Today’s post is by Niall Prosser
A cast iron case for history – or continuity?
I’ve made a decision.
I’ve decided where I stand on the Wenger Question.
As you’re aware, Arsenal fans are currently split between whether Wenger stays or goes. There appears to be a shifting in the sands every time Arsenal win or lose. There are also those on either side who are certain about their position and the merits of their views.
I’ve never been certain.
I will be honest and let you know that I have been questioning Wenger – and questioning Arsenal at the moment.
I read the blogs that suggest Wenger can’t motivate players, how he can’t make decisions about signings, doesn’t have tactical awareness and his training methods are leading to the injuries we are having. The biggest reason though to question Arsenal and therefore Wenger this year is the success of Liverpool. They have for some supposedly weakened the arguments about why Arsenal haven’t won the Premier League recently.
There are three main reasons why I have decided that I want Wenger to stay and why I think he is the best person to take us forward:
1) I’m worried – I’m worried about others next year. I’m worried about the strength of our rivals – let’s briefly analyse each of them:
Liverpool are likely to win the league. Suarez seems happy and appears likely to stay. Their chairman has suggested they are going to spend big to boost the size of the squad to mitigate some of the affects of the Champions League. But they have played a game once a week this year. They haven’t had injuries to their key players either. Despite a Suarez-less start to the season, pretty much everything has gone right for them this so far this year and certainly since Xmas.
Chelsea will have Jose for a second year, appear to be about to sign a world class striker (Cavani or Costa). They seem to living by FFP so may sell but I believe they will be stronger next year.
Man City appear to have lined up some big moves which will strengthen them defensively. They have more stability and alongside a mooted stadium expansion, appear to be building an empire.
Then there is United. New manager. £200m (supposedly). They’re like a wounded animal at the moment. They have shown they’re willing to pay big wages as well. They need a new defence, new centre mid and more but they have the resources and history to get.
I think next year there will be 5 or 6 teams who can think they can win the title let alone get into the top four.
Arsenal therefore need to improve as well. We all know we need a great striker (and there don’t appear to be many around or available), a defensive midfielder, possibly a new right back, another pacey winger and possibly another centre back. That is a big shopping list. We don’t need another manager with different ideas or who needs time to understand the players.
We need a manager who understands Arsenal, who has a history of investing our money wisely and of finding great players. We’re shopping in a different market now and some say he needs to be more decisive, but he built this team and can make it stronger again.
2) History – the biggest problem with every argument made against Wenger is based on history; let’s quickly review some of them:
Firstly, he can’t motivate players – yet everyone who played for him (and still to this day) says great things about him. He has motivated a team to go 49 games unbeaten. He has won leagues, cups and awards. This is not the track record of someone who can’t motivate people.
His methods are said to lead to injuries – yet again, those who make these arguments also ignore the history lessons. When Arsenal did go the season unbeaten they did it with a core of players who played most of the games. They did it using Wenger’s training methods. So they clearly work. New methods and ideas are good but there is not always progress.
He is being out-thought by younger managers. I’m a believer in trying to get your opposition to change to counter your style rather then the other way around. There does though need to be an ability to switch it if it isn’t going well. Wenger has done this in the past but sometimes the players must do this as well. The City, Chelsea and Liverpool games have shown the team need some more leaders but they also showed that we were missing key players.
I do think Wenger has to learn from this year but I think history has shown he can.
Equally Wenger gets a lot of stick for not winning anything for 9 years. I believe that when the decision was made to build the stadium it meant we weakened significantly for a period but it would lead to us becoming a mega-club for the next 50 – 60 years. It was a necessary sacrifice. Compare teams with a similar sized stadium to Highbury and look how they’re struggling with the competition – especially with the oil clubs.
During this period of weakness Wenger was at his strongest. He was loyal to us at a time he knew we were less likely to win – when we were weak – and he stuck with us. At the moment the club is in a position of strength but he personally appears a little weaker. We should show him the same loyalty he has shown us.
Now is the time to return that loyalty.
3) Alternatives – United are admirably displaying the difficulties of replacing someone who has come to define a club. They are highlighting the problems associated with flushing out alternatives – not to mention the evident lack of those alternatives. At the time of writing it appears that their two main options are Giggs or the Dutch national coach. Everyone else has dropped out of the running (assuming they were ever actually in it) and are staying put.
Equally United didn’t plan the transition post Ferguson or prepare for life after the man. When change finally came out of the blue last summer, it meant that United missed out on players such as Thiago whilst ending up with Fellani. They changed their whole back room staff and exec team. It was all too quick and destabilising.
Meanwhile, back at AFC, the appointment of Jonker as youth team coach could be seen as the club giving the man an opportunity to learn and understand the club and who may then become the Director of Football when Wenger finally steps down, possibly in two or three years. Remember we have a CEO who was wanted by lots of businesses and clubs. Already with tangible success, he continues to develop the commercial side; he is delivering.
I think he may now start preparing Arsenal for life without Wenger – but he needs time.
So I think and agree Arsenal need to improve. Central to this is Wenger continuing to learn and enhancing the team to meet the challenges of others.
He has the knowledge and experience to do this.
He continues to be the right man for arsenal.
Niall can be found on Twitter @tuwituwo
Positively Arsenal 
I smell one more goal for us. Before the half is over.
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L’Equipe Magazine – Saturday, November 19th, 2011.
Wenger – You had a project with guys that you took on at the age of 18 and they leave at 23. That is not what you dream about. …… Last season our midfield was built around Wilshere, Nasri, Diaby and Fabregas. Then we find ourselves without Wilshere and Diaby who are injured for a long time, and without Nasri and Fabregas who have gone to Manchester City and Barcelona.
Hunter – why?
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OZZZZZZZZIIIIIIIIII !!!!!!!!!!!!!
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OG wasn’t offsides there, was he???
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They said Ozil was offside.
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I didn’t know you needed two defending players between the goal and the player shooting.
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I missed the replay but OG looked a tad off IMHO.
Hunter , you posted that??
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Kam, OG looked fine on the replay I saw.
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Nicely worked goal there.
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Perfect execution on that goal.
Alan depardoo doo out.!!!!
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A very polished performance with patches of Wengerball at its best – Toon absolutely dire – feeblest team I have seen at the Ems for a couple of seasons
Any chance of a weekend off for Santi ? We want him tip top for Wembley
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CONGRATULATIONS ALL-AROUND!!!!
now let me get back and see if I’m still employed. yahyah, the car broke down. That’s the ticket.
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Happy St. Totts day all
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According to Tony Gale, Newcastle are shit because they can’t go out and spend.
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Joyeux jour de St. Totts.
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Ramzil looking very dangerous tonight giving us a glimpse of next season.
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Happy st. Totteringham everyone!
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If City have any ambitions remaining to win the league, we can’t see them leaving Godison without a result, so hopefully we can watch next Sunday’s game unfold in the comfort of our slippers and smoking jacket – like our favourite meerkat.
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Man of the match. Tossup between KOSHER & OZI. great patiance shown by the lads in first half first twenty minutes. The referee did a decent job today and did you notice the glee and the laughter from ROSICKY when he was brought on. Go gettem TOMAS.
FINSBURY
is there any truth to the rumor that osmanof has been put on the sanctions list the west are going to implement. One of almost thirty of putins closest associates. I’ll do a little search engine tonight.
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Rumours abound that a certain lady from Alabama was watching the game tonight.
In other news, Aron Ramsey still
Looks hot. P
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Özil not speaking for the man of the match award? ( embarrassed that Cazorla didn’t get it?) or hope the fuck not; that he was irate at any abuse the ducktards may have gave him in the crowd?
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Family before football?!?
What kind of gooners have I associated myself with?!?
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Just back from the game – had to walk and bus it home thanks to the RMT, but I didn’t mind too much after that result!
Had a great night at the Em’s and was impressed by the crowd, despite the tube strike I thought it was a good turn out. Ramzil are really winding up to a great finish – how we’ve missed them. I actually thought both seemed a little rusty tonight, but even in second gear, they are head and shoulders above anything Newcastle could muster. Newcastle really are poor – even when they had chances, I never felt concerned that they would make anything of them. The clean sheet was very welcome and I would give MoTM to Ramsey just for “doing a Theo” tonight!
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Notoverthehill
April 28, 2014 at 8:33 pm
because, i think they were hacked to death, cheated and mocked and doubted constantly and were too young to control such pressure and opted out and the club to cash in. devestating to lose cesc, but we found the strength to move on and build relatively quickly a new arsenal with emphasis on home lads who are also fans of the club and might not betray as easily. maybe the crowd loves them more and maybe the refs wont cheat them as much.
great game tonight..saw that laser passing coming back mikel- santi -ozil-ramsey–oowhfdfhkruh where is it? ..podolski?/ . konscielny…whoever found this guy in ligue 2 deserves his commission. imagine our game with walcott also on the pitch running around…
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Thanks Passenal,
I was wondering why the bigger than usual mass exit from the east stand before the game ended.
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It’s only fair to give some credit to the toon army tonight.
400 miles to watch a gutless effort, and 400 miles back in the middle of the night on a Monday-Tuesday 3am return. It’s a good thing most don’t actually have jobs to turn up in the morning.
Oh shit, speaking of which……
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Well, well, well (says Frank) …
… it’s good to see that Arsenal back in that particular driving seat. AW was delighted.
So I’m waiting for “experts” to explain how specific injuries did not make every bit of difference late Feb to early April, that cost us 5-8 points. Aaron, Kos and Mesut, Mikel struggled for a bit, obviously Jack and Theo and Ox too (who returned a bit early) still.
Click.
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Everton-City is a interesting one. Everton must draw or beat City to have even a faint glimmer of unrealistic hope, and so give the title to Pool. From our side I need to any/all teams above us getting the behinds whipped.
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The EFC Citeh game is a bit of a dilemma ZP – part of me would like a comfortable Citeh win which would cement out CL entry and 4th place and remove any pressure for the West Brom and Nawridje game and allow the players to rest for the Cup final.
A Citeh win would also have the PL title still to be fought over right into the last weekend which, as an almost neutral, is better to watch.
The other bit of me would prefer Everton to win because it would keep us on our toes, almost certainly make for a better game against the Baggies, and ensure we don’t lose that sharpness honed by combat before stepping on to the Wembley turf.
I’m torn, torn
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Having watched the highlights again I hereby absolve Tim Krull from my comments about Newcastle – considering the total lack of competent defenders in front of him he did well to keep it to 3.
Why he is still playing with that shower of shite I can only wonder
Free Krull
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So City, PSG and all the rest will be able to buy their way out of FFP rules.
Thanks Platini.
Thanks for the strong leadership.
You money grubbing corrupt little Mook.
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Anicoll
I can clearly remember the ‘experts’ decrying Wenger for missing out on getting several members of said ‘shower of shite’ for Arsenal.
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That was almost boring last night. We were so much better (or they were so much worse) that apart from a first 25 minutes of vaguely wondering whether it was going to be one of those nights where the ball simply wouldn’t go in, there was never a moment’s doubt. The goals came when we wanted them to, the ref made most of the right decisions, and we simply strolled about hardly out of a hack canter. If Andy Nic’s word for the Hull game was proficient, then what should it be this time? Comfortable? Disdainful? Efficient? But I have now watched two and a half games in a row where there hasn’t been a moment’s doubt, and it has been good to be reminded of just how good we are when playing against teams slightly less good than ourselves. Three games to go now, but just two left in the League, and I for one have thoroughly enjoyed the way the season has pannned out.
Its a funny thing, but if we end up winning the next two we will finish on a real high, whilst there is a sense that either Liverpool or City will end up massively disappointed. If Liverpool come second they will have done really well, but next season miight not be quite so easy for them. Suarez will leave them this time, the other clubs will know all about Sterling, Gerrard will be one year older and they will have all those extra fixtures to cope with in the Autumn, not to mention a few European Championshop qualifiers to feed players into. They’ll buy a few of course, but my money would be on them finishing out of the top four again if City do reel them in over the next two weeks.
Funny to think all of that – even funnier to reflect that if their manager did tactics half as well as ours, they might have had a Cup Final to look forward to.
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Anicoll,
Perhaps we can shape events so that the Villans go down?
I would serve them right for beating us (with on the opening day.
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The demise of Toon all a bit baffling DC – a couple if seasons ago they had Ba and Cisse knocking the goals in, Cabaye and Ben Arfa sparkling in midfield, Tiote a lion, and but for a little stutter at the end of the season they could have been genuine CL candidates. Fifth place finish and Pardew feted as Martinez is now.
Two years on the cub a bloody basket case – Ba gone to the CFC bench, Cisse injured, Cabaye flogged, Ben Arfa dropped even from the bench, and Tiote playing like a big soft pussy.
football eh ?
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Anicoll
That’s what happens when the money stops being pumped in, and money starts to be extracted from a club.
We can only hope the same happens to Citeh and Gazprom when their owners find newer brighter shinier baubles to play with.
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ZimPaul @ 9:18
You said; –“So I’m waiting for “experts” to explain how specific injuries did not make every bit of difference late Feb to early April, that cost us 5-8 points. Aaron, Kos and Mesut, Mikel struggled for a bit, obviously Jack and Theo and Ox too (who returned a bit early) still.”
Oh, well, there is an answer — blowing in the wind.
You see, according to those pundits who cannot deny injuries cost us points, which probably cost us the League — it’s all Wengers fault.
He deliberately injures players, employs hopelessly incompetent physiotherapists and doctors, doesn’t recruit enough ‘Özil level’ players and makes the squad enter the ‘red zone’. (Is that prostitutes alley?).
In short, it is all Wenger’s fault however you choose to look at it. Sheesh!
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HenryB
How come the same Wenger managed to get 1 good year out of JvC before he stabbed us in the back? No credit there from the begrudgers.
The same manager & coaching team also turned raw kids with potential – Aaron Ramsey and Theo Walcott into world class players who’s loss might have cost us a title. No credit there from the begrudgers – infact they didn’t rate these players at all until they were missed so badly.
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In the last month, every single one of our rivals in this league has cracked under the pressure of trying to achieve their individual season best targets.
Have the media or fans berated them for it? I suggest the answer is No.
I have seen no broken towers, headless cockerels, scorched devils, toothless lions, plucked eagles or clipped liverbirds on the back pages.
Arsenal could have picked up a handful more points this season from silly errors or not closing out winning positions in games, I accept that – but it’s doubtful that would have been enough to win the league this season in a very competitive race.
I know our team of players can move onwards and upwards in the next couple of seasons. Our rivals may have already hit their peaks.
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dc..considering this season and the fact we are still gelling as a team and still growing
(thus not the finished article yet)…and bearing in mind THAT schedule …for this season we would have needed to be 10-15 clear entering feb-march to stand a chance ( irrespective of injuries). to avoid something similar in seasons to come ( schedules + injuries…. because this season it was ours…ours damn it! ) we must learn to be clinical and yes finish games with a 3-0 in first half even. i have read elsewhere that last night was boring and easy. i want it to be like that all season for many seasons. clearly and undoubtedly head and shoulders above the rest, boring everyone with our supremacy.
as for the detractors …show some sympathy….them poor-minded people have been trying – bless them- and have failed again and again..what is that expression again they like quoting from einstein? clearly they are mad. a lot more mad than me and faria.
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Happy St totterings day everyone, So after another good win last night it appears our season once again crashed against the injury rocks. This is probably the third time this has happened since the last time we won it and considering the exits and extra pressures the club has had to deal with because of lack of league titles, the impact has obviously been immence. Anyway for the moment life is good and the gooners are winning.
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why did we move from highbury to emirates? i am against modern football and all this business madness. whats the point of champions league if you aint there to win it? we could have kept our world class players.
Now now trevor calm down… there is this policy from UEFA that has technical specs for Champions league grounds (dimensions, access, safety, etc) , we didnt just move to build more restaurants. Like it or not the world we live in is governed by trade/commerce. Replicas and scarves and hot dogs are what you term source of income for the business. This might shock you but football clubs are companies and need to at least make back their operating expences. Otherwise you will always seek for the messiah ( russian arab chinese) to cover holes or end up with the cheapy owner who will ask you “to contribute to the cause because this club is in idea..”
Is it whoring out? You bet but there are scales. Its not like Manchester United who have to beg Soros in Nyse for crumbs and/or sell luncboxes and pillowcases for 20 dollar a piece in countries where children have no shoes to wear….Nor do you go to doha in the middle of the season to give friendlies…nor do you make cheap pr stunts with the jamaican olympic gold winner sprinter signing a football contract…..
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I see there is no arsenal player in the PFA team of the year… not Ramsey nad not Per / Kos? Are they serious? No david Silver and then Luke Shaw? Am baffled… really
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who votes for that? players? or fans? or journalists?
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The Professional Footballers Association Award – the short list and the winners are chosen my members of the PFA
Don’t worry though – we have the FootbAll Writers Award soon – brown noses one and all
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double cannister @ 3:10
People with a certain mind set will always ‘spin’ events to suit themselves and their prejudices.
It is wearisome to read to be honest, but nothing I say or do will change ingrained attitudes, so I have long given up.
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anicoll,
You said;
— “The Professional Footballers Association Award – the short list and the winners are chosen my members”.
How many have you got? 🙂
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We could do with someone writing something
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I just kissed my wife. She thought it was because it’s our 30th wedding anniversary. She doesn’t know it’s St. Totteringham’s day!
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Dear oh dear from Bayern.
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