Is Ramsey right to blame the players for letting Wenger down? By SK
Our Welsh midfielder, Aaron Ramsey, has come out to defend Arsene Wenger, claiming the Arsenal players let him down, saying they should share part of the blame and not just Wenger, for another poor outing, this season. He believes the criticism of the French man, has been way over the top.
Ramsey, according to a report in The Sun, said: “He’s been a great servant to Arsenal. He’s been a great manager to me personally and for the players. We have let him down at times. I think it’s unfair of some of the things that have been said. But people are entitled to their opinion, but he’s been great for me personally.”
Well said Ramsey but I don’t totally agree with you I’m afraid. Yes we can blame the players for not living up to expectations, even when they know they should be playing with their body and soul while on the field of play, but if I may ask, did the players choose themselves? Is it not the duty of the coach to identify and make use of the players he feels won’t let him down?
Choosing your team starts before the beginning of a season; you scout for the player you are interested in, negotiate with his agent and club, agree a fee, buy the player, put him through a pre-season training program in order for you to blend him into the club properly and by the start of the season, you should have an idea of who the player is and how prepared he is for the task ahead! If a player fails to perform during the course of the season, then the coach has to take the full blame for that. It is his duty to get the best out of his players.
Wenger has been too loyal to his players over the years and this has affected his judgement most times. Even Ramsey has been a beneficiary of Wenger’s poor judgement on team selections and that is why he finds himself always in the team, even when he has no business playing certain games! I would not blame Ramsey for trying to defend his coach, after all, against all odds, Wenger stuck to him.
Players like Diaby, Sanogo, Giroud and even Ozil, would have been shown the way out of Arsenal sooner than expected, had it been that Arsenal was coached by a man who knows his onions. Mourinho for example, won’t be patient with players who don’t perform to his expectations and that is one secret behind the trophies he keeps on winning, no matter the club he goes to. Wenger needs to either be more firm and less emotional in his team selections if he wishes to remain as an Arsenal coach and succeed, or he should just step down and allow Arsenal go for a coach who will not give room for player’s complacency. Who else does not totally agree with Ramsey?
Sylvester