Is Stan Kroenke or Arsene Wenger to blame for Arsenal’s steady decline to mid table mediocrity..? By PTN
I’m asking this, not as a knee jerk reaction from a few embarrassing results- but from a gradual decline in quality and deep concern that’s been growing for the past 3-4 years.. A sadness.
While most are clamouring for the head of Arsene Wenger – I’m challenging my fellow gooners to take a step back for a moment and work out the real problems within our club..
Is it WENGER or is it KROENKE?
Why are we fed the same lies year after year month after month week after week..?
Why aren’t we allowed to demonstrate inside or outside the club..and get our feelings heard?
Why are only questions and answers engineered out of the club’s press dept?
Why does Arsene Wenger refuse to spend on the areas everyone knows we are short in?
There’s a lot of unanswered questions – we all have our own …
Let’s look at each individual and see if we can determine an underlying issue..
Arsene Wenger is a proud intelligent man, he was an average player in his day but made his name managing..
From Nancy to Monaco and then grampus 8 to Arsenal – achieving double success in his first full year and playing ambitious unrivalled football culminating in an awesome display of 49 invincible unbeaten games. Scintillating football the world had only seen previously at the nou camp!
Arsene Wenger was an Arsenal genius with God like status.
Then for some reason, it all changed…the players became stale, they became aware of their vulnerability and from briefly regaining a foothold in challenging for the title, they seemed to fall so far from grace that our very best became despondent and started doubting the very source that got them to greatness in the first place.
Does Arsene Wenger even know his best starting 11??
I doubt he does- I feel he picks players out of his stubborn reluctance and favouritism towards certain dross instead of playing players on form.. Podolski, Rosicky, Campbell, Vermaelen, Vela to name but a few.. Leaves us all scratching our heads as to why they didn’t or don’t play..
Maybe desperation who knows..
Realising their manager wasn’t replacing like for like, he was buying poor defenders, poor strikers and not buying defensive midfielders – certain senior players became concerned that we were just an average club with average ambition – how could this be?? Was he missing friend and footballing guru David Dein .. We will never know..
From ‘gung ho’ attack and little or no defence- we became the team everyone loved to watch and all the stronger/better teams loved to play.. And from a perfectly oiled machine to an antique tractor we have fallen out of contention for the most prestigious competitions and will never challenge for the league anytime soon..
But before we all follow the sheep in the ‘WENGER OUT’ brigade, spare a thought for manure utd when Davey Moyes was at the helm – Sunderland and Di Canio or Chelsea and AVB… Because if it’s not Arsene but Stan, then no matter who is in the hot seat, we will still be in the same position this time next year (new manager or not)!
Stan Kroenke owns teams in America including the St. Louis Rams and the Denver Nuggets and yet none of them have won anything.. They are businesses that generate wealth..
Stan Kroenke is a businessman worth almost £1.8bn (a little more than Malcolm Glazer) with little or no interest as to the success of Arsenal FC other than its ability to generate wealth through gaining entry into the top 4 and lucrative CL spot and the £30m that goes with it.
Why then would Kroenke sack the man that generates wealth for him..? Well, He wouldn’t! He has little interest only in wealth. Wenger does his job, balances the books and plays decent football against the average/poor canon fodder of the Premier League….happy days all round
Kroenke withdrew $4.9m from Arsenal FC last year and stated ‘he could do what he wanted as it’s his club and his money! Well,That’s ok if you invest and show ambition instead of charging the highest ticket price in the league but fail to show commitment and quality on the pitch..? Something’s not right..? But is it Wenger or is it Kroenke ?
Let’s look at owners of our main title rivals :-
Roman Abramovich – spotted many times applauding his beloved Chelsea – the Russian billionaire (love him or hate him) has won the hearts of all Chelsea supporters as well as bringing home the Champions League trophy Wenger craves..he was also not slow in Bringing back former manager Mourhino- a man with a proven pedigree and understanding of the modern game – Abramovich takes no prisoners he wants to win – While Chelsea continue to sweep aside all in their path, Abramovich stops at nothing to achieve football success!
Sheikh Mansour – although not as frequent in his match visits as Abramovich, he still shows plenty of interest in his team. Ruthless in managerial terms, ‘if your not doing the business on the pitch’ you’re out! Like a genie rubbing his bottle – wishing for anyone, manager or player he wants to make his team the best in the world..
Both owners have an innate desire to make their team THE BEST to make their team WINNERS to make their team RESPECTED and above all -their team COMPETITIVE IN EVERY COMPETITION.!!
Although Man U haven’t been successful in the past 2 seasons.. They have been the most successful team in the Premier League for as long as I can remember – they have a winning mentality and have always wanted to win EVERY competition. They will return soon to the very top!
Liverpool have floundered – they are dire at the moment, yet they still want to win everything – playing for Liverpool has meaning and honour.. They are respected the world over… They still have a standard they want to play to..everyone (barring Balotelli) has a hunger to do well for the club – Unlike Arsenal that play only for the chance to win the top 4 trophy!!!
Silent Stan Kroenke on the other hand is only bothered about generating wealth. He rarely visits the Emirates and is more concerned with snow covering his mansions than Arsenal beating Man Utd ..!
So ask yourself:
1) Is it Kroenke not allowing Wenger to spend?
Or
2) Is it stubborn Wenger not wanting to spend?
A new manager may not be the answer.. . A new owner could be..??
We will never know, we need answers..because at the moment even the players don’t know what’s going on.. And if that continues to happen the fans are the only ones that suffer..!!
What do you think fellow Gooners.. Are we in the same predicament as last year – short in defence, weak in midfield lacking a leader or spine of the team .. Do you want to see a new owner or a new manager..or even both? Do you want us to challenge for the league – actually be competitive, Or are you all happy with the top 4 chase and in the champions league – making up the numbers..
And what if anything can be done about it..?
Phil Thompsons Nose