Arsene Wenger – Book Review by Dan Smith
As you can imagine as a person who loves football, reading and writing, I received lots of Football Autobiographies for Christmas. I thought whenever Arsenal are a little bit light on news, I would review various genres you might want to digest while we all remain in Lockdown.
I have finished reading Arsene Wenger’s book, yet you might be shocked by this review. As many readers will know I respect Mr Wenger and feared for years that only when he left would we truly appreciate what a job he did, and how hard it is to work under the current owners.
Unfortunately, I have been proven correct as the club continue to go backwards since he departed.
I still feel that thanks to the rise in social media, a section of our fan base disrespected the Greatest Manager in our history, which was once unthinkable. I maintain that those gooners who sacrificed our club’s long-standing values for the sake of subscribers deserve the current decline.
Shouting the loudest and swearing into a camera doesn’t make you anymore knowledgeable as a supporter, and many have lost credibility for not admitting they educated a next generation wrongly; the grass has not always proven greener.
While Mr Wenger is too respectful to rub our nose in the dirt and flat out say ‘ I told you so ‘ I was disappointed he wrote his memoirs like a politician. Recent equivalents from the likes of Roy Keane and Sir Alex Ferguson taught us that this would be a breakdown of what he really thought about particular players and staff.
Maybe it’s the faith the man has in his own convictions that he doesn’t feel the need to tell any sensational stories, but my advice would have been, if that’s your stance, don’t agree to the project. It’s not like he’s desperate for the money so why participate if you’re not willing to tell your audience new information?
You have to assume that anyone purchasing your work is familiar with your career so why only give information that a customer will already know?
I could have written this book, but worse; there were answers to long standing questions I was curious about. Instead we got a safe journal, where the priority seemed to be being diplomatic, so he didn’t upset anyone. In fact it’s almost like it’s assumed that the reader will be knowledgeable about the subject so why fight it?
For example, the assumption is everyone would know the true details about the rumours that the press put out about his family when he moved to England. This would have been a chance to give a chapter not familiar with most, instead we just get Mr Wenger repeating how sad and angry he was about an article lawyers have squashed.
I’m not asking anyone to use their personal life to sell a product, but either give context or don’t mention it at all.
Maybe legal reasons are also the reason he doesn’t want to offer his version of the French Match fixing scandal?
Old enough to know it happened but that’s it, this should have been one of the highlights. Instead we get a few lines where Mr Wenger, being the purist he is, explains losing faith in the game, hence why he moved to Japan. He didn’t want to divulge anything else because he’s over it and that would be looking into the past. Which is a positive way to live, but how can you write an autobiography without digging up the past?
That’s why we get a scan of his life but nothing more.
He’s always managed to protect his wife and daughter from the limelight. Apart from saying how proud he is of his child and accepting his loved ones sacrificed a lot for his passion, he chooses to leave out his personal life.
Again I’m not asking for gossip about his marriage, but he must have a few Harry Redknapp/Sandra antidotes for a laugh?
Without reading it, Jose Mourinho is quick to conclude he’s not mentioned due to his superior win/loss record over the Gunners.
In reality Mr Wenger doesn’t pick a fight with anyone. There’s no behind the scenes breakdown of transfers, no (like he promised) proof of ‘countless’ offers from other clubs and even those you think he wouldn’t care about upsetting (Sam Allardyce, Alan Pardew, Anelka’s brothers, Adebayor, etc ) he avoids any confrontation. Again that shows what a person he is, but doesn’t work in the confines of what you’re writing.
One thing he isn’t shy about disclosing is the impact building the Emirates had on Arsenal’s finances. This is the closest he goes to defending the perception that he failed in his second half of English Football.
If he were on trial, the facts and figures he offers would be good evidence that he was working with a hand tied behind his back. Yet it is clear in his wording that he saw the challenge as big as winning the title.
He really did realise that qualifying for the Champions League with limited resources was an achievement.
He was maybe naive to think that while he might find that criteria a fun task for a man with an Economic Degree, fans would start to get impatient.
That’s one of the new things I did learn. I often wondered why Mr Wenger would tolerate a lack of ambition from his employers where other managers would not? I figured it was his love for the club and an element of being comfortable at a work place where he had a lot of power (and of course the 8 million a year).
Yet it’s fascinating that Arsenal was not his only place of work where he was conditioned to manage a club’s money like it was his own. He first was part of a coaching staff at Cannes where he was responsible for developing youngsters due to a lack of funds.
His first job as full-time manager was at Nancy which he said he enjoyed the idea of succeeding with a lack of investment.
At Monaco, he couldn’t compete with the likes of Marseille and PSG in terms of fees and wages.
Combine that with his degree, the man was simply brought up to be fascinated by money, so I truly believe he will view leaving a club stable financially just as crucial as how many trophies he won.
I’m not sure he meant to, but he did a brilliant job of reminding people what Arsenal looked like before and after he was in North London.
It’s become fashionable for some fans to feel the need to say that Arsenal existed before 1996, normally those who have own agenda so can’t admit he did a good job.
Of course we were a big club for decades before Mr Wenger moved to England, but he reminded me of where we stood in the middle of the 90’s. There was a drinking culture in the squad, we had a stadium that was too small in line with how many names were on the waiting list, and incredibly we were using a University for our training ground. It’s unthinkable that a top-level cub would have to be asking their local University ‘can we borrow your balls please’?
So, it might not be what you want to hear, but a state-of-the-art training ground and the Emirates is his legacy.
Truthfully, it’s not worth buying this book. Anyone who knows their history of Football will not learn anything you don’t already know, which for me is not the point of an autobiography. If he didn’t want to be controversial there were stories where you could have given us more meat to the bone.
How did Anelka behave?
Did he force Adebayor to leave?
The Battle Of Old Trafford?
Fan Abuse?
How his exit unfolded?
Unless you’re a younger fan who maybe didn’t live through the Wenger years, this isn’t for you. Even if you are, they assume you already know what they are referring to.
My rating 2/5
When I heard Arsene was writing the book, I listed the questions I wanted answered by him. Sadly he let me down…
Be Kind In The Comments
Dan
Dan- in other words Wenger published a book, would have got very well paid, but actually told is nothing we didn’t already know.That’s exactly how everyone else ( with the exception of @Ken 485BC ) has described the book.
Still, he mugged of lots of people for a few quid. Pretty much as he did in his last years as manager before he was sacked
Yeah and he still managed to entertain mugs like you who just sees football transfers as if they’re done like a FIFA game.No sugar daddy no fun sweetheart.Would have thought that was obvious but clearly another agenda seeking twat.
Yeah- PAL. I must tell you how entertained I was feeling as I walked out of Old Trafford after both 6-1 & 8-2 thrashings. Same at Allianz v BM PAL. Remember those games? Were you there? Doubt it PAL But you carry on idolising the Prehistoric Dinosaur who was sacked 5-6 years after he should have been .
Classic Wenger, or at least the more recent version, overpromise and under-deliver…just one more chance to fill his already overflowing pockets with his deluded fanboys money, in a pandemic no less…of course there will still be those who will blindly defend the honour of our former manager, regardless of all the evidence that would suggest otherwise…his little lemmings will always have an excuse at the ready to explain away his ineptitude, like him having one hand tied, or our marketing team not tapping into our commercial/sponsorship potential, or the emergence of Gazidis, or the refs, or bad luck with injuries, or the rise of parity, or the arrival of oiligarchs,,,blah, blah, blah…anything that removed any responsibility from the man himself was seemingly fair game…of course, why wouldn’t you, it’s not like he has ever really taken ownership for his prominent role in the devolution of our club, minus his somewhat casual admission that maybe he should have left a little earlier…until this segment of our fanbase is you willing to separate his once greatness from his subsequent failures, we will find it difficult to escape his problematic shadow
Just for example, think of all those years when a large contingent of fans hammered Gazidis for his supposedly predominant role in our decline, yet remember it was him that publicly told us we had the finances to make a serious push…why would he do this if Kroenke wasn’t onboard, was he not supposedly Stan’s little puppet? I’ll tell you why, he was likely sick of being Wenger’s little whipping boy, especially considering Arsene’s clear preeminence over all things football-related…it was no surprise to anyone that Wenger didn’t want to concede any control over personnel decisions, let alone have Gazidis bringing in more demanding or problematic stars who might challenge Wenger’s already tenuous control over the locker room…Gazidis wanted to win, which is obvious now in Milan, where they currently sit at the top of the League table…don’t get me wrong, I didn’t much like him either, but that’s largely because he was being blamed for Wenger’s poor choices…I think Gazidis said what he said because he hoped those fans who were starting to question Wenger would use his words as a rallying cry, which some did…the only player that most seem to agree was a Gazidis pick was Perez and we all know how much he played under Arsene…now he wasn’t a world beater, by any stretch, but the fans were clamoring for an alternative to slow-footed Giroud, and all Wenger kept saying was he couldn’t find anyone talented enough to meet his high standards, which of course was a usual refrain form our former manager…think about it rose-colored Wenger fans
no “you” in “fanbase is willing”…and “from” not form our manager…my bad
Actually, we will just point to the twenty years of top four finishes, the twenty years of CL, the seven fa cup wins, the seven Community Shield wins, the PL titles, the doubles, the new training facilities, the Emirates and, of course, the one and only Invincibles.
As the Emirates crowd stood as one to acknowledge these feats, all achieved under Arsene Wenger, with thousands locked outside also wanting to recognise his contribution to our great club.
Recognised by those within the game as one of the two most successful managers in PL history, along with supporters of every other club… if some sad, bitter, twisted and moronic so called “fans” of our club can’t drum up anything but the 0.7% of games that we were “humiliated” then that’s their problem.
I wonder if those who are still moaning about Le Prof have actually bought the book… have you Phil?
Not until last week you hadn’t!!!
THE BOOK :
Actually planned for long before the pandemic arrived – but don’t let facts interfere with anyone’s rhetoric!!!
I found that learning about Arsene’s early life, what the working class background was like and how it shaped him for his adult life.
I do agree with Dan that it was a shame there was not more of the intimate exposures regarding our club, but on reflection, that isn’t the way Arsene Wenger acts – if one has ACTUALLY read the book, that was very obvious.
So, in reply to the above post, take your black rimmed glasses off, think about what he gave us, rather than bleating on about humiliations and bad signings…you got what you wished for, he’s gone and now we have Mikel Arteta… let’s hope he becomes even more successful than Arsene Wenger – time will tell and he will have my full support.
Once again Ken you failed to actually read the whole post…you simply cherrypicked whatever best suited your deranged narrative…I clearly stated that this was a reflection of the second half of his tenure at the club, but of course, as per usual, you simply read something that didn’t jive with your particular vision of the world then embarked on one of your all-too-familiar tirades…so before you get your panties in a bunch do your due diligence, otherwise your delusional rants will fall on deaf ears
You see, silly childish words like getting your panties in a twist, really does show you up I’m afraid to say, but each to their own.
I read the article and your post from beginning to end – especially the gazidis part and where you imply he lost the dressing room…another suggestion without any foundation, unless you have such information?
You gave your views on AW and I gave mine – if you throw out insults, then expect others to come back with the same.
I’m judging AW on his twenty two years as our manager and apart from the last one, everything I said encompasses twenty one of them in one form or another.
On that final home game against Burnley, I waited in line for nearly two hours, in order to write a few words in a book dedicated by the club and fans to Arsene Wenger… so I know exactly how the vast majority of fans thought about him – you, Phil and an unknown number of others obviously aren’t of that persuasion… that’s fine.
But when you write something that tries to belittle others, like fanboys, rose tinted glasses and getting panties in a twist, apart from devaluing your views, you should expect a comeback – so put your thong on the right way round, take of your black tinted mourning glasses, stop being a hate boy and remember the great times and memories…. otherwise your in danger of becoming a sad old git!!!
“if some sad, bitter, twisted and moronic so called “fans” of our club”….and you have the nerve to suggest that I started the insult slinging…much like your overlord, Wenger, you seem to believe that the world revolves around you, for some inexplicable reason…maybe you pathetically believe that everyone owes you a certain level of respect due to the supposed sacrifices you’ve made along the way, but that doesn’t play with me…you earn respect by the way you carry yourself day-in and day-out, and when you stop behaving in a respectful manner, you lose my respect…so you can talk all you want about your exploits as an Arsenal fan, but that means jackshit in the grand scheme of things…I get it though, you’ve tied your self-worth so closely to this club that if you were to finally admit that your hero became a flawed character it would reflect poorly on your decision-making throughout the years…so suck it up buttercup and get over yourself…btw real fans don’t place the whims of one individual over the success of the whole…now that’s some Jeremy Bentham shit to chew on
What makes you think I want your respect?
Nothing could be further from my mind – you don’t even measure on my radar… in fact, to paraphrase, I couldn’t give a jackshit about you and your respect.
The only sacrifice I’ve made, is replying to your nonsense and what a waste of time and energy that’s turned out to be.
Tell you what, never think of giving me your respect, as I will know I’ve sunk to the same level as you Vera Lynn.
Onwards and Upwards and enjoy reading the book.
That’s terribly sad, I guess I gave you more credit than you deserved…I figured you would realize that my respect analogy was really about Wenger, but I guess you’re not a read between the lines guy but more of a read with a ruler type…at least now I know not to waste my valuable time with someone who needs to be spoon-fed information…for someone who always claims they never shy away from a challenge, you have a weird way of showing it…you failed the mettle test so badly that if Wenger was still managing somewhere you might have been acquired during a January transfer window…have a good one Kenny Kallstrom
Once again backtracking on what you said – it’s there for you to read, but it really doesn’t matter.
I’m pretty sure AW is as worried as I am about gaining your respect, what’s a grain of sand worth in a desert?
As I say, enjoy the book and let’s hope Mikel Arteta is as successful as the man he admires so much – Arsene Wenger.
In the real world, Wenger showed very little respect towards Arteta, in fact he had no interest in him, as he wanted Jagielka, but upon realizing that this wasn’t in the offing, he threw out an 11th hour incredibly disrespectful lowball offer for Mikel…Arteta, who always felt that he had been undervalued and underappreciated as a player and who had never played at a “big” club since his formative years at Barca, was willing to do just about anything to change this narrative, so he forced the move through…in many respects, Arteta sold his soul, which Wenger took full advantage of…Arteta took a fairly substantial pay cut, joined Per on the Wenger’s fine collection brigade and even accepted a more defensive role, one that he hadn’t played for more than a decade(he was our first Xhaka)…so I’m a tad skeptical about Arteta’s admiration towards Wenger because in my estimation this was more likely just the customary lip service one offers up when speaking about icons within any industry you want desperately to be a part of…at least it probably prepared him well for his time as Pep’s number one pylon pusher…as for your “grain of sand” comment, how apropos for an ardent AKB member because that’s the way he viewed the fanbase for the better part of 10 years…time to go before you leave any permanent ruler marks on your laptop screen
Well Ken- as you know, I will never read the book. I just knew he would be offering nothing we already didn’t know so why would I bother?
In regards Wenger himself? In my view he was here 5-6 years too long, and he alone should have realised that the Chelsea 2017 Cup Final win would have given him the perfect opportunity to walk away. He didn’t, and ended up being sacked. Nobody to blame for that but Wenger I’m afraid Ken, and even he himself has admitted he stayed too long. Mind you, I can give you 9,000,000 reasons per year d ad by he felt it worth staying on
Of course you doubt whether Arteta rates Wenger, as it fits your scenario – no proof but it sounds good.
I base my thoughts on facts and the list of achievements I originally gave you are all in the record books – in other words undisputed facts.
Now we all know AW made some awful mistakes during his 22 years, but each season he delivered a top four finish that ensured CL football
Now you see that as a failure, while I do not.
Watching the football his teams played was always exciting and he achieved this with the same restraints that kronkie imposed once he took over and that still exist for MA today.
So I have the same regard for Arteta as I do for Wenger – two men trying to be successful with their hands tied behind their backs.
Having said that, both have made transfer errors of course.
Could AW have achieved more in his last two or three years?
When he left, the final positions in the PL were 4th 3rd 2nd 5th (Missing CL again by 1 point) and another FA cup, while 6th and 3rd round exit in said FA cup.
As Phil says and I agree 100% with him, he should have left after the Chelsea final… another mistake that he suggests in his book.
You see how a sensible discussion, with no name calling, can be had?
I have never painted AW as the next messiah and have many issues with his time at our club… but, overall, his time at our club was one of the most successful in our history – all 22 years.
Phil5, of course I knew you hadn’t read it and why!!!
We have had many discussions regarding AW and we have always carried them out without sinking to personal abuse – that’s how it should/could be done, wouldn’t you say?
As for his two years on the £9 million you quote, as I have said before, the revenue of twenty years of CL, cup wins etc etc dwarfs that figure and, as you always say regarding Ozil’s salary, if kronkie was willing to pay him that, why wouldn’t he accept it?
Can’t have one rule for one and not the other.
Ken, unlike yourself I do my due diligence before I put pen to paper, so to speak…below you will find an excerpt from one article regarding Arteta’s transfer to Arsenal:
Yet it was the drama over Arteta that provided the major talking point. Arsenal had enraged Everton with an opening offer of £5m, which was laughed out of Goodison Park and when they returned with £10m, it was still too low. Wenger had previously shown an interest in the Everton centre-half Phil Jagielka, for whom he was quoted £20m, and it was made clear that Arteta was rated in a similar bracket.
But the situation turned abruptly when Arteta asked to leave, having had his head turned by Arsenal’s interest and the chance to play Champions League football with them. Everton felt powerless to keep him and they were forced to accept the £10m. “Mikel indicated to me that he wished to join Arsenal,” said the manager, David Moyes. “I am very disappointed to lose him but the prospect of Champions League football was something I wasn’t able to offer him.”
Everton felt no little frustration, and not only because of the size of the fee. They could not understand why Arsenal had waited until the deadline day to make their move for a player that Wenger had long coveted, particularly as they had taken £35m for Fábregas two weeks ago. Nasri’s £24m transfer to City went through last week. Arteta signed a five-year contract at Goodison last summer, worth £75,000 a week, which made him the highest paid player in the club’s history. He accepted less to smooth his transfer to Arsenal on a four-year contract.
If you would like more information just let me know…in the future please don’t besmirch my good name by even suggesting that I might just conjure up random info simply to support my theories
furthermore, if Wenger really respected Arteta, he sure has a strange way of showing it…why would he publicly question the handling of Ozil or allow any speculation about an Arsenal return, in any capacity, to pervade, especially when he was well-aware of the pressure Arteta was under at the time…the two most likely reasons are book sales and his delusional underlying desire to have the club beg him to return…how ironic that someone who would offer up such a neutered portrayal of himself, with no hot takes or quotable jabs, even towards those like Jose who clearly deserved them, would functionally sewer a man he supposedly respected…A simple apology would be greatly appreciated
What a load of cobblers – so because AW was after another player, but also went after Arteta and offered a low sum, he didn’t rate him?
Your due diligence is full of speculation, no facts or proof whatsoever.
One minute your saying he long coveted the player, then your saying he was a last minute signing _due diligence my backside!
If MA thought that was what happened, he wouldn’t /needed to join the club, especially as Everton were keen to keep him and offered him more money – why would he want to join a club that was, according to you, being run into the ground, by a manager who didn’t respect him! Due diligence!?
Let’s look at your due diligence example regarding Partey then – do you apply the same “logic” there?
The club tried everything, from offering players to payment by instalments and then, at the last minute paid what they needed to do in the first place – it’s called negotiations and AW got MA for a snip, while MA had to pay the price stated for Partey – who, by the way, wouldn’t put in a transfer request to seal the deal earlier, such was his desire to join the club.
Tell you what, once you stop bismerching other fans with a different view, your “good name” might actually mean something, but as you so eloquently put it earlier, it doesn’t mean jackshit to me, while you try to put other opinions down with name calling and fake facts disguised as due diligence.
A simple apology is not necessary, as it means, yep you guessed it, jackshit to me.
your ruler must have caused some confusion when you were reading this…that was an excerpt from an article produced at the time of the transfer, not something I created…are you really that thick???it’s so tough to play chess when the other person involved is clearly playing checkers…I know this will be a difficult ask, but once you have firmly placed your ruler down in it’s normal resting place beside your abacus, try reading between the lines once in a blue moon…you don’t think there’s a difference between the particulars surrounding the present-day acquisition of Partey, a much younger and highly-rated box-to-box midfielder, than the last minute desperation move by Wenger for a player that didn’t match our requirements at the time, even though he had plenty of monies available to him after the selling off of two of our best players…stay focused Kenny Kallstrom, school’s almost out for the day
This article that you claim shows due diligence on your part… please show me where it states AW didn’t rate MA – you know, one of your claims made from this article, that actually doesn’t exist of course.
I also not from your due diligence article, that MA was valued at £20 million and we got him for what was it???
Tell you what, take time out and look up what MA said about AW, that’s real due diligence.
But of course, it doesn’t fit in to your scenario and views, as you will find out, if you take the time.
Still, as we’ve now gone from the book to the AW years, to the relationship between AW and MA and, apart from your childish name calling, have given no actual proof or facts to back up your allegations.
So I’m going to let you carry on with your views and I will carry on with mine and I’m sure we will both not give a “jackshit” about each other.
Over and out.
Methinks Ken had a few too many after that borefest of a game today…if you can’t see how the information I provided might reflect poorly on Wenger both as a manager, in respect to his latter years, and as a man, by the manner in which he knowingly exacerbated things for Arteta when he could least afford the petty meddling of a deluded former manager, then I’m afraid you just might be a lost cause…this is the same sort of abject stubbornness that Wenger exhibited for the better part of a decade and it cost us dearly…one of the things I most admired about the late, great Christopher HItchens was his willingness to change his opinions on matters, even those near and dear to his heart, if new information emerged, as it inevitably does throughout one’s life…so don’t fall victim to the notion that changing one’s opinion is a sign of weakness, instead embrace the intellectual freedom that comes with opening your mind to new possibilities…
Sean Vassallo, you continue to describe people you disagree with as “twats”, which has an offensive colloquial meaning especially to our females members like Sue and Sue P. Please remove it from your vocabulary on this site.
I got the book on Audible and not even half way through yet but what I’m enjoying so far is the fact the audio book is read out by Arsene himself 🙂
Like having him over for tea – but a one sided conversation 🙂
I’ve been an Arsenal fan just over 20 years so was fascinating to learn more about his upbringing and professional life before Arsenal.
👍👌
You have put me in a dilemma Mr. Dan. I have read Arsene Wenger’s unofficial biography where his career has been elaborated upon. I was hoping to buy the book to read this year, because a book by Le Proffesor himself would have been a great read. But if, as you say, that it is not much more than a personal reaccounting of his career without any sort of insider content, then I doubt whether it would be a good read? Maybe just wait for the book to be available online, lol.
Great review though.
Sid, I know you are extremely polite But why do you preface every males name who posts on here with a “Mr”? That is not necessary and to my mind seems to imply believe you are their inferior, which is of course untrue. Just wondering why and genuinely curious Sid.
Speaking only for myself I feel uncomfortable when I go anywhere and they call me Sir, through being polite but it comes over as too formal and a bit stuffy. Just my own view though, others may well think differently..
You really are being pedantic now My Lord!
Me? A pedant? Oh surely not! Ad PAT you are well behind the times with that comment, as I have long ago told all onhere exactly WHY I AM INDEED a pedant.
Accuracy in words , ie pedantry, leads to truth , not misunderstandings. Shame almost all of your own written headlines,for articles by others, are quite the opposite of pedantry, as many of them flatly contradict – or at least mislead – what the article actually says and many others have also told you that, as you well know.
I seek truth; you seek sensationalism, just like tabloid rags like The Sun always do!
Do we still have to keep going on about Wenger get over it he had to leave at sometime, we all know it should have been around 2010
Well, it’s kind of a habit of mine. I usually interact with my University Professors and some tech professionals in my field, so I have had the habit of calling my seniors ‘Sir’ or ‘Madam” or prefixing their name with an honorific. I will try to be informal here without sounding rude because many contributors don’t use real names.
Thank you Jon for the feedback.
Sid, I think it’s very sweet how you use ‘Mr’ and ‘Madam’…you’re a really nice (& polite) guy! 👍
Thanks Sue!
I hope we win today. COYG!
Thank you Sid. That would be kind.
Great review, exactly how I felt.
It feels like one last attack on my wallet before he moves on.
Only one throw away comment about Ashley Coles transfer? Come on !!!
His book is a let down like the 10 years of let down except for the FA cups. Lies and countless lies that we would compete with the Barcas and Bayerns, and he gave us players that are not wanted in the Championship. The disgusting smirks on his face during interviews and his outrageous excuses after every hiding we got, oh I feel so much better his has gone for good. Our current place is more to the rubbish he accumulated and the utter rubbish Edu hired (except for Martenelli, Partey is a MA signing) and less to do with the coaching/managing. He inherited a strong GG team, left Emery with a relegation type team.Selfish person remained “loyal” only for his reported 8 million pay.
The only remembrance is the down to earth shove on little Mou. That remains a moment to cherish.
Get over yourself Loose Cannon, your like a broken record.
Have you actually bought the book and if so why?
I’ve lost count of how many of our ex players have said he needs to be back at our club as an Ambassador or to support MA – you just live in your bubble mate.
Preach Loose Cannon…the shove was definitely a highlight but don’t sleep on zippergate
If you want gossip, you chose the wrong author. The man is class through and through.
That was the trouble, Wenger became as boring and uninformative as the book. He never shared with the supporters whilst he was manager, and became very presidential and aloof in the last few years. To give him credit he did spot some good-uns amongst the Sanogo’s, Squillaci’s, Andre Santos, Kim Kallstrom, Amaury Bischoff, Mikaël Silvestre, Francis Jeffers, Ryo Miyaichi, Igor Stepanovs etc. Wenger signed and Xhaka, Elneny. zzzzzzZZZZZ…..
Oh dear a manager made some mistakes in the transfer market not as if others don’t do it as well and and with a better budget than Arsenal….and you wonder while they call people like you twats.
It’s the Battle Of The Seans!
Haha
Vassallo
Of course you are always correct but say so little of any meaning. That’s why they all call people like you big twats.
Sean Vassallo, why do you have to personally abuse someone for having an opinion you disagree with?
Also you have apparently missed (or chose to ignore) the discussion on JA on the colloquial meaning of the word “twat” and that many on here, including our female members, find it offensive.
MY TAKE AS A LIBERAL TO MY CORE ,WHICH MEANS ALOWING AS MUCH PERSONAL FREEDOM FOR ALL INDIVIDUALS, WITHIN THE LAW, is that AW has perfect freedom to write his book as he pleases and if he wishes to keep some things from the public- which in practice means us lot, in the main- then that is his inalienable right. If we don’t like that , then tough! No forces us to buy or to read the book.
We have no right to tell him what or what not to write. Simple as that.
We live, fortunately, in the free world where all humans have basic rights of privacy or disclosure (as they personally decide) and I will fight to my dying breath to maintain that privilege for ALL of us!
Wenger said time is a good doctor and it has definitely healed his problems with other people, such as with Mourinho and the Arsene Wenger Out Brigade. I hope he’s been watching Arteta’s smart tactics and would get some new ideas from it
He seems to still have passion in football, so I wish he could end up at Real Madrid or Barcelona one day
Having read the book last week Dan, while finding it interesting to learn of his humble family background in a village near Strasbourg, and his development to football Management in France and Japan, I was left flat when I finished the autobiography.No Paul on the road to Damascus moments after this bland epistle , but an admiration for what he achieved in the adversity of a relatively meagre Budget following on from the huge costs of the new stadium.There is no doubt whatsover, he was a great Manager with a passion for the game which is admirable.That said, he lost his way and his decision making became poor when it came to recruitment, at a time when the shackles of the stadium debt became manageable and was no longer a huge liability.Psychology played a big part in his Management style but it seems to me from the outside, that he was more concerned with the perception of how Arsenal was regarded by other Clubs and their hierarchies than results on the pitch.There was certainly no acknowledgement of costly mistakes made by him as an individual ,that contributed to our fall from grace despite the fact that he does mention that Ozil was not capable of maintaining the speed required in the EPL.He counters that by mentioning , and I quote, ” but you always have great affection for his artistry”.That affection is still costing us dearly.As for rating the Book ,like you Dan, two out of five and I would not encourage any Arsenal fan to go out of their lockdown area to buy it.I much preferred the autobiography by Alan Smith .
Speaking as someone who was very much opposed to AW remaining manager in his last ten years, I nevertheless have enormous regard for his personal class as man and for the fortitude he showed when under sustained attack by so many of us, both in and outside the stadium and online. I am firm that when the directors betrayed the club back in 2007 and forced out David Dein, AW then lost his right arm, so to speak.
He never recovered from that catastrophically stupid directors inflicted blow and the even worse coming in of the appalling Kroenke at that time.
His sheer class as a man will remain always and I think of him – now that he has left as manager , which I do not regret, as it was correct – with great affection and respect. That seems to me to be a proper context to this debate.
I concur!👍
👍 I concur, too!
I agree with you.
I am sure that there will be a part 2
I don’t know how many, I have heard saying, they were looking forward to the day AW told how his hands were tied by Kroenke, especially financially.
He has never said it, and there is no evidence. In fact Arsenal were also one of the big spenders in Wengers last few years.
The truth is, his hands were not tied, and of course he wouldn’t use a lie as an excuse.
He and Arsenal have been outdone by modern tactics, better management of players and contracts etc. Not by some “evil force” from the outside.
Hopefully, we are now on a better track.
And just to be clear: Wengers first half as a manager for Arsenal was absolutely fantastic.
Anders, Sorry to disagree firmly but it is very clear that his hands WERE tied financially for many years after the new stadium.
There were, as you say, ALSO many mistakes made in management, tactics, contracts, but it has to be said, for many years, his hands WERE DEFINITELY TIED!
Jon, when you reply in such a dignified and sensible manner, I understand why I always like to debate with you…. and why I find the other side of you (filth mentally frail, dross, dullard etc) so confrontrational.
I do believe that you and I are so much closer in our views on AW than we know.
KEN Which of my schizophenic selves are you speaking to! Please do not think I jest either, as I constantly wear different hats, dependent in what sphere of life I find myself! Both my selves agree 100% with your last sentence, as much as each other actually.
To be totally serious, when I entertain, I perform a would be phone call argument between two invisible puppets, one in each ear and have a heated debate battle between them. Some folk love it but others look on aghast and bewildered. You soon learn who is on your “mad as a hatter” wavelength and who is not!
It goes down much better with young audiences though!
@jon fox
I don’t have the figures for our nett spend on players during the building of the stadium, nor for the first 5-6 years after it was completed. So I can’t say whether you are right or not, but if you have the figures, please put them forward.
But I do have the figures for Wengers last 5 years at Arsenal (13-18). In that period we were only outspent by Man U and Man C, whereas we spent much more than Spurs and Liverpool, and the sad thing is those 2 clubs managed to improve so much.
Only logical conclusion: We could/should have done better.
Anders- you are very correct. Wenger wasted millions on players who simply were not good enough, and we are paying for those mistakes still to this day.
Anders, it was those early years of the new stadium I PARTICULARLY referred to. Those latter years there was more money- still not enough IMO- but it was spent very unwisely.
A better and more interested owner would have chosen to be hands on and not leave Gazidis – for he was the culprit – alone to damage the club so immensely!
This is the price we all pay for having an owner who neither knows nor cares to know about football, the sport “his” club plays.
A bland, forgettable, attempt to earn an extra few bob.
Reminded me if those post match interviews that contained plenty of words but little information.
Very disappointing.
Spot on Phil and Anders.
Sorry to hear Dan. You were probably overly optimistic in expecting Les Professor to give too much away,these types of books are usually written by more objective observers. As someone who has supported Arsenal since the Bertie Mee era, I’d say the Wegner years were probably the best in being proud of the football that Arsenal played. Besides yours, the questions I would have asked we’re , What really happened with Van Persie?, Why were you so Happy with the fourth place trophy,Why were you so submissive to the Kroenke/ Gazadis master plan? Why weren’t you able to achieve more in the champions league and what was your vision for the club beyond, 2017 -18?