Alisher Usmanov's letter to the Arsenal board

K1LLSW1TCH said:
Mertesacker is better than people give him credit for in my opinion, he's still young for a defender and has a load of caps for Germany, which if he was a terrible defender probably wouldn't be the case.

Park has played a handful of games if that, you could say it's the managers fault for not properly rotating but RVP played virtually every game and Park didn't get a look in. Maybe he is **** in training, who knows?

Chamakh is alright, nothing special but again every striker played second fiddle to RVP with there being virtually no rotation up front at all, I don't count the last 5 minutes in a game already won/lost as rotation.

Santos is pretty **** defensively I'll admit, but I like him going forward and he'd be better as a winger, I'm not disputing the fact that Wenger has signed his fair share of duds, but not every player is as bad as the Arsenal fans on here make out. This must be the worst place for pessimistic Arsenal fans on the Internet. :p
Click to expand...

The problem is as always, Giroud looks like a positive signing, till you realise he's RVP's replacement, then its someone who is worse, its a downgrade.

Arteta was our only good signing last year, again on his own, an improvement, what he was really is a replacement for Cesc and a MASSIVE downgrade.

Santos isn't very good going forwards at all, he only did well going forwards in a few games, he most certainly wasn't great offensively in most of his games and okay defensively, he was rubbish defensively in the vast majority of games and he was only okay going forwards in 2-3 games in the season, that is abysmal.

He probably is an upgrade over Traore, but again as a replacement for Clichy he's a monumentally poor downgrade.

It's not about the players he buys, its the direction of the squad, for all intents and purposes almost every purchase in the past 7 years has been a downgrade, yet somehow our wage spending has doubled.

This has been consistent, year on year, and we've gotten less competitive year on year, our wage bill has become unmanagable in terms of, if we had Spurs wage bill(and for the quality of the squad, that is what we should be spending) we'd have 50mil PER SEASON to invest in players.

What everyone will ignore time and time again, while banging on about money and what Arsenal can afford is, we employ some truly **** players, and Wenger persists with them and offers them new improved contracts.

Denilson, who had a half good season almost 5 years ago, has a freaking contract till 2014...... he has been beyond abysmal for the past 4 years, yet somehow has 2 years left on his contract, because Wenger gave a woeful player a new higher wage contract, again. He's likely on 3 mil a year, and I wouldn't be surprised if Sao Paulo aren't paying anywhere near his full wage. It's money down the drain, Diaby, even if he was the best player in the world, when someone manages less than 10 games a year, you do not offer him a 3 mil a year contract, you just don't.... except he did. Then the fact that Diaby is also completely **** makes it even more insane. Song is so good in defensive midfield, we've sacrificed two of the best attacking midfielders to sit behind and cover his inept defending.

We let one of the worlds best DM's leave, one of the worlds best potential DM's, and a very solid all rounder while being miles better than Song also leave, all so Song could play a position he was **** at then and **** at now.

Gilberto is someone who still had 3 years left in him, and should be at Arsenal teaching new DM's and the defence. Diarra gets plenty of games for Real when he's fit, Flamini went on to win several titles afaik, cups and leagues, and we could have kept him had we simply extended a relatively cheap contract earlier rather than treat him like ****.

Wenger makes awful decision after awful decision. Bendtner had years ago outperformed anything Chamakh, Park, Walcott, Gervinho has still ever done for us to date, yet we ship him out and bring in expensive players who are rubbish instead of playing the good players we have?

How much game time will Gervinho or Park get this season, on their large contracts, when both are rubbish and we've bought in two people to replace them after only a year? How much will Chamakh play, having been a terrible choice before we bought him, now that we've signed 4 replacement strikers since he came in?
 
What other managers would keep the crop of players from the last few years in the Champions League? And don't spin that line about every other team in every other game being utter **** because that's a poor excuse at best. Some of your points I agree with but you try and turn Wenger into a scapegoat when the majority of top teams would be happy to have him at the helm.

Andre Village-Idiot, fresh from a successful nine-month stint at the bus stop in Fulham, follows Gerry Francis, Chris Hughton, Christian Gross, David Pleat (three times), George Graham, Glenn Hoddle, Jacques Santini, Martin Jol, Clive Allen and Alex Inglethorpe (twice), Juande Ramos, and of course Rosie Redknapp, as Tottenham managers that Arsene has faced up to.
Click to expand...

Would you prefer it if we were like Spurs?
 
K1LLSW1TCH said:
One part of that letter which sticks out like a sore thumb is this paragraph here:



That is such a hypocritical statement, the letter was obviously meant to be made public otherwise it wouldn't have been leaked so easily, not to mention the timing of it, it's doing the exact thing which they are claiming they would never do. I don't know what Usmanov's angle is here but the only thing these public letters will encourage is fragmentation between the groups of supporters and possibly even have detrimental effects on the players. They have enough distractions without this idiot adding to them.

We've already spent over £20,000,000 in this transfer window, we clearly have money to spend and while we have tended to operate on a very stringent budget in regards to transfer fees, we are by no means a poor club, personally I think the way we do things is fine and I wouldn't want an owner who will just come in and ***** money left, right and centre. What happens if that owner were ever to leave? We'd be saddled with wages we can't afford to pay, we wouldn't be able to attract decent players either, we'd be in a dark place.

As it is at the moment a lot of the people we have brought in over the past few seasons have mentioned Wenger as one of the key reasons for signing, not everything is about money and I do believe the club has an ambition and a commitment to try and win trophies. We've fell short the past 5 or 6 years but during that time we've almost won the league and we reached a cup final, we have been competing for trophies so I don't really know what Usmanov and co are talking about.

The man has no class and no thought for the players or fans, it's not right to air your dirty laundry in public like this, players releasing statements is one thing, but you'd expect better from someone who apparently loves the club and apparently only wants the best. Does he think that writing such a damning letter and making it public is in the best interests of the club? The guy is a moron.
Click to expand...

Same old song you and others are singing about billionaires taking over a club and running away. im yet to see teh chelsea owner bail out yet. everyone keeps saying same thing but no billionaire as bailed out on a club so you cant dance and sing about something that has never happened yet.

Arsenal need a billionaire to compete, simple as that. we will never ever compete with city and co with the way we run things. never will. expect anotehr 6+ years of winning **** all
 
jonneymendoza said:
Same old song you and others are singing about billionaires taking over a club and running away. im yet to see teh chelsea owner bail out yet. everyone keeps saying same thing but no billionaire as bailed out on a club so you cant dance and sing about something that has never happened yet.

Arsenal need a billionaire to compete, simple as that. we will never ever compete with city and co with the way we run things. never will. expect anotehr 6+ years of winning **** all
Click to expand...

If you want to support a sugar daddy bankrolled club then go and support City or Chelsea. I'd like to think Arsenal have a bit more class than that. :)
 
K1LLSW1TCH said:
If you want to support a sugar daddy bankrolled club then go and support City or Chelsea. I'd like to think Arsenal have a bit more class than that. :)
Click to expand...

no thanks i aint a glory hunter :)

fact is we are in this position because of money and not to do with wenger.

Wenger has shown this season he is the 2nd best manager in the league easily. nearly as great as fergie.

Only fergie could sustain top 4 with this **** arsenal side. machini, redknap and dalglish could NEVER achieve a top 3 finish with THIS current arsenal side. never.
 
jonneymendoza said:
no thanks i aint a glory hunter :)

fact is we are in this position because of money and not to do with wenger.

Wenger has shown this season he is the 2nd best manager in the league easily. nearly as great as fergie.

Only fergie could sustain top 4 with this **** arsenal side. machini, redknap and dalglish could NEVER achieve a top 3 finish with THIS current arsenal side. never.
Click to expand...

Your ever changing opinion on Wenger impresses me! I bet you've changed your opinion on him more today, than I've changed underwear all week! :D
 
CasKirensys said:
Your ever changing opinion on Wenger impresses me! I bet you've changed your opinion on him more today, than I've changed underwear all week! :D
Click to expand...

Ironically, ever since i laid down the law and told u all earlier last season that if wenger dont make top 4 he should go and if he does make top 4 with such a **** squad then he deserves to stay. since then i have not once said he should be sacked
 
jonneymendoza said:
top top article aimed at DM

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/ar...ail&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed
Click to expand...

Brilliant article imho. Ive said it since last yr that theres an issue with the board at Arsenal...they say yr in yr out that Wenger has money to spend but from where im sitting, i dont think they will ever allow Wenger to spend £30mill+ on a player. Personally i think they tell him, look you have up to £15mill to spend on a player and thats why we have been buying average players as someone said earlier on in this thread.

As for RVP??, im extremely disappointed in his refusal to sign a contract with us...what narks me off the most is that even through his injury plagued career, not once did Wenger say get rid of the crock...we stood by him and gave him all the support he needed and this is how he repays us??. He gives us one full season then decides he wants out??. Fair enough i have no problem with him going but the way he has conducted himself hasnt done his image any favours. The article above basically sums up his behaviour towards Arsenal, absolutely no loyalty from him after everything we have done for him which i find sad tbh. I wonder if he had been at another club, would they have kept him on the books for such a long time??..probably not as he would have been dumped out.

Meh i hope if we do sell him, we get some decent money for him or i hope beyond all hope that maybe he will come to his senses and sign another contract...highly unlikely but i live in hope.

One things for sure that we will survive without RVP, we always have when our big players have left ie Henry and Fabregas come to mind.
 
That article will embarass DM. no doubt DM has read it already and will not comment on it as he knows that article proves his opinions wrong

U all know i "use" to want wenger out but after last summer i realized This is not wengers fault.

You can put Morinho, Pep or even fergie and they will do no better maybe worse then wenger as all those managers would still be only buying average players.

Let me tell u who the real legend is. it aint RVP, fabregas or any of our world class players who have left us. its Wenger.

Wenger has shown redicolous amount of loyalty to arsenal. I mean name me a top class manager who would work with such a joke of a board?

Wenger has been mad e a scapegoat by the board yetw enger is stll with us? Wenegr has beens lated by fans including me at one point yet wenger is still with us?

dispite all teh flank he has got, wenger IS STILL with us. REFUSES to give up. that is a ****ing legend right there. not rvp, not thierry henry etc etc but Wenger.


He is teh true legend who never gsave up and backed out. he could have easily walked into the RM job, the french job and probably even the barca job yet he is our manager taking **** from people like DM and the board.

a true legend and if there was one man that comes lcose to being "bigger then the club" its wenger
 
Ahhh Des Kelly unsurprisingly giving Wenger the big thumbs up.

What ever next? Georgia giving 12 points to Russia in the european song contest? Night following day?

Hardly the most unbiased of reporters on the subject.
 
No1newts said:
I'm a glass dropped on the floor, smashed and then the shards trodden into the carpet type of bloke :p
Click to expand...

:D

No1newts said:
Out of interest as either you didn't say or I missed it, who do you pin the blame on for the loss of your better players each year? Or is it no ones fault at all?
Click to expand...

I honestly don't know, I don't think it can really be the managers fault, we don't have the full facts in regard to finance, transfer budget, transfer targets, club targets for next season... We don't have the full information in regards to anything really. I'm a staunch supporter of Wenger and I genuinely believe he's done an incredible job for us in all aspects of the club.

One thing I would say though is that RVP has no right to tell us how he thinks the club should be run. We've stuck by him through his various injury problems during the last seven or so seasons, he's had one and a half fully fit seasons where he has actually performed to expectations and now he wants to cut and run? Pathetic. He hints at our lack of trophies in the past few years but maybe if he'd have been off the treatment table and on the pitch we'd have won a couple perhaps.
 
Last edited:
to be fair to arsenal, look at the money liverpool spent and look where they are now finishing 7th and 8th in the league for the last 3 years, then u look at arsenal who make a profit every year and haven't dropped out of the top 4, it's a well run club only problem i see is investment with players, they badly need a good defence.
 
jonneymendoza said:
That article will embarass DM. no doubt DM has read it already and will not comment on it as he knows that article proves his opinions wrong

U all know i "use" to want wenger out but after last summer i realized This is not wengers fault.

You can put Morinho, Pep or even fergie and they will do no better maybe worse then wenger as all those managers would still be only buying average players.
Click to expand...

jonneymendoza said:
the only way to invest in players is to spend 30m mimimum per player and offer then mimimum 150-200k a week salary
Click to expand...

Just for the record, firstly, I don't check pointless threads every day, secondly I don't read the daily mail, period, thirdly, you're still completely wrong.

I don't know another manager anywhere that would have handed Diaby a NEW 60k a week contract, when he's **** when he plays, and is also never able to play.

Look at Hargreaves for Utd, he barely plays and according to most fans he was great when he played, did they let sentiment get in the way of throwing money down the drain or did he leave when his contract ended?

THe article mentions Wenger sticking to his guns, etc, etc, except as always Wenger's philosophy in football today is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT to the one he used when Arsenal were winning things.

There was almost no "youth" in the squad when we last won the title, we had almost no trained at Arsenal players, we bought basically everyone, we had a higher wage bill than basically every team below us(except Utd on the years we won), he had no problem selling Overmars/Petit for a huge profit, even when they were fantastic for the club, and bringing in better players.

He took risks, he in no way, at all at any stage focused on youth, his youth record of bringing long term Arsenal trainee's through is too this day god damned awful.

Look at Utd, with Welbeck playing, Scholes, Giggs still playing, Neville, Giggs, Cleverley, etc, etc.

Wenger makes a profit every year, because we have the second biggest stadium in the league, we got CL income FROM WHEN HE WAS SPENDING and playing very different football, we get huge tv money and we charge the highest ticket prices in the UK, if you can't be profitable when doing that you are failing.


Pretending Arsenal are "just" another team in the league and that third or 4th is brilliant is a joke, we spend 40mil more in wages than Spurs.

If there are 4 competitive teams spending 115mil + a season, being 4th is not terrible and certainly not brilliant.

Liverpool self distructed, so did Chelsea, Spurs with a competant manager would have also. Arsenal got two LESS points in the second half of the season than the first, yeah that awesome second half of the season that somehow made up for that awful start... is not remotely true. Spurs who were 13 points up on us at one stage, managed to throw away a massive number of points. They were on for basically a 20point lead if they maintained their form over Arsenal.

But as per usual, you're magically ignoring the point. You react to every other game, I've been saying for 7 years now that year on year our squad is getting worse, I've said we certainly risk dropping out of the top four, I never at any stage thought at the start of this season we would fight for relegation or come bottom half. I didn't over react like some people, its the TREND that Arsenal are getting worse every single year, that will eventually screw us completely.

It's really this simple, if Wenger had ditched the rubbish every season instead of letting our top players walk out, mostly fed up of playing with the dross, we'd be in a PHENOMINALLY STRONG position now. Instead we're walking on the edge of a cliff Wenger is pushing us ever closer to falling over.

My mind hasn't changed, nothing Wenger has done has pushed Arsenal forward for years. As yet this years squad is worse than last years, and next years will likely be worse than this years.

We got RVP and Fabregas, Gallas, and some young keepers, we got these great players because at the time Arsenal were competitive.

We were top four this year because RVP who came to Arsenal because at the time Arsenal were a winning club, had a brilliant season. His replacement simply isn't anywhere near as good, how will that work out next season.

This isn't THIS season being the season that broke the back, its the consequence of 7 years of decline.

When we do drop out of the top four, you'll react like it was a short term miraculous occurrence that was unforseeable and declare that Wenger had a bad season after a very good one the year before.

Sorry but a manager doing a good job wouldn't make his team worse EVERY single year for 7 years, its unthinkable.... while DOUBLING the wage bill.

Denilson, Diaby, these guys should have left on free's 4 years ago, Walcott, lol, Santos, lol, our DM in Song who can't play DM and isn't great going forwards, Gervinho, Chamakh, Rosicky, etc, etc. We're talking about 10's and 10's of millions wasted on players that haven't provided anywhere near enough for the money they are on. Chelsea, City and to a degree Utd can all afford to keep **** players on the wage bill, Arsenal can't while hoping to win anything.

If you're happy with constant 4th's when we spend about the 4th highest wages and think that will continue when we can't sign top players any more, fine, good for you. I think Arsenal should be winning things, I can't see any reason why they shouldn't have for years. 3-4 players gone and 3-4 players in alongside the likes of Fabregas, RVP, Gallas, Clichy and we'd have been winning things over the last 7 years.

Wenger's steadfastly standing by players who simply haven't performed, while rewarding them every 2 years with new improved contracts is the difference between cups, the odd title, and being 4th out of 4 competitors.
 
drunkenmaster said:
Just for the record, firstly, I don't check pointless threads every day, secondly I don't read the daily mail, period, thirdly, you're still completely wrong.

I don't know another manager anywhere that would have handed Diaby a NEW 60k a week contract, when he's **** when he plays, and is also never able to play.

Its not wengers fault that some ****er broke his leg and struggling to recover from it. he DID look decent before that and you and i dont know how good he works in training


Look at Hargreaves for Utd, he barely plays and according to most fans he was great when he played, did they let sentiment get in the way of throwing money down the drain or did he leave when his contract ended?

THe article mentions Wenger sticking to his guns, etc, etc, except as always Wenger's philosophy in football today is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT to the one he used when Arsenal were winning things.

Wengers philisophy especially style of play is very similar to Barcelona/Spain. So it CAN work but we need better players to do so.

There was almost no "youth" in the squad when we last won the title, we had almost no trained at Arsenal players, we bought basically everyone, we had a higher wage bill than basically every team below us(except Utd on the years we won), he had no problem selling Overmars/Petit for a huge profit, even when they were fantastic for the club, and bringing in better players.

We bought mostly average unkown players and turned them into world class players. who was petit? fabregas? hleb? henry? rvp etc etc when they first joined us? Wenger transformered these players into world class players

He took risks, he in no way, at all at any stage focused on youth, his youth record of bringing long term Arsenal trainee's through is too this day god damned awful.

Look at Utd, with Welbeck playing, Scholes, Giggs still playing, Neville, Giggs, Cleverley, etc, etc.

Wenger makes a profit every year, because we have the second biggest stadium in the league, we got CL income FROM WHEN HE WAS SPENDING and playing very different football, we get huge tv money and we charge the highest ticket prices in the UK, if you can't be profitable when doing that you are failing.


Pretending Arsenal are "just" another team in the league and that third or 4th is brilliant is a joke, we spend 40mil more in wages than Spurs.



If there are 4 competitive teams spending 115mil + a season, being 4th is not terrible and certainly not brilliant.

Sorry but 3rd/4th IS BRILLIANT when you look at our team. Even you say our team is far worse then spurs and liverpool yet we finished above them and also gave those teams a MASSIVE headstart in the first half of last season trailing spurs what was it? 15 points? If you cant see what we have achieved with this **** squad then you are dillusional. You constant **** off walcott, santos etc etc yet they all helped us finish 3rd mate. that in itself is a great achievement especially by your standards you set for those players being poor.

So imagine if wenger diddnt buy "poor" players? we would win the title easily with a squad like spurs/liverpool yet reknapp/daglish messed up big time and wenger yet again shows he is a cut above the rest as a manager

Liverpool self distructed, so did Chelsea, Spurs with a competant manager would have also. Arsenal got two LESS points in the second half of the season than the first, yeah that awesome second half of the season that somehow made up for that awful start... is not remotely true. Spurs who were 13 points up on us at one stage, managed to throw away a massive number of points. They were on for basically a 20point lead if they maintained their form over Arsenal.

Doesnt matter if they self distructed or not. Not Wengers problem. Fact is we were the 3rd best team in england and **** players like walcott and song made that happen whether you like it or not. what does that show u abpout wenger? simple. he over achieves and punch above his weight. This side as no right to be 3rd best team lol

But as per usual, you're magically ignoring the point. You react to every other game, I've been saying for 7 years now that year on year our squad is getting worse, I've said we certainly risk dropping out of the top four, I never at any stage thought at the start of this season we would fight for relegation or come bottom half. I didn't over react like some people, its the TREND that Arsenal are getting worse every single year, that will eventually screw us completely.

Squad wise we get worse every year yet every year we finish top 4. Again what does that tell u about wenger's ability as a manager? it tells u that each year wenger is OVERACHIEVING

It's really this simple, if Wenger had ditched the rubbish every season instead of letting our top players walk out, mostly fed up of playing with the dross, we'd be in a PHENOMINALLY STRONG position now. Instead we're walking on the edge of a cliff Wenger is pushing us ever closer to falling over.

Letting our top players walk out? Fabregas coudl have walked out 3 years ago but wenger did not allow him too. RVP could still play his final contract. Wenger cant put a gun to there heads forcing them to stay. he does the best he can to convince them to stay. not much he can do mate

My mind hasn't changed, nothing Wenger has done has pushed Arsenal forward for years. As yet this years squad is worse than last years, and next years will likely be worse than this years.

We got RVP and Fabregas, Gallas, and some young keepers, we got these great players because at the time Arsenal were competitive.

We were top four this year because RVP who came to Arsenal because at the time Arsenal were a winning club, had a brilliant season. His replacement simply isn't anywhere near as good, how will that work out next season.

No, RVP came to us because we was the only club willing to buy him and his awful attitude at the time. We stuck by him, turned him into a world class player and always stood by him when he was injured and this is how he repays us by that disrespectful statement from him last week

This isn't THIS season being the season that broke the back, its the consequence of 7 years of decline.

When we do drop out of the top four, you'll react like it was a short term miraculous occurrence that was unforseeable and declare that Wenger had a bad season after a very good one the year before.

Sorry but a manager doing a good job wouldn't make his team worse EVERY single year for 7 years, its unthinkable.... while DOUBLING the wage bill.

Its not his fault the teams worse each year! blame the board. Blame them for not allowing wenger to spend 30m on players like Hazard and david silva. Yet 7 years on we still finish top 4 dispite our squad being a joke and u call that bad management?

So if thats bad management, what is redknapp and dalglish? lol. What other manager in the world could finish top 4 with THIS squad?

Denilson, Diaby, these guys should have left on free's 4 years ago, Walcott, lol, Santos, lol, our DM in Song who can't play DM and isn't great going forwards, Gervinho, Chamakh, Rosicky, etc, etc. We're talking about 10's and 10's of millions wasted on players that haven't provided anywhere near enough for the money they are on. Chelsea, City and to a degree Utd can all afford to keep **** players on the wage bill, Arsenal can't while hoping to win anything.

If you're happy with constant 4th's when we spend about the 4th highest wages and think that will continue when we can't sign top players any more, fine, good for you. I think Arsenal should be winning things, I can't see any reason why they shouldn't have for years. 3-4 players gone and 3-4 players in alongside the likes of Fabregas, RVP, Gallas, Clichy and we'd have been winning things over the last 7 years.

Wenger's steadfastly standing by players who simply haven't performed, while rewarding them every 2 years with new improved contracts is the difference between cups, the odd title, and being 4th out of 4 competitors.
Click to expand...



replied in bold
 
DM, sometimes your views are so biased I wonder if you're even a fan of Arsenal. I do agree with some things that you say, but there are a lot of other things that you're just plain wrong about imo.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom