I read Arsene's comments on the close season this morning and one particular quote stood out for me. This is it:
“Then we had the fact that we could only complete the transfers very late. It was only possible then, and it was unbelievable how it happened finally."
The use of the word 'fact' is of particular importance. Personally I think Arsene is using the word 'fact' to describe that this is what happened, I don't think he means it wouldn't have been possible to get transfers done earlier if things had been done differently. However I am not sure whether Arsene would go back and do things differently if he had the chance to turn back the clock, by saying 'it was only possible then' he seems to imply that the club would not do things differently if they could go back and try again.
I think that as supporters and shareholders we need to push the club for answers as to why it was not possible to get some transfer deals done earlier, I cannot simply take it as 'fact' that nothing could not have been done earlier and better if the club had been more organised and dynamic in their transfer negotiations. This is a very serious issue to me that questions the very competence of our club's management to sort out player transfers.
I know the club made early bids for certain players including a certain Gary Cahill. I also know that we have several million pounds left over that was not spent come the end of the window. I am no unrealistic fool, the club could not have gone out and brought in several big 30 million pound signings having sold no one, however in my eyes there is no doubt we could have done some useful early business and brought in two or three players, the fact that we did not do this suggests some significant levels of incompetence exist in the club's strategy. The manager and the board are both implicated in this failure, precisely how the blame should be divided has not yet been defined.
The biggest concern for me is that you cannot learn from your mistakes unless you own up to them, acknowledge them and change your approach to prevent them repeating in the future. I have seen no evidence that anyone in the club thinks the club has done anything wrong, the manager's words appear to show that he thinks no mistakes were made and that everything was done perfectly. This shows a state of denial or a lack of honesty, and either of these are deeply concerning to supporters. I think there is something rotten present in our club's management structure and it needs sorting badly, the first step in this will be us as supporters pushing the club for answers on these so called 'facts'. Either we have a manager in denail, an incompetent board or a bit of both.
16 comments:
Get over it already!
Time to support the team!
what is going on with you? Your lady or man leave ya? You started this blog a short time back and it was a good read for an Arsenal fan. You now whine, complain, and bitch like The entire media and Le Groan get behind the boys the rest does not matter.
btw SORT YOURSELF YOU ARE LOSING IT
Those fucking akbs ranting shite agin. Shut the fuck up.
I will always support the team.
This piece is irrelevant to my support.
Supporting the team does not involve ignoring massive mistakes made by the club that are affecting our chances of success on the field.
These things have to be discussed and pursued, we don't want to see them repeated, do we? Or do you wish to carry on ignoring problems and just hoping they go away?
We have a responsibility as supporters to hold the club to acount for its failings, its in the club's long term interests to do so!
everyone makes mistakes. but if the mistake made is because a judgement called produces a less desirous result (as compared to alternatives) due to considerations of various factors that fans will never be privy of (like negotiating styles of selling party etc ...), i think its really irresponsible for fans who have no clue as to what actually happen (and also because no normal sports fans in the world will EVER have inside info), people who consider themselves fans who also consider themselves formidable tacticians because they play FM games) to conclude that wenger made horrendous mistakes that cause the club success. most people in the world like to indulge in presentism, meaning they look at results and form opinions on a past action. so, because wenger did not buy players before the 2-8 loss its wenger's fault. what if the new players also got sick or injured before the match ? what if ...........
now, one more what if ... what if fans do not have the luxury of the media and internet to voice silly and meaningless opinions on a subject they clearly have no authority on (if not wont they already be coaches and managers already ?), do u think some of the managers' decisions will escape unfair scrutiny ?
@wenger out NOW AKB or not the season is on us. All the bitching does is hurt the team. Wait till next summer tell us how we were lucky to make CL qualification AGAIN, how bad the owner, manager, players, and fans are, then go get mounted by a rabid dog.
Love Soul
roy mah
not sure what you're saying to be honest
if you had read this blog recently is has become abundantly clear from various sources that significant errors have been made by the club this close season
obviously we do not know the precise details of everything that has gone on behind closed doors, however i have discovered a fair bit of what has gone on and it has gone past the point where a reasonable doubt existed
from what i have read and hear from various reliable sources, there are serious issues with the club at board level
one can always say you don't know everything, true, but to deny the existence of big problems when the weight of evidence is such, is foolish for me
1979gooner
soulcricket
Your comments are both unfair and misplaced.
My constructive criticism is important for the reasons I have outlined.
Blind support in all areas is not wise and not in the club's interests.
I am a big fan of the manager as you well know, I just suspect and the evidence for this is growing, that our manager is not being backed up by the board in a manner that he deserves
Ignoring these issues is not clever or productive.
I would be interested to see how you would defend this appraoch of conscious denial.
1979gooner
There have been obvious problems for some time now. Most of us can see them. Nobody in the club is dealing with them.
When it comes to the timing of transfers, we had to strengthen the squad even if Cesc and Nasri had stayed. It would have made a huge difference to the start of the season to have had 5 extra players available.
It is rank incompetence not to have been able to field a proper team at OT. I have never seen anything like it before, not since I coached U9s.
And when you sell big players like Cesc and Nasri it is obvious that you need to line up their replacements beforehand so you can announce them straight away. I don't know if Yann and Eden are the right players but I do know we wanted them and didn't get them.
So I'm with you 1979gooner, the management aint working and we will underperform until they are sorted out. That might mean sacking the boss but it is more likely to involve bringing in a strong assistant manager, a defensive coach and a proper football wheeler dealer in the mould of David Dein.
yeah jesus christ man get over it..
cheers Jed
couldn't agree more mate, spot on
1979gooner
@ 1979gooner my only criticism of you is what I feel is a large outpouring of negativity in your writing. I agree that the summer could have been handled better. I truly believe that Arsenal believed only one would go. I also think decisions had to be made Bartley, JET, Lansbury. We should have had more than one player before the last day of the window. I think this whole window was one massive issue after another. I do think we improved the team in the back, and lets see going forward. I know you support the team and last season your blog was positive in some gloomy times. I guess that is why the last couple have seemed so negative.
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RVP "It's like a new start for us this Saturday, and we need every single person to be together as a club - players, fans, staff - for the whole season. Whatever happens we need to stick together."
I'm off for Arsenal and Glory
Arsenal Arsenal Arsenal
soulcricket
see you point mate
just try to see this piece in context with the other positive stuff i write
i try to be fair and balanced overall
comments appreciated
enjoy the game
1979gooner
The mans a 24 carat cunt, I cant wait for him to be sacked.
Anonymous//
Why are you referring to yourself in third person?
Make you look even more of a cunt.
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