COS contributor Michael Fish takes a closer look at the Emirates side and ponders why the club’s supporters are getting such a raw deal and whether its time for some wholesale changes at the north London club.

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Arsenal Football Club

Arsenal have the most expensive season tickets in the country… Some 275 pounds higher than the second highest season ticket(Liverpool FC), Yet, instead of rewarding their fans with marquee signings they have also made a profit in the transfer market over the past 6 years… And I thought our American Owners were bad! So where is all of this money going to, financing debt? What debt should there be? If you can’t build a stadium or have to sacrifice signing players for the next 20 to 30 years because of it, why do it? Also, increase in capacity should mean decrease on the price… And if that isn’t the case, then you didn’t build your new stadium big enough!

OR DO YOU THINK YOU ARE PRADA OR SOMETHING?

Attractive football

For many years I have sat back and let people rave about Arsenal’s “Attractive Football” well I have always disagreed, except for the invincibles era when it was the case. But, now I have had enough because I find that there is nothing at all attractive about it…
First of all, Arsenal always play to feet, rarely into the path of their players run.. I find this pretty frustrating to say the least. Secondly, when they reach the penalty area they start farting about with the ball because none of their players has the guts or the ability to thrash one towards the goal. Thirdly, Arsenal never score with headers… Which to me – if well executed – are the most beautiful goals you will ever see *Diaby’s goal against Liverpool was a freak accident of nature*. Fourthly, they don’t have a plan B, unless it involves an after-match press conference and blame everything that has absolutely nothing to do with the match itself. Finally, Arsenal have too many similar players like Rosicky, Nasri, Arshavin, etc. How do you identify with your team? For me one of the most attractive things about football is although you have a team or squad, every player brings something to the table… Watching a team that consists of 5 players who have the same qualities and same traits is just boring… Look at the other top teams for example… Tottenham have their Modric, Liverpool have a Benayoun, Manchester United have their Nani, Chelsea have a Joe Cole. One player who has silky moves, can be creative on their day and isn’t a sacrifice to the team because the team knows they should be given a free role and it won’t effect the balance of the team… having 5 just doesn’t make sense at all, because then the team loses discipline, loses its shape, consequently leads to conceding goals!

WHEN WILL WENGER LEARN!

Arsene Wenger

It’s about time that arsenal get in a new manager and move Arsene upstairs to become a director of football or a board member… He can continue to do his excellent work in the scouting department, but as a manager he just can’t cut it. For a guy with a PHD in Psychology he knows very little about the subject… When i majored business we had a subject called “Organisational Behaviour” which is generally “Psychology for Managers”… We studied the method and effects of the “Carrot and the stick”, with a conclusion that excessive use of either one of them is bad, it should be a rational, appropriate use of BOTH!

What does Whinger do… ALWAYS THE CARROT – ACCORDING TO HIM, IT’S OK TO CONCEDE GOALS FROM CORNERS OR BE DONE ON THE COUNTER ATTACK, BECAUSE OF X OR Y (Generally something the opposition did)

Cesc Fabregas

I also personally think it is time that Arsenal let go of Fabregas, because i believe he is the main reason why arsenal do not have any spine… When all is going well, he is all “Arsenal lovey-dovey” But, when it comes to the team having to regroup, focus and battle to get back on top, he is off flirting with Barcelona… Some might say that it is all the press, which would include your professor of the “Art of Whingeing”, But he is the CLUB CAPTAIN for gods sakes, as soon as anything like this comes out in the press, he should be on it like a fly on MANURE(Yes, this was an intended use of word) saying that no contact has been made between himself and Barcelona and that he is AN ARSENAL PLAYER UNTIL TOLD OTHERWISE!

Andriy Arshavin

Another player who should be rid of ASAP. Everytime we see Arsenal have a slump in form this guy is on his way to the nearest newspaper to say that his “Only” ambition with Arsenal Football club is to win the Champions League… Fantastic player on his day, but you could do without that kind of attitude, it’s destructive and really shows a lack of loyalty and understanding of the Club you play for… I have no problem with players who say they would like to be competitive in the Champions League and i also have no problem with clubs prioritizing this competition if in other competitions they have relatively no chance of progress… Hell even Liverpool have done it – in that time understandable – Even if we didn’t like it at the time. But, at the beginning of January? Come on, that’s just taking the mickey!

William Gallas

The most senior player in the Arsenal squad, yet he lacks leadership skills on a whole new level. Has been stripped of the Arsenal Captaincy… Yet, Arsene Wenger is prepared to break club policy by offering him a longer term contract over the age of 30… What about Pires, Henry, Viera, etc. Those players were far more value to the team yet in that case he chose not to opt on braking the policy of “only 1 year extension, after the age or near the age of 30” Why, only Wenger knows. If you can’t make exceptions for Viera, Henry, Pires well than there should be no exceptions for William Gallas – A defender that makes me cringe. A person who will sit on the field blasting his own team mates for very little reason, panics like a woman, then lays on the floor with tears in his eyes, after kicking advertising boards.

Manuel Almunia

Probably one of the worst Goalkeepers in the Premier League today… What I don’t understand is that Wenger knows he is not up to the standard because he has even dropped him for 2 young kids this season – Mannone and Fabianski taking his place. All of the so-called top four boast a vast array of top quality goalkeepers… Liverpool have Reina, Manchester United have Van Der Sar, Chelsea have Petr Cech and even Aston Villa, Tottenham, Manchester City and Everton have top class international Goalkeepers who on their day could be argued to be the best… Why is it that not only do the top tier teams emphasize the necessity to fill the Goalkeeping position with the best available Goalkeepers yet Arsenal and Arsene Wenger believes this does not play a part? Why doesn’t Wenger splash the cash on a young Frenchman, Hugo Lloris – 22, tall, French National side Goalkeeper, Safe hands, great aerial commanding skills and you would think perfect match for Arsene, obviously not!
Why is it that Fabio Capello has stated that he wouldn’t select Almunia because for 1, he isn’t English and even if he was.. He still wouldn’t select him, because he is RUBBISH. Yet, Arsene Wenger believes he’s good?

Theo Walcott

Should get out of Arsenal ASAP, Wenger is ruining this kid. How come when he plays for Arsenal he is mediocre, yet, when played in the England squad he tears defenses to shreads and not mickey mouse defenses neither… I’ll tell you why, because Arsenal play this fancy football style which doesn’t and never will suite players like Theo Walcott… Farting about the penalty area eliminates all of Theo’s weapons, Theo needs Direct, pacey, counter attacking teams. And then, when he finally gets played, Wenger sticks him on the pitch to DEFEND Ashley Cole(A WING-BACK!!!)… He is also the ONLY player in the Arsenal squad that receives the stick instead of the carrot, only God knows why!
I have heard this kid is a life-long Liverpool fan, and we tried to snap him up last year and the year before but, we wanted a loan-to-buy deal and Wenger declined… Well let’s hope Benitez puts in a cheeky bid this summer.

Robin Van Persie

I have read a lot of stuff on Football forums of late but, the one thing that caught my eye was that Arsenal fans believe Robin Van Persie is in the same league as Rooney or a Torres or a Drogba. Sorry to burst your bubbles Gunners, BUT HE ISN’T! For one, he isn’t an out an out Striker, a LEFT-FORWARD at most. Goes on some goal scoring runs, but isn’t a consistent, natural goal scorer, also Injured most of the time too. This is the problem with guys coming in from the Dutch League, they are called forwards, strikers or whatever name they give them there, but to us they are WINGERS, and Van Persie is also a WINGER… If you want Dutch Strikers… Here are a few: Van Basten, Kluivert, Van Nistelrooy, Huntelaar.

To prove my point I would need to put a real striker in your team, Since Arsene Wenger always refuses to do this it’s just going to have to be hypothetical… Could you imagine what Torres would do in that Arsenal team?

Conclusion

So Arsenal charge their supporters too much. They don’t win trophies, they don’t buy the top range of marquee players and they buy low, sell high. Ironically, when these players hit their peak. They also have a manager who will never criticise his players in defeat, only, Theo Walcott(one of England’s most promising youngsters). They also have a captain who left his “Dream Club” on a free, to now be constantly flirting with them, when Arsenal hit a patch of bad form. They have an incompetent Goalkeeper, an incompetent center back, a creative midfielder who has the solely ambition of winning the Champions League, which will never happen. And, they have an overhyped Forward – who is always injured – whom they believe to be one of the best Strikers in the world….. ON HIS DAY.

And if this doesn’t worry you Gunners, then maybe the story about Cesc’ Barcelona move will. Let me tell you why – Whenever there is a transfer rumour, the time to get worried is when the purchasing club, in this case Barcelona, deny the rumour… This generally means that an agreement between the two clubs is very near, and the purchasing club do not want to jeopardise the deal, hence, the denial… And if you take the corporate culture of a Spanish Football Club into consideration than you can nearly say it’s already been signed, sealed and delivered.

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