Token backroom job shows Arsenal going soft on Wenger again

While a larger than ever section of the Arsenal fans joined the Wenger Out Brigade over the course of the disappointing season, the club held firm and offered the Frenchman a two year contract extension. It was not quite as simple as that though.

The Arsenal chief executive suggested during the season that there would have to be changes made in how things are done, so when Arsene was given another chance the idea was for the Arsenal board to appoint a director of football to help with things like transfers.

We never expected the boss to be too happy about this but it seemed like he was forced to accept that his team slipping down the Premier League table instead of finally challenging for the title was not good enough. Now the ink is dry on his new deal, however, Wenger has reportedly fought back and now the Evening Standard is reporting that there will no one for him to answer to after all. There will be a backroom appointment made but it will be at a much lower level and sounds to me like a token job so Gazidis can say he has made changes.

Can any of you Gooners out there see signs that anything will be different next season?

Bob.

23 Comments

  1. No big surprise
    The board does not treat silverware as a priority
    As long as they make a healthy profit, that’s all that matters
    As long as Wenger doesn’t spend too much, tickets are bought and we get in top 4,They are pleased with Wenger
    Nothing has changed or will change

    BTW Board = mostly Kroenke

    1. Usmanov cares more about trophies and fans than Kroenke but Kroenke has the majority share unfortunately

  2. It’s amazing that some people still fall for it, even now. I haven’t believed a word from anyone associated with Arsenal for years. It’s all just propaganda to sell season tickets, and trying to convince us all that’s everything is hunky-dory.

    Many thought there might FINALLY be some change this summer, but all hope completely vanished the very second Wenger signed his new contract. Fingers crossed there will be protests from day one next season.

    1. And fans are delusional to think Wenger will only stay for two years
      He isn’t that old really and if the board are still happy with him, he will stay longer. Wenger is one of the highest paid managers in the league. With job security, why would he want to leave

      1. I completely agree, and this is what scares me. Wenger even said it himself “I can see myself managing for another four years, and my preference is to stay at Arsenal”. This season proved that the club will NEVER make a decision regarding Wenger leaving, it’ll only be HIS decision, regardless of how bad things are going.

        He’ll probably spend the next four years building (yet again), whilst other managers just go about actually winning the league.

        1. Spend the next 4 years building hur hur hur, I should get some idiots agreeing with me now…

          Have a look at what AFC was looking to hire in 2007.
          A Director of Football. I linked it in a reply to my own post but awaiting moderation due to link.
          We hired Gazidis.

          He doesn’t have the title of DoF but when we was looking for a man to replace Dein and to fill that massive void, DoF tem was used and we ended up with Gazidis.

          Any wonder Wenger mocked the phrase DoF? Wenger and Gazidis are not what we would use as an example of best friends either is it? Wenger said he is open to support. He worked with Dein very well, they was friends by all reports and even Dein has said they used to have evening meals together to talk about football… I have NEVER read Gazidis showing that commitment to AFC.

          2007 is the year I would say we lost our ambition and been going downwards ever since. The change was losing a shareholder who had passion for AFC dealing with the transfers, not a change of manager…

          Wenger isn’t perfect but our faults started when we lost Dein and Gazidis came in as his replacement, why do you ignore that?

          1. I agree that Dein was huge for us, but if Wenger is a top manager, then why cannot he cope without Dein? You’re saying that we’ve been poor since Dein’s departure (I agree), then does he not deserve more credit than Wenger for that first decade under Wenger’s management?

            I do not ignore Dein’s absence, but surely by now Wenger should have learnt to cope without him?

  3. Gazidis does most of the director of football stuff, as much as I want a SD/DoF, it doesn’t change that Gazidis is basically that for us.

    We need Gazidis to FO back to USA and get someone in who can do that job, not a City supporter… I mean, Gazidis supports our direct rivals for the EPL and we have sold a few bargains to them but no1 bats an eyelid…

    1. I’m not a huge fan of Gazidis at all, but it looks as if he was the only one pushing for some changes this season, and has been ignored. We all saw how Wenger ridiculed the idea of a director of football.

      1. The DoF that was to be hired in 2007? The man who came in was Gazidis.
        Yes we need better support for the manager. I can comprehend why Wenger would mock the title DoF when someone like Gazidis is basically that at AFC, he is not a DoF but hey… when we was getting one that is who AFC got!

        Wouldn’t you mock the title DoF if you lost the support of Dein and the DoF was suppose to sort it out and you got Gazidis?

        When did Dein ever miss out on someone Wenger really wanted by a couple million? Basically when did Dein ever mess up getting Cazorla like AFC did 12 months prior to us getting him?

        That penny pinching attitude wasn’t a trait of AFC when Dein was on the board, smart deals yes but we paid when needed and we even got Pires when RM wanted him!

        We missed out on Lacazette by what… around £10-£15 million last summer? I believe Dein would have found that money and got that player. We all read how Wenger was given around £100 million and anyone who can do maths would add up Xhaka and Mustafi and wonder where the extra money would come from to get Lacazette.

        People moan about Wenger treating AFC money like his own, if he is given a limit then of course he will keep that in mind when trying to get all the players he needs, wouldn’t you?

        One more thing, did you read the PR BS spin when Dein was at Arsenal? Or was it when the Americans started to get into the board? Gazidis and Silent Stan are the Americans I talk about. Look at how much more American companies invest in PR spin. Our old board was not that savvy as business people, the joked about how Dein invested his own money into a football club because it wasn’t worth it!

        Oh the old board got greedy as soon as they seen how much they could get, promising to not sell to a majority foreign share holder and making that pact which yeah… remind the world how true that was. Are AFC owned by a majority share holder who is foreign?

        They sided with Silent Stan. They could have had a bidding war between Silent Stan and Usmanov but that never happened, we read one day about how the pact had broken and shares had been sold, no bidding war, no asking for more from Usmanov.

        While that was happening, Dein had sold his shares to get an investor and now no longer on the board, Gazidis has been hired and AFC take the 1st steps to showing no ambition in favor of self sustained system of borrowing at interest from a bank and not at zero interest from a shareholder.

        Oh come on!
        With all that change at AFC including change in sporting goals from winning to top 4 and Wenger is to blame?

        Selling our star players year after year is Wengers fault even though I can link you an article where Nasri said it was the BOARD who sold him and Wenger wanted to KEEP him. Wenger did not want to sell both Nasri and Cesc in the same year, Cesc forced his way out but the board which includes the city supporting Gazidis allows City to buy Nasri? Wengers fault?

        As talking about Lacazette earlier, Wengers fault we didn’t sign him, Wenger wanted him and we made a bid which was around what Wenger had left to spend… Wengers fault that AFC couldn’t find the extra £10-£15 million it would have took at the time?

        Wenger has said he would be happy to get more support, he just mocked the DoF role, is that not more of mocking of Gazidis?

        1. I see what you’re saying about Gazidis, and the DOF role, but don’t for one minute let that deflect away from the real problem…Wenger!

          Wenger has proven who has the real power over the years, and again this summer, and he was wrong to ridicule the DOF role or Gazidis (if it was aimed at him), because Wenger clearly does need help. I would replace Gazidis, but then what would be the point if Wenger’s still around? Wenger has the final say on so many things at the club, and it’s clear that Gazidis is having to work with his arms tied behind his back. Again I am not saying Gazidis is the right man for the job, but he’s restricted in what he can do.

          It’s the same thing with Bould. Arsenal have been shocking from a defensive perspective for years, and there’s no way on Earth that zonal marking has anything to do with Bould. He is also yet another person at Arsenal that has his role restricted because Wenger has the final say. Bould may also not be the right man for the job, but he, like everyone else at Arsenal, cannot work freely because of Wenger.

        2. Yes it is wenger S fault when he keeps deadwoods like Jerkinson, and injury prones like Theo Walcott, Wilshire and Debuchi with high wages. That’s not the way other successful clubs are managed

  4. Oh and Steve Bould munching on ten packets of chewing Gum will once again be familiar sight.?? Wenger also wants to remain loyal to all of his other backroom staff. So it’s business as usual.

    On second thoughts,The only REAL change that could possibly be achieved is his business in the transfer window…. ??Fingers crossed but don’t hold your breath.

  5. There should be a rule to govern football club owner to kick out thrash owner like, Kroenke, Football Club are not a company.

    1. Have a look at how German clubs are owned.
      50+1 model.

      Basically the supporters own 50% +1 share unless special ruling for some clubs.

      I guess it would take a Gov to force it into legislation. I can’t see Thatcher… I mean May doing that.

  6. The moment we won the FA cup Gazidas had to concede defeat on the idea, that’s if it wasn’t a lost cost from the very beginning. It was his expertise versus a man with actual football knowledge, and an awful lot of it, whether good or bad. This is what it looked like from the outside, but who knows how much Gazidas believed in what he said. It seems like it was a contingency plan for in case we finished our season empty handed, to try get fans back on side. But now we have the two top quality players promise, but Wenger scuttled that too not very long after saying we need them. Gazidas got peoples hopes up, and Wenger dismantled his words not long after. So it’s not like this is news, we all said as much in the weeks after Wenger opposed Gazidas’s plans.

    1. Ever thought that by telling the world how much we got to spend has an effect?
      Wenger said 2-3 top signings, yes he did say top signing didn’t have to cost a lot but then we read about MBappe and see Wenger in Nice which does nothing but fuel the speculation.

      Initially I read AFC was only going to have £100 million, same as last summer. That could only get 2 recognised top players, yes Holding is quality but he wasn’t a recognised top talent, a prospect.

      So how many recognised top talent do you think we can get with £150 million? One of those players needs to be a CF and they are costly…

      Think we gonna get 15 top players for £150 million?????
      PMSL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      Oh and now other clubs know we have a lot to spend and will only ask for more.
      Seriously, AFC should STFU about how much they have to spend or play it cautiously from the start.

      Wenger saying 2-3 top players could be based on that is all the money would get, not on any real belief that is what is needed.

  7. It is not only who the coaching staff are … it is for Wenger to let them do something apart from pumping up the footballs ! Remember the ex players : Pat Rice – had to be a total YES man ; Steve Bould – very successful in coaching the team when out of possession … Wenger did not like Bould’s approval ratings and told him to cease ;’ Martin Keown – brilliant defensive results but then he left … let’s guess why. Tony Adams (years ago) said he would love to come back to help coach but Arsene ” would never let him make the changes which were so obviously essential ” ; Manu Petit (on Sky Sports) yes he would have loved to come back and help coaching but Arsene ” does not like a shadow cast over him !” Clichy ” the defence was never drilled” ; Scillachi (which i can’t spell) Wenger told him the non defensive players would not be coming back to help because it would tire them too much.

  8. hmmmmmmm. Much Ado about. Wenger. Can something good comes out of a naïve and jaded brain. Wenger’s deal “is like a new signing”. Afterall,” spending so much does not guarantee success”. ….”we will be very active in the transfer market”…..”if we see a player that can improve our team we will be ready to do biz”….”we cannot pay overboard”….”this is one of the best team ever assembled”…..”judge me by end of may”….”we are mentally weak”….we need to hmmmmmm another 2 years in the wilderness. #Wenger out.

  9. lacazette might probably be heading to psg..nice one wenger…dey next thing he will say..we have a great squad capable of challenging for the league..lol like giroud n co

  10. I see a major sign that something will be different next season.

    We will finally fight for the top 5, so Wenger will now win another trophy, the top 5 trophy.
    We’ll be without a single top player first time in years.
    We will have a brand new excuse for why Arsenal had to sell to a Premier League rival.

    And on another topic. As long as Premier League clubs are making ridiculous money just for playing in the damn thing, there won’t be a single mild push for the title from the club. Riding along between 10th and 2nd is all that kroenke needs to sleep sound at night.

    Oh, to be a gooner, right?

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