Wenger is daring the board to sack him

[Alan B'stard]

He never wanted a pre season tour and from his rhetoric to the press I wouldn't be surprised if he was overruled by the board to varying degrees in the nasri and cesc sales.

I do believe that he is frustrated that the board wont let him hike star wages to 150k a week, but he has to look at himself for spending so much on overpaid kids and hanger-on squad idiots like eboue and bendter.

Today isn't a freak result. Its the managerial equivalent of chucking one in your own net:
1) weaker teams than us go to Old trafford and set themselves up to be tough to beat. They make united work more than we did.
2) we have eight players out. if this were december you'd be screaming at wenger and the medics for not getting players fit, having them get suspended stupidly and having pathetic depth in the squad. In August, with the transfer window open, its negligent.
3) fielding green kids and telling them to og outfootball united on their turf is naivety that makes Roberto Martinez look like a genius.

If Wenger hasn't lost his marbles, he did this on purpose. He cuts a figure like Houllier before the end, and he is daring the board to sack him and give him his payoff, like Rafa before the end.

Sky stuck a mic in his face and asked him if he'd quit, and whether he still had the confidence of his employer. Think about that. Its highly disrespectful, but they scent blood.

[Niall_Quinn]

If he did that and it ever became known he would be hated by all Arsenal fans. Would he take such a risk or have we become that meaningless? Is it naive to even ask the question?

[McNamara That Ghost...]

I wouldn't have thought so. If that was his intention he messed up by getting us in to the Champions League again.

[Alan B'stard]

you could never prove it. just look at the selection and the high line etc.
maybe he honestly believed coquelin, jenkinson etc would piss on united but come on - away to barca he knew he had to defend and hope to nick a goal cos the oppo were so good. so we played exactly right and who knows if the ref, and bendter hand been cunts we mightve nicked it.

we usually struggle at old trafford even with cesc, nasri etc. This time we lost them plus many more and arent in great form. plus we had a midweek CL test. DO you honestly think playing kids and a high line and then throwing it al forward is the act of a considered man with a plan who shapes events instead of reacting to them?

he is either delusional, or (as I suspect) just after his severance package.
Either way, he is no longer fit for purpose.

[Cripps_orig]

Fight to the death tbh and hope they both lose

[Alan B'stard]

I wouldn't have thought so. If that was his intention he messed up by getting us in to the Champions League again.

nah, makes it harder for them to rail against him failing the prime directive in his yearly objectives and gives him a stronger hand in negotiating an exit package.
plus he has to get another job and tarnishing his reputation as the man who always delivers CL football wouldnt help his CV

[McNamara That Ghost...]

nah, makes it harder for them to rail against him failing the prime directive in his yearly objectives and gives him a stronger hand in negotiating an exit package.
plus he has to get another job and tarnishing his reputation as the man who always delivers CL football wouldnt help his CV

Whereas the man who can deliver an 8-2 hammering against the team you used to compete with is a glistening achievement? You could be right in your reply I suppose but that would mean knowing what it says in the contract they have the 'right' to sack him for.

It's an interesting debate but only interesting because it's pure supposition, from either side really. I mean, surely he could just say, I was the man who always qualified for the Champions League but then the board politicking became too strong to combat?

I think a lot of clubs would want the guy anyway, personally.

[Alan B'stard]

Whereas the man who can deliver an 8-2 hammering against the team you used to compete with is a glistening achievement? You could be right in your reply I suppose but that would mean knowing what it says in the contract they have the 'right' to sack him for.

It's an interesting debate but only interesting because it's pure supposition, from either side really. I mean, surely he could just say, I was the man who always qualified for the Champions League but then the board politicking became too strong to combat?

I think a lot of clubs would want the guy anyway, personally.

it is pure supposition, but I'm saying look at his actions and use some nous.
everone can see we need defenders, more steel whatever.Thats old news.

however compare his tactics when facing superior opposition on the day:
away to barca (tactics spot on, taking squad strengths/weaknesses into account; result distorted by bad refereeing)
away to utd (tactics unrealistic/arogant/naive, taking squad strengths/weaknesses into account; result fair)

if he honestly thought he was doing the right thing, he is on a par with roberto ' lets play the right way and not be tought to beat' martinez.
I personally dont think he is that stupid and is totally aware of what he is doing - ie it was deliberate.

i am sure others would want him. Im talking about how bad things are at arsenal. betwenn wenger-the board, and soon enough wenger-the support, I think they are at (if not past) the point of no return

[McNamara That Ghost...]

You aren't talking solely about how things are at Arsenal though. Your suggestion is that Wenger might be doing this as an elaborate way for him to leave Arsenal with his reputation intact. Thus he would be able to say to prospective employers that what happened here is not from his doing. You brought up showing his CV to have the CL record on it so you can't say you're just talking about Arsenal!

It'd have to be extreme opportunism. Unless he colluded with Wilshere to be injured, Sagna to be ill and tweet that he is still ill(!) in order to be in a position to play these young players that will get annihilated. We normally get overrun at Old Trafford, some of those times we've had to be thankful to Almunia for keeping us in it.

All this to me takes away from the oppositon we played, who played very well.

[Alan B'stard]

of course he didnt arrange for sagna and vermalen and wilshere to be out.
nevertheless, he failed to prepare the squad properly for key fixtures, and at a time when the window was open. That is ridiculous.

Then he fielded a weak team without any sense of preparation.

The part about ticking the CL box is purely to say that he wont go so far as to cut off his nose to spite his face.