"I'm not attending the next few Arsenal games on principle"

By Avenell Dave

There was a sad inevitability about Saturday's defeat at Sunderland.

We've seen it so many times before, haven't we, when the chips are down and the team is incapable of rousing itself for its next challenge?

Shorn of leaders, shorn of quality and incapable of fighting fire with fire, this is indeed one of the worst squads of Arsene Wenger's tenure.

Too often he has had to sell his star names.

Too often he has not had the resources or the negotiators to close the deals that need to be closed, to sign the players when they're needed and not just when others have left the club to make way.

Too often we've sat disconsolately watching Sky Sports or the internet wishing and wanting us to sign some big names or at least some quality players to get everyone involved with the club excited again.

The way we're playing at the moment, few of the current squad would get into the Invincibles or '98 team and if Robin van Persie decided to leave in the summer, I for one won't blame him.

There are those that say he owes us for sticking by him when he spent season after season crocked, but life doesn't work like that and when he comes to look back at his medal haul, he will want to see more than a solitary FA Cup winner's medal.

Much has been written about leadership - how Arsene Wenger never mixes it up in the manner that RedNose Fergie does, bringing in a new coach every few years to get the team going when things start to go flat; for relying on the same players and letting them burn themselves out when the season reaches its climax because he has no one else to bring in; for saving money when everyone can see he needs to spend.

But where is the leadership from above?

Where are the continuing communiques from Stan Kroenke and if he is not interested in attending every game, can he not appoint someone who is, who speaks to fans and media regularly in the way that many overseas owners have done?

Why does Arsenal have such a terrible roster of sponsorship deals, which inhibits our spending powers and our opportunity to spread the reach of the brand, and ultimately therefore to bring in more money?

Why are so many younger players paid so much, giving us such a high wage bill without contributing anything to the team? Why are some average players so overpaid without the incentives needed to ensure they stay on their toes and maintain certain levels of performance?

Why has the club let it get to this?

It is impossible to be optimistic about the team right now, and I'm not going to try and kid old fans or new with assurances that it will all be ok next season.

The fact is, we need wholesale changes, and the time to make them was in January when they had time to adjust ahead of a real push next season. Yes, the EURO stopped many targets from wanting to move but even so, new faces should have been found.

In Almunia, Squillaci, Diaby, Rosicky, Chamakh, Vela, Bendtner, Park, Arshavin, Denilson and Benayoun we have a team of players who are all way below what is expected these days of an Arsenal player.

Hell, I'd even include Walcott and Song as players who flatter to deceive and should be moved on this summer.

You can complain about Wenger's loyalty to players that do not deserve it and I for one and not going to argue about that, even if we do not know the ins and outs of why they are not being sold.

But on the plus side, players such as Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Aaron Ramsey, Thomas Vermaelen and Wojciech Szczesny give us some hope for the future, but only by winning things can Arsenal be sure of holiding on to such key assets.

Things need to change. The club needs to come out and address the fans about its vision for the future and assure us all what its plans are so that we know before the season starts what the expectations are for the new season.

I remember when finishing in the top six would be one hell of an achievement for Arsenal and I know times have changed, but then again, everything works in cycles where football is concerned.

I've said it before here - I do not agree with booing the team, however frustrated and angry I get at their lack of guts and guile as displayed on Saturday.

Support means doing just that. if a player is particularly bad, I will get frustrated, but booing anyone during the game is not going to help them improve.

And staying away as a means of protest as one Addict told me they would do for the Milan game or others? How ridiculous!

However bad things get, even if Arsenal slipped down the leagues, which is never going to happen, I will be there.

I will cheer and support them however bad they get and even if they never win another trophy in my lifetime, the good times have been SO good that few others of my generation have ever had moments as wonderful as those Arsenal has given me.