Arsene Wenger – I make success, I won’t buy it”

Wenger – “I don’t buy Success, I make it” by mantak

This is a quote from Arsene Wenger in an interview with the Independent in 2008. Success – I make it, I won’t buy it

In recent months I’ve been recalling what most irritated Arsenal fans over the past decade and one that springs to mind is the excuse Wenger always used when fans questioned why we never made major signings. His excuse back then was that we need to spend money on quality and it is very difficult to find. Really?

For a period most fans accepted that, defending ‘Le Prof’ for knowing how to bring complete unknown players through but since Fabregas how many complete unknowns have actually flourished under Wenger?

Now it appears, given the acquisitions of recent years including Auba, Lacazette Ozil, Sanchez…his policy to nurture and develop players has been abandoned. Those players who were bought to be developed such as Sanogo, Campbell, Chambers, Holding, Oxlade Chamberlain, Perez…which out of them managed to grow under his guidance? I won’t accept the Ox’s current form is as a consequence of what he learned at Arsenal but more what Jurgen Klopp has given him.

Recounting Ray Parlour’s book ‘ The Romford Pele’, ( which is a must read by the way ), he highlights what the key strength of The Invincible’s was : Balance.
It wasn’t a team full of Thierry Henry’s, it wasn’t 10 outfield Vieira’s, it was a blend of playing styles, abilities and mentalities. What made that a unique team was that 11 players, from completely different backgrounds, came to together to form the ‘perfect team’. Wenger created that. Fact.

The current team group, although perhaps individually good to great players, are quite simply the most unbalanced squad Wenger has managed to create during his reign. They lack leadership, aggression, character, drive and determination. That is the defining difference between the players of the clubs glittering past and those that turn out for Arsenal today.

The hypocrisy of Wenger, when quoting his arrogant boast from 2008 of creating success rather than buying it, condemns him to his own sword. It is simply not acceptable in replying to current criticism but saying we are suffering from a lack of confidence and togetherness.

As bosses like Harry Redknapp and Terry Venables proved in the past, a manager can motivate players to play above and beyond their ability: Good players will play great, great players will play excellently. Similarly a bad manager will bring down players to play below their ability: Lacazette, The Ox, Xhaka……and in recent weeks Ozil, Kos and Bellerin. This latter groups of players are great players, make no mistake but the issue for them is the way in which they are being managed as Ox has clearly demonstrated since his departure.

And so, referring back to the title of this piece, Wenger by his own admission creates the team, he doesn’t buy it. And in a court of law I believe that would be a sufficient argument to send him down.

Mantak

19 Comments

  1. The only thing Arsene Wenger makes these days is an embarrassment of himself, Arsenal and Lacazette looking like franny Jeffers his loser mentality has rubbed off on the players and what we see today is the outcome of that! Sooner he’s gone we can start to rebuild and put behind us the days of getting mauled by the big teams and scalped by the smaller ones regularly

    1. John we all want Wenger gone and surely he will be at the end of this season or even before but comparing Laca to Franny is a bit rich mate. He has obviously been playing with a niggling knee injury that has now needed surgery, Franny was just plain shite. Blame Wenger for bad management, right.
      Moving on to tonight’s game I want a win, a good win and I say all so called supporters wanting a loss because it supposedly hastens Wenger’s exit are not Arsenal supporters but just fixated on hating Wenger which is sad really. So for me it’s Come on you Gunners and Wenger out.

      1. I don’t think the team deserve to win anything this season but, saying that, I too want them to win. The only problem is that if we win the Europa Cup (very big if) Wenger will stay and could possibly get an extension at the end of 2019. That would be a disaster for the club so I can understand some supporters wanting a loss if it can result in Wenger leaving. He is Mr. Teflon and will take some shifting so the end could justify the means!!

  2. Perez was bought to be developed?
    I thought he was a panic buy and never truly wanted by the manager and that is why he wasn’t given a fair chance.

    1. Wenger poured praises for Perez, which manager do you say didn’t want him? Who panicked and bought him?

  3. There are many talented scouts nowadays, so Wenger cannot depend on his judgement alone

    Because of his big success, he became big-headed, but now he has to deal with other managers that have fresher ideas

    I think his players would play with the same lacklustre style tonight, but I hope I am wrong and I wish to see an entertaining football

  4. He was once a great coach and the players looked up to him and were motivated by him. That was a long time ago, he has lost his edge and can no longer motivate the players, resulting in the current chaos and uncertainty. At the beginning of the season he admitted that the uncertainty of his position had a bad effect on the team so why continue with it? He must realise that he is largely to blame for the current problems at the club so why prolong the agony, just step aside, it won’t have any effect on our season, we’re not going to win anything. But no, he is clinging on to the hope that we win the Europa league and he can go out on a high. Pipedreams and very selfish for a man who says he loves the club. I have favoured Simeone to replace him but maybe we need an Italian, Ancelotti or Allegri, who view defence as an art (Juve vs Spurs?). Something we have lacked for the last 10 years.

  5. So what will poch or conte win this year? Nothing
    Arsene gave us an FA cup last year, took us to the league cup finals (we lost due to the players and the negativity around the club) Yes Arsene delivers and yet the plastics hound him out!So true he makes success, he’s experienced enough to turn things around, admited we’re going through a rough patch now, but he’ll turn it around if he’s provided with the right kind of players. I doubt Ozils wages have soured the dressing room and aging players need to go sooner the better as they have to loyalty to the manager, club or fans

    1. Spuds & Chelsea are still in the fa cup…. one of them might win it.
      This is the roughest patch I’ve ever known us go through……I can’t see him turning it round, if he knew what he was doing surely we wouldn’t be in this mess!! We buy players, who have been brilliant at their previous club, then are average at Arsenal….we need a new manager with new ideas, because this slump is absolute pants

        1. You never watched Arsenal in the 80’s then as up until the 88/ 89 season (as amazing as it was) we were dire to watch at times- only just scraped it as well.

          1. Didn’t start supporting until 91. I was bought the 89 DVD… which was brilliant, brought tears to my eyes!!

    2. We are a distant 6th in the PL and might finish below Burnley. We are 33 points away from the top and who’s to blame? He bought the players but can’t motivate them, he looks tired and defeated and blames everyone else for our defeats. Even our former Chairman Peter Hill-Wood says it is time for him to go. If he stays we will go backwards and who wants that?

  6. Everytime he opens his mouth he says something to annoy me. Seriously
    1. “Attacking is in our DNA”. Nope its whatever the manager wants it to be.
    2. “I don’t spend big money on defensive players “(midfielders)
    3. “I nearly signed ___________ “(you fill in)
    4. “The players were tired”- one of many excuses for losing
    5. “the important thing is to develop creative and skilled players with good confidence.”
    Wenger is a confidence KILLER
    6. “A football team is like a beautiful woman. If you don’t tell her she forgets she is beautiful
    7. “Im not afraid to spend money. If you go out with me one night you will understand that”

    He cant even tell good quality from average quality anymore ie Xhaka, Eleny, Mustafi, Iwobi
    We need better scouts too
    Fire Wenger, the coaches and the scouts

  7. jeez, admin is that you? then I think Wenger will surely be kicked out. I believe the players individually have the quality to proof their abilities else where but certainly not under Wenger atm. a new manager will definitely turns around. whether we win the Europa or loose WENGER OUT NOW.

  8. i for one think that perez would have bn a hit if he was given a chance.especially now that we have great quality up front.but what do i know …………..all i know is wenger should’ve bn apast tense from long time

  9. Arsenal pay less than 400.000 pounds PER YEAR on scouts. That’s total – 12 people’s salaries included.

    We got the players that kind of stinginess deserves. So our scouts, of course, only notice players who everyone already knows from watching TV.

    It’s not that Wenger has totally forgotten how to develop players. It’s that our scouted ‘talents’ have been shit.
    Chuba Akpom is still on our books since 2012 – a total of 3 career goals as a central forward.
    Remember Yaya Sanogo – similar numbers. And the list goes on and on…

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