Touching send off for Arsene at the end. by Konstantin Mitov
And so it has finally ended. Arsene Wenger’s last game at the Emirates as an Arsenal manager has finished and we won it 5:0 in style against a Burnley side sitting just below us in the table.
The football we played when there was no pressure and the opposition isn’t world class was magnificent. In all honesty at home, we’ve played alright and it was a fitting win for the occasion.
The club prepared Merci Arsene shirts and the ceremony was kept tight, but it was emotional. Arsene’s speech was classy. I enjoyed it and as much as I’ve wanted him gone, it got to me and I felt a little bit sad.
The tone with which he said “I will miss you” had the emotion of a man who truly loves the club. The club presented the man with the Invincibles trophy, probably the most prestigious thing the club has in its entirety history.
It is obvious that the club pushed Wenger to leave, you can feel it with the way he hints he didn’t want it to end. But the board did it’s utmost to send him out with the highest amount of respect and dignity.
I must say the fans did a class act as well. For all the disappointment that has mounted on us, especially with the Europa League capitulation just days ago, the athmosphere was great. Arsenal felt like a family again.
This change had to come. Fans were divided, the football wasn’t great and at the ends it’s a result driven business. We’ve been on a steady decline which ultimately has to held the manager accountable.
Arsene’s plea to the fans was to keep supporting this team which is ‘special’ in his opinion. I’d be seriously worried for some Arsenal players. They got Wenger’s support, even though they let him down so badly, it cost him his job.
That luxury will evaporate very soon and there will be nobody to hide behind. Same goes for the board, who used Arsene as a shield for their incompetence of running the club. Now though I feel that the point the fans made with the empty seats was very clear and they will not allow this again.
Rumours from Sky suggest we want Allegri or Enrique. I prefer the Italian, but I’d take Enrique if we fail to get Max. We need an authority figure to unite the fans and whoever we get, he’ll need our support.
It’ll be a season of rebuilding. It’s a long process that will take a few years to complete, but the future is optimistic. The season is effectively over, Arsene has practically left the building and there’s hope for next season.
That’s me done, have a great week!
Konstantin
I wish we had stapled Xhaka to him before he left the stadium
Good riddancr
We have plenty of good players with some excellent recent additions (Auba/Laca/Mkhit/Kola/Mavro) and some good players that have been there for a while who could flourish in a better-organised team (EG.Ozil/Bellerin/Monreal/Mustafi) and some youngsters that could finally fulfil their potential with better coaching (EG.Chambers/Holding/etc).
So I can’t wait to find out who the new manager will be, and to see what he will do with a basically ok squad but hopefully some decent summer signings to replace those that are either past their prime (Mert/Kos/Cech) or just not good enough on a consistent basis (EG.Wellbz/Ramsey).
Hopefully the “Favourites system” will give way to a performance-based system where in-form players are used in their best positions, and we have a lot to look forward to. COYG!
I think Ramsey is one of those that can flourish under better management……. he should be taught to keep things simple, and reduce the amount of glamour he keeps trying to infuse into his game….. there’s a chance he’ll become a better all round player if he’d learn. I believe Wilshere can be a better player too, he could turn out to be an Iniesta – a handful of goals and assists, but knows how to keep his team ticking….. Overall, I really am looking forward to life after Wenger, and I’m have a positive feeling about it. I wish Wenger luck in his future endeavours. Au revoir Arsène
“Wilshere to be an Iniesta”…do you see yourself ,mate,speaking such an enormity?You just got ahead of yourself…Wilshere is just a mediocre player,aleays injured and doing “ more” outside the pitch than inside of…get rid of him quickly,wasted money for a mediocre part-time plyer,bring a real-hungry-for performance player,they are hundreds around waiting…
Ramsey not good enough? Are you kidding me?
What an appalling remark! What ingratitude towards a man who has transformed Arsenal and English football. As to Konstantin, he says that football is a results driven business. Perhaps he should reflect on the fact that his continual rants against Wenger together with the clueless criticism from other so-called fans helped to demoralise the team.
demoralise the team hahaha im sure the players on £60,000-350,000 a week car about a little name calling
laughable excuse
Steven is partially right….continual clueless rants and criticism can demoralise a player….
ask a professional such as a psychologist
BS
Do you think Wenger or mustafi Read Just Arsenal
No offence admin
True….do not think they read JA….
The criticism was at the ground also.. most people won’t have played sport at a top level and don’t understand it has nothing to do with money when you step on the playing field.
I love Arsenal and respect Arsene a lot but favoritism or whatsoever it is has clouded Wenger that he spare the rod, our beloved club steeped into mediocrity and the explanations from Arsene is unfounded, sometimes appalling at a point i wish i can distance myself from the entire Arsenal addictions for health reasons but mates I’m always caught behind the screen every now and then Red blooded supporting Arsenal, i may go on and on defining or describing my unending love for what my beloved club stands for.
It’s a mixed feelings when Arsene throw in the towel but at some point we all are forced to agree that Wenger had long passed it and he can no longer be the man to take the club forward .
Surely we’ll all miss him but all good things come to an end. I see this as an end to an era giving birth to a brand new “era” ,hopefully we wouldn’t have to go through the red Manchester club post Ferguson kind of era.
Arsenal in my blood.
Nicely put!
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I am just thinking of what would have been had wenger got the right players for his style of play just like the likes of Guardiola, ofcos I mean when he had not lost it. I can go back to 2008 when he had average players but the pass and move footy was so sexy it was pure art, pple try to liken it to Barca’s static triangles but no, it was better.
If the purpose of sport is to entertain, then I have to admit it kept me excited for the whole 90min, it is a pitty it cudnt bring more silverware though. Mercie Wenger
I cannot explain how we played beautiful football with weaker squad of 2008-11 and such boring football with the current better squad. Wenger has always been about giving responsibility to players, freedom to players and self improvement. It worked when we had more intelligent player like fabregas, nasri, rosicky and van persie while this squad need someone to guide them tactically like allegri, jadim or tuchel.
after Dein left and since 2008 we are unable to sign quality young talents…..Nazri and co was the last batch in 2008… Carzola was probably the last one…prior to the arrivals of established stars such as Ozil, Sanchez, Auba, Mikhi and Laca
Mata and Silva were all stolen….and we couldn’t even close the deals on Lemar, Mbappe, kante, Mendy, Bakayoko and etc….
SEEMS AS IF THE CLUB DO WANT A PROPER AND TOP PROVEN MANAGER AFTER ALL, contrary to rumours . Trouble is, does any top proven manager want Arsenals board and worse still our penny pinching owner? Also will they put up with having a sort of committee managing from now on, Sven, Raul etc? I seriously doubt our package is tempting to any top manager. No CL, no defence at all, no leaders and no total control either, seemingly. WORRYING AND IF WE END UP WITH AN Arteta type, or he himself , watch those empty seats become permanently empty. The club will know this and so have a real dilemma in their choice. (Perhaps we should have Arsene back! Just thought I would shock you and of course, I jest.) But we definitely do have a real dilemma in getting a top man, to make it an attractive offer. The salary will not be special either it seems.
seems like Mislintat is more than only a head of recruitment…hes getting very power and has the ears of Gazadis
With Raul coming in…
There will be potential conflicts for sure between the new manager, Mislintat and Raul….
Unless we have a “project” which is manager/footballer/club speak for having a lot of money to spend on transfers we are not getting a top manager.
We will definitely no longer give the next manager Arsene type powers. With Sven, Raul and Ivan in place the next manager will be more of a Head Coach type which might exclude the likes of Enrique and Allegri, but with a 200M kitty and the challenge of rebuilding a top team while living in London. Who knows what could happen?
Lastly, although I have been an Arsene out guy for almost 10 years now, I have to admit that we will never get another manager who loves Arsenal and identifies with Arsenal so much. From now on unless we get an ex-player who loves the team like Henry to come and manage, they will all be mercenaries.
So someone like you Kontsantine thought it was fantastic to feel that the Arsenal felt like a family again and you want it to continue?
But it was your protests and the one person you blamed that destroyed it in the end wasn’t it?
You also say that the players let the boss down so much it cost the manager his job.
Why did you not acknowledge this fact before?
Simple mistakes made by international professional players where given as examples of Wenger not being a coach/manager.
Then you say that the new manager will need the support of the fans.
So what you want me, as an individual, to do is forget all the previous posts you have put on here regarding Wenger?
You want me to forget all the abuse directed at Arsene Wenger from the likes of you and your similar thinking so called supporters?
50,000 plus gooners, Burnley supporters and the footballing world showed just how much this man is respected and yet you knew better of course?
Did you witness the recognition given to Wenger at Old Trafford?
At least their fans appreciated just what Arsene has done for our club and football in general.
The problem with your kind of so called support is that it has to be instant, with no thought about what what went before.
You’ve been bleating over the fact that we haven’t qualified for the CL for two years and totally ignore the previous twenty years.
That, of course, was seen at the time as failure because we weren’t winning trophies.
Just a reminder that Spuds haven’t won the league for %) years and the FA cup for 25 years but Arsene was again mocked because they have finished above us for the last two years.
Then we win three FA cups in five years so, naturally, the goalposts are moved and this incredible feat, which any other premier league club would die for, is then branded as rubbish and of no consequence at all.
Tell that to Utd and Chelsea fans at the this years cup final and how EVERY gooner must be wishing that we were there.
Plus, of course, they have the opportunity to challenge for the community shield (not a trophy) at the start of the next season, thus promoting their clubs to the world and which we have won of course.
Arsene has been made the scapegoat by the likes of you, but we are seeing the warning signs that Wenger had to deal with regarding the owner and the board.
£50,000,000 transfer figure is what the board are reportedly offering the new manager, but wasn’t Gazidis telling everyone that money was not a problem and Wenger could sign ANY player he wanted?
Guess what? YOU FELL FOR IT LOCK STOCK AND BARREL!!!
You even blamed Arsene for treating the clubs money as if it was his own.
Whatever went wrong at the club, it was reported as being down to Arsene, no matter what it was.
If your condemnation of Wenger was down to signings or results the last two years, then you would have had a strong argument, but you have hounded him, as you so proudly boast, for years. That includes the cup winning seasons and the CL qualification period.
Yes, we haven’t threatened to win the CL since 2008, or the PL since finishing second to Leicester.
But you gave no thought to the money rolling in from the oil barons and russian money.
Arsene had to deal with a owner who has a reputation for not spending money and a board so tight you could hear their squeeky bums every time Wenger wanted a top player (Griezmann, Lemar etc).
That’s why it’s being reported that Enrique is unwilling to sign for us.
I have to laugh at those supporters who are now calling Arsene a gentleman and a decent human being, whilst just two weeks ago branding him as a fossil etc etc.
Those of us who argued his case were abused and belittled by those of you who now want us to forget what was said.
Well not me. I thought I could get over this sickening episode in our clubs history, but, after seeing this great mans farewell supported by the 50,000 gooners on Sunday, I can’t even begin to forgive and forget what was said about the greatest manager we ever had and, probably ever will have.
It will be interesting to see if anything that goes wrong is blamed on the new manager only and that, if we win the fa cup it will be seen as the complete rubbish trophy that some supporters clearly see it as being.
I have said on many occasions It was time for Arsenal and Arsene to have new challenges, but that he should be treated “with the respect and dignity” he so richly deserved.
What a shame it’s taken some of you so long to realise this, so stop with the crocodile tears, it’s fooling no one.
Well said Kenny but the club will not go backwards…..
we will still be top 6…with Auba, Mikhi, Ozil and Laca…we have the firepower and creativity…..
as long as Minslintat keeps up his hype and bring in quality talents…..and Raul closing deals…we may challenge for top 4…
we could even be top 3 if Liverfool lose Sallah and Spud lose Kane and if they don’t have a 1 for 1 replacement….
the new manager will have it easy as the foundation has been laid…..
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Arsene overstayed his welcome. If he had left on a high just like Fergie, he would not have been pushed out by the majority of supporters and finally the board.
Arsene should have left after his first FA cup win after 8 years of nothing. He thought he was good enough to do better and it was obvious to anyone who was watching football closely that this wasnt the case. He kept staying and the team kept underperforming.
We used to play to win the EPL and come in the top 4 then we started playing just to be in the top 4 and thankfully maing it ( The Arsene Cup ) now we play for the top 4 and cant even make that as Liverpool and Tottenham have passed us by while we stagnated.
Arsene left too late, and he left on a low. And that is completely his fault.
Well we used to play to win EPL cause there were only us and Utd….
“Playing just to be in top 4″……needless to say….moneybags City and Chelsea have unlimited excess to top young and established talents with the amount of money pumped into the game…..
“Now we are behind liverfool and Spud”…..both of them got a 40 goal machines…..without Sallah and Kane they would be behind us…..Hence probably why Gazadis gave in and sign Auba…..we need the firepower……
the last 2 season we were lacking of a quality and consistent strikers to score the 10-15 goals and win 4 to 5 games that we required to win the title….
Why didn’t Gazadis paid the extra 5 to 10m and secure the striker just like Dein always do???
Maybe Wenger should left earlier after winning the FA cup or maybe he should left in 2008 or maybe in 2004…..there are always 10001 reasons…..
but one thing we did right is to get a quality recruiter like Mislintat to bring in young and quality talents…..an area which we have been lacking since the last 10 years….
Arseneisout,
“overstayed his welcome?”
“Eight years of nothing?”
“Liverpool and Spurs have passed us by?”
“Should have retired after his first cup win in eight years?”
You see, these are what some of our so called supporters claimed whilst subjecting Arsene to a tirade of personal abuse unheard of within our club before.
Let’s take each of your points one by one:
In some fans opinion that is the case, in others not so. But let’s take your suggestion as a fact just so I can ask you this question. Did that mean then, that it was right and correct to personally abuse the man? Did it mean that the media directed all its venom on our club and manager? One day you might just sit back and reflect on what this man had to go through.
Eight years of nothing: EXCEPT CL qualification, reaching the final in 2010/11
and every knock out round EACH YEAR THEREAFTER thereafter.
This after Wengers teams qualified for the CL every year for 20 years.
Then of course we won three fa cups in 2014-2015 and 2017 whilst our premier league positions were 4th 3rd 4th 4th 3rd 2nd 5th 6th.
Just ask City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Spurs fans if they would like this on their c.v.’s. Only one team has a better record, Utd, and we gave them a run for their money as well.
Next, Liverpool and Spurs have passed us by? Liverpool have not won anything for eight years. Spurs haven’t won the league for 50 years or the FA cup for 25 years. In the last two years they have finished above us and that is how you judge them as passing us by?
Your final point about retiring after the fa cup win against Hull. So what I’ve noted above, the two further cup wins, the regular CL qualification and the league positions mean nothing to you?
How fans of clubs like Liverpool and Spurs must laugh at your assessment of the most successful manager this club has ever known and the second most successful manger in premier league history.
Just a few other facts for you to ponder over whilst Arsene Wenger has been manager:
Consecutive League wins = 14
Consecutive Unbeaten 28
Consecutive league Unbeaten 49
If you bothered to check your FACTS they are all in the Official Handbook 2017/18.
That’s why on Sunday 50,000 plus gooners gave Arsene the send off he deserved and those who pillored and abused him should hang their heads in shame.
“He left on a low?” – you cannot have been there, not sure if you ever have, and that one remark from you sums up YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF WATCHING FOOTBALL CLOSELY.
ken r u happy then wen we r fighting fr aplace with burnley…answer that.
r u happy going backwards
cos u r happy wen we loosing, i think u wont b happy wen we start wining.ask thoz teams if they can take wenger as their manager.wenger will only go where there only two teams fighting fr a trophy.
thoz consecutive you have given there surely summarizes everything abt u.will u like to win leagues fr 7 yrs then become irrelevent .cos arsenal was becoming one.talk trophies now not wat happened many yrs.
ask yourself if a kid born arnd 2000 comes n ask u why shld i support arsenal thoz r things u start consecuting…the kid will die in laughter
frank,
I will now try and reply to this post.
No I am not happy that we were fighting for sixth place.
No I am not happy that we are going backwards.
Further more I was not happy when we lost a cup final to City, but we were one of two teams (not Utd, Liverpool, Spurs or Chelsea) that contested it.
I was not happy that we lost to Atletico Madrid in the semi final.
I was not happy that we lost to Forest in the fa cup.
I am not happy that we haven’t won a league game away from home this year.
I am not happy that we haven’t qualified for the CL.
so thats the unhappy section sorted out.
So if all the above were positives, would I be happy…I think I would yes, so that’s the happy section sorted out.
Now, if I had a child that was born around the year 2000 and it asked me why he/she should support Arsenal I would say something along the lines of: Well, in the next 16 years you will see CL football every season…you will see a team that will have become legendary by becoming Invincible… you will see the team perform two doubles…you will see a team win the fa cup six times…but you must be prepared to accept that no team has a divine right to win anything.
You will have to support them through the bad times as well as the good times, so don’t act like a spoilt brat when that happens.
But most of all you will support a club that will become a part of your life for as long as you live. Respect its beliefs and history and never ever disrespect the fan base of gooners, even if you disagree with them, because we are the club.
I hope I have answered your questions frank.
Ken, well said and there’s an awful lot of us out there with the same thoughts and to be honest there’s a lot of people on there that are not worthy of comment.
@Ken hahaahaa u make me laugh…
the moment you start to compare your self with failure u become one..dont compare arsenal with spurs.before wenger alived we were stll wining trophies.i thought you shld start from there. devide 20 by 3 trophies n tell me.. apart from cl dnt count other trophies as an achievement.
one thing u should understsnd is gooner did not hate wenger,they hated his tactics
,stuborn,
favouring some players n benching hard work,
70 th sub instead of reacting while we r loosing.
seating on that bench insteand of giving tactics(u should see other managers they r alws giving instruction even wen they r wining)
explain abt no point in away games in 2018 which other time has done that.thats wat any caring fanz will be against.
arsenal true fans never hated wenger that y they showed respect once he said he was leaving. Ken ask any fan frm other clubs wat was wrong with arsenal fc if u think konstantin n pple like us r haters.
clearly everything is there to be seein.my frm he is going cos the owner saw somthing was not ryt.opposition fanz sung wenger we want u to stay n u r busy blaming pple who fought for our club back.i salute every1 like konstantin n others who contributed.
frank,
It’s a little difficult to follow what you are saying, but I will try.
First of all, I have never compared Arsenal to Spurs or Liverpool…Arsenisout, one of your fellow thinkers did, I just gave him some facts, so don’t make me laugh hahahaha etc.
The second thing you have got wrong is the amount of trophies…three in twenty years? Under Arsene Wenger we have won three premier leagues and seven fa cups…now then seven plus three makes TEN, just giving you some facts now, so don’t make me laugh hahaha etc
I certainly don’t understand that you didn’t hate Wenger. Have you ever read the comments made about him? Let me enlighten you: Wish he had cancer… wish he would die…these are just two for you to digest. Please also remember the abuse that was aimed at those who supported the manager and we are expected to forget that? Don’t make me laugh hahahah etc.
I have understood your point about opposition fans chanting “wenger we want you to stay”….so what? it’s called winding up the opposition fans, just like we do when we chant about Spurs, Unt or any other team, so don’t make me laugh hahaha etc.
Why do you think so many clubs are wanting Arsene to come join them?
The only other point I can clearly digest and answer (sorry I am not being rude) is that you fought for the club. I also fought for my club and the manager I respect for all of his achievements, his loyalty, being a gentleman and, but by no means least, being a true Arsenal man.
I have said soooo many times that it was right for Arsenal and Arsene to part company, just do it in the proper way and respect the man. The last two seasons have been awful and that was plain to see.
But It’s too little to late for those like Konstantine to suddenly say what he has in this post (that’s my opinion). What happened on Sunday was the RIGHT way to do it and 50,000 plus gooners proved that so don’t make me laugh hahaha etc
I just hope that your faith in the owner seeing things weren’t right, means he will open up the purse strings…dont make me laugh hahaha etc etc.
Next manager is Jardim. He is the only candidate willing to work under such poor conditions at Arsenal. It will be announced after the WC
Will be after our last two games next Monday may be and Wenger’s type powerful Manager not a good thing we need a head coach type the whole setup and infrastructures during Wenger time was a huge drawback going forward too much power was on single person hands responsibility need to be devided Sven will do great job on recruiting players and Sanllehi will close those deals with the ok of Gazidis and transfers should be done as soon as windows trying to buy players every season at the very last minutes was a very stupid strategy
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pros and cons…..Wenger indeed needs help with recruitment and closing the deals….
but with both “big egos” Mislintat and Raul coming in….there may be a clash….
Mislintat is also known to be wanting his way or no way during the Dortmund days…..
Hence if the new manager is a “Alpha” type…..a clash with Mislintat is very likely…
After the World Cup is too late; a competent board would make the announcement no later than after Arsenal’s final match this season.
exactly…..planning and etc….needs to be done prior to world Cup…..
after the world cup….there is not enough time for planning and etc….
Still has to do with a Wenger’s send off until he steps out the door and then you will hear some I think before end of May – until after World Cup will be a disaster you Manchester United with Van Gaal when they appoint him but he in charge of Dutch national team? He didn’t really do good job bring in new players it was too late