Arsenal must look to Chelsea and Leicester NOT Man Utd

If the Arsenal board are still thinking about the manager situation and whether to call an end to the long reign of Arsene Wenger then I think that the current situation at two other Premier League clubs could help.

I really believe that one of the reasons why our club has been so willing to stick with the Frenchman and so reluctant to change things at the top has been the example set by Manchester United, and it is easy to understand why. Not only were the Old Trafford club more successful than us before the stepping down of Sir Alex Ferguson, they have spent a lot more money in the transfer market in the seasons since and apart from the FA cup they won last year and the EFL cup last month there has been very little to show for it but struggle and frustration.

Thankfully for the Arsenal fans calling for a change of manager, however, we have two very different examples of what change can bring in the form of Chelsea and Leicester City. The decision of the Foxes to get rid of Claudio Ranieri less than a year after his remarkable EPL title triumph was roundly condemned by the football world, much more so than Wenger’s departure would be, but it has been completely vindicated as they now look a different team.

Leicester’s impressive and in the end comfortable win over Sunderland last night made it six in a row since they sacked the Italian and they are now looking once again like the side that shocked everyone last season. Those wins have included and 3-1 over Liverpool and a 2-0 over Sevilla that keeps them in the Champions League and more importantly for us it is the difference in their play after a change at the top which has been so remarkable.

The Arsenal board can also look at Chelsea and how different they have been with virtually the same players under Antonio Conte than they were at the start of last season under Mourinho. We cannot guarantee that a change at Arsenal will produce the sort of results seen at Leicester and Chelsea but at least it proves that things do not have to go the way of Man United. Will this give our board the courage to act?

Bob.

7 Comments

  1. The last few years are the lost years. Wenger’s abilities have lessened. This is not to do with blame. Wherever we go in life the old, sooner or later, needs to be refreshed by the new and creative. Times and methods change and Wenger has not quite adapted. He is very knowlegeable, but as stubborn a man as I’ve ever seen. The board are staid and lost in a time warp. I really hope Wenger resigns with a little dignity. “If things don’t change they stay as they are”. Time has proven this year after year with Wenger. He must leave graciously before we start to flirt with 6th or seventh place evey year.

  2. Arsenal board simply doesn’t have guts to change, unlike Chelsea and Leicester City. A big change might make Arsenal go down further like Manchester United, but it is better than floating around in mediocrity like the other Premiere League clubs. According to ESPN.com, Arsene Wenger recently said he is not planning major changes if he stays at Arsenal. This will guarantee another barren period under him, as he doesn’t seem to want learn from other managers like Ranieri, Guardiola and Conte.

  3. I can’t understand why the owner, board and AKB’s persist with Wenger. I actually can’t even find anything positive to say about him anymore. Dammit the man struggles with zippers.

  4. @arsenal-steve.
    You say the last few years
    are the lost years.
    I feel the same.
    Arsenal has not won a Premiership for 13 years.
    Yet Arsenal has made top 4 the same 13 years.
    Too me this is too much of a coincidence.
    This has been no accident.
    The 2009 – 2017 era is dominated by the “top 4 sustainable model”
    I believe the two ring leaders are Arsene and Mr Kroenke.
    Arsene because he was burnt so badly by Mourinho in ’05 +’6
    he cowered away from competing for the title ever since
    preferring to win the top 4 trophy.
    Come May the glorious top 4 victory cry will resound at Arsenal.
    Mr Kroenke because winning raises expectations requiring
    too much investment in expensive purchases and salaries.
    When pressed to clarify the clubs ambitions Silent Stan remains silent.
    Mr Gazidiz rarely speaks and when he does he emits meaningless nothingness.
    Then disappears back into his office to do God knows what for several years.
    Arsene has given more than 1000 pre match interviews and
    more than 1000 post match interviews all filled with indecipherable nonsense.
    We as fans are not meant to understand anything
    let alone question the Lords of the Manor.
    So Steve maybe these were not only the lost years
    but the loser years with the biggest losers being us the fans.
    The only winners are they who have power privilege and wealth
    and when questioned dismiss the underlings with a wave of their hand.

    1. I may defend Wenger a lot in transfers but I do put the blame of wages at his feet, Wenger wants a more equal pay and has said years ago (when Dein was here) that having fair/kinda equal wages would be better.

      That just means we spend more on kids and less on top talent, the kids then drop in performances and fail to hit their potential, I am guessing because they are not growing up in the head by the time they have bucket loads of cash to throw around and distracts them from what is important.

      Ideal for feeder clubs as it can encourage young talent to join them for experience and wages.

      We are no longer a feeder club, it was upsetting being a feeder club when we lost top talent and now we have the money… those kids are not needed to be sold and have developed into driftwood.

      Wenger should have zero input on wages and transfer fees, any future manager should have zero input in these fields IMO as it should be a club structure and not a manager’s preference.

      It does bug me that Iwobi is being paid, I think, 3x the wage that City pay Iheanacho and can any of us agree with that? They both play at the same international level and they are both bench players for a EPL team.
      Sane 55k a week, Ox 65k a week.

      We could be saving a fair bit if we just cut down the wages on players still developing and that could allow us to compete with City for wages for stars.

      Aguero is on what… £220k a week?

      We could offer that if we wasn’t wasting cash on wages for players who have failed to hit their potential. £20k from Iwobi, Wilshere shouldn’t have been offered as much as he was, same for Ramsey…

      As I said, I will defend Wenger when I believe he may not be the issue but the wage structure I do believe is a legacy of Wenger which needs to be thrown out asap. Paying them well I believe would be to buy their loyalty from a young age but if we want the players loyalty then we need to show ambition and give them a reason to fight for a spot in the team to wear our badge, make that a goal rather than good wages. Win stuff and be a club that they can be proud to play for.

      Heck we may be able to get away with paying lower wages once we show some real ambition for winning the big things? I wonder how many players would want money compensation in wages for us not winning things??? If I can’t have the trophies then I want to be paid well for this loss type of attitude?

  5. Courage and AFC, especially pertaining to the board,owners and manager is not something that goes hand in hand.

    Now stagnation and financial gain, that’s their ticket!

  6. UTD are ran for profit still.
    Chelsea and The Foxes have owners who have ambition for sporting reasons.

    Unless Arsenal FC show the same type of ambition then it would be wrong comparing our board with Roman at Chelsea or the foxes owner.

    UTD is a good example as they was bought using their own money and clearly have owners who worry about the bank account equally as much as Silent Stan.

    I do not see Roman acting penny pinching at Chelsea.
    I can find evidence of Silent Stan penny pinching at his other clubs! Not just at Arsenal.

    Sounds like comparing apples and oranges.

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