LoL Arsenal

[Nem]

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/...rticle860647.html

Arsene Wenger is facing the humiliation of a bizarre BIN-BAG protest as angry Arsenal fans begin to vote with their feet.
One supporters’ group is urging their fellow Gooners to put black bin liners over empty red seats at the Emirates during Saturday's match against Blackburn to highlight falling attendances.
Manager Wenger has seen his side slip to seventh in the table after taking just one point from their last four games, and there have been Twitter and Facebook calls for the bin-bag protest plus chants of “we want our money back” during this weekend's lunch-time clash.
Wenger also faced a severe backlash on Twitter, while the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust called on the board and majority shareholder Stan Kroenke to engage more with fans after the club refused to make any big money signings in January.

Kelvin Meadows, of the Where Has Our Arsenal Gone and Black Scarf Movement, insisted that their group would always support the team and Wenger, but questioned the direction of the club.
Meadows said: “What was the point in six per cent price rises last summer if the club do not want to spend? We will always support the team and Wenger deserves respect and to be treated with dignity after everything he’s done for the club.
“If Robin van Persie signs [a new contract], then great. But I don’t know many people who would blame him if he did go in the summer because is the club going to buy players to rebuild the team again?
“It’s not the players’ fault. It’s not even their fault if some of them are not necessarily good enough. But we would like answers from the board.”
The AST also issued a six-point bulletin to members and questions to the board after Arsenal’s latest setback - a goalless draw at Bolton which leaves them in danger of missing out on a £30m-plus Champions League qualification jackpot at the end of the season.
Although the AST insist they will remain behind Wenger for the remainder of the campaign, they urged the club to freeze ticket prices after last year’s increases and called on Kroenke to engage with fans.
Arsenal remain fully committed and supportive of Wenger, whose contract runs until 2014, while the club insist that no decision has been made on season ticket prices.

[SamPye]

Absolutely right... We've got the highest ticket prices in the country as far as I know, yet there seems no link between this and transfer spending. One problem with the protest is that fans aren't voting with their feet yet. The Blackburn game is sold out and the next home game which isn't yet sold out is against Newcastle in March. Whether they're being used or not, every seat has been bought and paid for by someone so there's less incentive for the board to do anything about prices. If they can sell out a game against Blackburn in spite of everything that's happened this season then they're bound to be a little complacent.

Ticket prices aside, another big beef with the fans is the perceived lack of ambition and lack of transfers. This summer Arsenal spent approx' £53m, yet still made a profit of £17m*. What we're looking for is one or 2 marquee signings and fewer players signed for the future. A perfect example is Juan Mata. A player we were heavily linked with and would have suited us nicely, but we were priced out of it and Chelsea picked him up. I'd expect this summer for a similar scenario to play out with Goetze from Dortmund.

I read recently that we're actively scouting >30 players so they're always looking and I'd expect some business to be done in the summer in spite of the Euros and the Olympics. Having said that I'm sure that most top clubs have similarly huge scouting networks as well though so it's increasingly hard to land a bargain. We'll need to spend big to get the players we need.

If we miss out on CL football it'll be very hard to attract the kind of players who will get us back into it. I guess only time will tell, and I imagine most clubs would love a crisis like this (it is all relative after all) but there has rarely been more open hostility between the fans and the club.

*http://www.transferleague.co.uk

[wicklowp]

Nice timing with the Lol Arsenal thread, just as good as your Half time comment in the Cup game, keep it up and we might make it back into the top 4.

[Nem]

Yep beating a 10 man Blackburn team at home will have the top 4 quaking in their boots, especially with the championship winning form of 1 win in 4 games.

Your next 5 fixtures

Sunderland Away, Tottenham Hotspur Home, Liverpool Away, Newcastle Home, Everton Away.

[ ] gl

[wicklowp]

[wicklowp]

Loving this thread!

[Nem]

Even if you make ECL your only decent striker(player?) will be sold in the summer because he will be entering the final year of his contract and when he looks around the dressing room he realises that he will not be signing a new one.

[Indestructible]

Well played Nem, if Spurs finish below Arsenal it will be all down to you.

[oneshotbob]

Nem, would you mind opining that Manchester City are dead certs to win the premier league?

And also that the number s 4 , 17 ,25 , 34 , 37 and 48 will definitely not be the lottery numbers next Saturday?

[tjm8]

Well I am glad I did bother to turn on the football, quiet a stunning first half performance.

If they do turn this around, it will be 2nd greatest comeback in CL history and I am hoping that they do.

[Checkov]

Looks like I've made a mistake watching the Brum - Chelsea game!

[Nem]

[Indestructible]

Arsenal fan at work predicted Arsenal would win 5-1 and get knocked out....

[Nem]

Spoiler:

[The Dean]

Wouldn't back against Arsenal coming 3rd in the league now. Beating Tottenham, Liverpool and AC Milan have been hugely impressive results and they appear to be coming into form.

IIRC....Tottenham are only 7pts in front of Chelsea and it is not beyond the Blues to catch Spurs either. I watched the game last night and RDM seems to have pulled the team together. If Spurs have a blip between now and May then they could still miss top four.....think they have done enough though.
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