Arsene Wenger addressed the Arsenal fans in the stadium after we beat Burnley 5-0 on his final game in charge at the Emirates.
Here’s what he had to say:
“Thank you every much. Before I start, I just want to wish my fellow manager Alex Ferguson well and to recover quickly.
“Thank you for having me for such a long time. I know that’s not easy. But above all, I am like you, I am an Arsenal fan.
“This is more than just watching football, it’s a way of life. It’s caring about the beautiful game, about the values we cherish, and as well, that something that goes for all our bodies in every cell of our bodies.
“We care, we worry, we are desperate, but when you come here, the theatre of dreams we realise what it means.
“I would like as well to thank everyone at the club who makes it so special, I would invite you, really push, support these players and the staff who remains behind me, these group of players has a special quality.
“Not only on the pitch, but off the pitch. Please, as you follow this team, support them next season because they deserve it.
“I would like to finish in one simple sentence: I will miss you. Thank you all for having such an important part of my life, thank you all, well done.
>“Bye bye.”
Classy until the last. Merci Arsene
Thank you Arsene you will always be in our hearts.
we’ll miss you boss! we’ll miss your presence, your smile, your wit,…
you will always be an important part of our lives
Oh man, stop chopping those onions!
I just love his values of life and his love of humanity. What a kind gentleman we had. I wil always be thankful to him, no one else in the history of the game showed such compassion towards mankind.
God bless him.
If only he’d of sorted that defence…
and as for the defence. I strongly think Steve Bould should leave as well.
I’m sure Steve sat there thinking “All this celebration and I guess I’ll just be shoved out unceremoniously when the new manager brings his own team in”. Shame really as he has also been a great servant to the club – and for longer than Arsene in fact.
No…it’s my allergy to cat hair that’s causing the tears to run down my cheeks, nothing else.
I don’t have a cat.
Lovely day
But sorry arsene. These players arent special
You aren’t special. Not even in your mother’s eyes.
That’s savage AF mate
Every Arsenal fan has a dust problem in their house right now ?
I don’t, my house is nice and clean
Jon was talking about Arsenal fans.
Yeah afan.Read the line again.he was talking about arsenal fans.not a fan.a fan can be even a spurs fun,why would he have onion and dust issues …
Afan probably licks his house clean.
Espescially the windows
He got me at hello.
Merci Arsène.
I’m not crying, you are!!
“Thank you all for having such an important part of my life, thank you all”
Love him.
Speech feels so much shorter when reading it. Felt like an emotional journey when he said it live in the stadium.
Much respect to the boss. Classy indeed until the last. Merci Arsene.
I hope that Silent Stan was paying attention, but I just can’t help have the feeling that much of what he witnessed, heard & saw today just simply passed him by.
Thank you again Arsene for all that you have given & done.
I think he is correct to suggest there are good qualities in this squad which his successor can harness without a massive revamp (which we won’t be able to afford anyway) Anyone who thinks these players cannot be special knows nothing about football. The problem with the squad has as much if not more been its balance and the way Wenger attempts to play the game without the necessary players needed and many times with too much faith in internal development. I think we have excellent players : Granit who has been much derided has steadily improved this season. He… Read more »
Wow
Not Mahrez again??!
Where is this from? Although I know they had issues with the sound, some parts aren’t quite correct and others seem longer. I liked him finishing with “one simple word: I will miss you.” Felt quirky.
What a day. I had never heard some of the chants from today. Wish we had sung “we won the league at white hart lane” though!
They sang it on the north bank! And loads in the bar area on north side at half time.
Bye, bye old friend.
In the words of Sherrif Woody – “So long, partner” 🙁
Ends with a “bye-bye”!? Clearly an Arsecast listener.
*resumes watching 4 hours of Wenger/Arsenal highlights on YouTube*
It’s not tears. I’m just allergic to my own sadness
I just cant help feeling he has been betrayed. There noisy few won the day.
Betrayed by whom ? You wanted him to carry on? If so for how long ?
Betrayed by the board, he should have carried on at the club, just not as manager, like SAF at ManU.
He will one day, he hasn’t been thrown out. He said himself that he didn’t want to stop coaching yet. I can see him moving to a random club somewhere and then coming back as a board member in about five years time.
betrayed by a board who didn’t take any responsibility themselves. the season left on his contract. the contracts he always honoured regardless of the offers he received.
I think he will definitely feel that way, but the positives and respect the rest of us have shown will hopefully be remembered more so. The biggest problem Arsene faced was his familiarity. 22 years in an era of social media abuse, mocking, memes, and the rest is some achievement. I am absolutely convinced that with a better atmosphere, and by that I mean people forgetting the X years without a trophy, the X years without a league title, and so on, that most fans would have realized that he was still doing a great job, and was still a… Read more »
I Think a significant factor in AW decision and announcement Was the Wenger out brigade who although in a minority gradually infected the social media and also sections of the press and may have influenced the up to 20-30% of season ticket holders who stayed away from the Emirates PL matches after the loss to City in the English League Cup final …. we will find out within a year to 18 months whether any other manager could have done better with the same budget AW had … on the other hand if the purse strings are loosened for the… Read more »
Excellent appraisal. I will never understand those who bought tickets and stayed away.
Blogs, you have to see and post Arséne’s last press conference where John Cross presents a speech. It was classic Arsène.
(It’s up on the Arsenalist website)
It was also great from the journalists to recognise him in that way. Also takes guts to give a French guy from Alsace a bottle of red!
What a performance for a send off, and what a fucking legend.
I have said this before but I wanted Wenger to go for 2 reasons 1) he was not up to scratch anymore and 2) it was painful for me to watch him on the touchline and in press conferences looking forlorn, depressed, lost. Now he looks genuinely happier and relaxed.
Cheers old bean.
It was Wenger’s football philosophy and style of play that made me an Arsenal Fan and will always remain one. More to that , it is Arsene the man that I admire more over the years. Like you never see him tear his players apart when things go wrong. He always supported his players when things go sour. I much prefer a manager that discover players like Henry, Fabregas, Movropanos rather than one that buy Messi, Neymar and Saurez. Winning if expected is meaningless.
I can’t just stop the flow of tears in my eyes…..
Too too emotional ?
#MerciArsene
Arsene was the image of Arsenal. He’s the authentic special one. Thanks Arsene, you made me love Arsenal FC.
Merci arsene
I’ll be missed
Now i see what a full united noisy stadium backing their team can do to perfomance and results….
yes, I wonder why we cant do every home game
I was at the game. Im not ashamed to say my eyes teared up when he gave the speech. He was a role model to me since i was 12 years old and looking back i was so lucky. Thank you Arsene
MERCI WENGER
Merci Arsene. You are the special one. We’re gonna miss you.