not forget mourinho inherited a team at inter who had already won the league 3 seasons in a row all be it 1 of them was handed to them for juventus cheating and he inherited and Chelsea side that was on the cusp of winning something under ranieri so be isn’t as special as is made out anyway wenger is a great manager and with maybe 2-3 new additions and getting rid of some dead wood like bentdner we can and wil be great again!
21. Marko says:
    February 22, 2009 at 6:08 pm

    Yeah we draw against Sunderland so we should get rid of Wenger. Do you hear yourself. We have been decimated by injuries in key areas this season. Denilson and Song are coming to terms with being key players in our midfield way before their time. I fully believe that what Wenger will learn at the end of thiss season is that we do need another central midfielder like De La Red or Melo or Inler as a replacement for Fabregas in case he gets injured or to partner him in midfield. I think at times this season Song and Denilson have been good but without Cesc or Rosicky in the centre we haven’t got enough penetration or tempo in our passing. In saying that it’s no suprising that you hear us being linked with Strikers cause Adebayor and Bendtner aren’t doing enough with the chances they get handed to them. Maybe if Eduardo was playing yesterday we would of won comfortably.

    Absolutely in no way do I agree with people asking for Wenger to be sacked. They are a minority and don’t represent the majority of smart and rational fans.
22. Marko says:
    February 22, 2009 at 6:10 pm

    And why the hell are people turning up and booing our team at home. It’s stupid. This is when our team needs us and they’re just adding to the overall atmosphere of the Emirates which needs to be a whole lot more positive and better.
23. Tossers says:
    February 22, 2009 at 6:51 pm

    Roy Keane

    I think our fans need to change personally.
24. Arsenal4ever says:
    February 22, 2009 at 6:53 pm

    I do agree with the getting rice out and someone new in as we need to change methods in regards to braking teams down.
    But the real reason that wenger has not won anything is that the boardroom level at arsenal are misguided on two issues firstly:

    when arsene tells them to get a player, (robhino?Baptista?Vanistlrooy?Figo?C.Ronaldo?) they always fail saying the player wanted to much money or that the club wont be held to ransom….thats rubbish if you out spend manU you will win the league they have been outspending everyone else for over a decade.

    secondly:if we had invested our money into success insted of a shiny stadium the we would have more money due to success to ticket sales
25. d.j says:
    February 22, 2009 at 7:02 pm

    I am almost sure if Wenger goes big players will fly out the door. People would die to be coached by him and I believe he can bounce the team back. If Arsenal stump Roma everybody will be praising him so just hold on and keep believing in the team because they don’t get most support from nowhere else and if we’re not going to support them, who will?
26. nzekwe Asugha says:
    February 22, 2009 at 7:18 pm

    It is that booing that arsenal kids need in order to grow up. Most of our supporters lack ambition just like wenger and the board. Why are they living in the past? If Ferguson were to judge how many trophies he has gathered for Manu, then he would have retired. Wenger is not the only manager in the world, arsenal will outlive all of us. The end justifies the means, the man has lost the plot, it is either he wake up or he ship out. We can not continue to play second fiddle to teams that we are better just because wenger is saving money for the board and causing heartache to millions of fans all over the globe. Enough is enough. We all saw it coming during the summer when he foolishly allowed good players to leave and he refused to replace them. Song and Eboue will never make Manu reserve team, why are they still in Arsenal? Wenger know better and the result if there for all to see.
27. TUNADOG says:
    February 22, 2009 at 7:43 pm

    Bring back Dein. Everything has gone down hill since he left. What does Hillwood bring to Arsenal ? Does he put his hand in his pocket ? NO ! He clings to power like a leech.
28. Jack Staniforth says:
    February 22, 2009 at 8:20 pm

    Couldn`t agree more we need new training methods and a fresh face at number 2.

    One thing has been puzzling me for a long time, does Arsenal have the money to invest in players or don`t they?

    Secondly,we hear of the `depth of youth` but how many have come through the academy and reseves to make first grade? Maybe someone can enlighten me.

    Like others I`m beginning to question the Wenger approach. For the last two seasons he seems to have become a little eccentric, there again so have I but he`s no where near my age. Let`s have some new faces and an attitude change. I personally think Wenger is the man for the job but he needs new advisors.
29. GFL says:
    February 22, 2009 at 8:43 pm

    Marko, the majority of fans are booing because they don’t believe the constant spin and nonsense from the club’s managment and daft ‘supporters’.
30. William McDonald says:
    February 22, 2009 at 9:03 pm

    I do not share AW’s optimism for the remaining part of the season.Accoding to the BBC ,the rednosed has won twelve out of thirteen matches and drawn the other one. How is it the rednosed can beat the massed defences and Arsenal can’t . Something is glaringly obviously and if AW chosses to ignore it and Arsenal continue to drop points he is accountable.
    Actually the seeds for the current slump could be traced to end of 2005. He started dismantling the experienced players from the team thinking the young guns he introduced will take over and performed creditably. Senderos is a good example and has wasted the gunners two to three years when Aw could have bought a battled exposed player to shore up the defence.
    I have a sneaky feeling the gunners will miss the cl spot. I hope I am wrong but if they fail to score your guess is as good as mine.
    One of soccer’s unwritten rule you is strengthen when you are strong . In this respect AW has failed miserably and it is obvious to all except he and the yes men around.
31. Sam says:
    February 22, 2009 at 10:21 pm

    Denilson, Song, Bendtner, Eboue and Adebayor need to be removed from the club, they are not Premier League quality let alone Arsenal – if Wenger can’t see they are not good enough then we will not win anything while they remain!
32. kenny says:
    February 22, 2009 at 11:33 pm

    Change the number 2 seems to be a good idea
33. ted says:
    February 23, 2009 at 12:27 am

    i fully agree with frankie boy !
34. RedandDread says:
    February 23, 2009 at 1:18 am

    We have listened for several years about how “this team is very close to being something special” – well that just ain’t the case now is it! So Wenger has been feeding us BS for a few years now, for whatever reason we don’t know. We are told we have $$ then we are told we don’t have $$. we the fans have only ONE WAY to judge our team and that is the offering that is supplied 1-2 times per week on the field and quite frankly the feeling is IT AIN”T good enough!

    Coming from a position of dominance 5 years ago I HAVE NO IDEA why we find ourselves in this lowly position and yes 5th is lowly for an Arsenal team that was either 1 or 2 from 1997 to 2005. Yes we have injuries BUT THAT IS PART of football and that is why you have a squad players who can fill in during those injuries. Why do we have so many injuries -is it just bad luck or are the types of players Wenger buys more susceptible to being injured….just asking? THIS TEAM LOOKS further away from challenging for a LEAGUE title than ANY TEAM since 2003/04 and for that reason WE the fans have every right to question WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON??
35. Rowell says:
    February 23, 2009 at 1:32 am

    It’s madness saying Wenger or Rice is the problem – they have turned the club into a great club.

    Anyone who can’t see the amount of injuries we have had over the last three years is short sighted.

    Also look at every other team in the PL. There isn’t a bad team in there anymore – Pretty much everyone can take points of anyone else on their day. It’s alot more competitive than the late 90′s when Man Utd and Arsenal fought it out. How many foriegn owners are there now ????

    I agree some of the players aren’t good enough – Song etc. Denilson has what it takes but will grow in the next couple of years he’s still only 20 yrs old…..

    We do need an over haul with the Centre Backs – Gallas has got to go. And a Leader is needed. Look at Vidic, Terry etc. the most consistent teams have a solid keeper and CB’s. once this is done I think we get a instant change.
36. Hisham says:
    February 23, 2009 at 1:48 am

    If the unthinkable were to happen ,Arsenal must bite the bullet and get on with it.Assuming the big name players leave together with AW so what. Remember the cardinal rule: no one is indispensable/bigger than Arsenal.
    Let the new manager get on with his work. It’s a gamble .He might set the ES on fire topping the league in the first half and collapsing in the second half or he might lose the first ten matches or the big name players may elect to stay.
    Aw still has some time to save the gunners season by getting the cl spot.
    For this to happen he must let the head and not the heart decide.Futhermore he must choose to act ruthlessly and weed out the dead wood.
    The time for action is now. From a promising 2007-08 season the gunners season is in tatters and for that AW has no one to blame but himself over his transfer deals.
    Yes I know the young gunners will come good in three years time but it’s no good because there are too many variables.
37. Stringfellow Hawke says:
    February 23, 2009 at 2:02 am

    Interesting, but who could replace
38. charlie says:
    February 23, 2009 at 3:14 am

    I thought the number two man is a Serb or something,his name is Primonac or something like that, who is very hignly rated. He was tapped to be a manager but refused, prefering to be in the background. Perhaps, he needs to step up.
39. Girma says:
    February 23, 2009 at 6:13 am

    Hey guys, firstly no one should be evaluated as true arsenal fun because he is loyal to wenger. If you stuck on wenger you will finally change him after he completely destroys your club. I am no longer arsenal fun, a fun of club where my voice is never heard at all. This year in my country thousands may be millions of arsenal funs stop watching arsenal games. Guys I had enough of a team who has no interst to play at least to my level. This is my final word, I will start watching football again when some thing real big change happens in arsenal home.
40. djh84 says:
    February 23, 2009 at 9:53 am

    Why dont we play Toure in DM midfield with Nasri in the middle, Vela on the left & Arshavin on the right. Problem solved.
41. I am says:
    February 23, 2009 at 10:03 am

    If we finished 5th, i would dare say we’d win the UEFA Cup quite easily. Mabe it wouldnt be a bad thing. At least it would be a trophy in the cabinet.
42. The Brain says:
    February 23, 2009 at 11:12 am

    Arsenal are getting better but teams are defending so deep nowadays the spectacle of the Premier League is being ruined. United have won 8 1-0′s out of their last 13 games. That’s the difference at the moment.

    If teams opened up they would be hammered and outplayed by us. We went so close last season even if the table said we came third playig our champagne football. There’s no reason to bring in a new No.2. A pretty stupid post.
43. John says:
    February 23, 2009 at 11:30 am

    “Hey guys, firstly no one should be evaluated as true arsenal fun because he is loyal to wenger. If you stuck on wenger you will finally change him after he completely destroys your club. I am no longer arsenal fun, a fun of club where my voice is never heard at all. This year in my country thousands may be millions of arsenal funs stop watching arsenal games. Guys I had enough of a team who has no interst to play at least to my level. This is my final word, I will start watching football again when some thing real big change happens in arsenal home.”

    This attitude horrifies me frankly. If finishing outside the top four alienates “supporters” like these then that’s one hell of a consolation.
44. gbenga says:
    February 23, 2009 at 12:56 pm

    Let d unbelievers of what Arsene is doing dry up & blow away.
45. Sonic says:
    February 23, 2009 at 2:15 pm

    Every one stop using the same escuse over and over again our players are still young we are unfortunate to get injuries dis is totally unacceptable we have nothing for the past 4 years no premierhip for 5 that is rediculous we use to be up there with man u but now were down der with everton and aston villa wenger is totally usless keeps backin hes playes for no reason wen would he realise they will never change
46. dtr0uble says:
    February 23, 2009 at 2:55 pm

    Neither Wenger or Rice should get sacked. The problems within the players at l’Arse.
    The problem i’ve seen with football fans these days is they are quick to point their finger at the coach when things are going wrong but when things are going right they give the coach little credit and give the players almost all of it.

    When l’Arse were on top last season it was all joy and fans were saying they have the best players in the world but then they faded it was different.

    The main problem with you Gooners is that you want instant success but with that instant failure lies right behind in it’s shadow.

    I’m a Manchester United fan and i’ve been supporting United for 17 years plus, my brother is an Arsenal fan and has been follwing the Gooners the same lenght of time i’ve been supporting United.
47. tendai says:
    March 2, 2009 at 7:17 pm

    i think wenger must go he is just living in the past
48. saffrongoon says:
    April 19, 2009 at 3:20 pm

    you’re a douche wenger is the best thing that ever happened to arsenal football club, we’re clearly going to finish fourth and we’re in the champions league semi-final so shut the hell up and support the team.

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