Arsenal have officially confirmed that Arsene Wenger has signed a two year contract extension with the club, which will see him remain at the club until 2019.
The news comes as no surprise despite months of speculation about the 67 year old’s future, and in the wake of the Saturday’s FA Cup triumph, it felt pretty much inevitable.
A disappointing Premier League season led to sustained protests, aimed at the board to encourage them to not renew Wenger’s contract when it expired in June.
There was talk of a boardroom schism, but ultimately the final decision came down to majority shareholder Stan Kroenke who has decided to stick with the man who has been in charge since 1996.
Speaking about the extension, Wenger explained: “I love this club and I am looking forward to the future with optimism and excitement. We are looking at what we do well and how we can be stronger everywhere.
“This is a strong group of players and with some additions we can be even more successful. We’re committed to mounting a sustained league challenge and that will be our focus this summer and next season.
“I am grateful to have the support of the board and Stan in doing everything we can to win more trophies. It’s what we all want and I know it’s what our fans around the world demand.”
It is expected that some structural changes will be put in place, although they will stop short of a traditional Director of Football, but some kind of football executive position will be filled over the summer.
Interestingly, it was CEO Ivan Gazidis, so quiet on the subject of the manager’s future, who was wheeled out to promise improvements off the pitch.
“There is no complacency anywhere at this club,” he said. Our goal is to compete for and win trophies here and in Europe.
“Everything we do is designed to make that happen and we will be working hard on and off the pitch this summer to improve and make a strong challenge next season. The club has grown beyond recognition in every aspect in recent years and we have the platform to be successful and meet the ambitions we and our fans share.”
Wenger also faces a big job in terms of his playing staff. The futures of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez are top of the list, while there are also serious doubts over Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who has been consistently linked with Liverpool.
As well as that there are decisions required over the likes of Kieran Gibbs, Jack Wilshere, Mathieu Debuchy, Calum Chambers, and Wojciech Szczesny – not to mention the recruitment required to bolster a squad which ended the season 18 points off the top in the Premier League.
As if words from Ivan and Arsene weren’t enough, we were also treated to a statement from Stan Kroenke who insists that the club continues to harbour ambitions to dominate football both at home and abroad.
“Our ambition is to win the Premier League and other major trophies in Europe,” said the American.
“It’s what the fans, players, staff, manager and board expect and we won’t rest until that is achieved. Arsène is the best person to help us make that happen. He has a fantastic track record and has our full backing.”
It’s going to be a busy summer, that’s for sure.
Okay, the saga is finally over. Like it or not, it’s time to get behind the club, the manager and the team.
A lot of work to do now and during the summer. I’m neither optimistic or pessimistic, just curious what’s gonna happen. COYG.
Exactly! We’re supposed to enjoy the sport and if we’re gonna call ourselves “supporters” then come the start of the new season we may as well try and support the team that (to my understanding) we want to do well. I understand being unhappy with a lot of how the club is run, but I really don’t get people wanting us to fail just to vindicate their frustration over past seasons.
For me personally I am so disappointed by whats happened. I really don’t understand how Arsene has ended up getting a new deal. The opportunity was there for him to walk away on a high after the emphatic win in the FA Cup final and I think he has been so foolish not to take it. I don’t just blame Arsene, I think the board need to be held accountable too. Somebody in that boardroom should of made him realize that it is time to walk away. I don’t dispute his love for Arsenal, nor dispute that he genuinely does… Read more »
Hang in there, mate. I became an Arsenal fan for really stupid reasons. I am from India, and whenever the topic of football used to come up, and they would ask me who I support..the name “Arsenal” would pop into my mouth even though I never really watched football, nor even knew what Arsenal were all about. It just felt like a really cool name to a 12 year old me. And so I would blurt it out to my seniors to impress them. I remember the summer of 2012, it was the tail end of the 2011-12 season. That’s… Read more »
You deserve a thumbs up for your name alone ?
Love comments like this. So often people act like there’s only one right answer to the club’s problems, only one way forward. But we all have our own reasons for supporting the club, and it will seem different to all of us. That’s what Arsenal is, it’s countless diverse people with countless different stories, brought together by the chance that they loved this club. Whether you agree with this decision or not the club will go on, through good times and bad, and we’ll all go with it.
Aww thanks @Parisian Weetabix and @Glasgow_Gooner, you lit up a lonely night, really feeling the love of all us Gooners across planet Earth.
~~~Brilliant.~~~
Arsenal lost on the final day the championship – 1999, when Man utd won it in the second half and ‘Martin Tyler’ commentry said some thing like “Hard luck Gunners”.
I started liking Gunners – whoever they were, and Arsene Wenger as I thought he owned the club and managed it.
Most of the times it is extremely infuriating Arsene sub’s and other stuff, BUT
Hopefully Arsene gets that 2002 perfection.
4 years ago the “glass ceiling” was: the abilty to win anything again with Wenger.
2 years ago another “glass ceiling” was: the abilty to defeat J. Mourinho
And I think it is interesting to compare Wenger to those “newer breed of younger managers” this season:
against Klopp: L,L
against Pochettino: D,L
against Guardiola: L,D,W
against Mourinho: D,W
against Conte: W,L,W
So…
4 Losses
3 Draws
4 Wins
Sorry, (i don’t think that is changing a lot, but) that is…
5 Losses
3 Draws
4 Wins
Yeah, just worried we’ll complain about prices of players, dither, then buy some randos and see what happens. I really worry we’ll struggle to attract the quality players the manager always drones on about because we won’t have CL to offer and we’ll have to make a serious mega offer to keep Alexis.
Fully expect us to have the mental strength of wet bog roll around January/February time when the team collectively shits the bed on cue and lose away from home to some cunts.
Red-Wing, I am with you. Personally I am of the belief that everyone should now get behind the club, but I am not seeing that from the responses, and some of the up/down votes.
So a question for all of those who are still Wenger Out and are feeling quite pessimistic:
Given he has signed and is not going anywhere? What would make you happy and more optomistic???
A conformation that this was to be his last two years and we were going to spend them working on a succession plan, an honest admission and discussion about the things wrong at the club and what is being done to correct them, some decisive and early activity in the transfer market and the contract extensions for Ozil and Sanchez being tied up early rather than drawn out into a summer long saga. Give me those and I’ll be happy and optimistic.
I for one don’t understand this sentiment of requiring internal discussions being public. What precisely do you want them to admit? How do you want to discuss with the club?? What is there to be gained by this? Telling the competition to what exactly they are doing? Do you see any other club behaving like this? Truly baffles me.
I want them to admit something is wrong say that they have identified areas of the club which need improving (scouting, recruitment, contracts, tactical flexibility ect.), then go about fixing them (replacing dick law for example). I’m not asking for them to reveal their game plans for each opponent, none of this would compromise the club in any way. I am just worried at the moment that things will just stay the same, I want some recognition that things need changing and action on these areas.
But what exactly the club will gain from going public with the admission? Of course they identify problems and they fix them, it is just not announced with the language you are demanding (change of the training grounds surface, acquisition of the stat company, reworking the academy, changing medical staff…). You want them to admit that scouting is wrong, but is it? Who are the recently scouted players? Mustafi, Elneny, Xhaka, Holding, Perez, perhaps Gabriel and Welbeck. While could have turned better (almost everything can), I don’t see any of these as a mistake, all of them are quality players… Read more »
Not my preference, but I can get behind anything that makes Piers Morgan unhappy, to be honest.
I bet you Piers is one of the down votes
I bet he’s all the down votes. Down-vote, cookie-clear, repeat.
I’d like to pierce Morgan with a rusty spoon
Expect planes with banners starting from the first day this season.
If Wenger thought he’s been working under a hostile atmosphere this season, he’s in for a shock as it’s going to get worse next and the year after.
Selfish, arrogant man!
If you’re going to deliberately cause negativity for a futile agenda, the only selfish and arrogant one is you.
So be it
Why would you protest on the first day? I’m completely indifferent to this extension, but I’ll be concentrating on cheering on the team on the first day of the season, rather than moaning about the manager.
Don’t get me wrong, if this summer plays out like so many before it, with dithering and no desire to get business done early, I totally understand that things will turn hostile quickly. But right now, we’ve just got to hope we’ve learned from the many, repeated past mistakes and get behind the team.
… Jedi
Knob ‘ed
Entrenched, stubborn behaviour must be an expected reaction if you yourself displays entrenched, stubborn behaviour
Cry some more
That attitude is why our species is unable to evolve past where we are now. Grow up.
What does the C stand for….
Terry?
Costa?
John C are you Fatgooner in disguise? We haven’t heard from Fatgooner in a year.
As it happens, Fatgooner’s post is further down in this thread.
I couldn’t have put that better myself. …@@le jim
It was you behind those planes? You must have some fucking wedge mush.
I think there won’t be any plan unless there’s a demand from fans Wenger to be sacked.
But a glimpse of groundhog day can trigger our fans facilely.
As a real fan, get behind the team coz its gonna be a fresh start next season.Wait till March atleast to decide.
Says John Cunt
Highly depressing. There’s no way he deserves it.
The problem is not Wenger but the board who hasn’t done anything to make the idea of a new manager actually possible and realistic. As things inside the club stand, the new contract is the only rational decision.
If the club had been prepared for a new start with a new manager, then yes, this might have been better (if we could’ve got a top manager of course), but not in current situation.
It’s amazing in that we literally had the way out in someone like Tuschel, who was available and has been hinting he would leave since the Dortmund attack, but we bottled it.
‘Someone like Tuschel’… did you even know who he was a year ago?
Did you know who Wenger was when he was made manager?
I did actually, after an article from Guardian when he was at Mainz.
Just because you’re ignorant doesn’t mean we all are. Sorry
I keep hearing his name. Apart from being a different name what exactly has he achieved to warrant taking over ?
What did Wenger win in the years before Kranke turned up? Not that much and that was before Man City got boosted by the Oil Money.
No way he deserves it. You sure about that? Look at what the man has achieved over his tenure at the club. I was in favour of a change just to see something new and fresh. A new manager doesn’t guarantee that however and things could be a lot worse with someone else at the helm. In my opinion we either support this club, baggage and all, or we don’t.
I’m going to hibernate until August. I can’t handle this
Woooo! Now let’s go on and finish third! Reach the Europa Final and sign one decent player who’s been shooed out of a top club!
like Alexis for example
Yes. Like Alexis! Who won us 3 Champions Leagues and 2 Premier Leagues! WOOOOO!
So you’re unhappy we signed him ?
No, I never said that, did I?
I guess with those standards then no one has been good enough at Arsenal for you smh
hilarious, people who down-thumbed you have no sense of humor
This announcement will ring hollow without some substantial signings. Especially if Alexis leaves.
No matter what fans may think of this decision we cannot escape the fact that it has been made. We have to hope that lessons have been learned and there will be necessary changes to the backroom staff. The best thing all fans can do now is to get right behind the team and the manager and give full support. We’ve seen that the protests will not change the minds of the board and the manager and only have a further negative impact on the club and the players. We always have been and remain a great club. We often… Read more »
To sum up, Gazidis and Kroenke show their ambition by keeping faith in a manager that demonstrates the exact same failures season after season.
I hope this time will be different, I really do. In the end it’s the hope that kills you.
Tbh, it’s quite clear this was solely Kroenke’s decision, I don’t even think the board had much of a say in it all, lest of all Gazidis, who’s silence can be seen as opposing this. I know many fans are now happy with this (thus is the fickle nature of football that fans can be frothing chanting “off with his head” to Wenger, and now defending him staying, almost unashamedly in ignorance of the fact they were the same people calling for his sacking), but just remember, if things do go sour again, don’t start bitching about Kroenke, he’s merely… Read more »
Gazidis’ silence may not indicate his opposition, just his general cowardice.
Kroenke : our ambition is to win titles in Europe
Er ….u mean Euopa league
Ah. I really don’t have much faith left in Wenger to make a go of the league, so part of me is disappointed with this news. The other part of me acknowledges the fact that no succession plan was in place and this now gives the club a while to prepare for his departure. We should be signing Kolasinic shortly, and it appears we’ll be getting the young striker from Belgium too, so a couple of good additions already. Sort the contracts out and bring in some quality then we’re ready to have a crack at it!
Great… Groundhog day all over again. This would have happend even if we have been defeated 6-0 by Chelsea, and obviously those kind of things shouldn’t even matter – one match shouldn’t dictate our next two seasons and I’m sorry – This season was a failure. And the announcement, Jesus Christ, Being proud spending 110 million pound just to finish in the worst position over the last 22 (!) seasons. And I’m not saying he’s incapable of winning us titles, we have seen it in the final, But for a guy who contstantly talks about consistency, he’s not very consistent… Read more »
Worst position in the last 22 seasons… which just goes to show how having Wenger for the last twenty of those has led us to take finishing at the top for granted.
A new manager could do better, or worse. The closest parallel is obviously MU after Fergie… and they’ve finished 7th, 4th, 5th and 6th with three different high profile managers.
Not saying there wasn’t a good argument to made for changing managers, but the fact that 5th is our worst position in 22 years is an argument for keeping Wenger, not losing him.
I think Wenger should have left on a high, but I love Arsenal and will behind the team all the way until the end.
I really hope Wenger shows ambition and gets the players in early and ties up the contracts of the players we need to keep ASAP.
I don’t know who we are going to get and also 100 million isn’t enough for me but we will soon see what happens.
Come on Arsenal it would be nice for a Europa league and League title, I will settle for the league COYG.
Lucky we’re not buying you then eh ??
I meant you aren’t going to get many decent players for 100 million they should be offering more money to buy the world class players.
I think 100 million is more than enough…
With the return of Szczesny and Wilshere,
plus a free Kolasinac
(Not to mention that 6-7 players leaving: Ospina, Jenko, Debuchy, Campbell, Perez…)
I think we will only need 1 top class striker.
You really think Wilshere has a future at Arsenal? Why? Because he looked half decent in a Bournemouth side?
Money is not the problem . it never has been ….we blew 100 million last season for to finish 5th for christsake .
instead arsene should start showing some tactical flexibility . that is how he should show his ambition . its fukn tiring to see the same tactics match after match even if we are playing like shiit.
so then in your theory we should have done what he did the summer before and only spend like 10million? finished 2nd.
lol certain segment of the supporters would never be happy with anything. If AW won 2 titles in the last 13 years the argument would be he should have at least won 4 smh if he had won 4 then the argument would be 7 lol
BBC’s report stated as some kind of fact that we’re expected to spend £100m again on new signings this summer. Then again it also chatted about how we need to be careful of the FFP rules which I’m pretty sure we’re fine for, given that they’re over a rolling multi-year period and we’ve had solid financials for a long time. I’ll believe it when I see it – and if we lose Sanchez and Ozil then replacing them will cost that much on its own – but there we are. Wouldn’t have kept Arsene on myself but it is what… Read more »
Presumably any sales are added to the £100m, so if (god forbid) Alexis and Özil are sold we would have another £100-150m!
Its not about how much money we spend its about how those that we buy and those that we have are coached.all will be become evident over the next 2 groundhog seasons .
Yknow when all is said and done, Arsene is part of the reason I love this club so much, his logevity is something that makes us stand apart from most of the rest of football & I’m happy that he is staying. If anything its certain groups of our fanbase that detract and make me less proud to support Arsenal, certainly not Arsene.
Bingo
Nail on head
You sure that that’s the main thing that makes you less proud of Arsenal?Not something else?
Parts of me dying reading it, should do it months ago, at least i won’t be this disappointed and maybe we won’t be that bad in league.
Let’s start with this transfer window, first job is to keep important players esp Sancez and Ozil + Szcezny(our future GK), then buy a quality player, two is enough for me, striker and creative midfield, 60~ Mill for striker and 30~ Mill for Midfield. Then maybe i can have an optimism next season.
On summer transfers he said:
“We will work very hard to find the additions of top, top quality. I believe that our squad is very strong and we will only look for top-class people who can strengthen our team now. The basis is there so we need the additions who will make a real difference.”
Heard that little chestnut for the last few years. The more things change I guess.
would you rather hear that we’re going to buy a raft of mediocre players for 50 million a piece like certain Mancunian Johnny come latelys? Cliche as it has become, I think it’s probably true?
You can ignore the fact that the same statement has been trotted out for the last decade or so.
But we all don’t have to put our heads in the sand.
Do you think that left back and young Nigerian striker at ‘top, top quality’ to our squad.
His statement alone proves it will be more of the same. If you don’t agree with me then that is fine and is your right. But you cannot ignore that history is simply repeating itself once again.
He has been saying the same thing for years now so can you blame some fans for sceptical when we have clearly needed a world class forward for 4 years or so.
Lets see what happens. Some are optimists others like myself are realists and remember the same lines year after year only to end up with sonogo and Silvestre to name but 2. Wash rinse repeat
He paid 35 million for a top class player in Alexis and 2 million for a top class player in Holding. And Cech was an improvement over Szcz when he came in 2 years ago. What’s your problem bdagooner?
My problem is he has been spouting the same rhetoric for how many years.
And he spent all that $$$ and couldn’t beat Leicester to the title when all of our ‘rivals’ were shite and the next season came fifth and almost 20 points behind the champions. So even after spending all that cash he couldn’t do it.
What will be different now? Serious question. In your reply consider the fact that we are 99% sure to lose our best player who without we would’ve done much worse than 5th this season.
If Wenger had been sacked in 2013, and the new guy had done the exact same things (buy Ozil, buy Alexis, win 3 FA cups, finish 2nd but miss out on CL this year, identify Super Rob Holding), would you be baying for his blood now?
Now you are switching the goal posts.
Wenger has been doing the same thing for over a decade now and expecting a different result. Based on his statements issued today there appears to be little to no change to his approach. It took him over a decade to switch formations.
Why are you so happy with mediocrity?
Mediocrity? you’re going to label 3 FA Cups in 4 years mediocrity? Where were you when we actually needed you, during 2004 – 2013??
Yes I am. Because now we have replaced the 4th place trophy with the FA Cup being our standard.
Mediocrity.
Just out of interest: where are you from?
You realise that Arsenal is an english club and the FA-Cup is THE english cup?
And even 5th place is well short of mediocrity. Stoke is mediocrity. Finishing 10th is .. reaching european cups is not. That it´s not good enough is another story, but it´s not to do with mediocrity
5th place is mediocre for a team of Arsenal’s stature.
That comment right there exemplifies how Wenger and Co. has successfully lowered your expectations. Not too long ago fourth place was a trophy. Now fifth is seen as acceptable.
So will one of you ‘downvoters’ and repliers answer my question as to this summer and upcoming season will be any different, under the same management, to the last 7, 8 or 9 seasons?
And the fact that you now compare Arsenal to Stoke is another story in and of itself.
And you conveniently ignored my question:
“What will be different now? Serious question. In your reply consider the fact that we are 99% sure to lose our best player who without we would’ve done much worse than 5th this season”
“we are 99% sure to lose our best player”
Where did that information come from?
Čech was an improvement over Szczestny, yes, but he was the only addition in that transfer period.
We badly needed a striker, another CB, and a top quality midfielder. None of these were bought and we finished second behind fucking Leicester.
If you don’t think that Wenger completely dropped the ball in that off-season, then your standards are much, much lower than mine.
how much money was available that summer to add a top striker? CB? mf? I agree he should have gotten another player but no way we could have afforded all 3 unless it was all prospects with potential upside
Welcome news. Will be an unpopular opinion but I see this as 2 years of continuity. Having said that, may they use this time to lay the foundation for Wenger’s retirement when it comes.
You say that, but they’ve given zero hints that is the plan. Wenger himself has made it clear he hasn’t got retirement on his mind at all and has nothing else planned outside of football. We know from Kroenke’s stewardship with his other clubs that he’s certainly isn’t an owner that demands winning, and so long as the club is making a profit and protecting his investment, he’s fine to keep things as is. And we can also get that the long Wenger doesn’t win the league, the less likely he is of quitting without winning it. Basically, don’t be… Read more »
yeah I think we’re going to be having this exact same discussion in 2019
Well. I was wavering to be honest and I fear that his comments about how good the team is and that we only need one or two changes, could result in us being in the same position at the end of next season and the one after that. We obviously need to get behind them and hope for some miracles but I would have thought that coupled with this announcement, the club would have been clever enough to outline some longer terms plans, to maybe include a transitional period for a new manager to take the reigns. Also, A clearer… Read more »
Only thing you can by the decision to renew with Wenger and the statements made by the board today is that they have put themselves in a corner.
They have stated what the ambitions are and if they are not met who will be accountable? The Manager? The board? A lot of statements here, I wait to see the results.
Can Wenger change? Can the clubs structure change so we don’t buy players late August & are actually prepared for the first game of the season?
Time will tell.
What they say makes absolutely no differnence to what will become reality.
Gazidis spouted off similar rubbish a few years back. The truth is they dont give a fuck about the fans as long as you are paying the money thats it. Wenger is complicit in all this to.
Even though I knew it was going to happen the official announcement still gets me down, or at least makes me frustrated. Personally I can’t see anything changing, we’ve heard all of the vague promises about ambition and doing everything we can to make it to the top of the league and Europe but it never comes to anything. In my view the club had a real opportunity to have a big shake up and set a drastic new vision for itself but has instead opted for more of the same. Hopefully I’m proved wrong but I’m not holding my… Read more »
Good time to invest in advertising plane stocks people.
I just hope all those who kept saying they’d give up their season ticket if Wenger stays actually follow through on it and let those who really want one get one!
That won’t happen… The few that actually have season tickets will keep them but most are only on the list to get one and hope they’ll get offered one quicker if they can continue to shout shit online…
That’s it. I’m ambivalent but he’s the manager and there ain’t shit to be done about it. Protest/Complain when he deserves it before and after games. Not during games! Support! COYG!
At least 2 more years of pain and miserable weekends.
That’s football isn’t it? The pain makes the winning all so sweeter. All depends what makes one happy i suppose.
Ugh yeah, Saturday was horrendous
If every weekend with Arsenal is “miserable” for you, I think you’re doing it wrong. Even in this, our worst PL performance table-wise in 20 years, there were still plenty of “highs” to be had.
Decision made. OK. Lets get on. No matter what troubles he’s had, he still is a very good manager. He just needs more pressure from the board to go out and buy the right players for the going rate. Buy Ozil and Sanchez a top drawer striker to work with!
We need more ex-Arsenal pros in our coaching staff, it’s crazy that we’ve allowed so many legends to go off. Get Adams, Keown, Bergkamp, Ljungberg, Henry, Vieira, Kanu, Gilberto, etc back in coaching/scouting/Football Director roles to reinforce Arsenal values and take some pressure of AW.
OO TO BE A GOONER!
He also needs someone to give him a plan B so we don’t become so predictable…
Yes, this will change now immediately, we will do all that was needed now, bring back the legends, buy players that we need, adapt tactics and gameplans that work… Under the same guy who was unable to do so in the last decade or so. Hmm, something is wrong there.
I think we absolutely have to learn from Man Utd. After how many years of Ferguson, they pulled a successor in with no holistic work to plug all the gaps that Demento left and look where they ended up. After all this time the Premier League’s most successful club have a couple of tin pot trophies and a cunt manager to show for it. There was no way Arsenal was ready to find a replacement for Arsene Wenger, rightly or wrongly. We’re still better off with him at the helm than a Moyes or a Mourinho. Let’s accept that, without… Read more »
well said
Sorry but I don’t agree with your arguments, none of them.are valid… Manure is manure, we are a different club and our situation/perspective could be totally different. They are cunts and they let Ferguson (who was very successful almost until his last day, as opposed to our manager) decide on his successor. Hiring a has been, washed up lunatic as Mourinho has proved that they are cunts. But their story has absolutely no connection with us or our story. We could put a good, modern system in place, hire young, prospective staff in these positions and as well hire a… Read more »
We had stability (stagnation) the last ten years while we needed progress. Ironically now we need good old Wenger’s stability because the board did fuck all to prepare for a transition. I bet in 2 years we’ll be here again, in the same situation.
Love this comment & couldn’t agree more.
Could not agree more. I don’t blame AW; we all seem to see his limitations. If I was him I would probably want to stay on for as long as possible too. I blame those with the power to change the status quo. They should have had a quiet word with him a couple of years back and been aggressively but discreetly looking for his replacement.
I said I wanted him to go when we had a plan and a successor to take over. I wish we had a plan and a successor to take over, but as we don’t. I am OK with this. Let’s just move along with our business now.
First they need to do to prove they are making “changes” is tie down Sanchez and Ozil.
….otherwise it will be awkward.
I think getting rid of Sanchez and Ozil are the changes they’re talking about
I think that would bring back memories of 2011 and 2012.
Unless you mean getting rid of them to make way for their replacements Messi and Ronaldo. Then I would have to agree.
Such a pity, we are going to be treading water and slightly sinking for the new few years I suspect.
Will certainly be an interesting summer. I think the results have made Wenger’s point that you can’t play moneyball and expect to get results in line with computational predictions. Football is way to unpredictable to do that. They need to maximise the managers strengths, which is identifying potential in current and future players and back him to knit a team together to maximise each individual into a team. Like it or not, Wenger does do that side of things well. With support from Dein in the past it worked. Let’s hope the board have learnt their lesson and do everything… Read more »
Prove yourself that you can do it again Arsene… #COYG
Prove yourself?? Like we don’t matter, and he gets one more chance, and one more chance… Blogs said it well, he’s like an old boxer who does not know when to quit…
Hell yeah!
Stepping back from the season I am now actually not so bothered he’s staying. Yes, I’m unhappy with our league performance, but just maybe 3 trophies in 4 years IS building a winning mentality. It’s not completely outside the realm of possibility that we actually win the title inside the next 2 years. Bit of positive thinking around the club will be a good thing
He said four years ago that within three years he will win the league…yes it’s never outside the realm of possibility,as Leicester has shown,but it’s not a probability either.Are you okay with that?Personally,I’m not.
Riiight….
Following today’s announcement of a new two-year contract for Arsene Wenger, Stan Kroenke also released this statement: “I am delighted to have captured Arsene’s signature for a further two years. I have been involved with Arsenal Football Club for seven years now. In that time Arsene’s mediocre teams and average on-the-pitch performances have perfectly suited the dreadfully unremarkable sporting teams which I own and run both here and in the USA. I am looking forward to more of the same – although I would like a fourth-place finish to keep the money coming in. “For those Arsenal fans who were… Read more »
Hi Fats!
Hi, Paul
Couldn’t be bothered to post last season, but this shit’s got my back up.
Awesome
Summed it up well, Fats.
Hi Fats! Haven’t missed you but welcome back anyway.
Actually I lie a bit. I have missed you. A bit.
Hell Yeah!Wenger In. #GunningfortheLeague #PatienceWillAlwaysBeRewarded
#Patiencewillwaysberewarded?You sure?No matter how long you wait for the clouds to come down to you,I don’t think it ever will.You have to get up there yourself.
Wtf man?? Were you cryogenically frozen in 2004 and just woke up?? Or are you a part of a club’s PR team, paid to write nonsensical tripe like this on the net? Which one of the shitty seasons in the last 13 years have convinced you that we will be “gunning for the league”??
Somebody just let all the air out of this balloon quick.
One thing I will say, and I don’t give a damn how many downvotes I get… Now it seems the vast majority want Wenger to stay and are happy to get along with it, or make justifications in their head such as no decent managers being available (as if Tuschel wasn’t free)… If things repeat as they are the next season, I don’t want to hear a damn from angry fans frothing at the mouth (except for those who still feel keeping Wenger wasn’t the right call) and going all Wenger Out or asking Kroenke to leave or attacking the… Read more »
Personally, I don’t mind people disagreeing about whether it was a good or bad decision, and I only down voted comments that demanded we start protesting at the beginning of the season. I just don’t see the point of trying to rile up negativity about Wenger right now. In fact, I would argue that those protests, banners, and flyovers this spring had a direct and adverse impact on our performances.
Nigel I thought you had a point but now I am not so sure…
Sorry Faisal, I don’t know why I called you “Nigel” but I am sorry about that. Actually upon reflection maybe I am not…? 🙂
That is my old life.
I love muslims and immigrants. Me best mate is a polish Muslim. Swear on me nan.
The next two years has to be about not only strengthening the team, but rebuilding the club’s own infrastructure at the coaching, scouting, and board levels, and implementing a succession plan. Otherwise we are going to be back here in two years with the same issues just magnified by the additional passage of time.
Fail to improve the team, sell top players, start season poorly, panic buy, win a few games to Christmas, fall apart, put a futile win together to raise hopes. Rinse and repeat.
I felt it was time for a change, and although I’m just as happy for Wenger to stay, it does feel like we’re on a roundabout with no exits lol just hope for the good of the team he puts out onto that pitch that the toxic atmosphere from last season is left outside the stadium. In fact, take it and leave it at that shithole up the road!
About as underwhelming as it gets but that’s one ‘saga’ out the way. Now do some exciting shit and get the fans buzzing again
I have no faith that the board or Wenger will do any of that
“We’re committed to mounting a sustained league challenge and that will be our focus this summer and next season.”
Then, looking forward to Chuba, Bielik, Mavididi, Willock, Toral, Zelalem et al. to tear it up against FC Metalurg Zaporozhiye in Uzbekistan
“Our ambition is to win the Premier League and other major trophies in Europe.”
This is a bold-faced lie. The fact that they have given Arsene a new contract is evidence that this club is just an investment vehicle for them. They are perfectly content with challenging for the top four and challenging for the FA cup. It requires no financial risk, and they like it that way.
well i’ve finally lowered my expectations of the club.
Not unexpected. I fear that when arsene leaves it will be messy, this season might have been just a preview of what will happen in 2 years time. Really hope we avoid protests, angry fans and ridicule from opposing fans. I’ve had enough of that this season.
If signing a new deals means assurances for Ozil and Alexis and making their minds to signt and extend their contracts that will be more than OK for me and especially the team which will need 2 more top quality and with the new tactic and also having the 4-5-1 and flexibility in the team to change the tactic next year and not CL disappointment we can really win the PL.
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.
Aubemayang is rumored to be going to PSG for 61m. Based on our “spending” record, I’m tryna imagine what Wenger will be doing to “strengthen” the squad for a title challenge.
I’m not sure who would have replaced Wenger even if he wasn’t offered a contract. By my understanding, you replace a perfectly decent manager with someone who is better. If I stick to that, then a decent manager by definition is someone who can deliver the PL/CL in two-three seasons. I’m pretty sure that the names thrown about like Tuchel/Howe/Koeman, albeit good managers in their own ways, don’t have that elite European status. The ones that do, like Simeone, Ancelotti, etc. aren’t really available. If the proven managers are not available, we don’t experiment with someone new. There’s a higher… Read more »
Thing is-the ‘who is there who’s better’ argument falls flat when considering that they gave him a 2 year,not 1 year extension.
Understood. I’m not too thrilled about it myself. A one-year contract made more sense. What astounded me the most was that here we have Khaldoon who is demanding that Pep delivers a treble, if not a quadruple and on the other hand we have Kroenke who is ‘hoping’ we win the CL or the PL. The blame game can go on and on. But fundamentally, the manager’s contract has to dictate expectations, not hope. And I’m fairly certain that this ‘hope’ stems from the fact that Kroenke himself is unambitious.