#kroenkeout: Page 45 - The Arsenal discussion forum and community: One More in the Tolly

#kroenkeout

Sicario2

Don Pacifico
What he is saying is not wrong.

I can’t wait for the Arsenal fan meltdown come Feb 3rd when we announce no players.

No signings = no ambition = next season FC.

Don Pacifico

Sicario2 it demonstrably is given another one of Arteta's long-term targets (Zubimendi) is set to sign this summer.

I think this talk of not backing him is nonsense - it's just code for we haven't bought any good attackers.

You'll see no meltdown from me on Feb 3rd fwiw. I manage my own expectations. 😉

Claudius

Don Pacifico melting down is a choice. Some will melt down even when we sign someone. We signed defenders and midfielders that we needed in the summer and folks wanted them gone. We literally need these players (in addition to additional forwards), but folks melted down at their arrival. 😀

Sicario2

Don Pacifico don’t worry I’m one step ahead of you when you meltdown after we get knocked out of CL for not having enough attacking options 😉

Sicario2

Claudius there is no player from the summer that has added any real value. Let’s wait and see if Cala can play 2 matches in a row and if Merino can move quicker than the titanic. It looks like 3 windows in a row where we have effectively done fuck all.

Don Pacifico

Sicario2 honestly, I've just accepted that this was a mistake we made in the summer. It bothers me a lot less as a result. I'm disappointed we've underperformed this season but at this point, it is what it is.

If we were to get to the end of the summer window without any new attacking options, then I might get annoyed.

Claudius

Sicario2 fortunately our club signs players on 4 or 5 year contracts. Not 4 or 5 month contracts. So I doubt they’re stressed.

Coombs

Claudius So I doubt they’re stressed.

If they're not stressed, that's a problem. We aren't on course for winning a title, and that should be stressful by default. They should be rectifying it by whatever means they have available. I hate this "running a business" bullshit.

invisibleman18

Claudius not when it comes to our only attacking signing this season unfortunately.

Claudius

Don Pacifico I’ll be honest. I really wanted Sesko or Williams (didn’t think both were feasible at their cost) over summer. But I wasn’t angry when we didn’t sign them. I was fine with dumping Nketiah, ESR, Nelson, Vieira etc because all of them were being used less than MLS is being used this year. Didn’t care about Sterling either way.

Current status

we should’ve bought a forward of that Sesko/Williams level
we shouldve kept Vieira
we should find out if Sterling has a money back guarantee. Like a two slice toaster.

Coombs

Don Pacifico If we were to get to the end of the summer window without any new attacking options, then I might get annoyed.

This is where I was at last summer, and I'm just not capable of letting them reset my expectations like groundhog day. Sure, it doesn't do any good to moan about it now, because its done, but I'm not really interested in doing any good - I just want to be able to be grumpy about it on a forum without people telling me its all actually fine and nobody made any mistakes and everyone is doing great.

Sicario2

I just don’t like wasting season guys.

Do you know how much pressure will be on us next season if we don’t win anything this year?

Arteta better be ready, he ain’t seen nothing yet.

Don Pacifico

Sicario2 I'm not saying it's not frustrating, I'm just not convinced there's much we could realistically do at this point to make a significant enough difference.

Sicario2 Arteta better be ready, he ain’t seen nothing yet.

Are you talking about anger from the board or the fans? I don't get the sense the board are at all dissatisfied with his performance.

In terms of the fans, as mentioned before I think some of the anger is disproportionate to the results we're seeing and more a combination of (a) raised expectations vs (b) the feeling of an opportunity missed. But for the most part, the people 'letting us down' this season are the same ones that raised our expectations in the first place so I find the vitriol expressed by some to be pretty disrespectful honestly. Shows that some elements of fan culture haven't evolved (eg. As soon as a player has a bad patch, they're a useless wanker).

Don Pacifico

Coombs I just want to be able to be grumpy about it on a forum without people telling me its all actually fine and nobody made any mistakes and everyone is doing great.

I'm not sure that's a stance many hold, at least not from what I've seen.

And whilst I understand the raised expectations (I predicted us to win the league this season...) I also can't forget the context of the last decade where we weren't a serious side. Sure, that's not a reward if we don't win things but it does give me back some pride that I think we all lost, which shouldn't be forgotten lightly as you never know when that might happen next.

QuincyAbeyie

I'd be really pissed off if they're not stressed about winning the title just because they have a lot of time left on their contracts.

Coombs

Don Pacifico I have exactly the opposite feeling, which is that it could all come apart rather quickly if our owners and execs don't pull their fingers out and do something asap to keep us on track. That's how things get bad, it doesn't just happen as some kind of natural geologic cycle. You can have down seasons, but having another down decade without even reaching the top would be crushing.

Put it this way, if we had a down season because of a lot of squad turnover and attempts to redress problem areas in attack and midfield, I would be far more accepting because there is a clear trajectory. Just letting this team founder within touching distance of the title is not acceptable.

awooga83

Don Pacifico agree with Combs that pride can be very fleeting, it might exist in this moment but if we fail to win anything in our high point then we've really started to become a less serious club and I'm not sure that's something to be proud of personally. If we drop the ball this season fans and wider football world will start to look at us as can be up in the race but that aren't the team that ever wins it they just don't have it and Arteta is a Pochettino manager just not quite good enough to get a team to the big prizes. That's the narrative that is starting to crystallize and I don't think these are positive developments.

Sicario2

Coombs
100 percent agree. Seize the fucking moment. Life is short. Sports it’s shorter.

@Don Pacifico you are too chilled. Do share your meditation techniques.

Don Pacifico

Coombs I think your perspective is coloured by the fact you believe the owners are withholding support, which I just don't see.

I don't believe there's enough evidence to suggest we can't rectify this situation; if anything, I feel we've done a decent job of addressing problems in the past. This is the first major blip since we've been on an upward trajectory - when we finished 5th a few seasons ago, there were plenty who thought we wouldn't get top four with Arteta in charge. Let's see if he and the club can rectify the situation now.

Coombs

Don Pacifico Let's see if he and the club can rectify the situation now.

Unless we make proper signings, any success this season will be despite the lack of support for Arteta and the team, not because of it. Spending to get into the CL is a no-brainer, and nothing much to credit them for. Every financial spreadsheet would show numbers to support it. Real ambition is measured in the last 5%, which costs the same or even more despite its relatively uncertain financial reward.

Claudius

This lack of support argument makes some massive assumptions that go in the face of just released results. What those show is consistently good investment (4th highest transfer spend and salaries over this period).we’ve completely turned over the squad, and have a number of expensive players - while also growing transfer value in the process.
We have a specific issue that has dogged us. Forward acquisition. And it’s not like we haven’t tried. We just haven’t executed. Rather go into what we haven’t executed specifically on that position than make broad stroke arguments about a lack of support.

Forwards just seem to be really hard to get. We could’ve easily signed a goalie in August but walked away, for example. This after a simmer of chasing forwards to very little success.

Qwiss

Claudius consistently good investment (4th highest transfer spend and salaries over this period).

So enough to get realistically expect top 4 but not really more.

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