Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Fergie backs Wenger’s stubbornness

Sir Alex Ferguson has praised Arsene Wenger for stubbornly refusing to bow to the ‘ridiculous’ pressure he’s been under this season and warned Arsenal fans that they will struggle to replace the Frenchman.

Wenger will be out of contract at the end of June, however, despite calls from certain portions of the Gunners fanbase for him to step aside, it looks as though the 68-year-old will pen a new two-year deal at the Emirates.

Speaking to Sky Sports about the attention Wenger has attracted, Ferguson emphatically underlined his support for his old adversary.

“At the moment, of course, with the ridiculous situation of the pressure Arsene is under, I just wonder if they realise the job he’s done,” he said.

“The most amazing thing about him is this: he has come through a forest of criticism for months now, and has never bowed.

“He has seen it right through, he has shown a determination, a stubbornness. I think when you look at that, it’s a quality, and I’m not sure they’ll ever get another manager like that.

“It’s quite easy to say ‘Get rid of him’, but who do you get? Who do you get in to keep that club the way they are for the next 20 years?

“I really feel sorry for him because I think he’s shown outstanding qualities, and I think he has handled the whole situation. I don’t know many that have done that.”

Here’s the video, for anyone who fancies seeing quite how passionately Ferguson defends Wenger.

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Jammathon

I get that they’re sorta mates (or respect each other a huge bit) but I’m not sure anyone in Arsenal circles is going to be too influenced by what Fergie has to say.

All teams above us changed manager in the past three seasons. That puts the “who ya gonna get” argument to bed.

Berlingoon

All teams below us too.

Sachin

*Applause*

uncle D

After this season in particular! I realized that you can support a club but you don’t need to like it’s fans! Wenger has been abused by a lot of Arsenal fans and fans have also abused the brand and fellow fans. I really wish and hope he gets justice and silence the fairweather fans! Ungrateful lot

Theoptimist

Abused the brand? Fuck the brand! It’s about the club, the team, the results.

Clins

Arsenal should not be too afraid to change manager after watching how united fuked it up with their manager change. I mean they appointed David fukin Moyes for a club that just won the title . it was doomed to be a failure from the get go. Moyes was no revolutionary , he was a pulis or allardyce like manager who managed to keep their midtable clubs firmly midtable. As long as we learn from them and not appoint long ball specialists we will be okay

Alexisshorts

And would you trust that board to get the decision right??

Dan Hunter

Well they are not getting it right right now… so no I don’t trust them either way

Determined Culture

Not at all

Determined Culture

Our board reminds me of the clueless valencia chairman.. who ended up appointing someone like g neville to take over

easy tiger

What is right for the board aint right for us, that is the way I see it. And they dont care…

clins

what else choice do we really have , we have to appoint a manager one way or another. its better for arsenal if they did it as soon as they can.and as i said as long as we didint appoint any long ball specialists or unproven managers we will be fine. besides in my opinion we cant really judge the board until wenger leaves , he is controlling everything behind the scenes . there’s not much room for the board to work here.i know how we all feel our board is, but all i’m saying until we know exactly what… Read more »

Welbeck\'s hi top fade

Sorry but I really disagree with a lot of this…

“As long as we don’t appoint any long ball specialist we’ll be fine”? Yeah let’s just bring in Roberto Martinez and see how that plays out…Also the argument that Wenger has too much power and therefore the board can’t do their job is bollocks. It’s entirely up to them to keep him, they really are in charge. The fact he’s still there is because they think (rightly or wrongly) he knows what he’s doing a lot better than they do.

Dan Hunter

Yeah let’s just bring in Roberto Martinez and see how that plays out

You missed the second part of his statement which excludes unproven managers – Martinez is one of them.

Elpres

This, Wenger is one of the very few competent football people left at the club. Maybe the next managerial appointment will be good but I had far more trust when Dein/Fizman etc were making the decisions and not the current board. People forget he was hamstrung for years when other teams received free stadiums or were sponsored by countries/billionaires. And yet our billionaire owner would not even put in enough to stop Wenger having to sell our best players to balance the books (never mind sanctioning further spending…just stabilise the club). He was the front man for it and now… Read more »

SpamB0t

To be honest, I wouldn’t be too worried precisely because they are so clueless. In my book, that makes it more likely for them to go after a “name” manager with a verifiable record (Tuchel, Jardim, Ranieri, Mancini, Pellegrini, Blanc, Favre, Martinez, Rodgers, Emery). Say what you will about some of them – I believe there are people there who would be quite bad choices – they all have a certain baseline of competence that makes it unlikely the team would do a whole lot worse than today (under some of them, it might do a whole lot better). The… Read more »

a different George

Brenden Rogers? Roberto Martinez? You’re reassured that the board will choose someone like that?

SpamB0t

Those two are very much what I meant by “quite bad choices”. Nevertheless, they are just about the closest analogues to Wenger’s football philosophy, with the caveat that they are still young enough to improve. Honestly, I don’t think our results would be much different with either of them in charge. What I meant to say was that getting an actual manager was better than rolling the dice on Jamie Redknapp or some fucking stat guy.

Swerks

Moyes’ mistake was getting rid of the United backroom staff – Phelan, etc people who bled United and had won CL, titles, FAC’s and then Moyes replaced them with nobodies. SAF advised Moyes to keep them. Its not just the manager its the backroom staff and SAF would NEVER have stuck with Boro Primorac for all these years. That’s for certain

Clins

True. SAF regularly changed assistants so that he keep up with latest tactics. Wenger hasn’t updated his tactics nor has he appointed anyone with fresh ideas. It just shows how far behind he is .

a different George

Not just Moyes, but the highly-rated Van Gall, and finally the even-more- highly-rated Mourinho. With huge spending, Real Madrid-level spending, and they produce leaden, uninspired football and the League Cup.

I still believe, though I do not think it will happen, that the best solution would be Wenger for one or two more years with a named successor at his side. But it is unlikely that an experienced, successful coach would agree to that set-up; a Veira or a (flying) Bergkamp is what we probably need.

Heavenly Chapecoense

Ferguson is still grateful to Wenger for selling him RVP. You never forget big gifts.

LEFT08

My respect for Sir Alex just sky rocketed. Excellent points and great to hear coming from him.

Cagooner

He’s a prick. He’s just piling on and stirring more media shit about Arsenal. And you fell for it.

clins

classic fergie . in the complete interview he said how spending money or short termism will not work and didnt managed to say a single bad thing about how united blew millions in the past few years . that says all about how sincere his interviews really are .

Crash Fistfight

Do you not think that statement was partly aimed at Man U? I’m still not convinced he’s a big fan of Mourinho. In fact, I think Mourinho was sure he was going to be the Man U manager after leaving Real Madrid, only to have Ferguson recommend Moyes instead, and it was only when Moyes did so badly that the powers at be decided to ignore Ferguson in future appointments.

Bould\'s Eyeliner

There’s only one reason why Fergie supports Arsene, and it’s out of duty. Arsene handed him the trophy for Fergie’s final season, and honestly speaking, as much of a supporter of Wenger as I am, and how much I want him to stay, I still can’t quite forgive him for that.

Given that their relationship is almost more than cordial now, I have a hunch that the moment they became almost friends was the moment traitor van pursestrings was gifted to the old enemy.

Mein Bergkampf

Argh. Why do people continually speak about us like we are spoilt little children who don’t know how good we have it? Wenger is a wonderful, resilient man and we all owe a debt of gratitude for the last two decades. But living in groundhog season, churning out team after team that are mentally frail, being tactically non responsive, I could go on… He has taught Arsenal football club to always demand the best. And he’s just not it anymore.

The Doff

Qualifying for CL every season is not an easy achievement.
Getting used to it and calling it “a bare minimum” might be perceived as being spoilt.
Just a thought.

DB10

And let’s remember, the much riveted Meesiah’s (Pep, Klopp and Mourinho) are not exactly setting up the league on fire.

Sam

Fuck Mourinho. Don’t you think it’s too early to judge Klopp & Pep?

Sachin

Full seasons they have had now… their quirks are for all to see. Doesn’t dull their shine but the immensity of the challenge that is the EPL is for all to see. Top 4 has become a trophy now hasn’t it??

Frank

I’m sorry but klopp has finished above us with a far inferior squad and guardiola has ended up third with a team that doesn’t really suit his style at all whilst also admitting he would have been fired at his other jobs for his performance. Using their performance as an excuse doesn’t add up for me

Bould\'s Eyeliner

Man City totally suits his style. It’s filled with bags of money, that’s his style. He’s like the anal consultant who only works for Fortune500 companies in order to maintain an air of prestige. Klopp’s mugsmashers is not really that far inferior to our squad. In some ways yes, since they have no world-class stars, but in other ways, they have team cohesion, which in of itself is quite important. But on that point, most regulars on Liverpool are decently fit, decently capable, and a few are capable of some moments of skill. It’s not really a bad team at… Read more »

Frank

Yeah bags of money that he hasn’t really spent on first team players yet, There are glaringly obvious holes in the City squad and if you don’t think he’s going to fill them this summer and come back as a very strong force next season you have your head in the sand. As for Klopp world-class stars are key to mixing it at the top level, think where we would be without Sanchez and Ozil, and they’re above us, also team cohesion is something that comes from the manager and creating it is one of Klopps skills. However regardless of… Read more »

Bould\'s Eyeliner

No, I’m saying that they are very much dangerous teams that are going to be a problem and continue to be so. Only man u with mou doesn’t concern me.

OxdaFox

How dare you use common sense and point out that there are no perfect managers, you are obviously a pro Wenger troll out to sink our great club

Determined Culture

Have a feeling pep might put together a scary squad next season

Andy Mack

He certainly needs to buy some new players and has the money to do it, but most players need a season to get up to the speed of the PL, so maybe they’ll walk it or maybe Pep will end the season walking… It’ll be interesting.

Cagooner

They did better than us. And to be fair (and I hate to say it) Poch did pretty well.

Cagooner

Sorry – just realized you didn’t include Poch in your list.

Dotman

Two of them finished above us in the league

Welbeck\'s hi top fade

Hit the nail on the head : )

Mein Bergkampf

Ok mate, see you when things go tits up again. God, this club and all its supporters suffer from serious amnesia…

Sachin

We are spoilt little children. No question. Where has the behaviour been mature? We have sanctioned idiots to voice displeasure on our behalf because we are suffering. Every Arsenal fan knows that this season the manner of protests has compounded the problem. Some like me are calling it out, some are unashamed and want more damage, some are just sitting on the fence numbed by the results and the reaction.

kaius

I’d like to give credit and show appreciation for Arseblog, Andrew Allen, 7amkickoff and Tim Stillman for their reporting of all things Arsenal this season. In terms of articles, podcasts and analyzing the stats we’ve gotten really in-depth, intelligent, passionate coverage of a pretty crazy season by our standards. These guys have always been the antidote to the clickbait journos, transfer rumour mongers, and garbage punditry that plague British football. They represent the best part of Arsenal, a patient club modernising at it’s own (infuriating speed) in a league dominated by glory-hunters and billions in shady wealth. If you think… Read more »

Determined Culture

Well said sir

Perry

I have to disagree. I’ve been very disappointed with the way that Arseblog has fueled resentment against the board and tried to make a scapegoat out of Stan Kroenke. His blog post today was ridiculous, complaining because a fairly routine press statement didn’t show sufficient love for the club? At this point its pretty clear that he’s just looking for things to criticize and complain about. I’m as disappointed as anyone with the way this season as gone, but I don’t see the ownership of the club having much to do with the decisions that have affected performance on the… Read more »

ChrisGoona

Completely agree. I love Arseblog, but calling out our owner for being an owner is ridiculous! Why should he pretend he loves Arsenal when he doesn’t? He is simply an investor and has not meddled with the workings of our club. We are starting to win trophies again (regularly), purchasing big players, transfer spend is increasing, revenues are increasing, we are paying big salaries, and Arsenal are investing more heavily in our the training facilities and infrastructure. What scares and worries me is that a large number of fans are easily manipulated into believing the criminal Usmanov would be a… Read more »

Jim Reihill

the fact Kroenke is simply an investor is the issue- we are a balance sheet. this isnt what football should be. at some point i hope enough fans get sick of the levels of money in football (we are paying for it). If enough/all fans cancelled BT/Sky refused extortionate ticket prices we would miss out in the very short term but would have cheaper football in the long term. It wont happen unfortunately.

OxdaFox

Exactly Jim, what we need to be is “arm candy” for the mob like Russian Oligarchs as they combine looking like regular people and companies while at the same time undermining democracy and human rights across the world. Why be a balance sheet investment for a legitimate company when we can part of a worldwide criminal enterprise

kaius

The point is, even with your unfavourable view of something Arseblog said, you can still log on to the platform him and his colleagues built with years of daily work, state your case and debate it. That’s a positive thing right? I agree with you that Kroenke doesn’t deserve criticism for our on-field performances but that’s not what Blogs and others are saying. At critical points this season we’ve needed leadership and inspiration from the club – Sir Chips Keswick’s brief statement a couple of months ago and yesterday’s KSE release were tone-deaf and illustrate a problem that on-field performances… Read more »

clins

nobody really wants kroenke to show up for games every season like some owners and show love. but when the club is in dissarray and manger is doing…..well doing close to nothing which benefits the performance of the team on the ground , the least he could do is review it and take appropriate steps to rectify the situation or he should appoint someone who can take those steps .kroenke has done neither and wenger has been given free reign over what to do and what not to do .and even with this poor season, we are going to see… Read more »

Kaithar

Sort of agree, however Ivan Gazidis as the CEO is the person who should be doing that. The issue is either that Gazidis doesn’t have the backbone to do anything against Wenger or Gazidis isn’t practically a CEO and doesn’t have the authority to do it. To be honest I suspect the later, and I think this may be the case with a lot of Kroenke’s sports teams, that the person who is supposed to be running the club on Kroenkes behalf hasn’t been given the authority to make structural changes at the club so they all fall behind the… Read more »

clins

just thought you guys should read what henry said recently about owner which perfectly sums up what he is . he said this after kroenke’s company released a media statement after the news spread out about usmanovs bid for arsenal. “First and foremost the first thing that comes to my mind is what time is it in the US? It’s early right? It’s just funny how when people talk about his company and is it for sale or not for sale we straight away have a statement about it. “Arsenal fans have been waiting for the board or Mr Kroenke… Read more »

kaius

Thanks for sharing that. Thierry got it right this time.

Cagooner

Free speech. We pay highest ticket prices. The fuck ups in preparation for games and execution on the field are obvious for us all to see. We have absolutely every right to complain about what’s going on at our club. we should be louder.

ChrisGoona

What is all this complaining achieving? We seem to complain about absolutely everything. A criminal comes along with a bid to buy our much loved club, then we complain our current owner doesn’t sell… Why should he? We have a lot of weird and idiotic fans who cannot comprehend reality. Football clubs are businesses, and in the Premier League, they are very attractive businesses. Be happy that our current owner has respected the clubs traditions and hasn’t meddled with the inner workings. Looking from the outside, every fan will admit things do seem to have gone a bit stale. It… Read more »

Cagooner

You said it perfectly. The best manager we’ve ever had. Now it’s time to move on and bring a more contemporary manager in. I’m hopeful that a new manager will bring the kind of change we’ve seen at the teams above us. But even if we end up stuttering for a few years like United have, I’d take that as a step towards our next phase. Remember, we are a big club, we have a proud history and we moved to the new stadium to allow us to compete with the very best. We pay be highest ticket prices in… Read more »

salmok

‘The best manager we’ve ever had. Now it’s time to move on and bring a more contemporary manager in.’

LOL….. who are these people disguising as arsenal fans ?

lets sack the best weve ever had for an unknown gamble ???? for the sake of …change???

where are the monty python when you need them…good old terry could make comeback filming the absurdity of arsenal fans

Dotman

The fact that he is the best manager we ever had doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be replaced. For fuck sakes we lost 10-2 against bayern in the champions league. 10-2. We have shown the same weaknesses for at least eight seasons now. And some of you still want Wenger to stay. Nobody stays infinitely relevant. Personally i’m just tired of losing on big stages when it matters.

Anonymarse

If the shoe fits …

AlanF

He sounds a teensy bit drunk.

Sachin

Secret of his success is his accent. No one understands it. People go on about their jobs. He gets the credit.

Danger Mouse

Fergie hits the nail on the head for me.

ramgooner

It takes one to know one.

Trez

Oh please Fergie…you knew the right time to quit while your friend Arsene has no idea his time is up. I wanted Wenger out after 13/14 season, but I changed my mind and felt he deserved a shot at the league with more financial support. He messed up with horrible planning at 14/15 in the CB position and absolutely screwed up the next season. All we needed in the 15/16 season was a striker or a goal scoring winger and we would’ve won the league. Last season, we had a team CLOSE to being balanced but Wenger goes and plans… Read more »

DB10

Keyboard warrior much? smh.

Trez

If you don’t like my comment, move along. I would’ve given you a much harsher reply if not for the rules on here.

08103200166

Wenger would be difficult to replace but the obvious truth is that Arsenal needs CHANGE, Chelsea damnedthe sentimental consequence of sacking Mourinho when he lost it & now we are EPL CHAMPIONS again, up Chelsea !

nullvinho

If you don’t like DB10’s comment, move along

Trez

My comment. You can piss off with him as well fool.

ForeignGooner

Harsh keyboard warrior then.

Trez

Imbecile FG?

yagaru

Anyone too deluded not to see the truth in what Trez (above) is saying deserves to miss out on Champions League football and can’t moan if Sp*rs stay ahead of us.

Sachin

No one who has seen our games is moaning. We were poor. Only fair we are where we are.

Trez is judging Wenger’s decisions too harshly. He is also very entrenched in his views. And when I say that I might seem deluded to you… sure. But hey I believe next season will be better no matter who is the boss man in the dugout. We have a good team, enviable ethos, very good financial health. Some of our fans are loud bitches but you have them in every club.

Trez

The truth hurts. The fact that people like you don’t see that we’re not improving as much as we did in Wenger’s early years is plain ridiculous. Spurs have caught up to use – no amount of denial is going to change that. It had been coming since 11/12 season.
City, Man united and Chelsea will all get stronger.
Wenger can not take this team any further. This is obvious to anyone who claims to be an arsenal fan.
It would be a miracle if we made top 4 next season with Wenger around.

Cagooner

You’re right Trez. And we won’t do better next season because we can’t manage our current star players and we won’t bring in supplements at the same level when they leave. Suspect 6th season under current course.

clins

exactly. i just cant understand how some of our fans just cant see what the problem is.just feels like some of us will still be arguing for wengers stay even if arsenal are relegated.

Dan Hunter

@sachin I would seriously like to understand your stance. Do you believe Wenger is not at fault for the way in which the team has played and the poor performances this season and the season before that and the season before that? We have had similar brittleness for over 10 years. The squads have changed, the staff have changed, even the ownership has changed. The one constant has been Arsene Wenger. Granted, players are to blame for poor performances, but the job of the manager is to change players who are not performing, even if their name is Mesut Ozil… Read more »

Sachin

I absolutely love Wenger and love is irrational. That out of the way? So… I think it is undeniable that this season the team has been the worst in years. Many of the ‘frailties’ you talk off have never been more apparent. It would hard to say that Wenger is not responsible for what has unfolded. But it would be simplistic to lay the blame solely on him. It has been a clusterfuck that no one associated from the club can walk away from. Including the fans. I DID think this season would be different and I was dead wrong.… Read more »

Liam Bradys left peg

Fuck off fergie and keep ya big fat red nose out of our bussiness. Yeah yeah be carefull what you wish for, dont know what youve got till its gone bollocks. Wenger out

Dan Hunter

@Sachin “I absolutely love Wenger and love is irrational” “It would hard to say that Wenger is not responsible for what has unfolded” “He may not be the best manager in the world any more but I would trust him with Arsenal blindly” Sorry, but your irrational love and blind support for the manager, and those who hold a similar stance are clearly detrimental to the overall success of the team. I love Wenger as much as anyone, but I love Arsenal football club more. If it is not working anymore then for the good of the club I love… Read more »

kaius

Good points Dan.

It baffles me that a section of our fanbase has forgotten the difference between having a good team and being genuinely competitive. Ferguson’s teams really embodied that. Maybe it’s a by-product of ours and the Premier League’s wealth now that Arsenal appear “successful” just by participating in the Champions League and being near the top of the league.

The rest of us just want the club to do what’s in our capabilities to win. We’ve changed our stadium. We’ve changed our squad. People have to accept that changing the manager is the last variable we haven’t tried.

Alexisshorts

Spot on!

Goonerus Maximus

I vote we make Trez the new manager. Would love to see his wonderful “planning” in action, with absolutely no chance of ‘screwing it up’. What does Wenger know? Nothing, I say.

Trez

No how about we vote to get Allegri in?? And yes wenger seems like he doesn’t know anything with the mistakes he has been making lately.

Martin

Yes Man Utd have been so succesful since he left

Trez

Let’s not compare Fergie and Wenger now shall we??

Dan Hunter

There is no comparison. Fergie was a winner and insisted on winning at all costs.

Anonymarse

They were successful before he left …

Trez

Fergie was way more successful and had the European trophies to show for it. Wenger was finished at 11/12

Sol

To be honest I understand where old feggi is coming from, arsenal fans felt the same way when United appointed moyes and also the same when they appointed van gaal, so yes I do understand the need to hope a rival club keeps one of its weak links, God forbid we get a very gud coach that would make us fight for titles instead of being ok with FA CUP and 4th position

Alex

But everybody knows (Keown first) that it’s because Özil and Sanchez let the players down…

Sachin

Our ex-players have admirably proven why they aren’t in the backroom. Much love to Keown, Wright and Henry – lots of passion but not much else. Petit, Merson, Adams are toxic and can fuck off, though.

Izzy

I have no idea what Fergie said but thank you for this post, Blogs.

John C

Considering Fergie hand picked David Moyes as his successor i’m going to have to say i don’t trust his judgment when it comes to assessing the suitability and qualities of other managers.

It’s also worth noting that he’s a staunch union man and will defend his fellow managers to the hilt irrespective of whether they’re doing a good job or not

PB70

Considering John C’s blinkered views of our manager, I’m going to have to call bullshit on all his past, present ad future comments. Tony Adams – valid opinion since he is a former player and winner! Fergie, not suitable since..oh yeah, Moyes.

It’s also worth noting Jonn C is a staunch hater of our manager, irrespective of anyone’s valid views or opinions on the matters discussed on these boards. Why he doesn’t keep it simple and just state “Wenger out!”, I will never know.

John C

Argue my point, don’t attack me, it just reflects badly on you not me. My views on Wenger aren’t blinkered, only the other day, on the Adams thread i said Wenger circa 2002 was our best manager, the problem is that was 15 years ago and his powers have declined. Adams is perfectly entitled to his opinion on Wenger’s standard of coaching, as he was a professional footballer for 20 years who received coaching on a daily basis. If you’re saying that because his coaching career has been terrible then sorry that doesn’t make sense to me, because judging the… Read more »

PB70

John C’s barber will now be the front-runner for AFC manager 2017-18 as he is NOT part of any Union nor ever asked Moyes to take over once he retired. And in case anyone is reading this waste of a thread: because Adams said something that might be perceived as negative towards Wenger, HIS credentials in football matter – after all,he received coaching DAILY!! Sir Alex who said something positive towards Wenger – well what does that that ex-most-successful-manager-in premier-league-history know…managers union and Moyes. Reasoned argument were expected while crying ‘personal attack!’…like I said in a reply below, insanity is… Read more »

John C

I have to say PB70 i’d be flattered if i was that way inclined, it’s nice that you hang on everything i say, you clearly take great interest, i’m almost blushing

Dotman

Its like T S eliots argument that 2nd rate minds are not good enough to be poets, but good enough to be critics.. Agree with you

Ex-Priest Tobin

Fergie would like Wenger to stay in charge as then we’re less of a threat to Man U. He is a cunt and we shouldn’t listen to anything he says.

Cagooner

Who would vote this down? Whoever you are – head up to Old Trafford and join those fuckers.

Sachin

I just downvoted it and I’m staying with Arsenal. Any Jose-level conspiracy blabbering needs a thumbs down. Cheers. 🙂

bazza_wicks

when you consider in 10 years abramovich has spent 2 billion on Chelsk! Wenger definately over achieved we will never match that criteria unless Silent stan goes we have to accept bread and dripping and dream of caviar

Dark Hei

My view is that Abramovich just have more money that needs laundering.

Andy Mack

Are you sure anyone that bought from Stan would spend money on an Abramovich or AbuDhabi level?

Trez

Don’t need to spend on that level as we are in much better shape than Chelsea were when Roman bought the club.
Abrahamovic has been a great owner. I would take him anytime of the week.

Anonymarse

Usmanov might

GunnerYY

Chelsea transfer policy is very good, they bought superstar/potential young player with high prices, test them to see whether they can strengthen their squad or not. If the results disappointing, they will sell them but with the price almost as high as when they bought it.
Example, they bought david Luis for 32M, sell him for 50M, bought him again for 32M. They sell Oscar and Ramirez to China with a ridiculous amount of money. They’re very good at this transfer business, unlike us.

Dotman

Good teams have been built on less finances than ours. Klopps dortmund, atletico madrid, leicester last season. Its not always money. Its getting the best out of a cohesive unit. Man city’s failure in this regard is one of the reasons they underperform in the champions league

Dotman

Wenger has underachieved in at least 5 of the last 10 years

Vedant

Wenger’s a great man. He’s got quality and determination to guide the club from a higher management position. However when it comes down to the pitch, as it should, for a football club, we need someone else coaching the players.

kaius

I’ll never forget Ferguson’s comments after they cheated us out of that 50th game. So yeah, he’s absolutely right about Wenger but this is still uncomfortable to watch.

It reminds of those press conferences before we played a team in the relegation places with a manager about to get the sack and Wenger gets asked questions about the manager’s future. It’s a sign of his class that Wenger always backed that manager even if there was bad blood between them.

kaius

*Hang on I just realised there’s an exception – Mourinho before he got fired from Chelsea!

When he was asked about that situation, Wenger basically offered no comment and dismissed the question. Very unlike him and quite a funny moment.

SurreyGooner

For me the problem was allowing Wenger to run all matters related to football when Dein left. Someone else should have been hired to share the burden. I think he over committed himself and the quality on the field subsequently suffered. A bit like when Wenger never found a foil for Fabregas and he ended becoming disillusioned and burnt out. I’m not sure we’ll see the best of Wenger again, which I think is sad and do feel if the current set up remains we’re in for more disappointment. However I cannot agree with the baiting and vitriol that some… Read more »

Cagooner

You’re right. But Cesc was always heading back to Barca.

Determined Culture

They were public enemies. The nest in epl n the competition gradually turned into respect n dare i say, a little bit of love. This is least expected from 2 managers of exceptional character qualities. Now i hope arsene signs at least a 1 year extension to b given the opportunity to put right the ‘wrong’ of this season.
Hope alexis, mesut n ox will sign new contracts. If they dont, hope they will c out their contract under a manager who has certainly impacted their careers. #bringhumanitybacktofootball
Whether the board will sell is a different story #kronkeout

Cagooner

Definition of insanity – doing same things over and over and expecting different results. I’ve been a fan since 1971. I’ve seen ups and downs and will be here whatever for (hopefully) another 40 years. But I just hope we can move on to the next phase now, rather than waiting another one or two years for this insanity to finally end. I really hate these summer months. No games to watch at the weekends to lift our spiirits and the endless rumors about transfers, knowing full well we won’t be ready in August, we won’t buy the big player… Read more »

Martin

Ozil and Alexis cast offs ? So was Vieira, Henry, Petit, Bergkamp according to your barmy logic

John C

Bergkamp could probably be described as a cast off and failure at Inter. Vieira and Henry were youngsters and Petit was a bog standard regular purchase.

Alexis and Ozil were sold by their respective clubs to fund the purchase of what could be considered superior players, Suarez and Bale respectively, you’re making a false equivalency.

a different George

Henry was not a success at Juventus–they wanted to sell him to Udinese. That looks like a cast-off to me. Suarez may be an upgrade on Alexis, but the determining factor, as it always is at Barca, is that he is a better fit with Messi. So, Alexis is a cast-off, but under special circumstances. As for Real Madrid, their sport/business model has required ever-knew and changing stars no matter how successful the existing team are. Bale, a very good player, was that month’s greatest-in-the-world (like Pogba last year) and therefore indispensable; Ozil’s sale was just a consequence of that.… Read more »

John C

I don’t think you can call a 21 year old who’s been at a club 6 months a cast off, poor management is what it was and i don’t think it’s comparable to the situation with Ozil or Sanchez.

Ozil and Sanchez were sold to make way for what were perceived as better players when they themselves were previously first choice players. Henry and Vieira were prospects that weren’t deemed good enough.

PB70

Note to Arsene : Players not to sign this summer – players ‘described’ as cast offs, players ‘described’ as failures, youngsters, bog standard regular purchase, players sold by their respective clubs to fund purchases of what could be ‘considered’ superior players. Some people don’t know what irony is when they accuse others of ‘false equivalency’.

Any fool can twist the intent of other people’s comments to downplay the worth of any player or manager. Some people are just bigger fools than others – I am not calling John C a fool, I am only implying it.

John C

PB70 I get you’re angry but argue why i’m wrong don’t get personal.

Seriously, tell me why you don’t think Arsene’s transfer policy has resembled a creep trying to pick up a blind drunk girl who’s been separated from her friends at the end of the night?

PB70

I get that John C is sleepy and has a slight discomfort in his right elbow, maybe why he got so personal and started his inane babble about a ‘blind drunk girl’. This is the drivel he expects others to debate or respond to, based on his simple-minded ‘wenger out’ philosophy. There are plenty of ‘wenger out’ fans out there who are worthy of debating and don’t twist basic facts. They have the ability to understand what people are trying to communicate to them and offer up a nuanced viewpoint worth reading and which might make you see things differently.… Read more »

John C

Bergkamp was bought by Rioch, over year before Wenger joined.

So full of hatred you read criticism where there isn’t any, you must be in a dark place.

I’ll pray for you, i’ll pray that one day you can see a comment for what it is, a simple commentary about the circumstances for which curtain players were signed.

I’ll pray for you PB70, we need less anger in this world.

Dotman

Good lawd! Since 1971?! Another 40 years?!

Tasmanian Jesus

At last a profile from outside of the Arsenal-sphere that stands up for Wenger.
And a much bigger profile than the ex-footballers on Sky, the advocates of manager changes and ridiculous money spending.

However I do think its time to change, but only, ONLY, if we can get the right man.
And right now I think there are only 2 that can fit that bill. Allegri and perhaps Jardim.

Mootilated

You get the League position you deserve. That is all I have to say. I’m a bit tired of this Wenger In, Wenger Out nonsense.

Ulysses 32

“It’s quite easy to say ‘Get rid of him’, but who do you get? Who do you get in to keep that club the way they are for the next 20 years?”

That’s exactly what we are worried about.

Wright on the money

They are better managers out there that win things and compete in Europe better than Arsenal do so there is a lot of managers to chose from. Some names Simone, Allgeri, Anchlotte are just some.

a different George

Simeone’s style would be poison to most Arsenal supporters and he is happy where he is. Ancellotti is nearing sixty and manages one of the three best clubs in the world.

Wright on the money

I am very greatfull for everything Wenger has done for the club, but it’s time for a change there are plenty of good mangers out there to bring in. If we don’t change soon do we keep Wenger until he is nearly dieing at some point we will have to change managers so we may as well do it now while we are not in the champions league and need lots of new players. You have young managers out there that could come in and change massively the players get rid of the old dead wood and bring some fresh… Read more »

ArsenalManitou

I’m ambivalent about the manager situation. My take on it, with numbers pulled out of my ass for demonstration purposes is this. With Arsene we have about a ten percent chance of being significantly better next year, an eighty percent of being about the same, and a ten percent chance of being significantly worse. If we change I think we have a twenty five percent chance of being better, a twenty five percent chance of being the same and a fifty percent chance of being worse. So… risk versus reward. So I’d back him to stay, barely, in the hopes… Read more »

Sachin

You got some ass there, man. (In a very platonic way.) Respect!

Wright on the money

So you would keep him until he is 100 then and can’t see or get to the game I see great choice.

Shank

Sir Al……..such a lovely man.

uncle D

After this season in particular! I realized that you can support a club but you don’t need to like it’s fans! Wenger has been abused by a lot of Arsenal fans and fans have also abused the brand and fellow fans. I really wish and hope he gets justice and silence the fairweather fans! Ungrateful lot

Dotman

Nonsense

OxdaFox

I don’t know about you but I feel much more comfortable following the advice (WengerOut) of some bloke who actually buys Arsenal tickets than listening to the most successful manager in EPL history. Why would I even consider the thoughts of some clown named Fergie…bugger off mate!

OxdaFox

That was meant with every amount of sarcasm possible

GunnerYY

If Wenger win a league or champions league every 2-4 years like Fergie i don’t mind with his stubbornness. But we all know Wenger’s stubbornness is what holds him back.

RagingRoadkill

This was actually a dig at our club’s ambitions. “Who do you get in to keep that club the way they are for the next 20 years?” is the part, if you’re in any doubt. 20 years of trophy drought with the odd FA cup? Don’t be naive. Red nose might have respect for Wenger but he surely doesn’t want to see Arsenal thrive. Ponder on that for a bit…

He\'s got no hair but we don\'t care...

You only get praised by rivals when you’re doing a poor job and they don’t fear you. Sad.

Tony Hall

Just out of curiosity who do people think would be a good replacement for Arsene ?
Because unless we get rid of most of the board as well and get some football lovers in there as opposed to just profit lovers nothing will change.

santori

There’a chap who knows a thing or two about picking himself up. Look no further than a legend to endorse the gaffer. The media prefer to listen to pundits who have no managerial experience or who have failed in the business (Tony Adams) or ex players who have never worked the transfer market. As mentioned, I think his impetus would be (for the love of the club) to see through a difficult summer/transition season and put things in place for eventual succession likely post summer 2018 Wcup. There will be a managerial reshuffle then plus Wenger can then shoe into… Read more »

santori

Liverpool….the media are now lauding the Top four trophy when they once derided us for it. Supposedly a “Big Club” and their aspirations are “Top four” because changing managers has brought them 2 appearances in the CL in 8 seasons! Not too long ago, the same crowd were baying on about hos we should be winning trophies. The same noisy parkers on Arsenal Fan TV were whinging about not caring about CL spots because they want trophies. They were on record as saying they didn’t even mind the lowly League cup because supposedly it will breed a “winning mentality” (Ahem)… Read more »

santori

What Wenger really needs which Fergie did was a bit of reinvention and help. He needs to identify his Carlos Queiroz. Bould isn’t someone who can offer Wenger a different point of view clearly. Laughable how some people were all too ready to praise Steve Bould when he had to take charge and won one game. Just reflective of the mind set of these people. Wenger should groom someone from within if he should stay in coming season. Maybe Pires but not necessarily an ex-player or legend. The trouble with most of our ex-players is none of them have had… Read more »

Redsy

Either way no matter how you read into it …it’s nice to see fergie has some respect for Wenger maybe that can have that bottle of wine now that didn’t happen much after games when we were rivals 🙂

Arsene Wanders

I never could understand that old Scottish horse racer address the audience…

Is he saying he only bets on the number 20 with Arsene’s money? :p

RIP

Save Arsenal, Sack Wenger

Yeah, he wants Wenger to stay so we’ll never be a threat to Man Utd

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