A fine record in the Championship. Farke hasn’t suddenly changed his managerial style or tactics especially though so what looks good in the Championship will get ripped apart in the Ptem much as it did last season.
That was my point.
Fair enough, Mike. The requirements of a defence in the PL are significantly more testing than that of the Championship.
The difficulty Norwich face when they have been promoted is their current self financing model doesn’t provide the necessary investment to upgrade the team.
If we are successful in being promoted Delia will need to find £50-100 million to ensure we have a reasonable chance of staying in the premiership.
A lot of people give lip service to a locally owned, self financing club but when it comes to the premiership promoted clubs are confronted with a basket case option.
It’s an interesting argument which doesn’t quite stand up to scrutiny. Farke brought in double figures worth of players for that season but only three defenders. Only one made the team. A limited budget in itself is of course is an issue but how you spend that limited budget is illustrative. Farke chose attacking midfielders above all else. The worst of all worlds. They neither protected the defence nor were creative enough to produce chances.
The players brought in by Webber were low cost. Some such as Buendia were bargains. Pukki and Krul were free transfers. We were unlucky with injuries to Klose, Hanley and Byram.
The actual spend at the start of last year was £750,000 on Byram from West Ham.
If you compare us to Aston Villa and Sheffield United who were promoted with us our low spending passes any scrutiny.
Of those players only Bryam was brought in during 19/20. To be clear, after you were promoted the players you brought in were overwhelmingly midfielders or wingers. Regardless of budget you reap what you sow.
Arsenal during the latter years under Arse needed a spine. Every time he went out and brought in a midfielder or an attacker.
We bought nobody after Byram. We loaned a couple of midfielders.
The whole point I’m making is no club will ever be able to compete in the premiership on a self funding basis.
This is probably because the premiership is a billionaires play thing.
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You mean apart from McAlear, Rupp, Sitti and McCallum.
Not sure what your point is. My point was very clear. Upon your last promotion you brought 16 players in which included 1 right back and 2 centre backs, 12 midfielders and 2 strikers/wingers. Your own web forums at the time were screaming that you didn’t need 12 midfielders; that it was a criminal misdirection of limited resources and would cost you very dearly.
No-one is disputing your extremely sensible financial model brings a set of issues but your manager being an idiot isn’t a consequence of your financial model.
Farke is no idiot but the majority of the players you mention were brought in as part of the development policy with no intention of playing them. The hope is that at least one of them will become a future Maddison.
As Farke himself has said we never had the funds to buy in players that were significantly better than the defenders we already had. Godfrey, Lewis and Aaron’s back his statement as they have a combined worth in excess of £60 million.
Farke is far from stupid. Very articulate and coaches an entertaining form of football.
We have a long term plan but my concern is that at some point it will require substantial investment that will never be there.
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It’s not the losing but the manner of our losing to United today at St Mary’s. 2-0 lead at half-time. I think what troubles me is that Saints manager Ralph Hasenhüttl thinks his team could have done no more against Cavani.
(Okay, it is the losing).
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I think Willian has had his chance in this Arsenal team. I thought Arteta wanted him because he felt that there was something in there that he could extract, but his impact in this Arsenal team seems negligible at this time.
Aubemayang has lost interest.
Although if William was signed as a free, then perhaps worth a punt?
Arsenal were shockingly bad. At first, it looked as if Arteta was turning things around. Not any more. How many of the current team would get in the starting lineup for Liverpool, City or (dare I say it) Spurs? Maybe Tierney and Bellerin.
Can an Arsenal fan explain where things have gone so wrong? Recruitment? General toxicity? What is it?
I wish we knew but there’s been a lot of stuff going on in the background.
After the Ozil debacle I honestly feel that Arteta may be a bit of a puppet. I like him a lot but I lost some respect for him when he outwardly claimed he was dropped because of his football. Looking at how we’ve played this season there’s no way he’s worse than any of that lot. He may not fully suit the system but looking at the current state of the team, I’m not sure what that is anymore.
I wonder if he’s lost the dressing room through lack of confidence from the players.
Either way I’m expecting ups and downs but this is getting ridiculous 
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The Ozil situation will tell you everything you need to know about what is happening and despite Arteta’s protestations it is happening for football reasons it seems not. Our club is now in the entirely hands of businessmen and accountants not football men.
Our first team squad now has now has five academy graduates who all play regularly and another three where in the Europa League squad last Thursday this isn’t because we have had a fantastic crop of youngsters but because recruitment over the past 5 years has been dire and has not been in the hands of the manager or coaching staff but with a recruitment team and one or two super agents with whom they’ve had relationships.
Dating right back to Alexi Sanchez leaving and Mesut Ozil being given a long contract worth £350,000 a week it’s been one ridiculous mistake another. We now have an internal investigation into the Nicolas Pepe signing and our biggest earner sitting at home watching the game on TV.
I defy any Arsenal or football fan to say that we wouldn’t benefit from having Mesut Ozil on the bench at least but we are told he doesn’t fit in to Arteta’s philosophy whilst rumours from within the club are that it’s purely because of off the field issues relating to political statements made by the player.
One thing for sure is it’s a f******* mess and we have neither the players, the coaching staff, the backroom staff or the owners to sort it out it seems we are in for a tuff times ahead my opinion is I don’t think Arteta has ‘lost’ the players but a large investment is the only answer I’m afraid but we have an owner who seems unwilling.
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Interesting POV and I agree.
I did wonder if he’d lost the dressing room as Ozil is well liked by the other players and he got publicly sold down the river by Arteta during the press release.
Personally I’d want my manager to back me and it seems Arteta towed the company line instead of being loyal. The squad must be thinking what might happen to them if they did something similar.
Players need to believe in their manager so just wondered if that belief had gone. Something’s definitely gone since Ozil wasn’t registered for this season though. Coincidence?
You’re right that it’s a mess. It was odd how the club publicly announced that Ozil refused a pay cut but we still don’t know who the other two players were that also refused. The whole thing stinks and I’m ashamed of a club I held in such high regard.
Deluded I’m sure
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There’s no need to be ashamed Takoyaki the football club will survive this we’ve been here before more than once even over my life time. Something is very wrong for sure but if this team is ‘acting up’ because of the club and Arteta’s treatment of Ozil then that’s very, very upsetting because these a very highly paid individuals who should be playing for their club and their fans not a single individual and if the manager is not right for the club then that will become apparent.
The handball rule in particular is monumentally stupid in the way it’s applied.
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All this “woe, woe and thrice woe” regarding Woolwich must be particularly galling for their fans when they take a peek at the top of the table… 
Aubemayang clearly regrets signing a new contract and wants out. I really don’t believe that Arteta knows what he’s doing. The team has a great chance to redeem themselves next week, however - and in a NLD, anything can happen.
I’ll save any galling feelings regarding the top of the table until May thanks Wugged_Woy but I’ll grant you you have earned the joint top of the table bragging rights for November, enjoy it.
Joint ? We are top ! No. 1.
You sound like a Sky Sports commentator…