@Swales1968 Cowards die many times before their deaths,
The valiant never taste of death but once.
The valiant never taste of death but once.
So where do I start with Wenger and the news he is leaving at the end of the season. I think he as a man and as a manager has been let down
Let down by the :-
The board
They have just let him time and time take the flack for their decision making and not just Stan the previous board as well (including David Dein). Wenger has fronted up at every time to explain decisions the board have made. The press have just had a field day with him over selling of players, how much money there is to spend right down to the cost of season tickets etc. I would put David Dein in here as well, if it wasn’t for his attempt at a grab of the power within Arsenal by going behind the boards back to get a certain Stan K on board the we may not have had the disruption and mess that the years since at board level.
The players
Again not just this bunch of players who seem to lack the fight needed, yes that’s partly down to Wenger but when they cross that white line they are all international players at one level or another they know what to do on the pitch. Players like RVP who threw his toys out of the pram and sold his fitness down the river for one season at Old Toilet, the Barcelona boys who all wanted to leave Arsenal to play in the sunshine of Spain (and yes that includes Henry), PV who spent a summer touting himself around Europe in hope of a better deal and when one didn’t appear he was upset when Wenger told him there was no new contract and he could leave.
The ex players
Where do we start with the players who would climb mountains for Wenger this week but have spent years earning the media’s shilling and towing the media line to find fault no matter how small with Wenger’s reign. Petit, Adams, Robson, Campbell (Kevin), Wright (Ian) and so on, the one constant with most of those who have spent most of their time criticising Wenger is that they have not tried to manage a club. They have just sat in a studio and talked the perfect game, with no pressure telling you, I and Wenger how he should be doing his job.
The media
From the beginning to the end they have been on the back of Wenger, where was the unbiased reporting or views on Wenger. From the day Wenger called to media out on the steps of Highbury when he was accused of unfounded and slanderous rumours, there has been a sly and manipulative attempt to get to Wenger from the media. No backing of Wenger when Man U cheated and kicked Wenger’s team off the pitch in the 50th game, the constant referring back to that’s Arsenal’s 937th red card under Wenger, the pushing of the they don’t like it up them mantra and laughing at Wenger when he fell over and I won’t even start on the twisting of words from his press conferences to suit their big headline agendas. Oh and I nearly forgot Talk bloody sport, with Adrian Dungball, Alan Brazil nut, Jason Cunty, and the rest of the anti Wenger presenters they employ.
The fans
Not all the fans, most, the silent majority have stood by him through thick and thin. It has just been a shame that over the past few seasons that supporting your team has meant you have got abuse because that included the manager. We’ve seen the rise of AFTV, bloggers and vloggers who’s whole life depends on negativity, they had to create the divide they said was down to Wenger. We have heard fans call Wenger a ‘cancer’, wished him dead, abused to his face at train stations and had demos calling for his head. Is that the actions of supporters, they claim that it’s because we are not challenging for titles and cups, then we go and win 3 FA cups but somehow the FA cup is now not that important and it the CL & PL that count, top 4 isn’t good enough for Arsenal, but it’s good enough for every other bloody team in the league.
And finally the FA/PL & officials
Okay I admit I’m paranoid about this but I honestly believe there is a different set of rules for Arsenal. From Petit being sent off for swearing at a linesman from the centre circle in French to PV being given an extra game ban for failing to leave the pitch, to how many broken legs from “not that type of player” to Xhaka being the only player I’ve seen for being sent off for a taking one for the team challenge to the Lacazette “yes his heel was a fraction offside so it’s the correct decision” and finally to the probably hundred not given penalties that Arsenal do not get while Vardy, Alli, Kane, Rooney, Gerrard, Owen etc got or get on a near game by game basis. Then there are the run ins with Wenger & the FA being banned for saying this or that while mangers like Sir Red nose and Jose look-at-me seemed to be allowed immunity.
I could of added more to each section, but you would of been here all day and night reading through, but I believe that Wenger has been let down by each and everyone of these groups, he is without doubt one of the greatest managers English football has seen, if it wasn’t for the money from Russia and the Middle East just as the club were either moving or trying to rebuild he would of won more trophies, but you can’t see the future and Wenger’s stock fell because of it, it’s just a shame that these people could not report fairly, could not support properly, could not officiate and follow the rules of the game fairly and could not stand up to the media and back him as they should.
Also this is not a post to say Wenger was without fault, but I feel that has been covered elsewhere on blogs etc over the past few years or so.
I will miss Wenger as Arsenal manager, but time and tide wait for no man so goodbye Arsene it’s been a pleasure and hello……? Let the rollercoaster ride begin again
Positively Arsenal 
I tend to agree, but the biggest factor has to be Talk Spite for day after day brainwashing the nation. When Arsene goes Durham will be redundant unless he finds a new victim.
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Happy Birthday PG.
Thanks for PA and this article.
I wish I’d read the comments last night before watching the Fued. It was typically poisonous towards Arsene, lacked context and omitted many key facts.
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Biggest frustration for me will always be the downplaying of the role of finances, with the pretence he had a near playing field with Ferguson, all Chelsea managers, and now City.
So far from the truth. I tend to think of it mostly in terms of our finances for buying players and wages vs those others, but the message from Ashley Cole to Wenger last week made me think of the other crucial aspect : retaining players.
We lost one of the best left backs in the world in Cole, to a direct rival, at his peak. You also suspect the invincible squad wouldn’t have broken up half as quickly as it did, and all of Viera, Henry, Fabregas, Nasri, Rvp could well have stayed if we had the budgets of the others.
Ronaldo is the only big player I can think of who those three clubs had no choice but to release. Otherwise, they can keep any player as long as they want. That has little or nothing to do with managerial ability. It is about wages, and the constant supply of big name signings coming in.
Think of Toure on his 250 grand or whatever having a year of early retirement this season, kept on most likely a few years back just in case.
The difference in the conditions Wenger has worked with for ten years or more is simply immense.
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Excellent article.
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Bit random but gotta share a weird stat from WSL
Arsenal women were held to a shock 0-0 draw by Yeovil on weekend
Had a quick look at table to see how women’s team are doing, as know it’s going great with new manager.
Anyway, there’s Yeovil at the bottom: 2 draws, 12 losses; 42 goals against and…zero goals for.
Now that is a tough season!
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You are right mate…We are The Arsenal..Screw The money-grabbing ex-players, other Big Fat cats and their set fickle bitches..Wenger could have had another 2-3 PL under his belt if it were not for these crap he had to endure..But we fight on! We just need another Wenger-like, only younger,smarter and fitter to kick the others around the park
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spot on
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Don’t forget about the marketing people at the club George,they’ve done fuck all apart from the last few seasons.
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Nice to see a fellow maltese comment on here as well.Thought I was on my own on this island.
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Great Read George.
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Interesting quote from Wenger here.
‘I am convinced in the future, with two or three additions, this team has the quality to fight for the title.’
Might be wrong, but I’m not sure he has said anything like that in recent years. Feel like he’s typically been marginally less direct about what numbers needed for a title push
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I really don’t think the board have sold Wenger down the river or let him take the flak, for player sales or our lack of spending power. They and Wenger have sung off the same hymn sheet. It is fans and the media who decided not to listen to what either said on these subjects. They claimed £200M to spend, they claimed AFC and Wenger chose to sell players for some unknown reason, that AFC and Wenger refused to buy big money players, despite have £200M to spend, despite club clearly stating that we did not have anything near that sort of money. Every time AFC fed Ornstein and Law and co stories about transfer budgets it was that we don’t have the big bucks that the likes of the Mail and Mirror and all the blogs suggested we did.
The Arsenal majority Shareholder, the Arsenal Board and Wenger all said and still say Arsenal FC is self sustaining, and will not spend money we do not have. Its not their fault that others will report we are about to sign £200M worth of players, and then whinge when we don’t.
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Arsene Wenger has revealed the team news ahead of Thursday’s Europa League semi-final against Atletico Madrid.
The Arsenal manager provided the latest on Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Mohamed Elneny and this is what he said.
on the team news…
Mkhitaryan is not back in the squad and Mohamed Elneny is out for the rest of the season.
on Elneny…
He has a little chance to play at Huddersfield. I think he will be available for Egypt at the World Cup.
Read more at https://www.arsenal.com/news/team-news-latest-micki-and-elneny#PEQg0od6H1JzFA6q.99
Read more at https://www.arsenal.com/news/team-news-latest-micki-and-elneny#G7LtC0bMsla28HDo.99
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Wenger On Luis Enrique
I have a high opinion of him, I do not want to influence the job for the next manager but of course I have a high opinion of Luis Enrique.
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Cech, Wilshere and Ozil all took full part in training today, Mkhitaryan done light training
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I find it a bit hard blaming people.
I reckon the board has done its best to support Arsene by ponying up the cash when it was available and he asked for it. The training and medical facilities at the club are second to none. And it is a lovely ground, and nearly paid for.
They have also kept a respectful distance and let him get on with his football management. I have no desire to hear Ivan’s opinions on football matters, and I an sure he knows it.
The players I have no problems with, even the one’s who jumped ship for money. Few have managed to hit the same high standards that they enjoyed at Arsenal. We have generally got a good fee which has been put back into the club to buy a younger, fitter replacement. As for their greed there but for the grace of God etcetera
Ex players – Lets face it what sort of real job could Merson or Ian Wright actually get if they were not able to perform in the role of village idiot ? It is all they have in their locker. I absolve them.
The media – yeah – I’m with you there.
The FA and PL – this club, our club, has done massively well out of the development n English football, and we were and probably still are a major engine of the development of the PL brand. We get to watch the best players, in safe and comfortable grounds, and we have racked up a load of trophies since 1996. They obviously don’t hate us as much as, say, Tottingham.
Referees – I love these guys, well most of them.
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I think for most of the time, the board backed him, as did most of the fans, the media and certain officials, and the FA allowing they dont like it up em to thrive, the less said the better.
But Wenger now says his leaving wasnt necessarily his timing. Just wonder if one or two board members, either through their own aims or ambitions, or perhaps because they genuinely believe they are doing their best for the club may have broken a degree of unity with the manager. Sources may have been suspect, but reports rife that the board were split last summer on Wenger staying.
Still, as much as I will miss the man, what is done is done, can only hope that if he was “helped ” out of the club, they knew what they were doing and were acting with the best of intentions. and wish the new team, and of course our departing manager well, maybe wishful, but still think he could return in some capacity someday, depending of course on the true circumstances of his departure.
As for the players, I have been around enough elite sports people to know how competitive they are, I dont think for a minute any of ours dont care, arent trying, some may have lost confidence, some may not be quite ready for or suited to Wengerball and may crave a simpler approach with different over coaching, maybe they had an inkling of what was to come. But if any really do need a proverbial kick up the whatsit, with some of the names of the new man mentioned, I suspect they may soon get just that
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And perhaps there is the question as to Arsene’s culpability in his exit. Should he have been a little more ruthless in moving players on, who were old, injured, or apparently not up to the standard required ? And what of the no one over 30 years old gets more than a one year contract extension – what was that ever about ?
It was not in the man’s character to be harsh or discard an injured player, but I bet the new post holder will have fewer scruples.
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i’ve found it difficult to make any comment regarding arsene’s departure from arsenal for so many reasons.chief among is the fact that arsene is the only manager i ever know as an arsenal fan. since 1998 that i started following this club before become a fan, all i know is arsenal and arsene. even here in nigeria, for several football lovers they even call him arsenal wenger. so him leaving is surreal and more like a funeral of sort. the fact he is not even allowed or persuaded to move upstairs in other capacity is disappointing and knowing the fact he is likely to continue managing after leaving which shows he was forced out is too turturing. some of my friend who know how i defend him (even some call me arsene wenger) have all been asking what i’ll do now that he has decided to leave. the consolation is that whatever has a beginning must one day come to an end.
for the future, i’ll want him to be very brutal in his decision. just like some players going to china to earn the biggest pay at the end of their careers, i want to see wenger do something like that. get massive sign on fees and huge wage in his next destination. he is the last of the loyal and integrous breed. let that die here and go after the elusive champions league. psg, bayern madrid should be able to found this. dont spare the fund, sign all the cheque and get the best players from around the world. that is how the ‘world class coaches’ manage this days. i’ll be an arsenal fan till death but i wont begrudge him if he comes back to hunt arsenal.
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So that is the Ox out for the rest of the season and the World Cup – no timescale at present for his return to fitness. Ex player or not I feel for the lad.
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happy birthday george.
i salute all positively arsenal family. you guys are the heroes. we stayed by the great man till the end. unlike those just turning round now to say lets give him a hero farewell after many months and some cases years of abuse. shame on them. i see some idiots comparing his achievement to alex ferguson only in term of trophie won. well on that front alone he has trumped ferguson because the only trophy won by red nose as the send most funded club in england was his last trophy. for the rest, he was only competing with clubs that in the real sence has no chance to compete with united. just like if you have only barca or madrid in spain just as you have bayern and psg in germany and france respectively. the only credential that klopp had to warrant being given the job at liverpool was because he out fought bayern to the title twice. since then no club or manager in buli has been able to repeat the feat. do you have to praise the three managers they have had since? no. every one of them including pep have all come and do the needful, win the title. jopp, pep anceloti and jopp. in the last ten easons, bayern has won the title almost eight times same in france. the only reason why the likes of bakayoko is in chelsea today is the fact they wrestled the title away from psg. every manger that has manage them since the qatari money started flowing in has always done the needful, win the title. so what is so special about what ferguson did at united? going by the standard of other leagues, you have to admit that he actually under achieved. atletico only bridge the reign of barca/madrid once or twice, monaco once stopped psg and klopp only manage to stop bayern twice. no one has yet manage it against juventus for how many years now?
for the rest, arsene is head and shoulder above alex.
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Good piece Swales. The other fault I would lay at David Dien’s doorstep is the Ashley Cole fiasco.
Andrew, the over 30 thing made sense at the time – their higher wages and concerns about injury risk for that group when we were living hand to mouth was understandable. Project Youth almost paid off – they got us to 2 cup finals and close to a PL title only to be scuppered by licensed thuggery. Arsene was finding the gems, polishing them up and others with deeper wallets were coming along and cherry picking them or kicking them off the park. As well as the money on offer elsewhere, I always suspected that the prospect of staying in a team that was fair game for foul play gleefully condoned by media and officials, played a part in some deciding to move on.
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Who was Arsene’s Brutus? Has to be Stan Kroenke, no? After all, Brutus legitimised the decision to ‘remove’ Caesar through his approval. In this case Stan Kroenke may not need to hold the knife, but that is because he holds the board.
All the same, I am not sold on the Brutus analogy. Wenger was not Caesar, and not power hungry. He believed and said many times that he wants to leave the club in a position so the next guy will come in and do better. He also said many times that everyone needs to do their jobs for the club to be successful. He counted his job as training players, preparing tactics, all football activities basically, including having final say on transfers. That the modern football world is focused on the transfer aspect (and ironically, not focused on the agents) is not Wenger’s fault. The ‘power’ comes from the money there. Wenger just sought to keep that power out and keep it about the football.
I hope that that is not why he is gone.
I hope the club just saw the two seasons of not finishing in the top 4, and told Wenger that maybe he should consider leaving now that they have the backroom team in place to replace him..
In time we will see whether the club betrayed Wenger or whether they just felt they can do better without Wenger. I hope it is the latter.
PS. I don’t know why people need to make it an either/or between Wenger leaving being his decision or him being ‘pushed’. I do not believe Wenger would leave Arsenal without being told to consider it (because he has huge self belief) At the same time, I do not believe that this needs to have been an ultimatum. Not sure why it matters either, except to counter the obvious and, frankly, revolting delight that some express with the idea that Wenger was sacked. (Yet somehow magically still is here)
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Andy
For the contracts over 30, I think Wenger clarified and explained the rationale behind it. One year contracts once your deal runs out for strikers/attackers over 30, defenders and defensive MFs over 32. Because the performance started to go down at those ages. (Nowadays they have better conditioning and can last longer)
Also consider the environment of the time. Arsenal were paying among the highest wages in England at the time. In Sol Campbell’s case, the highest. The club was simultaneously planning for life after Highbury. They needed the financial flexibility so as to not get bound by a big contract with an underperforming/aging player.
I see nothing immoral in offering the players those contracts. You see this in US sports all the time (THey have salary cap rules) The player can choose greater job security with a longer contract at another club, or back themselves to prove their worth and choose a higher annual salary with a shorter contract. What Arsenal did was offer players the freedom to choose their career path, while protecting the club against financial problems.
Also, I don’t get the part about being ruthless. We signed Diaby to a 5 year contract after he played 32 league games and proved his fitness. That it went bad for him and Arsenal (in no small part due to repeated assaults. Robinson of Bolton, Essien of Chelsea, and of course Barton of Newcastle come immediately to mind) is not down to poor contract management. At that point, who buys him? And even if they do, for how much?
The alternative would be to sell him, and Ramsey and Wilshere at massively discounted rates and struggle to replace them with anyone other than youth because you have no transfer revenue. Only for them to come good elsewhere and be told you should never have let them go. If Arsene Wenger had huge transfer budgets to replace players, he could have been more ‘ruthless’ because he could lose players for next to nothing and still improve the squad.
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I heard the reasoning Pass about over 30s being more of a risk – but then I think about players who might have stayed with a 2-3 year offer and who were still good.
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Like who andy? I cannot recall anyone rejecting a contract offer because it was only one year and going elsewhere, with the exception of Pires. But my memory is sketchy on these things.
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Yes Bacary I do mean you. Pires was another odd sale as was Gilberto – £1 million we got for the Brazilian (very very shocked face)
Some of the one year extensions we have signed like Tomas, Mikel and Per although understandable at the time just did not work out for players who were never fit enough to play.
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The man said – rightly – a player’s passport should have no negative impact on his career
Then why should the digits on his birth certificate?
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I think those players were kept around more for their experience rather than purely for what they would/could do on the pitch.
Pires. I think the substitution in Paris had something to do with it too. Plus, I think that Reyes was meant to be the LW for Arsenal’s future. Blame the Neville brothers and Riley who accentuated Reyes’ ‘homesickness’. He might even say he got out in time seeing the carnage that followed and the ‘soft’ narrative peddled around and enforced by refs.
Gilberto was sold when we had bought Lassana Diarra and had Flamini to cover for his absence. (And to get rid of the last Invinicible and his high wages) It’s just annoying that Flamini played so well that Diarra couldn’t get a look in who then revolted because he wanted to go to the Euros, and Flam refused to sign a contract. Wenger could have been more ruthless there either by benching Flamini, or keeping an unhappy Diarra. (Or arranging a loan) But who knows what would have happened if we’d actually won the title in 2008. (That is the title I am certain we were cheated out of)
I’d also done the ‘calculations’ for the ‘socialist’ wage structure that followed and saw no other alternative to it. Those players weren’t really overpaid anyway. They were top 4 players paid as such. Except we couldn’t pay the top top quality players enough to prevent them being poached. That money could not have come from paying the other members of the squad less. Not when we also had to make profits from transfer fees. And Fabregas did the dirty on us when we broke the structure for him and his talent for a long term contract. First by saying he wanted a move, and second by saying he’d only move to Barcelona. Almost halving his value.
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Is that a serious question Andy?
One has no effect on performance, the other does.
That it does was shown by Wenger to the players too by the way (Him and his early use of stats) Which is why most of them accepted it.
Also, since ‘stats don’t tell the whole story’, that’s why they were ROLLING contracts. Show you still deserve to be paid at the higher end of the market, and keep getting paid at the higher end of the market. Where’s the discrimination? Or..if you choose… go to a club which pays you less but will guarantee you more over the term of the contract. And if you can find a club that pays you as much AND gives you a long term contract, good luck. Unfortunately we can’t take the risk. Ta.
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Happy birthday, George. The end of an era, has now happened!
The 2-years’ old contract is and was the problem. Another season, and another, will you, can you?
A new Spurs stadium and the comparison with The Emirates! WHL throbbing on matchdays and The Emirates, with 10,000 empty seats. A public relations disaster, waiting to happen.
To Mr Wenger’s credit, the sponsorship, commercial and sporting aims, could not afford another season’s death by thousands of empty seats. AFTV on the concourse, Henry Winter, John Cross et al., every week blaming poor management.
Compared to 14 other clubs in the EPL, the Arsenal have had a decent season.
A century in the top flight of English football. An ever present in the current EPL!
Relegation contenders, not on Mr Wenger’s watch.
May you prosper in a more friendly surroundings, well away from the morons running AFTV, granted by the bookmakers.
Mr Wenger, thank you, Sir. A knighthood, would not go amiss!
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Reasonably serious Shard – for example Hack is 26 (27 soon I think) – why on earth would jack be offered a more than one year contract ?
Nacho on the other hand – 32 years old and in a position where his brain will let him play at the top level for 2-3 more seasons – and his goal scoring !
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Hack ?
It’s me age
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NOTH – how is it hanging ?
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https://footballisfixed.blogspot.co.uk/2018/04/a-real-legacy-and-tribute-to-arsene.html?m=1
@Dogfacerefwatch had some queires on FIF but generally agreed with him and that assessment by someone who I respect and works within the betting industry is good enough for me IBSF
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Ian Wright can go fuck himself
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anicol the over 30’s one year contract was actually a 32 years old and over contract, and even then if stats showed them in good shape they got 1 year rolling contracts.
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Sagna was an obvious loss.
Could afc have offered him as generous a goal contract as that which he got from City? I don’t have the time, nous or desire to investigate what player wages/contracts were or are, sorry!
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I (vaguely) remember Bacary was 30 when he went and there was a big push in the months before for him to be offered a 2 year contract by fans – no idea what the reality of it was eddy – I remember going mad because he went to Citeh who in Zabaleta the only right back in the PL who would risk Sagna spending time on the bench.
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Goal? contract < Final contract
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NOTH, Wenger has a KBE, which I gather is pretty much a Knighthood for non Brits, and deservedly so, for what he has done in the game, and other works.
You make a very valid point about another final season of the contract, maybe they felt they had to either renew this summer or let go, and under the circumstances, felt unable to renew. Shame.
Also, we do not know the terms or maybe promises or guarantees made when he renewed last summer, perhaps he has not achieved goals set for him, though hopefully he ends with a trophy and CL place, sounds incredibly harsh, but we just do not know.
The season can end well, but it hasn’t gone especially well. I found myself at many points, including on here just pleading “FFS sort out the defence, or bring in someone who can” partly out of frustration, partly out of fear of what ultimately came to pass.
The fact is, some of our numbers, mainly at home are excellent, some are terrible. Maybe we have just become like virtually every other club, and will rid ourselves of any manager perceived to be underachieving, though I hope we never reach the excesses of some on this front .
Whatever the true causes of this departure, I suspect wengers loyalty to players, and perhaps others, as well as his unshakable belief in his own methods, at the expense of perhaps more simple philosophies may be layered in there somewhere. But greatness often comes with stubbornness , perhaps intransigence and belief methods, though not always the loyalty and humanity shown by Wenger.
With hindsight, there were a number of pointers as to what happened, maybe it was more planned by some than we realise. The Josh effect?
We may never know the truth, and to be honest, there may be versions of the truth I prefer not to know
Now we await the new man. I expect him to follow values like playing the young, attacking football, contributing to the Arsenal Foundation, but I also expect him to pay a lot more attention to defending (quick win there), perhaps be a bit less ” Corinthian” in certain aspects of the game, though hopefully no industrial levels of diving like our neighbours, or rotational fouling.
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Im still in mourning…
Happy Birthday the meerkat….
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I just assumed that BK was offered more then a one year extension as the club was no longer under the severe previous conditions, that seemed logical. not being mad keen on such details I confess that I have no idea.
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I thought BS was offered a longer deal? Just assumed so as the club wasn’t operating under such severe conditions as before. Seems logical. And it seems logical that BK would have accepted any City offer over any AFC offer and fair play to him who would deny him the greater financial reward after his service to the club?
I really wanted him to stay! One of those aforementioned Leaders alongside the others that we never had. Heh.
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Just read your FIF link Finsbury, if just a fraction of what he writes is true, well, pretty depressing really. Maybe the club have bought on a de facto DOF from Barca to counter this?
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Sagna was 31 when he left us, turned 32 in his first season at city
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Mandy
A fraction is undoubtedly true. Let’s hope that most of the rest is not on the money.
Couldn’t resist the awful pun, please forgive me!
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That’s right eddy – checking the stats he signed a 3 year contract and played 86 games at the Etihad in the 3 years
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But, well…this is the moment where whatever it was that was in the table during Fizman’s deathbed haggle is worth consideration.
Yet there is no talk of it. Anywhere. And there has not been.
Given we have a club surrounded by finance and marketing genius’ you’d have to ask the question: why not?
The choice to ignore the particulars of this story from people that have shown that they love even live off speculation, it is:
Bizarre.
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And the man we signed to replace Bacary ?
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