Concerning the current pain that is Arsenal’s transfer window, I mentioned in a previous blog that I had always believed that Wenger and his Board of accountants had no intentions of signing anyone until Arsenal had qualified for the Champions League group stages. Low and behold, straight after drubbing a very poor Fenabahce side 3-0, Wenger announced to the waiting press that the transfer window starts now!
Now, while I was feeling smug at having been right, we were presented another Wenger riddle as yesterday he told the same press buffoons that Arsenal had been working hard since the opening of the window to sign quality players! So which one is it? Have we been working hard, or did the window just now open? Not that I care anymore what Arsene Wenger says mind you, I simply do not believe a single word that comes out of his mouth. Wenger would not tell you the time if he was handcuffed to Big Ben. It just feels like everything he utters has another agenda that we’re left guessing at.
While Wenger plays games with the press, he seems to have forgotten the thousands of season ticket holders, Arsenal members and fans out there who are desperate to know our season’s fate. Wenger is painfully arrogant and thus, disrespectful of the fans, which would be a lot easier to handle if he delivered a modicum of recent success to go along with it. However, while I have grown tired of Wenger’s patronising smirks, I am sure that unless he acts quickly and brings in some marquee signings, his other look, the one of a haunted Basil Fawlty, will be a lot more evident than that goofy smile.
Regardless of what happens To Gareth Bale, it must be said that while Rome burns at the hands of the Emperor at the Emirates, down at White Hart Lane, Andre Villa-Boas’ collaboration with his new sporting director has reaped the reward of some very good signings. In fact should Willian choose Spurs in stead of Chelsea (which is now looking entirely improbable), Arsenal, along with the rest of the Premier League, will be looking over their shoulders.
In the meantime for today’s line up against Fulham, as poor relations to our rivals in North London, Arsenal will be fielding only one centre back because we only have two that are fit and one is banned! In fact, should any of our back four get injured or sent off today we do not have any fit or natural cover for them. Criminal, yes?
Now with £155m in the bank, 30m knocked from our balance sheet in wages and 13m realised from transfer fees, not to mention the 25m Arsenal can now look forward to from the Champions League revenues (almost assuredly), it beggars belief that a manager being paid 7m a year to run the football team has left his squad so light, as Wenger so eloquently acknowledges. I call it a gross dereliction of duty, and an insult to every paying fan last week and our away supporters. For today’s game I refuse to attend the away match, especially as Wenger’s delusion has resulted in a growing amount of fights and scuffles amongst Arsenal fans at away games. Some even broke out last week at the Emirates. Such is the strong feeling throughout Arsenal fans – I’m far from alone.
I have said it before, Wenger gets paid handsomely to be at Arsenal, while we Gooners pay handsomely just to be there, home and away !
My great fear is that Arsenal could go into our next home game against Spurs point-less, against a side fielding 100m worth of new players. A home humiliation by that mob would be an unbearable cross to bare and leave our season in tatters. Now that could lead to the Paris dole que for Wenger, but our season could implode just 2 weeks into it.
Now even Wenger, quickly turning into the supreme narcissist, can see what I am saying. I am also sick of Wenger play acting about the availability of quality players still out there. Utter bollocks! Marouane Fellaini, Karim Benzema, Micah Richards, Ashley Williams, Leyton Baines, Asmir Begovic, could easily provide the spine we so desperately need. We are also in desperate need of some strength and nastiness in our team, as our last two games have seen Arsenal players bullied, battered and bloodied, with no one to serve retribution.
Now that Arsenal have qualified for the Champion League I am going to put my head on the chopping block and predict that Wenger will sign the following – Mathieu Flamini, Richards, Begovic and maybe a centre forward, because this time if he doesn’t there won’t be that invisible trophy of 4th place to hide behind, and even he won’t getaway with anymore lies.
Arsenal seem to rack up injuries very easily because of our lightness in midfield. Why Wenger has not been in for Fellaini, Richards and Williams all along is very worrying as many top teams seem to have opted for power in crucial areas of the pitch. Man City and Spurs in particular are very big and strong in midfield, which was the main area that Aston Villa dominated against us last week. Don’t buy into Wenger’s delusion that the ref lost us that game. Villa battered a result out of our small, weak midfield.
Apart from being slower than a snail on Prozac, our biggest player in the side, Per Mertasaker plays the meek. Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey, Tomas Rosiscky, Theo Walcott and Bacary Sanga are too small to be imposing, and the likes of West Ham, Stoke, and god forbid Spurs, are going to bash us up – just watch.
So Wenger, act now. Stop playing games and sign players to improve our squad. I really hope I’m wrong in how this plays out.
Richie Rich
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