It is two years now since Arsene Wenger told the world that qualifying for a top four spot was like winning a trophy. Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic . 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. NHL Jerseys Sale . - The Kansas City Royals are hoping All-Star catcher Salvador Perez will be back in a few days. Clearance NHL Jerseys .Y. - Phil Varone was the lone scorer in the shootout as the Rochester Americans edged the Toronto Marlies 3-2 on Sunday in American Hockey League action. https://www.chinanhljerseys.us/ . The premature end left 26 players still to finish the round in the Asian Tour event. Siddikur, who shot a bogey-free first round to share the lead with five others, eagled the par-5 first hole before bogeying twice and rebounding with six birdies.THE HAGUE, Netherlands - In the biggest challenge yet to Sepp Blatter, Dutch football association leader Michael van Praag entered the FIFA presidential election race on Monday.Van Praag became the first would-be Blatter opponent to announce he has the required nominations from five of FIFAs 209 member federations.Its widely known that Im very worried about FIFA, Van Praag said in a statement. Last June, he told Blatter in Brazil that people tend not to take you very seriously anymore.People link FIFA to corruption and bribery and all kinds of old boys networks, Van Praag told reporters in Sao Paulo last June after he and other senior European football officials confronted Blatter at a UEFA meeting.The Netherlands association said in a statement that Van Praag will send his official candidacy letter along with five declarations of support from unnamed federations to FIFA headquarters on Tuesday. The entry deadline is Thursday, four months ahead of the May 29 ballot.Van Praags campaign was launched after he revealed the plan to his UEFA executive committee colleagues at a meeting in Nyon, Switzerland.Still, UEFA is not formally endorsing Van Praag as its candidate despite its open hostility toward Blatter.There is no candidate of UEFA, as a matter of fact, UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino said at a post-meeting news conference. What we provide at UEFA is a platform for everyone to express (his) view. It is certainly positive for football that there is more than one candidate.UEFA and its president Michel Platini — who last August opted out of a conttest against his former mentor Blatter — have also encouraged FIFA Vice-President Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan to stand. Fake NHL Jerseys. Prince Ali announced his intention to stand three weeks ago but has not revealed his five supporting nations.However, Van Praag took an apparent swipe at the prince in his statement.For quite some time, I was hoping that another credible challenger would put himself forward, but that simply has not happened, said the former president of four-time European champion Ajax.Other potential candidates include longtime Blatter ally Jerome Champagne, a former FIFA international relations director, and former France player David Ginola.Blatter, who has led FIFA since 1998, is the overwhelming favourite to get a fifth presidential term.The 78-year-old FIFA chief stoked tensions with UEFA in an interview aired by CNN ahead of Platinis board meeting Monday.Blatter goaded UEFA by saying it led opposition to him but they dont have the courage to come in the election fight.The 67-year-old Van Praag, a respected figure whose family led Ajax to dominate European football in the early-1970s, has long been seen as the most likely European to take on Blatter.He has called a news conference Wednesday at the Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam, which was his clubs home in its heyday.One should not confine oneself to words, Van Praag said in the Dutch FA statement, but follow them up with deeds and decisiveness, which is why I now announce my candidacy.___AP Sports Writer Graham Dunbar in Nyon, Switzerland, contributed to this report ' ' '