It is two years now since Arsene Wenger told the world that qualifying for a top four spot was like winning a trophy. Wholesale Jerseys Online . For me, there are five trophies – the first is to win the Premier League, the second is to win the Champions League, the third is to qualify for the Champions League, the fourth is to win the FA Cup and the fifth is to win the League Cup, said Wenger at the 2012 AGM. It is a quote that Arsenals fans have repeated time and time again. The French manager has built up a great deal of collateral with the fan base, thats what happens when you win three league trophies and four FA Cups in your first decade at the club, and Wenger has used this to his advantage time and time again by carefully placing words in the public and knowing many of his backers will use them on his behalf. Fully aware of the order in which he laid those trophies out, Wenger then felt compelled to continue his point: I say that because if you want to attract the best players, they do not ask did you win the League Cup? They ask you do you play in the Champions League? There is, no question, some truth to what Wenger said. Players want to be in the Champions League and play at the highest level but ultimately they know their careers are not defined by the amount of Champions League group games they play in. It is not difficult to understand what footballers want from the game. They are not much different to any sports athlete. Money and trophies. Despite not prioritizing domestic cup competitions, Wengers Arsenal had the FA Cup fall in their laps last season, with many top teams knocked out early, although they still almost dropped it by struggling in the semi final against Wigan and in the final against Hull City. It was the best feeling I had had on a football pitch, said midfielder Aaron Ramsey about the FA Cup victory. We definitely want that feeling again, and as quickly as possible. We want to win things this year and we have a great possibility to do that. Win things. Not Champions League spots. Great footballers used to love playing for Wenger. 1995 World Player of the Year George Weah was so thankful for the Frenchmans influence at his past club, Monaco, that he gave him the award. French World Cup winner Lilian Thuram once said of him: Its always he who guides me, who inspires me. Yet much has changed in the last few years at Wengers Arsenal. There is some irony about Wengers focus that he believes helps to attract the best players because far more of the games best players have left Arsenal in recent years than joined. To the boardroom and club ownership, Wenger is the perfect manager for Arsenal. His apprehension in the transfer market suits their style (and bank balance) and he knows his team will still win one of his trophies by qualifying for the Champions League season after season. After all, it is not difficult for a team of Arsenals stature (and location) to finish in the top four and it shouldnt be considered a success just because they were able to be above the likes of Liverpool, Spurs and Everton. Wenger wants people to praise the club for regularly reaching the top four but this is a club that should be judged on who it beats not just on who it doesnt beat and he certainly doesnt deserve a trophy for finishing above such a mediocre bunch of teams that have flittered in and out of the top half of the last few Premier League campaigns. The 65-year-old may have done a great job of convincing a lot of the fans, who pay the highest ticket prices in the league, that this is enough for a club of Arsenals stature but it is the players who have rightfully demanded more. Ramseys feeling on the Wembley grass after the FA Cup feeling said it all. Players want to achieve greatness and Wengers players have suffered far too much in big games over recent years. One of the most defining images of the 2011/12 season was Robin Van Persies shell-shocked face leaving Old Trafford after his Arsenal team had been thrashed 8-2. A year later he was a Manchester United player. Wenger had convinced many, including some high profile members of the media, that it was the right thing to do to sell the Dutchman to United for 24 million pounds. The only reason any one could give was it made financial sense. A few months later Van Persie finished the season as a Premier League champion and top scorer in the division. Arsenal continued to evolve by signing players that helped them achieve another Wenger trophy but their record in big games was once again dismal. In the last two seasons they played 12 matches against Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea and didnt win any, losing 7 and drawing 5. Big games, big expectations and big players paying more attention about their own team than they normally would. Arsenals loss to Manchester United on Saturday means they have now played all three of these teams again this season and they are now winless in 15 games against the trio. In total they have lost 10 of the last 15 against Chelsea and 11 of the last 15 against United and that includes a team managed by David Moyes and one full of injuries under Louis Van Gaal. For a big club like Arsenal that is simply not good enough. Players continue to come and go but in big matches the same results keep happening. There is no strategy to play differently in big games. They are predictably na?ve, playing games far too open and exposing a spine that has been weak for far too long. That is why they havent come close to winning the league. What was missing was trophies, defender Bacary Sagna admitted to The Sun recently following a move from Arsenal to Man City this summer. Sagna wasnt the first big name player to leave Arsenal and then be publicly slammed by Wenger and when he defended himself against chasing money he confessed that he had already decided to leave the club at the start of last season. Sagna followed Van Persie who followed Cesc Fabregas who followed Alex Song who followed Samir Nasri. Outstanding Premier League players all gone since the summer of 2011. Losses like the most recent one against Manchester United cause a club like Arsenal incredible damage going forward. They are a team that collectively does not believe in themselves in such matches because their top players look around and think the manager hasnt done enough to give them what they need to succeed. That is why they, like Sagna, ultimately make decisions to move on. It is an indictment on the club that the list of top players is dwindling but for the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Laurent Koscielny, Santi Cazorla the time is approaching sooner than many realize. The loss against United is another chapter stored in their minds. With every big game failure Wenger is damaging this historic clubs reputation amongst top players and it is showing no signs of improving. In the forever growing list of reasons for him to be fired this should be at the very top. Best Site Buy China Jerseys . Less than 24 hours after the Wolves lost at home to the Mavericks, 100-98, NBA president of basketball operations Rod Thorn announced Tuesday that Kevin Love was fouled on his right arm by Shawn Marion in the closing seconds and should have been awarded two free throws. 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The chestnut 3-year-old won the Frank Capossela Stakes on Jan. 2 at Aqueduct by 5 3/4 lengths. He was second on Nov. 15 in Laurel Parks James F. Lewis Stakes. Majestic Affair won his career debut last July at Canterbury Park, but five weeks later was eighth at 5-1 in the Saratoga Special. He came back in October with an allowance victory at Parx Racing. The gray gelding has earned $124,000. Golden Years, the original 9-5 program favorite, has drawn post 6 with Victor Carrasco again riding. The colt is trained by Rodney Jenkins for Hillwood Stable. The 3-year-old has made all prior starts at Laurel winning three of four, including the Maryland Million Nursery on Oct. Where To Buy Cheap Jerseys. 18 and Marylander Stakes on Dec. 6. He was fourth in the Lewis Stakes. He is doing fine. I gave him two or three weeks off after his last start doing nothing but walking and jogging to try to freshen him up. I went a little strong with him at the end of the year, Jenkins said. He might be a hair short for this one but hell try real hard. The last work (Jan. 17), we galloped him out 7/8ths and he got a little tired but I think it helped him. The horse is very intelligent and he picks up on things real quick. If you look into his eyes he is a very, very intelligent and he is one of the best moving horses I have ever had. Golden Years has banked $146,760 as he begins his 2015 season. Here is the field for the Frank Whitely from the rail out: Governmentshutdown, Julian Pimentel; One More Time, Erik Ramirez; Sizzling Quatorze, Angel Serpa; Notional Debt, Sheldon Russell; Bodhisattva, Victor Santiago; Golden Years, Victor Carrasco; Measured, Horacio Karamanos; Mini Cosmo, Frankie Pennington and Majestic Affair, Kendrick Carmouche. Post time will be approximately 4:27 p.m. ET. ' ' '