There has been a lot of animosity aimed at Arsene Wenger over the last few years, with Arsenal fans protesting more and more every season when it is obvious that we are going to go another campaign without winning the title. A lot of these #WengerOut protests are obviously directly aimed at the Frenchman, but Arsene himself doesn’t believe that these fans hate him personally.
“I am like everybody – I prefer to be loved than hated but I can take a distance with that. I know it is not the person itself, it is the fact the manager does not win the games.” Le Prof was quoted as saying on Norwegian TV.
“They [the fans] want to win and I can make a difference in that. I don’t take it too personally. I hate myself – the manager – more than anybody if I don’t win. I’m a very bad loser.”
“People want to win. If you don’t win the championship, the FA Cup, the Champions League, it is disastrous. But in the last three years, we won the FA Cup twice and finished second, third and fourth.
“We are in the FA Cup Final again. Overall, we are not happy because you want to win everything but Real Madrid have not won the championship [La Liga] for five years. Liverpool haven’t won it [the title] for over 20. They are big clubs — it is difficult. Just because you turn up, it doesn’t mean you win.”
He is absolutely right of course. It is not easy at all to win the Premier League, in fact it is probably the hardest League in the world, and the amounts of money some teams spend in an effort to win it is incredible. Surely it is an achievement to finish in the Top Four for 20 years, and he should be allowed ONE bad year out of every 20 surely?
Sam P
“One bad year out of every 20 surely?”, what am I reading?! Unfortunately, a lot of fans genuinely do hate Wenger, because he has no respect for us (the fans), and refuses do to do what’s best for the club.
He has already damaged his legacy, and the club’s reputation, and will probably completely destroy it all, given another two, or more years in charge. Players are regressing under his management, the club is regressing, and even the fans are regressing, what with the infighting, and the fact that many of our fans have brought into Wenger’s twisted ideology, where failure is actually deemed as success!
The author of this article is a great example of this. According to Sam P, we’re apparently improving, and there’s nothing to worry about. Clearly he’s wrong, from a factual standpoint, nothing to do with my opinion. AKB’s really need to accept facts for what they are…facts!
OT. just a thought. if the FA could choose by themselves, the teams to represent England in European competitions, regardless of where the teams finish on the table, do you think arsenal would get a spot. honestly, we’ve been the most disgraceful English team in Europe, consistent drubbings, round of 16 exits, and what’s worse, we don’t learn from those failures. we have a manager, and management that cares nothing for trophies and performance. we don’t get the right players, and the supposedly less prestigious teams in England somehow manage to pull it off. instead of getting the best out of average players, he turns good players into substandard ones. I mean, how would wenger demand more from the players when he doesn’t demand more from himself. he just keeps losing important matches as if that is what he is paid to do. it is really up to us fans, if we want better, and till we shout atop our voices that WE DESERVE BETTER, we are not going to find a tangent out of this loop of humiliations and failures
Nope – just hate him
Hang on Sam P last week we were improving a week later it’s a bad season make your mind up. As I said before stop chatting to your mates at school and go and study for your exams
I don’t like it when he says that he’s understanding and he too thinks we were simply not good enough, but then in the same interview he’ll justify his finishes and what he has won. Arsene, just prove you are not happy with the standings by player sales and player buys, or else tell us you are happy with the standings by contract renewals and money saved. That will tell us more than your double edged sword of a tongue.
In all honesty, what if Wenger can not get the transfers done because he doesn’t have enough support?
People make the BS claim that Wenger has final say over all transfers but I can find a vid and link it where Wenger is saying he didn’t want Arsenal to buy Welbroke, you know we offered a rumored £30mil for Lacazette, with the Welbroke cash that could have been £45 mil. Rumors was that may have been enough to get him!
I asked the question of how much of a final say Wenger has on transfers and I honestly do not believe Wenger has the final say on everything regarding transfers, Gazidis has tried to stamp his authority in it and messed up which Wenger got the blame for afterwards.
I have not heard from Ozil how Wenger himself called RM up and offered money, I heard how ARSENAL was doing these things but never read anything from Ozil saying how hard Wenger worked to bring him… or aything from Barca saying Wenger was not offering as much as Liverpool, it was ARSENAL. Yet the players come out and have said how much of an influence Wenger was in them signing.
If an Arsenal fan can show me proof that Wenger is the one low balling the bids then I will humbly eat my own hat otherwise everything I have read would indicate that Wenger is more of a point towards a target type and will have a list of choices.
I believe before the season started Wenger knew he needed at least 1 top CB, 1 top CM and 1 top CF.
Xhaka was a fast transfer compared to recent transfer dealings, well done. Kind of need a mobile CM to play alongside him now though…
Mustafi done well when he 1st joined, we didn’t lose a game for how long?
Then we got Perez and look how often he has been ‘injured’ or just not picked…
If given £100mil then what would you have done?
We needed the 3 players but could only afford 2 players with the quality… considering prices.
Oh and do not forget that the club could do with some leaders while picking transfer targets…
Whatever your argument is let’s agree Wenger blameless or not, needs to go even if for the sake of just getting in someone else new. I am tired of the drubbings and humiliations and I think we ought to stop behaving like desperate women and start acting like a big club…while we still are. Why must it be Wenger forever in charge of the club?
If Arsenal don’t win the FA Cup which I doubt the favoritism Arsene Wenger’s selected XI team can beat the Antonio Conte’s inform based selected XI side in the final , and haven lost out in the fight to grab a Ucl ticket in next season campaign save if a miracle happens. And haven lost out in the current PL title race and not won it in last 12 years, and also not won the League Cup for over 20 season’s campaign. How do one sum up Arsenal title winning fortunes under the stewardship of Arsene Wenger in the last 12 years? 2 back to back FA Cup triumphs and 12 unbroken appearances in the Ucl are what Mr Wenger can show he has achieved in those past 12 years for Arsenal. Certainly not good enough achievement for a big or super club side like Arsenal.
Mr Wenger used Real Madrid and Liverpool as examples of 2 big clubs who have not won their championship for 6 and 20 years respectively. It’s true these 2 clubs have not done so. But is it the same managers who had been failing in the last 6 and 20 years at these 2 clubs that are being retained by the clubs hoping they’ll one day, God knows when, win?
The big clubs like Man U, Man C, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham have all won the PL title before. And they still want to win it. That’s why they keep showing ambition to win it again and again by showing the door to their managers who hasn’t title winning mentality or who no linger has it. It’s a competitive challenging assignment.
Would Arsene Wenger have lasted 12 years at Real Madrid or Liverpool if he failed to win the title there?
I hate not the man Wenger but what he is doing to our club.
#NoNewContract
#WengerOut
I do not hate Wenger, I think he has done well and I think with the right support he could do well again, I will not deny though that since Dein left Wenger has looked like a shadow of the man he was when first joined us.
I have been saying for years now that Dein needs to be replaced fully and any hate I have is towards the old board for forcing that passionate legend off out board and now Silent Stan who refuses to allow Usmanov on the board.
Dein and Usmanov both believe we need to invest to collect bigger rewards, same as us supporters….
I dislike losing but I hate it when we do not work on the issues, Wenger isn’t the only issue and bigger fish to fry first as well.
Hate is such a harsh emotive and subjective word.
I dont like loosing
I dont like the fact kroenke puts money above trophies
I dont like our champions league failures
I dont like our premiership history since the invincibles
I dont like wengers loyalty to certain players
I dont like wengers transfer dealings
I dont like wengers players wage strategy
I dont like wengers players contract strategy
I dont like wengers belief in this team
I dont like wengers stubborness over his refusa to confirm whether he is staying or going
I dont like wengers lack of in play motivation from the bench
I dont like wengers substitution strategy at times
i dont like wengers zipper
But i dont hate him…if anything i feel sorry for him…sorry that he has finally tainted his own once great legacy .
I don’t hate him – I just cannot stand the sight or sound of him.
What he said above reads like a softening up of the fans before the announcement that he is staying for a further undeserved shot at failure.
You just know its going to happen.
Everything is gearing up for him to stay – the spineless, useless board of directors who are AWOL permanently will do nothing – too much like hard work.
They are not bothered about the fans, just their money.
Come to think about.
I do hate him.
It’s about having a connection with the fans and being honest. In his first 10 years Wenger, the fans, players, and board all wanted to win trophies and make Arsenal the best. We were all pulling in the same direction, connected to each-other by our ambition and intent.
Nowadays the manager, many players (In the current atmosphere), and majority of the board seem happy to earn obscene wages whilst living off past glories, which is contrary to what the fans and ambitious players want. Therefore we have a major disconnect, hence the animosity towards Wenger.
He doesn’t help himself with these constant (Thinly disguised) digs at the fans. Yes, Real might not have won the league for 5 years but that’s much more recently than the last time Arsenal won it! And Liverpool may not have won the league for 20 years, but back when we were winning the EPL, they actually managed to win the Champion’s League, and Real Madrid have won two since then!
When Moureen, Pep, Potch, etc. get it wrong they accept, adapt, and improve. When Wenger gets it wrong he blames the fixtures, the officials, the ref, anything except himself, and we all know that attitude can only make things worse.
It is insulting when he constantly hints that Gooners are ungrateful for not being happy with the current situation. We don’t “Expect” to win major trophies, but we expect the club try it’s very best, like we used to, and like we were promised we would after the Emirates was built.