So, to continue my series of looking back and seeing how nothing has changed, this article from two years ago shows that Arsene Wenger complaining about the Arsenal fans affecting the players is nothing new. This post came in the aftermath of us being knocked out at home by Watford in the FA Cup…..
Is Wenger right to call out moaning Arsenal fans? 23rd March 2016
It sounds to me as if Arsene Wenger is not just complaining about the way that Arsenal fans have been behaving of late, he is actually suggesting that the home crowd at the Emirates and the negative atmosphere they produced was a big factor in the Gunners being knocked out of the FA cup by Watford.
The weekend before had seen us battle back well to rescue a point with a man down in the north London derby away to Spurs and then we battered Hull City in the FA cup replay, so the boss feels that it was a strange time for the home fans to be moaning and putting extra pressure on the players in a game that could have seen us on the way to an amazing FA cup record.
As reported by Metro the Frenchman feels that this crucial part of the season is when the team needs the fans the most. So he is struggling to understand what is going on at the moment and is calling on the fans to put aside their anger and frustration, at least for now.
Wenger said, ‘What hurts me is that at the important moment of the season we played in a sceptical environment.
‘I think after the Tottenham game where we played a very good game with 10 men against 11 and came back to 2-2, I couldn’t understand why – at the moment when you need everyone behind the team – we had to hit that storm.
‘From the media, OK. From our fans? It is a bit more difficult to take.
‘I never complain about critics, especially when they are turned against me. But we have to get the fans behind us with our attitude, and make sure that they stand behind the team until the end of the season.’
Is he right? I can certainly understand the Arsenal fans being fed up and it is hard not to let your feelings show during the passion of a football match, but at the same time I know that is does not help the players when there are grumblings coming from the stands. What do you guys think?
the specialist in failure will always blame everyone and everything but himself, the arsenal fans didn’t start this season grumbling or complaining but yet the manager and players rarely gave the fans anything to cheer,
arsenal have barely won five matches in a row this season yet the manager still keep accusing the fans for his shortcomings
he should just quit at the end of the season no matter what happens, even if we win the Europa league.
I want Wenger Out too (desperately) but I think “specialist in failure” is a bit harsh. He has won 7 FA Cups, 2 PLs and qualified for Champions League for about 20 years in a row. This was the first time this century that we didn’t qualify. Not even Sir Alex, who is def better, has achieved that (i think)
There are worse managers out there and that phrase reminds me of Mourinho who i despise.
But YES I am desperate for Wenger to leave as most of us are. Honestly I would even prefer Benitez, Ranieri over Wenger.
I agree Innit…as much as I want a new manager too, it makes me cringe some of the names he’s called on here. Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion at the end of the day though….
I don’t think blaming us fans is right though. I was buzzing after that game, yes was p****d off about Coquelin getting sent off, but when Sanchez equalised I loved it!!
He’s more of a specialist in lies
Innit and Sue,
As you know I believe the time has come for Wenger to step down, but really pleased that there is still some decorum around.
Innit, you are so right in what you say regarding his achievements.
He is only second to A.F. and your point regarding champions league this century is such a telling point.
I really do hope the new manager lives up to all the expectations.
i believe the 18th May is when it is predicted Wenger is to go, but hope we are aiming higher than those two you mentioned.
Sue, Coq was such an idiot that day wasn’t he? Spuds should also have had a player sent off, Arsenal bias yet again. Sanchez’s goal was just reward for playing against 12 Spuds.
With regard to name calling, it amazes me that you can have a decent debate with someone one minute and the next minute it’s a torrent of abuse.
Are we all really Gooners on this site?
Ken it does make me wonder sometimes…. when I read all of the comments, it just amazes me how some really horrible things are said to each other on here & we’re all gooners!
In the pub at darts before, yes I’ve had heated exchanges with people, defending my team, but it’s usually with mancs, spuds or scousers… NEVER gooners!
And yes Coq let us down that day!!
According to the deluded one where should the fans show their disagreement with the direction the club is heading? rioting after the match ? on the internet ? death threats ? we have been more lenient than other fans e.g liverpool with gillette and hicks or gerard leaving or west ham recently.
Plus we were right as we predicted/warned what would happened if wenger remained in charge. 14 years tons of different players same results only 2 constant board and wenger. Resign wenger and we will see if you were the dead weight or turn our rage to the board.
We fans are culpable for being far too lenient with this fraud and selfish man, Wenger. I personally saw through his nonsense a decade ago and have been regularly criticising him , everywhere I can, ever since. But “death threats and rioting” are, thankfully, not for decent British fans , like us.
Why not Jon?If that’s what it takes
So nothings changed then, there’s a surprise!
Wenger is usually more gentlemanly than Mourinho BUT when he criticised the fans that was really LOW.
The fans are the ones who cheer for team, who are the most loyal, who spend money on tickets and merchandising for Wenger’s £9 million a year salary
Never attack the hand that feeds you
Wenger blaming everything else ? That’s a new one lmfao
THERE IS A VERY EASY WAY TO GET FANS BACK ON BOARD. Sack Wenger today. Appoint a PROPER manager and bingo , the fans are back . Real fans can not and do not support a man who harms their club. Simple as that !
exactly
It’s always someone else. Lack of concentration. The pitch. Long grass. Opponents being physical. Defensive. The fans. The media. The day. Many games in a row. The big from matasaker. Fatigue.fixture. this ancestor never take blame like Moureen did
He is a specialist in failure. I know one thing for sure that every other manager out there who is known to football world, could emulate his record with ease, if not top him in case of them having 22 years to work at Arsenal.
Arsenal mayor trophies even came in a time where Arsenal was top and their rivals rather weak. It was like Zidane today who won mayor trophies while being Real. m manager, or some random manager managing barcelona while having messi pulling the strings. Arsenal and Manure had the same amout of titles in 1997. Just a info to remember.
With competition in the league becoming greater due of money and quality players and managers joining the league, he started then to unperformed rrlly bad due of him being unable to adjust to tactics and new formations. But him being so long here, and fans having a thing for nostalgia, made it so that through this and lies he got endorsed to stay and create an ego which created the man we know today.
Its not perfection one is demanding from the club, but progress. Fans have been deluded into being patience with lies and falls promises and are still stuck in the past.
Just ask this to your self. How much of your free time and hard earned money would you have spend, if you would know before that Arsenal football club is actually taking you for a ride with lies and false promises? How many fans would Arsenal still have today? Do you see younger fans becoming Arsenal fans nowadays?
How can a sane fan base be so blind towards a problem with is Wenger and still have the face to claim that Wenger knows best?
Arsenal fans are the most fickle fans i have ever seen. No backbone and no pride. Everything what is happening to the club is and will always be the fault of the fans, who in truth do always have endorsed the wrongs in the club well knowing where the problems actual where. And if you take the blame for actually demanding results and more ambition from those who bait you with lies, then you are a bunch of idiots and deserve everything what is coming to you.
Dinosaur, because his stayed in the job to long, acceptable, AKB, well, we all know Arsene’s attitude that his the only one that knows about the game and, in his opinion, always right, so also acceptable but specialist in failure, no way, his brilliant transformation of English football in the nineties was revolutionary with preparation, diet control, he, without a doubt, changed English football for the better. His problem is his never been a tactician and once younger coaches copied his changes people like Pep an co took over with their tactical knowledge.
when mourinho called wenger a specialist in failure I actually thought it was harsh, but five years after wenger is still giving excuses for his failures instead of to work very hard to succeed he is comfortable knowing he won’t be sacked even if he is not successful in winning major trophies like the epl and ucl
he is not desperate for success, if he was desperate to succeed he would have pressure the board to back him heavily in the transfer market, that’s if they are not already backing him, because I seriously doubt our transfer budget was just 46 million that we spent on lacazette, because kolasinac was a free transfer, not forgetting we sold players like Gibbs and chamberlain but still can’t buy players to strengthen our squad
it’s not new that wenger is always penny pinching, remember that he spent only 10 million on Cech in 2015 which was obviously not our only available funds to spend on new players.
despite the terrible league season we had wenger still felt we don’t need to strengthen with more than lacazette and kolasinac and he will later blame the fans for not supporting the team and it’s our fault why the team is not performing and not him.
some fans will still say we should respect the manager when he always disrespectful to the fans and hurting our feelings by disappointing performances
He claims to love the club and have turned down other clubs to stay but everyone and his dog knows he did not move clubs because he will be under pressure to deliver major trophies.
Klopp resigned from Dortmund when he saw he was not taking the club forward because he loved the club, Enrique had to announce he is leaving Barcelona when he failed to deliver the league or uncle despite winning the treble in previous seasons, yet wenger will say he build this club and have the right to under perform and get away with it
he should just leave at the end of the season no matter what happens even if we win the Europa league
Wenger is absolutely correct and the moaning fans on here are the living evidence of that.
How many of you were fans before Wenger brought huge success to this club?
How many of you are fans because of Wenger?
How many of you are actually old enough to have experienced really bad times at the club?
I had my first season ticket in 1968 and still have one. I make a 200 mile round trip to each home game and I’ve never seen such shoddy support. You people seem to think this is all about you. What it’s actually about is you egotistical need to be associated with glory. I’m a “supporter” of the club. The clue is in the name “supporter”. You clearly don’t like what’s happening so go elsewhere and let those of us who do support the club get on with it. If you think booing the players is good for their morale or improves their performance then you clearly know nothing about psychology. (And if you think it makes the club attractive to potential new signings and managers then you’re even more misguided than is obvious from your posts.)
I’m sure you’re all very good at FIFA18 and are great at PC games. How many of you have any have managed a multi-million organisation let alone a top football club? Come on, be honest. Don’t just slag me off, tell me what qualifies you to talk with so much authority.
I think you yourself is actually missing some of the point.
A football club can only claim unwavering support, as long as it is a club, which lives up to it’s most basic reason for existing: “To do the outmost to succeed in a sporting sense”.
The problem is, Arsenal has become more of a PLC than a FC, and Wenger is part of the problem, as he seems to have a position, which no longer is deserved in a sporting sense (but maybe in a financial), and he is determined to hold onto it, np matter what.
So what you are actually craving is support for Arsenal PLC, but there are many supporters of Arsenal FC, that want their club back! We are indeed entitled to make our voices heard.
And there is a very easy way to unite most supporters – GET A NEW MANAGER!
AndersS
There is one part of your post that is so telling.
“Wenger is PART of the problem”.
So can I ask who YOU see as the rest of the problem?
I think that Goonermickey might have the same frustrations as me with those that cannot see the owner, board and, most certainly, the players have a duty “to do the utmost to succeed in asporting sense”, along with the manager.
Do you not think that EVERY club in the world needs to be run in a proper financial way as well as a sporting club.
Of course you have every right to make your voices heard, BUT if you think that once a new manager is installed, everything is going to be o.k.?
Those that don’t agree with the way Wenger is being portrayed and the success within his history tarnished will not forget the abuse received from other gooners.
We are also entitled to have our voices heard aren’t we?
Of course we are given that ridiculous title AKB’s as if we cannot have our own individual views. I happen to believe that Arsene needs to go now, that doesn’t make me a AKB or whatever label you give yourself either.
Everthing that Goonermickey says is made with the same fervour as those with opposite views,
You say GET A NEW MANAGER to unite MOST supporters, I think what you mean is unite those with your views.
I believe the wounds inflicted by one gooner to another will not unite the fans when a new manager is installed.
Unfortunately Arsenal fans can’t demonstrate against the board/owners like West Ham fans, because Kroenke rarely attends games. The same promises were made to Arsenal fans as to West Ham fans, when we similarly moved stadiums. The only difference has been degree in the expected improvement in performance ie compete with the big clubs of Europe as in West Ham’s case being competing at the top of the EPL and not risking relegation.
By the way for the benefit of Goonermikey I have been an Arsenal fan since 1962, so did not follow Arsenal for Arsene Wenger!