The Curious Case of Arsene Wenger by CU
Hi Guys, this is the first time I’m writing an article for justarsenal.com and I have to apologize for this very long article…sorry I meant book. I have to give credit to Konstantin for his article about the club and Wenger and the board lacking ambition because that inspired me to write this piece. I have been an Arsenal fan since 1996 which was pretty much when AW took over as Manager of our great club. Fans will probably call me an AKB which is fine but I call myself an Arsenal fan and feel no shame to support my club and also our manager. Arsene Wenger has made some mistakes but I will explain why I believe he still deserves a chance as manager.
The major criticism that has been leveled at Arsene Wenger is for not winning a single trophy in 9 years. Why don’t we look at that closely?
FA cup trophy————————–2005
Moved into Emirate Stadium——2006
No trophy——————————2006 to 2013
FA cup trophy————————-2014
Champs league———————–1996 to 2014
I know this is what AKB fans always throw to defend our club and manager but why do people who claim to be realist (AOB) always ignore this FACT?? It is definitely not fiction and certainly not a coincidence that Arsenal stopped winning trophies the same year we moved into the Emirates and won a trophy the first year in 9 years we started spending serious money (money that was not given but earned).
The AOBs are right to say Wenger targeted 4th but my question is, was he wrong to do so? The club made targets for themselves and success for the club at that time was basically to get into the Champs league to keep on getting more MONEY to keep the club AFLOAT by maintaining its DEBTS. The Club made a decision in the direction they wanted to go for the future of the club and they went head on. We are obviously yet to find out if the decision was the right one and only time will tell.
The transition period was a very painful period for us fans but you cannot tell me Arsene Wenger was not hurt as well. But he committed himself to the project and definitely sacrificed himself and his reputation for the love he has for this great club. That’s why a fan that was born yesterday can wake up in the morning and say Wenger is deluded and clueless and stupid. But my question is, how did a man with no tactics predict his team will go unbeaten and achieve it? A wise man once said, the end will ALWAYS justify the means.
To be fair the only trophy that I believe shows a measure of the strength of your club and team is the League trophy. The reason I say this is because although the Champion’s league is a prestigious trophy, it is a knock out competition which practically means, the best team ON THE DAY wins. So it’s not a given right that the best team on paper wins. That goes for the other knock out competitions like FA Cup and Carling. The league is a true measure of the strength of the club and team in general. So yes we have been 4th for 10 years where the club was focused on MONEY and considered a trophy as a bonus. So yes it is right to say we have not won the Premier league in 10 years and counting, BUT now that we are spending money, making 2nd or 3rd this season will be a major statement that we are improving as a club and team. If Arsene Wenger can achieve this, why then should he go?? I guess we have to wait until May because if that happens it basically confirms that Arsenal FC CAN improve under Wenger especially when he has the resources required to meet his targets.
The targets of the club have now obviously changed from top 4 to WINNING trophies. This is visible from the amount of money we have spent in the past 2 seasons. Our trial period in terms of the Emirates move is over and we passed. Why you might ask?? Well if we failed we won’t have won a trophy last season (FA cup would be used to blood youngsters), we won’t have players like Alexis and Ozil come into the club, and we definitely would not be able to keep players like Cazorla, Walcott and Ramsey because we would probably be playing Europa league (or even not been in Europe) and still have probably 5 more years to go in paying of the stadium because we are not getting enough money into the club (no Champions league).
If anyone is truly sincere to themselves and you want to be angry with Wenger and the board, then be angry for them taking a decision to move to the Emirates in the first place, because that caused the lack of trophies. There was no way with the budget we had we would have been able to win the Premier league during the transition period – especially with the emergence of the oil clubs. I know people will say then ‘why didn’t they focus on other trophies like FA and Carling cup’? The answer is simple, the FA Cup and Carling would not have given Arsenal the MONEY they needed to stay afloat. It will also risk fatigue and injury on first team players who can be used to achieve clubs number one target…..TOP 4. That is why Wenger used those competitions to blood out youngsters, while the main team focused on getting into Champions league.
Sad but true, that was the direction the club took, and I believe Wenger would have won a couple of trophies still because of his class however no one saw the fatal blow which involved our top players been pouched. So not only did we not win trophies but we even became a Southampton and Dortmund (Selling club).
People can say that means Arsenal is a small club by not targeting trophies. I disagree; Arsenal took these risks because of ambition. Being self sufficient and wealthy as a Club is the goal. Football is all about money. You also need money for trophies. So now that the debt is paid, it means Arsenal has a very bright future. Arsenal chose to do the right thing the right way and is slaughtered for it. How would you feel if your wife left you because you manage your finances the right way? You are not a drug dealer and did not inherit wealth like the Prince of Wales but you are aspiring to be a millionaire one day by working hard and investing your money correctly for the future BUT noooo…..your gold digging wife wants a 7 room apartment now and her personal Ferrari and because you can’t afford that she spits on your face and says you lack ambition. Does that ring any bells?? We are not glory hunting fans or plastic fans like Man City and Chelsea. We should be proud that our club is carving it’s own way to achieve it’s own destiny and we are heading in the right direction. If you make a decision to be wealthy, you have to also make sacrifices. Wealth is not given to you, it is created by you. Arsenal FC took these steps for the future of our great club and there is no shame in that.
Let’s just say we sacrificed 4th spot back then for FA cup and Carling cup, we probably would have won a few trophies but I’m definitely sure we would not have made Champions league on a consistent basis which means it would have taken the club longer to pay of the stadium and also for us to be able to get the likes of Alexis, Ozil and even Cazorla. Based on that context I will have to agree with some of the decisions Wenger made.
I can understand when fans from other clubs say Wenger is a failure. It is expected, it is rivalry mixed with envy but I really still don’t get it when OUR fans say it. The TARGET for the club was Top 4 and Wenger met the targets of the club so how is that a failure?? Yes he is a failure to people who had very HIGH expectations and don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking any Arsenal Fan for having those expectations based on what we have achieved prior to the trophy-less years. But like I said earlier, if you are angry, direct it at the club for making the decision to move to the Emirates. However the future years will speak volumes and we would definitely know if the club made the right decision because like I said, the end justifies the means.
Be it as it may Arsene Wenger performed a miracle. A miracle that Jose Maureen hoe would not understand and I will pay money to see him deliver the same or more under such financial restraints.
Some fans will say, hold on Arsenal is the 5th richest club in the World. Okay let’s go back to school kids. No one is lying to us because YES Arsenal is the 5th richest club in the world. But please, please, please remember that the rich stats are in terms of revenue NOT PROFIT. So basically if my company generates One million pounds revenue but my expenses are 800k due to paying staff and company loan from a bank, then that leaves me with profit 200K pounds. So if my wife sees that my company generates one million pounds, it does not mean I can afford a Mansion of 850K and the witch wants to eat my head out because her cousin bought a house that cost 600K pounds just last week But we can only afford 150K home. Need I explain more because this is basically the type of conversations fans make with other club fans? (Only joking…my wife is an angel…lol)
In conclusion, the stadium is now paid off. Obviously our targets have changed. An FA cup was won last year and we are in contention for another. We have an opportunity to make 2nd with Man City in our sights. Our players are better and Arsene’s tactics are much improved, due to the depth of our squad available to him. Can we win the title in years to come?…of course we can. And if you don’t agree, then I’m sorry I couldn’t convince you. You are perfectly entitled to your opinion but remember that the same ‘Wenger out’ band wagon which really was founded by non fans said, “Wenger will never win trophies”….well we know what happened last year. Their new argument now is “he will never win the PL”…lol. Wenger is toooo stingy and will never spend on world class players. Can all the WC players in Arsenal please stand up??
Now that Wenger has also made personal sacrifices and used his experience, wisdom and craftsmanship to keep us in the top 4 during the financial constraints, the club now has money and the first thing some fans want is for him to leave the club? Are you for real?? I’m sorry but If I was Wenger, I’m not going nowhere until I win the Premier League trophy or Champions league. Wenger said he will win the title in 2 years and I definitely believe he will not only win – but dominate the league before bowing out. This is the same man that said we will go unbeaten and the media and pundits laughed at him. He failed to achieve it the year he made that statement but achieved the next season.
For me, he deserves to get that chance especially for everything he has done for the club. I believe he has signed his last contract for Arsenal FC and he is going to make history before he leaves. This is not just been about AKB or AOB, but it is high time we give our support to our manager, and let him see out his contract and bring back the glory days, which he is very capable of doing especially now that he has the resources at his disposal.
Thanks and God bless you all.
Charles