Lehman Blasts Wenger, Arsenal

Biafra · Post by **Biafra** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 4:16 pm

Furious Lehmann blasts Arsenal

Jens Lehmann claims he could have prevented Arsenal from going out of the Champions League, if only he had been given a chance.

The 38-year-old goalkeeper spoke of his anger at being consigned to the bench and attacked both manager Arsene Wenger and the man who is keeping him out of the side, Manuel Almunia, in an interview with Germany's Kicker magazine.

'I stayed here to win the Champions League and I saw good chances to play, but I have not had these (chances) and that makes me very angry,' he said.

The Germany international was left to seething as he saw his European dream ended for another year following the Gunners' 4-2 defeat at Liverpool in Tuesday's quarter-final second leg.

'For me personally, it is a tragedy, particularly since I did not have a chance to prevent it,' he said.

'I have had such thoughts (about being able to prevent defeats) ever since the coach took me out of the team following the 0-0 against Milan.'

Lehmann turned down the chance to move to Borussia Dortmund during the winter break and pledged he would fight to regain his place in the Arsenal team.

In doing so, he may have compromised his chances of remaining first choice for Germany at Euro 2008, and Lehmann cannot believe the gamble has not paid off, with Almunia still standing ahead of him in the Arsenal goal.

'To be sitting on the bench behind somebody who only started to play when he was 30 is not funny,' he added. 'I am very angry.'

Furthermore, Lehmann feels he has been treated badly by Wenger, claiming he has not been given a fair chance.

He said: 'If the coach had spoken to me before the start of the season then I would have been able to decide if I wanted to sit on the bench.

'He has a different opinion and I don't really believe he can be happy with it.'

But Lehmann does not feel he will be able to prove Wenger wrong by shining at Euro 2008 with Germany, claiming his manager would probably not even notice he is there.

'If he has not seen it yet then he won't see it at the European Championship either if I perform well,' said a bitter Lehmann.

The German has lost it.

GUEST · Post by **GUEST** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 4:24 pm

That Lehman Guy scare the Heck out of me. Imagine the Team

mates training with him daily---Demn.

cchinukw · Post by **cchinukw** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 4:28 pm

Comical Lehman. I can feel why he feels hard done by though.

anointed · Post by **anointed** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 4:34 pm

London bridge is falling down...

anikulapo · Post by **anikulapo** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 4:42 pm

What do you expect from this team?

Wonder why I call them Les kitty cat, Purse Carriers.

WHat a bunch of B!tches

ranieri · Post by **ranieri** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 4:56 pm

Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of fellas.

REDSPYDA · Post by **REDSPYDA** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 5:00 pm

He is an angel*. If I were Wenger this angel* wont even be on the bench

Its a Goal · Post by **Its a Goal** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 5:03 pm

'If he has not seen it yet then he won't see it at the European Championship either if I perform well,' said a bitter Lehmann.

It's true, Le Miser zee only what Le Miser wants to zee

.

Ebyboy · Post by **Ebyboy** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 5:05 pm

anikulapo wrote:What do you expect from this team?

Wonder why I call them Les kitty cat, Purse Carriers.

WHat a bunch of B!tches

Dude. Aren't you tired of parroting this unimaginative singular trope to each and every arsenal thread? Have you nothing more to say?

toyin133 · Post by **toyin133** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 5:15 pm

Its a Goal wrote:
'If he has not seen it yet then he won't see it at the European Championship either if I perform well,' said a bitter Lehmann.
It's true, Le Miser zee only what Le Miser wants to zee .

Babafad · Post by **Babafad** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 6:00 pm

God bless Jens Lehman!

tendai101 · Post by **tendai101** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 6:01 pm

Dont know why i really like Lehman, nothing wrong with a fella who shoots from the hip and tells it straight

Post by **Waffiman** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 6:39 pm

Babafad wrote:God bless Jens Lehman!

Babafad, no one will say to you Almunia is a better goalkeeper. However, one rule of football is respect for your fellow pros. Lehmann broke this rule and his team mates marginalised him.

When Lehmann was dropped following a series of errors at the beginning fo the season, his behaviour was disgraceful. Instead of putting his head down and working to get back his place, Lehmann went public with personal attacks on Almunia and his ability. The outraged his team mates and served to harden the determination of Almunia to make sure Lehmann never came back.

I am told certain players went to Wenger to complain and request he was not made number one again. Lehmann had angered everyone at the club and isolated himself from Wenger.

Lehmann even went looking for another club as he sought to leave in the window but he could not find a club in Germany willing to match his wages at Arsenal. so he came beck with his tail between his legs but the damage was done.

When Lehmann got to play following an injury to Almunia, he was far better than Almunia but the idiotic actions of Lehmann has made sure we lost his services at the business end of the season, when almunia got fit, he was replaced. Many of us did not like it but we understood saying it was Lehmann fault in the first place. If the Coach can help it, why would any Coach want to play a disloyal player who made it clear he wanted to leave in the first place? If the Coach can help it, why would any Coach use a player that he knows will not be available if not for financial reasons? Lehmann has costs us with idiocy and he should STFU.

Lehmann only has himslef to blame and I also blame him for making it impossible to drop Almunia. Almunia has made mistakes of recent but who will replace him. It will not be Lehmann, he has made sure of that. He can Feck off for all I care. :x :x :x :x

Tunisian Gooner · Post by **Tunisian Gooner** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 7:06 pm

Almunia is not perfect but he's not the reason we have struggled. We're conceding retarded, elementary goals and that is down to the fact that what seems on paper a starting CB paring i,e Gallas and Kolo has simply not worked for us this season.

Our D is similar at the stage of our 00-01 squad, we could concede at any moment as TA missed quite a few games due to injury and Keown was left without a real partner for weeks at a time. AW knew he had to bring in another top CB and he did that with the signing of Sol in the biggest shock transfer one Had seen in England. IMO Kolo will be a massive utility player next season, he can play CM, CB and even RB. He has the heart of a lion and is Arsenal thur and thur, but he place as certain starter at CB will have to be put under threat by a new top CB signing.

As for Almunia he has not single handily cost as as many games as Jens was set to cot as with his woeful post WC form. We do need to sign another GK to push Almunia for the number one spot next season but he is definitely a player we should not jettison as he has for the most done the job.

mastermind · Post by **mastermind** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 7:13 pm

Wenger has lost it !!

I think Arsenal need to get rid of him and hire another coach that can help them win CL.

Tunisian Gooner · Post by **Tunisian Gooner** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 7:31 pm

mastermind wrote:Wenger has lost it !! I think Arsenal need to get rid of him and hire another coach that can help them win CL.

Managers can't guarantee jack. Even the great Mourhino never got Chelsea to a CL final despite all the money Roman handed him, there are no certainties in football.

mastermind · Post by **mastermind** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 7:40 pm

Tunisian Gooner wrote:
mastermind wrote:Wenger has lost it !! I think Arsenal need to get rid of him and hire another coach that can help them win CL.
Managers can't guarantee jack. Even the great Mourhino never got Chelsea to a CL final despite all the money Roman handed him, there are no certainties in football.

Liverpool fired that yeye coach they got and the new guy got them to the finals 2 times in 3 years.

Tunisian Gooner · Post by **Tunisian Gooner** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 7:48 pm

mastermind wrote:
Tunisian Gooner wrote:
mastermind wrote:Wenger has lost it !! I think Arsenal need to get rid of him and hire another coach that can help them win CL.
Managers can't guarantee jack. Even the great Mourhino never got Chelsea to a CL final despite all the money Roman handed him, there are no certainties in football.
Liverpool fired that yeye coach they got and the new guy got them to the finals 2 times in 3 years.

Liverpool do not care about the EPL , the FA cup or anything else save the CL. Rafa does not even bother and his team is fresh but bear in mind if they fall to Chelsea or Man Utd in the CL Liverpool fans will be calling for Rafa head on a platter.

There are no guarantee's and the idea Arsenal should fire one the great mangers of today's game in Wenger as some way to ensure success is just insane.

Molue Conductor · Post by **Molue Conductor** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 8:36 pm

mastermind wrote:
Tunisian Gooner wrote:
mastermind wrote:Wenger has lost it !! I think Arsenal need to get rid of him and hire another coach that can help them win CL.
Managers can't guarantee jack. Even the great Mourhino never got Chelsea to a CL final despite all the money Roman handed him, there are no certainties in football.
Liverpool fired that yeye coach they got and the new guy got them to the finals 2 times in 3 years.

yet they've never won the EPL

Its a Goal · Post by **Its a Goal** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 9:39 pm

Waffiman, how you attack any AR5Ena1 player that questions Le Miser's judgement call or is out of favor with him, but defend any player that sucks up to him, no matter terrible a player they are?

tolahs · Post by **tolahs** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 10:06 pm

Its a Goal wrote:Waffiman, how you attack any AR5Ena1 player that questions Le Miser's judgement call or is out of favor with him, but defend any player that sucks up to him, no matter terrible a player they are?

Lehman's misbehaviour at this instance ain't nothing to do with sucking up but all to do with selfishness.
Ammunia kicked a ball in panic for a throw in that led to a corner for Liverpool's 1st goal. But sanderos didn't play football on that goal.
The Gk could do zilch about the other goals - lehman's rant, giving his age is totally deluded.
Clichy & Gallas have blasted the defense's leakage - but not in ways that exonerates them - Lehman's trip is the false prophet's backdoor.

Eruobodo · Post by **Eruobodo** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 4:05 am

GUEST wrote:That Lehman Guy scare the Heck out of me. Imagine the Team

mates training with him daily---Demn.

The guy has a valid point abeg. Arsenal was never going to win anything with Almumugunia. The guy is so useless even the Spanish U-17 team will pass on him. And Oh btw, Wenger's stubbornness will continue to be the bane of Arsenal. Trophyless..... 4+ years and counting......

Diabo · Post by **Diabo** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 8:10 am

Great stuff. Lehman on the straight-talk express