A couple of days ago journalism students at the London College of Communication excitedly tweeted snippets from a Q&A session involving a visiting Arsene Wenger.
Promisingly, these bright young things managed to resist asking him pointless questions about possible transfer targets and instead drew a few intriguing nuggets of wisdom from North London’s most famous Professor.
One of the students, Mike Carre, has done a write-up for the LCC website (and very nice it is too), but for those of you who are too lazy to click through here’s a few of the best bits.
Wenger on Premier League ownership…
“When I first arrived in England, the clubs were owned by people who were supporters of the club, who were successful in life and bought a club as their dream. Today the Premier League is in the hands of people who invest in the Premier League. They buy a big club and it becomes more of a business model.”
Wenger on football’s relationship with modern media…
“We have moved from a society of full support, to a media society and an opinion society. When I arrived here a defeat was not as dramatic as it is today. Why? Because we have moved from a rational society to a much more emotional society.
“When you finish a game it is analysed in a minute and the opinions go through the whole of society in 10 minutes. The emotional side of any reaction today is massive.”
Wenger on the individual’s desire to voice their opinion…
“Our society has changed much deeper than we think it has. Sometimes for good because people are better informed, but as well sometimes for bad because people who really take action, people who have responsibilities are not respected as much as before.
“When you have an opinion you’re tempted to think you are right, because you do not have to prove you’re right. It’s just an opinion. Today everyone has an opinion and people who have real responsibilities are less respected.”
Wenger on the temptations young players must resist to make it at the top…
“A big problem in sport and in the modern game is that you have to learn very early in life to know who is good for you and who is bad for you. If you waste (time) in normal life, you can waste four, five years and still be successful. In football, one year means 10 years in a normal life, because at 30 it’s bye-bye.
“If you do not understand how to behave before 22 it’s bye-bye, no career. So you have to understand very early, between 18 and 22, to lead a life that allows you to be successful. And that’s the main difficulty. People don’t realise how difficult that is because when your friends go out on a Friday night you have to say I stay at home because it’s more important I have a good game tomorrow.”
Wenger on helping his successor…
“What kind of influence do you give to the structure where you work? I leave to the next manager a good team, a strong financial situation and a club in a very good position to be successful, to give him the chance to do better. The continuation is there and I believe that is part of my job.”
It’s great to see Arsene still getting involved in events such as this outside of football; he’s an inspirational figure for many, even if you don’t necessarily feel he’s as good a manager as he once was. It’s also interesting that he seems to have been far more open with a room full of youngsters than one brimming with employees of the mainstream media (as he faces every week).
Ironically – or maybe it’s not ironic – those (current) journalists will no doubt jump on the above quotes having been fed them by the next generation. Arseblog News has presented them without an angle, although we sadly fear that others will find a way to twist them.
“Arseblog News has presented them without an angle”
Very true but then goes and uses them to promote an angle: “The media stream media are muck rakers” as if you are so high and mighty that you are beyond using quotes to create an angle (the Walcott quotes a few hours ago). Most of what you do here is great but please drop the holier then thou nonsense.
Fair point. I won’t argue with that…
To save discussion/comments focusing on your valid point, I’ve crossed out the final line (although it is still visible)…
Well said.
A fair point, but I would argue that all reporting is biased to some extent by definition. What you choose to include or not to include, and how you choose to phrase it and present it (whether consciously or subconsciously) reflects certain biases and underlying interests. I think it’s also fair to argue that there are degrees of bias in reporting. Arseblog news is unsurprisingly (usually with tongue firmly in cheek) often biased towards the gunners, and often reports with a slant towards minimising outrage, emotional implosions and general instability amongst fans. This is however, frequently, the actual state of… Read more »
“Arseblog news is unsurprisingly (usually with tongue firmly in cheek) often biased towards the gunners”
Haha, If fever there was an understatement….
In the same ball park as “John Terry is an uncompromisingly direct ladies’ man.”, that one.
I wouldn’t want to be in the same city as that King Cnut, let alone the same ball park. Therefore I shall rebut your argument despite the wee hour. Now, what part of that is an understatement? I would say tongue is not always, but more often than not, in cheek (hence: “usually”); and that the website usually tries to tell it how it is, occasionally telling us things we don’t necessarily want to hear, but frequently (read: “often”) shows bias in our favour, often for comic effect. Therefore the two qualitative terms that might raise a question seem about… Read more »
theres a difference to ‘being a ladies man’ and to just being ‘a cheating cunt with a taste for cheap women’
Jack Nicholson is a ladies man. John Terry is just a council estate lout on a lotto win.
Will Uler56 be kicked off Arseblog ?!!!???
When has blogger ever come off as holier than though. He tells it straight like it is.
Now fuck off Uler and go read another site with your opinions nobody gives s fuck about.
Duuuude…..Really now?.
Even @allen agreed, who are you now?
“The mainstream media are muckrakers……”.
What part of this is untrue?
Arsene’s quotes are great no matter what you think of the man’s managerial abilities at this minute he is still a interesting man with fantastically well reasoned opinions.
Quite frankly, we’ve heard this dross before. If I want to know about Philosophy, I will consult Hobbes or Plato. But I wouldn’t look to either to tell me about Arsenal. Wenger bitches and moans about FFP. But when he managed Monaco, a principality in France with it’s own tax system. he took full advantage of that to invite players in – like Chris Wreah, Mark Hately and Glen Hoddle, who would not have otherwise come, if the tax take on their salaries was not as low as it was. No ‘bleat’ about FFP there. So his current stance is… Read more »
Grow up, man and stop whining all the time.
No whine at all.
But a much needed correction to the tusnami of sycophantic drivel that washes over this sites contributors, every time there’s a mention of Arsene Wenger.
If any of my facts above are wrong – [ie he didn’t manage Monaco ; he didn’t take advantage of it as a tax heaven and there isn’t a black scarf march on Saturday] please feel free to point this out.
Meanwhile it’s 7.1/2 years and counting since we did anything of note.
No doubt he managed Monaco but the tax haven stuff is incidental, surely. Or at least I don’t really see its relevance to anything that’s happening now.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A836QMYCcAAhftA.jpg:large
Oh come on Blogs ! You can’t be serious ? He whines – with some justification I might add – about Chelsea and City. But when he was at Monaco, the set up was geared in his favour, as the tax take was half what it was in the rest of France, so he could obviously lure players who otherwise would not have come. That’s just what City are now doing, albeit without the the tax haven status. It’s just the owner has unlimited funds. Wenger said nothing about the unfairness of it all when he was at Monaco. So… Read more »
Rob – I’m sure it was a lure but I don’t think it’s anywhere close to the scale of things we’re seeing now. I do see what you mean but I genuinely think it’s quite different.
And don’t forget, despite that advantage Wenger was fucked over by the corruption at Marseille. And one of the players he bought was Glenn Hoddle. Scarred for life he is.
True ! The Marsaille thing was a disgrace. Wasn’t it Tappie or whatever his name was ? He wound up in the clink and deservedly so.
I think we’ll just have to agree to differ on Hoddle. I am not one of these people who are fussed by a Spurs link. I always though he was a brilliant player. Awful Manager but a brilliant player.
O come off it, Rob. How do you know he has not at all acknowledged Monaco’s tax advantage? Pray tell how many articles have you read that quote Wenger during his days with Monaco? (That’s what I thought.)
Besides, you aren’t engaging your brain. UEFA can’t enforce equalized tax regimes across boarders! They CAN enforce something like FFP among club owners, however. So, yeah, Wenger wouldn’t have called for tax equality because he’s not stupid.
Rob, the thumb rule on fairness here is earn what you spend (or vice versa). So if you spend less on taxes as a football club, its fair for you to spend that money elsewhere.
Man City and Chelsea dont earn money – theyre just given it.
@burt reynolds. brilliant stats!
You can say a lot about Wenger. But you can fault his engagement in Arsenal football club and in football in general.
I really hope that we’ll finish this season with succes. Just so Wenger can prove the haters wrong…
Reading this made me cringe. Wenger’s imaginary society, where everybody is wrong and he is right; creating for himself an imaginary world where he never has to be made accountable for anything.
What does Wenger really understand about society? Nothing of course. He’s not a philosopher, he’s just an average football manager that thinks too highly of himself. It’s unfortunate that gullible people also think too highly of him – the website author’s footnote is equally cringeworthy.
I mean, this is a man that talks about responsibilities while putting kids that have proved nothing in their life on
poor troll, 0.00000001/10
even those who want wenger out of his current job are likely to admit that as the most successful manager in our history, he’s had his moments – however grudgingly
“just an average football manager” <— troll fail
Hush your nonsense. The man speaks 5 languages. That alone makes him educated, experienced, cultured and intelligent in my eyes.
And your name is Aston. This probably means you’re from Birmingham. Birmingham’s a shithole.
You can’t even speak one language.
He speaks 12
Aston, you are a tool.
And apologies to anyone thinking that I am insulting an Arsenal fan. Aston doesn’t appear to be one based on what he has said.
The fact that you’re trying to dissent on a blog about a man that is 1000x more successful than you or I will ever be only proves his point– “When you have an opinion you’re tempted to think you are right, because you do not have to prove you’re right. It’s just an opinion. Today everyone has an opinion and people who have real responsibilities are less respected.” We all have differing opinions on the reasons for our team’s lack of success, but ripping on one of the best managers ever shows a lack of maturity. That’s not my opinion.… Read more »
He’s a fucking legend. Love the dig at anyone being able to have an opinion – and it’ll fly over the head of the fourth estate who’d otherwise be filling their boots with “Wenger: black scarf fans are witless cunts” headlines if only they could be bothered to stop and think for two seconds
Look at me I can do Journalism…
AW: “When I arrived here a defeat was not as dramatic as it is today.”
Tabloid: “Wenger attacks life-long hard-working loyal fans for questioning Arsenals recent poor form!!!”
AW: “When your friends go out on a Friday night you have to say I stay at home because it’s more important”
Tabloid: “Wenger forces players to stay indoors and watch Eastenders for fear of having fun!!!”
AW: “Today everyone has an opinion”
Tabloid: “Wenger bemoans free-speech and suggests Hitler was a good man!!!”
whovere redarrowed you is a fkn john terry. Funny post
“When you have an opinion you’re tempted to think you are right, because you do not have to prove you’re right. It’s just an opinion. Today everyone has an opinion and people who have real responsibilities are less respected.”
word.
And my respect for this man continues to grow…
Trouble is, it’s not actually new.
The saying; “Opinions are like arseholes, everyone’s got one” has been around for a hell of a long time.
What has changed these days is arseholes can now air their opinions to the world on Tw@tter and this is apparently news.
There ought to be a standing rule in newsrooms. Anyone caught reading Tw@tter gets a pineapple shoved up their arse.
I wish there were more interviews like this with him.
Fu*k it all.I love Wenger
Piers Cunting Morgan should have a read of this and question the way he writes his shite opinions as facts.
I hate that cunt called Peter Morgan!!!
Wenger is that nut that’s holding arsenal together. As much as people say “we want our arsenal back”, they forget that it’s Wenger brought us that arsenal. He may have his faults but never ever doubt his commitment to our cause, his time here has been plagued by an unreliable board but he’s worked through all that to stay with in touch with the “top dogs” and for that only I salute him.
He’s been here, he’s still here, get used to it.
A certain blogger needs punching -_-
You really are the ultimate keyboard warrior aren’t you! Also, you may want to punch yourself since you are quite clearly an uber cunt!
Doesn’t take much to realise Wenger’s motive behind this interview does it?
Quote, George V. Higgins, “Egotism: The art of seeing in yourself what others cannot see.”
Opinions are like arseholes…*cough*
Arnie Wenger
He only asks for more respect,very true indeed…
People with direct responsibilities deserve respect,we just have an opinion and frankly have nothing to lose if we are wrong
Wenger is a very intelligent man…***bows***
Jesus, it’s not even school holidays time.
Doesn’t really have to be, does it ?
Sadly not
whatever happened to care in the community……….shocking!
wenger is right that everyone has an opinion, including the one referred to above that ‘even if you don’t necessarily feel he’s as good a manager as he once was’. This ignores the extra money in the game (meaning that two teams have become financially ‘doped’ and able to buy success) and the new stadium (and the constraints that placed on Arsenal). Once you take these things into account you could argue that he is a better manager (to lose so many top players (Cesc, Henry, RVP, Nasri, Flamini amongst them) and still be in the CL each season, for… Read more »
A certain c&nt puncher is feeling all warm and secure behind his key board. A million miles from the people he insults. The bloke at the back giving it when everyone else is toe to toe. Ring any bells? If you can’t handle the fact that the old dictator has lost it that’s your problem. No need to get all silly now is there.
Wacko Jacko! Are you going to come punch me now?!?
Speaks like a typical economist haha… clearly tell he’s very intelligent and a educated man. Out of all the managers in the world he is the smartest one in terms of his qualifications .. He’s used his economics knowledge to a great extent to build Arsenal over time with a great working model that we all should be proud of. As Arsene said the next manager is going to be the luckiest manager in the world by far.. everyone would want the job .. World class stadium, training facility, great financial backing and most importantly great values & tradition.. IMO… Read more »
Yep, there you have it. The people prepared to write on these things are the only opinion we hear and of course they are passionate Gooners. But we can look at other factors. For example there are far more thumb ratings than opinions on the upper comments. A glaring example is the comments by Aston. 50 thumbs down so far and no thumbs up. You are entitled to your opinion, but you appear to be part of the minority. I do hope that the few loud and opinionated fans that want Wenger out read this observation (you suck, that’s my… Read more »
The Same fickle fans moaning about Wenger are the same that do not see any faults in the team when the club gets a run of good results.
Granted, Wenger has his faults bt the ‘Wenger out’ brigade really just illustrates how thick and myopic some people are. Folks here keep blabbering about loyalty and i remember Le Proff at the height of his success when he was being courted by the likes Real Madrid and he stuck to the Arsenal cause. He is the best fuckin option we have had in a long time and HE IS A FUCKIN LEGEND!
i know its a bit off topic, but here goes. at the next home carling cup game, me and my mates are having a polka dot scarf march. this will involve meeting at finsbury park station, marching to the triangle, and drinking several pints of guiness/lager. the more hardcore militants among us will have a samosa from the stall opposite. there will be lots of standing about and shuffling, and queing for the loo.( we might even rant endlessly about ramsey being a cunt, and arsene not knowing what hes doing, but only the executive comittee) this is because we… Read more »
I love the fact that the only capital letter you used in your very amusing post was for the G in Gunnersaurus – and with that, count me in sir! Let’s hope we scrape past Bradford and get a home draw 😉
amusing? im more outraged than a Daily Mail reader, reading about immigration! were deadly fucking serious mate!! we dont mess, and the board are sure to bow to our demands now we have swelled the ranks to a massive 8! ( 3 more than last time, thats nearly 50% for you stat fans!) dont forget your scarf, and you buy the first 3 rounds as your initiation. i cant accept responsibility if danno sicks up down your back at half time after aforementioned samosa makes an unscheduled reappearance. ( subs are due at first meeting, an open cheque will do… Read more »
splitters!
My sincere apologies, I am hereby fully bought into your serious libertarian plans even if it has started to sound vaguely like a polca dot ponzi scheme – I like it and will start thinking about mugs, I mean mates that we can initiate in the future.
Viva la revolution
youre ok mate, your one of us.
next month were planning a rally, were getting talksport along and were going to discuss our demands live. we were thinking of getting Gazidis to justify Gunnersaurus’ texture.
by the way, can anyone support the cause with a van and driver, as we have now officially outgrown the Zafira.
bet PHW is shitting himself!!!!!!
btw, polca?? nah mate, thats a different faction, worried about the brand of teabags used in the stadium tea. they have brown scarfs.
just wanted to double check you will be there if it ever happens, make sure you are committed.
ive been committed, but they let me have internet………
Polka Dot Reactionary Liberation Force: I am now proud to call myself a member of both the fight for PG tips in the stadium – the PG tips Reactionary Liberation Force code name Polca dots (even though we wear brown scarfs – confuse the enemy – Tetley bastards!) and the fight for something else that’s even more important (forgotten what it is, sure it will come back to me) and I am 101% up for sporting a polKa dot scarf at the next home milk cup game, drinking a shit load of lager, maybe consuming a samosa if I’m feeling… Read more »
Thank You Arseblog (News), by far the best Gunners media
the original article (link) is brilliant.. Took the time to read it.. You gotta love Wenger.. You have to admire him as a man, manager, whatever angle you look at him, he is a brilliant man and honestly if you cannot acknowledge that then my dear guilty friend you are inclined to the theory of idiocracy..
The most tragic thing about Wenger is that he has destroyed what should have been a fantastic legacy. He came to us when we were in the middle of a rut and were desperate for inspiration, and he took us to heaven. It’s easy to forget that before Wenger we were regarded for decades as a boring, soporific side, albeit a successful one. No more. Wenger changed everthing. He transformed us into a team which was not only successful, but one which played with a style and panache that had never been seen in English football. Those golden years between… Read more »
Yeah right….hand him 30million to spend every summer instead of asking him to produce a profit of 10million every summer out of player sales and then talk about who is the ‘canny one…’!!! I can’t understand how the comparisons of Wenger with the likes of Sluralex , Mourinho etc etc are even valid….Wenger for the past 7 years has operated under special economic circumstances and unfortunately the big spenders have come to the party at the very same time. The stadium was always going to be a blow but the spending/wage equations have been skewed so far out of proportion… Read more »
I just read the 1st line then red arrowed straight away, didn’t read the rest..
You are talking nonsense mate
Talking about society is one thing, getting 3 points at Villa is another…
A top manager would have bought what we needed to get over the line in 2008 and 2010. It wouldn’t have cost much, just some cover so the players weren’t burnt out come Feb/March. A top manager would have a better record in title run ins and cup finals. But the truth is, much more often than not, that Wenger teams that are in a position to win (within 6 points of the title or leading come Feb, or in the final of a cup competition) come up short. I truly don’t mean to denigrate the consistency Wenger has achieved… Read more »
Stop being so emotional I’m kidding, well said. I agree that in some aspects Wenger has done quite well, in others, as you point out, his record is not so impressive. I don’t think all those player left only for the money. Furthermore, people point to the need to sell a player to break even as a constraint placed on Wenger, however, with his degree in economics and Arsenals rather large revenue stream, that the books could have been balanced in the first place. Maybe, just maybe, Wenger bought/promoted one too many shitty players and it is the wage bill… Read more »
This website is getting worse by the day. Apart from the gushing Wenger drivel that leaks out of from what used to be honest critique, it seems people are allowed to abuse others as long as it’s pro-Wenger individuals doing the abusing. Maybe things would be different if you weren’t so preoccuppied in making money out of the site by being onside with Arsenal. Sort it out Arseblog, and grow a backbone. I’m not the only one to notice where you’re heading. note: ooh lovely, and now you’re trying to ban me? for doing what exactly? having an opinion. you… Read more »
No, I’m moderating you because
a) you’re trolling
b) you made comments about Wenger’s personal life as some kind of stick to beat him with and frankly they’re irrelevant and a bit scummy
c) you’re rude, aggressive and ill-mannered. People are reacting to that.
I’ll run my website how I see fit. If you don’t like it – and clearly you don’t – there are dozens of others for you to choose from.
Good luck.
I’m not trolling, I had a legitimate opinion about Wenger and was not abusive to anyone. When I was abused you ignored it. How can you divorce Wenger’s personal life from his philosophies on life? And who are you to say I am not allowed the democratic right to comment on such a thing? I didn’t make up the story, it’s a fact. If I’m rude or aggressive – and I wasn’t, you should ban others that are rude or aggressive towards me, but you don’t. You only ban people that take an anti-Wenger stance on a subject. I don’t… Read more »
If your points have merit, maybe you ought to think about how you express them. And to my mind posting from multiple IP addresses with different names on the same post is trolling. Personal life – not interested in it, don’t think it has any impact on his Arsenal career/work, and have never been interested in anyone’s personal life. Player, manager etc. I work hard to let balanced debate exist on here. If you could see some of the shit that is moderated/banned/deleted then you might understand – nor do you know what I’ve ignored in this post. There are… Read more »
Aston2, I am totally pro-wenger but what I like in here is that it’s not the case for many of the other followers/contributors, and if you knew this blog well you would know that every person with some non insulting speech can publish without any censorship
Nice try. Just doesn’t wash. Unfortunately one of the weaknesses of the Internet is that it gives people without the ability to form an argument the platform to sound off. As such it Is of itself undemocratic. As such it requires mediation in the form of grown ups setting and enforcing the rules. Arseblog is one such. You sir are evidently not. Feel free to start a march to defend your position.
Moderation???!!!!!!
Can I suggest you spend time and contribute to ‘Arsenal Truth’, the home of all things negative to Arsenal? You will find friends there. Or post something that gives valid criticisms eg his failures in player recruitment leaving redundant costs eg Denilson, Bendtner, Chamakh, Squiller. But ideally balances this by looking at how bad Arsenal can be – see dire periods with no success in the 70s and 80s and 90s – and how good we are now in comparison. For me, many Arsenal fans are spoilt – great years when AW joined, average years for the last 7, though… Read more »
Arsene Wenger is the King no matter what!! Sick of hearing all this stick hes getting. No manager in the world could do what Wenger has done guven his financial situation. In Arsene we trust!
“We have moved from a society of full support, to a media society and an opinion society. When I arrived here a defeat was not as dramatic as it is today. Why? Because we have moved from a rational society to a much more emotional society.” This is a bunch of quasi intellectual bullshit, from a media society to an opinion society, really? Oh wait, I mean a rational society to an emotional society. Basically Wenger is blaming the fans and calling them irrational and overreacting. Wenger “It’s not my fault, society has transformed into a bunch of idiots who… Read more »
You do realize that you’re proving his point no?
Which point?, that any criticism of Wenger is emotional, and not rational. That’s what I always tell my wife.
““When you finish a game it is analysed in a minute and the opinions go through the whole of society in 10 minutes. The emotional side of any reaction today is massive,” Wenger described”
It sounds like Wenger thinks Arseblog is part of the problem, Bad, bad Arseblog providing a platform for the emotional bleatings of the irrational class.
This also covers it nicely, http://bit.ly/StcA7W
Who would you have in his place then? Most of the people whining about a lack of trophies are kids that have a short-termist view. We do not have a god given right to trophies but Wenger is building a stable and financially secure club. Anyone with a modicum of financial nous can see that the stadium saddled the club with a huge amount of debt which is why we have had to sell a key player every summer. Wenger I still the right man for the club, there is no viable alternative as far as I can see. Certainly… Read more »
Really Arsene fuck off will you
Yeah we want our arsenal back, you know the one from the glory days of the 70’s and 80’s!!!
please check burt reynolds link and tell me after if you still want your old boring arsenal back..
Wenger forever!
Clap clap to Mr Wenger.
No doubt the cleverest man in the english football.
Now saturday there is a important game to win and another 7 after it.
7 wins and we will be back on the top 3 of the league and I believe it we can do it
You first.
Wenger is simply smarter than any other football manager on the planet. Football is a way of life for him and not just a job. His opinions are generally illuminating and inspiring and his take on things outside football are usually very interesting. The only problem is that a lot of the trolls don’t even have the wits about them to comprehend what the great man is saying. They are stuck in the rut and stupid mind games other managers like Sluralex and Maureen feed them…..They like the stupid cat vs mouse comments and Wenger just doesn’t do that stuff!!!… Read more »
All that negativity around wenger is beyond me.. He made arsenal the club it is today. We all knew that, with the new stadium it was going to be tough and it has.. But he managed to keep the club in the top 4 and qualify for the CL 14 /15years on the trot which has never been done by ANY other club. The new financial dealings will bring the club on a par with other rich clubs when it come to pay ridiculous wages, this was part of the financial strategy they put in place when they were building… Read more »
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