After this week it's evident it's only one person.

Arsene Wenger's message to Arsenal FC fans.

Oh well, Wenger just lost his last chance to bow out with any dignity. Any evidence of past failings and things will turn toxic very quickly.

Leads a list of players you scratch your head over of why Wenger didn't play them when healthy and produtive (Perez, Young, Podolski, down the line). Perez and similar situations should be prosecutor's evidence exhibit 1 on why Wenger needs to be properly managed by those above him and a case made for a DoF.

Didn't some genius on this forum proclaim when he signed that Perez had been watched countless times and was a long term target for Wenger...

Short answer? Yes, he's taking the piss.
Stan knows one thing about football. The only thing Americans know about football isn't the sport but the perception that the British love football akin to a religion and I am absolutely sure its one of the driving reasons he bought us. He knows football fans are more loyal (paying at the gates) than their American counterparts. The Lakers, Yankees and Cowboys, our some of our most popular sides in each sport do not sell out every game. Arsenal, Man Utd and liverpool do. Simple economics.

He said what you all wanted to hear. Him saying it says one thing though. He's fully aware of the discontent among fans. So, that in of itself is a possible ray of light to at least 'spend' to an amount that suggests he wants to compete.

Him attending the FA Cup final and seeing it may work against us in a strange way. Wenger could argue 'You were there. What discontent? We won the oldest football competition 3 of the last 4 seasons.' "Nothing to see here, move along"

Is that a realistic goal though? From 5th to challenging with the added fact that 5 other clubs as good or better according to the table and Man Utd winning a bigger cup, will be spending to that end.

I'm not saying don't try. Shoot for the stars and perhaps we'll end up on the moon but I think the reality is top 4, top 2 if we can or at worst top 3 and avoid the extra CL matches.
Go for another cup, be it, FA cup defense or Europa cup.

I was actually quietly confident of beating Chelsea .

I thought our attack was more potent AND ...... this might surprise a few of the less knowledgeable the fact we had Mustafi , Gabriel and Koschielny out .
It is my firm belief if we had played our regular first choice line up at the back we would have lost .
The blend of fired up youth and an old head was exactly what was called for ... in the past I know I've called Mertesacker an enormous block of granite with the mobility of an eighty ton Tiger tank with one track missing but I was gloriously happy pre game that he was there . Having a green as grass young dude alongside him raised his game and he responded magnificently .
A good shout for man of the match . Costa would have had Koschielny messing himself.

We won I'm happy and pleased for Arsene and Arsenal Football Club .
Does Arsene deserve plaudits ...sure he does he played three at back , played Welbeck instead of his Froggie mate Giroud and had that ponsy little fairy Walcott nowhere near the action .
Was the victory soley due to a Wenger masterplan I don't think so ... main reason I've already mentioned

This victory splendid as it was covers a multitude of cracks in the system , one superb performance can't wipe from the memory banks the so many turgid performances this season .
Arsene blaming fans for their toxic behaviour saying it effected team performances mid term is worrying for me ......shows he is quite delusional and putting the cart in front of the horse
"Arsene , Arsene , Arsene ..... the fans only wanted you to f&&^%% off AFTER so many inept performances ".

Will things improve next season ...? it's a toss up . Sell a bit of deadwood buy a couple of decent players who knows .

Another two years of Wenger pre / post gobbledegookey offerings certainly doesn't raise the heart rate but maybe he has turned the corner .

Conte contributed ...not starting Fabregas and subbing Costa helped our cause .

Santi possibly out next season?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... eason.html

Head palm.

http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football ... ti-Cazorla

“Arsene is the best person to help us make that happen. He has a fantastic track record and has our full backing.” - Stan Kroenke

A ticking time bomb next season unfortunately. Lose 2 games in a row or get hammered by a contender again and things will turn even uglier sharpish. And worse still, no real improvement next season, and I don't mean finishing in the top 4 12+ points behind whoever wins it, and we will go into another lame duck season in 18/19.

Sadly I can see one reason. Wenger. I had high hopes of him buggering off so that I could watch Arsenal again. Bit longer then.

And no long term, or even short term injuries (champions don't get injuries) and purchasing at least2-3 top quality players....and getting rid of some deadwood in the squad

When the most likely of all of those is Ramsey to capture his 13/14 form then you know it is an optimistic list.

Here's to another two years....

Yes I skipped the FA Cup and haven't watched replays.

So you're still alive Kiwi - thought gangrene might have set in to that leg you nearly sliced off.
Maybe Wenger has turned the corner? If only he'd turn the corner and head for Heathrow on his way out of the country. He could take his love child Walcott with him.

Martin Keown arguing that we should offload Sanchez and Özil and just get behind the manager. They were overindulged (unlike Wenger of course who deserves our total admiration and support and can only be criticised in line with his own definition of what constitutes acceptable criticism).

All the fans getting angry was upsetting for the players and created a bad environment.

If Cannon were around we could have an interesting discussion about chickens and eggs.

(It was the egg).

Ask yourself this.

If Arsene left would you then sign another manager who has NEVER won a European trophy in 40 years of trying or failed in last 13 years to win a domestic Title?

That's what Arsenal just did

Jesus Christ, your right

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40114462

What a mind numbing interview from a brainless f&*%wit. Where do you start with this.

The club is bigger than 2 individuals yeah, well not bigger than 1 person it seems

Sell those 2 players please Martin I dare you,watch the teams output fall

I think that would be £75m wasted.
Schmeichel isn't needed, we have Čech, Ospina, szczesny - is the money to plug other holes in the squad
Mahrez is the epitome of a Wenger signing, he would be totally indulged under Wenger, Ozil-lite, won't track back, no defensive awareness,would get bullied, can't last 90 mins, would soon have any shooting coached out of him and it would be pointless tricks with no end product
Vardy - generally don't play to his natural game, is he any better than Perez?
These 3 were great for one season for Leicester a team that was geared up to play perfectly to their strengths.
That said I fully expect us to spend £35m on Mahrez

Whatever Sanchez and Özil are demanding in pay then we have to pay it. The club have massively messed up letting their contracts run down and Wenger has massively messed up by not supplementing these players with similar quality players in the squad.

I saw someone say that if Özil and Sanchez are sold this summer then Wenger faces a summer like the one when we sold nasri and cesc.......8-2 v Man U followed that

Or another way of looking at it a manager who has won three trophies in four years, finished runners up the previous year, having finished third the year before that. It's all about how you want to to spin it I guess.

I am puzzled by ex-players like Keown. At times this season they almost seemed in agony, admitting that there are deep sttructural problems with the team - which as players they cannot fail to recognise - but then tying themselves in knots to absolve Wenger from blame which is utterly inconsistent with the fact that he controls the club top to bottom in playing terms. I remember one interview after a disastrous performance where Keown almost wailed in dismay at emitting a criticism of Wenger, something about him being his football father or words to that effect. Clearly, Wenger draws great loyalty from players he has managed which is commendable but it also produces a kind of cognitive dissonance when they can also clearly see so many problems.

Personally, I think Keown is right and that Sanchez and Özil HAVE been indulged but that kind of goes with talent management. I have worked with very good actors who can be unbearable individuals and it is always tricky knowing just how far you should let them push. But when they give you something you know that nobody else available can, then that's quite a long way and part of your job is to manage and minimise the disruptive impact. Neither Sanchez nor Özil look unmanageable to me just as Conte has clearly managed to tame Costa enough this season. Obviously there comes a point - I think England cricket reached it with Pietersen - where you have to say enough because the impact tips into negative and it is better just to cut the rope.

I can actually live without either player in terms of my enjoyment of the team but I wouldn't be happy if we replaced Sanchez with, say, Lacazette. Teams need stars and stars sometimes need pampering.

The runners-up flatters to deceive as well you know.

I know but as I said in the original post, it's all about how you want to spin the situation. Harlow's right and so are the points I made.

Don't you start getting all post-modern on me, that doesn't mean there isn't an underlying truth that can be picked out of the competing narratives.

Tottenham have twice been close in the last five years, Leicester have won it. A club of our stature with a supposed genius at the helm should have done better. More importantly, we should not be on a plateau doing the same thing over and over again.

By the way, Wenger should be given credit for his tactical acumen in switching to a back three or for playing Mertesacker in the final? Do me a favour, if ever any decisions were literally FORCED upon a manager, those two were.

Spin or actually the truth on how it is Darren. Three cups are good, but this is Arsenal.

But both points of view are the truth.

For the record, I actually wanted a new manager.

Bottom line is Arsene has signed. Not much we can do now.

Personally I would have loved him to go. However, now he has signed I can only hope Arsene does change and does what is right for the club he professes to love.

I want Arsenal to challenge and win, so I'm not going to hope he cocks it all up to prove a point. Yet I do feel he simply will not change. It'll be the same old, same old.

10 weeks till it all starts again. Will it be a better challenge or will it be the same old tired excuses??

I know that Darren. A lot of us feel ignored by club. Yet what can you do? Stop going? It's simply not that easy for many.

I awoke this morning with a heavy heart because I anticipated Wenger would be reappointed. I did not look at the internet but went for a brisk 8 klm walk and then checked the forum to have my fears confirmed.

It used to be Chelsea that were known as the pensioners but now the AFC Nursing Home is the new home of old outdated ideas and memories of the good old days.

Still well played Wenger who totally outplayed Kroenke and the other pensioners at the club. In December when Allegri appeared as a potential candidate to take the club forward I bet your underpants were pretty stained at night. Still the idea to postpone the decision to March or April saw off the interloper. By then your probably anticipated that other clubs would want a commitment from him and he may become unavailable. Other clubs are often run in a proper business like manner and actually manage succession. The board did not see your strategy.

Tell us all Mr Wenger, the person who really loves the club, did you actually get a wage increase after a failed year at the EPL and CL qualification. I would not be surprised if you actually did take more from the club.

So what can we expect. We are told that your are targeting next years Premier League Title. So we the fans will be holding you to that. No excuses of injuries, bad refs decision – we are not in the CL you have absolutely no excuses.

The signs are not good however when I read 'We can move up to the next level, I'm convinced of that, by having faith in the way we play and by supporting the players we already have'. Let us look at this statement. If we can move up the next level there is an acknowledgement that we fell short this year. But support the players we aleady have – well they are simply not good enough or more pointedly not good enough when you are trying to direct them. How will that change.

Keep Walcott, Gibbs Wilshire and pay them silly sums of money. Are you kidding me .

Hey I loved the F A Cup win but let us see what happens at Everton, Swansea, Watford, Crystal Palace, Leicester next year or any other club who comes and parks the bus. Then let us see how we go against any other team in the top 6 next year. The proof will be there. I will not even be shocked when you revert to your back 4 because frankly you will not accept that others might have better ideas in modern football.

So what does your reappointment bring to the club. I believe that it will deliver bitterness and division until you move on. The year after next we will spend the whole season with the media asking will he or won't he be reappointed. You know the same problems that even you eventually acknowledged caused the team some problems this year. You won't have any interests and will again expect the Arsenal fans to provide retirement entertainment.

I firmly believe that in 2 years time we will become entrenched in the Everton and Spurs levels of clubs because of your selfish behaviour. I hope the money is worth it but do not expect respect from true fans who actually want the club to progress. Your appointment does not make the club a better club it will harm it when your take a long term view of us.

I hope you prove me wrong but I suspect nothing will change.

They're not really points of view, they're a selection of different facts offered to invite an (unstated but obvious) conclusion.

That strikes me as cutting off one's nose to spite their face...as it happens it was one our best performances of the last 2-3 years and a really very enjoyable day out.

And once Allegri signed up for a Juve extension, who were we linked to, or who was plausible? Wenger was rather fortunate that there weren't any outstanding candidates available this summer. Himself at Monaco is the only remotely viable option at the moment that offers any kind of track record of successs, and even then, if Monaco don't sell too nany others he may prefer to stick around.

The big question is whether the noises about changes to processs and personnel actually come to anything. If Wenger can be made to stop faffing in the transfer market by some greater sharing of responsibility and some of the coaching staff can be upgraded, then at least the club can be closer to being ready to replace him, unlike this year where had he actually left this summer, the board's passivity and mismanagement would have left us scrabbling around and probably hiring Tuchel, who as Bernard points out, makes Wenger look a defensive expert (though his team's were very watchable).

While I am ambivalent at best about the manager staying, who wed your realistic alternatives?

He had been watched countless times, but was never first choice. He was our fall back option when Vardy and Morata both surprisingly turned us down in favour of mid table mediocrity and a big part role. A decent player Lucas but always a stop gap.

And to be fair, that area of the pitch hasn't been the problem. Sanchez, Walcott, Giroud and Özil have scored 75 goals between them in all comps this year. We had our 3rd or 4th best all comps scoring total club history.

Bar the period where the wheels fell off, where he was largely injured, Lucas wasn't really needed.

That said, I'd keep him until it's clearer what's happening with Özil, Sanchez & the Ox

Technically, Dick Law

That is the right question. I wouldn't have worried unduly about Arsene calling it a day if we could have replaced him with a guy who knows what it is like to manage a high-profile club like Arsenal. All the big names seem to be already spoken for, or in the case of a guy like Hiddink, only a short-term supply-manager. There are any number of 'could-bes' at smaller clubs, but they have nowhere near the record of Arsene. Of those who might have been available I would have welcomed Benitez, a very good tactician who has been around the track, and is familiar with both top-level English and European football.

Özil can go if we can get something like our money back. I'd drive him to the airport myself. He's not worth 350k a week to pick and choose the games he wants to turn up in and defensively be a passenger in most games.

Where do we find another Alexis for £50m, which is probably all we'll get for him now?. He's worldclass, even with 350k wages it still makes sense to keep him.

Yes there are 'could-bes', like Monaco's coach, who, like Wenger did in the past, took them to the CL semi final. He also coached a young team well enough to beat the much richer PSG to the French title. I'd also be looking at the Leipzig coach. Either of these, with a DOF, would be an exciting step forward. Allegri would have been most people's top choice but the club dithered when they could have pounced.
'There is no better alternative' simply doesn't cut it. If we'd been so conservative in the past we'd never have hired Wenger in the first place. Also, as has been oft stated, 'the record of Arsene' would have lost him his job at any of the top European clubs.

Good post bromley.