REALLY? WENGER’S LAST YEARS SAW A DROP IN GOALS SCORED? THAT WAS THE CLAIM – LET’S SEE THE ACTUAL EVIDENCE. by Ken1945
It was claimed just recently that during Arsene Wenger’s latter years, our goals dried up and his attacking philosophy suffered considerably from his early years, and ‘goals scored’ proved that statement.
Now, such a bold statement required some looking into, especially if we are to recognize, as a fanbase, the history of Arsene Wenger’s years and recognise facts from fiction.
So, as per the usual recognised dates under discussion, I looked at the stats from 2008 onwards (you know, the “lost decade”) and here are the results from the PL as per the 2018/19 Official Handbook:
Season:
2007/08 Goals scored = 74
2008/09 Goals scored = 68
2009/10 Goals scored = 83
2010/11 Goals scored = 72
2011/12 Goals scored = 74
2012/13 Goals scored = 72
2013/14 Goals scored = 68
2014/15 Goals scored = 71
2015/16 Goals scored = 65
2016/17 Goals scored = 77
2017/18 Goals scored = 74
Average goals scored = 72.5
So, as you can see, the claim that the goals scored in AW’s latter years dried up, are totally false and in fact, compare favourably to his first spell, 1996 to 2007… here they are.
1996/97 = 62
1997/98 = 68
1998/99 = 59
1999/00 = 73
2000/01 = 63
2001/02 = 79
2002/03 = 85
2003/04 = 73
2004/05 = 87
2005/06 = 68
2006/07 = 63
Average goals scored = 71
In fact, in AW’s last season, the ‘goals scored’ were only beaten twice during his initial eleven seasons!!!
So much for the claim put forward that his attacking philosophy was suffering with lack of goals.
The average, during the “lost decade” was better than the “golden years”, but hey, let’s not allow facts to colour the truth of a statement!!!!!
Time to remember the names of some of the goal scorers who AW was involved with… Wright, Henry, Wiltord, Adebayor, Anelka, Bergkamp, Giroud, Kanu, Lacazette, Sanchez, RVP, Eduardo, Aubameyang… to name just a few of the players, who by a fan making false accusations, disrespect these players and their achievements… why???
Of course we could all produce another list of those players who failed and there are many… but Sanogo, Baptista, Bentley, Boa Morte and Vela spring immediately to mind.
So, in summary, when a “fan” makes a statement that bears no resemblance to the facts, it’s either because he or she has an agenda, or they just don’t know the history of the club… and that is the most important thing to remember… our proud history and the players (both good and bad) who have made it.
Let’s not disrespect that history, by making up things that are simply not true… be as unkind as you want in the comments but check your facts before making wild accusations.
ken1945
👍👍👍 Great article Ken
Let me guess who said this 🤔😂
Lets play hang man, how many letters?
I played by myself and got this far
THIRDMA_J_
Actually for once it wasn’t directed at me, although I’m sure the master of spin Ken will see to that haha
Beat you to it TMJW by 9 minutes – of course you will “spin it” somehow or another, but I did notice you didn’t challenge the facts from the handbook, just as I’m sure you won’t, when I produce the goals against record as well…in fact I think you’ll embrace them in their entirety!!!!
Only recently someone was so desperate to put on a positive spin on things that he posted that if MA were to win the EL he would become our most successful manager when it comes to the ratio of games played/trophies won i mean What’s next?the manager with most tackles won?most crosses?most passes in our box?this is getting absurd I’m telling you!
Ken, someone will now claim we had a leaky defence and he only succeeded in early years due to players he imherited.
Would be great to know the facts behind the defence,would you be able to put that together?
Yes, I can google but I wont be able to put such a convincing article together to educate the members of this site.
@Mambo- Wenger inherited one of the finest defences ever assembled inEnglish Football. He hardly changed a thing the first few seasons when he arrived until adding Sol Campbell for the 2001-02 season.
Would you now like me to list the disastrous signings Wenger made for the defence after this ? Or save you the embarrassment?
Wait for it Phil, you and TMJW are like cats on a hot tin eiif🔥🔥🔥😻😻😻
I don’t agree with you here Phil.
Is either you turn blind eyes to the defends that won the invisible or you have an agenda.
Invisible first team squad
Keeper
Jens Lehmann signed by Wenger
Stuart Taylor promoted by Wenger
Rami Shaaban by Wenger
Defender
Ashley Cole promoted by Wenger
Martin Keown
Pascal Cygan by Wenger
Gaël Clichy by Wenger
Sol Campbell by Wenger
Kolo Touré by Wenger
Lauren by Wenger
Midfielder
Patrick Vieira (Captain) by Wenger
Robert Pirès by Wenger
Frederick Ljungberg by Wenger
Ray Parlour
Edu by Wenger
Gilberto Silva by Wenger
Forwards
José Antonio Reyes by Wenger
Dennis Bergkamp
Sylvain Wiltord by Wenger
Thierry Henry by Wenger
Nwankwo Kanu by Wenger
Jérémie Aliadière by Wenger
In this squad, only 3 players are not of Wenger’s signing and yet the squad was still rated as the best club to ever win the EPL.
So you’re wrong Phil.
@Phil lets wait for the facts
But the goal conceded and loss stats must be high
Abit like Artetas ?
Arteta’s stats are worse, but let’s not forget that he’s a rookie manager and he has to handle rich superstars
Thanks for your passion and true facts.
It does shock me when I read things that some so-called fans write that is directed at defaming Le Prof in the name of set a record straight, that he was less successful than the record says? Ridiculous!
I don’t even rate those fans, they are below the grades. If you lack passion to know enough to reminisce those landmarks. You are just not a gooner
I remember when we bid £40,000,001 for Suarez, Wenger in my heart turned into Mr Bean. That moment defined our future. £45,000,000 and a different future would have ensued. I knew Wenger’s days were numbered. But later still, with Sanchez, Cazorla, Ozil, and Ramsey and a shit defence we could still play a little Cavalier football. Arsenal spelled creative dance football. The ‘Diversity’ dance group of football. When we started buying the Muatafi’s, Xhaka’s, etc, the defence fell down a sewer. Emery tried in his own way but had no executive say in the running of the club. Then with Raul Sanllehi and Vinai and Arteta the Rookie, we became a ghost. A lost club. It’s time to bring back the Arsenal, magical, creative, dominant, heart back to Arsenal. It’s a shame that Wenger the Great stayed a few years beyond his peak. Good luck Daniel Ek, let karma begin.
Arsene Wenger did not bid 40.00001 for Suarez. Gazidis did!!
Same thing PAL- Gazidis wouldn’t know what he was doing buying a player as proved.
Big Ben
You don’t think Wenger knew about it….you are joking of course.
The Partey dealshows that there’s no need to pay a penny more than the release clause. Liverpool owner denied there was one following the Suarez bid. He’s reported to have admitted to having conned Arsenal – that there really had been a release clause. The FA knew that and did nothing.
And you blame Arsene?
Pity.
Ken cherry picking as always!
Why not do a stats based article, on performances/results and goals for/against against quality opposition? I expect a big drop off over time.
Actually TMJW, while I was doing this, I also made a note of “goals against” over the same two periods, so I will put that together IN EXACTLY the same format.
You see, I just want the facts to be recognised – how taking figures from an official handbook is “cherry picking” only you can explain!!!
You can spin things all you want Ken, but you can’t spin the hard facts:
During our LONG regression under Wenger, results and performances, especially against quality opposition, badly nosed dived, resulting in a huge up turn in humiliations and thrashings!
In Wenger’s final 14 years in the league, we only every finished as high as 2nd twice, and never put in a real genuine crack at the title.
He went 9 years straight without a trophy.
Last 7/8 years in Europe were awful, and he never won a European trophy.
Those are some pretty damning facts, and ANY other manager at ANY other club would have been sacked a long long time ago! Wenger was unbelievably lucky to not only survive until 2018, but to also be one of the highest paid managers in world football, despite that monstrously long period of regression.
@TMJW- under our VERY SHORT regression under Arteta we have fallen to depths not witnessed by most supporters in their lifetime but it hasn’t stopped you trying to defend him PAL has it?
@Phil
Big difference between 14 years and 12 months.
Big difference between every player being your own signing, and inheriting a complete mess of a squad assembled under two managers.
I’ll expect your apology now PAL!
I for one have never rated you….you say things other fans can’t say about our legendary coach….and it baffles me how you turn around and praise Arteta for this shit he is serving us….maybe because you found out grass wasn’t actually green at the other side and it’s such a hard pill for you to swallow….Wenger saved us this sort of embarassment for that 9years you called frúitless years qualifying us for the champions league….he constantly told us fans and the footballing world how top 4 was very important but some chose to laugh at him….same hypocrites everywhere now talk about top4 as a big achievement now…. something Wenger once likened to a trophy….isn’t it as big as a trophy now….even the so called Mourinho and Klopp were always talking about it….and instead of you to swallow your pride you go about trying to tarnish what Wenger has done for the team….you talked about 9 trophyless years but you never talked about the emirate stadium that was a result of those years where we had to sell our best players to pay for the debt year in year out….how unconstructive of you….how many coaches do you think can work under those constraints Wenger had to work with and still qualify for champions league year in year out for that long….ohhhh your darlings Arteta and Emery couldn’t even do that after spending what Wenger couldn’t in 3 years and without having to sell their best players….I think ken should just stop replying you as I don’t believe you are an arsenal fan….Wenger brought us the golden Premier league….no manager has ever and will ever be able to do that again….it is our history……our heritage…only ours….it’s what I say to every fan that ask me of our European trophy…i ask them to provide me their golden trophy…..i will take the invisibles over and over again above any champions league cos it’s easier to win the champions league in future than go unbeaten in a season….respect our greatest manager thirdman…..
@Dammy
So you’d prefer to go back to the Wenger days, that before a ball was even kicked, we’d knew we wouldn’t do anything in the league and Europe under Wenger?
Those who dared criticize him, were proven correct so many years in a row, that I’ve actually lost count!
It is gradually sinking in Dammy, especially if we fail to qualify for Europe for the first time in over two decades
@TMJW- if Wenger or ANY manager had produced the results after 14 months that Arteta has achieved they would be sacked. The proof in point being Emery. However you try to gloss over the facts that are staring you in the face, Arteta has taken a squad of players that should have comfortably finished Top 6 to. where exactly?
No apologies from me PAL for stating what is quite obvious. ANOVICE manager who has achieved the impossible- he has made a Top 6 squad a mid- table joke.
@Phil
Well Arteta’s first 8 months were a roaring success!
To win an FA Cup, and qualify for Europe, given the massive problems he inherited, and our shocking form at that time, was a huge achievement!
It’s only the last 8 months where he’s really struggled, not the 14 you are quoting.
It’s interesting how critical you are of a new manager over an extremely short period of time, yet Wenger had over a decade of poor results. From what you are saying, new managers should be judged on less than a full season! So we change managers every season until something works I guess?
Add to that, you think Arteta should easily be in the top 6, and I think you have easily proven how little knowledge you have of football managers in new positions, and time needed to succeed in general, and that you also have a distant lack of knowledge of our problems, and the lack of quality in the squad.
At best, we should be scraping into the top 6, but in my opinion, Leicester have a better squad, more balanced, a settled well run club, and an experienced manager. I would say 7th is more realistic for us.
I agree, mid-table is poor, but 14 years straight of not even challenging for the league is an absolute joke, and a MASSIVE contributing factor as to where we are now. It’s interesting how you don’t comment on Wenger’s terrible run, yet do nothing but hammer Emery and Arteta who have only been here 5 minutes, and inherited the mess from Wenger in the first place.
You can apologize now if you want Phil. Don’t worry, I’ll accept it!
If you’ve lost count TMJW, it’s got to be six or less😂😂😂😂6️⃣
Why refrain from adding –
He built us a state of the art stadium
on shoestrngs while with kids (the best Arsenal could afford) –
He kept us in champions League year after year.
@TMJW- I judge Arteta on where he is taking the Club. Have a look at the table PAL.
And while nobody would deny how he galvanised an underperforming squad inherited from Emery, he has added and strengthened that squad with SEVEN players, plus agreed new and improved contracts for both Aubamayang and Luiz.
So, with sound reasoning, we should not be where we are on the league should we? Arteta has had roughly the same time Emery was given, yet you feel a novice Manager should be given a free pass why exactly?
Had we not qualified for European elite competition for 20 years, and rather tried to get FA Cup, Europa League, etc. I wonder how many small trophy we would have collected.
For me, winning these FA cup, Europa League are not a trophy, just a TICKET. I never call qualifying Champions League for consecutive 20 years as ‘LONG regression period’.
Ken1945, TMJW always use Bayern Munich vs. Arsenal 10:2 for the 2 legs in Champion League as an example against AW. If you search for Bayern Munich against EPL top teams in Champion League, Bayern Munich beats most of them.
Arsenal still won some matches but few top EPL teams never win against Bayern Munich.
He multiply those two matches to make it numerous.
Don’t get your point in the slightest Kenny? And to completely reverse whatever you’re trying to say, what top EPL teams, or ANY top European teams lost 5-1 three times in a row to Bayern?
Anyone can isolate the odd match here and there, but that’s cherry picking. I prefer to look at the facts that actually matter. E.g. Maybe Arsenal had some fantastic wins during Wenger’s 9 years straight without a trophy, but the overall point that actually matters is that he went 9 years straight without a trophy!
the decline in trophy is due to the fact that the other clubs were improving tremendously and their owners want name and records not just the financial gains. Wenger and arsenal were still carrying same 10 kilograms year in year out while others were upgrading to 400kg to 1000kgs. even till now it is the same old story. we an average team. our players are not in the upper class and yet we as fans still live in our past glory. the owners don’t want trophy but they are business people who are after cash not the excitement of the game
Don’t know who says that the goals dried up but you’ve shown them to be wrong – I never thought that particularly. It was more issues of consistency, defensive stability and winning mentality that were the problems in “the latter years”
Just wanted to voice my displeasure with Vela being listed as a failure – he was a mini Gnabry imo. Certainly could have done very well under the right circumstances.
Similarly Bentley, who basically just had better players ahead of him, which doesn’t mean he was a “failure”.
KEN WITH THGREATEST OF RESPECT I HAVE NOT BOTHERED READING YOUR ARTICLE . My contention, which I once thought was also yours -to judge from your posts long after he had left- was that we need to move on from discussing the past.
I have done so and so will not even be reading superflous articles either defending or attcking our manager three full time managers ago. The same reason I would not read an article on Don HOWE Bertie MEE etc. Life is about the present and future . The past is gone, let it lie in peace!
That’s fine Jon, I’m more than happy to be in the present.
HOWEVER – how many times have you berated the “younger fans” for not knowing our history?
That’s what this article is about – OUR HISTORY – so if that isn’t important to you now, then I understand.
By the way, it wasn’t TMJW who made this accusation… amazing as it might seem😂😂😂
Ken I have only just read your reply to my first post where you mention younger fans learning “our history”.
Excuse my laughing at that lame excuse but “history PROPER, is not merely a summation of attacking stats in YOUR favourite managers time. It is of Dial Square,Plumstead, the Royal Oak, moving to Highbury,Relegation, promotion by Sir Henrys heavily influenced votes, of Chapman, Bob Wall, Alex James, the Battle of Highbury 1934, the war years and Arsenal Arps, and all times since 1946 up to and including , very much including the Wenger years.
But merely trotting out attacking stats from a single decade under a single manager, in order to fill your personal agenda, is NOT what I call TRUE history!
I will be the first to applaud you if you wish to write about TRUE ARSENAL HISTORY, even if you choose to do so in instalments. THEN our younger fans can get a real education from a master who knows as much about ALL our history as anyone alive.
Jon, I have done articles on Chapman, Norris, ex players and David Dein to name a few, along with our 1971 double winning week, so please don’t tell me what our history is all about.
This article was written because a fan, who hasn’t commented to date, made a statement that wasn’t correct and I checked it out.
I don’t care who it is being misrepresented, if someone is rewriting out history, it needs to be challenged.
Remember someone saying that fans were saying Ozil was better than Bergkamp?
That was another false statement, as was the one claiming AW lost so many first leg away ties, the poor unfortunate fan had lost count… it was actually SIX games over the entire TWENTY YEARS of CL football.
I’m very sorry that fans are making these false claims against the Wenger years, but perhaps they weren’t around when Chapman was manager?
Otherwise I’m certain you would be up in arms about it.
Does that mean you’ll let those who post blatant falsehoods about these managers you mentioned just get away with them?
kEN curiosity hasnow got the better of me , so despite my above post, I gave in and read your factually correct article. I know you research your stats with diligence.
I will not deign to speak for other GOONERS but as you know, my personal biggest beef with his “lost decade”( to borrow your phrase) was not the attack but the lack of a proper defence, a PROPER DM and the lack of even trying to have a top defence.
He , to my mind, totally abandoned all semblance of even being seriously interested in a defence. We were not short, by and large, of creative midfielders and attacking talent. The defence however was largely pathetic for many, many years. If you wish to give us all defence stats for that period and compare with the glory decade, I would DEFINITELY be interested to read and discuss that.
However, my moving on comment in my first post is still of PRIME importance Reliving old wounds only leads to entrenched positions, arguments and point scoring from various factions.
And THAT is my MAIN POINT Ken, as NO amount of regurgitated stats will ever change a single persons mind now, try as you might. Reality!
Great article as expected Ken. Your facts vs claims articles are working. Just the other day TMJW posted a really good article and the best of his I have read yet. He even provided facts in it!
Interesting info Ken.Any stats on goals conceded, an area which Arsene seemed to give only secondary consideration given the number of poor defenders he signed latterly.
Ken my friend
Very well researched article, and I certainly appreciate all that you brought to light. There is so much more when context is applied to the numbers as you well know.
Wenger did this while the club was in the process of a new stadium and the debt accrued, quite a task. For me the biggest dent in the legacy of Wenger was when Kronke fired Dein.
Wenger and DD together was a juggernaut, and I would have loved to see those two carry their legacy into the Emirates stadium.
I regret to say I don’t know why Kronke chose to fire DD; the reasons behind the decision. One of the worst if not the worst decision in our clubs history.
Durand, Your “facts” are incorrect. Dein was forced out by the other directors at the time, 2007 not” fired by Kroenke” at all. Kroenke than came on board. It would be fair to say that those traitors who sold out to Kroenke had turned against Dein and THEY, esp DANNY FITZMAN, A FORMER FRIEND OF HIS, BETRAYED HIM.
This is a long complicated story of a directors power struggle and Kroenkes clinching victory was only when Lady Nina Bracewell -Smith agreed to sell KROENKE HER OWN SHARE HOLDING.
Hi Durand, here’s a very interesting article about how we struggled for many years to operate our club, due to the debt situation. Remember it was before FA’s multi billion media deals. Good reading 👍
https://www.forbes.com/sites/bobbymcmahon/2016/10/04/tracking-the-impact-of-arsenals-move-to-emirates-stadium-ten-years-on-was-it-worth-it/?sh=32591d23537e
The point is that Wenger at his shittest was still head and shoulders above Farty! When was the last time we lost nine games at home? 1930!
Ken, as you clearly subscribe to the oft-times naïve notion that “numbers don’t lie”, it’s difficult to engage in any rational discourse regarding such a “fraudulent” tale
this reminds me of a debate awhile back involving the ludicrous claims of some regarding the perceived dominance of Kos and Per as a defensive pairing, which was clearly not the based in reality…now in that case the “stats” suggested one thing, whereas my eyes, combined with an ounce of common sense, logically drew a much different conclusion
much like in that case, the numbers, without the necessary context, didn’t properly reflect the reality of the situation…upon further inspection, you start to understand the mitigating factors, like how changes within the game led to more scoring but not necessarily better performances, or how during Wenger’s post-Dein years we had a tendency to batter the weakest of opponents thereby skewing the overall numbers, etc…
it’s like if you never physically watched a match then attempted to provide a detailed summary based solely on the stats provided…now of course there would be times when those “facts” alone might provide you with enough evidence to produce a plausible summation of the events, but without the appropriate context more often than not such an attempt would fall considerably short
with this in mind, minus the briefest of moments, when Sanchez was at his sparkling best, no amount of stats will ever convince any intelligent fan with fully functioning eyes that we were even remotely comparable to the teams, offensively-speaking or otherwise, of the previous generation
not based instead of not the based
So you have decided to defend your statement VL?
For your information, I probably watched 99 % of our home games at The Emirates and, possibly, 90% of away games via TV and/or highlights during the AW years, so I comment on actual experience AND the official stats provided by our club.
Now from your base in the USA, you might think that is irrelevant and that might be the case…. but when you made the statement you did, there was no caveat about your personal take, in fact you announced that most fans would agree with you.
As I patiently await your promised, but way overdue, article regarding AW and how you would prove he was the devil himself, can I suggest you explain yourself and your views more succinctly?
I have already sent in the second article detailing AW’s defensive record… should I have said that the results were unfair because it included results against the bigger clubs skewed those figures?
I can just imagine your reaction if I had done that… perhaps you could include both in your uuuuuupcoming article, if you feel it’s of such relevance?
first and foremost, I’ve had the good fortune of living in both the US and in Europe, including the UK, but I was born and raised for most of my formative years in Canada, which is where I currently reside
I felt it necessary to clarify this point just in case you were leaning in on the rather recent anti-American sentiments that have gained significant prominence on the heels of Wyoming’s frequent trolling expeditions
I have likewise attended numerous Arsenal matches, at varying locations across the globe, but certainly nothing remotely close to the amount you have been in attendance for(of course, how could anyone forget this fact as you wear it both like a badge of honour or an albatross around your neck, depending on the given circumstances)
as for watching the games on TV or visa vie the internet, I legitimately can’t even think of the last time I missed an Arsenal game, so I have ample evidence to support any football-related point I might make about our club
regardless of these more personal facts, the matter at hand is about how one might best analyze, or in your case manipulate, all the available information…with this in mind, your obvious attempts to use the “stats” as a means to lipstick-up the rather underwhelming second generation Arsenal “pig”, under Wenger, will only work when you’re preaching to the choir, which ultimately achieves nothing
in fact, your attempt to “massage” the facts will simply lead to the unnecessary rehashing of old, highly divisive issues…as such, it’s a largely counter-productive endeavour that will almost never produce it’s intended results, as any clear-minded individual, who was present for these two distinctly different time periods in our modern history, will never truly buy what your selling because their eyes don’t lie
So, as I try to decipher what you are trying to say, it seems that you think you can comment on The Arsenal and decipher what you contend to be facts, while anyone who, either disagrees with you and/or challenge what you yourself has written, are not “clear minded”?
It will be interesting to see how you view the upcoming article that discusses the defensive side of Wenger’s time, especially as I used the same information that you think I have “manipulated” – could it be that AW actually had a brilliant defensive record then?
How I wish I had taken the results against the big teams out, as you suggest I should have done with this article.
But then, the facts wouldn’t count would they?
How’s the article coming along?
As I’ve said on numerous occasions, you obviously have every right to offer up your opinion, which may or may not include what some might describe as cold, hard facts…in that same vein, I likewise have the same right…I have no qualm with the fact your opinion doesn’t always mesh with mine, in fact, I rather enjoy the back-and-forth in most instances…that said, many times the issues in question are rather frivolous and/or fleeting in nature, but every so often they have a deeper significance, like when they pertain to the post-Dein Wenger era…as you’re well aware of this fact, it surely can’t come as a surprise to you whatsoever that I would take umbridge with your attempt at revisionist history…as for my seminal article, timing is everything and based on this and your previous article you’re frankly not ready for the truth
In other words, the article is still in it’s infancy at best, or a figment of your imagination at worst.
I don’t believe you were ere when I did an article about David Dein, but I have the upmost respect for him personally and I think the partnership with Arsene Wenger was the perfect union.
What that has to do with goals scored and let in, however, I fail to see… unless you are recognising the fact that post Dein, we scored more goals, but worded your thoughts in a way that said the opposite?
fyi, it’s been completed for months now and every once in awhile I take a gander at it, do some minor editing revisions then contemplate if the time is right to submit it for posting…fortunately for you, the conditions aren’t quite ripe yet for taking that final crucial step, so there’s still time left for and your fellow Wengerites to find new ways to excuse our former manager for his complicit role in the slow devolution of our club
on the bright side, we are both admirers of the our former renaissance man, David Dein, and the near perfect union he created with our once innovative and fearless manager…unfortunately, we all know what happened next
Indeed we do – a decade of top four finishes, fa cup wins, another decade of CL participation, that saw us progress to the knockout stages in all but one season and, of course, The Emirates stadium.
It is cruel that David Dein had been ousted by our money grabbing board and kronkie, because he was an equal to the Wenger success story.
@Ken1945
Beautiful Article, based on facts that nobody can erased and very informative. But, I am afraid that we will never get another Arsene Wenger. I never expect something big from other manager like I used to under Wenger, maybe someday, we might get a manager close to Wenger.
No one compares Wenger.
Great work Ken!
Went to the Merci Wenger game against Burnley in 2018. Will never forget it. 🔴⚪️
👌👌👌👌👍👍👍👍
Ken1945 is one of the most objective and least emotional people on this platform. He is never pretentious and is not a mister know it all. He uses facts and logic to argue his points. I have previously stated that I wish many of us could emulate his way of doing things! Unfortunately it is difficult to get clones of someone.
I will not waste time going over Ken’s points because they are indisputable facts. I only wish to point out that most of the arguments for or against any manager have become indicative of the writer’s age, exposure and intellectual capacity. The ordinary mind takes in what he physically sees or feels at that moment and does not go beyond that. He is impressionable, gullible, quick to judge and not analytical in any way. Obviously he is impulsive. On the other hand the older generation where Ken belongs fear to make sweeping statements without cross-checking them. That is why they always go to dig out facts. It is a well known adage that facts are cruel things and yet we can’t hide from them.
Imagine if this platform did not have the likes of Ken and Jon. It would be a disaster! It is those voices of reason that kept some of us here. I recall some few years back when I had decided to quit this platform but the editor went far ahead of me and made some reforms. Even today when I am going through comments there are some particular individuals I look out for because I know they have something of substance to offer.
Of course I appreciate the mix of objectivity and sweeping statements here and there. That’s what makes life interesting.
David, thank you for your words – they are really appreciated.