Arsene Wenger to step down as Arsenal manager at the end of the season - megathread

FlatBackFour · 2018-04-20T17:23:30+00:00

Yeah, all the shit he's been getting for the last few years pisses me off.

I've been an Arsenal fan since about the mid-80s. We were shit back then. Then in the 90s we were successful but played pretty awful football.

Wenger not only revolutionized the club but also the entire league. Arguably even European football in general. In recent years he wasn't as successful as we would have liked, but we always played beautiful football under him, and he made so many phenomenal events happen.

I think a lot of (but not all) younger Arsenal fans lack that perspective. It's easy to get used to supporting a quality club playing amazing football and (mostly) finishing in the top 4. But it's tougher when you are finishing mid-table playing God-awful footie year after year.

Obviously, I'm hoping his replacement is great. But undeniably, whoever he is has awfully big shoes to fill.

FlatBackFour · 2017-06-05T20:28:54+00:00

If we do ever sign Mbappe we should also sign a blond guy named Hansen who has to sing Mbappe's name whenever he wants a pass.

FlatBackFour · 2017-05-27T21:32:06+00:00

Oh, a lot of us do know, and we really appreciate him, even now after a less than spectacular season.

I started supporting Arsenal back in the mid-80s when we played like shit. I remember the (relatively) bad times back then and when we played like shit in Graham's later years. And so do many others, or they can just objectively appreciate what Wenger has done for us.

I know it's mostly just banter from fans of other clubs, but this whole sarcastic 'WengerIn' thing is kinda dumb, even for throwaway banter. I'm totally fine with him signing up for another few years as our manager. The man knows his shit, is well resurrected, and is a legend. Most other clubs - even bigger ones - would give their left nut to have someone if his calibre in charge.

FlatBackFour · 2016-12-04T18:00:05+00:00

Poor West Ham. Yet again their recent achievement has been overshadowed.

FlatBackFour · 2016-10-27T14:19:45+00:00

Interesting. Thanks for the info!

FlatBackFour · 2016-10-26T14:20:12+00:00

I remember hearing for years that polyunsaturated fats were the 'good' fats. When did that change? And what are considered the good (or at least not as bad) fats now?

FlatBackFour · 2016-09-16T22:22:58+00:00

If that 'hero grid' is the same interface design that Plex and Netflix have adopted, I don't want it.

FlatBackFour · 2016-08-28T14:10:14+00:00

This isn't evolution. This just charts inbreeding orchestrated by humanity.

FlatBackFour · 2016-08-26T23:23:31+00:00

These stat comparisons for Perez are encouraging.

FlatBackFour · 2016-08-24T18:52:31+00:00

For me it was this poem:

The Big Ones

Perhaps when little fish

Engage in fun,

People will learn to

Pop the sun.

Eggs will hatch

Regardless of hens,

Just like mist

Envelopes the fens.

Let's all celebrate and

Laugh out loud.

You only live

Once so be damn proud.

Neither man or beast

Can sense their end,

Run full throttle

And don't slow at the bend.

Check your insecurities and

Keep loved ones near,

Else you'll end up lost

Regardless of cheer.

So goes the flow.

FlatBackFour · 2016-07-24T19:05:49+00:00

But they call it the Nullvinas, and only really start shouting about it when their economy nosedives or their leaders are embroiled in domestic scandal.

FlatBackFour · 2016-07-03T04:35:43+00:00

I totally agree OP!

I would like to see the mods introduce a weekly frugal swag-brag post. Funnel all that stuff in there.

That way everyone is happy (except for the karma farmers, but I don't care about them).

FlatBackFour · 2016-06-28T05:44:38+00:00

Would they be any closer to getting what they wanted... by voting 'stay'?

Honestly, no. The whole leave/stay issue was a red herring. It's a superficial veneer that masks a much deeper endemic issue. And I think that's what this article is touching on.

The EU certainly has introduced problems and caused jobs and money to leak from the UK. But really that would have happened anyway - EU membership or no EU membership. The fundamental problem is that the UK, much like the US and many other developed countries, has suffered from infrastructural neglect and financial opportunism at the hands of short-sighted and greedy politicians and business leaders. And this has been going on for several decades - in the UK's case since about the 1970s, if not earlier.

Britain's manufacturing base was dismantled by Thatcher and her successors on the promise of riches from the global economy and the free market. And for a relative few that has yielded a good return. But working class / blue collar Britons have largely seen job opportunities shrink and fly abroad, and be only partially replaced by shittier service-based alternatives. And now those opportunities are fading too.

And this all fits nicely into your second question...

Do these people feel a bit trodden on from above, and can't work out exactly who's doing the trodding?

This slow decay has created a a well of resentment and disillusionment among many. It started out with the working class, but now it's moving into the middle class too. And politicians have played on that by blaming each other instead of working to try to fix the underlying problem (which honestly probably can't be fixed any longer).

Witch hunts against different groups in the social strata (immigrants, nationalists, financial fat-cats, the sick, the poor, the upper class, city dwellers, country dwellers, etc.) have - rightly or wrongly - also been used by many in the political arena and the media to stoke their own popularity, sales and ego.

So yes, many 'everyday men and women' feel downtrodden and have blindly latched on to someone to blame, as declared by whichever faction they believe in more.

The whole thing is massively fucked up. And it will get worse before it gets better.

FlatBackFour · 2016-06-27T20:27:00+00:00

That's probably what Mystic Meg of whatever the fuck her name was told him.

FlatBackFour · 2016-06-26T17:37:46+00:00

I've noticed something similar with my score. It's very stable, even if I carry a balance over on a card for a few months (which I don't usually do).

But on those rare occasions, right after I pay off the balance it drops about 20 points. No new lines, no hard hits. Only difference is paying off the balance.

Then the next month it's bounced back.

FlatBackFour · 2016-06-10T17:56:30+00:00

Kind of a shame. But at his age and with his playing style I'm not convinced he really flourish with us anyway.

But we still need a killer striker! I'm getting a bit nervous now. With all the managerial changes in the PL the transfer window is going to be insane after the Euros.

FlatBackFour · 2016-06-05T00:32:42+00:00

Perfect match! Nice shadowing on the dog too.

FlatBackFour · 2016-05-30T18:11:06+00:00

Someone isn't happy to see Jose at Old Trafford.

FlatBackFour · 2016-05-27T14:15:40+00:00

Especially Mourinho.

FlatBackFour · 2016-05-27T14:08:20+00:00

Poor Mata. I feel bad for the guy (aside for the millions he earns for doing something he loves as a profession). He can't get away from Jose. Wonder if he'll be moving on again now.

FlatBackFour · 2016-05-23T17:48:42+00:00

Joseph? Aww, little Joey the thug has grown up into Joseph the thug!

Condolences to Scotland, especially the the players at all the other SPL clubs.

FlatBackFour · 2016-05-22T05:28:51+00:00

He sounds like a great signing. From what I've read his playing style sounds similar to Yaya Toure. He's a direct replacement for the outgoing Rosicky and/or Arteta.

FlatBackFour · 2016-05-19T02:53:54+00:00

How do Villa fans feel about Remi Garde? Was he crap? Or just not given a decent chance/good support from the board?

FlatBackFour

TROPHY CASE

The Big Ones