My dad was an Arsenal supporter – still is, at the tender age of 97. I say supporter, rather than fan, because he’s never lived near London, so opportunities to attend matches have been limited. His attachment to Arsenal began during the days of the great Herbert Chapman, just as many have been drawn to Arsenal during the days of the great Arsène Wenger.
In the 30s, we were simply the best team in the country, and because we didn’t acknowledge that football was played in any other country (except, perhaps, Scotland), we were considered here in England to be the best in the world.
So I was brought up as an Arsenal supporter. My first memory of Arsenal is of listening to the 1950 Cup Final on a large wooden radio, or wireless as we then called it. That’s how I enjoyed my first taste of Arsenal success. Arsenal 2 Liverpool 0.
Just as well, really. There were very few successes in the years to come. Very occasionally a league title. Or an FA Cup win. Long arid patches (18 years was the longest) not just without a trophy, but languishing half way down the table with little to play for except winning the match itself.
And as we began to realise that they did indeed play football in other countries, we also realised our place in Europe. Which was nowhere. While teams like Liverpool, ManU, Nottingham Forest and even Aston Villa were winning the European Cup, just twice in 25 years we managed to achieve success in competitions for Europe’s second rate – competitions we’d be embarrassed to be in these days.
And so things remained from the end of the Second World War until the mid nineties, the first fifty years of my life. I don’t remember anyone being too distressed by all of this. Of course, we moaned and cursed when we lost. From time to time we had some brilliant players. And even the occasional manager who was a cut above the rest (Whittaker, Mee, Graham) and whose star spluttered with the glow of brief success.
And then, in 1996, along came Wenger and our world changed.
I won’t rehearse in detail what’s been achieved since. In summary, a glittering period of league and cup wins, an unbeaten season, consistent qualification for a European tournament we’d rarely before been good enough to get into and the wherewithal to build and move into a stadium big enough to match our ambitions. All this followed by a period of retrenchment in which, astonishingly, we have remained financially stable while maintaining our place at Europe’s top table.
And, perhaps most tellingly, a complete overhaul of our expectations.
At last we had a manager with both a flair for immediate success and a long-term strategy for the future. Planning in sport is a dangerous game. The elements of luck and timing which poker players call “variance” can quickly derail a plan. The pattern becomes clear only over time and few clubs have had the luck and judgement to retain a true visionary for long enough to see the map unfurl.
All these reflections were brought to mind by the jubilant scenes which followed the Cup Final, Who knew in just how much affection Wenger is held by players and fans alike? A true antidote to the poison of the clamorous small-minded who have constantly belittled his achievements for the club.
When a decision taken in a match backfires, it’s perfectly reasonable to criticise the manager (though much more interesting to work out why the decision was taken in the first place). But could anyone be as successful a manager as Wenger if scarred with fundamental flaws like excessive stubbornness, unwillingness to spend, poor man-management, tactical naivety, incoherent transfer strategy and all the other frailties which are routinely cited against him?
It doesn’t need a deep understanding of probability to work out how unlikely all of that is. Those who peddle these humdrum banalities seem blind to the fact that they are simply parading their own vacuity.
Even harder to take is the hypocrisy of those who understand full well, but pursue these rancid arguments simply to sway the emotions of others they see as gullible. (Especially when these “opinion-formers” are driven by financial motives.) Or those who insidiously suggest – without a trace of evidence – that we can ignore his earlier successes because he is “past it”. Or those displays of wallowing self-regard which dare to propose that future success or failure will depend on whether he has learned to do it “their way”.
Well, everyone’s entitled to a wrong opinion (though few of us know what it’s like to hold one), especially when spiced with a little wit. Like Shankly’s one-liner about football being more important than life and death, it doesn’t have to be true to be entertaining. So we can (and should) tolerate a wide range of views. But many of the attacks – from snide sniping to absolute abuse – are neither witty nor wise, and step well over the limits of acceptability.
Too much to hope, of course, that the criticisms of the intellectually bereft will now be silenced. There’s money in mindless denigration. Which is why the outpouring of joy not just for the club but also for its manager during Cup Final weekend was so striking. Surely the bellyachers must have noticed.
So perhaps we can hope, fervently hope, that he remains at the helm long enough to achieve the one outstanding ambition for him and the club – the Champions League.
Wenger must go.
But not, please, for a very long time.
Today’s post was by Merlot
Positively Arsenal 
Hear hear.
Very well said sir.
Thank you Merlot.
Indeed, Wenger must go…nowhere, anytime soon.
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What a fantastic Piece from Merlot.
Our critics cant accuse him of being a Johnny come lately.
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Loving your attitude. I am sure that the CL trophy will come to arsenal during Wengers tenature. Good tings come to those who wait.
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we want our arsene to stay!
thanks merlot.
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arsenal have won fa cup trophy eleven times in their long history. five times by arsene wenger.
we want our arsene to stay.
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Fantastic article, very well written- nice to see some positive comments about arsenal for a change!
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Yeah… He should stay on and lead this team forward… it can only get better going forward!
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Absolutely brilliant! A piece brimming with age-old wisdom and common sense just like the rarer merlot wines that “develop in the bottle for decades”.
This is turning out to be a bumper season for PA with such excellent contributions, well done PG!
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Best post for a long time from anyone on any Arsenal blog.
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Here is an example from the spam bin that almost beggars belief. No wonder the world is going backward.
“I wish he realises that he is the one that is keeping the club retarded and he goes .We do not need his stupid thinking”
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Or what about this literary gem, can anyone translate it to English for me?
“Keep saying must go u suck r u going to be a manager of arsenal ?”
I’m thinking he only read the headline. Fucking hell
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If Wenger is fired who do you want to bring? my friend have ‘SOUND IN MIND’ before you write something on the internet for people to read, Arsenal is now a massive club than before, not in terms of trophies, but in terms of REVENUE. What is your problem? Wenger intiated the building of Emmerates Stadium, now the club can compete with other big clubs and you do not even see that, I advise you to open your eyes and stop writting nonses. Infact when it comes to business, he is the best manager, who has a vision, unlike other managers who just think of wasting millions to buy trophies. Who do you compare with Arsene of all the managers you are talking about? It is time to woke up and have a clear vision or clear picture for the future. I did not even bother to read your email because of what you are writting about.
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I love this piece Merlot. This adds some realism to the fantasy football fans we have today. I remember the days myself when, during our multiple replays in the cup (and Leicester ) I would grip the wooden edges of my Dads radiogram tighter and tighter while the ball would be bouncing around our area until you could hear the crowd behind the commentator signal the whistle had gone and The ARSENAL had recorded another famous victory.
I heard the other day someone saying our five year European co-efficient had slipped to ninth place. Although the author obviously thought this was a bad thing I remember thinking what an achievement this was and something like Merlot says could only be dreamed of at a time when you only needed a good manager to do well as opposed to the financially doped teams we have seen throughout Europe since.
We know history will judge Arsene as a great but maybe a few of the doubters, doomers and haters will start waking up to the fact very soon
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To G69 @ 11:19pm yesterday,
My reasons for saying to sell Djourou are:
His inconsistency, he’s shaky, prone to error, has had more than enough time to prove himself, has been away and we haven’t missed him at all. Team defence chemistry’s been better without him.
There are better defenders in his wage bracket.
Also, I’d pass on Schneiderlin because we still have Arteta and Flamster. He won’t get the require playing time and has not shown himself to be multidimensional enough to warrant a spot on THE UNPLAYABLES.
Give me Nicolas N’koulou.
Steady, consumate, agile, experienced, reliable, AND plays the DM role effortlessly!
Did I forget to mention he’s still “only 24”?
We’ll get to see what he’s made of in Brasil.
Along with Aurier, Campbell+ Uchida, Mandzukic, Jackson Martinez, Cesc, etc
Tee-hee…Arsene knows.
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Delford Magaya, If you had read it you would have seen that the author agrees with you.
LAZY BASTARD.
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irony lost on some, however good to see he just came in all guns blazing…sign him up George
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Yup. Everything must go!
In the meantime we have Wenger not Wonga (Dickensesque debt peonage)
The Gunners will hopefully be gunning for ole Big Ears and the title over the next few years. Good to hear from you Merlot!
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Well done MERLOT
your post flows like sweet wine and I second it. Well written and bravo to your father on 97 . And many more. He is a legend . Not many gooners the old…
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Yes yes. Some readers are getting the wrong take from this post but it lovely to see how they are coming out swinging and defending AW. love it….. (0(
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(0(. MERLOT And his reverse psychology. be kind GEORGE. its their second language. Its great.
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George, firstly I would like to apologize and ask you to forgive me, to tell you the truth, I did not read the email, when I saw the heading which says, WENGER MUST GO, I did not even think of reading it, please accept my apology and respond to me please. Thats why in court they say, the person is incent until found guilty, I feel very shy for what I have done and would like to apologize again. surely sorry for the inconvenience, I only rushed to respond without reading and I tell you, I have lernt a lot from your article and I will continue to follow your articles from time to time. I did not know that we are on the same line, once again George, I apoligize for what I have done. George forgive me and lets keep intouch.
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Absolutely fantastic piece. Thanks so much for it.
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Delford Magaya- no problem,your heart is definitely in the right place. Worry ye not.
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Absolutely fucking brilliant! Best arsenal blog I’ve read in long time. Especially liked the part about learning it “their way”. Some ppl just can’t accept the clubs long term strategy coincide with their short term goals, and they have been making fools of themselves last few years.
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Can’t fault the spirit, nice intro delford. We like it
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fantastic merlot…everything ive been banned for saying in other places..thank you!!!
the peasants and the savages and the revisionist arseholes with their sense of entitlement and chip on their shoulders COULD NOT accept that arsenal was pisspoor ( trophies, money, reputation, status) before wenger and if we are to become big its through this genius manager’s thinking working and vision.
i do not note anything of importance before wenger that would suggest arsenal was knocking on the doors of barcelonas milans and bayerns…….
yesterday i got world cup fever and was watching redondo highlights…..and of course the PERFORMANCE of o.t came up….manu – real 0-3 ..redondo vs keanne…lol..not even funny…keanne humiliated disgraced beaten …..
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Yes,the wisdom n the experience of the aged can never be traded in vain, Sir Merlot. Your sequential analysis of arsenal fortunes to the present time have left me with nothing but total regrets for all the numerous insults huh at Wenger for the club failures with little or no appreciation for his success. May history forgive me.
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Good stuff guys! Always a pleasure to read this blog! A daily routine now. It really compensates for the tripe on other Arsenal blogs.
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The manifestation of all the doomers wet dreams got a name, daniel levy. Somebody point them a direction but please don’t tell he’s desperate to find his own Wenger.
Meanwhile at shithard brick they have approximately six months of joga bourinho to look forward to.
Wenger out, for cl trophy.
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Delford Magaya
May 28, 2014 at 10:13 am
ahahahaaaaa read it first dude..you got it wrong mate…
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By God that was good Merlot – passion with a steel core and clear sightedness
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Lovely article Merlot, completely in tune with my own feelings about Arsene’s achievements, although having been a supporter for only 47 years I can’t match your experience of some of the more frustrating periods of the club’s history. I’m sure Wenger’s detractors will have noticed but only in that resentful way that shallow, desperate and needy fools do when presented with something they have been demanding as their ‘right’. All we can do or expect is to enjoy the moment and hope for better to come but with a sense of reality that the current top level of football is so incredibly competitive that the expectation of any kind of success is a fool’s dream.
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I absolutely agree with all the other contributors – that was a first class Post full of sense and sensibility.
It was particularly clever to outline all the tired old negative clichés about AW, by asking the rhetorical question as to whether a man with all the improbable failings which are laid at his feet, could have achieved so much, and to have also earned the respect of all the top managers, with the exception of ‘Maureen the Serial Buyer of Trophies’.
Super stuff, and thank you, Merlot. 😀
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Bravo Merlot, Bravo!
Maybe PG should rename this site Mythbusters, at least for a while?
Wenger must go – on.
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Absolutely agree with everything said. Thank you Merlot for speaking out for the silent majority!
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Five out of twelve of the Arsenal goal of the season contenders are goals by Aaron Ramsey.
That goal he scored right at the end of last season was a cheeky effort, he gave the ‘keeper the eyes. It was a great goal and after that the floodgates opened.
Although the finish was outrageous with a bit of luck the ‘keeper might have saved that shot, vaguely similar to the effort that nearly put the Arse 0-2 up in Dortmund which would’ve won that group. Maybe he’d have built up the confidence (and fitness) anyway, but when you score such good goals it has got to be good. And how many amazing goals did he score this season? For a midfielder?
I’d also like to see some compilations, highlights, stats on his tackling and interceptions. The build up to Ramsey’s winning goal against Hull included a Rosicky inspired round the corner (the angles were against him) slide tackle By Rambo himself.
No wonder the headhunter Viera said he was the best midfielder in the league.
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double canister
May 28, 2014 at 2:50 pm
the myths have been busted so many times down the last few years that for me from now its all about :
“where words dont apply, the stick does” ..
you are showing someone the colour green and he/she insists its purple then two things are happening : he/she is stupid or he/she is colourblind, i.e disease , i.e no point making fun of them.
do you think elder gunners who have been banging on the drum of change and incompetence would ever accept a 30 years younger foreigner telling them they ve got it wrong and that their whole perspective on football arsenal english football european football is sheer and utter bollocks and that they are basically a bunch of know nothing losers who were just killing time on the internet creating debates for the sake of talking shit and having ‘opinions’ on matters they have no knowledge authority or expertise. will they accept hunter’s mantra “shut up you cunt, we got wenger hence we got nothing to worry about, you lowlife fucking disrespectful scum twat supporter with your optimal seasons and resource allocation- be the best we can be- horseshit revisionist infested bullcrap idolising thug eras and alcoholics” ??? … red card to yogi for banning proper supporters and taking the side of idiots , and a red card to arseblog who always banned me when i let off a tsunami of rage and abuse to whichever cunt was practicing his “democratic” right of belittling arsenal and wenger…the legroans are irrelevant…always were and always will be the epitome of a troglodyte finding a keyboard, but the others….hmmmmmmm …..never understood this “philosophy” of scrutinising wenger or arsenal like supreme court judges……
where the hell is steww black?
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Thank you all for your kind comments.
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Arsene Wenger took Arsenal from the also rans into the cusps of Super Stardom. He guided the team through a very difficult period with achievements we can be very proud off. So much so that the WOB even think we could’ve done better. Under him, from his early success through the building of the stadium, Arsenal has come full circle, and its only right that he should be right there in the centre of that circle.
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This is a superb piece of writing. Thank you Mel.
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i m rarely shocked but today i read that mourinho is fantastic because he can build teams with whatever material available and will always compete for trophies ..i suppose the whatever material available includes 40 and 50m pound players….i mean… what do you say to that? i know violence is the last resort but damn i want to learn bruce lee tricks ..the ones where you lock the opponent’s nervous system and watch him in a paralysed state begging you to unlock him while you pee on his face laughing.
—-
mcgoon ..in arsenal’s nadir ( moving stadiums, no money, whole upgrade in all depts, distortion of league by corrupt laundrymen etc) wenger got this club to champions league money, sold players to recover debts and has brought the club out of its shittiest ever period in history unharmed and in a much better position than when he came or ever in the club’s history. lets see how other clubs fare when they have to go through their nadir…..united got relegated, and chelsea was sold for a pound. amen.
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hey gains !!!! ancelotti or mourinho ?
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You’ll find Steww on twitter, Hunter but he is normally quite – writing and music seem to be taking over for him.
he has a lovely radio show on a pod cast. Slow & dirty on Somervalley FM.
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ZimPaul
It’s Merlot you need to thank for this article.
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Merlot, a very good article, if I may be so bold!
I must rejig my memory banks? Recheck my archive! Recheck the Arsenal insider archive?
I am surprised that Stuart Stratford, is given so much respect by his acolytes, no one dares to question his lack of financial expertise.
On May 26, 2014 at 7.08 pm
“Cash is irrelevant to the size of the transfer budget. Most transfer deals are HP deals so long as they are serviceable, it’s irrelevant.”.
Stratford ignores the Premier League Handbook, Rule V29. Stratford does not understand Hire Purchase rules and regulations.
Then at May 26, 2014 at 10.09 pm,, determined to smash poor Amos to smithereens, comes this “gem” of complete ignorance:
“Revenue is not cash.”
Revenue is Turnover, Revenue is Income. Revenue is the monthly employee cheque or the BACS transfer, to an employee’s bank account.
REVENUE IS CASH, Stupid!
The disinformation and misinformation generated by Stuart Stratford in his put down to poor Amos, is laughable .
Amos, you were spitting in the wind, with that rabble!
COTG
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Who is Stuart Strafford when he is at home?
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The curve of the standard of writing on this site is still going upwards. This was a superb outing Merlot. I hope to see more from you.
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Brilliant Merlot,really enjoyed that mate,come on ZimPaul-I’m good but I’m not that good!
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Very informative post, Merlot. And you have an excellent writing style. I salute you sir!
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Superb Merlot. Thank you.
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