Doesn’t Arsene Wenger still deserve respect from Arsenal fans?

Arsene Wenger spoke about disrespect from a section of Arsenal’s fan base he would never forget. Which is why he has distanced himself from the club, not even coming back to watch a game. The Frenchman will be aware that the same supporters who disrespected him for their own agendas, would look to fault him no matter the role, for the sake of a few views on YouTube, the juice isn’t worth the squeeze.

The reaction to him even suggesting a job offer is on the table leaves me wondering what happened to our fan base. Here’s a man who provided us with so many memories, admitting it would be too much of a distraction to take any role, and yet he’s still being abused on social media. What happened to our values, doing things the right way?

Mocking the greatest manager in our history is what you expect from Chelsea. If Man United can welcome back Sir Alex, if Bayern Munich can invite ex-legends onto their board, then isn’t it sad the most successful boss we ever had doesn’t feel wanted?

The man doesn’t need the money, he’s simply not retiring for his love of the game. Contrary to what some gooners might think, this isn’t some tired old man. This is one of the greatest minds who can offer so much. If FIFA listened, he could improve the governing body. My preference is him to lead out a country at the World Cup as it’s the one remaining thing on his bucket list.

It’s a shame, if any man should have a job for life at the Emirates it should be him, but he’s been bullied out of that ever happening. You would think after a year under Emery, we would have learnt that the grass isn’t greener. Unfortunately, the best Arsenal boss we will ever see might not be welcomed back for years to come, a reflection on the modern fan more than him. Yet we ask Koscielny to show more loyalty when he takes off a shirt?

We can’t give same loyalty back to our greatest ever manager…

Dan Smith

47 Comments

  1. Well said Dan, isn’t loyalty a two way street? I feel sad at some of the words used by a small % of our fans, and wonder what happened to our club.

    1. really cause as far I’m aware I’m still hearing Emery come up with excuses.Maybe you’re one of those who pushes is onw agenda

  2. Wenger greatest Arsenal manager now and always. Respect!!!
    Don’t listen to fans who have never achieved any form of greatness in their lives. They are bullies who’ll never want to agree they were wrong being too disrespectful. Welcome to the Emirate anytime.
    Thanks Dan.

  3. Perhaps “ fans” are a little tired of him popping up in the media ever so often spouting the usual coulda,shoulda,woulda sound bites because of the mess he & his partners on crime have left us in.Fom which it is apparent its going to take years to rectify.who cares at this stage that we nearly signed joe bloggs etc.If anything it makes him look even more inadequate that we didn’t.yes give him the respect he richly deserves for the first 12 years of his tenure.No question.But maybe it would be more dignified from him to either write his biography & be done.Join fifa as some one wisely suggested or just PIPE UP!

    1. Arsenal are one of the richest clubs in the world and have a very strong fanbase all over the world and still do have one of the good Football arenas and can afford to buy expensive players and have a well equipped training ground . So what in the hell is the mess we are in. Is it Mustafi and Xhaka you call a Mess or Emery is a Mess.

  4. Well said QD, no one mentioned Wenger and why anyone want him when Raul is doing his job BRILIANTLY.
    Wenger is enjoying himself working as a pundit and he said in an article that he always watches Arsenal games as a fan.
    On Emery, at least he tries something new. If by the end of this season he cannot reach top 4, Raul won’t extend his contract, simple as that.

    1. Exactly right ( except the Emery quote ). Wenger would never admit the game had moved on and he was still stuck in the same old ways. If Wenger had possessed any sense he just could have appointed someone with the credentials of Raul and he might just have survived.But he was too stubborn and was ousted.Nobodys fault but his own.He just could not admit he was too far behind the times with his prehistoric management.

      1. Huh? Wenger appointing people in the management team? Never heard this before, because Ivan appointed those people and now it is Josh.

        1. Really? Gazidis was never allowed to question Wengers demands ever. As CEO it was his responsibility to demand Wenger get results but he allowed him to have a full reign of doing what he wanted.That makes Gazidis culpable But Wenger solely responsible

  5. A football club is a business,sadly i might say,if you dont succed you will be fired ,it’s as simple as that.He is respected worldwide but his economic dogmatisme lost him in his last few years at Arsenal…

    1. Unai Emery is being saluted for achieving at the same level that had fans demanding Wenger be fired.

      So which is it.

      5th and 6th place is progress or 5th or 6th place is not good enough?

      For 22 years Arsenal were consistently competitive with teams that out spent them mostly because of Arsene Wenger. The consistent lack og financial support finally caught up to the Gunners and Wenger was the scapegoat. Now, Unai Emery has spent a big chunk of money bringing in his own players.

      Lucas Torreira, Mateo Guendouzi, Nicholas Pepe, Dani Ceballos, David Luiz, Sokratis, Lichsteiner (oops) William Saliba, Bernd Leno, Denis Suarez and youth player Gabriel Martinelli.

      That’s eleven players in three transfer windows.

      Certainly, this is Unai Emery’s team. He’s sent the majority of Arsene Wenger’s favorites packing, he’s signed an entire team in two summer windows, and he is playing the the way wants to. Time to hold him to the same standards, No?

  6. year under Emery, we would have learnt that the grass isn’t greener. Unfortunately, the best Arsenal boss we will ever see might not be welcomed back for years to come, a reflection on the modern fan more than him. Yet we ask Koscielny to show more loyalty when he takes off a shirt?

    We can’t give same loyalty back to our greatest ever manager…

    Well said my friend.People expect respect but not willing to show it back.

  7. There has always been respect. The problem is with the snowflakes confusing criticism with disrespect. In regards to agendas, wanting what’s best for the club is a bad thing?

    I do not like the present day Wenger, and I haven’t for years, but I have massive respect for what he has done at Arsenal. He has given me fantastic memories, which will last a lifetime.

    1. I dont like present day arsenal fans but here you are unfortunately.Wenger will always be welcomed back thank christ fans like you are the minority.

      1. So Wenger shouldn’t have been criticised then? It was wrong for fans to want a change in manager? How are either of those things disrespectful?

        1. What criticism, may I ask sir? Which of the greatest of managers have never been criticized? Take your pick.

          Nobody will bat an eyelid when they do get criticized. Whether deserved or not, it is part of the game and a small price to pay for greatness.

          The way some criticize Wenger clearly show how much respect they really have for the man. But that is okay.

          Some talk of his last few years as if that is what defines him. That is okay as well. All I know is that form is temporary, class is permanent. Wenger has class and nobody can take that away from him.

      2. Clearly you don’t have Arsenal’s best interests at heart. That’s a real shame that you put a flawed individual above the good of the club. Is that what REAL fans should be doing?

        1. Even ‘flawed’ individuals deserve to be respected. Arsene Wenger’s achievement in total, deserves respect. That his flaws weigh more than his overall value and contributions speak volumes.

          Flawed individual. Wow…

          1. Yes he was very much a flawed individual. Not accepting criticism, he couldn’t/refused to see his own faults, favouritism defined his team selections, he gave up in defending, and in the end, put his own needs, above the clubs by refusing to go…which he admitted.

            9 years straight without a trophy, and 14 years straight without even challenging for a league title.

            These are just some of his faults. He had many amazing qualities as well.

  8. So Jay-bearing in mind that I would estimate 99.9999% of fans have never achieved any form of greatness in their lives you are basically suggesting that the overwhelming majority of supporters have no day.What have YOU actually achieved in YOUR life PAL that makes you right and anyone who doesn’t agree with you wrong?

    1. Agreed, but what if Jay is a 5pur2 troll?
      Ignore him then…
      What Wenger did to the club, players and fans since (at least) 2012. is not leaving him much hope that he will be welcomed by most of the fans who have a possibility of clear thinking.
      Wenger is OUT – forever!
      It’s like when some war veterans think they can own the country for which they fought and do whatever they want. Frak that.

  9. I really can’t see what the problem is here.

    If one keeps up to date with the latest news, Arsene has said that it is too early to return, even though he has been in discussions with the club over a position of some kind or another (maybe Ambassador for theçlub).

    We all have our opinions, the only time to defend our greatest ever manager is when someone lies or denies the facts.

    He has also stated that he is writing his autobiography in french, so that will be must read for any gooner.

    What makes me really smile though, is the comments about “taking years to sort out” or “being a dinosaur”…with just four new signings, a massive injury list and complete mismanagement over his last seven games, UE was able to get to within one point of a CL place and competed iñ a european final…with the prehistoric manager’s players being the crux of these two facts…and the injured players were also his!!!

    There will always be a place at The Arsenal for Arsene, but let’s see if UE can succeed before he comes back.

  10. Sadly, as a result of the two Arsene Wengers there are mixed feelings amongst us.

    We have the early Arsene Wenger who drove the club to the top of the PL table and modernized many aspects of the club and our football(respect to this man forever!!!)

    And we have late Arsene Wenger, who could not evolve with the modern game and who held on to power and his position well beyond his sell-by date. This man did a lot of damage to the club. To think if he had only been willing to take a long hard look at himself a few seasons sooner than we could have had Klopp or Pep!!!!

    I will always respect and appreciate Wenger for the human being that he is and the class he brings to his human thinking.

    I don’t want the stubborn, in denial living, not wanting to change, winning isn’t everything, football man that he is near our club in any way.

    1. But Truth, ironically, that is not the truth, unless you are referring to his last two seasons.

      Despite the power of new money, that saw Chelsea (one hour away from liquidation) and city (playing 3rd tir football just ten years previously) our club was forced to sell our top players and given peanuts to replace them and while building a brand new stadium from scratch.

      How do you think pep, klopp, mourinho or even Unai would have done in that situation?
      Pep wouldnt have been able to buy any and every player he wanted, mourinho the same, the same, while klopp took five years to assemble his squad and still hasn’t won the premiership title.

      The fact that you think AW didn’t want to change, didn’t want to win anything, completely ignores his three fa cup wins in four seasons, accepted the new regime imposed on him by gazidis (who left like the rat he was) and, yet again it must be repeated time and time again, achieved CL status, the one thing that EVERY TOP CLUB IN EUROPE STRIVES TO ACHIEVE twenty times out of twenty two.

      If you don’t want a man with that kind of record anywhere near our club, I can only rhink your waiting for the next coming, because there is sure as hell no other manager, past or present, who could have achieved that record, let alone surpasse it….I challenge you to name just one who has!!!

      1. Agendas mate now they play the victim card “don’t you want arsenal to succeed” ofcourse but I have never lived in cuckoo land and expected a club strapped with debt to challenge every single season ,even though they did for a time.

      2. But Ken-AW simply would not change.Surrounded by yes men.Even Gazidis.I accept and cannot ignore that for 5-6 seasons he performed miracles to achieve top 4 with the sake of our best players over that period. But anyone and everyone knew we needed change and he failed to see it or even worse failed to acknowledge it.
        Far too many average players bought.Xhaka.Mustafi.Elneny.Woukd they have been bought by the present management team?No is the answer.
        Emery is held accountable now.If he doesn’t produce then he is out.That is a big club mentality.AW was accountable to nobody for far too long.

        1. So Phil, what do you think AW should have done, in the position he found himself in?

          Change his philosophy of football being an art, or produce the kind of undescribable tactical mismatch UE is providin?

          Publicalky defend his players, or ostracise publically players as UE has done, including Ozil I might add?

          As for average players Phil, Wenger only had the money to buy average players, despite losing top players time and time again.

          You say the present management wouldn’t have bought them…and yet we now sit and watch the likes of Lichsteneir, Sokratis, Luiz and know that new contracts were given to Iwobi, Elneny, Mustafi, Bellerin and a further 2 year contract offered to kos, before he kicked the baby out of the pram….all done by the present management team…so YES is the answer if you look at it properly.

          Now Wenger made some ridiculous transfer decisions. ..please name me one single manager who hasn’t?

          We differ on when it was time for him to go and if UE wins the fa cup for us this season and qualifies for the CL, are you saying that he should go?

          I would have wanted AW to go after the chelsea cup final and, yes, he didn’t see it that way. He thought he could still motivate the players and bring success.
          He got it wrong (easy in hindsight) for the first time in twenty years when we finished out of the top four.

          As I challenged Truth, if you can name me one coach/manager who achieved what AW did during his reign I would love to know who it is.
          Would the likes of pep or klopp taken the job, with all that was going on behind the scenes? The answer to that one is No, because they wanted to just be coaches/managers…Wenger had the whole lot thrust upon him and ýousee it as not being accountable – I see it as a result of circumstances driven by the loss of Dein, the takeover of kronkie, the hiring of gazidis and the building of the stadium, the selling of his top players and his failure to get CL football during the last two horrendous years of woefull football.

          So twenty years of achieving what thè club desiŕed as a minimum, CL football, followed by two years of negativity sealed his demise and that is what SHOULD await UE if he repeats the same…I sincerely hope he doesn’t.

          1. Well Ken – what he could have and should have done is recognised the game has changed.Steve Bould was obviously not working out but seemed to keep his job.Can you remember George Graham ditching Theo Foley the year after winning the title in 1989? Change brings a freshness.Wenger allowed everything to go stale.
            As for buying average players with a reduced budget-I don’t call £35m on Xhaka small change (What did Kanye go to Chelsea for?).I don’t call £35m for Mustafi a bargain either ( Again What did Chelsea pay for Rudiger?). His scouts were failing him yet nothing changed.His coaching and his coaches were being left behind but again nothing changed.
            Would AW have allowed Raul to come into the Club to work on transfers? Can’t see it.But look at the immediate improvement in our squad with a nett spent for the summer and wages down a reported £20m. That’s change Ken.Would AW have allowed this?

          2. Phil, and yet again I find myself asking why Bouldy was kept on, when every other backroom position was changed under the new regime?

            I don’t think we have too much disagreement about things going stale, but it’s the timing of the accusation (a lost decade etc etc) that we disagree on.
            I noted you didn’t answer the question regarding UE winning a fa cup and CL football – my opinion is that then was the time thingd got stale…how could it have been before, when he was doing what you intend to judge UE on?

            I agreed he made some awful signings, gave you examples of the new regime’s mistakes and we could both go into the ones GG etc made, rocky and Charlie Nics for starters. He wad not th perfect being Phil, but, again, you failed to mention anyone else who comes anywhere near him.

            I’m pretty sure thatAW would have baulked at the idea of Raul, but that was when it had become obvious that it had become too much for him…the two years again that we all surely saw the physical change in him?

            As for wages coming down, I wonder just what the three wise men were brought in at, what the cost of all the backroom changes were and Edu’s contract details are?

            Saying that, we needed to offload players (deadwood is so disrespectful to any Arsenal player) and credit to the club, they have done this.

            GunneRphillic has summed my views up perfecty and, whatever side of the debate one sits, Arsene Wenger will always be the most successful manager The Arsenal ever had and its my belief they ever will have.

  11. Wenger will probably be the greatest manager Arsenal ever have.

    Fans are the ones who don’t deserve respect. There are too many who don’t know what “support” even means, they just want to hear/see themselves on social media saying controversial bullshit.

    True, it was a difficult period building the new stadium and having to sell so many good players, but Wenger kept Arsenal in the Champions League throughout the period. People underestimate how challenging that is and how lucky they are to have Wenger guiding the club through such a challenging period.

    Wasn’t long ago that Arsenal finished 2nd in the league. They could have been first, but that was the year disgraceful Arsenal “fans” started their Wenger out campaign. Hard to understand why any so-called fan of the club would go out of their way to sabotage and demoralize their players with these embarrassing self-defeating antics when we had a very good chance to win the league. But these are our fans now–idiots who put themselves above the club and would sacrifice silverware in order to get their 5 minutes of fame on social media. I don’t know what people expect when they show so much brazen hostility to the very players they are supposed to support, but there’s is absolutely zero chance that the abject stupidity and abuse they show can improve anyone’s performance. Predictably, performances only got worse the louder the Wenger Out crowd got.

    4 games into this season and there are already rumblings of Emery Out. The negative fans will be the end of this club. They don’t know that there is such a thing as coaching and man-management. If it were up to them, we’d have no players, make a single mistake and you’re sold. The club would be absolute chaos and nobody would want to play here.

    Thank god the fans don’t have more influence, though they struggle to have their mental-frailty inducing stupidity heard more loudly every day.

    1. Stephan-the season we came second was the season we SHOULD have won the Premiere League.We came a distant second to a team that we beat both home and away.So we obviously had the players do you agree? Ozil played consistently well.It was the first season of Alexis Sanchez who soon hit the ground running. Goals were not a problem that season were they? But AW yet again refused to acknowledge that we were two players short.AGAIN.
      I’ve just read an excerpt from the Per Metersaker book on the train home and he says clearly that Wenger was too loyal to a number of players.He refused to ditch under performers and this is what finally caught up with him.
      Like it or not Wenger was the architect of his own downfall.He was just too stubborn and far to loyal to players that were not good enough.Nearly winning the League is failure.He set the bar But was unable to adjust when the opportunity was there

      1. Phil, a very simple question…why should we have won the premiership when Leicester did if:

        1. AW hadn’t adapted to the game changing?

        2. The team had no clue about defending?

        3. The players were not good enough

        4. We were not tactically aware?

        What happened to city, united, chelsea, pool and spuds then?
        I thought we wereOut of reach of these clubs?
        In actual fact, we finished 2nd that year and third the year before, when you say AW hadn’t adapted to the changes in football.

        I know it’s more than one question, but I’m on a roll!!!!!

        1. Ok Ken-I will try to answer them all for you

          1) AW allowed a team like Leicester come from nowhere to take the PL Title.The fact the other teams imploded is no excuse for us failing to overtake them.Is it?
          The opportunity was there.Wenger did not take it.
          2) The team had no clue about defending.Wenger had no clue what constituted a good defender.Schillachi.Syvestre.Steponovs.Senderous.Need I say more?
          After inheriting the finest back four/five this and many other clubs have ever seen Wenger still could not put a defence together after 2006.Why?
          3) The defenders were not good enough.The coaching certainly was not good enough.
          4) we were certainly not tactically aware from a defensive point of view were we?

          AW oversaw the rise of Arsenal.Of that there is no argument.But he must take the blame for allowing the downfall.He was the one with all the power.That is not disputed.So why allow himself to be dictated to? Well £9m a year certainly softened it for him I would think.

          1. Phil,

            1. How did Arsenal allow Leicester to come from nowhere, when they took the maximum six points from them?
            In a league of 38, where we were considered the 4th/5th best team, we outperformed our perceived ranking and not taking that into account, once again, skews the situation and does not acknowledge the fact that we were improving on last years position of third.

            2. I cannot argue with the names you produced, but I’m sure none of them played in the team that finished second and third.
            What I can never seem to get an answer too, is how such a defence that you describe could finish second over a season that saw them beat the champions home and away.

            3./4 See above and either the playersweren’t good enough or the tactics were, there can be no other explanation, unless it was a little of both.

            Let’s remember that the Invincibles were his creation, as you acknowledge, so why he couldn’t get another defence like that, is in the whole premise of what you and I disagree on.
            You believe he neglected this area and I would ask you why?
            I believe he tried to buy players that he thought he could mould into the likes of the Invincibles, but with peanuts to play with and I would quote kronkie, the stadium, gazidis as my answer to your inevitable rebuff.

            This downfall that you claim, I assume is based on results and playing style?

            There is no question that the attacking football suffered in the later years, but the results always gave us that CL place every other club wants…and the pro rate qualification money for the CL more than paid his salary every single year he achieved it.
            By the way, he did inherit one of the finest defences, I concur. But he created any even better one with The Invincibles as the name implies.

  12. AW will always have my respect for what he achieved for Arsenal.Unfortunately time catches up with all men and , sadly, during the last 5/6 years of his stewardship he made a number of errors of judgement which have had a detrimental impact on our Club as evidenced by the decline in our fortunes on and off the pitch.He left behind a squad of players lacking in quality in an number of areas, particularly in defense.Respect is a two way process and much as I admired him for his desire to play open attacking football, he had an Achilles heel when it came to buying and developing centre backs.He also tended to over extol the virtues of players many of whom were average at best.Only recently he praised the talents of Elneny, which is surprising as he rarely selected him for top line matches.AW had his strengths and weaknesses, and while I felt he over stayed his welcome, Arsenal as a Club is unlikely to engage another Manager who will surpass his acheivments.

  13. Yes, he deserves RESPECT. He was a great manager in his prime and he gave his all to Arsenal, and that gentleman has class. However, all good things come to an end. He, like any other human being was caught up with time and unfortunately for him things had to change at Arsenal for the better. Bill Gates stepped down as ceo of his own company and Jack Ma has just retired from Alibaba. We can’t continue living in the past. To progress, we have to move forward and accept change. Those who want the new guys to fail so that their love for Wenger can be validated are cowards (for lack of a better word). Those who want the new guys to succeed so that they can be proven right to wanting change are morons (again for lack of a better word).
    Nothing is certain, Wenger leaving doesn’t guarantee us titles, but something had to change. We were regressing on and off the pitch. To me, Gazidis was the biggest culprit. He should have put some pressure on Wenger or initiate changes earlier.
    I wanted Wenger gone, but I blame Gazidis more for our downfall. For now, all I can do is hope that the changes that have been made so far will kickstart a new era of success for the Arsenal.
    I hope this is the last article we have on Wenger, we really need to move on from him.

    1. Shinodack, your post is full of good reasoning and I find myself nodding in agreement…except for two sentences, the one’s with the words cowards and morons.

      Now I know there’s a few on here who did want AW to fail, not many, but they will have to live with that.

      Do you really think that any real gooner wants UE to succeed in order to be proved right about AW?

      If that’s the case, then they just don’t follow AFC, just their own little agenda…so, on reflection, moron is an apt description.

      1. Ken1945 I believe that question will be answered if Emery succeeds or fails at Arsenal. For now, all we can do is support our team, rant after a loss(hope it doesn’t happen) laugh & enjoy the wins. Afterall, our relationship with Arsenal is a match made in heaven.

    2. This is the best comment I have read on here for a long while thanks for that Shinodakc.

      You are absolutely right to give the 2 split and if we will all be honest about our feelings we will find out that we all have a side we lean towards even though we all want the best for Arsenal.
      Wenger was always loyal to this amazing club.Yes there were some mistakes but they do not warrant the disrespectful and abusive comments from us fans.

  14. Take anything away from that man but never fail to give him his due respect. He has earned it. There is nothing he has done or failed to achieve that should take his respect from him.

    Why is it so hard for some to understand this? That people have the privilege to criticize and voice their opinion does not give them the right to disrespect a man. Hiding behind some dodgy name and laying claim to some dodgy lines of thought does not give you a right to lay a finger on a great man. Except if you’ve got matching credentials to Arsene Wenger, except you’ve walked in his shoes for as long as he had, you have no right to disrespect him.

  15. Good point Dan,I was very critical of Arsene in his latter years and i wanted him to go because it was time,but I still respect him and what he did for this club and above all his loyalty,he is a legend the best manager I have seen in my time with the most enjoyable moments that I will never forget,he should be honoured with a statue and yes of course he should be welcomed back in some capacity.

  16. Phil had a good point as well, in that Arsene’s tactics in trying to outscore the opposition got found out by the likes of Allerdyce,Pulis etc and he refused to change his all out attacking style when most could see what was happening.

  17. Have nothing buh respect for ken, a legend of a fan, i think there r clear difference between criticism and abuse, have never bn against any one criticising Wenger, buh will stand against every atom of disrespect not only to Wenger buh to emry and to any one here, Wenger was here for 22 years and that should the basics of discussion,does Wenger deserve topmost respect from arsenal fans for his 22 years stewardship? Sure the answer is amazing yes unless u have a different agenda, pep gardiola had a poor ending @ Barcelona,does any one remember his last season @ Barcelona? Klopp had a disastrous last season @ Dortmund, does any one remembers it?mourinho had a disastrous last season @ his both times @ Chelsea buh no noe rembers that, buh every arsenal fan will site Wenger’s last season here as arsenal manager as a yardstick to judge him which I find funny! I hope and wish we can get a better Wenger on and off the pitch, I know its difficult buh I hope It can be possible, Wenger is our legend, the best we v ever gotten and he deserve utmost respect from fans!

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