What they had to say after that poor display.

Stop Trying To Be A Businessman, Arsene...
With all the frustration of being an Arsenal fan I was thinking of some of the similarities between football and business and if so why Arsene Wenger should start getting his chequebook out pronto and signing some experienced players to complement the side.

As Arsenal is a business, Arsene will report into the board of directors who should be setting him his season's objectives i.e. challenge for the title, and allocating him an operating budget to attain that. Arsene should then be planning for the season and looking where he needs to invest his resources to deliver on his objectives, which being a business, Arsene then will be reviewed on his performance at season end by the directors.

Now my concern is that Arsene is trying to save and make money at every opportunity, at the detriment to the team. Ultimately it is not his responsibility to worry about the finances, the board should have control over that (Leeds are an example when they are not). He should be focussing solely on the team's performance and results. If in my job I go to my boss at the end of the year and tell him I didn't meet any objectives but I haven't spent any budget I am not going to get a pat on the back (more likely the boot).

My concern now is that Arsene is focussed on the complete running of the club when he should be focussing on team performance. If this is the case maybe it is time for him to move upstairs and let someone who has the hunger to win take over the running of the team.

Arsene has been a great manager and has transformed Arsenal Football Club. I just hope he won't be remembered for leaving the club in roughly the same league position as when he arrived.
Gareth Beynon


Has Wenger Lost The Plot?
For the first time I am starting to lose my patience with Arsene Wenger. He now believes that it doesn't matter if we get in another midfield player because we just need, belief, strength and personality. Well if personality is a key attribute, I wonder how the f*** Eboue got any where near the Arsenal first team, let alone the chance to play all manner of positions.

We lost out on trophies last season because of loads of different reasons but one of those reasons was lack of depth and maturity in the squad, which Wenger has already admitted. We had Flamini and Gilberto at that time and still looked a little light for cover, especially when Fabregas was not available. We've now lost both of those players and signed 17-year-old Ramsey as the only central replacement. It doesn't take a genius to work out that we have taken a massive step backwards in this department, which is the most important part of the team.

Last season there was not many games that Arsenal didn't play well and when we won our games, it was usually deserved by looking at the balance of play. This season, we have played three competitive games and looked awful in each of them. I still can't believe we won 2-0 away to FC Twente and we were very lucky to keep a 1-0 score line against WBA. The Fulham game just confirmed for me how desperately we do need a strong midfielder to come in and help Fabregas when he comes back.

I'm not one for negativity but there are simply no positives to look at in our latest performances. I've always backed Wenger but this time, I think he has lost the plot. If we don't get someone else in to help the top players we do have in the squad, then we can kiss goodbye to Fabregas, Van Persie, Adebayor and whoever else and I wouldn't blame them for leaving.
Paul Griffiths, London


...As an Arsenal fan, the last few seasons have caused me to become increasingly wary of phrases like "I'm happy with the squad" and "we'll only sign the right player" coming from Mr Wenger. It basically means "we won't be signing anyone".

We desperately need another central midfielder who has a physical presence about them. But no, it looks like we're going to start the season with Diaby (sicknote), Denilson (tidy, but a bit lightweight, also quite inconsistent), Eboue (can't shoot, dives, generally despicable) or Alex Song (inexperienced, a bit clumsy) as our central midfield partner for Fabregas. I suppose Toure could be considered an outside bet for the position as well if we hadn't just loaned Senderos to Milan for some reason.

For crying out loud Arsene, get the chequebook out and sign someone! I vaguely remember you saying something about how good the squad was last season as well and remind me how that turned out? And we've lost players since then!
Mark, Sheffield