This is the final piece in this particular series. It maybe that you haven’t agreed with anything I’ve said, or only parts.

What I find strange is that Wenger seems to have divided people so much, that there are so many levels of feeling from; “I think Arsene’s made mistakes, but I think he’s the man for the job”, all the way down to people wanting him out now.

We are all Arsenal fans after all, and what I tend to find when I’m talking with fellow Gooners is that people will take an opposing stance to whatever is being said. It’s like a family member being criticised, we can do it, but no-one else can.

Before I complete my final case study, I would like to say that I don’t think Arséne is perfect by any stretch, there are things which I wish could be slightly different, but then I think two things; firstly, I’m an Arsenal fan and my first job is to support the team (to the END of the game), secondly, what manager does get everything right?

What manager is capable of a better job? What manager could have steered Arsenal through these delicate few years, continuing to establish crucial Champions League football, and also ensuring the youth set up is second to none?

My final argument covers what I consider to be the third major criticism of our manager.

Arséne Wenger – The Loser

There are two strands to this theme.

• Has Wenger “lost it” i.e. has he reached, or even past, the natural limits of his tenure?
• Does he have the capacity, ability & focus to return the team to winning ways after 5 years without a trophy?

It is hard to garner how popular these opinions really are, there are a lot of Arsenal fans in the world, and the internet is a place where extreme opinions and dramatic headlines catch the eye and flourish.

Plus, more often than not, it is not those who are moderate in their feelings that are heard, it is the ones shouting loudest. A good example of this is the headlines surrounding Cesc’s supposed transfer to Barcelona.

So has Arséne Wenger lost it? Has his capacity to coach and manage this side into a consistently competitive team gone? Is his vision clouded to what requires tweaking, where major surgery is needed, and what needs demolishing and starting again?

Previous Arsenal sides are often cited as examples of what this team lacks. Tony Adams’ name is obviously one which carry’s tremendous symbolic significance to all Arsenal fans. However, having already touched upon one sacred cow with the Invincibles (see part 1); I think it is important to also put this comparison into context.

The double winning side of 1998 contained some true Arsenal legends, Tony himself of course; Steve Bould, Martin Keown, Ray Parlour, David Seaman, Lee Dixon, Nigel Winterburn and Ian Wright are the most obvious figures.

However, all these players were significant members of an Arsenal team that went from cult heroes in 1989 and miserly winners in 1991 to years of mediocrity (finishing 4th, 10th, 4th, 12th and 5th before Le Boss came in, after which, we didn’t finish out of the top 3 until 2005/06), dramatic European Cup wins aside of course.

A lot of Arsenal fans use this period, or the barren spell in the eighties as a badge of honour almost, like they’ve earnt their stripes. Which they have of course. Had Arsene Wenger not become manager after this time, what would have really become of the club?

My point here is that although those players were outstanding competitors, they were by no means perennial winners. It was Arsene Wenger who tapped into and augmented this spirit, prolonged careers and harnessed little known reservoirs of footballing poise from players with a reputation for the more prosaic aspects of the game.

There is a relationship between great players and great coaches which often brings great success. A happy medium between the maturity, experience and bloody mindedness which was present at the club (along with a Dutch genius) and the innovations and vision of Arsene brought that period of success.

The playing squad was not in a position to have won without Le Boss at this point, even with Dennis, Tony et al. This is one of the reasons why Tony Adams’ goal against Everton that sunny day in 1998 is such a special and iconic moment, all that went before it was a contributory factor to make him standing there, arms spread wide with the sun on his face such a magical image in the history of Arsenal football club.

So, if such vaunted legends are capable of such failure (not necessarily my opinion, I am using this merely as a point of comparison), is it not possible that the current squad could turn around their fortunes too? There are parallels with the current side, which although probably only coincidental, do cast an interesting parallel.

Both squads had two league wins in three years (’89 & ’91 and ’02 & ’04) followed by a significant drop off in title challenges.

There is of course no definitive answer to this question until Arséne either wins the league, or leaves the club. I wonder though, should he not achieve anymore silverware, what his legacy will be perceived to be in some quarters.

But really, just how broken is this Arsenal team, and how much of its lack of achievement is down to Mr Wenger?

There are so many examples of clubs to illustrate the pitfalls of being a high profile club which has found itself in trouble, and slipping down the divisions. Leeds United, Nottingham Forrest, Newcastle United all immediately spring to mind. There are no guarantees.

Blackburn have faded from title winners in 15 years to being Sam Allardyce’s latest collection of brutes.

I have already stated that I think the future of the club has been managed impeccably, and it is hard to have a rational debate with those demanding success who do not take into consideration the historic changes which have occurred in this period. I think expectation is to a certain extent a more pressing problem than actual accomplishment.

So, we ask, having steered us through this step, is Arsene Wenger the right manager to take this team to the next level and lift a trophy?

This “5 years without a trophy” business is not a valid argument to me. How long are we prepared to wait? How long should we be prepared to wait? Just how successful an Arsenal are we entitled to?

Very simple answer here, we are not entitled to any. Even the argument about a club the size of Arsenal is not built on particularly strong foundations. We are blessed with a wonderful history, but, we are the third most successful club in England.

We do not have a great record of European cups, and there have been long stretches of little or no cup wins of any description in recent memory.

In the same way, why should England go into each World Cup with such a weight of expectation on their shoulders? They won it once, 44 years ago, as the host nation. The fact that England has some excellent players makes them contenders, but not tournament heavyweights of the likes of Brazil, Italy or Germany.

Of course one such successful club is currently living out a cautionary tale before our very eyes. What will become of Liverpool in the next few seasons should serve as a very chilling reminder to all Arsenal fans how different things can become all too quickly.

Perhaps you are one of the people who feel a different manager will have an impact. They could perform a little spring cleaning and bring in one or two new faces. Much like Scolari did at Chelsea, who then went on to…….get sacked.

There aren’t many examples of managerial change closely followed by success. As much as it sticks in the throat, Jose Mourinho seems to be the only real candidate who you could say would change the fortunes of a team on the cusp of greatness. But at what cost?

Real Madrid have twice engaged in excessive spending with a considerable lack of triumphs in return, and how many managers have come and gone in that time?

Personally, this is the crux of the matter. Just how important is it to you to win? How important is it to you how you win?

How much satisfaction would be gleaned from a league title brought with the roubles of an owner who cared nothing for the club, won by players with no loyalty to the club, played in a style in total contrast to the ethos of the club?

If the answer to the above is; I don’t care, then you either won’t have read this far, or we are never going to agree on this point.

I would infinitely prefer for Arsenal to win the league having built internally, played wonderful football, on a shoestring budget with a squad full of players who have been at the Arsenal for years.

Its comic book stuff. There is no fan in the world that could have any criticism of such a magnificent accomplishment. Maybe I’m a dreamer, but what’s wrong with that. I don’t watch football to be bored to death, I watch football for exactly those moments of mercurial wonder that you don’t get in everyday life.

I want to be inspired, I want to be delirious with joy, I want to be proud of my team, I want to be sat in my seat so happy I’m laughing after Cesc has just skipped through the Tottenham defence from their kick off to score. I want to sit down over a pint with my family and friends after a game and eulogise over another master class from RvP.

If we can’t enjoy these things, week in week out because we “haven’t won a trophy for 5 years”, then why are we going to games?

The teams you remember, the famous team’s people talk about for years afterwards like Barcelona last year certainly, or the Ajax teams of the 70’s & 90’s, the Champions League winning AC Milan team of 2007 was a poor relation to the team of the late eighties.

Anyone remember the horrendously boring final between Milan & Juventus in 2003? There aren’t just winners and losers; there are a great many shades of grey, degrees of victory. That is why we watch the games rather than just check the results page each week, or even at the end of the season.

Football has that capacity to be a truly great spectacle, and there are games which have supposedly amounted to nothing which stick in the memory. The Czech Republic against Holland in the last European Championships was a classic.

The style of a team can be as significant a legacy as its silverware, perhaps even more so. Holland 1974 anyone? How many teams have a reputation that they can’t shake? Weren’t we the victims of that not so long ago, or now even, as a team of foreigners who don’t like it up ‘em?

How will this Arsenal team be looked back upon?

As I said in the opening passage, I don’t think Arséne Wenger is above criticism, and he openly discusses the area’s he feels could have been improved upon. Season after season.
He is not a victim of his own success; he is a victim of a financially skewed playing field, and increasingly impatient fans.

The commitment of fans is something which should be as open to doubt as those of the playing squad. I simply couldn’t believe my eyes to see fans leaving the home match against West Ham, 1-0 up with 10 men. Unbelievable.

Yet, I have seen a fraction of the criticism that Arsene Wenger gets directed at the fans who are only interested in supporting this team only under these specific circumstances;

• They win handsomely
• They do this within 85 minutes (I wonder if the matches were reduced to 85 minutes, these fans would leave at 80 minutes and so on)
• They sign loads of big name players, irrespective of financial implications.

I would like a fraction of the energy expended online to be focussed on generating a more cohesive fan base, who STAY TO THE END OF MATCHES (are these the same fans who complain about ticket prices I wonder)?

Maybe Arsenal should look into charging by the minute? We need fans who sing at games whatever the score line, and who actually enjoy the process.

Do any of you know fans of clubs who support less successful clubs? Ask them if they’d like Arsenal’s problems. Which situation would Liverpool fans choose I wonder? It’s a shame we can’t set up a blind taste test.

If choosing a club was a less arbitrary process, and we were given a breakdown of a clubs history, infrastructure, financial stability and playing style, how many people would choose Arsenal?

Sadly there will be no closure to the debate about Arséne Wenger whilst he remains at the club. Only a few years after his tenure will the fairest conclusions be drawn.

I don’t think anyone doubts his achievements to date (even the staunchest anti-Arséne fans gives this credit), but what absolutely must happen is that every single Gooner gets behind our team next season and that every single game at the Emirates is a cauldron of noise for 90 minutes.

For me, to be honest, Arséne Wenger is something of a personal hero and a true gentlemen, I feel that the least he deserves from the remainder of his time with us, is the peace to continue the good work he is doing, the chance to enjoy the fruits of his labour (with the group of players coming through and the loosening of the purse strings), a fair level of criticism without unreasoned condemnation, and unremitting support during games.

The future’s bright, the future’s Red & White.

Related Articles:

• Arséne Wenger, You Stand Accused – The Sequel
• How ‘English’ Is The English Premier League? Part II
• Does The EPL Destination Signal The Crossroads For Arsenal?
• Anatomy Of An Arsenal Doom And Gloom Merchant
• Have Arsenal Supporters Lost The Plot?