Arsenal need to spend NOW or face being left behind, RvP warns Wenger

[Tony Tuesdays]

Arsenal need to spend NOW or face being left behind, Van Persie warns Wenger

Robin van Persie has urged Arsene Wenger to spend like never before and eliminate the prospect of Arsenal being left behind by their top-four rivals.
Wenger is under no illusions regarding his squad's desperate need of a facelift ahead of the coming Barclays Premier League campaign but, equally, he is fighting hard to keep key figures Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri at the club.
The Arsenal manager warned that he would rather lose £20million and let Nasri run down his contract than cash in on him, while he is hopeful of convincing Fabregas to ignore Barcelona's advances.

Van Persie is desperate for 'my two friends' to remain at the Emirates but, equally, he wants to see Wenger pursue an aggressive transfer policy in the next few weeks and believes it is vital that other clubs do not steal a march on the club.
'The way I feel now is that a few signings are more than welcome,' said Van Persie, who is looking forward to 'experiencing something different' when Arsenal face a Malaysian XI here in Kuala Lumpur.
'Every other team is buying quality players, so hopefully we will do the same.

'You need investment to keep up. When you look around, you see Manchester City are buying loads of good players, Liverpool are doing it now and Manchester United have been doing it for years.
'In a way, you need to keep that up because if everyone is doing something you need to do it as well. I think it's a good thing that we have competition because no one really wants to go to sleep.
'In an ideal world, no one (should be) really sure of his place (in the team). Maybe the captain and the goalkeeper but all the other players shouldn't really know before that they will play. It's always good to have competition and be on your toes.'

Wenger, who has already wrapped up a deal for Lille's Ivory Coast striker Gervinho, has baulked at writing big cheques in recent years, but all the signs are pointing to him being bolder now and Van Persie would love to see him smash Arsenal's transfer record.
'These days, proper players cost money,' said the 27-year-old striker. 'Sometimes you see players go for loads of money and you think, "Is he that good?" They are, most of the time, but sometimes there can be a statement for the others as well.
'The main thing is, it is not just a label, a multi-million pound signing. It's about the quality. If you buy a player who has got one year left, normally he's not going to be worth 40 or 50 million, he'll be a bit less.'

Nasri is in such a situation at present, but Wenger is not entertaining the idea of losing both the France player - who is wanted by Manchester City and Manchester United - and midfield maestro Fabregas in the coming weeks. Should that happen, he feels it would effectively be a statement of surrender.
'Imagine the worst situation - we lose Fabregas and Nasri,' said Wenger. 'You cannot convince people you are ambitious after that. Even if you lose Nasri, to find the same quality player, you have to spend again the same amount of money (to replace him).
'You cannot lose the player and not replace him. These players are not easy to find. Samir's situation is clear to me - he stays. We are in a position where we can say no. We are not there to make money. We are there to keep our best players.
'I am confident Cesc will stay because I hope he will see there would be no greater achievement in his life than to lead this team to success.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2013632/Robin-van-Persie-Arsenal-need-spend-NOW.html#ixzz1Rq0Fpi8o

[Cripps_orig]

Too late.

We already are left behind.

We need to spend now just to catch up and spend even more to go ahead.

[Kano]

sounds like if he doesn't and the season ends the same, robin will be next out the door.

although given the universal complaints about his availability to the team, it shouldn't upset too many people...

[milla]

sounds like if he doesn't and the season ends the same, robin will be next out the door.

although given the universal complaints about his availability to the team, it shouldn't upset too many people...

Even his own players are publicly against his policy now, and RVP is probably the most loyal of these lot. :coffee:

[Cripps_orig]

Wenger to sell RVP soon.

[budesonide]

Dear RVP,

your manager has been looking for 'players of real quality' who are 'better than' you and your team-mates for years now. He can't seem to find any.

He believes you guys are so good, and are so close to the promise land. You might be 34 by the time you reach the promise land; or like Moses you might not be around then -- but hey, according to your gaffer 'what guarantee is there that you will win anything anywhere else?'.

Regards,

an internet gooner :tiphat:

[Cripps_orig]

RVP should know we are in the waiting period

[Kano]

Dear RVP,

your manager has been looking for 'players of real quality' who are 'better than' you and your team-mates for years now. He can't seem to find any.

He believes you guys are so good, and are so close to the promise land. You might be 34 by the time you reach the promise land; or like Moses you might not be around then -- but hey, according to your gaffer 'what guarantee is there that you will win anything anywhere else?'.

Regards,

an internet gooner :tiphat:

i told my mate and he wanted you to have this

Dear internet gooner

i have put up with your emails, texts, fliers and stalking for far too long now. please be advised that if i hear from you again i will take this matter further and bring in the lawyer that got me off that rape charge. he's one bad daddy you don't want to fuck with.

please take this as a final warning.

ps: Ik ben een moslim en Musa stierf op 80

RVP

[KSE Comedy Club]

The Arsenal manager warned that he would rather lose £20million and let Nasri run down his contract than cash in on him


What the fuck?!?!?!

[Japan Shaking All Over]

The Arsenal manager warned that he would rather lose £20million and let Nasri run down his contract than cash in on him


What the fuck?!?!?!

the only way that is going to happen is if everyone has agreed to stand aside and let Arsenal win everything this year

[Olivier's xmas twist]

What the fuck?!?!?!

Totally bollox do u think the board will want to loose money not a chance if they can make money he will be sold over Wenger's head.

[Boss]

Everyone in football knows what changes need to be made except Wenger.

And that's the root of our problems at the moment.

[Kano]

ARSENE WENGER believes he has credit in the bank with the Arsenal board with which to keep Samir Nasri.

Financially, that may be the case. But Wenger’s trophy count went into the red some time ago and he must now realise it is win or bust if he goes ahead with his £27 million Nasri gamble.

The Arsenal board already know they could save £4m in wages and receive a £23m transfer fee from either Manchester City or United if they cut loose Nasri now.

It seems inconceivable that the board would allow Wenger to put them in such a position if they were not already in advanced negotiations with Barcelona to sell £35m-rated Cesc Fabregas.

Despite the club’s repeated insistence that Wenger has had money to spend, he has always shied away from splashing the really big cash because he knew it would change expectations.

With £30m transfer fees comes greater pressure, but Wenger will effectively sign up to being judged against the big spenders if he writes off a similar amount of money to keep Nasri.

Should Nasri walk away for nothing in 12 months and Arsenal once again finish the season empty-handed, Wenger will come under far greater scrutiny and his position could be under serious threat.

Asked how the club can afford to keep Nasri if he does not sign a new contract, Wenger said: “The message we give out is important. If Fabregas and Nasri leave you cannot pretend you are a big club.

“A big club first of all holds on to its big players and gives a message out to all the other big clubs that they just cannot come in and take them away from you.

“Imagine the worst situation – we lose Fabregas and Nasri. You cannot convince people you are ambitious after that. We have worked very hard with these players for years to develop them and now it’s time for us to keep them together.

“You are the same people who reproach me for not spending money and now you reproach me for wanting to spend it. To find a player of the same quality as Nasri you have to spend the same amount of money, because you cannot lose the player and not replace him.

“Players like him, who are a cut above, are not easy to find today because they are already at big clubs and not available or nobody knows them at the moment.”

With Arsenal on tour in Kuala Lumpur, where they play a friendly against Malaysia tomorrow, there was a desperation about Wenger’s attempt to convince sponsors and overseas fans the club could still hold on to Fabregas.

Skipper Fabregas has stayed in England and returned to training from a hamstring injury, but remains desperate to rejoin Barca and the European champions are planning a third bid they are hoping will be successful this week. Nicklas Bendtner has also missed the tour and is close to sealing a move to Borussia Dortmund.

“I think Cesc has always been torn between his love for Arsenal – that I feel is really genuine – and, understandably, the desire to play for the biggest team at the moment in the world,” said Wenger. “I hope he will see that there will be no greater achievement for him in his life than to lead this team to success and that it will not be the right period for him to leave.

“We want Cesc to be with us, but we also want him to be happy with us. We are desperate to keep Cesc and we will fight for everything because you do not educate a player for eight years, as we have done, only to want him to go once he is at an age to deliver.

“It’s not a question of money. We are not there to make the money. We are there to keep our best players and manage well for the club to be in a position to say ‘no’ – for any money.” Wenger, though, acknowledged a line needs to be quickly drawn under the Fabregas saga, adding: “At the moment, you are in a no-man’s land and that is terrible. We have to stop at some stage. So I hope we can close that very quickly in our favour.”

The Gunners confirmed the signing of striker Gervinho from Lille yesterday and, when Robin van Persie, who will captain Arsenal against Malaysia, was asked if some big-name signings should be added, he said: “Why not? They would be more than welcome. Every other team is buying quality players so, hopefully, we will do the same.

“You need investment to keep up because, when you look around, Man City are buying loads of good players, Liverpool are doing it now and Man United have been doing it for years.”

Wenger’s credit rating at Arsenal has always been unquestionable. But trophies are the only currency against which he will be judged from now on.‘The message is that if Nasri and Fabregas leave you cannot pretend you are a big club’

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/258259/Arsenal-boss-Arsene-Wenger%3A-Samir-Nasri-is-my-%A327m-banker/

[KSE Comedy Club]

Totally bollox do u think the board will want to loose money not a chance if they can make money he will be sold over Wenger's head.
Its not bollox though, check out the AST summary thread. They said the same thing.

Disgraceful.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Its not bollox though, check out the AST summary thread. They said the same thing.

Disgraceful.

No i mean AW thinking he would be allowed to let Nasri run his contract down and loose the board money

[KSE Comedy Club]

No i mean AW thinking he would be allowed to let Nasri run his contract down and loose the board money
Oh right :good:

Yeh, too right!

[Fist of Lehmann]

But Wenger’s trophy count went into the red some time ago...
That's just dumb. How can the trophy count go into the red?


'The message is that if Nasri and Fabregas leave you cannot pretend you are a big club’
Ouch. Mid-table here we come!

[LDG]

Right. Dunno if someone can answer me this, but if this is all about business, then why are we not doing what business does. Invest, invest, invest.

Why are we not securing a short-term loan of say 50mil, even if our billionnaire owners don't want to spend anything.

I mean, the quality we could buy using that money, and the impending departure of Fabregas "at some point" would offset that easily.

They talk about investing for the future. But we aren't investing. We're playing with potential....which I wouldn't have a problem with, if that wasn't all we were doing.

If Wenger wants to blow 20mil on Nasri for one years service, then why the fuck weren't we offering him that same value in wages to secure him for another four years?? I'm dead against that btw, as I don't believe we should be held to ransom by the lesbo cunt....but what AW is doing in this situation is beyond ridiculous.

[budesonide]

Right. Dunno if someone can answer me this, but if this is all about business, then why are we not doing what business does. Invest, invest, invest.

Why are we not securing a short-term loan of say 50mil, even if our billionnaire owners don't want to spend anything.

I mean, the quality we could buy using that money, and the impending departure of Fabregas "at some point" would offset that easily.

They talk about investing for the future. But we aren't investing. We're playing with potential....which I wouldn't have aproblem with, if that was all we were doing.

If Wenger wants to blow 20mil on Nasri for one years service, then why the fuck weren't we offering him that same value in wages to secure him for another four years?? I'm dead against that btw, as I don't believe we should be held to ransom by the lesbo cunt....but what AW is doing in this situation is beyond ridiculous.

will wenger budge though?

will that cunt of a man actually chuck out his ego and do what is necessary. Do you think he is innocent in all of this?

I think he is the main culprit! He interviewd the CEO didn't he?

The thing is, what he has been doing suits the board! It made them maximise their share value -- so AW could and can do as he pleases! They can't force him to do anything.

All he has to say is -- look, I have made you guys rich and you have not recorded a loss, ever; so gtfo of my face. " I will do it my way".

[selassie]

will wenger budge though?

will that cunt of a man actually chuck out his ego and do what is necessary. Do you think he is innocent in all of this?

I think he is the main culprit! He interviewd the CEO didn't he?

The thing is, what he has been doing suits the board! It made them maximise their share value -- so AW could and can do as he pleases! They can't force him to do anything.

All he has to say is -- look, I have made you guys rich and you have not recorded a loss, ever; so gtfo of my face. " I will do it my way".

This.

The situation is becoming more evident now that Wenger's ego is the problem, some suspected it all along.


Asked how the club can afford to keep Nasri if he does not sign a new contract, Wenger said: “The message we give out is important. If Fabregas and Nasri leave you cannot pretend you are a big club.

“A big club first of all holds on to its big players and gives a message out to all the other big clubs that they just cannot come in and take them away from you.

“Imagine the worst situation – we lose Fabregas and Nasri. You cannot convince people you are ambitious after that. We have worked very hard with these players for years to develop them and now it’s time for us to keep them together.



Arsene was kind of on track with the above quote until the end, the part I've highlighted in bold tells me that he is still too wrapped up in his Youth Project, he just can't let it go can he?

Arsene's Youth Project has fallen apart anyway...Cesc & Nasri leaving will truly cement it, Arsene knows this hence why he's defiant in his stance on those two staying at the club. I find it ironic that he states that Big clubs need to keep hold of their best players as a sign of intent, but he doesn't mention anything of big clubs investing in players, you know why? Because it's not part of his ideology.

[Kano]

Right. Dunno if someone can answer me this, but if this is all about business, then why are we not doing what business does. Invest, invest, invest.

Why are we not securing a short-term loan of say 50mil, even if our billionnaire owners don't want to spend anything.

I mean, the quality we could buy using that money, and the impending departure of Fabregas "at some point" would offset that easily.

They talk about investing for the future. But we aren't investing. We're playing with potential....which I wouldn't have a problem with, if that wasn't all we were doing.

If Wenger wants to blow 20mil on Nasri for one years service, then why the fuck weren't we offering him that same value in wages to secure him for another four years?? I'm dead against that btw, as I don't believe we should be held to ransom by the lesbo cunt....but what AW is doing in this situation is beyond ridiculous.

perhaps because they already have a debt and repayment structure, they don't want another one alongside it? i dunno. what you say makes sense.

if the rumours are true then we have effectively offered a similar deal to nas, £90kx12monthsx4 years is just shy of £19m.

[Niall_Quinn]

“The message we give out is important. If Fabregas and Nasri leave you cannot pretend you are a big club.

“A big club first of all holds on to its big players and gives a message out to all the other big clubs that they just cannot come in and take them away from you.

“Imagine the worst situation – we lose Fabregas and Nasri. You cannot convince people you are ambitious after that. We have worked very hard with these players for years to develop them and now it’s time for us to keep them together.

“You are the same people who reproach me for not spending money and now you reproach me for wanting to spend it. To find a player of the same quality as Nasri you have to spend the same amount of money, because you cannot lose the player and not replace him.

“Players like him, who are a cut above, are not easy to find today because they are already at big clubs and not available or nobody knows them at the moment.”

These are the most encouraging words I've heard anyone say at Arsenal for a long time. This is exactly how I feel about the squad and our future prospects as a serious club at the top of the game. If Wenger means this and he's not just saying it to placate certain elements of the fan base then I can see some positive things happening.

First up, if we do keep Nasri for another year then that whole year effectively places him in a £25mill shop window. No better way to see what the lad really has in his locker and he'll be doing the business for us. Because this isn't about long term financial planning, as we've seen that shit doesn't work in football. It's a nice theory that has no place in the real world. If the balance sheet is tarted up by running down the team then the balance sheet itself will also fizzle out because revenue will fall in line with the poor results on the pitch. So is £25mill for Nasri worth it? Well it's not £25mill is it, because we don't have a £20mill fee from his sale sitting in the bank, it's money we don't and never have so how can we say it is lost? We'd have to pay him the extra money anyway even if he signed a contract, so I'm not seeing how keeping the guy represents a £25mill loss. Not in real money terms. Plus if he did leave then he'd have to be replaced, so the fee would be in one hand and out the other, and who knows what we'd get in return.

What we're doing is paying an opportunity cost. By keeping him we forego a transfer fee and the opportunity to sign a replacement who would offer longer term stability because he'd be on a longer contract. Weighing up the opportunity cost is a fundamental part of business, the risk takers and winners are prepared to pay dearly in this respect because they can see a big payoff at the end of the process. So what's our payoff, what would be worth £20mill?

Telling City to fuck off, saying to them - "Hey, you thought you were going to buy your way in and replace Arsenal in the top flight. Wrong fuckers, keep your money and we'll see you on the pitch next season." I'd add the word, "cunts", to that but Wenger is probably too polite.

Telling Man Utd to fuck off - "Wrong Ferguson, we aren't quite dead yet and we'll be on your arse all next season guaranteed. Plus we've decided not to offer you an easy replacement for Scholes at our expense, sorry, try again."

Telling Cesc Fabregas that balls are required to win trophies and for a big and ballsy kick off we'll be keeping our best players, demanding they pay back the huge money they take every week by putting their mouth where that money is on the pitch, and actually strengthening the team this year rather than chipping away at it as usual.

To the rest of the team, "Fuck the money, this is about winning - are you in or out? Some of you said you wanted to leave to win trophies, well now there's no need because we're winning them here. And if we're winning all the fucking trophies then it stands reason there's no point going anywhere else because there won't be enough trophies to go around."

To the media, "Fuck you, write us off all you want but we'll shove those words up your phone-tapping fucking arses by next May - okay?"

That's what's been missing at this club. We've been moaning like cheap whores about financial doping, teams that kick us off the pitch, moan, moan, moan. We can do it again if we want, go into a new season having sold key players, failed to replace them because we don't have the money, accepted 4th place as our fate before a ball is kicked. But that's not what this game is about. £20mill to stop the rot and turn the attitude that has dragged the club down? I'd pay that. Let Nasri leave next year if he wants, provided he puts in the graft this year to secure the title. And he'll have to do that if he wants the big wages and the big transfer fee, if he puts in a shit year then those numbers tumble as his brand loses appeal. But put in a stormer and not only can he take care of unfinished business at Arsenal but he can probably bank even more next year. If I was his advisor and he was forced to stay I wouldn't be telling him to cut his nose off to spite his face.

When Wenger is wrong he's wrong, but when he's right he's right and he's spot on in what he's saying here. I hope we, from the boardroom through the dressing room and out into the stands, have the balls to back this attitude being displayed by Wenger because that's how he'll dust off his tarnished star, that's how we really will rise back into the top ranks and that's how we'll finally put a trophy in the cabinet - by having balls, taking risks and just fucking going for it minus all the whining and self doubt.

[budesonide]

These are the most encouraging words I've heard anyone say at Arsenal for a long time. This is exactly how I feel about the squad and our future prospects as a serious club at the top of the game. If Wenger means this and he's not just saying it to placate certain elements of the fan base then I can see some positive things happening.

First up, if we do keep Nasri for another year then that whole year effectively places him in a £25mill shop window. No better way to see what the lad really has in his locker and he'll be doing the business for us. Because this isn't about long term financial planning, as we've seen that shit doesn't work in football. It's a nice theory that has no place in the real world. If the balance sheet is tarted up by running down the team then the balance sheet itself will also fizzle out because revenue will fall in line with the poor results on the pitch. So is £25mill for Nasri worth it? Well it's not £25mill is it, because we don't have a £20mill fee from his sale sitting in the bank, it's money we don't and never have so how can we say it is lost? We'd have to pay him the extra money anyway even if he signed a contract, so I'm not seeing how keeping the guy represents a £25mill loss. Not in real money terms. Plus if he did leave then he'd have to be replaced, so the fee would be in one hand and out the other, and who knows what we'd get in return.

What we're doing is paying an opportunity cost. By keeping him we forego a transfer fee and the opportunity to sign a replacement who would offer longer term stability because he'd be on a longer contract. Weighing up the opportunity cost is a fundamental part of business, the risk takers and winners are prepared to pay dearly in this respect because they can see a big payoff at the end of the process. So what's our payoff, what would be worth £20mill?

Telling City to fuck off, saying to them - "Hey, you thought you were going to buy your way in and replace Arsenal in the top flight. Wrong fuckers, keep your money and we'll see you on the pitch next season." I'd add the word, "cunts", to that but Wenger is probably too polite.

Telling Man Utd to fuck off - "Wrong Ferguson, we aren't quite dead yet and we'll be on your arse all next season guaranteed. Plus we've decided not to offer you an easy replacement for Scholes at our expense, sorry, try again."

Telling Cesc Fabregas that balls are required to win trophies and for a big and ballsy kick off we'll be keeping our best players, demanding they pay back the huge money they take every week by putting their mouth where that money is on the pitch, and actually strengthening the team this year rather than chipping away at it as usual.

To the rest of the team, "Fuck the money, this is about winning - are you in or out? Some of you said you wanted to leave to win trophies, well now there's no need because we're winning them here. And if we're winning all the fucking trophies then it stands reason there's no point going anywhere else because there won't be enough trophies to go around."

To the media, "Fuck you, write us off all you want but we'll shove those words up your phone-tapping fucking arses by next May - okay?"

That's what's been missing at this club. We've been moaning like cheap whores about financial doping, teams that kick us off the pitch, moan, moan, moan. We can do it again if we want, go into a new season having sold key players, failed to replace them because we don't have the money, accepted 4th place as our fate before a ball is kicked. But that's not what this game is about. £20mill to stop the rot and turn the attitude that has dragged the club down? I'd pay that. Let Nasri leave next year if he wants, provided he puts in the graft this year to secure the title. And he'll have to do that if he wants the big wages and the big transfer fee, if he puts in a shit year then those numbers tumble as his brand loses appeal. But put in a stormer and not only can he take care of unfinished business at Arsenal but he can probably bank even more next year. If I was his advisor and he was forced to stay I wouldn't be telling him to cut his nose off to spite his face.

When Wenger is wrong he's wrong, but when he's right he's right and he's spot on in what he's saying here. I hope we, from the boardroom through the dressing room and out into the stands, have the balls to back this attitude being displayed by Wenger because that's how he'll dust off his tarnished star, that's how we really will rise back into the top ranks and that's how we'll finally put a trophy in the cabinet - by having balls, taking risks and just fucking going for it minus all the whining and self doubt.

All of that sounds good mate -- but the problem was letting his contract run down to 1 year. That was stupid! Cutting our losses is the right thing to do now.

We should have told him to sign or be sold when he had two years left; not when he doesn't fuc*k anymore and wants to leave.

So are you happy to pay him 20mil for next season for him to put in half-hearted shifts or sit on the bench? Let's use our heads here, the damage has been done!

[Mr.Singh]

these are the most encouraging words i've heard anyone say at arsenal for a long time. This is exactly how i feel about the squad and our future prospects as a serious club at the top of the game. If wenger means this and he's not just saying it to placate certain elements of the fan base then i can see some positive things happening.

First up, if we do keep nasri for another year then that whole year effectively places him in a £25mill shop window. No better way to see what the lad really has in his locker and he'll be doing the business for us. Because this isn't about long term financial planning, as we've seen that shit doesn't work in football. It's a nice theory that has no place in the real world. If the balance sheet is tarted up by running down the team then the balance sheet itself will also fizzle out because revenue will fall in line with the poor results on the pitch. So is £25mill for nasri worth it? Well it's not £25mill is it, because we don't have a £20mill fee from his sale sitting in the bank, it's money we don't and never have so how can we say it is lost? We'd have to pay him the extra money anyway even if he signed a contract, so i'm not seeing how keeping the guy represents a £25mill loss. Not in real money terms. Plus if he did leave then he'd have to be replaced, so the fee would be in one hand and out the other, and who knows what we'd get in return.

What we're doing is paying an opportunity cost. By keeping him we forego a transfer fee and the opportunity to sign a replacement who would offer longer term stability because he'd be on a longer contract. Weighing up the opportunity cost is a fundamental part of business, the risk takers and winners are prepared to pay dearly in this respect because they can see a big payoff at the end of the process. So what's our payoff, what would be worth £20mill?

Telling city to fuck off, saying to them - "hey, you thought you were going to buy your way in and replace arsenal in the top flight. Wrong fuckers, keep your money and we'll see you on the pitch next season." i'd add the word, "cunts", to that but wenger is probably too polite.

Telling man utd to fuck off - "wrong ferguson, we aren't quite dead yet and we'll be on your arse all next season guaranteed. Plus we've decided not to offer you an easy replacement for scholes at our expense, sorry, try again."

telling cesc fabregas that balls are required to win trophies and for a big and ballsy kick off we'll be keeping our best players, demanding they pay back the huge money they take every week by putting their mouth where that money is on the pitch, and actually strengthening the team this year rather than chipping away at it as usual.

To the rest of the team, "fuck the money, this is about winning - are you in or out? Some of you said you wanted to leave to win trophies, well now there's no need because we're winning them here. And if we're winning all the fucking trophies then it stands reason there's no point going anywhere else because there won't be enough trophies to go around."

to the media, "fuck you, write us off all you want but we'll shove those words up your phone-tapping fucking arses by next may - okay?"

that's what's been missing at this club. We've been moaning like cheap whores about financial doping, teams that kick us off the pitch, moan, moan, moan. We can do it again if we want, go into a new season having sold key players, failed to replace them because we don't have the money, accepted 4th place as our fate before a ball is kicked. But that's not what this game is about. £20mill to stop the rot and turn the attitude that has dragged the club down? I'd pay that. Let nasri leave next year if he wants, provided he puts in the graft this year to secure the title. And he'll have to do that if he wants the big wages and the big transfer fee, if he puts in a shit year then those numbers tumble as his brand loses appeal. But put in a stormer and not only can he take care of unfinished business at arsenal but he can probably bank even more next year. If i was his advisor and he was forced to stay i wouldn't be telling him to cut his nose off to spite his face.

When wenger is wrong he's wrong, but when he's right he's right and he's spot on in what he's saying here. I hope we, from the boardroom through the dressing room and out into the stands, have the balls to back this attitude being displayed by wenger because that's how he'll dust off his tarnished star, that's how we really will rise back into the top ranks and that's how we'll finally put a trophy in the cabinet - by having balls, taking risks and just fucking going for it minus all the whining and self doubt.

maaaaadddddddd chilllsssssssss brooooooooo

[Kano]

All of that sounds good mate -- but the problem was letting his contract run down to 1 year. That was stupid! Cutting our losses is the right thing to do now.

We should have told him to sign or be sold when he had two years left; not when he doesn't fuc*k anymore and wants to leave.

So are you happy to pay him 20mil for next season for him to put in half-hearted shifts or sit on the bench? Let's use our heads here, the damage has been done!

i could just hear the howls of derision if he was flogged last summer and for all we know, when the contract was put in front of him, different noises could've been made by the player and agent.

he has a euro 2012 to aim for as well as keeping himself in the shop window for the top tier clubs, so there is plenty of selfish motivation if nothing else.

[Power n Glory]

These are the most encouraging words I've heard anyone say at Arsenal for a long time. This is exactly how I feel about the squad and our future prospects as a serious club at the top of the game. If Wenger means this and he's not just saying it to placate certain elements of the fan base then I can see some positive things happening.

First up, if we do keep Nasri for another year then that whole year effectively places him in a £25mill shop window. No better way to see what the lad really has in his locker and he'll be doing the business for us. Because this isn't about long term financial planning, as we've seen that shit doesn't work in football. It's a nice theory that has no place in the real world. If the balance sheet is tarted up by running down the team then the balance sheet itself will also fizzle out because revenue will fall in line with the poor results on the pitch. So is £25mill for Nasri worth it? Well it's not £25mill is it, because we don't have a £20mill fee from his sale sitting in the bank, it's money we don't and never have so how can we say it is lost? We'd have to pay him the extra money anyway even if he signed a contract, so I'm not seeing how keeping the guy represents a £25mill loss. Not in real money terms. Plus if he did leave then he'd have to be replaced, so the fee would be in one hand and out the other, and who knows what we'd get in return.

What we're doing is paying an opportunity cost. By keeping him we forego a transfer fee and the opportunity to sign a replacement who would offer longer term stability because he'd be on a longer contract. Weighing up the opportunity cost is a fundamental part of business, the risk takers and winners are prepared to pay dearly in this respect because they can see a big payoff at the end of the process. So what's our payoff, what would be worth £20mill?

Telling City to fuck off, saying to them - "Hey, you thought you were going to buy your way in and replace Arsenal in the top flight. Wrong fuckers, keep your money and we'll see you on the pitch next season." I'd add the word, "cunts", to that but Wenger is probably too polite.

Telling Man Utd to fuck off - "Wrong Ferguson, we aren't quite dead yet and we'll be on your arse all next season guaranteed. Plus we've decided not to offer you an easy replacement for Scholes at our expense, sorry, try again."

Telling Cesc Fabregas that balls are required to win trophies and for a big and ballsy kick off we'll be keeping our best players, demanding they pay back the huge money they take every week by putting their mouth where that money is on the pitch, and actually strengthening the team this year rather than chipping away at it as usual.

To the rest of the team, "Fuck the money, this is about winning - are you in or out? Some of you said you wanted to leave to win trophies, well now there's no need because we're winning them here. And if we're winning all the fucking trophies then it stands reason there's no point going anywhere else because there won't be enough trophies to go around."

To the media, "Fuck you, write us off all you want but we'll shove those words up your phone-tapping fucking arses by next May - okay?"

That's what's been missing at this club. We've been moaning like cheap whores about financial doping, teams that kick us off the pitch, moan, moan, moan. We can do it again if we want, go into a new season having sold key players, failed to replace them because we don't have the money, accepted 4th place as our fate before a ball is kicked. But that's not what this game is about. £20mill to stop the rot and turn the attitude that has dragged the club down? I'd pay that. Let Nasri leave next year if he wants, provided he puts in the graft this year to secure the title. And he'll have to do that if he wants the big wages and the big transfer fee, if he puts in a shit year then those numbers tumble as his brand loses appeal. But put in a stormer and not only can he take care of unfinished business at Arsenal but he can probably bank even more next year. If I was his advisor and he was forced to stay I wouldn't be telling him to cut his nose off to spite his face.

When Wenger is wrong he's wrong, but when he's right he's right and he's spot on in what he's saying here. I hope we, from the boardroom through the dressing room and out into the stands, have the balls to back this attitude being displayed by Wenger because that's how he'll dust off his tarnished star, that's how we really will rise back into the top ranks and that's how we'll finally put a trophy in the cabinet - by having balls, taking risks and just fucking going for it minus all the whining and self doubt.

Damn, that's some Braveheart type speech there!

Come on you, Gooners!!! (Beats chest). lol

But, Wenger is talking sense here and I'm glad he's said something that we've all been saying. We can't sell Cesc and Nasri in one window and expect to carry on as normal. It's a terrible message to send out.

I'm not so sure about letting Nasri run down his contract, but truth be told, the money is worthless to us because we won't spend it. Not on the right type of player anyway.

That's more positive from Wenger.

[budesonide]

i could just hear the howls of derision if he was flogged last summer and for all we know, when the contract was put in front of him, different noises could've been made by the player and agent.

he has a euro 2012 to aim for as well as keeping himself in the shop window for the top tier clubs, so there is plenty of selfish motivation if nothing else.

you play tough when the chips are in your hands -- not when you are in a lose-lose situation.

we can do that cesc because he has got a lot of time left on his contract -- he has no choice but to perform or rot for another 3 years.

it will be stupid to try that with Nasri because we don't have that luxury -- not like city/united/chelsea anyway who have quality in depth so won't give a fuc*k.

I say sell him -- buy a 30mil quality replacement. But you see, therein lies the rub -- the money will be pocketed; AW wont spend it. There are players of nasri's level out there -- he's not been anything special anyway.

As for the Euro 2012, I doubt nasri will have to shine that much to get into the france team -- he is considered a future cog in the team anyway.

[Master Splinter]

These are the most encouraging words I've heard anyone say at Arsenal for a long time. This is exactly how I feel about the squad and our future prospects as a serious club at the top of the game. If Wenger means this and he's not just saying it to placate certain elements of the fan base then I can see some positive things happening.

First up, if we do keep Nasri for another year then that whole year effectively places him in a £25mill shop window. No better way to see what the lad really has in his locker and he'll be doing the business for us. Because this isn't about long term financial planning, as we've seen that shit doesn't work in football. It's a nice theory that has no place in the real world. If the balance sheet is tarted up by running down the team then the balance sheet itself will also fizzle out because revenue will fall in line with the poor results on the pitch. So is £25mill for Nasri worth it? Well it's not £25mill is it, because we don't have a £20mill fee from his sale sitting in the bank, it's money we don't and never have so how can we say it is lost? We'd have to pay him the extra money anyway even if he signed a contract, so I'm not seeing how keeping the guy represents a £25mill loss. Not in real money terms. Plus if he did leave then he'd have to be replaced, so the fee would be in one hand and out the other, and who knows what we'd get in return.

What we're doing is paying an opportunity cost. By keeping him we forego a transfer fee and the opportunity to sign a replacement who would offer longer term stability because he'd be on a longer contract. Weighing up the opportunity cost is a fundamental part of business, the risk takers and winners are prepared to pay dearly in this respect because they can see a big payoff at the end of the process. So what's our payoff, what would be worth £20mill?

Telling City to fuck off, saying to them - "Hey, you thought you were going to buy your way in and replace Arsenal in the top flight. Wrong fuckers, keep your money and we'll see you on the pitch next season." I'd add the word, "cunts", to that but Wenger is probably too polite.

Telling Man Utd to fuck off - "Wrong Ferguson, we aren't quite dead yet and we'll be on your arse all next season guaranteed. Plus we've decided not to offer you an easy replacement for Scholes at our expense, sorry, try again."

Telling Cesc Fabregas that balls are required to win trophies and for a big and ballsy kick off we'll be keeping our best players, demanding they pay back the huge money they take every week by putting their mouth where that money is on the pitch, and actually strengthening the team this year rather than chipping away at it as usual.

To the rest of the team, "Fuck the money, this is about winning - are you in or out? Some of you said you wanted to leave to win trophies, well now there's no need because we're winning them here. And if we're winning all the fucking trophies then it stands reason there's no point going anywhere else because there won't be enough trophies to go around."

To the media, "Fuck you, write us off all you want but we'll shove those words up your phone-tapping fucking arses by next May - okay?"

That's what's been missing at this club. We've been moaning like cheap whores about financial doping, teams that kick us off the pitch, moan, moan, moan. We can do it again if we want, go into a new season having sold key players, failed to replace them because we don't have the money, accepted 4th place as our fate before a ball is kicked. But that's not what this game is about. £20mill to stop the rot and turn the attitude that has dragged the club down? I'd pay that. Let Nasri leave next year if he wants, provided he puts in the graft this year to secure the title. And he'll have to do that if he wants the big wages and the big transfer fee, if he puts in a shit year then those numbers tumble as his brand loses appeal. But put in a stormer and not only can he take care of unfinished business at Arsenal but he can probably bank even more next year. If I was his advisor and he was forced to stay I wouldn't be telling him to cut his nose off to spite his face.

When Wenger is wrong he's wrong, but when he's right he's right and he's spot on in what he's saying here. I hope we, from the boardroom through the dressing room and out into the stands, have the balls to back this attitude being displayed by Wenger because that's how he'll dust off his tarnished star, that's how we really will rise back into the top ranks and that's how we'll finally put a trophy in the cabinet - by having balls, taking risks and just fucking going for it minus all the whining and self doubt.

It's time for you to join the Mindless Optimism Clique. We are prepared to offer you Bendtner's 52k wages, as long as you don't hold us to ransom and leave us to join the scummy Asian Clique next summer.

[LDG]

Nice take on it NQ. And I think you may have a point.

The only thing that worries me in all of that is Nasri's committment. If we're sat here next summer rummaging through the wreckage, and Nasri has pissed off, having done fuck all for the cause, questions would have to be asked as to why we didn't take the money and sell the ladyboy.

Regards Cesc, from that point of view, I agree. It's his style of play that pisses me off. But as Wenger isn't changing his philosophy, it's best we keep him IMO. If he was going to change the way we play, and add some much needed directness, pace and power, I'd get rid...but he's the only truly world class midfielder that can possibly run the game for us with that style of football.

[Japan Shaking All Over]

the only prob is that Cesc alone running the game for us is obvioulsy not enough........

[Coney]

True dat.