Arsene Wenger says he finds questions from the media about his future at Arsenal ‘boring’, and that he remains fully dedicated to his work at the club.
It was put to the Frenchman at his press conference on Monday that ex-players like Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry or Patrick Vieira could be candidates to replace him, as criticism over recent results and performances have intensified.
His response was to say his focus remains on his work, and that the opinions of journalists or fans don’t influence him in any way.
“I have worked here for 19 years and I’m always sitting here having to justify that I’m good enough to do the job,” he said.
“I have no problem to cope with everything but I find that a bit boring in the end. I always have to convince you that I am good enough.
“I am not on Twitter. I don’t invite anybody to go out to dinner and be nice with them. I work and work and work and work. If it’s not good enough, someone will tell me one day. That’s all I can do. I do not worry what you [journalists] say about me or what fans say about me.
“I try to do my job in a proper way and with full commitment. After that everybody has the right to have an opinion.”
He continued, “I am humble enough every day to question myself, to accept my mistakes and, believe me, I do that. I feel privileged to have the confidence of the club for such a long time. I work seven days a week with full commitment. That’s all I can do.”
It’s clearly never been an issue of how much work he does. Every Arsenal fans knows he’s a workaholic, the questions arise from whether the quality of that work has been sufficient to win the biggest prizes.
Arsenal face Hull tomorrow night, hoping to advance in the FA Cup, a competition that Wenger still believes to be ‘fantastic’. The Gunners are looking to win it for an unprecendented third successive time.
“I believe that, if we were able to do it again, it would be absolutely fantastic. There’s no country where the national cup is bigger.
“I personally rate highly the FA Cup. I think it’s a fantastic, prestigious competition.”
Not looking forward to the day he leaves….But that time is coming very soon.
I am personally bored of listening to the media asking the same questions over and over about his position too, so I do imagine that answering them in front of the cameras to be particularly annoying. Whether you want Arsene to stay or not (for me I personally don’t), but it is pointless getting frustrated with him still being in charge, its not going to change (in my opinion for a while) or till at least the end of the season, so the media need to f**cking jog on leave us alone and go talk about how the best team… Read more »
Wenger looks high in that picture. What is he smoking over there?
Smoking a £40,000,001 blunt of Mary Jane. To soothe his nerves in these turbulent times he says.
If only he could buy players with the same work rate instead of, you know, keeping Theo Walcott.
His ability to find players has never been the problem unlike his loyalty to the ones like Theo.
And that good sir, hits the nail on the head.
The problem is the problem and the Theo is the Theo. Thats my Theory.
Theo-ry, as it were.
Feels a bit like “let them eat cake”.
There was an old man named Arsene, who some think has gone round the bend, we all know at times, our football’s sublime, but Arsene come on now just spend!
Keep ’em coming Darth! 🙂
Never knew we have such great poets here…we need you sir, on those dark dark gloomy nights!
and we’re bored of you
don’t be pompous and use “we” as if your opinion represents the entire universe
well, to be honest the majority of the entire universe is actually bored of him
but yeah
keep your faith in him
We are not amused.
We are not bored, either.
You misspelt the word loud Minority!
Well you don’t speak for me.
7 days a week is way too much in the age when most people retire. Only a stupid person can question his commitment.
How Mr. Arsene Wenger can look at the past 19 years and believe his work is good enough for a club as big as Arsenal is beyond me. This interview only proves one thing: Arsenal fc needs a new direction; someone who will acknowledge that one appearance in CL final in 19 years is abysmal to say the least. 12 years without a genuine shot at the title is scandalous and unacceptable. The fans are within their rights to show their displeasure when you show a near zero ambition in the transfer market. He will point to Ozil and Alexis,… Read more »
Spot on
Not great AW – there are some fans who do know what they are talking about, & there is nobody, I mean NOBODY at that football club who will get rid of you.
Read today that Flamini has started in nearly 40% of our league games….but there was nobody better than him to sign last summer.
Sigh…..
“I personally rate highly the FA Cup. I think it’s a fantastic, prestigious competition.”
Well he would say that wouldn’t he… because we haven’t won anything else recently. No one doubts his work ethic, but it’s the quality of his output the board should be questioning.
stupid comment….he has won it more than anyone in the fa cup history..
And he’s thrown it more than once as well. He make’s it up as he goes along.
Sorry, hadn’t realised that the FA Cup is our only target season in and season out…
There’ll come a time – and it may not be very far off – when ‘going on ‘a bit of a cup run’ will be the new target. Such is our decline. The Champions League has now become a non-starter, as has the league, even this season when for once there’s no opposition to speak of (that’s unless we win every game and other clubs’ form suddenly goes into reverse). This, given the quality and expense of our players relative to Leicester’s and Spurs’s, is nothing short of shocking, but shocking has become what we’re prepared to forgive. Yes, I… Read more »
There are legitimate criticisms of AW, but you haven’t made any of them. Most of this is just revisionist nonsense. When were the days that we used to go into CL ties against the biggest clubs in Europe thinking that we had the better squad and would win? This was not the case even in the days of the Invincibles. People have been crying wolf about sponsorship money drying up if we don’t win the league for at least 10 years, it keeps going up. In a world where serial underachievers like Liverpool are still managing to increase sponsorship revenues,… Read more »
These are both legitimate questions, and sorry Mark but at no point in the early 2000’s did i feel we were going to receive a real hiding from the likes of Bayern or Barcelona in the way i have for the last few years, so there’s nothing revisionist about it. We used to have players that the whole of Europe coveted, thats very much no longer the case. Cole, Campbell, Vieira, Pires, Bergkamp, Ljungberg, Henry, players every team wanted and who were legitimately amongst the best in the World in their position. We don’t have one player desired by the… Read more »
Bayern, as I mentioned. We did have a better squad than them ten-fifteen years ago, hard though these days it is to imagine. And we did knock out Real and Juve and came within a whisker of beating a very good Barca team . But you’re right, aside from 2005-7, Wenger’s record in Europe has been dismal, despite in the early years having one of the best squads in the comp, and the more he is spending the less he seems to achieve. Doesn’t exactly bode well for the future. As for the sponsorship money, we’re well behind United and… Read more »
John C – you might not have felt like we were going to get a hiding from the big European teams in the 2000s because we didn’t actually get a chance to play any of them. We were too busy getting knocked out by massive European clubs like Valencia (2001), Deportivo and Bayer Leverkusen (second group stage 2002), or Valencia and Ajax (second group stage 2003). All of these teams have of course built on that success and gone on to achieve significant things as noted by Miranda, like get relegated from la Liga (Deportivo) or hire Gary Neville (Valencia).… Read more »
Was that the Valencia who reached consecutive champions league finals? or a Bayer Laverkusen team that also reached the final? Or a Deportivo team that were amougst the best teams in Europe at the time? Although we did beat Laverkusen 4-0 at Highbury didn’t we? I was there so no need to answer that question.
Your examples just make you look stupid.
I’m a bit confused. According to you, you were always confident of great results against the top European sides of the early 2000s. Yet from 1998-2002 we only made it out of the group stages once, and year after year were knocked out by mid-sized European clubs that have done little on the European scene since. Maybe you’ve just been replaying that Bayer Leverkusen game in your head over and over again. Did you also go to the matches that we lost against European giants Mallorca and Panathinaikos that same year? Or to the 4-2 thrashing we took from Barcelona… Read more »
I’m sorry to hear you’re confused but yes i was at all those games you mentioned.
Being confident doesn’t mean we won, it’s not one and the same and I was confident we wouldnt get thrashed.
The thing is after almost 20 years of consecutive involvement in the champions league you expect to see progress, which we haven’t. As you’ve already pointed out we’ve regularly been knocked out by mid-sized European clubs who’ve actually reached the final without the need to qualify 18 years in a row, we can’t even get past the last 16!
The point is, even though you were supposedly always confident of beating these teams in the early 2000s, aside from the occasional good result in a group match, we never did. Despite your influential presence at Highbury against Leverkusen, we still went out at the group stage that year. Your memory of our European prowess in the past just doesn’t match the reality.
Don’t put words in my mouth and actually read what i wrote, which was “at no point in the early 2000’s did I feel we would receive a real hiding from the likes of Bayern or Barcelona in the way I have over the last few years”
No mention of European prowess at all, in fact I didn’t even say win.
But the 6th richest team in the world should be getting beyond the last 16 of the champions league after 18 years of participation.
“I have worked here for 19 years and I’m always sitting here having to justify that I’m good enough to do the job”
And right you should Arsene. You are in a results business. Youre only as good as your last game. Your place should be based on MERIT and RESULTS. Not how long you’ve been in the chair.
At the end of the day, its the (lack of) RESULTS that people are questioning. Telling fans to behave themselves the cheek!
I really find it uncomfortable when the great man says stuff like this.
We’ve been bored of the league season panning out the same way mate. Fa cups have been nice though.
Sorry Arsene you have to remember that we fans are stakeholders in a way that businessmen aren’t. We are motivated and driven by our passion for OUR Arsenal. So we are guilty if you like of caring too much and you damn well ought to listen.
Of course Wenger can feel like this, his bosses doesn’t give a shit. In the real world all jobs require you to keep showing you’re good enough to keep it.
“If it’s not good enough, someone will tell me one day. That’s all I can do. I do not worry what you [journalists] say about me or what fans say about me” Whose going to tell him? Certainly nobody at the club so long as he continues to achieve the bare minimum top 4. We all get the need to support the team when its going through a rough patch, but to completely undermine and delegitimize criticism which is based upon a pattern of failure over a number of years, smacks of hubris and an uncomfortable level of job security… Read more »
Can we at least wait the end of the season before blazing the guns?
Yes the Swansea game was criminal but I’ll keep my head down and support my team (inc manager) until the May.
This stream of recent comments smack of bitterness from the manager. Not quite what you’re looking for eight points behind with 10 games to go is it? Defend yourself with results please Arsene.
So many of these dissenting voices have been wrong in the past. We will never win the cup again. We will drop out of the top four. They said Wenger was being unfair to Campbell when he was the one who retained him in the first team when most of the same numpties said Campbell was not good enough for Arsenal. Remember all the hysteria over Dick Law hunting for Campbell’s signature in the Costa Rican jungle secured for under 2m? Or consider the fact most of the same voices said Wenger should ler Coquelin go instead Wenger used him… Read more »
Captain straw man argument!
Way to make up arguments other people might never have made just so you can knock them down. And if you think Coquelin was part of some great Wenger plan then you are living in fantasy land, or if you think Campbell would have gotten a chance without everyone else getting injured. Wenger is a pretty good manager with some obvious limitations, but I would not be celebrating his happy accidents (Campbell, Coq, Santi as a deep midfielder) as some Wenger masterplan.
Lets see what the excuse will be when Leicester wins the league. Never mind the fact that Klopp, simeone has proven the excuses people make for Wenger wrong.
It’s all going off! Goodnight and COYG x
You convinced me in 1998….through 2006 that you were good enough.
Then you convinced me ,and I convinced myself, that I could trust you when you said that once the new stadium and associated finances were paid for we could and would , compete financially for the best players to make us “super competitive”again.
You either lied or have forgotten.
I haven’t.
Change and be good to your word or leave please sir.
‘Do you think you are good enough?’ If I am not, somebody will tell me.” People are telling you Arsene, thats the point. Another thing he said that annoyed me was “I cannot influence the behaviour of the fans. How can I do that?” You do it by winning football matches and trophies, you are directly influential in how the fans behave
I am neither Wenger-out nor Wenger-in. I am Arsenal and Arsenal fans love everyone that offered (even) the half of that. However, few can disagree that succeses and failures must have the same source. The single most influencial person in this club. Wenger. And I cannot blame 1 BFG for being unacceptably slow, 2 Flamini inaddequate, 3 Ramsey and Ox try to be forced to be CM’s, 4 Chambers and Monreal try to be CB’s (last year because we had only two (!) CB’s), 5 Tio too weak for number 9 position 6 Cambel been subbed or replaced by ubgrateful… Read more »
It’s going to hurt when he leaves….and that time has to be soon.
People are complaining because it appears that he doesn’t learn from his mistakes. I know it must be annoying and it is for him difficult to evaluate himself in front of the press, many of whom will not represent his views, but I get sick of this rhetoric. Maybe, just maybe there is a kernel of truth in what many of the fans are saying, and ex-arsenal players, and other teams fans. If he is not listening to others any more then it is no wonder we’re stagnating. I hated him but this is how Alex Ferguson survived for so… Read more »
The other thing is the hypocrisy in what he says: The players have overcome many hurdles in their careers and are all leaders and winners at this level. And then he goes on about being worried that the fans ‘relentless pressure’ might damage the players confidence. Which one is it? Can they deal with pressure or can’t they? Because if the fans have to acknowledge that their negativity can effect the players, then maybe the manager might have to acknowledge that a little more guidance when in those vulnerable moments might go some way to buttressing confidence and belief when… Read more »
the problem is wenger. on paper our team is superior to spurs and leicester. the issue is work rate, game management, and player discipline and belief in the system. if he knew how to organize the talents at his disposal and have them believe in the system we’d be top of the league. but he’s stubborn and arrogant and now treats the fans with disdain. the only reason why he’s still around is because he puts cash reserves ahead of titles and that’s all that kroenke cares about. simple. 10 points from 27 for a top team would earn any… Read more »
on paper even Chelsea and manc team looks better than spurs and leicester but look where they are
So because they’re crap we should be too?
i’m so tired of people pointing to other team’s failures as an excuse for wenger. btw chelsea revolted against mourinho, but haven’t lost since hiddink took over. and both man city and chelsea made a management change when the results weren’t good enough. will we be able to say the same about arsenal if we don’t win the title? i hope so.
And how secure are the respective team managers jobs?
Yeah, just look how well our managers job security worked out for us.
He is still my man for the job…just can’t see anyone better, he is just unfortunate that he got his hand on the money when everybody become rich, and players who would make a difference are scarce or clubs don’t need to sell for money.
well said Fletcher…most people think good players are available everywhere when that’s not the case, this summer there was hardly any big movement among clubs in Europe and now that china is throwing money at everything it’s gonna get more difficult to buy quality player.
the idea that we couldn’t have bought a superior DM to Arteta/Flamini over the summer is farcical.
If indeed he has been working 7 days a week with full commitment just to produce the results we have experienced, then he is not good enough for Arsenal football club. He is tired and must be retired.That kind of effort should be giving us the league and not top four trophy. The man is stubborn and doesn’t learn from experience. Committing the same mistakes for the past 12 years,hence our failure to win the league.He now doesn’t listen to what fans say, really Mr Wenger? That’s going too far. It’s like bitting the finger that feeds him. Without fans… Read more »
Well I never! My word, the nerve of that man!
Give the man till the end of the season. Yes some results were absolute bollocks but 2 months ago everyone was talking about how the sun shines out of this man’s arse as we were giving the title a right go. All said and done, I fully understand people’s desire for change and fan’s general opinion that he’s no longer the man for the job, but gosh some of the abuse on here is disgusting and completely inappropriate when referring to a man who is arguably our greatest ever manager and is a man so revered by many in the… Read more »
“Every Arsenal fan knows he is a workaholic, the questions arise from whether the quality of that work has been sufficient to win the biggest prizes.”
That is the point! What is the quality of that work. Not top-notch if you ask me.
If it were me I’d have snapped at the football media months ago. Bunch of snide, parasitic little s***-stirrers. I have complete sympathy for Arsene or any manager who tells that lot where to go, because I’d tell them a lot worse. I’m just glad that sources like Arseblog exist these days, run by the fans for the fans. My dream is that one day – and I know this will never happen, but still – is that we can cut the newspapers out entirely, and run pre-match conferences for season-ticket holders who can ask the questions the fans want… Read more »
Same here. It’s a shame that there are so any gullible ‘fans’ that believe every piece crap the fuck-wit hacks and braindead pundits come out with.
I know they say ultimately the blame falls on the manager but seriously… I dont think anyone could get any kind of regular top performances from tw14.
I’m pretty sure he hasn’t been held at gun point for the last 10 years to keep him
He’s bored of being questioned, I’m bored of the same frailties leading to the same mistakes and falling at the same hurdles and blaming the same things and giving the same excuses and hearing the same noise about mental strength and character and in the same increasingly less inspiring interviews from a manager who increasingly less seems to understand just how bored everyone is of hearing him say the same things over and over for 10 years and act like somehow it’s different this time round.
The only thing that matter is the question weather Wenger has the confidence of the players. Do the players believe in his tactics and carry them out. Loosing the dressing room and the effects of that is best seen at Stamford Bridge this season. Moureen lost it and players of great quality did little on the pitch – on comes Hiddink and they haven´t lost a match. Coincidence?
For me the biggest problem has been santi out the coc and santi were our best if unortadox fit for the midfield. We simply haven’t had a pairing with the right balance since and that is the reason for the results.
What we wouldn’t give to have an Henry or Wrighty in our team. Özil would double the assist record with those legends in the team.
When Henry or Wright would go 1 on 1 with the keeper we mighty Gooners knew it would soon be 1 – 0 to The Arsenal…
When’s the last time we had that confidence in a striker and Wenger’s failure to find one has cost us a decade of not winning the title.
Hardly a decade – we had someone (as cunty as he was) until 2012 that was pretty good.
I think the lack of recent goals is more to do with a lack of decent chances – it’s comforting for people to think that with a “world-class striker” we’d score a shed-load, rather than the fact our general attacking play has been really poor, as that requires wholesale changes.
Sorry, my mistake. Buy, buy, buy – that way, even with Arsene Wenger’s inability to organise and motivate his players to play like grown-ups we’d sweep all in front of us. We just need a WORLD CLASS STRIKER.
It’s this kind of stupid thinking that makes people think Mandzukic is a good player because he scored lots for Bayern. Football is a bit more nuance than “buy a load of expensive stars and you’ll win everything” – something that teams like Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, Montpellier and now Leicester have demonstrated.
In that case, Barcelona should not have bought Messi, Real Madrid should not have bought Ronaldo – obviously it is not as simple as buying expensive stars and you will win everything, but you have a hell of a better chance to do so.
Shame Eduardo got damaged so badly.
Best case scenario: Wenger wins the PL this year through some miracle and then retires. Please football gods, let us write history.
A lot of these journalists have pages to fill so that they always have to come up with some shit like “Are you were worried about recent results. Your job is on the line”. If we were 2-0 up against Sp?rs and they came 2-2 they would be going Arsenal have thrown the title away and they don’t stand a chance now. It would be headline news. As soon as we come back to 2-2 at Sp?rs there is not one mention anywhere in the media that Sp?rs are feeling the pressure. You win 3 games they’ll report we’re gonna… Read more »
He should stop winging and concentrate on the games we have. He is always making a fuss about nothing. The questioning from the media is normal considering our recent performances. What does Mr Wenger really expect, golden handshake for bad job?
If he wins just the FA Cup.and set a new record….some fans wint be satisfied. If he wins the league even, they wont be satisfied. Even if he somehow manage to win.the CL…there will still be fans who wont be satisfied. The truth is….these so-called are not real Arsenal fans. They are just fan of success regardless the team or the game. To them….please go away & support another team who is better has a better manager & better success story. GO!!!
If, if, if, if, if, if, if, if!
If there were no ‘If’ in sport it would be pretty fucking boring.
And “if” the manager constantly doesn’t than he has to go
It was all going off and I went to bed, got up and went to work, got home and it is still going off!
Wenger will be here until the end of the season no matter what so how about getting behind him and the team until then?
COYG spank Hull!
Poor man. He only earns a paltry £7M a year and he has to face those awkward journalists and their tedious questions.
And if I read his quotes correctly, I think he told us fans to fuck off.
£8 million and yes he did.
Any other teams manager will not get away like this, if they make similar statements.
But we are Arsenal so when the manager asks us to fuck off albeit politely, we should.