Calling for More Jacks Please!!!!!!!!!!!

Top of the morning to yall

When on Monday morning I got to work and my boss outlined various responsibilities that would keep me busy throughout the week, I threw myself at the work gleefully, I wouldn’t have to join in the post mortem of the Man City game. I was glad. In my free periods, I read some of my regular blogs and the general consensus is that this team is deficient in almost every position on the pitch, bereft of confidence and overall, new and better players should be bought to stem this trend of deterioration that has crept into the club. Some even went as far as renewing their claims for the manager to throw in the towel.

I am yet to join the band wagon though, as I still believe that Arsene IS the right man for the job, after all this is a manager that went through a whole season in the English top flight unbeaten, a feat that is unrivalled in the English game, and the same man that gave the world Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and turned Cesc Fabregas from a from a talented free scoring midfielder to statistically the world most creative midfielder.

But what has happened to him? Why has our most successful manager in history not won anything in 7 seasons? Why have we been progressively retrogressing every year? I many times wonder why everyone can see what is so apparently lacking in the squad and the manager says otherwise. Its perplexingly frustrating. We that we are known worldwide for playing the sleek, passing game that is based on keeping the ball, and literally passing our opponents to submission. Yes we were proud of the way we play our football and that's why many fans have been calling for ‘wanting our Arsenal back’. And truth be told, that Arsenal is not the one that grace the lush green of the Emirates these days.

This Arsenal is timid and lacks belief in its abilities. I have no doubt in my mind that the players in this squad want to do well, but for some reason, they are not playing to their full potentials or maybe what they give is the best that they can give and you can’t give more than you have.

So why does the manager still keep faith with this bunch? I think Arsene Wenger is a victim of his own successes, a slave to his own abilities and to some extent, his own good luck. What do I mean you would ask, and the answer is really simple.

Fans have always called on the manager to splash cash and spend on proven players but a look at Wenger’s spending habits in the past reveal that he has not always spent on players that were considered as world class players. For example, the clubs transfer record is the £15.5million transfer of Andrey Arshavin from Zenit St. Petersburg to Arsenal in 2009 and prior to that was the transfer of Sylvain Wiltord for £13million from Girondis Bordeaux in 2000. But people won’t consider these players as Wenger’s best signings would they? In fact, these 2 players won’t make it into an Arsene Wenger best purchased XI side.  

Arsene Wenger's Best Purchase XI

 Jens Lehman – free transfer from Borussia Dortmund

Ashley Cole – Free Transfer (home grown from the club academy)

Sol Campbell – Free transfer from Tottenham

KoloToure - £150,000 from Asec Mimosas

Bacary Sagna - £9million from AJ Auxerre

Robert Pires - £6million from Marseille

Patrick Viera – £3.5million from AC Milan

Cesc Fabregas – Free Transfer (home grown from the academy)

Freddie Ljungberg –£ 3million from Halmstads BK

Robin van Persie – £3.5million from Feyenoord

Thierry Henry - £11million from Juventus

Total…………………… £36,150,000

Think about it for a second, a manager of Arsene Wenger’s calibre with all his successes, have his best purchased XI totalled at £36million. In fact only Thierry Henry cost more than £10million and four of the 11 players on that list came in for free. If I can notice it, you can bet the man knows it as well and probably the basis for one of his most recorded statements

 I believe spending big has not always been the solution

Wenger’s successes with this method of player transfer in the past have probably stuck with him despite the changing football financial climate. The Emirates Stadium development project can be a ready-made excuse for not spending big but history suggests a deeper reason.

But why has he found it difficult to achieve the same measure of success as with previous squads? This is where I think maybe he has believed too much on his own abilities. When Wenger arrived, he met a core of British players with a touch of Dennis Bergkamp who were established and knew the ins and outs of the English game. Having these Wenger signings play with the old guard quickly made their abilities shine to the fore on the pitch and maintained a high degree of consistency which ultimately resulted in Arsenal’s most successful period in history.

Imagine the kind of on-pitch training a young Thierry Henry would have gotten from a Dennis Bergkamp or that a Cesc Fabregas would have gotten from a Patrick Viera. Subsequently, imagine how much a talent such as Aaron Ramsey would benefit from a Patrick Viera figure or if we would still see Thomas Vermaelen make such rash mistakes like we see him do if there was a Tony Adams figure at the club.

Arsene Wenger can obviously get the best out of his players tactically but not until each player plays to his full potential and for that to happen, I strongly believe that the manager needs to bring in more established players in key positions. Players that would not only deliver class performances every time they step on the pitch but also bring out the best in their team mates, players that know what it means to be  winners and make sure that goes through the squad in the dressing room and on the pitch. What we need are leaders that would stand up and be counted for the team when the chips are down. Just as Jack Wilshere does

Agree or disagree? Join the debate in the comments section or follow me on twitter @nigeriangunners and I would be glad to respond to your comments.

God bless the Arsenal. Iree o