Hate to break it to you but it doesn’t help - see the constant talent drain we suffer each season’s end just because we refuse to pay silly fucking money in wages. You (or we) could fucking win the CL these days and it wouldn’t matter - the players would still fall into bed with Real or Barca at the first approach.
Oh cry me a river. It’s nothing to do with being part of a “sainted elite.”
Liverpool had unsettled him, Barry had half an eye on the door and his relationship with O’Neill was rather stretched. Wenger had already admitted to being an admirer as well and Barry had dropped hints he’d be open to London as a destination.
There was no way he’d move to Chelsea or Man Utd and with Villa being a good side now, that basically left us as an option as anything else would have been a step down.
The opportunity was there to be taken to at least make an approach and we didn’t. Simple as that. No ego trip necessary on my (or my club’s) behalf.
I hate the whole “big four” thing. It’s Rupert Murdoch invented nonsense and it wasn’t that long ago that it was apparently a “big three.” Hell, if you boys hold it together until the end of the season then they’ll probably start calling it the “big five” and try and pretend it’s always been that way.
I generally find, though, that the fans of clubs such as Villa have far too much of a chip on their shoulder about the bloody thing. I can count on one hand the number of Arsenal fans I know who feel we have some kind of God-given right to CL footie. Most just want to support the club and see us play well, no different from anyone else.
Much as fans such as yourself like to paint us as the “bad guys,” we’re anything but. In Arsenal’s (and to a certain extent Man Utd’s, although I hate to admit it) case, it’s a long period of good management both on and off the pitch that’s put us where we are combined with the odd bit of luck.
If clubs like Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City and yes, Villa (although to a much lesser extent) want to try and shortcut that process by paying cold, hard, cash then fair play. Their fans just need to realise that they have to leave their “real club” bragging rights at the door when they do it.
Frankly I have no problem with you, Villa as either a poster or a club ( 
).
But for God’s sake stop whining about how unfair the game is, and concentrate on getting good and staying good through sensible management and nice football. Because right now as an Arsenal fan it feels like we’re stuck between the Bullington Club on one side and the Champaigne Socialists on the other.
It;s fucking lonelly here in the middle and we could use some decent company.
