After a couple of defeats in the space of a week has practically destroyed Arsenal’s chances of winning the Premier League, the usual February protests against Arsene Wenger have started to resurface again. There was one prominent fan at the Chelsea game, and of course the infamous ArsenalFanTV are always seeking out anti-Wengerites to be vocal after our games.
But according to the pundit Craig Burley, who began his career at Chelsea, the Gooners should instead be putting pressure on Stan Kroenke to work towards team success, rather than looking at his massive profits building up. Burley said: “How weak are the Arsenal fans? Are they in a competition to see if they can win the weakest fans’ award?”
“Because any other fans would be stamping their feet and raising their voice and saying, ‘this is unacceptable’, or maybe the Arsenal fans are a mirror image of Stan Kroenke and his shareholders – ‘we’re just happy to be making money and to be in the Champions League. That’s success every year if we’re in the top four and we’re running a good business’.
“Now, I get from an owner’s point of view – who has little view about football like Kroenke does – then it’s about making money, but it’s not good enough for the supporters. Get out there and let your voice be heard.”
He is right in a way, because surely Kroenke is the only one in a position of power to persuade Wenger that it is time for him to retire gracefully, or even refuse to offer Le Prof a contract extension. I don’t suppose Silent Stan would listen to just a few fans, but if thousands of us turned up to let him know our feelings, then surely he would have to start taking notice.
Shouting “Wenger Out” at every opportunity will not affect our billionaire owner, but a few thousands shouts of “Kroenke Out” may make him sit up and take notice.
Darren N