It remains to be seen whether Arsene Wenger will be offered, or already has been offered, a new contract to stay on as the manager of Arsenal Football club, or whether he will accept the offer if it is there, but it is certain that a lot of Arsenal fans would not be happy.
The protests may not have been too vehement but they have been around for years and more so than ever this season, while the main reason for most fans not being too full on about it is because of the respect that the prof has earned for his 20 years in charge.
However, these protests and things like the poll done by the AST last week should make it clear what us fans want, but I have a strong feeling that neither the club or our manager takes much notice or even understands our issues and two things that happened over the last few days backs me up.
First of all we had Wenger being asked about the trouble between Arsenal fans both during and after the Man City match and his answer reported on the Arsenal website struck me as though he was living in another world.
He said, “I must say, despite all what happens on the fans front, I felt out fans were fantastic today. In very difficult moments in the game I felt that our fans – at 1-0 down, at 2-1 down – could have turned against us. I think they were absolutely sensational and helped the team to get through those difficult moments.
“I’m not aware of what happened outside. I think what is important in football is what happens inside the pitch and inside the stadium. I feel the fans were absolutely outstanding today.”
So apart from the 60,000 or so at a game the rest of us don’t count. I also remember the TV commentator remarking on what a strange and subdued atmosphere there was in such a crucial game, but Wenger saw things differently. He also seems to see the Alexis Sanchez situation differently and is struggling to understand why we might be just a tiny bit concerned that our best player and the only one who seems determined to stop the rot is not ready to sign a contract and could well be on his way this summer.
Sky Sports report the Frenchman saying, “He has one and a half year contract.
“I don’t understand that debate. Our job is to perform as long as we are here.
“I do not understand this kind of anxiety, it is absolutely denying what a professional guy is about.”
Is it me, or is this just more proof that Wenger has no idea about the reality of us fans?
D.N.
Stan Kroenke became major
share holder of Arsenal in 2009.
Since then titles have been won by
Chelsea 2 (3rd this season)
United 2
City 2
Leicester 1.
Arsenal 0 Spurs 0 Liverpool 0.
Then it becomes a game of “interpretation”
Stan = ” Top 4 increases the value of my shares”
Arsene = “4th place is a trophy”
The board = top 4 is “sustainability”.
20% of the fans = top 4 is not good enough.
80% of the fans = ” Things are OK”
There is every chance Arsenal will make top 4.
Win v Westham, Chelsea beat City
win the catch up game and top 4 here we come again.
Win the FA Cup as well and this will be another great season,
cue the 2, no in fact 3 year extension.
Top 4 wont mean anything this time around if Man utd win europa league. Anyway, I think the problem with Arsenal is not even the board or owner or coach, its the fans. How we have accepted the past 13 years is beyond me. Its like all we care about is not becoming Liverpool.
Well I think it’s more than 20% that want wenger out, but otherwise I couldn’t agree more. My feeling is there is no point cutting the weed but leaving the root. Kroenke will simply grow another. Yes the weed had already started growing before he arrived, but it was only after the likes of fizman and Bracewell – Smith had sold the club down the river that the weed had some new nasty roots. Kroenke is the cancer of our club, the new wenger is just the malignant growth that has appeared. If we really want change then we also need to remove the root of all evil.
I for one shall not return until that time arrives, I will celebrate that moment just like a league trophy, hell I might even have my open top bus parade. Probably with my children’s, children, by then and my eldest is not yet a teenager. However, just as the club has made thousands from me over the years, I will do my utmost to recoup that by selling my homes and aways to any kroenke/wenger supporter that wants to pay the highest amount. I still watch every match, but never is Arsene and Stans lifeless bowl will I set foot again.
Screw you Stan!! You might be the major shareholder of our club, but you will never be able to afford me.
He said more than that. I was reading him say that it’s good that fans can waste a day like that, talking about the protest in the street. Then I was stunned as he totally undermined everything Gazidas had just promised, by saying how the infrastructure is already in place to be successful. Said he doesn’t know if he could work with a director of football. Reading too that Wilshere is in talks for a new contract, and Oxlade and others are scheduled for contract renewals soon. Wenger keeps talking like he did actually create the club. Saying if you could come and see what goes on any given day now compared to when he arrived. Well I think the fans spending hard earned money might have something to do with it too Arsene. He’s not doing himself any favors by remaining stubborn, on one hand he is saying that results should be better, on the other hand he is using everything but results to say what a fantastic job he has done.
The problem js wenger is an addict to the power he has been given. No club will give him that authority that’s why the protests are getting more provocative.
true, he even rejects a new director of football, coz he does all the things himself, why bring someone who can have some voice on football matters?
I am sorry to say this but I can not find a respectful way to say it but Wenger’s comments about Sanchez’s contract are plain disingenuous. He knows very well that he will not and can not force Sanchez to serve out the last year on his contract. This is an example of two-faced Wenger trying to appease the “dumb” fans.
First of all we know both Wenger and Kroenke are money hungry, forcing Sanchez to stay against his will surely destroys 35-50 million
Second of all if Sanchez wants away and you force him to stay there is no way he can give us his best.
Third of all, if we force Sanchez to stay he will poison the rest of the squad as a constant reminder
Arsenal is not a club big players want to play for.
Fourth of all the media attention for one whole season on how Arsenal forced Sanchez to play out his contract wold not only reinforce our image of a poorly ran club in disarray but would also make other players think twice about signing for us.
Most reasonable clubs and managers have the philosophy that if a player wants to go you have to let him go. There is a reason for that pragmatism, it protects the club from a poisonous situation that doesn’t help anyone.
I thought it was extremely disrespectful when Jose called Wenger a “specialist in failure” but he is 100% right. Wenger is living on past glories and it is dragging Arsenal down. Think, the club will actually be in a worse position when he leaves than when he started. Star players wanting to leave, fans fighting each other, rival clubs laughing at us, experts writing us off before the season even starts. It is embarrassing, it truly is. The media are having a field day at our expense.