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Arséne Wenger, You Stand Accused – The Finalé
Posted by: | CommentsThis 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.
Arséne Wenger, You Stand Accused – The Sequel
Posted by: | CommentsFollowing on from the first part of the case brought against Arséne Wenger about the “dismantling” of the Invincibles, the second part is a discussion of his “youth project”.
Arséne Wenger – The Gambler
Arsenal Manager, Arséne Wenger
So, again we find another phrase which is becoming synonymous with Arséne Wenger and his stewardship of Arsenal. Arsenal currently boast the youngest squad in the league I believe, and I hear this used as a double edged criticism in several circles, both from fans and press coverage.
The principal concerns for those who seem less than convinced that this is a fitting way to run a club of Arsenal’s stature and ambition are that;
- The club should not be used as a pseudo crèche for developing footballers learning the difficulties of playing in the Premiership (as well as the other competitions) the hard way, whilst the fans suffer
- Younger players are incapable, or cannot be expected to achieve success at such a tender age as they lack experience and also the familiarity with the sensation of winning trophies.
What can be in no doubt is that the club has placed a dramatic emphasis on youth development over the last few years; this is not a particularly new concept under Wenger’s tenure.
However, whilst the stadium move has been the major focus of the clubs resources, along with the associated property deals, it has been necessary to place a keener focus on the players coming through the ranks.
Whether or not it can be considered an experiment to have taken this approach doesn’t follow however.
Is it that Wenger always intended to run the club in this manner, with such supposed frugality, with such stubborn zeal for his puritanical vision of his youth players playing Wengerball? These casual accusations levelled at him for taking such risks with our club, I don’t feel take into consideration several factors behind the scenes, and require context.
For starters, I don’t feel that this method of management is any more experimental than the “Galacticos” of a few years ago, or even the current set at Real Madrid. Or than what is going on at Manchester City, with the accumulation of a layered team of mercenaries (Adebayor & Robinho for example) and nearly men (Bellamy, Santa Cruz, Wright Phillips)?
Spending big is no guarantee of trophies, any more than a change of manager is; it is not a good way of generating a team ethic and a sense of solidarity in the squad. also I don’t feel that it allows for fans to really connect with the players and create a rapport the way we have with van Persie or even Eboue for instance.
In my opinion, the worst consequence of assembling a squad in this fashion is how it continuously damages otherwise excellent, or promising talent. So many decent players wasted years at Chelsea during the initial phase of arrivals. Wright-Phillips again, Kezman, Shevchenko, Glen Johnson and Crespo spring to mind, all otherwise good players.
I don’t think footballers of this quality can suddenly become bad players, just perhaps ones with no confidence. Or perhaps ones with bad attitudes.
One argument that has value is that many of these players who have much to achieve in football, have signed contracts which far outweighs their contribution to the club as yet. This needs to be considered against the backdrop of modern football. It does grate that a player of 21 can play a handful of games, and not seem to produce much by the way of effort or even skill sometimes, can be so extensively rewarded.
However, the club is producing swathe after swathe of talent, not all of these players will be good enough for the Arsenal, but it is important that the club has first refusal on the players who are of the standard and that it profits from those who do not make the transition to the first team squad for whatever reason.
I believe we have made handsome fees for several players from the academy in the last few seasons, Arsenal have ex-youth players at most of the clubs in the Premier League; Chelsea, Bolton, Birmingham, Aston Villa, Tottenham for example, as well as those in the Championship, and on loan. I would be very interested to see how many Arsenal players will play top level football over the next few years compared with those of other clubs academies.
So the contracts awarded serve two purposes; to keep the talent we have from being tempted to ply their trade for massive wages elsewhere, to ensure that a transfer value is retained in the youngsters who eventually leave.
A further point to consider is that Wenger HAS spent money in this period, since the stadium move Tomás Rosicky, Eduardo, Aaron Ramsey, Samir Nasri, Bacary Sagna, Andrey Arshavin & Thomas Vermaelen have all arrived for a combined value of around the £55 million mark. Granted we have sold, but these aren’t exactly the spending habits of a penny pinching old scrooge.
What they definitely are not, is comparable with the expenditure levels of the clubs immediately surrounding us. And there aren’t many, if any, examples of a club as well run, and secure as ours amongst them. Quite the contrary as we all know.
The lack of experience is a more complicated issue. Sol Campbell’s reintroduction to the squad has certainly been of enormous benefit. But then, hasn’t Silvestre won a trophy or two? The Chelsea team that won the league in 2005 wasn’t entirely peppered with seasoned winners. I think this comes more down to character rather than experience.
As another example, I feel that Vermaelen is a considerably more combative, competitive and a much more positive influence on the team than Arshavin. At the moment, what sort of influence does someone like Arshavin have on a player like Diaby for instance? Is his experience and age of benefit to a player like Diaby who is capable of wonderful displays of midfield play and attacking flair, or his is minimalist approach a poor example to be setting?
I think it’s hard to say conclusively that bringing in experienced players is unquestionably what this team needs. All our major performances are young; Cesc, Song & van Persie are our key figures, along with perhaps Vermaelen now and Clichy. All are young players, all with some experience now, all with very bright futures still ahead of them and all will be key to the success of the team over the coming years.
What people are really asking for is players with a winning mentality, and this is not age dependant. The most conclusive example of this is displayed in the efforts of players such as Lionel Messi, and probably more dramatically, Wayne Rooney. He didn’t learn to be so driven from anyone; he is just simply that sort of player.
Really, the “youth project” has to be seen as a side effect of the stadium move rather than something that was always the intention. It is often used as an accusation that Arsene is playing games with our club, risking nothing himself. But he isn’t risking the clubs future at all, and that is the key counter argument to this point.
Ivan Gazidis said it himself when meeting the Arsenal Supporters Trust (AST) last Monday. He and Le Boss could be heroes for a year or two, but we wouldn’t be thanking them in 4, 5 years time. By that he means that this would jeopardise all the hard work that has been done to keep the club stable.
The real risk is that Arséne Wenger has stood up for something, shown an ideal to be followed, and in an environment like the Premier League or the Champions league, that is an achievement in itself.
The Premier League is scattered with pragmatism, clubs trying desperately to cling onto top flight football at any cost, characteristics that I think Arséne might refer to as “negative aspirations” – wanting to avoid something, rather than wanting to attain something.
Perhaps in some cases, this is completely valid. By no means am I suggesting that all clubs must try to play attacking football no matter what the cost and risk all that they have worked to establish. What I find frustrating is watching teams play with no ambition, with no intention to create, only to smother.
Liverpool are currently the most depressing example of this, a club that has spent so much money, and has players of genuine class reduced to being on the receiving end of a huge “HOOF!”, every time one of their players launches a ball speculatively forward.
This, I think, is the really wonderful thing about the “youth project”. There is now a football philosophy built into every level of football at Arsenal, and it is of high tempo, technically adept, creative play.
A style of football that has been in the ascendancy for some time (both at club and international level), regardless of whether or not it is winning football, because winning is a side effect of doing something well. This applies to anything we attempt in our lives, from something as simple as cooking a meal to what we do at work, music, film, and all sports.
Arsenal’s “project youth” benefits the club in so many ways; it will soon benefit our national side immensely, which has been exposed horribly on several occasions against the likes of Spain or Brazil. I know I’m a better footballer now for watching Arsenal play.
I don’t know who it was, but there was a historian some years ago asked about the impact of the French revolution to which he replied “it’s too early to tell”. I think this is the case here, I don’t think Wenger is playing his own egotistical games with the club, and when success comes in the next year, 5 years, 20 years it will be in no small part because of the vision of Arséne Wenger.
Join us in the next instalment of this series when we demystify the accusation that Arséne Wenger has lost the plot.
Arséne Wenger, You Stand Accused – Part 1
Posted by: | CommentsAs another season concludes, the clouds gather over N5, less hope than before previous seasons seems to be prevalent this time though. It is hard to gauge the overall feel amongst fans, so extreme are interpretations of the status, potential and future of our club.
A full range of predictions are available, from Arsenal being well placed to be a super power for the next decade, through being a work in progress right down to the thoroughly disgusted and exasperated fans who feel that a substantial change is required in both the squad, but most significantly the manager’s position.
There are several charges laid at the door of Le Boss at the moment by those dissatisfied with his performance over the last few years.
I shall deal with them in a semblance of chronological order. I don’t imagine that there were too many dissenters around 2004, I think the rumblings seem to start at the end of the Invincibles side.
In the most iconic image of the season, Arséne Wenger remonstrates after being unreasonably sent to the stands at Old Trafford
Wenger – The Dismantler
I have read time and time again in the sports pages and on blogs the phrase “Wenger dismantled the Invincibles”. A hugely successful team, a team that made history of course, full to the brim of winners, of athletes, of strapping six footers. Of players that understood what it was to play for the Arsenal. And certainly they were.
However, Mr Wenger saw fit to take this team of men at the peak of their powers and scatter them to the four winds, to Spain, and Greece, and the west and east ends of London, the south coast, even put them out to pasture.
Is this really a fair charge? Even a sensible one?
In order to really analyse this criticism, let us take the main figures in that ’Invincibles’ side, case by case;
Jens Lehman
His time was up early in the 2007/08 season after a couple of costly errors saw Almunia given the goalkeepers position. Firstly, this was now three seasons after the unbeaten run, and Jens was now 38 years old, I think it’s fair to say that his time at this level of competition was drawing to a conclusion.
Given that in that season we put up a considerable title charge, I think we can say that (at the time) Almunia was worth his starting place.
Bisan Lauren
Sadly, Lauren’s time at Arsenal came to a close after a huge amount of time out with a knee injury, and left in January 2007 for Portsmouth. At the time Eboue had featured prominently in the run to Paris in 2006, and in my opinion looked a phenomenal prospect at right back.
Since then of course we have also had Bacary Sagna join the team, and he certainly has been solid, if not always hitting the heights of his first season.
Ashley Cole
There really isn’t much to be said here. I certainly don’t think Arsene can be held culpable for this departure in 2006.
Sol Campbell
Well, perhaps now he’s back and been a real injection of fighting spirit as well as putting in some outstanding performances (his goal celebration at Stoke will stay with me as an iconic Gooner moment, where the players and fans are in total empathetic harmony), this could be perceived to have been a massive loss.
However, at the time, I feel that the club treated him well. I’m still not entirely sure what was at the root of his loss of form, I believe he was having personnel problems. Gallas was brought in that summer, and at the time this seemed more than adequate replacement for a player who seemed to be on the wane.
Kolo Toure
A substantial profit has been made on a player who it is looking very much like we got the best years out of. A real Wenger find, a right midfielder transformed into a calm centre half, who never really asserted himself, but was a superb player to have alongside a more naturally gifted defender.
His timing & commitment could be outstanding at times, and he is a player I thought would finish his career at Arsenal. The big money came knocking, and the chance of a final payday as well as the disharmony with Big Bad Billy G saw Kolo skipping up the M1 with a certain Mr. Adebayor.
This of course has seen Thomas Vermaelen take over at the back, and he certainly looks like a significant improvement.
Freddie Ljungberg
Freddie is another player in this list, who was into his twilight time at Arsenal when he left. He participated in the first season at the Emirates, but had been injured consistently for some time, and had certainly lost some of his “mojo”.
Alex Hleb, was starting to produce some fine performances, and gave the side a capacity to beat a man in a fashion we have not had consistently for some time. A fabulous dribbler of the ball, although infuriating at times, between him, Eboue & Theo we had cover on the right side when he left in 2007.
The Arsenal 'Invincibles' Team - Premier League Champions 2003 - 2004
Robert Pires
In my opinion, Bobby Pires is the only member of the ’Invincibles’ who left too early, directly as a result of club policy. So many times the season after leaving Highbury I saw the ball roll diagonally, and fruitlessly past the far post, exactly where super Bob would normally be gliding towards to steer it home.
His reception when we played Villareal last year was incredible and deserved and I feel warmer than those extended to Vieira and Henry for this reason. Both Henry and Vieira had courted moves, and this took a little sheen from their return. Tomás Rosicky’s addition to the squad tempered the loss, but Pires’s quality and value to the squad was a big gap to fill.
Patrick Vieira
I don’t think there’s much doubt that Patrick left at a good time, the previous summer’s wrangling over his transfer didn’t sit well, and although he has seen some success since he left, most people will agree his impact on games was diminished.
Who can forget the game against Juventus when he was disposed by Pires of all people? A sublime tackle that was the origin of a passage of play that led to Juventus chasing shadows before Cesc Fabregas slotted in a peach of a goal from just outside the box.
Gilberto Silva
After Pires, I think Gilberto Silva was the only other player who maybe would have been of benefit to keep within the squad. With the clumsy manner of the captaincy being given to Gallas coupled with the energetic rise of Flamini, I think his days were numbered at the club.
Dennis Bergkamp
Well, there was a wonderfully symmetrical sense of destiny with Dennis choosing to hang up his boots to coincide with the retirement of Highbury. Certainly his playing time was largely reduced, especially with Reyes still looking to be an excellent attacking player, and also Adebayor arriving and having a minor impact.
Thierry Henry
As with Vieira, Titi’s courting episode with Barcelona the previous summer had meant this wasn’t as crushing as it might have been. It even seemed the season afterwards that his presence had been a hindrance.
I remember on several occasions in his final year with us, he looked disinterested, although he was still producing the goods in bursts; his demeanour can’t have been a positive influence in the dressing room or on the pitch.
So overall after Vieira left having lifted the FA Cup, another 4 players left/retired in 2006, 2 in 2007, and by the start of the 2008/09 season only Kolo was left. Most of these players were the wrong side of thirty at the time of departure, and although valuable experience was undoubtedly lost, it is worth noting that after Henry left a substantial title challenge was registered.
I would say that the departures after the 2007-2008 season were more damaging in a way, losing Matthieu Flamini, Lassana Diarra, Gilberto Silva & Alex Hleb meant that only Cesc Fabregas remained of that midfield after Rosicky succumbed to the early stages of his injury problems.
I would never wish to seem that I am rewriting history, or bad mouthing former players who gave us all so much success, and played for the Arsenal with outstanding distinction. I am merely using these points to illustrate what I consider to be an injustice towards the manager.
Saying that he dismantled the Invincibles almost implies Arséne Wenger is some sort of saboteur.
The ’Invincibles’ team had peaked together for all our benefits, but sadly it faded together too, and the gradual disappearance was rather more organic than sometimes reported.
In the next instalment, we’ll examine the next charge laid at the feet of the Arsenal manaager, Mr. Arséne Wenger the Gambler.
Tue 13th September 2011; 19:45, Dortmund