Arsenal legend Steve Bould sacked by Mikel Arteta

The Arsenal legend Steve Bould, who was Arsene Wenger’s assistant first team coach in Le Prof’s last 7 years at the club, has now parted company with Mikel Arteta’s coaching staff.

There is no official announcement as yet but the news has been leaked on SkySports today who have reported that he was “sacked”. The 58 year-old was demoted to be the U23’s coach in 2019 but with the Gunners reserve side only finishing tenth in this seasons league table, he has now been removed from the coaching team altogether.

Bould started at his carreer at his local side Stoke City, where he stayed for 8 years, but has had a long and illustrious career from 1988 with the Gunners spanning 11 years as a player, winning three league titles, two FA Cups and the Cup Winners’ Cup.

He then had one final playing season at Sunderland before being forced to retire with arthritis, and after completing his coaching badges he returned to Arsenal as a youth team coach and after ten years in the Academy was promoted to be Wenger’s Number Two on the retirement of Pat Rice.

Although Bould was not too successful with the U23’s he did oversee the development of players like Bukayo Saka and Smith-Rowe to pave their way to the Arsenal first team squad.

On whatever terms he is leaving the club now, all Arsenal fans can recognise how much Bould has been a big part of Arsenal’s success in his 30 years at the club, and we can only wish him well in the future…

Tags Arteta Bould

39 Comments

  1. I’m surprised Arteta would be in sole charge of sacking the U23 coach. I would have thought Edu and Mertesacker would have had some say. But the headline says it’s all down to Arteta so I’ll take you on your word.

    1. The worst thing is that people actually believe it and use it as more ammunition to bash on Arteta

  2. Bould was a Wenger man, Farteta IS a Guardiola man. Both asistant coaches, and an assistant coach is just an assistant. Nothing more. No coach, no manager. Sack Farteta!

    1. True Dude serious club would’ve sacked Arteta by4 the turn of year. For his immaturish coaching decisions that cost the club eg 1st leg Europa league semi. Whichever superstar the club signs with arteta immaturishness no change.Do Leicester,westham have better players than arsenal? See there perfomance

  3. If Arteta was responsible for Bould’s sacking thats poor by Arsenal. It should come from Edu or above. It kind of grates that a player who helped win Arsenal so much( Bould) was treated like this by a Manager who as a player didn’t really achieve much apart from win a few cups. And lets face it a lot of clubs would have sacked Arteta by now anyway.

    1. Respect to Bould for his playing career and long term commitment to the club. But maybe it’s just time to move on? Was it a sacking, or just end of contract?

    1. Actually, he should have been sacked long before Wenger left. LETS TELL THE WHOLE TRUTH, EH!

      I could never see what he did anyway, apart from chewing gum! No evidence whatever of defensive coaching ability. Amazed he lasted as long as he did. Isn’t THAT the REAL truth!!

      1. You’re joking here right?
        Have you forgotten when Bould was allowed to take over defensive coaching when Wenger was still there?
        Arsenal became the team with the best defensive record in Europe’s top 5 leagues.

        Our record was amazing.
        Then the press asked Wenger about the impact of Bould’s coaching once too often and Wenger’s ego kicked in, he snapped at reporters “It’s not all him [Bould]!
        Bould was quickly removed from defensive duties and Arsenal leaked goals like a sieve for the rest of the season.

        You must have missed all that.

  4. How can arteta sack a coach, that is laughable, i think the writer needs to rewrite the headline and not just 1 that is nothing but a click bait, academy coach can either be sacked by per, edu or the higher ups and not arteta, arteta is responsible for some of his coaching staff that he Brought with himself to the club and not below that, if arteta gets fired tomorrow those set of people also loses their job because its tied to that of arteta. The simple fact n truth remains arteta didn’t sack bould but arsenal did(either per, edu or those higher on the ladder)

  5. He wasn’t sacked by a Arteta though I would think he would have been consulted. Mertesacker was Bould’s boss to Arteta.
    Anyway, greatest respect to you Bouldy, a true hero in our glorious history, an incredible defender and a good guy, Gooner through and through. Thanks and good luck.

      1. Need to all pull together ,not bashing each other still lots of talant players and staff

  6. All the best to Bould

    I did find him highly ineffective even when Wenger was here so not sad to see him go

  7. we are becoming a laughing stock as a clubside year after year. No thanks to mediocre coaches like Emery and Arteta, and the unrepentant Miser called Kroenke.

    If someone is to be sacked today, Arteta should be this moment.

    THERE CAN’T BE ANY EXCUSE FOR PLACING 9TH ON THE TABLE, BEHIND EVERTON, WESTHAM, SPURS, LEICESTER.

    THE WORST COACH IN PREMIERSHIP ERA.

    1. But after today, we will be 7th and in front of Everton and spurs.
      You heard it here first!

  8. All the best to Steve Bould, a great centre back at the Arsenal and coaching servant to the Club.
    The disappointing thing was that when Bould became Arsene Wenger’s assistant after the retirement of Pat Rice, he could not coach the same defensive discipline he and his fellow back four exhibited into the Arsenal players in his charge.

  9. Inaccurate headline. He was sacked by the ‘executive team’, which includes Arteta, but also Edu, Vinai and Per, the latter of whom had the most weight in the decision making as head of development.

    Bould also didn’t oversee much of Saka’s and ESR’s development as he only took over from Freddie at the beginning of last season (Saka had become a full member of the first team by game 10 or so, and ESR was out on loan).

    Two seasons of poor results and rigid tactics (although he had to deal with a big exodus of players out on loan this season).

    Wish him all the best.

  10. I think Bould did try to build his defensive version of zonal marking with very little success due to poor recruitment. I just would have preferred Keown with his man to man marking but internal politics at AFC ruled him & Adams out.
    All the best to Bould.

  11. Deliberately misleading and erroneous headline.I wish Bould all the best.For such a strong and powerful player on the field , he was too meek and mild off it I’m afraid.

      1. Hey, don’t be that!
        I read it on Sky earlier, and they NEVER reported that. Infact, the ONLY mention of ‘Arteta’ is in a paragraph:

        “Arsenal’s U23 side only finished 10th in the Premier League 2 this season under Bould, but the team has produced Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith-Rowe, who have emerged
        as highly influential members of Mikel Arteta’s first team.”

        …and that’s what Grandad meant in his first sentence over there! Ridiculous headline.

      2. Sky headline:
        “Steve Bould: Arsenal sack U23 coach after 30 years at the club”

        Your headline:
        “Arsenal legend Steve Bould sacked by Mikel Arteta”

        Spot the difference.

        1. Okay I apologise for making the mistake of thinking that Arteta was in charge. Sorry!

  12. Top player but as a coach he must have had something to have been there that long , what he had ? I don’t know but arsenal defence was at its worst when he was #2.
    Time to go

  13. delighhted to hear that bould, another wenger lazy hasbeen,has been let go. i dont care how he left, i dont mind who terminated his contract either. important thing is that he is going.the most ineffective assistant manager ever,gum chewer supreme. great player in his day, but management is a no no. but the very best of luck to him, i am certain that some non league club must be looking for a defence coach.

    1. Gerry, my thoughts too, entirely.

      I never saw why he stayed so long and so ineffectively. He should have gone ages before Wenger and Wenger should have gone ages before he(Wenger) eventually did. Great player, lousy coach.

      I REALISE WENGER LIKED LAZY PEOPLE AROUND HIM. OTHERWISE WHY ON EARTH WOULD HE HAVE LET WALCOTT AND OZIL STAY SO LONG.

  14. Arsenal Ineed new players Arteta I need standard Squad In Arsenal and Then Enough is Enough Dani Ceballos most go Stupid player , Hector most go E.t.e

  15. Bould like Ljungberg are Legends as players. I suspect they are more to the u23 results. May have clashes of headstrong opinions. Arteta reloaded need to field a stable permanent team when epl kicks off instead of living his fantasy with his experiments and too wayward with switching players around.

  16. Firstly I completely agree with you about kroenke. Useless.

    However after that, I the kindest thing I can do is to call you an idiot. Emery is a good manager as he has shown with villareal. And arteta is on a mission to improve a team that has been spiralling downhill for the last 15 years….. even a great manager like wenger couldn’t stop the downfall of a once great team.

    As for your comment about spurs and Leicester and Everton…… let’s not forget that there are only 5 teams that have won the PL in the last 16 years (since arsenal last won) and one of them was Leicester. They are now part of the ever growing “big six” and Everton have been challenging for years. Spurs barely need an introduction…

    So to conclude. We are not a laughing stock. We don’t have the worst manager in the PL. And you’ve clearly not seen what has been happening to the club for 18 years and are still living in the 90’s thinking the arsenal are a club to be feared.

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