After Sunday’s limp defeat to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final, word out of N5 – communicated via the mainstream press – is that Arsene Wenger’s future will likely be reviewed at the end of the season. From the Emirates corridors of power came a list of possible managerial replacements, ranging from the plausible to the worrying.
True or not, it feels like change is afoot.
Adrift in the league and unable to win domestic silverware, our only chance of redemption is the Europa League – an opportunity to fill the trophy cabinet with European booty and a backdoor route into the Champions League. You can’t write Arsene off just yet, that could still happen, but when questioned about his future in today’s press conference, he struck an isolated and somewhat desperate figure.
First, he was quizzed as to whether he’ll still be in the job he’s held for 21 years when the new campaign kicks off in August. The boss went off on all manner of tangents without getting to the nub of the issue…
—
Have you been told whether your position will be reviewed at the end of the season?
My position is my position, honestly, that’s the last worry I have at the moment. My worry is to focus on getting the team ready for tomorrow’s game.
But are you aware that there is a review at the end of the season?
I just told you of what is the answer of my way of thinking, it’s the next game. We are in that kind of situation where you want to focus on the next game. I don’t ask you whether your position is reviewed at the end of the season.
No, but I am asking you.
That’s why I tell you, what have I say to that. My job is to focus on performing. My job is to perform. Other people is to judge me. It’s not me to evaluate that.
For clarity though, are you expecting to remain in charge next season?
I just gave you the answer, you know. If you need clarity, I can repeat exactly the same answer.
You talked about the next game [gets cut off]…
Exactly, that’s the clarity. Does it stop you to sleep that my position is uncertain? Or would not be certain? Or is certain? No. So what is interesting in football is the performance in football. It’s the game you’ll see on Thursday night, that’s important. All the rest makes maybe headlines, but it’s not really interesting.
But can you accept that if you don’t say it now, it leaves the door open? Why not just came out and say you will be in charge next season, as per your contract?
Look, I’m just amazed that I have just to answer things that are exactly the same. I’m here for 21 years, I turned the whole world down to respect my contracts. So I’m still amazed that I still have to answer these questions.
—
The subject of Wenger’s future was brought up twice more. Here’s how Wenger responded to a novel line of questioning.
You’ve told us many times that people should improve in their jobs. Realistically, I should be better at my job in five years time than I am now. I don’t question that, do you think you’re a better…[gets cut off]
That is for me, that is for you also.
Do you think you’re a better manager now than you were five years ago, ten years ago?
How do you judge that? Only by results or by the quality of work? The problem of a manager is to take the best out of a team. How can you rate that? How can you evaluate that? The only thing I can tell you is that I try to be a better manager than I was five years ago. I put the effort in to be a better manager than I was five years ago. After that, you can say to me you don’t agree and I can understand that. But the effort and the commitment and the heart…[tails off].
—
The Evening Standard’s James Olley, often the last to go in the press conference, then pushed again.
I know you’ve talked about your future already, but does what you do next season depend on qualifying for the Champions League?
I don’t want to come out always on that, I answered that question already.
I don’t know whether you have, just on that specific point…
I answered the question there [looks in direction of journalists who asked earlier questions].
But about qualifying for the top four or getting into the Champions League?
Our target is to get into the top four, of course.
Are you under pressure to do so, if you don’t?
What I want is for us to focus in a united way and to respond tomorrow with a good game, to win the game.
—
So, we’re into a situation not dissimilar from last season when the manager’s future becomes the prime focus of all the media engagements. We could desperately do with a few good results to calm things down but it’s hard to be confident that tomorrow night is a game which will start that road to recovery.
Why is he like this? I don’t understand. So arrogant, never humble. He should be saying “If you look at the results this season, the teams we’ve lost against, of course I should be questioned”.
He’s constantly referencing these big moves he turned down too. As though we somehow owe him a debt of gratitude for not leaving. I think he never left because he wouldn’t be able to exert his power at another club like he does at Arsenal. And he’s still playing the power games to this day. He should be apologising not getting defensive. No wonder he’s lost his dressing room.
I agree. When was the last time he turned down a big club? Probably 2011 when PSG got bought..
agreed. he’s been holding it over the fans heads for years. I can’t understand how its been constantly used as his batting stick. It’s like saying when I was a baby I didn’t poop in my pants so I am a good person now.
When we found you on terra i had to stop the crew from eating you!!
Sure he turned down big jobs, but it was always about what was best for the club. If Wenger was asked to stay in the past and paid exorbitant wages for it, then it was because it was best for Arsenal that Wenger stayed.
Now Wenger wanting to stay when he is no longer good enough clearly is not in the best interests of the club. Therefore he should be given the boot. That is all there is to it.
He hasn’t been compensated very well for his loyalty too so Arsene’s point doesn’t follow
Also regardless in any job, whether you have turned down other opportunities is irrelevant if you are no longer performing for your current employer
I don’t think he will last 2-3 seasons at Barca, Real or Man Utd without winning trophies. It’s only Arsenal that will keep rewarding him for over decade of mediocrity
People believe hes never self centred but from the remarks he makes about him ‘turning down severly jobs’ tells you he is secertly arrogant l.
He’s arrogant, selfish, clueless and delusional to say the least yet some people dare to call him honourable
What else is the guy meant to say? He isnt any of those things, he is just struggling with his job.
Why shouldn’t he? wouldn’t you? I’m sure he had offers when he won his first cup in England. Would you have called him selfish if he had left then? Whatever happens, he is leaving the club in a better position. Would we have achieved more success and been in a stronger position had he left a few years ago? maybe. Ultimately no one can answer that because what is the point? It is what it is. His position should be reviewed and as long as we don’t get a shit manager like Rodgers we’ll be on the right path. If… Read more »
hell I’d rather have Bould or The Jeff, or you, Or me, or some random guy on the street who just bought and played FM18 for 30 mins than have Rodgers.
Press interviews are 95% shit stirring exercises by the media and 95% avoiding negative gotcha headlines by the interviewee. We can’t expect a proper heart to heart when football journalism has so many wankers looking for sensationalist spin. Best you can hope for is an injury update and that’s about it.
You can still be earnest, humble and honest. ‘The situation is bad, we apologise for letting down our fans with our recent performances and have seriously assessed and discussed the failings in this team. Arsenal is a huge club and of course if we don’t perform like one, my position will be under scrutiny’ It doesn’t have to be total self flagulation but he just comes across as aloof, out of touch and arrogant.
I think Wenger is accountable and has a lot to answer for but these are the absolute worst places to answer for them, it’s supposed to be a place to ask about the game and as mentioned it’s just about stirring it up and creating a headline. It’s so rare that the manager gets asked about tactics and the like it feels. What would we honestly learn from Wenger responding to any of this that we don’t already know? We know for a fact the board won’t drop him right now. If he goes at the end of this this… Read more »
If these are not the places to ask the questions, then where exactly will these questions be asked? The media, as much as I hate to say, is sometimes the best voice for the fans.
Since the Emirates faithful have never had the balls to show their anger at the stadium, then how else are we supposed to get answers?
It’s all too easy to forget that he’s been answering the exact same questions from the exact same bunch of leaches for the best part of 10 years. I wish he’d stop being so polite and just tell them to fuck off.
Are the fans leaches.. Most of us want answers from the manger about these disastrous performances and the media provide that
Yet you claim the manager is above suspicion, unquestionable at all, he knows all and knows best… What do you think the manager is!!! He’s human..a selfish, arrogant one
HopelessGooner, is asking his summer plans really answering why happened in the last game? It really isn’t. It’s so typically designed to cause instability by way of creating headlines rather than actually talking about the problems (at least from what’s been shown in this article).
Which of the above questions posed to Wenger actually discuss the problems in the football?
If Wenger goes down that road. The media would be pressing for an apology every week.
This sounds like the perfect answer he should be giving. I said it before wenger has lost touch, we no longer play thesame fancy or interesting football anymore that even when we loose we feel the team played well. We are just full of shit…. Poor wenger u should have left when u still had the honor.
I agree some journalist from some papers are trying to create headlines and clicks by shit stirring, but I don’t think it’s the case here. It’s a pretty genuine question because that’s the concern of most Arsenal fans right now and they have a right to know, and journos have the duty to ask.
And I think as a manager Wenger also has a responsibility to answer these questions in a proper way, if not to the journalist specifically but to Arsenal fans in general.
Yep the arrogance here is quite startling. It is easy to understand the purist sentiment of wanting to talk about football itself but with respect, we go from worse to worse. Why is it we should expect that things are being dealt with at the club well?
And all the jobs he’s turned down. Yep thanks. You’re a legend of the club but again with respect, you still turning them down? I doubt it. Stop obsessing over legacy and do what is obvious to all and what’s right.
The arrogance here is indeed startling. I think everyone now agrees that it’s time for him to leave, but that still doesn’t excuse people from acting like a dick.
I think you don’t know what ‘everyone’ means!
Hi Dawn,
Do you still want him to stay on?
What is the threshold that our petformance needs drop to for you to support a change of manager?
When do you think will be the optimal time for him to leave?
He obviously can’t go on for ever
To be fair to Wenger, I don’t really know what the journo’s are expecting him to say? With the Europa League still in the balance, i think its pretty nonsensical to expect him to say that he is leaving. If AC Milan knock us out, then I think you’d see Arsene Wenger in a untenable position where his future genuinely could be called short before the end of the season. So its do or die time now. And to be clear, I don’t want him to stay on past the end of this summer, I was just making the point… Read more »
Of course there are those that want him gone now and I see their point of view but it seems that much of the anger rests on what happens in the summer. Of course there is little he can say now but the extenuated circumstances of this situation is on him and that’s where the frustration comes from. How are we still here doing this? It’s time for a change. There is little he can say now but how many would be surprised if he stayed and came out with the whole contract, respect and ‘from a different time’, ‘gave… Read more »
Wenger winning the Europa League and then stepping down at the end of the season would be perfect, but in the unlikely event we win it, you know he’ll stay on and we’re in for another underachieving season.
Oh get a fucking clue, sir.
Like ANY manager with an ounce of self respect would answer anywhere close to that.
Yes, we all want a chance, but no – we shouldn’t all start acting like nitwits.
Really, do everyone simmer down.
Equally though, why is every press conference about Wenger and not about the preparation for the next game.
The journalists want a headline, they actually don’t care if the team have spent all week eating chips in the run up to the match – though that would be controversial.
They want to destabilise, disrupt and create headlines. Of course the club haven’t helped itself with the leaked shortlist.
We all know change is likely, if not this summer, at the end of Arsene’s current deal.
WHether he is under pressure? That’s between him and the board.
Sad it’s come to this 🙁
Always love for the great man. Looking forward to a fresh start next season.
Europa would be silver lining, can only hope we pull our fingers out for that.
agreed. very sad..more than anything else.
I agree too. Very sad indeed. Ian Wright got the analogy absolutely right, its like watching the great Mohammed Ali in his last fights. A great man Arsene is, and will always be regardless….but he is getting pummelled now because the modern game has passed him by and like Ian said, someone in his corner (the board), should throw in the towel for him for his own good, because his stubborness wont let him. But the cowardly bastards wont!…sad indeed watching such a legend of the game continue to self harm and humiliate himself, defacing his own legacy, from sheer… Read more »
I don’t think it’s sad. It is pretty much his fault that it came to this.
It is sad. To say otherwise is churlish. He has achieved great things for the club and it is such a shame that it has come to this. It is primarily his responsibility, of course, and I’ve always said he should have gone in 2014 after winning the Cup, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a matter of regret.
@ BassArse, You sir, just summed up my feelings with better words…….@ Mootilated, everyone is of course entitled to their own opinion. We all love this club, and it is understandable that we might see things differently.
I only feel sad for people when their situation is not caused by themselves. Sadness for me comes from sympathy I feel for someone who is in a terrible situation through no fault of their own.
Wenger is not someone I feel sorry for.
Mohamed Ali is a legend..his legacy as one of best sportsmen ever will always be remembered..
On the other hand..Wenger will be remembered as the clown that won a bunch of trophies with Arsenal then made the club into a laughing stock..then refused to step down..then rubbed those trophies all over the faces of the fans and then became the most hated man in the club yet still won’t step down… Quite a legacy..lol
In the words of one Patrick Viera, “You lack class”
Regardless of your assumptions , is it a necessity to have class to support a football club.. I’ve seen a lot in this blog..some people talk about “class” more than they talk about football WTF it’s not a sorority lol
Anyway he (Wenger) is classless, so my lack of “Class” in my comment is intended toward him,not you or any other person, so don’t be offended for nothing mate
Another note, if its your class that forbid you to demand change or protest against a failing manager of a “football club” (just had to remind you) then good for you & i hope you become the most person with class lol..1st class all the way, just please at least be thankful for us “classless” who protest & get their hands dirty to hopefully change things for the better while you can still have your “class”
I wonder if you really believe that? Do you not think that in twenty years Wenger will be remembered at Arsenal as its greatest modern manager?
i know he is great (or at least was) but to compare him to Ali is ludacris, he’s not even close, it’s just plain stupid comparison to be honest, to mention them both in the same sentence is laughable..actually it’s quite offensive (to Ali’s legacy of-course ).. hence my comment above
Wenger will always have class mate… just a bit rubbish at managing these days
Define class..
& what the fuck does it got to do with sport (you lost but at least your manager have class) WHAT THE FUCK
off-topic but i must say this for all those who say we must have class or be nice to our “legendary” manager.. This may shock you but Arsenal is a football club..a fucking football club.. not a social club..not a diplomatic organization..not a fucking embassy to the world..& not a humanitarian organization, Arsenal plays Football.. a competitive sport where Arsenal became popular worldwide for being among the winners, Arsenal is not popular because “it have class” or whatever, it’s not popular because it got “nice fans who tolerate failure” IT IS A FUCKING SPORT.. but i guess it’s beyond your… Read more »
Do us a favour… peel the skin off your own face and then eat it.
Hush now.
not till you go & fuck yourself you cunt
You asked about defining class? Well basically the opposite of what you said chief
Absolutely agree. Also with the boardroom tussle, Wenger has lost the dressing room too! The players no longer seem bothered, for a man who is very likely to leave at the end of the season. It’s the attitude from the players, that’s horrible – both professionally as well as a gratitude to the Man who has defended them all the time! Wenger should have really gone with the FA Cup last year – the most successful manager in that competition along with the Invincibles, it wasn’t going to get better. A season with no trophies for Pep meant huge spending… Read more »
Bearing in mind he knew how difficult his covert approach to his contract situation was last season, and the impact he has already admitted it had on the team, then the fact he is not confirming the situation can only mean that his neck is on the block and he doesn’t want to admit it. I don’t think this is anything we don’t already know, but his lack of desire or ability to confirm the situation speaks volumes.
Don’t agree, last season, his contract was at an end. This time, he has a contract for another year. The arseblog’s leading line is a bit misleading in my view, in the sense that, when he say’s he’s turned down numerous offers to respect his contract, then he’s only subtly emphasising again that he always respects his contracts. And this will bene different. I don’t think he’s trying to rub anyone’s nose in it…it’s just to say that when things were easier, i.e. he had suitors, he did not break his contract. Why change now, when there are no “apparent”… Read more »
Is it his to confirm? He has another year left on his contract. We all know he will not break that of his own accord. They need to be asking the people who actually decide that won’t happen… which is why these press conferences are all a big circus. I don’t blame him for being ratty inna press conference- I blame the entire Club for letting it come to this. I bet this is what Ivan/Josh had anticipated last year and expected no blow back on them. Wenger going is the right thing to do- but Arsenal should have been… Read more »
I don’t think it is his to confirm. The board for years now has let Wenger be the whipping boy at these press conferences to answer questions the he really shouldn’t be the one answering. While I agree Wenger could be less openly hostile, I always find it pathetic how Gazidis/board always leak stuff out to back channels which only lead to this kind of press conference (and they know it will). Gazidis is a coward who won’t stand behind what his statements (remember the “we will compete with Bayern”) because he never comes out to the press unless he… Read more »
Bloody hell! Regardless of how you feel about Wenger, you have to admit that it takes a lot of patience to deal with that mind-numbing bunch.
I know that I would definitely have snapped if I was being constantly pestered with the same question over and over again. Its like being waterboarded by a pack of hyenas
I’m not sure about that, in this transcript the journalists are doing exactly what you would have expected from them. Pressing for answers when he is evasive.
Though it’s difficult to sympathise with him given the stand offishness of his replies, and the questions are arguably warranted, why don’t all the clubs just band together and ban questions of managers’ futures? It’s not like you ever get a straight answer, it irritates everyone and it stops them doing their actual job of, you know, talking about actual football.
And what is this cutting edge analysis managers (esp ours) offer of the “actual football”? Mental strength, little bit the handbrake, the referee etc.
Can’t ask about it at the AGM, can’t ask about it at pressers, can’t chant in the stands… I know football clubs aren’t democracies, but let’s not suck any and all vestiges of accountability out of the system.
Wasn’t he the only one at the AGM that carried himself with any integrity and decency? Of all the things to get upset at, regarding Wenger, this press conference is not one of them.
Why don’t they ask about the performances and the fact we’ve lost 6 times already this year to teams way below our (supposed) level? What is the reason we’re so shit? Even though we’ve had some bad calls by the referees, why are we playing so poorly? Why don’t they ask this instead of this same guff?
Sometimes it’s like wenger is being interviewed by children.
“why?”
‘Well uhhhh this reason’
“why?”
‘I just told you’
“but whyyyy?”
Well it must get frustrating interviewing a politician with constant deflections and a refusal to answer simple questions.
I totally get what you’re saying, but on the other hand if Arsene said that yes his job was on the line and that his contract won’t be renewed at the end of the season it wouldn’t make things any better with the media…they would rub their hands and hound him all the more. He is the master of illusion and delusion…not sure what anyone is expecting from him…his fate is sealed.
I agree, and appreciate Wenger is merely keeping his cards close to his chest. It’s time for a little more honesty though. If nothing else, we deserve that. He’s like the Soviet leaders who told the world their economy was booming as their citizens queued for food and starved in the streets.
Whoever said Arsenal fans have no perspective?
Are we there yet?? ?
He does not answer the question. not once.
Have you been told whether your position will be reviewed at the end of the season?
My position is my position, honestly, that’s the last worry I have at the moment. My worry is to focus on getting the team ready for tomorrow’s game.
…..
For clarity though, are you expecting to remain in charge next season?
I just gave you the answer, you know. If you need clarity, I can repeat exactly the same answer.
My initial reaction to this winding up barrage of questions is this is unfair on Wenger and disrespectful to the man that has done a lot for Arsenal and Football in general.
But then again, Arsene, you brought this upon yourself. You should have walked when the ovation was loudest. Everything and everyone diminishes, its nature. Walk Arsene and let us celebrate your legacy. Your stubbornness is destroying it.
Everything wenger says now annoys me.
He talks about working hard turning down other clubs again. Fans dont doubt his commitment and love for the club – its his ability to get best out of team.
How can he not easily evaluate if he is doing better this year than before. He has spent more money and with no champions league is still not competing in the league. Pretty simple to evaluate.
Much better if he came out and said, this year hasn’t been good enough instead of making excuses.
are they really expecting him to say “yes i expect to be fired shortly”?!
Wankers they are. They want headlines and a story.
The last manager to say that…got fired shortly afterwards…Leonard Slutsky ex Hull manager.
You can see the desperation in his voice. It’s all his fault what’s happening. I stopped feeling sorry for him
Wenger has almost always given a straight answer to questions like these. “I will respect my contract”. I think the fact he couldn’t on this occasion speaks for itself.
I suspect this will be a continuing theme of press conferences for the rest of the season. There isn’t much else to talk about.
Yeah the football is shit so anything else
Any ideas on syria arsene?
Cue the other managers coming out and backing him to stay now. ‘He’s a great manager’, ‘he changed the game’, ‘now we eat pasta’ etc
Never has a man said so many words but yet said so little
You obviously never watched a politician on tv before
“I don’t ask you about the future of your job”
“No but I’m asking you”
Hahaha ice cold ace return.
Tbf, I don’t think there’s a manager in the league who can say with certainty that they’ll be there for the next season. Other than Pep ofcourse.
Ugh
To be honest I don’t like the press hounding like this he does deserve more but the issue is the lack of clarity the rest of the club offer with their leaked stories. If he is moving on tell the man and let him go out with head high. There is no chance of champions league or top 4 so making everything transparent might even improve the team and ensure they fight to the end.
The way Arsene is being treated now is symptomatic of everything that is wrong with the hierarchy of the club. They are all cowards and are happy to allow him to take all the flack. Of course it’s possible that we are also witnessing someone who suffers from a martyr complex…and now he keeps throwing it in everyone’s face how he gave up so much for us. I don’t want him to be treated with disrespect but it feels inevitable now…Stan doesn’t care, but either Josh or Ivan have to have the balls to end this fiasco asap.
Blah blah blah…yada yada yada
Be gone already
I think anyone who thinks that AW wont be in charge next season is kidding themselves, more out of hope than anything else. I think a change is long overdue , but to think he will be sh*t canned before his contract ends is pure folly (always wanted to use that word, folly!) The leaks are designed to quiet the fans into thinking things are being taken care of , when they probably are not.
“Do you think you’re a better manager now than 5 or 10 years ago?” Eurgh, fuck off that’s such a disrespectful question.
I disagree. It may be quite blunt , but AW does talk a lot about improvement and it is the sort of question that I think he should answer. Even though everyone knows the answer , but that’s why AW gets paid the big bucks. Its tough a the top (well, top 6)!!
During last five years , he has finished second on the league and won three fa cups, better than between 5-10 years back period which is next question from journals. He has a two year contract. He isn’t gonna resign , he will honour contract or be sacked. His answer was near the same asConte at Chelsea who said he would honour his contract , unless he is sacked. Either will walk away with millions if sacked and have a new job by September. I don’t think he will go, board needs a buffer. Or someone from Dortmund like Thomas… Read more »
‘he struck an isolated and somewhat desperate figure’
I felt that this was a bit of unnecessary ‘colour’ in an otherwise decent article
To the “fans” who abused him ; Shame on you.
I want Wenger to leave too, but abusing him like that is completely uncalled for. The man loves the club and has given so many years of his life to the club. He has given so many happy memories, he deserves to leave with respect.
It was fake
old man, old shit.
Spikey …… is the word that springs to mind
I think if any, the questions should be directed to those above i.e. will wenger be quizzed at the end of the season, rather than at the manager. He has a contract, the press knows it. Why ask him if he’ll still be in charge, when he shouldn’t be the one evaluating himself? Why not direct it at his employers, who’ll know whether he’s meeting minimum requirements of the contract or not? If I engage a vendor for some work and he’s not performing as expected, I’ll be naive to expect the vendor to be the one championing terminating that… Read more »
I honestly think he’ll stay another year. I hope I’m wrong as I physically and mentally don’t have the strength to keep investing in this team until he goes, but after last year I can’t get my hopes up again. I am prepared for things to get worse under someone else before they get better, I understand that we might not get it right first time and that we may have to be patient, but fuck me Arsenal, show me you care about the fans. Show me you understand this is Arsenal Football Club and this is not acceptable. That… Read more »
What guarantee is it that you think it will happen? I have not discounted the fact that it is very unlikely to get better under wenger – the players look lost.
Bring on Conte,he might win us the league
As much as I want him to leave and have been firmly #WengerOut for the last few years, I find his treatment in the press extremely uncomfortable.
While he must obviously not get a free pass, and a lot of this is his own doing, what exactly is he meant to say? ‘Yes, I’m doing shit and yes I should be sacked’?
Some humility on his part is needed to recognise things are not going well (especially this season), but come on… he shall remain a legend come what may.
Think what the people who are on the side that disagrees just want some accountability. It’s like a firefighter who is sent to put out a fire and fails, and they still keep sending him out. That’s the context. Or a stockbroker who keeps losing millions and millions of dollars. Or even closer to home, you hire a babysitter and that person keeps dropping your baby again and again, would you not want something done? Or would keep hiring that same person again and again?
Please go fucking now, even his press conferences are getting as bas as his team’s performances. I’ll the bottle of champagne on ice then.
Wenger could nip this line of questioning in the bud if he answered the questions. If he said, “My position will be reviewed at the end of the season”, the questions stop, but he gets defensive and they continue.
His reaction perpetuates the questioning.
Journalists really are the lowest of the low.
Boycott the stadium, empty seats will encourage change… Don’t renew season tickets.
I wish I could upvote this 100 times. If Arsene is STILL the manager next year, please Gooners, cancel your season tickets, don’t waste your time and money attending matches, you’ll see how quickly the board will act.
It’s such a sad dynamic in a lot of ways and speaks to why he shouldn’t be allowed to see out next year regardless of how the Europa league turns out. We’ve reached a point where I would argue the majority of the fans appear to have lost faith with Wenger which means every stumble will simply be another crisis. It’s not healthy for the club or for Wenger to spend all of next year on a farewell tour or answering questions regarding whether he is in line for a contract extension. Unfortunately it seems apparent he doesn’t want to… Read more »
I just feel sorry for him. A truly great human being, but one that hasn’t become victim of his own stubbornness and (well-deserved) pride. I can’t believe that any arsenal fan feels comfortable listening to him flail with deflections in the face of these questions (week after week, year after year)…
“Has become the victim” – like myself to poor spelling and unhelpful autocorrect!
Every press conference is going to be the same. If everyone on here just went ‘meh’ instead of either a) laying into him for the vagueness of his responses or b) falling over themselves trying to defend him wouldn’t be all be a bit less stressed for the rest of the season?
The rubbish performances are enough to be stressed about surely.
he should have gone last season now we have to watch this great man get questioned like an alan pardew/sam allerdyce/david moyes/jose mourihno
its a shocking mismanagement of the situation for it to have resulted in this…and I blame the board. Of course wenger was/is going to want to keep pushing on. They should have drawn a line under this last year at least.
The part that consistently grates is when he moans that he turned down the “whole world” to stay at Arsenal.
Any other club he went to would have sacked him years ago. He camped at Arsenal because no accountability is demanded from his bosses. A comfortable 21 years gravy train.
I actually had a dream that Wenger was leaving Arsenal, the night before the Carabao Cup final. That dream felt so real.
I feel for him, I really do. I don’t personally believe this is an arrogant man sticking two fingers up to the world. I think this is a very proud man, desperately trying to turn things around. He cares so much and still believes he can do it that it’s blinding him to the reality of the situation. But not arrogant. Defiant, desperate, caring but too switched on and intelligent imo to be arrogant. He’s being let down by his board, who should really have had the gumption to end it all after a glorious day in May when Arsene… Read more »
Well said. Very well said indeed.
Victoria Concordia Crescit – “victory comes from harmony”. I suggest “supporters” keep it in mind.
And I’d like to see the players get off their over paid butts and put in performances to honor the man, or at least acquit themselves with respect.
During last five years , he has finished second on the league and won three fa cups, better than between 5-10 years back period which is next question from journalist,, He has a two year contract. He isn’t gonna resign , he will honour contract or be sacked. His answer was near the same as conte at Chelsea who said he would honour his contract , unless he is sacked. Either manager will walk away with millions if sacked and have a new job by September. I don’t think he will go, board needs a buffer.to fans and media. Or… Read more »
As much as the manager has his faults this kind of questioning is like as if he’s committed a grave sin! That reporter should locked in a cage with a lion – I’ll glad pay to watch him being eaten alive.
I wish American journalists would pressure Trump’s cronies as much as these reporters. Instead they just ask easy questions and let those cretins spew diarrhea out of their mouths.
In South America, AW would be history.
Phrases like “plot lost” and “exit stage left” etc, come to mind.
This whole situation just makes me really sad. The best manager we’ve ever had and probably will ever have just cannot face the music despite all signs pointing towards it being time to be humble and call it a day. I have, for some time, wished he could turn it all around but it is clear now that he just cannot get from the players what is needed from him. It seems he is no longer aligned mentally with his players or, possibly, with modern footballers full stop. He is probably treating them as he always treated his players but… Read more »
Interesting, listening to John Cross on the radio. He stated the board was split last year over Wenger staying, and the elder members wanted him gone. It was only his going behind peoples backs, straight to Kronke Senior asking to stay. If he loves the club so much, he’d work for nowt, as he’s a millionaire many times over. Just please board members don’t let him have any say in his successor.
Honestly what do you expect Wenger to say? “I’m not going to be here next season”…cue team slacking off further. “Yes I will be here for another year” Cue protest from angry fans. Clearly he is more likely to leave sooner than later. What he needs to do is correct. get the team back to winning ways however ramshackled they are at the moment and get into the top 4 or CL thru Europa and Welbeck. Whether he does it remains to be seen. If he is empty handed end of season in the above respect, I would suspect he… Read more »
I empathize with Arsene in his current situation, and i’m massively disappointed at the lack of heart the players have shown this season. We’ve seen such displays by players over the years (think recent times Leicester on Renieri, or even when SAF first announced his retirement). I’m also massively disappointed with the results of the last 2 seasons, and agree that it is time that Arsene’s methods might not be up to today’s modern thinking/ standards etc, and a change in management is inevitable. I hope a change comes at the end of this season, and we can all rally… Read more »
Oh God, lets be grateful to every Multi Millionaire on planet earth & thank them, pray to them for the contribution they make. Please, he’s an arrogant, deluded, self centred Footie coach with F all else in his life. Not Mother Teresa, Gandhi or even Bill Gates, get a grip.
Just a ‘Hack’ journalist looking for a headline.
AW politely made a comment which clearly indicated that he wouldn’t answer the question as the press conference was about Thursdays game.
The shit-raker realised he could get more to write about if he repeated that line of questioning despite it being completely clear that Wenger wouldn’t be discussing it.
The club gains nothing by letting it be known if any decisions about the management have been made regarding next season, and AW won’t do anything at a press conference to damage the club….
The man should just leave. He has lost it, even he knows. So sad
His answer is clear. He will continue until told otherwise.
He will focus on the next game until told otherwise.
Onto the next game !
He has to be professional even though he knows its over. hopefully that rubs off on the players
He really needs to go..love him as a man but he’s finished as a manager.. ATID