12 Apr 2017 18:23:21
Managers today are sacked on a whim, even across Europe's elite. This is not something I necessarily agree with but it emphasises the current demand for immediate success. I've always been proud of doing this the 'Arsenal way' with dignity and in that regard, will always be thankful for what Wenger has achieved for the club in the past. I do though now think that enough is enough and things have to, must, change. Most of the reasoning has been covered previously and continues to be restarted on these pages and many other forms of social media.
For me, you can break Wenger's reign into more or less three eras. In the first ten years he transformed the club with his innovative ideas winning trophies and playing the best football I've seen at the club in over 50 years. The only fly in the ointment is that he never succeeded in winning a European title. Despite this, he enhanced our history which can never be erased.
The next five years or so coincided with the move to the Emirates. During this time, with no funds available, he still kept us competitive whilst having to sell off his key players and not replacing those past their sell by dates. This achievement cannot be underestimated and genuine football fans will know this, despite being frustrating to some.
Now to the era where I have issues, the previous 5/ 6 years. I'm not an advocate that we should go out and spend stupid money. However, with the financial constraints lifting, this was the period where Wenger should have built the squad for here and now, in fact, from last season, where he could have capitalised on the shortcomings of our rivals. This to me is why I think he has to step down and the sooner it is announced, the better for all concerned. I don't like the personal abuse he is receiving but I can understand the frustration of the fans, since what we are currently witnessing, including last night's debacle, is totally unacceptable. Yes, we do not have a divine right to win everything, but with our resources and fan base, we deserve people to play with passion and pride and this is clearly not happening.
I also have major concerns about his clear lack of basic tactical awareness and player acquisition which are clear for all to see and this is someone who is paid circa £7.5m a year with an alleged two year extension on the table increasing his salary over that period to £10m. He keeps on referring to what he has done previously for the club, but things move on and other younger managers have caught up and overtaken him with their own innovations and enthusiasm. I'm concerned that he recently mentioned about the imperatives of retaining a 'British core' to the side, yet the players he mentioned are nowhere good enough.
Despite getting all that off my chest, I won't go there with the Board, who don't have a footballing brain cell between them and are just interested in making money. I know there is a debate about what fans can do and it doesn't matter if they boycott games as the club already has the money, but just think of what will happen if huge swaths of empty seats were beamed around the footballing world, that would send out a massive message which the board will be extremely uncomfortable with, especially when attracting sponsorship, although far be it from me to tell fans what they should or shouldn't do.
12 Apr 2017 18:48:40
Great post LG.
12 Apr 2017 18:54:32
Top post LG.
12 Apr 2017 19:24:36
Great post i wish i could be as articulate as that without losing the thread and going into a rant. The bit about our games beamed around the world with loads of empty seats is absolutely spot on.
12 Apr 2017 20:05:25
Thanks guys. I was going to post sooner but had to compose myself after watching that shambles on Monday evening otherwise I would have ranted.
12 Apr 2017 20:38:33
If you need to get the rant out feel free.
12 Apr 2017 21:51:13
Good post lincs mate.
My guess is the board will continue try and please the majority of the fans which in the past has meant Arsene stays but right now I'm not sure anyone actually knows if the in or out fans are the majority.
12 Apr 2017 22:29:06
Gunner all the poles suggest massive out. I haven't seen one anywhere that is remotely in favour of wenger and his supporters on tv and media are changing their minds in droves.
12 Apr 2017 23:05:09
The problem with polls Steve as elections show us repeatedly usually attract a platform for unhappy people to voice their views while those who are not unhappy tend to remain silent and there is as we all know such a thing as a silent majority sometimes.
Talking to people i meet the only change I've detected is that's those who wanted Arsene to stay prior to the Palace game still do but are less confident of how others feel and are almost resigned to the fact he is most likely finished despite thier own views.
13 Apr 2017 00:54:43
Gunner, I don't know any of my close friends who want him to stay and many did at the start of the season. Work colleagues and people I talk to all want him gone.
13 Apr 2017 07:33:09
That's good to hear Steve, it must be a regional thing mate a bit like brexit i guess. The remain vote is quite strong still in my constituency :-)