After the banner about Arsene Wenger leaving hit the news after being held up at the FA cup game away to Hull City, despite Arsenal winning the match 4-0, the speculation has intensified but it has been going on for years. This season seems to have seen it intensify though, and the chances of the Frenchman deciding to call it a day at the end of this season look greater than ever.
One Arsenal fan who thinks that the Gooners calling for an end to the Wenger reign will regret it when he does leave, despite having written plenty of critical words himself over the years, is John Cross who wrote a very interesting piece in The Mirror this week about that banner and what might happen when the AOBs get their way. The journalist has connections and he reckons that all the sniping and questioning is getting to the boss and we could all soon be regretting this.
The gist of the argument is that Arsenal would struggle to find anyone that could as good a job as Wenger, never mind a better one. He points to the problems Man United have had under Moyes and van Gaal since the end of the Ferguson era as well as reminding us of the success we have had under the prof and the very difficult circumstances he had to work in after moving from Highbury to the Emirates Stadium.
I cannot help but agree with a lot of this but at the same time this season I have become so frustrated by the same old thing happening despite the fact there is a mountain of cash in the bank and a great opportunity provided by the failings of the other big clubs. And there are plenty of fans more cheesed off than me so the pressure on the boss is not going away.
I do fear for what will happen when Wenger leaves but does that mean he should be immune to criticism? He has to go at some point and we will have to deal with the repercussions, good or bad, so if Leicester or Tottenham beat us to the Premier League title in May, is now a good a time as any?