05 Feb 2025 23:45:29
Question to the Arteta knows best, believe in the plan clan.
Which argument do you support:
We are moving in the right direction and competing. So get behind him.
Or
We don't need a striker now because we can't win the league this season.
Surely it can't be both.
I remember a super book I read as a kid, I recommend it:The Emperor's New Clothes.
"Finally, the weavers report that the emperor's suit is finished. They mime dressing him and he sets off in a procession before the whole city. The townsfolk uncomfortably go along with the pretense, not wanting to appear inept or stupid, until a child blurts out that the emperor is wearing nothing at all. "
Let's see what he's wearing next season as that needs to be his last if unsuccessful.
Success means properly competing, a trophy of some description and playing football like a big club again as Liverpool do and City did.
That's not a big ask for a big club that's spent a fortune on players and wages. Our net spend and wage bill are both up there and need a return on investment.
Go get a decent number two who will challenge you. A top top striker who doesn't defend and has a little attitude problem. A. Comfortable world isn't a winners world. You need a bit of friction. None of this singing songs around the fire holding each others hands talking about a lightbulb creates a winning mentality. We simply don't have one and we need that next season. Do that and i'm happy competing and coming a close third as we will win the year after. Look at Liverpool over the years. They've won plenty as they got that right.
This isn't a reaction to the game tonight but to reading multiple posts - COYG.
1.) 06 Feb 2025
06 Feb 2025 00:44:05
Option C: Arteta does not have sole, or even majority, control of transfers.
We definitely need a striker.
2.) 06 Feb 2025
06 Feb 2025 01:04:42
enough for me.
3.) 06 Feb 2025
06 Feb 2025 07:39:21
None of them for me, I’m happy where we have come from, but we should have never bought Kai we should have bought a striker instead of him and I do believe we would have had a title by now if we had bought one.
4.) 06 Feb 2025
06 Feb 2025 08:11:56
Since sakas injury we have gone out of both cups and lost Jesus and dropped points. Arsenal had all of January to try and find an attacking options and did precisely nothing but never mind we will go big in the summer. We need to wake up to the fact that it is always jam tomorrow for arsenal fans but what about now, what about the present, does that not matter? Sadly for us tomorrow never comes!
5.) 06 Feb 2025
06 Feb 2025 08:36:36
Next year is always our year O’Leary and it’s getting a little frustrating now.
6.) 06 Feb 2025
06 Feb 2025 09:43:05
The most infuriating thing about it voddy is we are so close and they seem so unwilling to take the final step.
7.) 06 Feb 2025
06 Feb 2025 11:21:54
O’Leary - spit on. That’s my frustration in a nutshell.
8.) 06 Feb 2025
06 Feb 2025 12:56:15
After last night and SY's post above I've been thinking.
Are we good enough to attract top strikers at the moment? I've seem a post suggesting Kane might leave in the summer so Bayern could be looking at Sesko or Gykores. Could we compete if big teams are looking for strikers? I don't think it will be easy. Our strength in depth is pretty shallow and we seem to struggle against physical, committed teams like Newcastle. A lot of teams play like this now and they seem to have worked out how to block any attempt we have at scoring. I think we had such a good result against City because we play similar possession-based football and we were superior that day. Obviously City are not at their best.
I wonder if this style of play will ultimately become obsolete and that direct, break-up-the-play football will become the norm. We have plenty of big strong players who could adapt I reckon.
I think losing Saka and Jesus has shown us how short we are in attack and this definitely needs addressing. Maybe we have a little gem coming through from the academy.
9.) 06 Feb 2025
06 Feb 2025 14:25:15
Good post sally maybe we have missed an opportunity maybe we should get Kane lol.
10.) 06 Feb 2025
06 Feb 2025 17:36:35
could you imagine lol.
11.) 06 Feb 2025
06 Feb 2025 17:48:55
Hi Sally, but we are a big club.
We have finished top 2 in England for the last 2 season and are currently 2nd again plus top 3 in European football, I'm guessing most players around the world would have watched our game against City on Sunday and wouldn't have been put off joining us from what they witnessed, especially given we did it without Saka and others available.
In my opinion some people are painting us in an a completely exaggerated negative light when in reality we are currently the best we've been in two decades.
12.) 06 Feb 2025
06 Feb 2025 18:25:23
G62 if you listen to the media and other fans we are awful and the worst team around but as you say we have come along way in 5 years, but we need that extra push that should have been addressed 2 years ago I personally think if we had a 25/ 30 league goal striker we would have won the title last year and this year.
13.) 06 Feb 2025
06 Feb 2025 20:10:01
I totally agree we are a great club 62, my point being would we be able to compete against Real Madrid or a. n. other huge club who might be after Isak or any of the other top strikers. There aren't too many of them around!
14.) 06 Feb 2025
06 Feb 2025 20:17:34
If we had a striker we could have won 1 of 2 titles coming into this year. For some random unknown reason he signed Kai. Not a solution to the obvious problem. He made a rod for his own back their and tied up money that could have been used to get a striker. Top of the league at Xmas by a long way and we just needed that investment to remove any doubt of winning it. As Henry said - he’s too conservative full stop.
15.) 06 Feb 2025
06 Feb 2025 22:42:56
Hi Sally, internationally can anyone compete with Real? They have long been the ultimate club worldwide for players to play for.
As for the rest of Europe, if you discount money I believe it's all about a player chosing the right club at the right time for them.
NAME DROP ALERT ( well sort of)
I was once on a week long course with the Ox dad Mark Chamberling and in the bar one night the conversation inevitable turned to what happened, and he said I had the choice between Liverpool or Sheffield Wednesday, I chose wrong and the rest is history, that was around 25 years ago but something never change and for the right player we are most definitely the right club.
16.) 07 Feb 2025
07 Feb 2025 17:29:39
Hi Guys
To say this was unexpected would be a lie. I didn't think we would sign anyone significant and mainly outgoings.
For me right now our biggest problem is replacing Edu its been a few months and we have still not replaced the person who gets us the players. I have said this before and will say it again we need a David Dein to bring in the players.
To bring someone like David Dein we need new owners that can match the supports ambition. We have a quality manager and a quality starting 11, someone to keep bringing in what we need is a must, and we won't get that under Kronke.
The difference between what 1st gets you compared to coming 2nd is a couple of millions the way Kronkes brain works (and you can see that in his other sports interests) why would he spend 60-80 mill to get a few millions extra to them its a numbers game. Peopel may start saying they spent 700 mill in in last 5 years etc but what have they done for the previous 20 years.
A few years back people though we were contenders for the relegation battle we are now at the other end of the table. Its much better place to be and yes we need investment but Arteta and the team won't be bringing that investment that lies with Kronke time to get them out.
17.) 07 Feb 2025
07 Feb 2025 20:53:13
G4 - agree. We need a Dein to keep the club, board and manager competitive. Same as Wengers last few years. We can spend X and still get top 4 but zero appetite to spend 4X to compete.
Arteta needs someone to push him as he’s so frustrating. He’s to comfortable and needs pushing.
The players need a number two who shouts at them a bit more. Way too comfortable.
A Dein would shake things up and wouldn’t have allowed us to sign City and Chelsea rejects. How can you win buying players that aren’t good enough for competition.
18.) 08 Feb 2025
08 Feb 2025 08:05:26
When city rejects came in they came because of their ability to create a team spirit and make us contendors again. They respected arteta and played for him. Mission accomplished. The Chelsea rejects that came in where due to back handers to edu.
We are no longer in the same position we were in a few years ago. We are now contenders and we need a bigger investment into the club that takes us from contenders to winners. If the owners are happy with us being contenders and let’s be honest no fan, no player or manager with any ambition would regularly be satisfied with being contenders regularly and not winning anything. It would be interesting to see what goals and objectives Arteta was given in his latest contract. If it was to be a challenger than we don’t need a striker and we won’t keep hold of our key players.
I believe Wenger is the perfect replacement for dein. Loves the club and the fans. Excellent scouting network, excellent football knowledge, has an eye to find hidden gem, is greatly respected in the footballing world, keeps things very close to his chest. Would he come back to the club not while the kronke is about or is given complete control of incomings and goings with a very good budget.
We fans need to realise where the problem lies and I honestly believe it’s the owners rather than the team or manager. The owners will continue milking us ghe next step will be to start selling players to maximise profits. After that it will be replace manager who will take the blame and new manager will be bought olin to restart the building process. The sooner we get our owners out the better.
19.) 08 Feb 2025
08 Feb 2025 17:20:44
Sorry but I don’t agree G4 - I just don’t see Arteta as having it in him. He bottled it the last 3 seasons playing safe rather than playing the style that got him there. He’s still doing it now. He’s done a nice job but like the “rejects” he signed. They weren’t good enough to win the league but promote a harmony by easy to manage players rather than harmony thru winning.