Once upon a time there was an ambitious football club in North London...
Once upon a time there was an ambitious football club in North London.
Managed by a Hispanic gentleman, their fans demanded success with style.
This team wanted to play with panache and excitement, just like they did in the good old days (of black and white) when they last won the title - and that was more important than grinding out 1-0 wins.
So it was with no lack of gloating that they started this season fully expecting to end their trophy drought and usurp their rivals down the road.
The chequebook had been out and the board knew that it had been money well spent. After all, with a forward line packing that much power, who could stop them? It would be just like the Hungary team that had the mentality: “You score two, we’ll score five!”
Those forwards included: 'Edward' Sheringham, Jurgen Klinsmann, Darren Anderton, Ilie Dumitrescu and Nick Barmby.
Sadly for the Hispanic gentleman, Ossie Ardiles, T*ttenh*m won less than half their Premiership games and he was dismissed having failed to produce the success that the big-spending board had expected.
Fast forward almost 15 years, and that fairy tale looks to be repeating itself.
This time, the so-called ambitious club from North London has a forward line of: Giovanni Dos Santos (Barcelona reject), David Bentley (Arsenal reject), Roman Pavlyuchenko (Euro2008 'star' for Russia but do YOU remember him?), Aaron Lennon (known more for his shaved eyebrow than his wing play) and Darren Bent, (tagged as one of the worst buys of the summer '07).
There is even talk that they will add to their top-heavy squad by finally signing three-game wonder Andrei Arshavin in January.
Defeats to Middlesbrough and Sunderland in their first two games put things into perspective and any crowing from their fans to Gooners up the road seems now to have been replaced by reality.
T*ttenh*m simply don't have what it takes to challenge Arsenal, however much they spend and, as you can see from the constantly strained look on Daniel Levy's face, he knows it too.
But there's a serious lesson here and one worth remembering.
Aside from T*ttenham, think of the money Rafa Benitez has spent at Liverpool. Sure, he's brought in quality such as Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina, but the merry-go-round of players that come and go at Anfield suggests that despite winning the Champions League, a consistent season challenging for the title is beyond him.
And it could well be the case at Manchester City as well. They may now be the richest club in the world - providing the Abu Dhabi United Group bid holds up - and the new owners may well have "really deep pockets" but does that guarantee success?
Virtually every Gooner has made it clear that some more investment in the squad this summer would have been appreciated and that the limited squad size could well prove to be our downfall if we suffer with too many injuries.
But at the same time, I'm somewhat proud that, unlike clubs up and down the country, Arsenal are trying to run the club with a diligent and responsible attitude rather than chase a quick buck from investors who, let's face it, will want their money back with profits at some point. It's not for no reason that we were called the Bank of England Club in decades past.
Money doesn't necessarily buy you love or trophies - there are precious few of the latter to go around - and if all we Gooners want is to see the Arsenal spend big to win silverware, we may as well switch allegiances now and chase the false gods that own Man City and Chavski.
So let's stop the bickering - it won't do us any good - and let's back Arsene Wenger, support the Arsenal and prove to the rest of England, if not Europe, that football's soul is not for sale.
DA
Reader Comments (42)
Sept 3, 2008
I agree with you man. The real challenge Arsenal is going to face this season is not from those big spenders like Tottenham Hots or ManC or Middlesb or Chelsea but injury sustained from our style of play. The kids play with their hearts, body and soul and their passion can only be tempered by age and experience. Which sadly is not in much supply.
When the home stretch of the EPL advances you can see the strain and fatigue on the young guns from trying to win the trophy at the beginning of the season not at its end. Only veterans will supply the needed blend of youth and experience on the team. I love the Gunners but I hate not winning trophies for three years in a row.
Arsene should be prepared for a lot of flack from the fans if this season goes without another trophy.
bolaji francis - are you another glory hunter?
The experience of a title challenge that we are supposed to lack was gained last year.
sue - are you another idiot? everything he says is valid. Or are you the only one allowed an opinion? We do need more depth and the squad is too young. Arsene should have fixed it, had the chance, said he would, didn't. If we fail only due to this, the buck stops with him.
Apart from this strange blindness of his, the team looks good and we'll see how we go, but nearly nearly every year is really really shit, when one or two more players could bring the league.
But we have no choice other than to support what we've got and hope they mature quickly.
And if this and other fans opinions are not the same as yours, tough shit, doesn't mean you are special. you silly twat.
It's good to read a rational and positive article instead of the crap I have seen posted by some of the other so-called Arsenal fan sites. Well done.
When fit we have potentially one of the most formidable attacking line-ups in the league. Imagine this, Adebayor and a fully recovered Eduardo up playing in front of a v.Persie, Fabregas, Nasri & Rosicky midfield. Those 6 all work so hard for the side.,Fabregas, Nasri and Rosicky all do more than their fair share of tracking back, soI do not believe that we need a defensive midfielder. We also have more than capable backup from players like Walcott, Bendtner, Vela, Eboue, Song, Denilson and Diaby, not forgetting the two best full-backs in the world. Toure & Gallas will learn from last season and we will benefit from having the experience of Silvestre and the youthful exuberance of Djourou.
The squad will have been as gutted as we all were to have come so close last year. Were it not for that horrendous day away to Birmingham I believe that we would have been champions. Arsene will focus on the positives and motivate the the team for the challenges ahead this season.
It's about time that these so-called fanes of our great club learn to differentiate between what happens on their playstation and real life. Get behind the team and lets hear more positive support for our club. We are in good hands.
Arsene knows....
It's good to read a rational and positive article instead of the crap I have seen posted by some of the other so-called Arsenal fan sites. Well done.
When fit we have potentially one of the most formidable attacking line-ups in the league. Imagine this, Adebayor and a fully recovered Eduardo up playing in front of a v.Persie, Fabregas, Nasri & Rosicky midfield. Those 6 all work so hard for the side.,Fabregas, Nasri and Rosicky all do more than their fair share of tracking back, soI do not believe that we need a defensive midfielder. We also have more than capable backup from players like Walcott, Bendtner, Vela, Eboue, Song, Denilson and Diaby, not forgetting the two best full-backs in the world. Toure & Gallas will learn from last season and we will benefit from having the experience of Silvestre and the youthful exuberance of Djourou.
The squad will have been as gutted as we all were to have come so close last year. Were it not for that horrendous day away to Birmingham I believe that we would have been champions. Arsene will focus on the positives and motivate the the team for the challenges ahead this season.
It's about time that these so-called fanes of our great club learn to differentiate between what happens on their playstation and real life. Get behind the team and lets hear more positive support for our club. We are in good hands.
Arsene knows....
It's good to read a rational and positive article instead of the crap I have seen posted by some of the other so-called Arsenal fan sites. Well done.
When fit we have potentially one of the most formidable attacking line-ups in the league. Imagine this, Adebayor and a fully recovered Eduardo up playing in front of a v.Persie, Fabregas, Nasri & Rosicky midfield. Those 6 all work so hard for the side.,Fabregas, Nasri and Rosicky all do more than their fair share of tracking back, soI do not believe that we need a defensive midfielder. We also have more than capable backup from players like Walcott, Bendtner, Vela, Eboue, Song, Denilson and Diaby, not forgetting the two best full-backs in the world. Toure & Gallas will learn from last season and we will benefit from having the experience of Silvestre and the youthful exuberance of Djourou.
The squad will have been as gutted as we all were to have come so close last year. Were it not for that horrendous day away to Birmingham I believe that we would have been champions. Arsene will focus on the positives and motivate the the team for the challenges ahead this season.
It's about time that these so-called fanes of our great club learn to differentiate between what happens on their playstation and real life. Get behind the team and lets hear more positive support for our club. We are in good hands.
Arsene knows....
Finally someone talking sense.
I applaud you.
well said
good stuff mate, arsene deserves nothing less than our love and support!
Oh it's so refreshing to read something balanced instead of the utter garbage from the snot nosed newbie glory hunting twats.
I agree to an extent. We were a couple of players short last year and it just seems that AW has ignored the lessons learnt from last year. Imagine if we had bought a couple of players we would be all buzzing, it would have given most supporters a lift.
That said we have a good team (although wenger stating that Eboue could provide adequate cover in central midfield is laughable and smacks of trying to appease the fans after buying no one) and if we stay injury free then who knows. I for one am getting behind the team and hoping we can do something great.
And Sue because someone wants to win a trophy doesn't make them a glory hunter. I would love to win one as I suspect would most of the players, management and fans of Arsenal but it doesn't make any of us "glory hunters"
Agree but we have to suit our style of play to that of without the necessity of a holding midfield.
Spurs new front line in training:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YI5GgmEW7RY
QPR are richer than Chelsea. Mittal's worth £24bn, Ecclestone £3bn and I don't know about Briatore. But they are spending wisely, gradually building a side with young players. Man City could learn a lesson (so could Chelsea to some extent).
The year you are referring to was the 94/95 season. I remember it well. Spurs finished 7th, Arsenal finished 12th. Is this fairy tale about to repeat itself.....your words mate!
Adam it just means that you're another one of these stupid idiots that call for Arsene's blood - the worse type of fan there is. McG you're just as bad.
You are nothing but spoilt brats that need to get behind your team and stop your bloody whinging and moaning. Im sick of fans like you complaining all the bloody time!!!
Yes i would have been nice to spend on Alonso or someone but we have to suppoert what we have a great team great young players who can only get better and want to play for Arsenal because they love the club bet that bloke Robinio Man city bought for 32.5 million did not even know there was another club in Manchester
Oh, also I bet you wish you had Bentley in your squad now eh. If I remember dorrectly it was he who wanted to leave.Come to think of it, you could do with Giovani dos Santos too, and Lennon and Modric. And Pavlyuchenko was the dude who scored twice against England, ahh remember him now. COYS!
Spot my on man.
Glad to know we still have real supporters in this club, not some 11 year old kids demanding the playert they saw on the front cover of a fifa game.
great article. nice to see some positive vibes.. tottenham really are a joke, have been since the 60's.
What if the arsenal players with the brittle bones/crap muscles, dodgy knees manage to stay fit! we might just win the league
come on you reds..............
Three game wonder Arshavin was courted by your beloved Wenger, but you couldn't afford his wages. Speaks volumes that does. Face it, you are in for a very long,hard,miserable and trophyless season.
Good balanced article. Shame that good forums have to be spoilt by foul mouthed morons like Adam, keep on telling em Sue they may one day grow up
Whatever, I think we'll go close this year, but that's as far as this team has proven it can go. This summer was an ideal time to strengthen and transform the squad a bit with a couple of experienced players but by not doing so Arsene tells me everything I need to know.
Wenger's true and only ambition is to see whether or not he can actually build a championship side from youth alone. Wenger will never buy a player for more than around 12 mil and never had any strong inclination to strenghten by buying - when Wenger says we're a body short he means someone from within the squad is expected to step up and step in.
Can he do it? .... no. The epl is too competitive now for such an experiment. Maybe a few years ago, but not anymore. All the clubs in the epl are fighting feverishly to improve all the time, case in point fulham. It does raise the threshold for us all but the other clubs have no time for such noble experiments and are hell bent for leather not slowing down for anyone. Wenger does have an edge in spotting talent and team building but is not infallible and the epl is populated with many other excellent coaches. Anyway, I think we do about third in the league with many accolades for pretty play and financial acumen but that's it, again.
You have to remember Wenger has just about done and seen it all. This experiment is likely his last hurrah, it's something he just has to carry through to the end. He is likely to be our manager for just a few more seasons and has likely, given his penchant for planning for the future, another job lined up. Basically, I'm ok with all of this as I think it is an interesting experiment that bears watching and frankly I too am excited and keen to see how it unfolds, yet with a more balanced squad with some senior proven talent and added depth I also dream of perhaps what might have been...
As always mine is one opinion of many, I hope I'm wrong and all I have left is "COME ON YOU GOONASS!!!"
Fran, good post. I actually think if we are luckier than last year with injuries, we can win the title. Central midfield may seem a little light, but that's only because most fans are resigned to the notion that Rosicky and Diaby cannot stay healthy for a whole season. These fans seem to think that their chronic injury problems are down to fundamental physiological defects as opposed to bad luck. I cannot claim to be an authority on this subject, but I am optimistic that these 2 players, as well as van Persie, will have very fruitful seasons.
God forbid anyone has a slight diffrence of opinion with the AKB brigade - hell hath no fury and all that. lol.
Sue I at no time called for AW blood or complained about him - AW is the making of our club and he alone has got us exactly where we are today but what you are telling me is that a healthy depate about the club we all love is wrong.
Do grow up. You are like a child who doesn't want to hear anybody elses voice so just screams and screams and screams!
I have been a supporter for 25 years so I know I would not be still supporting if I was a glory hunter and i am not some spotty teenage herbert. The bottom line is no matter how sceptical I ever am I throw my full support behind the team but a differnce of opinion is allowed you know.
Good post. Those of us older than 20 will remmeber the periods of 10 plus years without a trophy.. Lord I remember the UEFA cup in 70 which was our first trophy in 17 years I believe. We were singing "We're gonna rise again" all through the late 60s..and we did.
The club will always be there and the FIRST responsibility of the board and managers is to make sure they dont bankrupt the club for short term gain a la Leeds.
Europeans shouldn't use the term Hispanic to describe Spaniards. Hispanic is an American term created by the Census Bureau to categorize Americans (of any race) from Latin America.
chengiskhan, there's always hope, we may just do something special. I believe the squad is stronger than most realise and I would've liked to build on what we've got, but this squad must run it's course. I've been taken aback a bit due to all the contradictory language from wenger and the board, but I feel I've come to terms with it and understanding am therefore ok with it.
GO GOONAHS!
God Bless u man....God bless Arsenal...and God bless us devoted fans
Well said Fran,AW is just trying to show the world you cant buy success with money.I'm just anther gunner worried if the experiment failed,what's going to happen next season.Ihpe he gets it right.WE or I don't have a choice but to support what ever happens to Arsenal.
But the reminder of what money could do is not far to see..........if chelski didn't spend big in the past three years,you would think theu could have achieved all the sucess???I doubt it.
In My Arsenal,what I'm saying is we could have add up experience and be a real treat.Anyway as always Arsene knows.......
This is just an worthless article, trying to be rationalize and be positive to calm down your own heart. It is true that spending buck load of money could not GUARANTEE silverware, but it is also true that without spending money also could not guarantee success. In fact the truth about guarantee is that there is no guarantee for everything and what is also undeniable true that it is "easier" and faster to achieve success by spending big money compare to small spender.
What most fans want and also you-"DA",is for Arsenal to fine tune the Arsenal team and not an overhaul, we as Arsenal fans never ask for Arsene to spend big to change the whole team but just to address 1 or 2 spot. In fact it is not that Arsene do not want to spend or lie to us, but what had happen is that he had fail to land a suitable player that would fit the bill and fit the Arsenal style of play. Arsene is just a human and so do we.
I'm not desperate for a cup win but it would be nice to have some glory this season. At least Gunners can shoot down all other big four.
In Arsene we trust...
Well, I believe there is some weight to this article, nevermind guarantees. Wenger is doing it his way and his conviction is strong - but his message is, to my view, more than just financial integriy and being against obscene spending, it's about group cohesion and trite as it may sound teambuilding and teamwork. In not buying Wenger is not only stating that he will not be drawn into bidding games with other clubs but that he truly advocates the principle of self belief. Bringing in new players serves to undermine that belief.
This is a team that must adapt now and overcome what will be stern tests. It is a very real boys to men cauldron that Wenger is stirring. As for injuries, they are inevitable. Cover for cesc was my foremost worry. But as I scan the squad names I return to this Bischoff character, heedlessly derided by some, but he is a Portuguese u21 int'l, he will be healed and more than likely get his chance.
That said I believe the first part of the season Arsenal will be formidable and a white lighting terror for most opponents, but it is the back end of the season where I have some lingering concern.
It is fantastic to see a positive blog.
Now if only we could offload Adebayor to Man C and Eboue to whoever will take him, I think we are in with a shot.
Arsene knows...
Good post, well done.
Great article, I firmly belive that without injuries last year we would have walked the league as we play by far the best football and have a great manager. Bubble, go and write on some spurs blogs about how good your going to be etc, 1 point from 9 is all i can say, ur only 5 points behind us, thats good for you guys! well done.lol
Cumon you reds, the fans are the 12th man and if we play well then the team will aswell. VICTORIA CONCORDIA CRESCIT.
Please haul in Gallas and give him lessons in leadership. That was a wonderfully motivational "speech" - I'm calling for ArsenalAddict as the new captain!
this article is utter crap. i'm no spurs fan, but by calling spurs players by name such as 3 games wonder, barca reject, not remembered EURO stars etc is ridiculous when in all honesty, you ll bite byour hand off if any of those players signs for Arsenal.so,for Arsenal sake and to avoid sound like sour grape, pls stop it.you bring shame to arsenal.
great read ,thank who ever we have not sold our soul to the devil.Again arsenal sites populated by morons ADAM GROW UP
BUBBLE9 YOU KNOW WHERE YOU CAN BLOW YOUR BUBBLES,comeback when you both have an understanding of our beloved team or indeed the game of football.Sue respect to you.THE MITCHMEISTER
i found there are a lot of Arsenal fans they are self-centered, bigoted, etc. yeah, i guess that's why Mr. Wenger doesn't have to spend much on transfer market, just because of you. also, he will be justified later if we fail to win any trophy because the team is young and has no such so-called big names. shame on you.