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Groves blames Wenger: Arsenal should have won the league

By 2011/06/25 20 Comments

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Arsenal legend Perry Groves has hit out at Arsene Wenger’s transfer policy since moving to the Emirates Stadium in 2006.

Wenger was a big success in his earlier years at Arsenal, bringing three league titles and four FA Cups to Highbury, but Groves believes his transfer policy in the last six years has not worked.

Arsenal were in the title race for much of last season, but a dreadful run of form at the end of the season saw them finish fourth, and Groves believes the manager has to change his policy in the transfer market this summer.

“The frustrating thing is [the Premier League] was Arsenal’s to win last year.

“But because they didn’t have the dominant centre-half which they could have gone and got in January that’s why [they didn’t win the league] and that’s why Arsene’s policy over two or three years has been proven wrong.

“There has been two phases when Arsene Wenger has been in charge. On the pitch from 1996-2004 that is how you structure a football team. Off the pitch from 2005-2011 is how you structure a football club, going from Highbury to the Emirates.

“Arsenal fans, the real die-hard ones, want trophies and that is the real be all and end all of how you’re judged as a football club manager.”

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Mark Brus

I'm 23-years-old and currently living in Bristol, studying to be a journalist. I've been hooked on Arsenal since I was about 10, and as much as I sometimes wish I could stop, I can't give them up. Favourite player of all time would have to be Patrick Vieira for the sheer passion with which he played the game.

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  • mick

    Perry Groves and the other so called experts and pundits are very good at stating the blindingly obvious, particularly after the event but remarkably quiet when their ‘recommendations’ do not work out as is usually the case. Its all very easy in their position with no responsibility, not so easy when you are in the firing line. Just ask the 999 other managers who have never won anything of any note and are thus, according to the Groves type armchair experts, presumably failures as well. If they had bought a ‘dominant centre half’ as Groves and many others wanted would that have prevented the loss of form and guaranteed the Premier League title? Probably not. No one knows what may have happened, certainly not Groves. There are numerous clubs and managers who spent far more than us and finished up trophyless and didn’t even make the Champions league. Spending, at least on the scale we can afford, does not guarantee success.

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  • a1

    he’s right and i blame wenger too. groves talks of two phases and the third one will see wenger out on his arse with his reputation in tatters. you mark my words.

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  • gaya

    yes he is right but why didnt he tell us 4 – 5 yrs ago.
    why do all those connected to Arsenal seem to not close ranks in public and defend the club in public like all other great clubs do.

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  • mick

    Gaya…. You are correct. There is only one ex Arsenal player who always sticks up for the club and that is Bob Wilson, the others including the likes of Graham, Wright etc etc are a bloody disgrace. Is it a coincidence that Wilson is probably the most intelligent as well. You never hear Man U ex players slagging their old club off like ours seem to.

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  • dazz748

    Think your wrong on that score buddy , he been saying it for years , I remember him on Arsenal tv phone in , come to think of every bugger has said it for years

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  • reality check

    man u legends dont critisize because their club has won alot of trophies in last 6-7 years but we havent. So if some armchairs wanna call these legends glory hunter and plastics i would understand because thats what they call supporters when they say the same thing. The only lazy excuse these armchairs could come up with is ‘there is no gurantee of success’ so we shall sell our first team and play with kids as there is no gurantee of success, why waste so much money on the wages of our senior players.

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  • real gunner

    because united are winning things!

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  • Donnyfan1

    Grover is a media pundit and has to be careful what he says. We lost the league because refs took more than 20 points off us last season-again– as well as helping ManU. Whatever AW does in the market– we won’t win the title this coming season if they do it again. It isn’t any good expecting pundits or the press to bring the subject up– they darn’t. But we can and we must- constantly, over and over. They will say we are talking rubbish and we must ask if they have studied the tapes. Eventually some gutsy media chap will do it and realise we are right. Then something might be done. As it stands- you are peeing into the wind if you expect a few signings to reverse a 20+ point deficit.

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  • reality check

    mate blaming refs dosent wash out our performances against shit teams. We cant defend set pieces thats not refs fault, we over pass in the final third thats not refs fault even when we do get a chance we either dont shoot or bottle it when we need it the most. We didnt score a single goal from outside the box at the emirates i am sure thats not refs fault as well. There can be alot of counter argument but to be fair we finished where we deserve to and had the season gone on for a bit longer we defenitly would have finished outside the top four.

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  • Daniel Wong

    Groves is perfectly right.This coming season will be even more competitive.The days when you can win the title on the cheap are over.Even if Wenger were to get the commanding central defender,he got to let the gunners shoot from out of the box.
    The 100 EPL goals is a good example.You don’t find Lampard/the ugly Brit bulldog/Drogba to name a few ,trying to outwit or dribble thru the box. They shoot long range.
    Btw ,please don’t try to be too clever by trying to bring the ball near the box before shooting.Those opposition defenders aint going to give you time and space which the gunners need.
    Until the problems are resolves one way or another,the gunners will shoot continue themselevse in the foot.

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  • kwasi

    Groves is right to expose Wenger wickenesses as he failed to strenghten the team in january.Wenger is acting as a coach and chief executive respectively.Arsenal fans should stand up against Wenger because majority of the fans patience have been overstretched.Wenger is earning 6million a year for not winning trophy for 6 years is uncreadible.This will never happen in spain,italy,or germany.Some of the fans idolise wenger as God because of what he has done for the club.Arsenal will get someone who would be far better than wenger.Dein brought him to Arsenal when nobody have not heard of him.If he maintains the same phylosophy we are not going to win anything and surely miss ghampions leaque slot next season.

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  • Jim, Cheam

    Any chance of getting rid of that ruddy tennis ball please? Extremely irritating: rather like the “legend” Perry Groves.

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  • passionandpride

    No spending can guarantee success. Spending over a Centre-half and a goalie at the Jan window too couldn’t have. But just because no spending guarantees success should a club stop buying and doing what is NECESSARY?

    His neglect towards strengthening the squad in the Jan transfer window gave signals to players that club is not serious about winning the title. That triggered the slide.

    I do not know who is Perry Groves. He might be speaking the obvious. But, he is not wrong.

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  • Angelo1971

    “I do not know who is Perry Groves.” Man. The article started as “Arsenal legend Perry Groves has hit out…” By the way I hate pundits and experts sometimes, but I don’t understand those, who deny their truth. The foolish guy who left the first comment got a high rating. Why? He’s not only wrong, but a liar. The pundits/experts for example the hated Alan Hansen predicted our collapse long before. Why do we still have so many hardcore Wengerists? Our transfer activity has been ridiculous so far. Spending is not a guarantee to success, but we need quite a few new players with balls otherwise we will end up 6th with the current squad. So far we look weaker than last year. Especially if Fab, Nasri and Clichy goes.

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  • Angelo1971

    How can we defend Wenger? Nobody has blamed him until this season in public/private. If nobody starts talking Wenger will go on with his project. I’m happy about the 3 youngsters, but is this all he can show up? Half the team wants to leave because of this. His failure looks imminent. He’s not even able to sign players. Our players think his transfer policy is a failure and that will show in the pitch.

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  • demongooner

    who said wenger did’t try to sign no one in janaray? according to samba, he was very close to signing or arsenal but blackburn would’t sell.if clubs don’t want to sell you can’t buy can you,just because wenger doesn’t come out every 5minutes like man city and chelsea saying he buying him ,him and him don’t mean he not trying to buy.

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  • demongooner

    rubbish it easy to talk the talk but harder to do it ,what has groves done as a manager? nothing ,what he done to make money for himself?trashed every thing arsene does, like most people in life you all think it easy to buy players and win trophys yet only a very few can afford to pay overin flated prices,like liverpool for henderson and carrol,chelsea for torres .

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  • ahmadkb

    First I’m sorry Arsenalinsider is not the same anymore, It was much much better when FTK used to write almost daily.
    2nd I think this will be the last chance for AW to win something and by something I don’t mean the Carling Cup.

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  • ahmadkb

    As for Mr.Groves: our problem was not only purchasing the players it was the spirit of the players we have after losing the Carling Cup the players did not believe that we can win anything.

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  • goonamerica

    Who rewrote the history books on Perry Groves? He was one step above Gus Caesar in my opinion. One dimensional player, quick but didn’t add alot. Is a gooner and completely respect that. Scored one special goal that I remember.
    He might represent the voice of “lets go back to the way we used to play” what when he was in the team 1980 odd to early 90′s?

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