Don't fall for Wenger's garbage talk

Wednesday, 17 December 08, 06:07 AM · Comments(25)

The Tony Blair of football is at it again.

As Arsene Wenger tries to deflect the mess he has created by failing to take Arsenal's squad depth seriously in the Summer, Arsenal fans are having to put up with yet another round of excuses.

This time, Wenger blames Arsenal's predicament on the rest of the Premier League becoming stronger at the expense of the competitiion's 'so-called' top four clubs.

Statistically at least, there is no evidence to back up this claim whatsoever.

In the 2002/03 season Arsenal finished second with a relatively low 78 points tally, Newcastle third with 69 and Chelsea fourth with 67.

Chelsea still finished in the top four that season despite drawing 10 games and losing 9!

The division was evidently a lot closer six years ago at the height of Roman Abramovic's spending spree than it is now.

The following season, 2003/04 - Arsenal's "Invincibles" year, Liverpool made the top four with a paltry 60 points. The top four dropped a lot more points in those days and was a lot weaker then that it is now.

Now it's 2008/09, and the big clubs (minus Arsenal) are faring a lot better than they were 5 years ago. So far this season, Liverpool have only lost 1 of 17 games, Chelsea just the 2.

Manchester United have struggled by their standards, but then they have already played away to all of their main rivals - Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea. They have also visited Portsmouth, Everton, Man City and Villa - all top 10 clubs last season.

Man Utd will find the second half of the season a breeze in comparison to the first. In accordance with the fixture list they were given, Utd's points total is somewhat excusable.

The only big club from the top four that is struggling is Arsenal. The only club in any sort of danger of losing their place in the top four is Arsenal.

On the subject of money - and his lack of spending of it, Wenger insists: "I come from a little village of farmers where I was educated that when you earn £100 you do not spend £100. A club must live within its own resources, not artificially supported."

But Arsenal does live within its own resources, it is not artificially supported and the Arsenal board has insisted for years that there is plenty of money to spend in the transfer windows. Not comparable to Liverpool, Chelsea, Man City or Man Utd perhaps, but more than enough to make a couple of expensive key signings.

Not only has Wenger been promised a transfer kitty, but in recent years has also made a profit on player sales to add to that transfer kitty. A kitty that supporters have been assured is not related to stadium debt.

If it's not related to stadium debt - as the board has repeatedly assured supporters - then it's money just sitting there, not being spent. I'll say that again - according to the Arsenal board, if Wenger does not spend the transfer budget that does not mean the surplus will be used to pay off stadium debt.

Throughout 2007 Arsenal sold £36.6m worth of players and spent £20.6m. In 2008, Arsenal sold £28.3m worth of players and spent £17.5m. That's a £27m profit to add to the £30m transfer budget approximated by the likes of Arsenal director Danny Fiszman.

In fact, there's very likely more money available.

Wind back to August 29, 2008, when Fiszman remarked: "If Arsène said he needed £30 million for a striker, he would get it, no problem at all... it is not our decision who he spends money on and nor will it ever be."

Does Wenger not trust the board, their ability to pay off stadium debt and assign transfer funding?

If Arsenal drop out of the top four they will lose approximately £30m in Champions League revenue. In the world of football, you need spend money to accumulate money, otherwise you lose money. The alternative to that is to become a nothing club with no drive, no ambition, no sense of purpose.

Arsenal has never been any of those things.

Of course, Wenger knows all this, so why is he talking such bollocks? Can he not identify the players he wants in January? Is he trying to beat prices down by pretending he's skint? No club will fall for that. Players have a market value, especially good players, top players. If a top player is available and you don't meet the valuation then another club will simply step in ahead of you. It's competitive, and if you're not competitive then the competition gets stronger and you get weaker.

The window opens in two weeks and Wenger's comments are worrying. It's possible that Wenger has identified the players he wants but can't get them - and so he rebuffs supporters with patronising drivel about how the map's changed and Arsenal is not as weak as the Premier League table suggests.

If that wasn't as daft as it sounds, even more daft is that Wenger forgets that supporters have eyes. They can see that Song is not Vieira, Eboue is not Ljungberg, Denilsonis not Flamini, and Diaby is not Pires. Bendtner is no Jose Reyes either. Gael Clichy is not even Ashley Cole.

Wenger is right in one respect though, the top four won't last much longer. Why? Because his continue transfer lethargy will ensure that the top four will soon become a top three. The top three will run away with the league every season whilst Everton, Manchester City and Aston Villa battle Arsenal for the vacant Champions League spot.

Arsene Wenger needs to wake up to the realities of the modern footballing world. It does not operate within the same financial parameters as French farming.

Arsene Wenger's job is not to run Arsenal Football Club's accounts department, it's to run the team and make the team successful. If the Arsenal board say he has £60m to spend he should spend it where there is obvious weaknesses.

If Arsenal run into financial trouble then Arsene Wenger will not be to blame, Arsenal football club is to blame. It's really nothing to do with him.

Arsenal is a very successful and well run football club and always has been. It will not run into financial problems under any circumstances. I know that, you know that, Wenger knows that. Continually pulling the wool over the supporters eyes is not doing him any favours at all.

Don't fall for Wenger's garbage talk

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