Arsenal FC a very promising story

[TightEnd]

a take from yesterday from one of the top football writers

Henry Winter ‏@henrywinter

Nothing new. Arsenal been drifting for some time under Wenger. Club lacks leadership. Nobody in club holds Wenger properly to account.

[BigAdz]

I think the big take away for me from yesterday is the very old fashioned view held by AW, that the Euro participants needed extra time off, whilst all over the place they were scoring and putting up excellent performances.

These guys have(or should have) supposedly almost super human type fitness levels. A month off should be more than enough.

Another AW fail.

[George2Loose]

Never seen Wenger look so dejected in a post match interview. Huge contrast to Klopp. Maybe this is the year they fail to break the top 4?

[muckthenuts]

As long as we avoid injury crises I think we're still favourites for top 4. That in itself is basically the problem though lol. I was with some arsenal fans yesterday who were hoping for 5 Liverpool goals. I've given up on the idea though that this club intends to try and win the PL. if we fell out of the top 4 we'd probably spend enough to get back in but no more.

[TightEnd]

would there be a sense of surprise that with koscielny not fit, metersacker injured, gabriel injured and knowing you are down to holding and chambers (not that they are especially to blame for conceding four goals) that spending £10m on Ashley Wlliams wasn't an option?

a real leader (something arsenal are short of), not expensive etc

or is it just not the style to do a short term signing?

independent of this, i just don't see wenger in tune with the modern day transfer market at all

still going to win next weekend at leicester though, so all will be fine come saturday!

(by the by, ranierie said after our bad result that we were 70% fit. was the date of the start of the season a surprise or something? did it sneak up out of nowhere?)

[George2Loose]

Williams signing was a tap in. Can't believe Arsenal or even Liverpool didn't try and pick him up

[Nakor]

To buy Williams makes sense but with 5 CB's on the books + Monreal you would need to offload one?  BFG the only option to sell and not going to happen while injured?  Don't think long term squad harmony would have been helped buying another at this stage, how do you bring Chambers and Holding on this season if you have 4 senior men in front of them.  However agree Williams is just the character type required from what I can see.

I don't think there were any real surprises in yesterday result or performance, Arsenal will need someone to underperform to make top 4 and Liverpool will need to find a defence before the can challenge.

[DungBeetle]

To buy Williams makes sense but with 5 CB's on the books + Monreal you would need to offload one?  BFG the only option to sell and not going to happen while injured?  Don't think long term squad harmony would have been helped buying another at this stage, how do you bring Chambers and Holding on this season if you have 4 senior men in front of them.  However agree Williams is just the character type required from what I can see.

I don't think there were any real surprises in yesterday result or performance, Arsenal will need someone to underperform to make top 4 and Liverpool will need to find a defence before the can challenge.

Bringing in Williams and loaning out Chambers would have made sense.  Watford would have taken Chambers and given him plenty of game time in the back 3.

[hhyftrftdr]

Senderos is available on a free transfer.......and somehow he is only 31?!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/37085833?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbc_match_of_the_day&ns_source=facebook&ns_linkname=sport

[BigAdz]

To buy Williams makes sense but with 5 CB's on the books + Monreal you would need to offload one?  BFG the only option to sell and not going to happen while injured?  Don't think long term squad harmony would have been helped buying another at this stage, how do you bring Chambers and Holding on this season if you have 4 senior men in front of them.  However agree Williams is just the character type required from what I can see.

I don't think there were any real surprises in yesterday result or performance, Arsenal will need someone to underperform to make top 4 and Liverpool will need to find a defence before the can challenge.

Bringing in Williams and loaning out Chambers would have made sense.  Watford would have taken Chambers and given him plenty of game time in the back 3.

Would have been a great solution.

[muckthenuts]

would there be a sense of surprise that with koscielny not fit, metersacker injured, gabriel injured and knowing you are down to holding and chambers (not that they are especially to blame for conceding four goals) that spending £10m on Ashley Wlliams wasn't an option?

independent of this, i just don't see wenger in tune with the modern day transfer market at all

Thing is i don't think 'Wenger out' actually solves anything except we probably sacrifice on a very good tactician. Because who's to say the next manager in won't have to submit to spending requests of the board? If every man and his dog can see there's a need for a CB and striker it's not going to be beyond Wenger is it. Some other factors must be at play.

Wenger cleverly managed to get hold of Ozil on deadline day while Sanchez and Xhaka became done deals in an extremely efficient manner. He can do it if he chooses to. I think the fact that the philosophy of the club currently puts churning a profit over anything else is more to blame than Wenger.

The only possible solution i can see to this - fans need to vote with their pockets. 

[BigAdz]

I think if Wenger is as important to the club as we are all lead to believe, if he wanted to spend, he would tell the club. In turn, if he is that determined he would then tell the board he is not at his optimal best if he can't buy "X". If he can't spend he offers his ticket.... It just doesn't happen really, does it?!

By supposing the next manager will be under the same constraints(that we don't really know exist), would be almost doing a Wenger and making some pretty broad assumptions to justify doing nothing.

I have said for a long time, the man is too proud. He has basically seen footballing strategy at the top table move on, and the fans picked it up before he did. Now, almost to try and prove everyone wrong he is too dogmatic to follow suit

[hhyftrftdr]

The best news you could hope for this season?

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11945/10539804/uefa-considers-changing-format-of-champions-league-in-favour-of-top-teams

[DungBeetle]

Further down that article is the usual annoyance of clubs complaining that they don't get to play in it if they finish below 4th.  Tip for Man Utd/Chelsea/Liverpool/AC Milan: this situation can be avoided by having a completely average season and meeting the relatively generous qualifying criteria.

[muckthenuts]

Just out of curiosity, have there been any big names in football who have come forward and praised Wenger for how he operates in the transfer market? Or is it the case that everyone unanimously agrees that he has no f idea what he's doing anymore.

8 days left of the window and even the rumours are drying up. I just don't get it.