That’s a pretty good synopsis lom/ Socrates , for the financial stuff I’d say he had reasonable backing ( in 2005-9 period) to build his squad but chose to go too much towards the socialist wage policy route and the pitfalls and consequences of that-are well documented

The two years is more for my own reflective view to start sort the anger and contempt out, not where the club or teamwill be,

also I’m not sure in what capacity i’ll Return in. Like daz with the bees, I’ve gained a real affection for BHA over the past couple of years, and love the way the fans and club are one entity due to what the club went through 20 years ago , so I won’t just turn that off and could well have two teams.

Just hope to god the last phase you mention doesn’t go into next season , although with Wenger it ain’t over till it’s over

Koscielny is the word

He's running the football club down. I don't know how many more podcasts, blogs or newspaper articles can be written about it.

3 titles in 22 years, Arsene Wenger has been a disaster for Arsenal.

I like Koscielny, good player for arsenal and the recent criticism is unjust. It's Wengers recipe and screaming at an ageing 32 year old centre half is ridiculous

The rumour yesterday was that Lord Harris offered his resignation to the board Pete to force their hand. It was declined. Several people in the know were saying this yesterday.

05-09 the lack of financial backing was almost crippling, and it had nothing to do with the wage structure.
I'm not talking about him choosing to divvy up a spare £15m budget between squad players or buy another squad member as you are. I'm talking about at at time when initially the stadium costs and then the financial crash meant that quite apart from any wage structure failings, we had a zero transfer spend on average over a 7-8 year period, and wage increases to the lesser players being offset by letting the best paid go. If you look at the finances, we genuinely become a stagnant club financially while transfers and wages were accelerating hugely...and not one board member put any money into the club to invest in the playing staff at time of strength.

We all know Wenger was resistant to throwing money at the problem, but he was gazzumped on nearly every main transfer target during that period, EVEN WHEN DEIN was still around and happy to force his hand in terms of transfer decision making.

Of course, Wenger could have kicked off and demanded more money, but there certainly wasn't any encouragement from the board to spend until may 2009/2010 ish at the earliest. If they had invested at that time the club's commercial outlook would be totally different now as well. Its particularly frustrating as the cash issue hastened the departure of outgoing greats, and yet we still had a good team that genuinely wasn't far off then.

Sadly by the time the purse strings were loosened, and the club managed to start turning a proper profit, the manager had lost his mojo, and his contemporaries had all improved.

What a load of crap! Yes he is passed his sell by date by he has done wonders for the club.

Wonders ? Oh do *%^@ off

He's *%^@ and his 3 titles are long forgotten.

George won 2.

Wonders

Interesting comment below at end of Kevin whitcher’s OG piece the other night

“Wenger looks weak.. his players take the piss out of him. There were players in a night club on Saturday night before the final. Raheem sterling arranged it. I seriously think Wenger found out and was berating pep about it. How this story hasn’t broken I just don’t ****ing know !!”

This could be what Wenger was in peps ear about the other night ,

Moaning at Pep. They are his players.

If it's sterling you would have to assume it's jack and maybe Iwobi being talked about

First of all Bernard do you never sleep. It must be late in the UK.

Now for those who are asking how long before we forgive Wenger after he goes.
Well my family immigrated here around 1860. We still don’t barrack for England in anything. Let’s call it a round 200 years before I forgive. In reality at least 20 years .

Wenger is bang out of order if he had words with Pep. First, he has no proof Pep arranged it. Second, his players didn't have to attend. Henry, for example, didn't drink at clubs or go out night before matches.

Totally agree on a lack of a proper defensive mid. I'm hard pressed to name a top club competing for a title that doesn't have a top quality defensive center mid.

Wenger came to fame partially on Vieira. Why we haven't spent big on a DCM or defender is beyond me.

If Klopp can manage runner up, I'd vote for him for manager of the year. Losing Coutinho, their quarterback, very instrumental in January and are now second (Man Utd a game in hand) is great managing not just on the pitch but in belief. We lose Sanchez and are now seemingly weaker mentally, they lose Coutinho and are playing with belief.
The surprise for me is that Tottenham aren't further up the table. They were supposed to be challenging for the title this season. They are not even a lock for CL football next season. Although I would be surprised a wee bit they don't edge out Chelsea for 4th.

BHA 1 Arsenal 0. Özil will dribble and dribble and dribble, till all the openings are closed up. Then, he will find someone on the edge of the box, likely Ramsey. Ramsey will twist & turn and lose the ball, then fall and stay down for half a minute. But the play goes on, and Xhaka will attempt a weak tackle, gets nothing out of it, then watch as play moves closer to our penalty area. That's when Kolasinec decides to run into the centre, instead of watching his man. The pass goes to the right winger, who runs at our defence, and falls in the penalty area, at the slightest touch. Penalty, and Čech saves the penalty. Oops, I meant Čech continues with his "can't save penalty" record and remains at 199 cleansheets. Then our wonderful "3 titles in 22 years manager", will moan at the 4th official. But secretly he puts down in his notebook, his excuse for another defeat. The BHA right winger saved his blushes for the day. He created a ready excuse for his press conference. Another good day at the office for Wenger.

Just finished watching a replay of the Man City league match. Specifically the time period up to the first two goals. We didn't shy away from them to some extent. We tried. Both of their goals were class. Lets put that specific match in its proper perspective and proper context. We were outclassed. We simply aren't near their level and the table tells that tale.
We had a couple good chances prior to and inbetween their first 2 goals. In matches like that you MUST take your chances. They are the EPLs equivalent of Barcelona this season. Pep has finally (via bottomless financial resources) gotten the mix he wants and he has the bench he wants to be able to rotate without losing much in quality.
Where we are is not going to be measured by a loss to a club that will likely break the EPLs points in a season record but against the rest of the league. A draw would have been a victory sadly as it sounds for the City match. A win would literally have taken a herculean effort. Wigan and such squads can sneak a win because you can't get that level of pro up mentally for an away match to Wigan. Not all the time.

How we do against Brighton will be more telling. The list of the remaining league fixtures

Brighton (a), Watford, Leicester (a), Stoke, Soton, Newcastle (a), West Ham, Man Utd (a), Burnley, Huddersfield (a)

We can win 7 of those matches. Maybe we won't but they are winnable based on what I see about us. How that plays with Chelsea and CL places may not do any good but we can play well for the rest of theseason. If we get eke out a draw at OT, that would be a victory in of itself.

Manager of the season for coming second? Ironic.

I watched Match of the Day which finished just before midnight. Had a quick look at the forum to see if anything had been written since I'd last seen it. Read the new posts that had been written, then went to bed after all the undressing, brushing teeth, having a wee sort of stuff. Had a quick look at the clock as I got into bed and it was 12.13am. Not that late, is it?

I have no love for English teams ... but that irritating Ozzie implacability is most grating. I find myself supporting anyone who is playing against them.

Even the sorry Proteas ...

It shouldn't be so hard for you to figure out. Its pretty hard to break into the European elite. And there are three members of this club in the EPL.

Amla out. That's the signal for the procession to begin.

You are correct not as late as I suspected. Since I retired I have slept longer. Probably less worry.

Playing at Wembley rather than White Hart Lane, it was always likely Tottenham would drop more home points this season. From memory they started the season poorly at home, so I'm sure they must have. Although they've improved at home recently, I don't consider it that big a surprise they're not further up the table.

I prefer everyone to be against us. It is better if we win because you know for sure the whole world is miserable while you are overjoyed. There is a quiet satisfaction in that.

I don't see Pep dominating like he did in Spain and Germany. In Spain he only had one other side basically that could compete. In Germany, no one else could but in the EPL he has Chelsea and Man Utd who can spend similar to him. And in Liverpool and Tottenham sides that can also push him. He certainly won't dominate as Ferguson did int the '90s and early 00s.

Blimey.

I don't hold it against Aussie sportsmen like Eddie Jones or Mitchell Starc that their ancestors had scant regard for the notion of private property and fell foul of our judicial system 200 years ago.

I just think they're *%^@.

Oh yes, you guys are always very quiet about your satisfaction when you win. You're admired the world over for your self-effacing reticence in that regard.

And you NEVER whinge - that's us obviously.

David Seaman saying he expects Wenger to see out his contract rather than leaving in the summer.

I honestly can't imagine or envisage another season like this one. Really hope Brighton get a result today.

The rest of your post doesn't exactly get the pulse racing or stimulate the imagination ... but what is "having a wee sort of stuff"?

Indeed. The likes of Ponting and Warner are almost effeminate.

SA in the 'nervous 90s' now. Can they get to 100?

Really?

We may have one big domestic game left in us for the rest of the season and it would have to be at Old Trafford. Fingers crossed.

Watching goals on Sunday, hate to admit it but Spurs are a good side and rightly 13 points ahead of us.

It wasn't just related to having a wee. Putting the worn clothes in the wash basket, washing hands. That sort of thing. I wasn't intending to give a precise description of everything I did between the end of MOTD and getting into bed.

Me too but I don't think they will this is the kind of game we win and then Wenger goes all holier-than-thou.

Maybe he'll tell us again how many offers he turned down ten years ago.

Čech, Chambers, Kolašinac, Koscielny, Mustafi, Xhaka, Mkhitaryan, Wilshere, Özil, Iwobi, Aubameyang

Hoping Bellerin is just being rested ahead of the European games. Chambers could get roasted by any left winger in the league

1 down already.

Arsene looks shocked ?

LOL

still think we will win though