He said it on several occasions that I am aware of. The most prominent time was at the 2012 AGM.
The direct quote from the AGM was “For me, there are five trophies – the first is to win the Premier League, the second is to win the Champions League, the third is to qualify for the Champions League, the fourth is to win the FA Cup and the fifth is to win the League Cup.”
Forget the AGM. Remember reading after an FA Cup exit at the hands of Sunderland (of all teams), that it was important to seal the top four trophy or something along those lines. I will find it for you guys if interested. Here – Arsène Wenger has suggested that Arsenal should regard the prospect of securing fourth place in the Premier League and entry into next season’s Champions League qualifying round as comparable to winning a cup. “The first trophy is to finish in the top four,” said Arsenal’s manager in the wake of Saturday’s 2-0 FA Cup fifth-round defeat… Read more »
Point is, it’s a metaphor. Not meant to be taken literally and I think you know it. The perks of finishing in the top four are too great, that’s what he means by ‘top four trophy’. Not sure how that’s bad. You’re making it out as if he’s content with finishing in the top four every year, and he isn’t.
What is so diabolical and evil about suggesting that qualifying for the Champions League should be one of the annual goals for the club? He did indicate that our chief priorities are trying to win the PL and CL, and put the CL qualification third.
Futsboller, thanks for the predicted defence of Wenger but one of your character flaws is that you often put words into people’s mouths so it can assist with your agenda.
Did anyone say that it was diabolical and evil that top 4 should be an annual goal? No, nobody said that.
The issue people have is that our Manager called it a trophy. Which is clearly is not.
Answers to your 2 questions:
1) It is not a trophy. Once you call it a trophy (several times) then you reduce the ambition of the club. Hence, no other top manager has called top 4 a trophy.
2) Nothing is wrong with it. Nobody said there was. You’re not putting words in people’s mouths again, are you?
I guess the real question is, then, do you understand what a metaphor is, and how someone might use figurative language to express a point? Clearly a top four finish is not a trophy that you can lift over your head, but it can be like a trophy (i.e., an achievement for the squad) when you have missed out on the Premier League and Champions League trophies.
Books are awesome, though they are harder to spin.
So you’re claiming it was only a metaphor? If so, not a very good one.
If he had come out and said ‘the third highest priority target behind winning the PL and CL, is to achieve top 4’ then everyone would have understood him. He didn’t have call it a trophy then repeat that several times.
Just admit it was an error by Wenger to claim top 4 was a trophy. You can say Wenger has made a mistake. Nothing bad will happen to you.
It can only be a metaphor (a good one, in fact), so I’m not really claiming anything: “For me, there are five trophies – the first is to win the Premier League, the second is to win the Champions League, the third is to qualify for the Champions League, the fourth is to win the FA Cup and the fifth is to win the League Cup.” There are five targets or achievements in the season to measure success; in 2012, CL qualification was third on the list. I know figurative language can be difficult to understand, but keep trying. It… Read more »
@spinner, you are a fine one to call boring and predictable, with your endless negativity….boring on and on . You don’t like Wenger, we get i. In fact we got it ages ago..
I think you are again missing the point. There are 5 trophies of which EPL and UCL are out of the question. Wenger has seen to that through poor tactics and instill defensive toughness despite over a decade of trying to do so. Then there is UCL qualification which has come to mean nothing as Arsenal, after having failed to reach even the QFs in 7 straight seasons, are also rans at best. Saying the club has UCL is like a team finishing 17th in the league saying well we still have EPL next season. Its relegation mentality in Europe.… Read more »
Nothing wrong with targeting UCL qualification as a by-product of challenging for the league. However to quote from what @Various_Hits has posted above, Wenger counts finishing in the top four as the “first trophy”.
In 2012, before the mega hike in TV revenue, for Arsenal (a team without a multi-billionaire gangster/royal throwing their pocket money into the transfer pot) top four was worth so much. It was worth way more than the fa cup and the pound stretcher cup, both financially and reputantionally (yes I just made that word up). So that AGM speech list was a way of describing the importance and priorities for the future of the club. Everyone took the ‘trophy’ thing so literally. Ffs. Pep agrees, even with his endless funds, new TV money and inflated reputation.
If you have ever trained in a boxing gym, one of things you are told is if you are aiming to knock an opponent out, you don’t aim for the nose, your punch should be aimed for behind the nose, maybe the back of the head THROUGH the nose, so you will definitely hit the nose and knock the guy out. My point is, if you are aiming for top 4, it will be difficult to hit your target. However, if you aim for the top, and in fact with the principle mentioned above, for 100 points for example, then… Read more »
vat
7 years ago
The only thing we showed today was heart. We didn’t have fluency, individual moments of brilliance, technical excellence, nothing. it was pure heart and desire. Just felt like a desire not to lose got us coming back – we were out on our legs by the end. That doesn’t feel like a side that’s given up to me. But that would fly in the face of the logic that we’ve given up and have no heart by all the experts (who are idiots) and arseblogger (whom I respect and like). So which is it? Why no comment about the team… Read more »
alex
7 years ago
I’m sorry, Arsène, but Mesut didn’t lose the ball : he first wasn’t quick enough to get it (or better said, the GK was better placed and quicker), basta! How could you miss a chance when you don’t have the ball?
I wish you’d be as demanding for Sanchez… but well, the pundits/fans/media will be against Özil and maybe will let you a bit at peace. Good job!
Indeed, Sanchez lost the ball in some very bad places today.
Alex
7 years ago
Look at that face. He’s staying
Too Drunk To Be Offside
7 years ago
I feel sorry for him that it has come to this. How can I not. I have fought for the man and at one point have fought bitterly with Man U fans that he was actually better than Fergie. However all that aside I support Arsenal before I support Wenger it is clear to me that Wenger is no longer the right man for the job. DB10 and TH14 were the best strike partnership in EPL history, but if one were to look for a great strike partnership to play today or next season, one would not sign those two,… Read more »
Simeone would be top pick obviously. Knows how to organise a team to be solid defensively and tough to breakdown. All these are qualities the team most clearly needs improvement. Plus Simeone has regularly challenged teams far bigger than the one he is presently managing and even broke the Big Two hegemony in Spain to win the league with a squad inferior to those rivals. He fits the Arsenal mould perfectly. His team’s work ethic and defensive organisation coupled with Arsenal’s superior spending powers to Atl Madrid’s (Arsenal spent a 100 mil nearly in the summer in case anyone didn’t… Read more »
BTW before ppl lose their minds, I know Atl spent a lot too, but Atl’s spending was financed by selling a lot of their own players. Net spend of Atl was just 42 mil or so. Arsenal’s net spend was more than twice that.
Don’t agree that Simeone fits the Arsenal mould. Arsenal are attacking team … well … were an attacking team, anyway. Actually I doubt Arsenal have any identity left to be fair. They are neither an freeflowing attacking team, nor a hardworking solid tough to break down team, nor a team that plays on the counter. The only identity left for Arsenal is that the team is soft and more often than not, not up for a fight. I digress. I was about to say that Simeone is a bit defense first manager, till I realised that Arsenal don’t have an… Read more »
Rossi88
7 years ago
I dont think even we can turn it around and finish 4th, unfortunately. Still, wish the club would hurry up and announce what they’re plans are. I think hes staying, dont particuarly agree with it but i have figured out that no one really listens to the majority of the fanbase, ultimately we dont have a say in anything. We just fund the club. A slightly better performance, a draw. I hope we start picking up some positive results and performances.
I agree with you. When I watched the game on TV today, I couldn’t believe that a huge number of fans buggered off just before half time to go enrich Stan and buy his food. Maybe we dont deserve to be heard.
Yeti
7 years ago
He’s a great man.
Toure motors
7 years ago
A better team than city would’ve beaten us today. Very disappointed in xhaka, welback and Walcott. And as for ozil…
We have been made to believe Özil is better than he is because he cost us 42million. I have tried to defend Özil because i did not want to admit Özil is a very flawed player. If you compare him to Fabregas whom we turned down, there is no comparison.
1) Not sure re-signing him was a formality or that simple.
2) After the way he treated the club and allowed the club to be held ransom by Barcelona, I never want to see him again in an Arsenal shirt. SO good that the club didn’t re-sign him.
Romford Pelé
7 years ago
Fuckin right arsene, we set up to win and we could have won. Any of wengers teams thrive from confidence, just ask weah, henry, Vieira, petit, ljungberg etc. All classed as mediocre, average players until professor Wenger sees a world beater. Deny all you like but the man knows his shit
“Deny all you like but the man knows his shit” – Romford Pelé
I would love to agree with you but the fact that Arsenal’s title challenge has never gone beyond March in any season in the past decade, seems to suggest otherwise.
1886_gunner
7 years ago
I just sincerely think the club need a new direction, I v been le Prof’s fan boy all my life but its time for him to say goodbye for the love of the club. As for Ozil, I have run out of excuses.
Dholio
7 years ago
Some classic Arsene there. Didn’t see the penalty shout out by City and top 4 is like a trophy.
We wanted 3pts and got 1. It’s a step in the right direction. The lads were much more committed than West Brom game.
Lay off the Ozil bashing people. It was not a clear opportunity as Ozil never really had control of the ball.
Let’s back this fightback with a win on Wednesday and see where we are.
bazza_wicks
7 years ago
the signs have been there for weeks now little snippets Wenger comes out with he’s definately staying, he would love to shout out his signed the contract and coming out with the old cliche top 4 is a trophy really are you kidding us
02ba
7 years ago
Maureen said a couple of weeks ago that their aim was top four.
The Europa league, is our new trophy – next. How does this loser can away with it 13 years & counting. A 67 multi millionaire has no other interests in life- so bloody SAD!
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Top 4 Trophy!
Apart from Wenger, has anyone else in the whole world claimed that top 4 was a trophy? Genuine question.
Pep
Paul, did Pep call it a trophy?
He never claimed it was a trophy. That quote was taken out of contest, stop taking the piss.
Gargoyle, nobody is taking the piss.
He said it on several occasions that I am aware of. The most prominent time was at the 2012 AGM.
The direct quote from the AGM was “For me, there are five trophies – the first is to win the Premier League, the second is to win the Champions League, the third is to qualify for the Champions League, the fourth is to win the FA Cup and the fifth is to win the League Cup.”
Link to Arsenal website for quote is:
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/arsenal-agm-2012-arsene-wenger-s-speech
Forget the AGM. Remember reading after an FA Cup exit at the hands of Sunderland (of all teams), that it was important to seal the top four trophy or something along those lines. I will find it for you guys if interested. Here – Arsène Wenger has suggested that Arsenal should regard the prospect of securing fourth place in the Premier League and entry into next season’s Champions League qualifying round as comparable to winning a cup. “The first trophy is to finish in the top four,” said Arsenal’s manager in the wake of Saturday’s 2-0 FA Cup fifth-round defeat… Read more »
Point is, it’s a metaphor. Not meant to be taken literally and I think you know it. The perks of finishing in the top four are too great, that’s what he means by ‘top four trophy’. Not sure how that’s bad. You’re making it out as if he’s content with finishing in the top four every year, and he isn’t.
Content? He actually counts a top 4 finish as an achievement worth celebrating!
What is so diabolical and evil about suggesting that qualifying for the Champions League should be one of the annual goals for the club? He did indicate that our chief priorities are trying to win the PL and CL, and put the CL qualification third.
Futsboller, thanks for the predicted defence of Wenger but one of your character flaws is that you often put words into people’s mouths so it can assist with your agenda.
Did anyone say that it was diabolical and evil that top 4 should be an annual goal? No, nobody said that.
The issue people have is that our Manager called it a trophy. Which is clearly is not.
What is the issue, exactly, then? What is wrong with CL qualification as one of the goals for the club to achieve each season?
Answers to your 2 questions:
1) It is not a trophy. Once you call it a trophy (several times) then you reduce the ambition of the club. Hence, no other top manager has called top 4 a trophy.
2) Nothing is wrong with it. Nobody said there was. You’re not putting words in people’s mouths again, are you?
I guess the real question is, then, do you understand what a metaphor is, and how someone might use figurative language to express a point? Clearly a top four finish is not a trophy that you can lift over your head, but it can be like a trophy (i.e., an achievement for the squad) when you have missed out on the Premier League and Champions League trophies.
Books are awesome, though they are harder to spin.
So you’re claiming it was only a metaphor? If so, not a very good one.
If he had come out and said ‘the third highest priority target behind winning the PL and CL, is to achieve top 4’ then everyone would have understood him. He didn’t have call it a trophy then repeat that several times.
Just admit it was an error by Wenger to claim top 4 was a trophy. You can say Wenger has made a mistake. Nothing bad will happen to you.
It can only be a metaphor (a good one, in fact), so I’m not really claiming anything: “For me, there are five trophies – the first is to win the Premier League, the second is to win the Champions League, the third is to qualify for the Champions League, the fourth is to win the FA Cup and the fifth is to win the League Cup.” There are five targets or achievements in the season to measure success; in 2012, CL qualification was third on the list. I know figurative language can be difficult to understand, but keep trying. It… Read more »
Again you’re tying yourself up in knots to somehow claim that Wenger did not make a mistake in saying that top 4 was a trophy.
Just admit it. There was no need for him to say it, and he has quite correctly been ridiculed for doing so.
You are boring and predictable, in that you will never admit that Wenger has made a single mistake in his life.
@spinner, you are a fine one to call boring and predictable, with your endless negativity….boring on and on . You don’t like Wenger, we get i. In fact we got it ages ago..
I think you are again missing the point. There are 5 trophies of which EPL and UCL are out of the question. Wenger has seen to that through poor tactics and instill defensive toughness despite over a decade of trying to do so. Then there is UCL qualification which has come to mean nothing as Arsenal, after having failed to reach even the QFs in 7 straight seasons, are also rans at best. Saying the club has UCL is like a team finishing 17th in the league saying well we still have EPL next season. Its relegation mentality in Europe.… Read more »
Nothing wrong with targeting UCL qualification as a by-product of challenging for the league. However to quote from what @Various_Hits has posted above, Wenger counts finishing in the top four as the “first trophy”.
In 2012, before the mega hike in TV revenue, for Arsenal (a team without a multi-billionaire gangster/royal throwing their pocket money into the transfer pot) top four was worth so much. It was worth way more than the fa cup and the pound stretcher cup, both financially and reputantionally (yes I just made that word up). So that AGM speech list was a way of describing the importance and priorities for the future of the club. Everyone took the ‘trophy’ thing so literally. Ffs. Pep agrees, even with his endless funds, new TV money and inflated reputation.
If you have ever trained in a boxing gym, one of things you are told is if you are aiming to knock an opponent out, you don’t aim for the nose, your punch should be aimed for behind the nose, maybe the back of the head THROUGH the nose, so you will definitely hit the nose and knock the guy out. My point is, if you are aiming for top 4, it will be difficult to hit your target. However, if you aim for the top, and in fact with the principle mentioned above, for 100 points for example, then… Read more »
The only thing we showed today was heart. We didn’t have fluency, individual moments of brilliance, technical excellence, nothing. it was pure heart and desire. Just felt like a desire not to lose got us coming back – we were out on our legs by the end. That doesn’t feel like a side that’s given up to me. But that would fly in the face of the logic that we’ve given up and have no heart by all the experts (who are idiots) and arseblogger (whom I respect and like). So which is it? Why no comment about the team… Read more »
I’m sorry, Arsène, but Mesut didn’t lose the ball : he first wasn’t quick enough to get it (or better said, the GK was better placed and quicker), basta! How could you miss a chance when you don’t have the ball?
I wish you’d be as demanding for Sanchez… but well, the pundits/fans/media will be against Özil and maybe will let you a bit at peace. Good job!
Indeed, Sanchez lost the ball in some very bad places today.
Look at that face. He’s staying
I feel sorry for him that it has come to this. How can I not. I have fought for the man and at one point have fought bitterly with Man U fans that he was actually better than Fergie. However all that aside I support Arsenal before I support Wenger it is clear to me that Wenger is no longer the right man for the job. DB10 and TH14 were the best strike partnership in EPL history, but if one were to look for a great strike partnership to play today or next season, one would not sign those two,… Read more »
Can you give us a name who you think can be the right man for the job?
Simeone would be top pick obviously. Knows how to organise a team to be solid defensively and tough to breakdown. All these are qualities the team most clearly needs improvement. Plus Simeone has regularly challenged teams far bigger than the one he is presently managing and even broke the Big Two hegemony in Spain to win the league with a squad inferior to those rivals. He fits the Arsenal mould perfectly. His team’s work ethic and defensive organisation coupled with Arsenal’s superior spending powers to Atl Madrid’s (Arsenal spent a 100 mil nearly in the summer in case anyone didn’t… Read more »
BTW before ppl lose their minds, I know Atl spent a lot too, but Atl’s spending was financed by selling a lot of their own players. Net spend of Atl was just 42 mil or so. Arsenal’s net spend was more than twice that.
Don’t agree that Simeone fits the Arsenal mould. Arsenal are attacking team … well … were an attacking team, anyway. Actually I doubt Arsenal have any identity left to be fair. They are neither an freeflowing attacking team, nor a hardworking solid tough to break down team, nor a team that plays on the counter. The only identity left for Arsenal is that the team is soft and more often than not, not up for a fight. I digress. I was about to say that Simeone is a bit defense first manager, till I realised that Arsenal don’t have an… Read more »
I dont think even we can turn it around and finish 4th, unfortunately. Still, wish the club would hurry up and announce what they’re plans are. I think hes staying, dont particuarly agree with it but i have figured out that no one really listens to the majority of the fanbase, ultimately we dont have a say in anything. We just fund the club. A slightly better performance, a draw. I hope we start picking up some positive results and performances.
I wonder what they are plans are also… 🙁
I agree with you. When I watched the game on TV today, I couldn’t believe that a huge number of fans buggered off just before half time to go enrich Stan and buy his food. Maybe we dont deserve to be heard.
He’s a great man.
A better team than city would’ve beaten us today. Very disappointed in xhaka, welback and Walcott. And as for ozil…
Ozil is a coward plain and simple
We have been made to believe Özil is better than he is because he cost us 42million. I have tried to defend Özil because i did not want to admit Özil is a very flawed player. If you compare him to Fabregas whom we turned down, there is no comparison.
Re Fabregas –
1) Not sure re-signing him was a formality or that simple.
2) After the way he treated the club and allowed the club to be held ransom by Barcelona, I never want to see him again in an Arsenal shirt. SO good that the club didn’t re-sign him.
Fuckin right arsene, we set up to win and we could have won. Any of wengers teams thrive from confidence, just ask weah, henry, Vieira, petit, ljungberg etc. All classed as mediocre, average players until professor Wenger sees a world beater. Deny all you like but the man knows his shit
“Deny all you like but the man knows his shit” – Romford Pelé
I would love to agree with you but the fact that Arsenal’s title challenge has never gone beyond March in any season in the past decade, seems to suggest otherwise.
I just sincerely think the club need a new direction, I v been le Prof’s fan boy all my life but its time for him to say goodbye for the love of the club. As for Ozil, I have run out of excuses.
Some classic Arsene there. Didn’t see the penalty shout out by City and top 4 is like a trophy.
We wanted 3pts and got 1. It’s a step in the right direction. The lads were much more committed than West Brom game.
Lay off the Ozil bashing people. It was not a clear opportunity as Ozil never really had control of the ball.
Let’s back this fightback with a win on Wednesday and see where we are.
the signs have been there for weeks now little snippets Wenger comes out with he’s definately staying, he would love to shout out his signed the contract and coming out with the old cliche top 4 is a trophy really are you kidding us
Maureen said a couple of weeks ago that their aim was top four.
So what? Who gives a fuck what that cunt says.
The Europa league, is our new trophy – next. How does this loser can away with it 13 years & counting. A 67 multi millionaire has no other interests in life- so bloody SAD!