Word is that Arsene Wenger has agreed a new two year deal with the club, and that an official announcement should be made tomorrow.
The Frenchman met with Stan Kroenke yesterday, and it is believed that the board have rubber-stamped the new contract at today’s schedule board meeting.
It’s a saga that has been rumbling on for months now, with no clarity from the club or the boss, something Wenger admitted had unsettled the team at times this season.
Now, however, in the wake of a record breaking FA Cup win, beating Chelsea 2-1 on Saturday, agreement has been found which will see him continue until 2019.
Although the 67 is fiercely opposed to a Director of Football whose authority exceeds his, it’s expected that there will also be appointments at executive level to support the manager and help increase the efficiency of footballing matters.
Arsenal are also keen to bring Dennis Bergkamp back to the club to head up the academy, a position left vacant by the departure of Adries Jonker in February.
There’s also a busy summer ahead with recruitment needed, decisions to made over the futures of key players, and contractual situations to be sorted out.
There’s no summer tournament this year (bar the irrelevant Confederations Cup) but it’s likely to be a busy off-season nonetheless.
More on this as and when it breaks.
So, what was that about offering him a two year extension being ludicrous? Oh, wait. We won the Cup. Must be #WengerIn week this week.
Exactly. Fickle supporters. As soon as we hit another bad patch of form it’ll be same old story of he should leave until we string together a few victories again. It’s the same every season. And the really sad thing is people will be doing the exact same in two years when he renews it again.
It was obvious from the get go that nothing but a 2 year renewal was going to happen. They were just waiting in hope that we win the FA Cup because they know it will help get the Emirates faithful on their side. Still the wrong decision. Oh, well. We’ll just have to go through another 2 years of this I guess.
Wenger has always been a man of his word, period! Let these attitudes not set the tone for next season. Let these negative attitudes also not repeat continuously because it affects the players! Oh no wait! I believe they know better now. The balance is complete. Let us all enjoy the show! Stick some popcorn in it.
No he hasn’t, if he was a man of his word he’d leave a he said at the start of his last contract we’d win the league during the course of it, which we clearly haven’t!!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/11269500/Arsene-Wenger-I-will-win-Premier-League-title-with-Arsenal-again-inside-three-years.html
and then two years after that, and again, forever and ever, because Arsene Wenger is immortal and determined to make you suffer by overseeing a very good but underachieving football team.
For real though, I think it’s less an issue of fickle supporters than of people inaccurately (or disingenuously) synthesising the opinions of a fanbase that includes literally millions of people.
For me it’s not really that I’m thrilled with the decision to hand Wenger another contract. Rather, it’s that, like it or not, he’s our manager for the next season or two, and, to be honest, I don’t trust the club to make a competent alternative appointment. I think we should get behind Wenger right now, because railing against the inevitable will not do him or the players or our collegiality any good whatsoever. There are also some interesting situations ahead that I’d like to see Wenger be a part of. For example, I’m now genuinely curious how we’ll do… Read more »
I’m definitely interested in all those things too, and whether or not we will play the 2nd string/youth players for the Europa keeping the first team fresh for the weekend games. It might prevent so many injuries and give the boys the crack at the PL without the distraction.
But I’m especially interested to know if this will spell the end of Gazidis. Really hope so.
Completely agree. You will see people on here who are currently celebrating will be crying in their beer because we hit our annual crap patch when we can’t beat Huddersfield, Burnley and Crystal Palace.
I have always been a Wenger supporter but it has come to a point where a change of leadership is needed. Year upon year our season follows the same trajectory and I think as Arsenal fans, we deserve more.
Saying that, it is right he signs a short term contract due to the incompetency of the board in failing to make a transition plan. Most importantly, it is vital Sanchez and Ozil’s contracts are renewed. I dread to think what will happen if we lose them.
It is difficult to say this after the FA CUP win last weekend but the only thing that needs to change is the followimg: Our players are not winners by nature. They are occasional winners.
He’s selfish selfish old man with no love but himself.
If he loves Tha Arsenal as he claims he’d have left in order for the club to progress.
Arsene IS the MAIN problem.
Shame on you Mr Wenger
Be careful for what you wish for! A lot of fans want Sanchez to stay, but what scenario does Wenger leaving make Sanchez more likely to stay. Same goes for Ozil. Wenger has really infuriated me this season and last season, but tbh for the services he has provided for the last 20 years, I want him to leave on his terms and as stubborn as he can be, he has the best interests of the club at heart! If he didn’t, he could have jumped ship 10 years ago and fulfilled his legacy at Real or Barca or Bayern… Read more »
Well said sir
what the point of cl football if you get humiliate every season i would rather miss the cl occasionally if it meant we won the league a few more time
I dont see chelsea crying over champions league this season. They kept their players, changed their manager and bought another top player or two. Lets stop a minute and think before calling curtains on a season that hasnt even begun yet
This deal was clearly done months ago and they were just looking for the perfect time to release it. All this other nonsense was them just pandering to the media and the fans to make it seem as if there was something actually might change.
I hate to be so negative after such an amazing weekend, but Arsene has potentially blown up the best and last opportunity to walk away from Arsenal on a high.
He could win championship 5 years after and go on a high
kroenke just F..k off
That’s all I got to say
The best signing we can make is to bring back David Dein!
If he does sign, then all I will say is good luck and hopefully he will prove all his critics (me being one of them) wrong by winning the league.
Hypothetical scenario: Imagine Arsenal managers were appointed democratically and you could place a vote right now on whether you want Wenger to sign that 2 year deal or step down, given the current availability of managers, thumbs up for Wenger in, thumbs down for Wenger out.
Probably unpopular opinion, but I am glad. I really think a lot of the criticism aimed at Wenger should be aimed at the board. I hope the Wenger out folk can accept this get behind the team next season.
^This.
The board and owners don’t take any responsibility. Wenger is blamed for everything wrong with the club. How is that fair?
I’m not saying that Wenger is blameless in this but there should be a change at the boardroom level first to facilitate the managerial change of this level. Coz I don’t have any faith on the likes of Josh Kroenke, Sir Chips, Dick Law to manage Wenger’s succession plan.
Yep. Losing to West Brom, Crystal Palace, Watford and losing 10-2 on agg. to Bayern Munich were all the faults of the board.
Yes, the board should be blamed. For allowing Arsene Wenger to continue managing this club.
Arsenal went with 3 at the back after nearly two decades, give it a chance…it might work.
Would you trust that board to know who to replace wenger?
Correct and the board should also be blamed for our victory against Chelsea!
Do you expect an invincible season every season?
Add we won the cup to that list!
Not that unpopular by the looks of it. I am glad too.
The board that backs him to the hilt. The board that doesnt intefer with any team affairs .The board that gave him 100 million to spend last year?
Thier are massive things wrong at this club most stem from arsene wanting to control of most things atvthe club.
The board doesn’t give a toss about the fans i accept that but to say little of the shit thats happened is not the fault of wenger is way way off the mark
Remember that the board is in charge of operations. How the club is run. What you’ve seen and Arse has mentioned over and over is that Gazidis doesn’t speak, we have no “football men” in charge and our commercial sponsorship team is terrible. Go read Swiss Ramble. He’s written maybe 4 -5 annual reviews on Arsenal. Every time he talks about how our commercial sponsorship is way behind Liverpool, United, Chelsea etc.. The second most popular club in Britain behind United we should have between 150 – 200 million per year in sponsorship but I believe last year we were… Read more »
you mean a director of football type person, someone who can sort the very things you have mentioned, someone to take the load of arsene. Someone that can help with transfers and other major decisions when wenger is as you say dithering. the same type person that wenger has rejected and refused to work with. He is an employee of the club and should be told what he has to accept but he dictates what goes on and can say no to whatever he likes. And because the board loves him and he delivers the minimum without demanding huge funds… Read more »
I think we all need a bit of perspective to be honest, the season was far from bad and there’s no guarantee that we won’t win the league next season …
Plenty of other football fans would give both arms to be in the ‘mess’ we are in
Not fans who pay the highest ticket prices in world football and who were promised we’d compete with the best. We can’t even compete with Leicester and Spuds over the past two years.
We are in a mess, make no mistake.
But i was expecting this. Let’s hope we can lock down big contracts for Alexis, Ozil and AOC, get a world class player or two in, and sort out the football management structure of the club. But i’m not optimistic.
That is not true anymore i think. So glad fans can’t use that excuse anymore.
Oh we pay so much and wenger is so shit. It’s not him who sets the ticket prices now is it?
It still is the case.
Wenger doesn’t set the ticket prices, but the Club set the prices in line with other ‘elite clubs’.
Please tell me what elite club signs only one outfield player in the summer just because they have won an F.A Cup.
This is the usual nonsensical response. Gooners like you have the shortest memories. Do you realise how much of a laughing stock Arsenal are when it comes to ‘other fans’? There’s a party going on, on Twitter right now and we are the guests of honour! We collapse at the same stage every year give or take a week. Just because we won the F.A Cup doesn’t mean all of last season’s failings have been eradicated. The Board like a lot of Gooners need to show some ambition. Have big players never left Arsenal? Who’s to say our new Manager… Read more »
Why are you so insecure about what people think from other clubs? Who cares? We finished (just) outside the top 4 for the first time in two decades and was one of only three teams who won a trophy. Let them laugh, because it seems they are really clutching at straws. Let me tell you why we are a perceived laughing stock: because of ranting idiots on ArsenalFan(blud)tv.
Couldnt agree more Not only did we finish just outside the top 4 but the last 4 in the Fa cup were all clubs that finished in the top 3 and we beat them
Could not give a fuck what is said on Twitter. Either by fans of other teams or our own lunatic fringe. What I care about is the future of our club, and on that basis my personal view is that this is the wrong decision. Start blaming the board for stuff by all means. But don’t forget that board just gave AW another 2 years, and if the previous few seasons are anything to go by they will give him money to spend. Seems they are doing the job a lot of people want them to do.
Fans here are so confused.
They say blame the board and it should not arsene’s fault, but are praising the board for keeping Wenger a defender the right decision.
And when the same failings repeat next year, said fans, after months of blaming Wenger again, will say it’s the boards fault.
Then 2 years from now, will want the board to give wenger an extension. Then blame the board if it goes wrong.
Confused.
When I walked into work this morning I had no people laughing about us winning 8 of our last 9 games including beating Citeh in the semi and Chelski in the final. Maybe you should mix in different crowds and you wouldn’t be so fed up?? 🙂
I’ve had plenty of people laughing that Wenger got a new contract though
Let them laugh. They are laughing away the memories of david moyes
Fuck twitter
SOrry but who even gives a fuck about twitter parties. Sport should matter more than how much you can tolerate the piss being taken out of you.
I don’t understand. How was this season not bad? Please. Explain to me how this was a successful season. If this season was successful, do you believe it was a season that would make world class players choose to play with us over, say Manchester City or Manchester United? Or even perhaps Liverpool?
This season was an utter failure. Claiming that it was successful is beyond laughable.
I didn’t say it was successful although fa cup is not bad …
Utter failure is equally a bit rediculous to be honest … We had a bad patch, aside from that we kicked arse.
No, we suffered from a relative(in football terms) disaster!
Worst run of away results for 88 years and the worst 2 legged defeat of any English Club in European football EVER!!
Individually either 1 of those events should get a manager the sack let alone 2
John C.
So a two legged worst defeat ever means that the manager should get the sack?
Wow!
The referee and behind-the-goal deadshit cunted us in the home second leg when we were leading 1-0 and flying.
Kos got red, Bayern had 12 men v 10. Fucking disgraceful, but nobody mentions that. The first leg was terrible tho. Needed Mertesacker to replace Kos then.
Sign Chris Wood from Leeds. First Kiwi to play for Arsenal. 30 goals last term. Much better than Sanogo.
Funny you mentioned Sanogo as I don’t remember him having any part at all in the season… 😮
What’s appealing about playing for City once you ignore their bank balance?
What’s appealing about playing for United??? Is it the manner that they made the UEFA Consolation Cup prestigious? Or the fact that from the start of the season they have been expected to finish outside the top four (even with the most expensive player)
And Liverpool, LMAO. They are so sexy, especially with the 4th spot cup.
They’re playing in the CL, plain and simple.
“They’re playing in the CL, plain and simple.”
Then send a thank you card to Wenger for the last 20 years of consecutive CL football!!!
Lmao, we have been beating Wenger with the “CL football is not a successful season”, but this year is the exception.
Sizc on the money. Cheers mate
Because they have ambition and desire to win.
What’s appealing about playing for Arsenal once you ignore our bank balance?
A world respected manager (scoff all you want, it’s true) World class players (unless Sanchez and Ozil are not deemed so) One of a handful of clubs who can afford to pay more than £100,000 a week. Free flowing attacking football A genuine contender for the Premier League (again, scoff all you want, we are constantly touted as one of the favourites). These are things that players look for in a club. Pogba and Zlatan joined United without CL football and not having a snowball’s chance in hell at winning the league. Players don’t see teams the way you critically… Read more »
Handful?
Crystal Palace pay £100k a week.
At least don’t make stuff up.
And when are we ever one of the favourites? We were 2 seasons back and still didn’t. We have to competed for almost a decade.
But John C, where was our ambition when we kept on qualifying for the CL year after year after year? Pretty sure you’ve said on countless occasions that it “wasn’t good enough”, “no ambition”, “no desire to win” and all that negative bile. Suddenly the team that finished fourth THIS season “have ambition”.
Not very consistant commentary is it?
John Lukic, Finishing 4th isn’t ambitious, thats why Man City have already spent £44m on a new player and are about to spend another £35m on a goalkeeper. 4th isn’t good enough for them, although they finished 3rd, and they are, at least trying to put things right. Guardiola has already stated his performance would lead him to get the sack at other “big” clubs and has a lot of work to do, ours on the other hand said we were only 1 point off and that this team can win the league, as you can see there’s a significant… Read more »
Utter Failure = Fa Cup record wins….ok
Last time I checked, the FA Cup was still a trophy.
Please explain how ManU had a better season.
Err… they won two trophies.
Errr…we won the Cup? We also beat Citeh and Chelski very recently (in games they were desperate to win) using a different set up, so things are progressing well?
Question; if we hadn’t suffered such a heavy defeat from Bayern, would the season have seemed such a failure? Personally I feel that the heavy defeats such as the 6-1 to Chelsea etc are the reason other clubs and the media find it so easy to look down at us. I don’t think there are any other ‘elite’ clubs in Europe that have suffered the amount of heavy losses we’ve suffered over the last 5 or so years.
I can guarantee you we will not win it next season . call me crazy but I call it being logical
In the same way that at the end of the 14/15 season we could all guarantee Leicester would not win it in the 15/16 season… oh.. hang on… So No Guarantees in football…
Leicester winning the league was as close to a miracle in football if I’ve ever seen one. And you guys are comparing it to wenger winning the league , that says a lot about wenger. And exactly my point
Then let us know who is guaranteed to win the league next year, oh magical one.
I’m only comparing it to you making guaranteed predictions. It’s the old saying “a wise man has doubts, only a fool is certain”…
Did your logic predict Leicester’s win?
we will not win the league next season. have you seen pep moves in the transfer market already. how are we going to compete with that with such a board and manager
Did you see his moves last summer? He bought a GK!
He’s a good manager with good players but it can still take a season or two to get the best from a player and to get the team playing as a team…
They could walk it, or they could fail to qualify for the CL.
Time will tell.
Agreed. Hope he gets support from the fans in his final 2 years.
No guarantees it will be his final years I fear
Groundhog day = toxic atmosphere, it’s hard to prevent it. But we don’t know if it’ll happen or not, one thing for sure though we can’t out from CL round-16, so the focus is when we play against top 6 next season and how we run in the league. To all Wenger in fans out there, make it last contract for him, either he win any trophy or not, make it last, start preparation for a new era. If he win, then it’s good for him because he’ll leave us on high. If he can’t then no problem, at least… Read more »
Hmm… I’m one of them and my reasons for wanting AW out – years of frustrations Next time we qualify for CL and are drawn against Baryen, AC, RM or Baca… we will shitting our pants “oh no… not again”. Honestly it should be the other way round. AW should have build Arsenal in to a formidable giant of a team that other teams should be scared to get drawn against. Arsene – the most experienced manager currently in the premier league had 21 years to achieve this, but he failed miserably. Unfortunately while other teams were progressing, he fell… Read more »
Failed miserably? Get a hold of yourself..
“Failed miserably”
WTF, are you Mouriniho in disguise???
I think the next time we play Citeh or Chelski they will be the one’s “shitting themselves”…progress my friend…keep the faith.
293 votes up
54 votes down
proof of the overblown “wenger out” coverage by the media. negativity sells.
We. Won. The. Cup.
If you consider thumbs up ratings as proof… Also many other Wenger out comments are 50/50. This one comment is strongly backed because of calling to get behind the team and accept the decision, which I will, but does not change that it was mistake in March/April and it is still a mistake now. Also blaming the board is the favorite deflection ploy, even if not backed by any real evidence, as above comments indicate.
The Internet is never a great reflection of the support as there’s a lot of older supporters that aren’t internet users and would never consider looking at an internet football ‘forum’.
488 say “get behind the team”
86 disagree with that.
I make that approximately 85% of fans on here saying let’s move on and forget the manager out stuff.
I think we should do that. COYG.
At the highest level, Wenger has demonstrated again and again that he is not an elite manager. He’s good, but not elite. The board may well not be up to appointing a new manager but we’ll never find out until Wenger is gone. He’s the paper covering the cracks, and he needs to be ripped out for the club to progress.
Do only elite managers go an entire season unbeaten, win the FA Cup a record number of times, change an entire nation’s outlook on managing a football team? Howe is a good manager, Wenger is a legendary manager. Despite him being whatever name he is called this week by so called fans, he has still gotten us 3 trophies in the last 4 years. I remember during our barren spell how people would have sold their first borns to have gotten any trophy. Now that we’ve won 3 in the last 4 years, our complaint is that he’s nothing better… Read more »
I’m happy about it. I know the ole Professeur can’t go on forever so a change is gonna come eventually. I don’t mind more Wenger and I think it will help us keep Ozil/Sanchez.
The board did not prepare the players for bayern home and away. 10 fucking 2.
They didn’t ref the games either or get Kozzer injured.
Your point?
I’m not sorry. 3 cups in 4 years ain’t bad.
Many pointed out that top 4 was not a trophy. Well, we didn’t get that this year, we got a real trophy instead, so let’s be happy.
Agreed. At the start of every season fans always ask the same question, “top 4 or trophy?”
Being arrogant, we say both, but then when we have to pick, inevitably most choose trophy.
So yes, it is a disappointment not to be top 4, but hey, we have a trophy and that is what we wanted more!
Winning fa cup is not a sign of progress our previous 2 wins proved that, Wigan’s and Portsmouth’s wins prove that, Its just a good feeling for a day or two. Finishing 18 points short of the champs is not progress.
You can’t seriously compare winning one year in … how many for Wigan/Pompey, and us winning 3 years out of 4 (does 3 out of 5 make you feel better?).
Get a grip…
My point was progress made but PL and CL performances doesn’t show any.
Finally a Gooner with a sense of perspective. What elite Manager allows his star performers to fid themselves in the final year of their contracts? or lets an emerging force experience the humiliation of not even being offered one?
For some teams it’s nothing to do with the manager as he won’t be in the job for more than a year or two.
But many top managers have been in this position. Desperately trying to get players to sign with 24 months on their contract and it drags on until the last 12 months.
Sigh
It is what it is… can we all support the club now and get behind the greatest manager this club and the FA cup has ever had!
Agreed. He may not be perfect but he’s Arsenal and that counts for a lot
Confirmed on BBC. This should be fun…*gets popcorn
Meh.
if he stays, he focuses on coaching the team and leaves the rest to everyone else. He’s football mad, and needs to be allowed to just focus on that . I hope the board give him everything he needs to succeed otherwise things could get very nasty.
If there are no better options available then I’m happy he has signed.
Thomas Tuchel just left BVB
Sacked by a team that is a huge step down from the mighty Arsenal.
The grass is always greener.
I love Arsene Wenger.
I love Arsene Wenger too. He’s the best manager we’ve ever had and likely the best we will ever have. But he needs to retire. I’d take four years of mid table shit like they’ve had at United over the same old craziness that we’ve had for past 10 years and will now get for next two. We all know how it goes…… summer of hype about big contracts for Alexis and Ozil, only for Alexis to leave. Big hype about signing top quality CF, only to pick up someone we’ve never heard of on transfer deadline day. We fuck… Read more »
Please read your comment again. You would rather Arsenal be a mid table club than to win 3 trophies in 4 years?
I’m not going to suggest you go follow Everton, but perhaps you should follow a Barcelona or Bayern or another sport altogether.
I just want something’s different. It been the sameness for so long. I love the optimism and enthusiasm of those folks who say look how wonderful we’ve been over the last 9 games and surely we can compete for Premier League next year with this new formation. But I’ve seen/heard this for the last 10 summers. And I strongly suspect it will be je same this summer. That’s the point. I’d suffer a few seasons of weakened performance to allow us to then move in positive direction over this slow painful 10 year decline of mediocrity. And yes, of course… Read more »
‘A few seasons of weakened performances’ is why big clubs like Villa, Forest, Newcastle and Leeds weren’t in the PL last season.
That’s a risk no club can take intentionally, so I’d suggest you visit a shrink to work though your issues instead.
Yeah, why should we try something different? Let’s stick to the guy who brought us success at the beginning of last decade and not much else.
Look at Barcelona. If somebody mentioned Valverde as a replacement for Wenger, everybody would be saying he’s not good enough for a club of this size. Yet he’s good enough for one of three biggest clubs in the world.
If you’re fine with Arsenal being a cup team, good for you. I think we should aspire to more.
Barcelona are Barcelona regardless of manager. The new bloke just sits in the chair. No comparison there imo.
You are so right.
In a 3 club league where you’re income is already guaranteed, it’s a lot easier to take risks.
Incredible arrogance. Arsenal better than Dortmund. Just ask Bayern what they hunk, they would laugh in your face. I am so disappointed at the general tone of the comments here. Head in sand. Look again at our long term track record against title rivals. Dismal. People on here extrapolating the magnifence of Saturday and forgetting the dismal nature of our multi year squad management, transfer ineptitude and tactical mishaps. Really pathetic fellow gooners. Really pathetic. Please let’s be more ambitious and let Arsene go with a massive cheer. Welcoming this news?! I just DO NOT get it.
Where can I buy me some “magnifence” ?? It sounds great for my garden!
Sorry, couldn’t help it. 🙂
If you’ve followed BvB this season then you know Tuchel’s not really a substantially better option: no real title challenge, just edging CL qualification, league cup. More of the same he would be.
Thomas Tuchel was just fired from BVB! And since when Tuchel is better than Wenger ?
What makes you think Tuchel will be better than Wenger?
Genuin question, not meant to be rhetorical.
I reckon he might not have an immediate impact, so no he is not a better option right now. As things stand, I believe nobody is a better option as the club lacks the structure that can smoothly embed a new manager and such a move should have been planned well in advance. This being said, Tuchel is an young attacking minded manager, obsessed with details, tactics and opponent analysis. Speaks good English, studied physiotherapy, sports science and graduated in business economics. He believes in possession football and gives his teams a very direct approach. Develops young players. All in… Read more »
Coz the media said so and what they say is gospel innit
He was sent off after 2 years of being in conflict with club leadership. The board would never go for that here.
Allegri, Simeone should all have been approached. Not one was. Piss poor ambition, non existent succession plan.
Please tell us how you’re certain they weren’t approached?
thomas tuchel is not that good.
Manager’s are MADE available. Money and prestige talks.
And that’s always successful… Not!
I’d rather see this with a very clear goal of preparing the club for his departure over the next two years (including a statement that this will be his final contract), than him leave and us spend summer trying to find a replacement as well as trying to hold on to Ozil and Sanchez AND try to strengthen.
The grass isn’t always greener, look at United.
How about looking at Chelsea who sacked their most successful manager and won the league.
They actually have a proper organization in place though. We don’t. We need that before we can start replacing managers every few years, so we don’t allow every scrap of footballing knowledge to walk out the door when the manager leaves.
Well said. Its a toss up between letting all football knowledge go and the prospect of proper change in the management structure. I cant see them saying this is going to be his last deal, however. The board has to change first of all, even if Kroenke isnt going to go we need to at least get people in that have football knowledge and can help Wenger and help move the club forward past when Wenger decides its time to go.
Yes, Chelsea was well versed in Manager-go-round at the time already. That and they already had a solid starting 11, and one of the most potent creative mid / striker combos in europe, even if they were a bit shallow. That and they didn’t have to compete in Europe depleting their energy and causing overuse injuries or big form drops for their key players which we definitely felt. We’ll see how it goes next season with more matches for them to play.
And whos fault is that? Arsene interviewed gazidis for fucks sake. Arsene refuses to relinquish any control over the club.
Kroenke has no idea what a football club is. This club is run by one man and if we have no structure then its that one mans fault.
Who made or allowed the decision to have Arsene interview Gazidis? You haven’t chased the problem far enough up.
The board and ownership own this structure whether they built it or not because it was their decisions regardless of whether they were taken actively or passively. It is their job to plan for succession or see when it needs to happen. If any of these stories we’ve been pummelled with are true, that’s what they’re finally doing.
Wenger has been carrying their water and acting as their shield most of his tenure.
Serious question.what in your opinion could the board have done to improve on this season. If you dont see it as arsenes fault then clearly the board have made mistakes on the team front ? Bearing in mind you have to ok what is done by arsene before its a clhb policy ie director of football .
Arsene is as complicit as the board in all this and visa vesa
IF they planned to keep Wenger all along, have the stones to say to him No, you can’t put everything on hold until the end of the season to decide if you’re staying. It’s toxic right now. It must be fixed. If some of the supporters don’t like that, take some of their own damned heat for once, so Wenger and the players can focus on the matches. Stop dithering on contract negotiations and sign extensions for Alexis and Ozil earlier. Or if they were pressuring Wenger by holding off on his contract, fess up earlier so it’s clear to… Read more »
Mpls. In an ideal world your right and i agree with you. The board should have had the Bollox to announce his contract when it was signed months ago and they should also have the nuts to enforce things on wenger that they think are good for the club wether he agrees with them or not. But in that scenario he may walk away and say he can’t work like that. The mans love to control all facets of the club it seems so the board are a bit stuffed really.
They sacked their most successful manager because he’s a poisonous individual who completely lost it having seen his team lose 9 out of 16 games. They ended up finishing 10th that season. You can’t compare the two.
Spot on.
5th (Narrowly), FA cup win, plus the need to sign Alexis and Ozil for the long term.
Wenger signing makes sense on many levels, to compare our situation to that of Chelsea (who, incidentally, we just beat to make John Terry miserable) who finished 10th, no silverware etc is unfair to Wenger.
Mourinho was in his third season at the club, after a succession of several other managers, some of whom had been quite successful. Wenger has run Arsenal for two decades. So, not a valid comparison. (I mean on the football level–on the human level, there is no need to point out the differences between Wenger and Mourinho.)
How about not looking at Chelsea?
Everyone that says look at United when Ferguson left, seems to miss one very large fact. Ferguson continually won leagues and competed in the CL. We haven’t competed for either for ten years!
It’s about what happened after he left. Before has sweet FA to do with it…
That comparison really doesn’t make sense if for no other reason than Ferguson didn’t go more than 2-3 years without winning the league and was competing for the Champions League as well. I love Wenger but he’s not an equal to Ferguson – Ferguson was routinely able to reinvent himself and win.
We start winning trophy since Fergie left though, maybe it’s because we won’t meet Fergie’s united at the cup. ???
Listen I’m happy about the FA Cup but it’s a competition where you only play 6 games and 3 of those against lower league competition. The real marker is how far we finish off the league winners – the league requires consistency which we quite frankly don’t have. We have a team that can compete for a game or two but not on a regular basis with the best teams.
I’m also happy with it, but a little bit disappointed with how the club sees it. If we ambitious enough, we should consider this year as a failure like United did with Van Gaal. The way i see it, our club real target is to finish top 4 and FA cup, that’s the only explanation why Wenger still in charge after so many years we can’t challenge the league, needless to say CL, he even can’t win it with the invincible.
He’s signed and so at the end of the day we just need to support the team and hope that this year woke Wenger up to his failings. What concerns me is we’re simply putting off the inevitable b/c Wenger won’t allow anyone else to come in and share power with him. So in 2 years we’ll just be in the same place we are now. Hopefully though at that point the board will realize if it wants to move on it can’t wait until June.
@ Atom
Just for the record, history shows that Ferguson only won his first league title at Utd after he’d already been in the job for six or seven years.
And the FA Cup after 3, European Cup Winners Cup after 4 and the League Cup after 5, not really sure what your point is?
But he continued to win. We haven’t meaningfully competed for the league or cl in over a decade
Sample size of one. One club. Crap argument. Look at Chelsea. Changed managers. Been successful. Please can you realise that this is an awful, flimsy argument for keeping Arsene.
Complains about sample size of one. Proceeds to present different example, also of sample size one.
20 more years
Make it 200 more years!
Disappointed, but not surprised. Best we can do now is to get behind the team and hope for the best.
Realistically, who would you have liked to come in to replace him and who available do you think would have done a better job than him this season?
Allegri. Or Conte last season. Or Klopp season before that. Maybe you should and watch Bayern thrashing to remind you where Wenger got this club in Europe.
5-1 in likes – coincidence?
Yes but none of those are available now. Who out of the managers realistically available to Arsenal would do a better job?
There are managers around and there always will be. Just look at the crop of younger managers doing great work across europe. No body is indispensable, somebody somewhere will come in with fresh ideas and do a better job. Look at Zidane at real madrid. Yes he has great players at his disposal but his work there has been magnificent.
Allegri is probably not leaving Juve this season. Conte and Klopp are irrelevant now.
Joachim Loew mate.
Luis Enrique
The manager of grampus eight. How about him.
I suppose you are one of those geniuses that knew wenger before he came and knew he’d be a success.
Take a gamble like we did years ago. To say thier is no one out thier is rediculas.
He wasn’t just the manager of Grampus 8 though was he. He won the league title at Monaco building a very strong side attracting the likes of Hoddle, Weah and Klinsmann. Why gamble on someone now when we can plan his replacement over the next 2 years?
I think Voldermort is absolutely right. Wenger himself was a huge gamble but it seems some people have forgotten that Arsenal didn’t become the club we are today by playing it safe and giving Bruce Rioch a transitional 2 year contract instead of appointing the little-known Frenchman.
Rioch lasted one year of turmoil and did not carry the club through financial purgatory for 8-10 years. He also did not control every footballing aspect of the club by himself. Completely different stories. Also, we are in a very precarious position for player retention and hopefully trying to lure in more. Wenger can do that while transitioning to a new power structure like the rest of the top clubs have. It may not be ideal to everyone, but I get it. And frankly I don’t see a better solution taking the big picture into account. I see this as… Read more »
The point is Wenger was a bit of gamble and very far from a sure thing. We’re in a precarious position of player retention because the agents of some of our best players want their star players playing for successful ambitious clubs. We’ve fallen short of that marker. As for this transitioning period, Wenger has made it clear that after 30+ years in the game he doesn’t want to be told what to do by anybody. I’m happy for Arsenal to do things at our own speed, but our target as fans should be titles. Let the leadership do what… Read more »
A precarious position that the board and this manager has put us in. If i had any confidence that they would use these two years to put in place a structure to transition forward, then i’d be a much happier man today. Maybe the press release tomorrow will cover that, but sadly, i doubt it. I’m fully braced for two more years of the same almost-but-not-quite football, and then the three or four years of turmoil as we go through a forced transition. I’d just rather move on and get that turmoil started this week.
No matter what you say, our fans just don run out of the excuses to justify Wenger. After reading through the whole thread, I find the similarities between our pro-Wenger fans and people that say that Earth is flat very disturbing. No matter how many evidences you provide, they will just find some more irrelevant excuse. Arrgh, Wenger should have left after 2006.
As someone who started losing confidence in him around the 2008 season, I hear you. I keep an open mind about him because of his dedication and his symbolism for the club (he’s like Arsenal’s Totti for some people), but the logic and lack of reasoning behind some of the comments worries me as well.
I’ll get a bunch of down votes for this, but i think almost any manager in the Premier League could have managed our squad this past season and got more out of them than Wenger did. And by better, i mean the extra points to get us top 4. Conte, Klopp, Poch, Koeman, Silva, West Ham guy – dead cert that they would have done better. I hate to say it, but Alladyce, Hughes, even that fuckwit Pulis would have probably done better. Moyes – probably not! 🙂
Get behind the team and Manager.
I’ll get behind the team. If the manager doesn’t change his approach, I’ll give him the same shit that i have for the last three years. Because he’ll deserve it.
Good plan mate well thought out…
I’m with you on this cagooner
A Dark day for the club if true.
With Thursday/Sunday football next season i expect us to slip down to 6th by this time next year.
We had the chance to move in to a exciting new era but seem to have settled for the grim status quo.
Death by a thousand cuts continues
Winning FA cup and 9 of our last 10 matches augurs well. Don’t be so negative
Most of those games were meaningless. The one’s that counted when we were in second place we messed up as always. In Europe, after everybody anticipating a good performance against Bayern, they were humiliated by 10 goals. The club always finishes the season strongly as the pressure is off as there’s no chance of winning league and teams in midtable switch off. Look even at the last few games. It can be argued that the one team of quality who were motivated to win in the league, Spurs, hammered us. It’s the same every season. Start the season unprepared and… Read more »
Snap, we appeared to have written pretty much the same thing at the same time!
Not surprised. Cunts think alike.
Very classy. They are building a new stadium for the likes of you just down the road.
Very accurate description of last 4-5 seasons.
We had to win them to keep hopes of top 4 alive and we did.
Tough games too, games we usually lose.
Its amazing how even though it seems to happen every season people still seem to forget as soon as we go on our annual run of decent results at the end of the season and think it will be different next year. How many times does it have to happen?
“They were humiliated by 10 goals” – this sort of attitude speaks volumes mate. WE were humiliated. And you wonder why the manager refers to a “toxic atmosphere”
Very true Don. People disagreeing with you should state their reason too. The fickles singing today will change their names and will cry here as soon as the real arsenal turn up again around November and February next year
It’s exactly the same as the previous 10 seasons and next year will be the same.
1 admittedly very good game in the cup final does not fool me in to pretending that in those 10 games we got hammered once by Spurs and played a variety of end of season half on the beach teams in the other.
I expect once the new season starts and the opposition has had enough time to analysis our new formation that results will follow a similar pattern as the previous 13
I’m just withholding judgement until a proper announcement is made. Lots of people seem to very happy but I haven’t heard any good justifications for this decision yet. Wenger earned the right to a new 3 years contract in 2014 and said his target was the title. Those are the standards we should hold the club to in my opinion.
Not being able to take the leadership at their word is partly why the environment became so toxic this season. Hopefully the club will address that.
We have always seen the same thing with results. Look at the home games against United and Chelsea in the last 2 seasons… Always giving us lots of hope that this team is finally maturing, but its the same pitfalls and disappointments year after year.
Losing 10-2 on aggregate, ergo embarrassing ourselves in Europe and finishing outside of the top four do not augur well, though. It’s very easy to pick and choose, isn’t it?
If that augurs well then you haven’t been following arsenal the last few years. They start performing as soon as CL and PL is out of reach, sadly 8 out of 9 wins weren’t enough this year.
Wenger needs to stop saying we don’t need CL anymore, his kids hardly need another reason to regress.
Wise up mate. That is pathetic. If you get any more short term you will be pointing out encouraging 15 minute spells in games. You want us to focus on a 10 game spell. Seriously? Do what Arsene advises. Judge him at the end of season. If you do you will see we are no closer to the 85 + points you need to win the league (the whole point of this fucking thing). In 2002 he came from way behind the previous season to win it. I think he is a rank outsider to do it again with his… Read more »
But its been like that for a while. Crisis mid season. Then towards the end Wenger discovers a solution and we win most of the remaining games. Vicious cycle.
Yes we had the chance, and we’re inching closer surely? World class stadium with manageable debt, no trophies monkey on our back changed to three FA Cups in four years, never signing big names to bringing in Sanchez and Özil. Look at Man City, pep has got nothing, Mourinho not much better spunking £89mil on one player. Not even going to start with the spuds and Liverpool etc. The point is there’s no guarantees in football. I understand the frustrations as we all want the best for the club. But let’s all just take a step back and appreciate what… Read more »
Inching closer? We’ve gone backwards. Lower in the league and with a bigger defeat in the CL
Just browsing. I respect your views and many are reasonable but what evidence do you have that the club is remotely on the same wave length in terms of what needs to be done ?
What does need to be done. I have no idea. New players, world class players bought early, director of football?
Sell some of the dead wood?
You honesltly believe we are going to change that much.
Likewise I respect yours! Hence I thumbed your comment up. Unfortunately it’s all guesswork and speculation on this point, like I said, ‘hopefully’ the board are on our wavelength, I just think they’ve been burnt by the vitriol this season more then any other. I’m hoping it forces their hand to begin to make the changes necessary and start to make the changes needed. The rumours are Gazidis is all for updating the back room staff, bringing in a director of football and holding Wenger more accountable etc Ideally Allegri for me, but, it’s either not the right time or… Read more »
“The point is there’s no guarantees in football”. Actually there are. Spending big money brings success: Chelsea, City, PSG, Madrid, Barca etc all successful. Small clubs with no spending power, not very successful.
Then surely Chelsea would have been guaranteed to beat us in the cup final..or not finished 10th last year?
PSG should have beaten Monaco to ligue 1?
Haven’t we all despised Chelskie oil money and Arab money?
Leicester proved it takes more then money! Look at Man Utd’s spending.
Yes, it helps, but it’s still no guarantee.
Oh come on mate. I’ve seen some depressing comments on here but is it really that bad? I’m all for change but what’s done is done. Bring on next season.
Yes John C, a dark day for the club. A black day. The worst that could’ve happened.
Yea, t’was the day you were born.
If you read my other comments, you’d realise my sarcastic tone.
Wait, Bergkamp? Is that on? After I saw his name in the article I completely forgot what I was reading about, doesn’t matter, get him in!
I’m not surprised but I’m utterly dejected. Saturday was a great day and should have been a crowning glory and send off for a man who has done so much for the club. Unfortunately we now have two more years of purgatory unless Wenger changes (which he won’t). I fully accept that the cups have been great and they are better than fourth pace finishes but our performances in the league have been getting worse season by season. No other big team is routinely thrashed like we are (8-2, 6-0, 6-3, 5-1) scores like that for United, Chelsea & City… Read more »
I am really conflicted by how I feel but the above sums up my concerns really well. If we improve our squad and the internal changes (whatever the hell they will actually be) actually improve AW’s ability to manage the team I don’t see why we couldn’t be challenging for more next year (except the CL obviously… ) It’s felt for the past however many years that we haven’t missed out because of how great other teams have been, it has always been our own shortcomings. If we can stop shooting ourselves repeatedly in the foot next season… who knows?… Read more »
While I agree that Saturday would have been a fine sending off, it’s also far too late for him to leave. We have made a grand total of zero preperations. I wouldn’t be surprised if the board still has no clue what they want the overall organization to look like when Wenger is gone. How does one divide his current role? Who’s responsible for what? “Sporting director” is just a single position, what about everything else he does on a day-to-day basis? I would really like a confirmation from the board that they’re actually looking into this sort of thing.… Read more »
This idea that it’s too late is a little confusing. The season doesn’t officially end until after the Champions League final. When it looked like Wenger might step down after the Bayern defeat, people said he’d be leaving the team in a bad position if he left. So the Board said an announcement will be made at the end of the season. You can’t now say it’s far too late – this is exactly the time of year when managerial changes are announced. I fully accept that people are passionate about wanting Wenger to stay. That’s great. Wenger staying because… Read more »
This. Whilst I very much think it is time for a change, MTZ is exactly right. There is a significant overhaul of the management structure needed, one that cannot possibly be achieved in the 10 or so weeks before the season starts. No club has such a totalitarian manager, ruling over all aspects of the club, therefore, by definition, we would not be able to get one who can do all the things he does to replace him. Start the process of succession planning now, integrate the director of football/transfer committee/etc and replace a fantastic manager and club servant when… Read more »
We have a dismal record against bigger PL teams. Wins over Utd, City and Chelsea in the last month don’t make it respectable. There are some really weird positive views on here on the news that I respect but don’t get. Just watch Wenger horribly mismanage a punishing Europa league schedule next year. His usual refusal to trust more than 12-15 players is a big risk. He can drop the handbrake chat as he has Europa league exhibit A as an excuse and the pillar of his wonky new excuse ridden narrative. It’s not a given but I would bet… Read more »
Interesting that this comment gets pretty much 50/50 up down.
Good. Now let’s put all the discord behind us, drop the moaning and put the bile and anger away, stop waving placards and flying banners, and start behaving once again like Arsenal fans. Fans of a club that has class and a great history — and, I would add, a great team and manager too, who deserve our support.
#Gunner4Life
Wake me up in 2 years
At least we know now. I wonder if that means Sanchez and Ozil are going to sign new contracts?
Let’s hope so
I hope it’s sorted quickly either way. Don’t want a while summer of will they won’t they.
My gut feeling is that Ozil will stay and Sanchez will go but there’s no logic or factual information involved in my view
So there you go. gives us 2 seasons to get organised and have a decent transition plan and hopefully have a few successes along the way. Congrats Arsene.
If you listen to all the things he says I really can’t see Wenger being any keener to leave in two years than he is now and I think he’s the kind of person who would take plans for a successor as an offence. Personally I think we’ll be in exactly the same position in two years as we are now
Possible. Sure he probably wouldn’t be keener but if he feels he’s done a good job in 2 year’s time and set a positive course/momentum/succession plan for the team (see below) I’d think he’d go. I’d very much hate to see a scenario where he’s actually keen to leave. Imagine how untenable things would have to be for him to *want* to leave. Now that’s scary to think about… I also feel that so long as he’s included in and/or laying down the succession plans himself (which IMHO is extremely likely) then he wouldn’t be offended. He’s personally vested in… Read more »
The same situation might happen after 2 years as well.
It will happen. This is bollocks. Why we have to run around in a circle?
How do you know that David – got a crystal ball?
I don’t need one. I know Wenger enough. There will be some ups and some downs. He will not get team ready in time for season or our form will drop rapidly. Some big results againts oppositions, some big losses… Our last seven seasons were same most of the time. Fact that we didn’t solved our midfield crysis until the end of the season said it all. I want to be wrong, but honestly I don’t believe we can win major trophy in two years. Not under Wenger.
Hasn’t done Mo Farah any harm
I think if you proposed to any supporter on the planet that their club could sign a manager that would get them into champions league for 20 of the next 21 years, they’d be on board.
Ask them a proper question:
Champions League participation for 20 years in a row, or qualification every now and then with at least one Champions League win?
Never happy some people. moan moan moan.
How many teams have *actually* won the Champions League in the last 20 years. A small handful.
Liverpool, Chelsea and Man Utd all have
Do you think most Arsenal supporters would exchange our last 20 years for Liverpool’s?
I would exchange our last 12 for theirs
Jog on then.
All this talk of “there’s no good options available right now” yet Spaletti and Tuchel became available today ??
Tuchel,spaletti over wenger? You must be joking. I want change at Arsenal too but not just for the sake of it.
What exactly has Tuchel done, that Wenger didn’t? Exactly. Plus after only 1 year he had almost the complete squad against him. Wenger is loved by his players for 2 decades now.
Tuchel won the equivalent of the FA Cup this year. He is also 43, so he hasn’t exactly been around for a while. Managers do make mistakes – Wenger got sacked at Monaco earlier in his career. I am not saying that he would have been the answer, but let’s not bash the guy for his sub-standard year when he finished 3rd.
Yeah, the 3rd place between the giants Leipzig and Hoffenheim. What an achievement with that squad. Applause!
we finished second to Leicester. What’s your point?
And still above clubs like City, Chelsea, United, Pool and Spurs. Which clubs has Tuchel left behind? Ah yes, Hertha and Freiburg. Absolutely comparable. Give him a 10 year deal.
We still finished behind a mediocre club so I don’t see why you should be using Tuchel failing to finish in front of Liepzig as a stick to beat him with when Wenger failed to finish in front of a team like Leicester.
why do people belittle other leagues so much and get so blinded by sky’s bullshit the premier league is the greatest league in the world, look at the results in the champions league, English teams are overrated and overpaid, so being ahead of tripe like spurs and city is no achievement
But being ahead of Hoffenheim, Freiburg and Hertha surely is. These are the teams who are in the CL Semis constantly.
And where is Leicester now?
I could point out that we just finished 5th despite spending nearly £100 millions last year….
Do you really want to compare the PL to the Bundesliga? What do you think where Tuchels Dortmund would have ended in the PL? My guess is between Everton and Southampton.
Ooh the comparison. Tuchel was behind Leipzig, who were like Leicester this season. Wenger didn’t even beat a single top 8 teams away from home. Tuchel guided BVB to UCL quarters. He made them qualified for UCL with his best players leaving. He also won the equivalent of FA cup. Wenger can’t even beat Crystal palace and Westbrom and you are asking who is better manager.
tuchel did not have the squad against him but the board. it went all sour after the bus attack and tuchel expressed his anger at the board for having capitulated to uefa and allowed the game to be replayed 24hrs after the attack, senior players were with him on that one. Right now , on this day and age , Wenger is no longer among the best coaches not to acknowledge it is refusing to see the harsh reality of ten years of league debacles.
I’m German and have watched the German coverage after the Cup Final and a lot of players made it very clear that they are not standing on Tuchels side. They were all on Sahins side who wasn’t even in the squad that day and the whole team expressed their displeasure with this decision. Didn’t sounded like the squad is on his side at all. He tried to make it look like that after the attack, but the reality is very different.
Trying to whitewash the negative things ex-players have said about Wenger just to trash Tuchel doesn’t make your opinion very credible.
Not every single player Wenger has coached loves him. I doubt players that Tuchel benches love him either. I’m not sure Tuchel would be the choice but most people thought Wenger was the wrong choice when he arrived.
At Arsenal we’re now so narrow-minded about other managers and given Wenger’s early history it should be the other way round.
Of course not all of them love him. But through his 21 years it was never such a bad connection between him and the players like in Tuchels first season.
And about which ex players are you talking? The guys who are bitter that they haven’t received a job offer from Arsenal after they’ve ended their playing career and now need to coach small teams in Spain to get the money for the next drink?
If you don’t respect the opinion of our ex-players, say so. Don’t suggest that all of Wenger’s players love him because that would be a lie. Wenger’s my third Arsenal manager in my time supporting the club. Some people haven’t experienced it with Arsenal but I remember the excitement and fear of having a new manager. I remember the British press having a field day with all the repots coming out about Wenger’s crazy new methods and who was leaking those stories? The players. I also remember in his first full season that the campaign was going off the rails… Read more »
I love Tony Adams and of course I respect his opinion on everything regarding Arsenal. But I can still put things into perspective. And the quote that Wenger has never coached a team is just ridiculous. So many players have said that he’s the best manager they ever had and he has won 10 major trophies in his 20 years at the club. What do you expect me to do with a quote like this. Saying “Tony Adams said it, it must be true?” And you sound a bit like you want a new manager just to have the excitement… Read more »
Making the allegation that he’s only in Spain earning enough money to buy booze tells us everything I need to know about you. The man you’re making personal attacks against is an Arsenal legend whose battle with alcohol served as an example to a general of football players who battled alcoholism and members of the public too.
You love Tony Adams until he says something that punctures your little fantasy world. Maybe learn to accept that things aren’t always black and white? Sorry I don’t have a hashtag for that.
Who was it again that convinced him to fight his alcoholism and stayed by his side during that time? Ah, right: The guy who gets a lot of stick from good old Tony. So please don’t try to play the moral card. And just because I think the stated quote is complete nonsense, it doesn’t mean that I just see black and white. Would appreciate if you could be a bit clearer on what you’re talking about. In my little fantasy world Arsene won 10 major trophies in his 20 years and the overwhelmingly majority of his ex players speak… Read more »
No one, and i mean no one convinces an alcoholic to stop drinking it’s not how it works, it is a complete fantasy if thats what you believe
It should have been a one-year deal to steady the ship for a new manager coming in. The board’s pathetic inaction earlier in the year lead to this situation. Wenger shouldn’t have been given a new deal at all, and beating the best team in the league in the FA Cup final was a fantastic opportunity for him to go out on a high.
I wonder when our league collapse will be next season? My bet’s on February.
I wonder when our “fans” start with all the negativity again that has harmed the club so much in the last years that it was almost impossible to achieve things under these circumstances. My bet is: just now.
Wenger’s lost the faith of the majority of the fan, the only way that will change is if he leaves. You know it, i know it and he knows it but he puts his needs above the needs of the club. Horribly selfish.
Not the ‘majority’ it’s the impatient, deluded, ungrateful, vocal and probably youthful minority. The majority who sit near me week in week out at the Emirates support Arsene. The majority on the road probably don’t.
It’s the majority make no mistake. It’s the minority of fan’s that sit next to you.
There’s nothing impatient, deluded or ungrateful about wanting a manager who’s way past his best to pass on the stewardship of the club to a younger, hungrier, more ambitious man.
There’s nothing impatient, deluded or ungrateful about wanting a manager who’s slowly lowered the quality of the team and widen the goal posts on what’s considered success to pass on the reigns.
Surely this negativity is a sure enough sign that Wenger should not have been retained?
I see this as merely a platform for Sanchez and Ozil to sign long term agreements that will keep them in the club beyond Arsene’s tenure. I honestly think it his last 2 years in the club, and I would have preferred that it be known to the fans that he is serving his last 2 years.
Hopefully sanchez will sign soon as he’s gonna be jamming for Chile.. But if true then we gotta get behind wenger.. I’m feeling a lite more confident that he’ll change his ways a bit this season..
Absolutely sickened by this decision. It’s not even a surprise, which is a testament to how cowardly and ineffective the board are. There is no justification for a new deal. It’s the same failures in the league and Europe each season. Every year a midseason capitulation occurs whereby when there is a possibility for Arsenal to take the next step, to compete in the league and have a chance of winning it, they fuck it up and it ends up neither a struggle to get fourth, the bare minimum, which we failed to achieve this year. People have very short… Read more »
Give it a rest. you are a supporter not running the club. Support the club or don’t (running the club is not an option you have).
Loudmouths who abuse Wenger and people like you who tell fans with different viewpoints to support another club are two sides of the same toxic coin. You need to grow up and accept that Arsenal fans, men, women, young and old, will have different opinions about how we’re run.
As long as they’re not being disrespectful, try and have a discussion based on the points that other fans raise. We’re a football club, not a herd of young sheep.
He expressed an opinion that same as you. Because it doesnt fit in with your narrative doesnt mean hes less of a fan. Large sections of the fan base wanted wenger out. Most polls suggest it was the majority. We are in this mess because 1 man will not listen to anyone else. Seems you back the right regime
Most polls? Majority?
Show me… The Sun doesn’t count
Calm down Don. I wouldnt go so far as to say Im sickened, but I do hear your point. However, I think the board and Wenger know that it his last 2 years in the club. This ensures a much smoother transition. If Wenger was to leave abruptly, who would take-over?? dont tell me Tuchel or Spalleti because they dont even come close to Wenger. We would be stuck in a situation similar to ManUre. However, I would rather it be announced to the fans that it his last period in charge..
I agree. I really hope press release tomorrow covers that.
OK I get it, you are sick and bored. Call a doctor and may I suggest you play call of duty? Or be a football guy and play FIFA. All that boredom bollocks will just feck off…
Seriously though, this is the state of play, live with it.
I understand your point of view, but what’s the alternative, given our current position? What if Wenger decided to leave right now? All hell would break loose: We’d be stuck with a clueless board, who would have to appoint 5+ positions, including a manager, in record time. Do you genuinely trust them to do that? These guys need months or years to get things ready, or shit will hit the fan big time.
What I don’t understand is why they haven’t been preparing for life without Wenger already and if they haven’t by now I have no faith in them having done so in two years
I don’t trust them to do it now, and I don’t trust them to do it over the next two years. So we’ll all be back here saying the same shit in May 2019. See you then.
I’m still struggling with “are you happy with finishing in the top 6 and winning the FA cup? I’m not.”
At least a proper succession planning can be done. I do hope come next two years, we will win more trophies to promote a proper send off for Wenger. 23 years at the helm, he deserves it.
At least I get to keep my moniker for another two seasons…
It is true Wenger hasn’t achieved some (lofty?) goal that fans have set for him. But if he were to leave at this juncture, you would be looking at a club in disarray. There is no structure to support an incoming manager, (e.g. executive positions that Wenger currently fills etc.). While fan apathy and vitriol in the same measure is understandable, his exit from the club may make it very difficult to achieve even a top 4 trophy. Lets not disillusionment result in wearing band aids on our eyes.
Yeah you think so, what about after 2 years? Do you think we will keep Wenger until his last breath? Or keep his statue in the sidelines? Is there any guarantee that we will achieve success after 2 years? We finished 5th, we might go down to 8th..ultimately go down to 18th. Who knows?
The lofty goal was set by the board when they built the new stadium and set the ticket prices and by Wenger when he said he’d win league a team time of last contract signing.
o shit
Good. Get it signed. Dissenters can take a 2 year sabbatical, save their season ticket money, and assess what’s really missing in their lives. Everyone else can support the collective effort.
Best comment I’ve read all day.
Ned? Ned Ryerson?
Brilliant!
as a long term arsene wenger supporter since his days at monaco , yes i know am getting grey hair now , i do think it was the right season to depart with him. and with a trophy and a record cup win it was an honorable way for parting ways This team needs a new approach , new methods and some clearing out. even him , who said he wanted to continue to coach , he needs something new. This board has no balls at all , and Thomas Tuchel is jobless..
Honestly I’m not sure Thomas Tuchel is all of that but yes, I wanted Wenger to leave the insults behind and ride into the sunset with a different team.
So that we fans can find something else to moan about. Surely there’ll be something to lament with a new manager in his first season at the epl. Chelsea moaned at first, City too.. .its hard to imagine our fans with all the frustration not moaning when the new guy struggles with his ship
and tuchel has just left dortmund
I’m relieved. Relieved that this saga is coming to an end. It was like a dark cloud hanging over the club and dividing the fanbase. It’s time for all the Wenger in’s to stop vilifying anyone who criticised the manager and all the Wenger out’s to stop their bloody moaning, hatred, banners and planes! Let’s move on and get behind the team.
No surprises with the announcement, really. We’re still going to be a team in transition regardless. Truth be told, I’ll take transition over ripping off the band aid any day – at least we know where we stand. There will be, at least, some sort of stability while Arsenal FC rebuilds over the next couple years.
Hooray, sense prevails. Let’s hope our impatient Millennial fans shut up and get behind the team next year.
Great news…can we transfer the banner flyers and sign holders
Great News – Now get behind the team and Manager. Come on you Reds.
Do i want change? Yes.
Do i want change that has not been planned for in any way? Definatley not. That would just be rolling the dice.
Therefore whilst i have many frustrations with this news i do think it is the best option in the grand scheme of things. Tomorrow’s announcement must, however, detail how they are going to approach the inevitable transition period that is on the horizon for the club.
UTA
Quite, and please no catalyst for change Ivan spin/bullshit. Tell it how it is. Everyone knows how difficult it will be to replace Arsene.
I mean I would have loved him to say goodnye now with his head held high and i have to say much as i am so grateful for all hes done for the club, another 2 years feels like a backwards step and not what we need to take the club forward
We don’t have any replacement for the job… So wenger is the best option available now… Now there is no Point in shouting Wenger out… Get behind the team and the manager and see where he takes… But one thing i am sure is we will win the FA cup in 2019. #COYG
Ok.. I think it would be safe for us to leave it all behind and support the team..Just wanted to say something.. Please dock your flight and never ever let that flight fly up again with that banner of your’s.
The anger and agitation was acceptable but flying banners across the sky? Whoever did that.. let me tell you this.. you guys looked despicable.
Use that rich ass money of your’s to feed the poor.. if you have so much left in the bank or if you have got so much left rotting down in your basement.
Pricks.
Excellent news if true. The criticism of him has been hysterical at times & completely unjustified. Competing with clubs who are spending money like it’s going out of fashion isn’t easy & being criticised for not being able to win the league or champs league is very harsh. He’s been criticised for being tactically naive with outdated tactics. Yes Arsene prefers to play an open attacking style of play but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t understand the other styles of play. Truth is after decades in the job he’s got a better understanding of football tactics than all of these… Read more »
The money excuse… we are such paupers we only spent £100M this year.
He listened to supporters? Conte changed his formation as soon as he saw the old formation was not working. It took Wenger 30 games plus 10 years to realize the system was not working. Finally he has listened to the fans.
We should start protesting now so he listens to us again in 10 years time.
I don’t recall anyone calling for 3 at the back with The Ox as wing back, just a load of tosh about “enough is enough”
£100m sounds a lot until you compare it to what other clubs spent. City have already spent £80m+ this week. If they go on to spend the reported £300m on top of the squad they already have & Utd & Chelsea spend big again it would be very harsh to criticise Arsenal for finishing below them next year.
We spent and net spent more than Liverpool and Tottenham this season. City bought terribly as did Man U. Chelsea spent a similar amount to us. The point here is it is obvious the league was not won and lost just by the spending. It can help, but signing the right players is what wins the league and getting your transfer business done early, as well, of course, using the right tactics and having the right mentality. Chelsea proved this. Conte changed the tactics and won the title. They had that do or die mentality more or less every game.… Read more »
A side note, I am starting to feel that Wellbeck is a Heskey clone. Hardwork, runs the channels and looks lost in front of goal.
If it’s true I’m not really happy I don’t think he will win the league. But I love Arsenal and will be behind the team for the season just hope we can get some good players and really compete for the league I’m not as bothered about the Mickey Mouse cup. I would play different players in the Mickey Mouse cup to the league keep the best ones fit for the league. Come on Wenger let’s get some decent players in now and early so they can train together ready for the new season and not leave it until the… Read more »
Didn’t you say the same thing 2 years back?
Fair enough if you’re not bothered about the FA Cup, but to dismiss it as the Mickey Mouse cup… i think it’s harsh…. you do realise that the competition is 145 years old?!
Tuchel just left Dortmund. Is there any hope in hell that Wenger would walk away. This may not be the long term answer, but it would be a solid transition.
Forget about Wenger’s contract saga guys. Don’t you read that piece of news about Dennis Bergkamp? If he’s signed for us as reported, I’ll be more than happy to see him in Arsenal again.
To be honest this just shows that the board does not care about the footballing side of things. We have stagnated as a team if not regressed. To remember the Bayern mauling, Crystal Palace, Chelsea, WBA and still think AW will take this club forward is sad reading.
Did anyone thought that wenger was stalling on the new deal which was offered to him since October November by the club because of the board making him false promises on transfers etc, if he was selfish like many said he would have signed the deal long time ago. I think he was waiting the board to meet his demands on footballing aspects for the club he needs to win the PL because he also knows that enough is enough and it is time to spent big alexis and ozil to sign new deals and go on next season and… Read more »
Excited to start next season with the back 3. We’ve looked really good with it and hopefully can continue the upward progression. COYG
Upward progression from 2nd to 5th?