AST Reaction to Jan. Window

Imagine if Gibbs got injured tomorrow instead of last week

Anyway whether we could have done better in January or not, the awful faults are still there. Can't sign top players in Jan? Well why did we even start the season with one striker? Or were we expecting chamkh to play better? Why did we start the season with just one player that offers physicality to midfield? Who happens to be the most injury prone player join Europe.

All this with nearly 80 mil there to spend I think it's time to face reality, it's not the owner, it's not the board, it's the manager, he has compete an utter faith in his squad he is become deluded

GoonerJay29 wrote:I dislike the attitude of the AST a lot, but find it hard to disagree with what they're saying. I've been saying similar things myself this month.

What's become readily apparent to me is the lack of a plan. Arsenal had clear needs going into the window and, by that point, should have identified several targets they could go after. But we didn't sign anyone until the 31st of January and only did so because of Gibbs' recent injury, which suggests that our plan for the window was to sign no one.

That's not good enough, is it? It's difficult for me to excuse the fact we're going to take chances on Diaby being fit, Giroud maintaining his form and Gervais actually being useful when we're struggling to get into the top four. With the money there, it didn't make any sense to me that we did not capitalise on the opportunity to put ourselves in a stronger position to achieve the bare minimum at Arsenal - that is, getting into the top four.

I wasn't aware that Capoue or Adrian had been transferred during this window. Besides, Adrian isn't even a regular for the club he plays for now. What makes you think he would be Arsenal's savior? Ba basically has no knee. Chelsea can afford it if it suddenly gives out on him. Let them have him. Besides, he's no better than Giroud. Not as good, actually, and certainly he wouldn't seem to have as bright a future. And who do you suggest Sissoko and Mbiwa would have replaced in Arsenal's starting lineup?

Adrian was benched due to contract issues, not because he's not good enough.

Ba's "dodgey knee" has not acted up in about three seasons. He is a more clinical striker than Giroud (check his goalscoring record since joining West Ham) and of a similar age.

Sissoko would have replaced Diaby easily since Diaby can't remain fit.

Mbiwa would have replaced one of Mertesacker or Vermaelen. He's of a similar level, if not better right now, plus he can play full back and defensive midfield.

No use crying over spilt milk, of course, but these players would have definitely strengthened us this window.

the only player among these transfers, who i would have liked to have was Mbiwa just because he is versatile and can provide depth in many positions....

Mudcat wrote:

RealGunner wrote:You have to experience every kind of fans and situation though

Hoping to see you more often once again

I know. All the negativity just gets to be a downer though. I'm getting way too old for that. But I'll try to be around more.

And thanks Wilson!

You aren't alone Mudcat. These are truly horrendous times to be an Arsenal fan, harder still to try to maintain some rationale and see a bigger picture. The division among us is growing every day. There is no clear winner in the debate of opinions here, with valid points on both sides. But I would like to see you around more often, atleast as a consolation of having more like minded fans around. You are not alone. Salute.

Diego Armando Maradona wrote:Imagine if Gibbs got injured tomorrow instead of last week

Anyway whether we could have done better in January or not, the awful faults are still there. Can't sign top players in Jan? Well why did we even start the season with one striker? Or were we expecting chamkh to play better? Why did we start the season with just one player that offers physicality to midfield? Who happens to be the most injury prone player join Europe.

All this with nearly 80 mil there to spend I think it's time to face reality, it's not the owner, it's not the board, it's the manager, he has compete an utter faith in his squad he is become deluded

I can't answer any of those questions you have asked. They are questions I would like answers to myself tbh. However, I believe AW is a smart man and must have some reasons to stick with the players - maybe he couldn't make the moves he wanted, maybe its purely faith. We don't know what he sees in training every week. We do know that our match day mentality and performances are piss poor and need to improve. And fast.

The Franchise wrote:
I agree, so then by saying "we are close" to me is just lies given to the fans to make them feel better. But fans are not so stupid. I mean, Man City were as close to signing Messi as you were to Villa, we rejected both offers lol

As for the players, what is this calibre you speak of? Those players, not all, but more than half, without a doubt are better than what you have. And again, they are just random players I named...if we actually started to think about it, we could probably gather a list of 10 strikers/forwards you could of signed who are better than what you have right now.

Hulk is on big wages, but he is in a desperate position and he only went to Zenit in the first place because noone else wanted him. If you give him an escape from the hell hole, perhaps he takes a wage cut. But we would never know, because you didnt try.

Ba, you could of got him for less than that figure of 150k.

Nani, why not? He aint a striker, but if you have Giroud and Walcott as you two main striker..dont you even need another one? Wouldnt a forward who can play other roles be as good, if not better.

I dont know about you, but I am more confident in Giroud and Walcott in the center than I am about Gervinho, Arshavin, Ox and Ramsey playing in a wider role.

Vargas and Remy, another two who can play wide and improve what you have.

Other names you could of at least tried for if you wanted?

Adrian? Sturridge? Llorente ? Hunterlaar? Doumbia? Aubameyang?

I refuse to believe there wasnt options out there for you. None of these guys are just "buying someone for the sake of it".

We can sit here and make lists of names all day mate. But we are not doing that as a way of life, atleast I am not. Arsenal is a professional club and has a well established and reputed scouting network. These names, and many more, would have been analysed by them.

My point is, it doesn't matter how many people we see as individual quality players. The manager has a vision and a style of football at the club. He sees more of the squad every day than we see in 180 minutes of match time in a week. He knows what positions need strengthening and where we are sufficiently covere. He has to figure which players at which price fit the bill for him. And then all those myriad factors have to fall in place to get a deal done.

He has not spoken about which deal he was close to. How many of us knew about Nacho before Geoff broke it? NOBODY. Then why are you assuming that he is referring to Villa? Arsenal is a professional club, I repeat, and not a bunch of fools waiting for a bunch of people at Barcelona to magically have a change of heart about selling Villa.

He is smart no doubt, but I suspect his relationship with the players has clouded his judgement on what they can actually achieve. Everything he says points towards this, he reiterates time and time again how much faith he has in them, he even says they are better than what even they think they are. Maybe he's just trying to protect them, improve their confidence, but the fact that he's left these holes in the squad suggests he believes it

Its funny how people say in January Wneger cant buy quality. What about 2 years ago when we lost, Cesc, Nasri, Clichy and Eboue and we replaced them with Gervais. Wenger has lost his mind. He had all summer to buy new players and we had to panic buy and Santos and Park came.

Who in the freaking world replaces 3 top player with Gervais?

Mudcat wrote:I'm not saying Adrian isn't a good player, but there are better players out there Arsenal can get. Apparently Wenger is more interested in Cavani or Jovetic. Truthfully, so am I. Would you rather get Adrian now, or wait and get Cavani or Jovetic in the summer? Maybe Manchester City can afford to buy everyone, but Arsenal can't. Of course there's no guarantee Arsenal can complete a deal, but the same can be said for Adrian. So why settle?

Adrian would have come with the added bonus of being able to play on the left or right, providing skill and creativity in any of the roles he can play. Certainly, he is no where near as good as Cavani or as talented as Jovetic, but would he have been a better option than Gervais or Chamberlain? I believe he would have been. Would have been a better back-up option than Chamakh and Gervais for the central role? Yes, definitely.

There's no reason why we have to settle for one. It's vital to have a strong squad that covers all positions and roles you want to play. Adrian would have given us depth and diversity, for example, for a pretty standard fee of £10mil.

Ba's knee is a constant problem for him, even if he's been able to avoid missing time. He's always in pain. He suffered an absolutely horrendous injury, then the surgeon botched the operation and drove a nail into his knee while pinning his broken bones. He now has a degenerative condition that will end his career prematurely. It could be a few years off or it could be tomorrow. Stoke City refused him because his medical led them to believe that the knee is a "ticking time bomb." Also, Ba bitches and whines if asked to play anywhere but in the middle up front. And Giroud is just now getting settled. Give him a chance.

That's part of the issue, though. Can we afford to give Giroud a chance? What if he fails? Who do we fall back on? Right now, it's Gervais, Walcott or, at a stretch, Podolski. That doesn't fill me with confidence.

Ba has proven he can play consistently despite his "ticking time bomb" knee. £7.5mil would have been a good deal and hardly a massive waste if it didn't work out. I don't see his "bitching and whining" as a problem since he wouldn't have played anywhere but up front for us.

I'm not saying Giroud isn't good enough, but again, it comes down to options and having reliable players in the squad.

Maybe. But that's still just a depth move. He's not replacing Arteta, Jack or Cazorla.

What's wrong with a depth move in January? For as little as £2mil, we could have gotten a good player who brings something different to the midfield like Diaby can.

He was a good player for Montpellier, but I'm not sure he could have walked in and taken one of those spots. His versatility would have been a plus. Not a real difference-maker, though.

Given the inconsistency of our centre backs this season, I'd say a good defender coming would make a difference. Yanga-Mbiwa certainly would have qualified. Again, look at the price he went for: £8.5mil.

From a depth standpoint in the short term, this is true. But you have to look at the long term. Again, there are better players who will be available in the summer. Arsenal has had a difficult time getting rid of some of the players they want to see gone as it is. Are you going to buy these good but not great players for the sake of 15 games and then maybe want to replace them with better players in the summer? Or are you going to tie yourself to these players who aren't good enough to help you challenge for a title in the future and just settle? If the right players aren't available in January, I see no reason to buy just to be buying.

It's not "buying just to be buying". It's buying to address weaknesses in the squad and not just in the short term.

If we examine the weaknesses in the squad in the context of our season so far, we need: a left back to cover/compete with Gibbs; a centre back because the three we have are making errors everywhere; a dynamic midfielder that can add some power to a light-weight midfield; depth for the attack and/or, possibly, a quality striker.

Were there opportunities to address those problems? Yes. We've gone through the potential players that could have done so. Would we have had to break the bank? No. All those players combined would cost us £30mil. Certainly within Arsenal's capabilities. Would we have compromised ourselves in the long-term by doing so? No, not at all.

I agree that there are more and, potentially, better deals to be had in the summer window, but if similar deals are there in January, why not take them, especially if there's an immediate need?

Maybe people will disagree with me on this, but there's sufficient quality in this team for a top four finish, with perhaps one or two positions that need some real quality added to raise us to another level. Those are signings better made in the summer. But the squad, as a whole, is lacking; the backup options are either not good enough or unreliable. For example, what happens if we lose Podolski, Walcott or Giroud for a significant period of time? Who can come in and give us good enough performances? Gervais is wildly inconsistent and Chamberlain is young and still developing.

When I examine it like that, it's illogical to me to pass up on good players like Adrian or Ba. These guys aren't the quality players that will elevate us to a new level, but they certainly aren't some scrubs who we'd be looking to offload in a year.

Raptorgunner wrote:Its funny how people say in January Wneger cant buy quality. What about 2 years ago when we lost, Cesc, Nasri, Clichy and Eboue and we replaced them with Gervais. Wenger has lost his mind. He had all summer to buy new players and we had to panic buy and Santos and Park came.

Who in the freaking world replaces 3 top player with Gervais?

there is no guarantee about how your signings will turn out.. Gervais was considered as a very good signing both by the fans and ever criticising media at that time, fresh from winning the ligue 1.. he was thought to be an adequate replacement for Nasri.. Gibbs rose to replace Clichy.. and you will never get like and like replacements for players like Cesc..
all this stupid talk is just because Gervais turned out to be a flop.. same is the case with all transfers.. what if Torres was a hit.. there were moans about us not able to sign Hazard which have long disappeared now, only to come back when he scores two matches in a row.. fans cry about failing to do the extra bit and losing Mata.. do they do the same about Sahin ?
so when you talk about our transfers dont be a hypocrite and talk only about failures..

GoonerJay29 wrote:

Mudcat wrote:I'm not saying Adrian isn't a good player, but there are better players out there Arsenal can get. Apparently Wenger is more interested in Cavani or Jovetic. Truthfully, so am I. Would you rather get Adrian now, or wait and get Cavani or Jovetic in the summer? Maybe Manchester City can afford to buy everyone, but Arsenal can't. Of course there's no guarantee Arsenal can complete a deal, but the same can be said for Adrian. So why settle?

Adrian would have come with the added bonus of being able to play on the left or right, providing skill and creativity in any of the roles he can play. Certainly, he is no where near as good as Cavani or as talented as Jovetic, but would he have been a better option than Gervais or Chamberlain? I believe he would have been. Would have been a better back-up option than Chamakh and Gervais for the central role? Yes, definitely.

There's no reason why we have to settle for one. It's vital to have a strong squad that covers all positions and roles you want to play. Adrian would have given us depth and diversity, for example, for a pretty standard fee of £10mil.

Ba's knee is a constant problem for him, even if he's been able to avoid missing time. He's always in pain. He suffered an absolutely horrendous injury, then the surgeon botched the operation and drove a nail into his knee while pinning his broken bones. He now has a degenerative condition that will end his career prematurely. It could be a few years off or it could be tomorrow. Stoke City refused him because his medical led them to believe that the knee is a "ticking time bomb." Also, Ba bitches and whines if asked to play anywhere but in the middle up front. And Giroud is just now getting settled. Give him a chance.

That's part of the issue, though. Can we afford to give Giroud a chance? What if he fails? Who do we fall back on? Right now, it's Gervais, Walcott or, at a stretch, Podolski. That doesn't fill me with confidence.

Ba has proven he can play consistently despite his "ticking time bomb" knee. £7.5mil would have been a good deal and hardly a massive waste if it didn't work out. I don't see his "bitching and whining" as a problem since he wouldn't have played anywhere but up front for us.

I'm not saying Giroud isn't good enough, but again, it comes down to options and having reliable players in the squad.

Maybe. But that's still just a depth move. He's not replacing Arteta, Jack or Cazorla.

What's wrong with a depth move in January? For as little as £2mil, we could have gotten a good player who brings something different to the midfield like Diaby can.

He was a good player for Montpellier, but I'm not sure he could have walked in and taken one of those spots. His versatility would have been a plus. Not a real difference-maker, though.

Given the inconsistency of our centre backs this season, I'd say a good defender coming would make a difference. Yanga-Mbiwa certainly would have qualified. Again, look at the price he went for: £8.5mil.

From a depth standpoint in the short term, this is true. But you have to look at the long term. Again, there are better players who will be available in the summer. Arsenal has had a difficult time getting rid of some of the players they want to see gone as it is. Are you going to buy these good but not great players for the sake of 15 games and then maybe want to replace them with better players in the summer? Or are you going to tie yourself to these players who aren't good enough to help you challenge for a title in the future and just settle? If the right players aren't available in January, I see no reason to buy just to be buying.

It's not "buying just to be buying". It's buying to address weaknesses in the squad and not just in the short term.

If we examine the weaknesses in the squad in the context of our season so far, we need: a left back to cover/compete with Gibbs; a centre back because the three we have are making errors everywhere; a dynamic midfielder that can add some power to a light-weight midfield; depth for the attack and/or, possibly, a quality striker.

Were there opportunities to address those problems? Yes. We've gone through the potential players that could have done so. Would we have had to break the bank? No. All those players combined would cost us £30mil. Certainly within Arsenal's capabilities. Would we have compromised ourselves in the long-term by doing so? No, not at all.

I agree that there are more and, potentially, better deals to be had in the summer window, but if similar deals are there in January, why not take them, especially if there's an immediate need?

Maybe people will disagree with me on this, but there's sufficient quality in this team for a top four finish, with perhaps one or two positions that need some real quality added to raise us to another level. Those are signings better made in the summer. But the squad, as a whole, is lacking; the backup options are either not good enough or unreliable. For example, what happens if we lose Podolski, Walcott or Giroud for a significant period of time? Who can come in and give us good enough performances? Gervais is wildly inconsistent and Chamberlain is young and still developing.

When I examine it like that, it's illogical to me to pass up on good players like Adrian or Ba. These guys aren't the quality players that will elevate us to a new level, but they certainly aren't some scrubs who we'd be looking to offload in a year.

Jay.. the point is many of the above are good players who would add depth to our squad for this season and may help us for a top 4 finish..
but are they quality enough compared with the players who our rivals have..? answer is no..
and if we sign them now, we have to pay their wages in the coming years too.. and it will stop us from signing better players in summer who come at cheaper rates.. money bags like City and Chelsea can afford to have those Sinclairs, Adebayors, Moses, Marins, Kolarovs,.. can we afford to have them...?

Diego Armando Maradona wrote:He is smart no doubt, but I suspect his relationship with the players has clouded his judgement on what they can actually achieve. Everything he says points towards this, he reiterates time and time again how much faith he has in them, he even says they are better than what even they think they are. Maybe he's just trying to protect them, improve their confidence, but the fact that he's left these holes in the squad suggests he believes it

Was going to write up a large opinion piece on this entire topic but will leave it as short as possible. To me it is always startling how it is that the differences of opinion with AFC fans can actually be so far apart. I am sure that it is not a surprise to anyone that I am actually on the side of you and Raptorgunner on this one. I do not think that Wenger or the club is doing enough to actually win silverware. I think that AFC as an organization is putting forth a loosing mentality by constantly trying to get supporters to think of 4th place as being a trophy. That being said, I HAVE NO INTEREST IN WINNING THE FA THIS YEAR. Why simple, because it has now become more important to actually get to 4th place. If we had locked up 4th place then yea we should be putting effort towards the FA. Since we have not then CL for next year should be the priority. It will be the only way that AFC can actually hopefully bring in the "TOP TOP TOP" WC players that we all hear about.
On to what I originally was going to post. "I suspect his relationship with the players has clouded his judgement on what they can actually achieve". I do not think that this is the issue at all. Wenger is just severely stubborn to Arsenals determent and thinks that everything in football should revolve around his views. It is why we constantly hear nonsense about how someone should not be able to buy more than 2 players in the winter window. Or there should not be a winter window at all. That players wages are to high. They wanted more money than what we valued the player. Well funny enough I never heard Wenger saying anything when we sold all of our WC class players off for a top price. It is not until we try and replace them with equal quality that we hear anything.

Professional football is what it is. There is a winter transfer window and if a team wants to strengthen, it is up to them to buy whomever and how many players they want. World football also sets the wages and price of players. If someone is willing to pay them, and for them, that is what they are worth.

Jay.. the point is many of the above are good players who would add depth to our squad for this season and may help us for a top 4 finish..
but are they quality enough compared with the players who our rivals have..? answer is no..
and if we sign them now, we have to pay their wages in the coming years too.. and it will stop us from signing better players in summer who come at cheaper rates.. money bags like City and Chelsea can afford to have those Sinclairs, Adebayors, Moses, Marins, Kolarovs,.. can we afford to have them...?

Which rivals are we talking about here?

If it's the Manchester clubs, then no, those players wouldn't elevate us to their level because they have three or four high class players and tactics that get the most out of their squads while we only have one, at a stretch. But as I've said, getting in a player like that is best left to the summer window.

However, if it's Everton, Liverpool, Spurs and, to an extent, Chelsea (though they're much closer to the Manchester clubs than everyone else), then those players would give us an advantage. Each of those clubs have one "star" man, just like we do; we're all in the same boat when you compare first elevens.

This is where depth can give you the edge and I don't know why some people seem so against having it. A title challenging squad, which is what we all want, has good depth and they don't have to be world class players.

I believe guys like Sagna, Arteta, Wilshere, Cazorla, Podolski and Walcott to be good enough for a title challenging squad, provided they play in a role that's get the most out of them. We should not need to replace these guys, in theory. But when we look at the backups, are they good enough or reliable enough? Do they give us a plan b if plan a fails?

For us to obtain a title challenging squad, I believe we need to improve the quality at the back and up front, which can only be done if you buy better than what you have, and to add more diversity to our midfield and wide positions - in other words, better depth. I certainly don't believe signing the players we could have in January would have compromised that plan at all.

I’m sorry but when Jay who’s one of the most patient gunners voiced out his disappointment of Arsenal winter transfer campaign, nothing needs to be added. Jay pretty much said it all and yes Jovetic and Cavani are all smoke screen, if any Arsenal fan ever think it’s possible to move for those guys even at slightest chance at any moment this year or next year, you’re all deluded. FFS our record signing money won’t be enough to sign their left foot. And no Capoue and Mbiwa are not average players, they would walk straight into this team and improve the whole lot.

And whoever said lets hold on till next summer to sign more quality players, no quality player ever gonna come with Arsenal kind of cheap offers and no CL football. CL football is what we have to offer for those guys, now take it away and we got pretty much nothing.

Preemptive measure, how hard could that be? We’re in danger of being out of top 4, secure 4th spot first with reinforcement now then worry about which quality player we gonna get next summer.

I maybe delusional and bias but i think Mbiwa and Sissoko would start for Arsenal.

Vermealen has been awful all season and Mbiwa is better and quicker anyway.

Sissoko is arguably better than Diaby atm, Diaby might be more talented but he is regressing due to his constant injury problems.

I could make an argument for Debuchy as well tbh( not so much as a starter though), yes you have Sagna but he doesn't look the same Sagna as past years and besides i'd argue you're problem for the majority of season has been creating chances not defense.

I don't agree there wasn't options available to Wenger to strengthen team there was but for one reason or another he chose to not pursue them.

The whole no value in the January market is a myth and we have disproved that.

Anyway good luck to you for the rest of the season.

Son: Daddy, daddy, I want that car toy.

Dad: Oh come on.

Son: Please, please.

Dad: OK, I'll try it.

Car Toy costs 25 EU.

Dad: Do you wanna sell it for 10?

Seller: Faqoff

Dad: You see son, he doesnt want to sell it.

Son: Whatever.

srigooner wrote:

The Franchise wrote:
I agree, so then by saying "we are close" to me is just lies given to the fans to make them feel better. But fans are not so stupid. I mean, Man City were as close to signing Messi as you were to Villa, we rejected both offers lol

As for the players, what is this calibre you speak of? Those players, not all, but more than half, without a doubt are better than what you have. And again, they are just random players I named...if we actually started to think about it, we could probably gather a list of 10 strikers/forwards you could of signed who are better than what you have right now.

Hulk is on big wages, but he is in a desperate position and he only went to Zenit in the first place because noone else wanted him. If you give him an escape from the hell hole, perhaps he takes a wage cut. But we would never know, because you didnt try.

Ba, you could of got him for less than that figure of 150k.

Nani, why not? He aint a striker, but if you have Giroud and Walcott as you two main striker..dont you even need another one? Wouldnt a forward who can play other roles be as good, if not better.

I dont know about you, but I am more confident in Giroud and Walcott in the center than I am about Gervinho, Arshavin, Ox and Ramsey playing in a wider role.

Vargas and Remy, another two who can play wide and improve what you have.

Other names you could of at least tried for if you wanted?

Adrian? Sturridge? Llorente ? Hunterlaar? Doumbia? Aubameyang?

I refuse to believe there wasnt options out there for you. None of these guys are just "buying someone for the sake of it".

We can sit here and make lists of names all day mate. But we are not doing that as a way of life, atleast I am not. Arsenal is a professional club and has a well established and reputed scouting network. These names, and many more, would have been analysed by them.

My point is, it doesn't matter how many people we see as individual quality players. The manager has a vision and a style of football at the club. He sees more of the squad every day than we see in 180 minutes of match time in a week. He knows what positions need strengthening and where we are sufficiently covere. He has to figure which players at which price fit the bill for him. And then all those myriad factors have to fall in place to get a deal done.

He has not spoken about which deal he was close to. How many of us knew about Nacho before Geoff broke it? NOBODY. Then why are you assuming that he is referring to Villa? Arsenal is a professional club, I repeat, and not a bunch of fools waiting for a bunch of people at Barcelona to magically have a change of heart about selling Villa.

Yes, he see the players every day...but maybe thata his problem dont you think?

He sees them every day, sees what good they do against each other and he believes in them to a point which is negative.

You talk about style and finding the right fit and all that, which is true, but dont you think every team is faced with those same questions? Of course they are.

But they have the belief and common sense to think, you know maybe we just dont have enough quality here. The player/s we have are good, but to be one of the best, we need something else. So they go out and find something which is right for them.

Why I assume it was Villa he was close to? Then if not Villa than who?

He has had no problems in the past talking after the fact about players he was close to. According to him, you were close to Ibrahimovic, close to Cristiano, close to everyone...

So yeah, I am going to assume he was referencing to Villa untill I hear something different.

And lets say it is someone else, does that make it any better?

Lets say its whoever. Did the club agree a fee with Arsenal? If not, then already he wasnt close.

If they did agree, why didnt the transfer happen?

Dont you think fans have some right to know this, especially fans like you guys, who have to wait patiently every year after much suffering.

And whoever said lets hold on till next summer to sign more quality players, no quality player ever gonna come with Arsenal kind of cheap offers and no CL football. CL football is what we have to offer for those guys, now take it away and we got pretty much nothing.

Preemptive measure, how hard could that be? We’re in danger of being out of top 4, secure 4th spot first with reinforcement now then worry about which quality player we gonna get next summer.

I agree with this.

I appreciate that it's difficult to balance short-term and long-term plans. I'm not an advocate of panic buying and believe that, ideally, you need to conduct business in such a way that benefits you in the short-term but doesn't compromise your long-term plan.

However, this season, it's not going to be new signings in January that will prevent us from doing better business in the summer, but our league position. Champions League football is vital for any future business because it gives us more money and something to advertise to the players we're after. By missing out on Champions League, we could lose out on £30mil+. That's a lot of money.

While this can be mitigated somewhat by the new sponsorship and TV deals, we're still at a disadvantage. January signings would have strengthened our chances of a top four finish, and, in turn, that would have strengthened our chances of attracting better players in the summer.

I'm not going to waste any more time arguing with those who believe themselves to be better qualified to make decisions about Arsenal than Arsene Wenger. It's like arguing politics. It's pointless to try. But here's a blog that makes some very good points about this subject.

The State of My Arsenal

As I was watching the first half of the QPR game, it occurred to me that for some Arsenal fans their dream Arsenal manager must surely be Harry Redknapp. Imagine how exciting every transfer window would be! Deadline Day would be thrilling. Sky Sports would be camped outside the Arsenal offices, interviewing Harry through the car window and spotting players coming in for a medical and to discuss personal terms. And there would be no worries about choosing between settling for who is available or waiting for the player you want because Harry wants everyone who is available!

And just one point for those who, first of all, don't think Arsenal is good enough to finish ahead of Spurs and Everton and who believe finishing outside the top four would spell doom because Arsenal isn't a big enough club to attract top players without being able to offer them Champions League football in year one. You do realize, don't you, that some of the players you're bitching about Arsenal not signing in this transfer window signed for Newcastle, a club that's in the bottom half of the table?

Honestly, it amazes me that some of you are Arsenal fans, yet have such a low opinion of the club.

Mudcat wrote:I'm not going to waste any more time arguing with those who believe themselves to be better qualified to make decisions about Arsenal than Arsene Wenger. It's like arguing politics. It's pointless to try. But here's a blog that makes some very good points about this subject.

The State of My Arsenal

Equally, it'd be pointless arguing with people who believe Arsene Wenger to be infallible. In fact, we should end all debates on this forum about Arsenal, because clearly none of us have the intelligence or analytical skills that those running the club do, and us, as lowly supporters, should just bow to their superior wisdom and never question their decisions.

You do realize, don't you, that some of the players you're bitching about Arsenal not signing in this transfer window signed for Newcastle, a club that's in the bottom half of the table?

And you do realise, don't you, that the players we're referring to are of a higher calibre than the ones Newcastle signed?

GoonerJay29 wrote:

Mudcat wrote:I'm not going to waste any more time arguing with those who believe themselves to be better qualified to make decisions about Arsenal than Arsene Wenger. It's like arguing politics. It's pointless to try. But here's a blog that makes some very good points about this subject.

The State of My Arsenal

Equally, it'd be pointless arguing with people who believe Arsene Wenger to be infallible. In fact, we should end all debates on this forum about Arsenal, because clearly none of us have the intelligence or analytical skills that those running the club do, and us, as lowly supporters, should just bow to their superior wisdom and never question their decisions.

You do realize, don't you, that some of the players you're bitching about Arsenal not signing in this transfer window signed for Newcastle, a club that's in the bottom half of the table?

And you do realise, don't you, that the players we're referring to are of a higher calibre than the ones Newcastle signed?

Two quick points.

First, nobody said Arsene Wenger is infallible. But compared to everyone on this forum, he's basically Einstein. Stop pretending you know more than he does. You're not debating, you're bitching and whining because you want shiny new toys too.

Second, nobody that was readily available during this transfer window was too good to play for lowly Arsenal without the promise of immediate Champions League football -- which was my point. Stop playing fantasy football in your mind.

First, nobody said Arsene Wenger is infallible. But compared to everyone on this forum, he's basically Einstein. Stop pretending you know more than he does.

No where have I given the impression that I know more than Wenger does. All I've done is question his decisions and given my opinion. I have not belittled him or his intelligence, nor have I claimed to know better.

I assure you, I do not think I know better than Arsene Wenger. Wenger is a hundred times more intelligent and experienced than I am. However, that does not mean I cannot question him, because he, like every other human being, makes mistakes. He is not perfect. There's about 8 years worth of evidence to prove that.

Why are assuming that everyone here thinks they know better than Wenger? They don't. They're all doing what I'm doing; just giving an opinion on the current state of affairs. Other people respond with their own opinions and we debate. That's all this is.

If you think your so above that, or think that we have no right to question someone because "he is like Einstein in comparison", then why are you even here?

Second, nobody that was readily available during this transfer window was too good to play for lowly Arsenal without the promise of immediate Champions League football -- which was my point. Stop playing fantasy football in your mind.

Just to clear up this misunderstanding, I was referring to the summer window, not this window. I'm well aware that the quality players were not going to be available in this window, however, that does not mean we should not sign players, which was my argument from the beginning.

highburied wrote:Son: Daddy, daddy, I want that car toy.

Dad: Oh come on.

Son: Please, please.

Dad: OK, I'll try it.

Car Toy costs 25 EU.

Dad: Do you wanna sell it for 10?

Seller: Faqoff

Dad: You see son, he doesnt want to sell it.

Son: Whatever.

HAHAHAHAAAAA! I see what you did there!