Yes, agree. They would spend like no tomorrow. Even if there was two places, or the FA Cup came with Champions League football.

Kroenke and the board won't sack Wenger. A manager who gets his team into the Champions League every season the cheapest way possible. He will leave when he feels like.

Last night shouldn't have been a wake up call. The warning signs have been there for years. Scrapping through the group stages, overtaking Spurs on the final day, poor discipline and focus in the big games.

This club is nowhere near winning the Champions League than it was when Wenger joined.

Nothing will happen because this team will go on a run, as per. Two more years of this carp, joy!

Ok... I have supported and defended Wenger and his often odd decisions on many occasions and have taken some stick for it in this thread, but I have to say that I draw the line at OSPINA! I believe even the most fanatical Wenger supporters simply despair at what he did last night. OSPINA?! Why?!

I like Ospina but to play him last night when we simply had to win was ludicrous. It isnt only his fault though, I mean FFS if we've just equalised, dont do anything stupid and concede immediately at the other end! We should have calmed down a bit and THEN tried to press and possibly win.

Tbh the Cl should only be for champs anyway. Imo giving to 4th place spoils all leagues and takes away from competition.

Until Cl is taken from us no one will listen.

This is what happens when you lack leaders. No one from Stan, takes any responsibilty for anything. Which is why the manager and his team always look lost.

But why would he change the goalkeeper anyway?! A goal keeper doesn't need resting and it disorientates the defence when you change the keeper. I just don't get it. Cech is a superb goalkeeper and has been good for Arsenal. Why on earth would Wenger change him?! I always thought Wenger's madness started when he benched Jens Lehmann. I couldn't understand it then and I simply cannot understand why Cech is not playing in the CL. It's completely nonsensical.

Generally, I always find it ridiculous when managers change the starting team for no apparent reason after they have won the previous game. It usually goes wrong. But to change the goalkeeper is just beyond ridiculous.

Wasn't it because of injury that Cech was benched?

Wasn't Cech on the bench? If he is fit enough to be on the bench, why wouldn't he play?

I'm as frustrated as you but, to be fair, as far as the playing side of the club goes the buck has to begin and end with Arsene. The prospect of the board interfering in any aspect of that really will be the beginning of the end. It is his leadership that is rotten and stale. I'm sure other managers would thrive in the same environment.

The end will only come if the board tire of him OR if the fans turn against him. I continue to believe his ego would not stand a stadium full of unhappy fans for very long. He might not be as impossible to shift as everyone believes.

Some are reporting Cech had a knock according to Aw. Its not just the changes. The team was good enough to win last night. Its what is done and said at HT. Our players not seem to care, guess its what happens when you give big wages to mediocity.

Reckon Wenger thinks we're Barcelona and can play different keepers the way they did in the league and CL last season.

Ospina is our 'cup keeper'.

You asked why Wenger didn't play Cech. I thought it was because of injury? He was on the bench last night.

Seems to be divided opinion on the reality of said "injury" and whether or not its just an excuse from Wenger.

If the manager is failing badly, then its the responsibilty of his boses to let him go, not just let him get away with it. The board offer the same excuses Aw does" no one better to replace him" , "club needs unity", "Its not our fault we can not spend as much as the rest" which allows AW and players to talk all sort of nonsense.

The likes of Hillwood created this mess, never should they let Aw have all this power.

Alexis seemed to be the only one who gave a shit last night.
I'm still hurting today and just generally pissed off

I don't believe Cech was injured badly enough not to play if he was on the bench. Was he injured in Zagreb as well? Nonsense to have different goalkeepers for the league and for cups. It's just unsettling the team and asking for trouble. A goalkeeper like Cech should be 'untouchable' to use Jose's words. I'm not a fan of rotating players and changing a winning team anyway, but even in the most rotating team - the goalkeeper should never change unless he's injured/banned.

I feel sorry for Sanchez. It must be completely demoralising to do everything to create goals, if at the back they always let in more than he scores/creates!

No point in getting upset, nothing will change at all. I hope we do go out the CL now. The thought of Aw and this lot celebrating 2nd place is sickining. If/When we go out will be an embaressnent for the whole club, maybe the owners will wake up.

Just qualifying to be there has caught up with us and rightly so. Maybe had more ambition we may not have ended up in pot 2. From When this group was drawn, Aw's ambition was to get 2nd in the group and it shows.


Totally agree. He is the only one to show ambition and it shows.

Khedira playing well for Juventus.

Yet according to ODL the players aren't out there.

Also interesting that both City and United are treating the CL seriously both playing their full strength teams. No rotation before the weekend unlike Arrogant Wenger.

They aren't that different. Largely mediocre opposition until the QF in a competition we haven't a hope of coming close to winning.


Then we will just finish 3rd instead of 4th every season. 3 places would be a good thing (for any nation/league). Both of our FA Cup wins have been more impressive than most 4th place seasons.

He was probably too expensive...

He was a free transfer as out of contract!

Keane's bang on the money. Too soft.

Well City had to win after Saturday so of course they'd pick a strong team to beat a team they should. Utd Would never do that either its not in their nature. Then again there team is not exactly the best, same with us.

Tbh Wenger may as well continue to play the same sort team in the Cl, Just focus on the league and be done.