There have been more than the usual anti-Wenger protests this season, with banners on planes and fighting on the terraces between Arsenal fans, and even Wenger himself admitted that the uncertainty over his contract situation was the cause of the toxic atmosphere and even the form of the players on the pitch.
Now that Wenger’s two year extension has now finally been confirmed, Lois Langton of the Arsenal Independent Supporters’ Association is worried that the ill-feelings between the fans and the club will continue to cause problems in the future. Langton thinks that the club cannot afford to just ignore the protests and must work out ways to improve the situation. He told the Star: “Whilst some supporters have welcomed the news that Arsene Wenger’s contract is to be extended, for others it has felt like a missed opportunity to draw a line in the sand and for him to go out on the high of a FA Cup win.
“Whilst the uncertainty that we have experienced for an absurdly long time this season has finally come to an end with the announcement, for many supporters the feelings of discontent and disconnect with the club remain.
“Whatever views there may be as to whether it was right or not to give him a new contract, the board and the manager need to get to grips now with recognising the extent of the ill-feeling that exists and urgently look at ways of building bridges with many supporters.
“If they bury their heads in the sand and pretend that it is only a small minority who want change across many levels of the club’s structure, we will only see an escalation of the in-fighting we have witnessed in recent seasons.
“And if that happens, my concern is that our wonderful football club, with its rich history, is going to implode – and nobody wants to see that happen to the club we love.”
As anyone who visits this site or other Arsenal forums will be well aware of the level of animosity between the pro- and anti-Wenger factions, but what can Arsenal possibly do to improve situation?
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