I think we were defensively appalling last night and I'm beginning to seriously doubt

[Herbert Augustus Chapman]

if Arteta has the requisite defensive credentials required for a credible title chase!

[PSRB]

if Arteta has the requisite defensive credentials required for a credible title chase!

Appalling might be a bit strong, clean sheet but we didn't look as secure as usual.

[Herbert Augustus Chapman]

Appalling might be a bit strong, clean sheet but we didn't look as secure as usual.

I know P .. just poking WES with a sharp stick He's not rising though

[Peter]

Appalling might be a bit strong, clean sheet but we didn't look as secure as usual.

Excellent, I love it.

The only way we are going to win anything is if we start conceding more goals.....

[WES]

if Arteta has the requisite defensive credentials required for a credible title chase!

My money was on Peter for this post, Herbie.

I thought his desire to moan would be greater than your desire to wind me up.

I was wrong

[Peter]

My money was on Peter for this post, Herbie.

I thought his desire to moan would be greater than your desire to wind me up.

I was wrong

I'm like a train, WES. I may be on the wrong track, but I stay on it

My moaning is about us playing dull, cautious, football. I am not going to suddenly complain about us taking risks and conceding goals.

Obviously if he goes too far and we end up like Keegan's Newcastle, I will start to moan about that.......

[Herbert Augustus Chapman]

I'm like a train, WES. I may be on the wrong track, but I stay on it

My moaning is about us playing dull, cautious, football. I am not going to suddenly complain about us taking risks and conceding goals.

Obviously if he goes too far and we end up like Keegan's Newcastle, I will start to moan about that.......

Don't claim to know much about tactics but didn't he bung Ezzzy and Saka on when we were already winning? Even if we'd been losing Wenger would have waited til we were a minute into stoppages before doing anything like that

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

Don't claim to know much about tactics but didn't he bung Ezzzy and Saka on when we were already winning? Even if we'd been losing Wenger would have waited til we were a minute into stoppages before doing anything like that

Rubbish. AW always used to keep chucking strikers on until we scored. And then, after switching form 4-4-2 to 4-3-3, no.10s.

[Peter]

Rubbish. AW always used to keep chucking strikers on until we scored. And then, after switching form 4-4-2 to 4-3-3, no.10s.

Wenger had the fatal flaw of believing that football was about footballers rather than tactics.

It worked when he had the best footballers and only one club that could massively outspend him in England. It stopped working when the oil money rolled in........

The last protagonist of the 'beautiful game'.

[WES]

Wenger had the fatal flaw of believing that football was about footballers rather than tactics.

It worked when he had the best footballers and only one club that could massively outspend him in England. It stopped working when the oil money rolled in........

The last protagonist of the 'beautiful game'.

True re him thinking it was about footballers.

But I would add that it worked when most clubs did little recruitment outside of the UK and pretty much none in France, France was going through a purple patch of producing outstanding young footballers and he was still intimately aware of French youth football.

This allowed him to acquire Henry, Vieira and Piers at very low cost. Without those three players he wouldn't have won any league titles in the PL, I think.

Once other, wealthier clubs began to compete with us for those players and Wenger could no longer unearth a young Fench genius for low cost, the decline began.

[PSRB]

True re him thinking it was about footballers.

But I would add that it worked when most clubs did little recruitment outside of the UK and pretty much none in France, France was going through a purple patch of producing outstanding young footballers and he was still intimately aware of French youth football.

This allowed him to acquire Henry, Vieira and Piers at very low cost. Without those three players he wouldn't have won any league titles in the PL, I think.

Once other, wealthier clubs began to compete with us for those players and Wenger could no longer unearth a young Fench genius for low cost, the decline began.

Plus when we did get a decent player, Chelsea/City/United came in and offered them silly money that we couldn't compete with. Dein, Fiszman and AW saved us long-term by getting The Emirates built.

[WES]

Plus when we did get a decent player, Chelsea/City/United came in and offered them silly money that we couldn't compete with. Dein, Fiszman and AW saved us long-term by getting The Emirates built.

Yes, I think that's what I said in the last paragraph

And true about the Emirates, stands alongside the elevation of the reputation of our club from 97-05 as his two greatest accomplishments.

[PSRB]

Yes, I think that's what I said in the last paragraph

And true about the Emirates, stands alongside the elevation of the reputation of our club from 97-05 as his two greatest accomplishments.

I meant we still bought/found some very good players and then lost them - Nasri, Sanchez, etc

[Peter]

I meant we still bought/found some very good players and then lost them - Nasri, Sanchez, etc

Clichy, Kolo Toure, Van Persie, Adebayor, Diaby. All bought for very modest fees and either sold on or crocked.

WES is right about the those top, top players. We would have been priced out of moves for them ten years later. Perhaps not Vieira, who everybody thought was a bit of a crock.

I've always though that once the stadium really hit our financing, Wenger felt he couldn't build a squad that would be big enough to sustain a title challenge and instead tried to build a side with enough technical ability to win a champions league.

[Rich]

Clichy, Kolo Toure, Van Persie, Adebayor, Diaby. All bought for very modest fees and either sold on or crocked.

WES is right about the those top, top players. We would have been priced out of moves for them ten years later. Perhaps not Vieira, who everybody thought was a bit of a crock.

I've always though that once the stadium really hit our financing, Wenger felt he couldn't build a squad that would be big enough to sustain a title challenge and instead tried to build a side with enough technical ability to win a champions league.

I felt it a shame that his book didn't really delve into these sorts of areas. I actually found it a largely dissapointing read