It does still seem that the continued future of Arsene Wenger as the Arsenal manager is firmly in the hands of the Frenchman. The board seem quite happy to let the manager dictate the terms of his own departure and it looks like the only thing that will see Wenger not complete the final year of his current deal, at least, is the decision of the man himself.
As he has said many times in the past, though, the boss would make that decision if he felt that he was not the right person to take the club forward anymore, or if he felt that someone else could do a better job. But a lot of fans have been thinking that way for some time and there is growing talk in football circles that the time may have come.
I have heard people talking about a staleness that can creep in when the players are dealing with the same man at the top for so long and to be perfectly honest I am struggling to remember when the problems both on and off the pitch for Arsenal went on for so long.
Even in previous seasons of disappointment we always bounced back with a good run and some great football but when was the last time Arsenal really impressed? Unless the team gets out of it’s current rut soon I can see us missing the top four for the first time in a full Wenger season, but is that what it will take for Wenger to realise that it is not working anymore?
I know some fans want this to happen to force the issue but I am not sure that even dropping out of the Champions League would make Wenger pack it in. Just how bad do things have to get?