Guest post by Varun Shukla (@WengerArmy)
“I want more blood” says Arsene Wenger in the papers. No, he hasn’t turned into a vampire overnight. He’s definitely not asking the team to go into challenges studs up to inflict flesh wounds. Asked about his opinion on match fixing in football – specifically on the allegations of Real Sociedad players having used performance enhancing substances, he said “I would support regular blood tests as they are quicker in showing results.”
While that line in itself shows his intellectual capabilities – in the sense that no other manager would have a half-decent opinion on this topic (Martin Jol, Fergie and the rest – can’t imagine them even being asked their opinions on such matters) here’s another extract which shows why he is called The Professor:
“Look at psychological tests that have been done on people who are at the top in all sports. Ask them if they would take a product that would guarantee them a gold medal or a world championship but mean that they died in the next five years, and 50 per cent people of say they would take it. That is quite scary. That is absolutely massive, that is how far people are ready to go to win, in all sports, not just football. If you go to amateur level and do that test, only two per cent say they would take it.”
What’s really impressive about this interview is the fact that he cares about the sport enough to look beyond short term objectives. Ask any other manager in the modern era and he’ll say being a manager is all about winning stuff and being comfortable with the board – the usual sporting chatter. And that’s about it. Most managers are excellent within the domain of the football pitch and clueless outside of it.
Wenger is equally comfortable discussing the world economy as he is with football. From talking about the nuances of various cultures around the globe to helping trainers figure out fitness and dietary regimes, he knows it all. He even had inputs on the new stadium and training centre. Ask him about the Obama presidency and he’s sure to come up with valid opinions.
His parents owned a bistro, which he admitted was the best thing to happen to him at that age because he picked up pointers in footballing tactics and “a practical, psychological education”. This would help him later on as a player, where his role on the pitch was ‘the eyes of the coach ’- implementing the manager’s wishes through coordination with his team. Many, such as Max Hild (his mentor) have said that he was more interested in discussing tactics than playing the game itself! He had a ‘complete vision of the pitch’ even at that young age.
A large part of this ‘intelligence’ comes down to the human he is. Of course he has a Masters in microeconomics among other qualifications, but the way he imbibed the positives in the environment around him is what set him apart from the start – be it tactics from the pub, discipline from the Army or the cultural influences that came from living on the Franco-German border; he has always been analytical and methodical in his approach.
How many managers can claim to have a vision of how they want the game to be played? Sure, they might claim that they ‘like’ a particular style but they change it often. Wenger wants his teams to play fluid, attacking football with a focus on perfect synergy and understanding. That is the underlying principle in any of his strategies or tactical changes. The times that we see an ‘un-Arsenal’ -like performance is more often due to confidence issues with the players and their familiarity with each other than any major tactical errors.
The stadium move is another example of his foresight. At that time, Manchester United were the only real contenders (along with us) for the league. He and the club realized that a move to a bigger stadium would increase revenue and eventually result in us becoming a more potent force than ever, able to compete with the very best in Europe. What no one could foresee was the way this would coincide with massive amounts of money poured into the game by Chelsea and Man City which effectively changed the whole landscape of the league.
The move, which imposed financial restrictions on us, coupled with the oil money, created a huge gulf in terms of resources. He was criticized for Project Youth – buying and promoting young talent from within the Academy when in reality, it was the only logical course. To spend more at that time would have meant ever-increasing debt and a tightening of the banker’s noose around our throats. He almost won the league in 07/08 and then again in 10/11, for heaven’s sake! It didn’t help that certain players did not share his vision and belief – they chose to leave at the most inopportune times.
Self sustainability was, and is still the best way to run a football club. It is the Arsenal Way.
He was criticized again for playing certain players – Ramsey on the wings for example. That criticism stems from one thing only. People appreciate the immediate short term results and fail to see what Arsene’s getting at. Playing on the wings has definitely improved Ramsey’s decision making – we can see that now when he plays in the ‘Arteta role’. Other recent examples include Mertesacker – who was expected as a ‘defender’ to do the last ditch tackle and clearance routine but in reality his positioning makes up for any lack of speed. Similarly Giroud – he was widely regarded as van Persie’s ‘replacement’. He’s not. He’s a totally different player with a different set of attributes. His strength lies in hold up play, his physicality and instinct in the penalty area.
Another of Arsene’s noteworthy qualities lies in the way he interacts with the squad. He allows the players to develop their own opinions about the way they should play the game as long as that does not interfere with the overall philosophy of the team’s playing style. A positive, friendly environment is created amongst the players through the trust and belief the manager has in them. He allows the players their freedom as long as they train and play professionally.
Trademark also the fact that he values footballers for the people that they are as well. One needs only to look at the way Diaby has been trusted time and again and these words:
“He leads a very simple life – doesn’t drink or smoke. It is unfortunate that he has had these injuries, through no fault of his. He deserves a chance.”
Almost every time the media manipulate his words and attack him mercilessly, he retorts with a witty comment. On the other hand, we have Ferguson who belittles referees, teams and journos, Holloway who recently ranted at reporters when asked about Zaha. Yet Wenger is considered ‘senile’ and Ferguson ‘the greatest ever’.
All this is beside the fact that he has bought into the history and values of the Club with a passion not seen ever before in a manager. On the 125th anniversary last year, he said:
“ My dream is to see a manager 1000 years from now addressing Arsenal supporters in much the same way (as now when we are consistent)”.
The man’s whole LIFE is geared to making our club the greatest for generations to come, not winning a tinsel pot to salvage his reputation. How many times has he taken stick from all corners for his policies, just to defend his vision for the Club?
Just for that he deserves all accolades he can get. The so called ‘Wenger Out’ brigade can take a hike. To the Himalayas. And then fall from the edge of Everest.
For me, Arsene Wenger is the greatest manager of Arsenal Football Club, quite possibly of all time.
Positively Arsenal 
you cover me 100% PA !
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i insist though…..the war wenger faces is a xenophobic and cultural one combined with the sheer stupidity of customers/gloryseekers low intellect.
thankfully the ownership/shareholding structure is not as fickle to forget what this manager has done for this club, nor is it as classless as them savages in the stands to force this great manager and human out of arsenal.
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People will say that he should concentrate on football and he is too smart for his own and our good
People can fuck off by the way.
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ive been screaming for many years that the club should protect manager and players …even from arsenal fans…this is the only area i have complaints from the board. they should come out and put them moaning customers at their places…its ok to voice an opinion but coming in my venue and abusing my stuff? no sir no…take yoru money back and off to another place..we dont want your kind here…. as simple as that.
i read in other blogs that fans have just realised that arsenal has been targeting 4th in the immediate years after our stadium move …better late than never i guess…i wonder what kind of expectations they had when they saw world class winners being replaced by kids…goes to show how “clever” all these bashers and moaners are…
ill-informed fans are using a period where the club has openly come out asking for time and parience, a period which is a massive transition in the clubs history as the period to moan about trophies…….clueless wankers the lot of them.
if arsenal had the roster of a chelsea/united/real madrid or city and still not win trophies then the fans can complain….
the fans cant complain now…the fans should have figured out when we moved stadiums that things were gonna be shit for a while, so basically they should thank our lucky stars that such a manager was in charge of it and kept the ARSENAL at levels which are unthinkable for clubs that built stadiums
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the sports writers at daily mail are opening champagnes apparently …lol…has anyone checked their main football article taunting arsenal fans ? we need a strong minded support to ignore such cuntery.
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Lovely stuff. Preaching to the converted here, but it’s a welcome read nonetheless. It never fails to astound me the amount of flak AW gets, I would expect it from certain quarters, but not from “our own”.
When the dust eventually settles on AW’s reign, his huge influence on the English game, his decency and honesty, his insistence on doing things the “right way”, his style of football, and his genius for developing players, will all be evident in time.
He has built a legacy, and has placed the long-term interests and stability of the club ahead of any personal glory. Very few managers could ever say the same. It’s a cliche, but some Arsenal supporters should perhaps be very careful what they wish for.
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ha harry…some have just realised that the club was targeting the financially rewarding positions of the champions league participation in their repayment phase..
in 30 years time maybe some of the arsenal fans realise what wenger did for us…however judging by the media and what is fed to arsenal fans they might never get it….
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when you get professional sport writers (who know damn well the difference between participating in champions league and winning a domestic cup) attacking the club and manager they are essentially masaging the frustrated;s fan;s ego instead of doing their job which is to present the facts and not form opinion. they are loving it that they have succeeded in creating a rift between fans and manager.
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the football fan culture promoted my media apparently is about drinking beer, getting stuck in and go for fa cup glory …such is their “vision” of a succesful football team. the fact that the club has gone up levels in terms of organisation and popularity and is a big “name” in the champions league (even without the trophies…) is laughed at….
it seems to me they prefer to be top dog in the village instead of competing in the city…the mentality of the weak and the one without ambition. how many times have english clubs abandoned european fixtures to concentrate on some silly domestic cause.
they feel that arsenal was settled in highbury with the invincibles…they dont realise that was the climax of that era and that a new one had to start….
they also thought that arsenal would be competing for the signature of eto and ibrahimovic just 5 or 6 years after our stadium move… ha poor kids… welcome to reality..other clubs get relegated when they built stadiums like the ones we did, let alone play in europe in the greatest most prestigeous competition which also brings tons of cash to the club…..
as long as they dont disrupt arsenal they can be ignored..but they are becoming a problem arent they with their shitty idea of “support” ?
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He has built a legacy, and has placed the long-term interests and stability of the club ahead of any personal glory.
funny how some “fans” will even use that as a stick to beat him with….like lacking the ambition to work for madrid cause he would get found out…i laugh.
harry these people have made up their minds that they dont want wenger anymore and do not care about logic, they will twist everything and present it in the way they want.
i guarantee you even if wenger wins the title next year, fans will complain for it not happening sooner….thats how comical theyve become.
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They’ll get it eventually Hunter. My only concern is it will be too late. I genuinely fear any setback on the pitch now, as the vultures then descend with crushingly inevitability. They want him gone. scent of blood. A man such as that, and all he’s done for Arsenal and football in general…terribly depressing.
Hopefully a decent performance tomorrow night and things will look rosier in the garden, and a lot of the sillier speculation will be forgotten. For a while.
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when yogi, an intelligent man, still cant figure out if the clubs target between 2006 and 2016 is to get 4th as minimum requirement and chooses to ask questions of the manager for failing to win trophies i really wonder…..
does it take a special brain to realise that in the immediate period after building our stadium the club would target 4th till it gets back to its own two feet ?
does it take a special brain to realise that arsenal would rather watch city and chelsea try and fail than go to direct head to head competition with them?
similarly, does it take a special brain to realise that you cant spend money for world class players and winning characters when youre repaying bank loans ?
does it take a special brain to realise that the emphasis the last few years has been to create a nucleus of players coming from the academy instead of throwing money around
it is shocking indeed…… clueless savages the lot of em ….our own fans are a fucking embarassment. and they have the audacity to think of themselves as capbale of running blogs and commenting on football matters ….bunch of losers who had nothing to do and wenger inspired them to sit all day and write about their football club now turning against the man that inspired them…fuckin tossers…
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” the club is only interested in making money”
well no shit sherlock..thats what companies do when they invest 450 million on stadiums you know…they go for a period spending fuck all trying to break even…. BUT in arsenal fandom such prinsiples are “alien” and “strange” …we should do what the galzers did and give our club’s assets to the banks as collateral…or sell the club to roman II and become another classless institution…..
” 4th is unacceptable”
lol since when? who decides that? the fan? or the owner and his board with their objectives….
” wenger tactically inept”
oh really…didnt hear you complain when same tactics were applied by world class vieira henry and the rest
” why dont we spend on world class players then”
because thats not how we work and not how we want to work, besides theres the small matter of not being able to afford them in this momment in time.
” wenger inheritted the invincibles”
yep lets all laugh together now….we all remember graham and rioch bringing in vieira henry sol toure laurent jens and robert and frank early so that they learn what playing for arsenal is all about … thank god for ian wright teaching henry how to place shots on target.
simple things..so simple..and arsenal fans drowing in a tablespoon of water…
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Hunter
Yogi has lost the plot,he has failed to adapt to new blogging methods and there is no one to help him .He is living on past glories of ACLF.I will always love him for what he has done ,but it feels like the end of an era for him
He needs Davis Dein
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sad to hear that george but still it is not rocket science
arsenal invested in stadium and facilities = waiting for youngsters to mature.
in the meantime yes 4th will do nicely…it bring in the money we need to survive and pay the loans back….and if the commercial department had closed a better deal back in 05 or 06 then maybne the manager woudlnt be forced by board to sell a player every year to make up for the loses.
it is very simple and logical that i cannot understand why arsenal fans are making such a fuss….
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Sometime I feel I am wasting my time
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know what you mean george…. but dont worry..come tuesday night they will all shut it for a while!
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Good stuff, yet again!
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George, If I was a player or manager, I would appreciate what you do. Maybe they will never know (maybe they will) but even if there is one voice of support it is a good thing. Don’t lose heart my friend!
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Where is everyone?
I hope we are not all discouraged but if we are, come on family, lets pick ourselves up and do what we do best…rally behind the team. BIg game tomorrow and I am looking forward to a win. I don’t care about shutting people up, I feel the team is good enough and I would like to see our Manager our Team that has taken so much abuse have some good fortune.
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As Anicoll5 observed Dede didn’t have much fun facing Theo a few weeks ago.
Munchen are going to get mullered (I hope!).
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I hope we are not all discouraged
ha ha ha …certainly not my friend…some fans just need to go visit their psychiatrists and let go of arsenal for a while …aint doing much good to them…
THE CANNON IS HEAVY !
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I so can’t wait for Tuesday. I have to say, the unnecessary defeat on Saturday (and coming in the manner it did, with us having all of the game and one shot by them on target enough to undo us) did lower my spirits a bit, but I am back on track now. We can beat Bayern, we have beaten Barca, after all. I am still unsure how exactly we will play, because some tough decisions will have to be made by the manager, but I think any team he ends up putting out there has the quality to get a result.
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Not that it has any relevance for us but Paul ‘the Governor’ Ince has just been made manager of Blackpool. On a one year rolling contract.
Can’t see that ending in tears.
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Agree Evil – and as I mentioned yesterday, I’m sure the fact that BM won’t be bringing a bus to park in front of their goal will most certainly work in our favour. Should be a very exciting game.
My only remark on Saturday’s performance is to reflect that had AW played a full-strength first 11 from the off and suffered an injury or two, the same knives would have been out for him. Had we not got the desired result on Tuesday (a mandatory 5 – 0, I imagine might shut a few idiots up for a couple of hours or so, maybe) and the suggestion of fatigue came into play, again, the same knives.
Arsene is now in the the position, time and again, where it almost doesn’t matter what he does as for some he is most certainly damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t.
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@Andrew
Exactly, the manager had to make a choice which match to prioritise. I think he made the right choice, even though the result on Saturday didn’t go our way. If I was in his shoes, 100 times out of 100, I would have made the same choice. If we win against Bayern, losing the game on Saturday will have been a sacrifice worth making.
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Here are some comments I remember being written about the Invincible squad by some reliable football hacks:
“No proper CF” (try not to laugh)
“No recognised RB”
“No orthodox CB pairing” (Kolo was too short!)
So, what were they going to say when the club budgeted to rebuild a new stadium and the manager chose to live with the constraints? Is anyone surprised?
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I had a footy argument at work with a buffoon who tried to tell me we got what we deserved for playing a weak reserve team. Nothing I could say would convince him that he was talking out of his arsenal and the days of first and second elevens is ancient history for clubs like ours at the top of the European elite.
He just grinned and repeated what he’d read in his Sunday paper. I have to deduce that we here are in an Alamo, a last ditch circling of the wagons as all about us the forces of the football insane and illiterate seek to crush the last vestiges of reason and common sense. I doubt we can do much more than dance as the music plays and the ship sinks.
Imagine how a man of honour, integrity, dignity, wit and over arching intelligence like Arsene must feel as the barbarian hordes destroy all that is worth anything in the sport he loves.
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Just watched a part of the pre match press conference on FB and AW is very angry and frustrated. It seems to me that he feel disrespected big time. He mentioned how people have said that he did not take the FA Cup seriously, his response was that he had won it 4 times. A woman (Who I think was being genuie) got it, but I hope she understands that he is under big time pressue.
The man does not deserve this…and to think that some people whom I respected highly have added fuel to the fire.
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Steww, these people have lost all sense of reason. If this is how it going to be, Arsene should ride off into the sunset, hopefully after winning the CL This season. The only problem I have with that is that I would love to see him continue to nuture the youngsters, but they will live.
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I would literally rather he stayed until after I’m dead. I don’t want ever to imagine Arsenal without him. I know the club will move on it always does but he is the reason we are the only non financially doped club consistently to challenge the entirely uncompetitive mega-clubs.
Can anyone seriously even begin to imagine anyone else in the game capable of doing what he has done?
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Steww, I want him to stay also, it is the blasted disrespect that I cannot deal with.
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He cant stay forever,but another 6 years would be niffty.
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Imagine how a man of honour, integrity, dignity, wit and over arching intelligence like Arsene must feel as the barbarian hordes destroy all that is worth anything in the sport he loves.
hehehe please dont encourage me to go apeshit on the established football culture and all them clueless opinion makers who arent even fit to lace arsene;s boots, let alone comment on his work , yet they want to operate blogs and other media outlets….they are also barbarians …kind words dont work..its the motivation behind their blogging that matters.
i would have thought that the role of the blogger (any) is to educate the loud and know-nothing savages. i would have thought the bloggers on arsenal serve the purpose of TRYING to explain to the masses the complexities and difficulties of our club;s project and not join in the latest media bandwagon or use their web space as an open arena to allow users to discredit and insult such important figures in our club’s history.
we have gone beyond the point where fans/bloggers offer their opinion……we have reached the point where the savages are trying to force out the civilised…..the wild forcing out the peaceful…the wrong forcing out the right….. the dumb forcing out the clever…
someone came here a few days ago and talked about all this savage mob reminding him right wing attitudes…..i agree 100%
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It seems to me that the majority of so-called ‘big club managers’ only really function effectively with an attendant big club transfer budget. If he does sail off at the end of this or any other season, I struggle to see how the club will replace the gentleman who transformed the club.
We will spend many decades mourning his departure, I’m quite sure and the recriminations will be long-lasting as there really is every chance we could end up ‘doing a Liverpool’. Simply being given a £1 billion to spend is no guarantee of success (see Chelsea, Citeh), nor the appointment of a previously successful manager (even Ferguson has his lean patches, Maureen’s struggling blah blah).
Hopefully we are being premature here but just trying to imagine what I’d miss if he were no longer around would require a long and sizeable list to cover it all.
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“we have gone beyond the point where fans/bloggers offer their opinion……we have reached the point where the savages are trying to force out the civilised…”
I love Hunter.I always did .
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I am stealing that for twitter .And claiming credit
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Excellent article. Well done,Varun….and casting around the media and blogsites, which is like fishing in a cess pit, very timely too.
If the players can perform under these conditions I take my hat off to them, but they probably hold the key to AWs continued presence with us, either through strategic wins or because of his loyalty to them, or more likely both. Having said that I think he might stay for a few years yet. He will not abandon years of work when there is an opportunity to shove it right up the fuckers.
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Really looking forward to tomorrow’s game and I have been feeding Lady Neena peppermints and cumin for two days. It makes her smell fragrant and stops her from farting. I am not having a repeat of Saturday and thats a fact.
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Good stuff from Andrew and Hunter!
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Isn’t it funny how hunter is not “offending” anyone on this blog?
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Yes Paul ,he was labeled a lunatic.
He has more about him than all of his opponents put together.
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Lunatic, huh? Every post is class from the guy. I think the main problem is that he spoke too much truth.
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Paul, where on FB was that interview on?
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If anyone hasn’t seen it here’s a video on you tube of Wenger discussing languages and the effect they’ve had on how he sees the world. The man is a freaking genius.
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Whenever I hear a doomer talk crap about Wenger I picture the old lady in Spain who took it upon herself to fix a religious painting and ruined it beyond repair. These sorts are the type of person who buys a bottle of fine wine and pairs it with greasy fish and chips or pork and beans. Damn troglodytes!!!!! If you can’t appreciate the art that’s on display, at least have the decency to shut the fuck up so others can enjoy it.
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Wenger is something of an enigma in the world of football, especially in England I would guess. Apart from anything else, I sense some weak and egoist managers and football media pundit types feel a sense of inferiority. And yet Wenger always strikes me as somewhat humble and hard-working, but of course furiously loyal to club and players. Fans could learn a thing or two from his respectful approach to football. His point about “win at all costs” mentality is well made.
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A nice cold Sauvignon goes with Cod and Chips, Gainsbourg, with or without guacamole….and Chianti is an excellent accompaniment to sausage and beans. Totally agree with your painting of Christ analogy, though. Excellent.
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Only kidding. The only proper accompaniment to fish and chips is a cup of tea….and I have never eaten sausage and beans.
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Only kidding about the sausage and beans. I have eaten it a lot.
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