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It is two years now since Arsene Wenger told the world that qualifying for a top four spot was like winning a trophy. Vans Slip On Clearance . 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. Cheap Vans Shoes .C. -- Al Jefferson knows few people will be giving the Charlotte Bobcats a chance to upset the Miami Heat in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Vans Store Near Me . Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone dismissed Tuesdays massive anti-government protest in Manama as "a lot of kids having a go at the police." "I dont think its anything serious at all," Ecclestone was quoted as saying in The Guardian newspaper on Wednesday. http://www.vanssalestore.com/ .J. -- Tom Coughlin doesnt have many options at halfback for the winless New York Giants. PHOENIX -- LeBron James almost never has two bad games in a row. So after matching his season low with 13 points in Miamis loss at Utah last Saturday, the four-time MVP was back being LeBron again in Phoenix. James scored 37 points and, as usual, was the critical component of the big plays down the stretch in the Heats 103-97 victory over the Suns on Tuesday night. He also had five steals, and his prettiest play might have a laser pass to Chris Bosh for a 3-pointer that pretty much sealed the victory with 40.3 seconds to go. It was James highest-scoring game since Dec. 28 and just two points off his season high. "It was good to see us respond," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "And this response started yesterday in practice. There wasnt any dancing around it, we were flat and we didnt bring a game necessary to win on the road against Utah." They brought that energy, and a healthy respect, to the Suns, though. "That (Phoenix) is a really good team," James said. "They are the surprise team of our league this year." Bosh added 21 points and Mario Chalmers 13 for the Heat, who were without Dwyane Wade because of a migraine. Gerald Green scored 21 of his 26 points in the second half for Phoenix. Goran Dragic and Channing Frye had 15 apiece. The Suns lost to Miami for the eighth time in a row. "They make plays at the end of games," Phoenix coach Jeff Hornacek saiad. "They have done it for the last two years, two and a half years, now." The Heat converted 16 Suns turnovers into 24 points. Of his five steals, James said it was something hes been doing for years. "Just being able to anticipate plays, seeing the pass before it happens or shoot the gap like that," James said. "I have been doing it throughout my career." Dragic, the Suns catalyst, was frustrated by a defence that sent various players at him, forcing him to get rid of the ball earlier than he wanted and keeping him from his trademark penetrration. Vans Old Skool Discount. He wound up 4 of 12 shooting. Miami used an 11-0 run, capped by a roundhouse breakaway dunk by James, to go up 62-55 with 6:40 left in the third quarter. But Green scored all of Phoenixs points in an 8-1 spurt, including two 3s, and it was tied at 63-63 with 4:42 left in the period. Tuckers behind-the-back pass to Markieff Morris for a dunk just before the buzzer put the Suns up 74-71 entering the fourth. Miami took the lead for good on Norris Coles 3-pointer that made it 83-80 with 7:21 to play and it as 92-87 when James made one of two free throws with 3:27 left. Four consecutive free throws, the last two by Green, cut Miamis lead to 92-89 with 2:48 left. But after Boshs offensive rebound, James sank an 18-footer then stole a pass for a breakaway dunk to make 96-89. Greens fifth 3-pointer of the night cut the lead to 96-92, then Bosh sank that 3 40.3 seconds before the end. James was called for a technical after he was fouled by Green with 25 seconds to go. Green made the technical free throw, then James made two freom the line at the other end and it was 101-95 with 25 seconds left. In front of their biggest home crowd of the season, the Suns shot out to a 12-0 lead. The Heat used a 10-0 run at the end of the first quarter and start of the second, then had an 8-0 spurt to take go ahead for the first time, 33-32 on James driving layup with 6:11 left in the half. There were seven lead changes the rest of the quarter, with Phoenix up 46-43 at the break. Miami, the NBAs best field goal shooting team at 50.8 per cent, shot 38 per cent in the first half, 1 for 11 on 3-pointers. The heat picked it up to 57 per cent in the second half. Notes: Wade has missed 13 games this season. ... Miami plays its last game before the All-Star break Wednesday night at Golden State. ... The Heats longest losing streak this season is three games. ... Phoenix had won 11 in a row when Green scored at least 20. ... The crowd of 17,927 was about 500 short of a sellout. ' ' '