A Blog by @swales1968
On one side the so called AKB supporters who apparently believe in anything and everything Wenger says and does. On the other side we have the WOB who apparently do not believe in anything Wenger says or does. Then somewhere between we have the Stan/Board outs and the Stan/Board ins who also can be a part of the AKB’s or the WOB’s depending on their stance.
Then comes me, well there are probably plenty of other me’s but I can’t think of a name or acronym for us or me so ME will do for now. I could call the group fans but I am sure other members of the above groups will not be happy with that, anyway I am drifting from the point.
Now of all the groups I have yet to actually meet an AKB supporter, I know quite a few Arsenal supporters and chat on the forums so I think I know what I am looking for in an AKB supporter. They should be steadfast in their support of Wenger and his tactics, they should be adamant that his 70 minute substitutions are always correct, they should be happy with his activity in the transfer market and playing players out of position. The AKB brigade I would of thought hang on every word Mr Wenger gives in his press conferencesf rom the funny little quips and digs that go over the media heads to his “we showed mental strength” after every defeat or draw.
Just to point out that I am taking this from a group of about 40 or 50 people who I know so if you do know somebody who fits into thiscategory then that’s fine…. Anyway
I do know supporters who will back Wenger as manager at Arsenal to the hilt but they do not go as far as not criticising his overly tactical decisions, substitutions, buying and selling etc that would make me think they are AKB’s. In fact I would say some of his strongest supporters are his harshest critics. When asked about should Wenger go their reply is usually “well who would you get in to replace him”
The WOB’s on the other hand are loud and almost proud and known to me, they're almost constant posts on the forums, Twitter and Facebook leave me in doubt where they stand. Within the ground they are vocal and in some cases very argumentative to those with a more Wenger positive viewpoint. The WOB’s are adamant that Wenger is past his best and he has been for 6, 7 or 8 seasons depending on their viewpoint. He is stale, lost his mojo etc when asked about Wenger leaving its “anybody but Wenger will do”.
The Stan/board stays or goes thing is a bit more difficult to look at, there are some like the BSM who want Stan gone or at least have Usmaniov on the board next to him. Then there are other who want Stan and Usmanov gone while there are those who just want Usmaniov on the board and those who just want Stan. Oh and not forgetting those who want David Dein back.
The Stan’s out think he is doing a poor job in not giving Wenger cash to buy players but would Wenger do something with the cash if he is stale as the WOB’s say or would he buy the best as the AKB’s would argue. Would Usmanov give Wenger money to spend if he got in but again what would Wenger do with it? Does that mean Wenger would be sacked? What would be the reaction from the AKB’s towards Usmanov and the AKB’s then? If we had them both on the board would there be a stand off which would affect how the money was distributed to Wenger or whoever the manager would be? Would Usmaniov demand that dividends are paid and would he push for a share issue? Will Stan just sit there watching his share increase for him to make a huge profit or is he here for the long term?
Ahhh too many questions that I don’t know the answers to, which brings me on to me or you if you are not in the above categories. So welcome to my world or I could be coming into yours!!!
I am stuck in the middle I can see Wenger’s faults as a manager but I can see the positives and what he has been doing for Arsenal over the past decade. His faults are there to be seen by one and all. Wenger has a philosophy on how the game should be played and like all men/women should understand when things need to be tweaked and changed. Again like all great leaders he is stubborn which can be seen as a good thing or a hindrance. I am not an AKB although I can see the good he is doing for the club I can see hisfaults but that does not make me a WOB it makes me ME.
As for the board stuff, if the club is running well and money from the new sponsorship deals etc is made available to the manager whoever that maybe in the next 5 years or so. Does it matter if it’s the American or Russian or Middle Eastern as long as Arsenal as a club is still here and for us to go to support?
(Of course if the Belgium lawyer is successful in defeating the FFP rules then goodbye Stan and welcome in Usmanov get whatever manager you want… loyalty in football who needs it)
Then comes me, well there are probably plenty of other me’s but I can’t think of a name or acronym for us or me so ME will do for now. I could call the group fans but I am sure other members of the above groups will not be happy with that, anyway I am drifting from the point.
Now of all the groups I have yet to actually meet an AKB supporter, I know quite a few Arsenal supporters and chat on the forums so I think I know what I am looking for in an AKB supporter. They should be steadfast in their support of Wenger and his tactics, they should be adamant that his 70 minute substitutions are always correct, they should be happy with his activity in the transfer market and playing players out of position. The AKB brigade I would of thought hang on every word Mr Wenger gives in his press conferencesf rom the funny little quips and digs that go over the media heads to his “we showed mental strength” after every defeat or draw.
Just to point out that I am taking this from a group of about 40 or 50 people who I know so if you do know somebody who fits into thiscategory then that’s fine…. Anyway
I do know supporters who will back Wenger as manager at Arsenal to the hilt but they do not go as far as not criticising his overly tactical decisions, substitutions, buying and selling etc that would make me think they are AKB’s. In fact I would say some of his strongest supporters are his harshest critics. When asked about should Wenger go their reply is usually “well who would you get in to replace him”
The WOB’s on the other hand are loud and almost proud and known to me, they're almost constant posts on the forums, Twitter and Facebook leave me in doubt where they stand. Within the ground they are vocal and in some cases very argumentative to those with a more Wenger positive viewpoint. The WOB’s are adamant that Wenger is past his best and he has been for 6, 7 or 8 seasons depending on their viewpoint. He is stale, lost his mojo etc when asked about Wenger leaving its “anybody but Wenger will do”.
The Stan/board stays or goes thing is a bit more difficult to look at, there are some like the BSM who want Stan gone or at least have Usmaniov on the board next to him. Then there are other who want Stan and Usmanov gone while there are those who just want Usmaniov on the board and those who just want Stan. Oh and not forgetting those who want David Dein back.
The Stan’s out think he is doing a poor job in not giving Wenger cash to buy players but would Wenger do something with the cash if he is stale as the WOB’s say or would he buy the best as the AKB’s would argue. Would Usmanov give Wenger money to spend if he got in but again what would Wenger do with it? Does that mean Wenger would be sacked? What would be the reaction from the AKB’s towards Usmanov and the AKB’s then? If we had them both on the board would there be a stand off which would affect how the money was distributed to Wenger or whoever the manager would be? Would Usmaniov demand that dividends are paid and would he push for a share issue? Will Stan just sit there watching his share increase for him to make a huge profit or is he here for the long term?
Ahhh too many questions that I don’t know the answers to, which brings me on to me or you if you are not in the above categories. So welcome to my world or I could be coming into yours!!!
I am stuck in the middle I can see Wenger’s faults as a manager but I can see the positives and what he has been doing for Arsenal over the past decade. His faults are there to be seen by one and all. Wenger has a philosophy on how the game should be played and like all men/women should understand when things need to be tweaked and changed. Again like all great leaders he is stubborn which can be seen as a good thing or a hindrance. I am not an AKB although I can see the good he is doing for the club I can see hisfaults but that does not make me a WOB it makes me ME.
As for the board stuff, if the club is running well and money from the new sponsorship deals etc is made available to the manager whoever that maybe in the next 5 years or so. Does it matter if it’s the American or Russian or Middle Eastern as long as Arsenal as a club is still here and for us to go to support?
(Of course if the Belgium lawyer is successful in defeating the FFP rules then goodbye Stan and welcome in Usmanov get whatever manager you want… loyalty in football who needs it)
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