Arsene Wenger says he’s not ready to call time on his managerial career just yet, and says his first choice would be to continue managing Arsenal.
The Frenchman is under increasing pressure after some poor results recently, but when asked to draw parallels between himself and Alex Ferguson, he declared he’s not ready to give up.
The former Man Utd manager stepped down after years in charge at Old Trafford, and while there are obvious similarities between the two men and their careers, Wenger played that down.
“Ferguson has some other interests in life and he was older than I am today,” he said.
“He was four years older, he retired at 71 and I’m 67.”
Asked if he might continue until Ferguson’s age, he said, “Maybe more, maybe less, I don’t know. Everybody is different on that front and I do not want to take anything away from Ferguson, he was an absolutely unbelievable manager but he had enough, he had enough, and I’m not at that stage.
“My preference is always to manage Arsenal and I have shown that. I am adult enough to analyse the situation.”
And with Sutton United on Monday night, the Arsenal manager is keen to get the team back on track.
“What is important is the next game. We had a big disappointment, we lost, and we want to win the next game.”
All seems fair enough …
My preference is also always Arsenal!
Obviously 🙂
?
For me the issue isn’t that we don’t win the league or go furtehr in the CF. Its the capitulations. We often get severely spanked. I would be happy for AW to continue and hope to get a league or CL win. But as long as we keep getting really badly beaten by our peers year after year – its not good enough.
Asked if he might continue until Ferguson’s age, he said, “Maybe more, maybe less, I don’t know. Everybody is different on that front and I do not want to take anything away from Ferguson, he was an absolutely unbelievable manager but he had enough, he had enough, and I’m not at that stage.
“My preference is always to manage Arsenal and I have shown that. I am adult enough to analyse the situation.”
Ahahahahah
https://youtu.be/UgKwrW1HYPw
What’s so funny? Maybe Arsenal is at a stage where any change is needed because everything seems so familiar and is getting stale, but that doesn’t make Wenger a clown. The foundations at Arsenal at the moment were all 100% built organically by Wenger, a remarkable achievement that has never been and never will be matched by anyone in any sport. I just want to remind you that Sir Alex was strictly just a head coach. He didn’t get involved in anything other than team selection and tactics on the day. He didn’t even train his players, he had specific… Read more »
So you took time to write an essay about my comment and didnt even bother to watch the clip? 🙂 the laugh wasnt even sarcastic it was hyaterical. I agree with you but work on your understanding man
I did watch the clip…and i don’t get it? I got nothing but love and respect for all my fellow Gooners. We all go through the same shit so we all understand what it’s like in times like this. Anyways, although I commented on your comment, all that wasn’t entirely directed at you, I’m explaining my whole point of view so that other people that want to call me out on spelling mistakes and stupid shit like that can understand my whole perspective. Basically all I’m trying to say is regardless to what we think of the job Arsene did,… Read more »
You wrote all that 4 a haha??? Wenger isnt a clown of course but you are cheap chips. LOL
For me, his last great act should be restructuring the managerial side of the club over the next 2 years.
We all want success on the pitch and although he has some obvious tactical difficiencies he has done amazing for us down the years. Agreed the last couple of years should have been better after the Cup wins, but who is there to replace him with right now?
Surely making the job a bit easier for his replacement would be a better idea than changing manager for the sake of it. Plus I want Pires involved more!
Your way better than Fergusen. Just beat his 71 managing Arsenal. Maybe around 75 and by that time we can find someone to try to replace you.
You believe in that? How blind should someone be to say something like that… I dont like to talk up SAF and his achievments but I will never be satisfied with another decade of top 4 finish CL group stage and maybe a couple of FA cups. How I wish our board had tiniest hint of ambition (other than money) and a pair of balls to finally move on from this medicority.
Medicore?? Ok we lost one game to Bayern Munich but how foes that make us medicore???? We are always in Champions League Real or Barca have been left out but we always are in and we go through group stage Fergushit was knocked out of group more than once. Go support his team because the boss will stay here probably wont retire not before you die. Frauds like you don deserve to be called fans. Go to your cave and cry while we win this years championship and many others to come in his next seasons.
Somehow I felt sorry for you more than I feel sorry for Arsenals situation.
I wonder which team you support Si…you have definitely has lost touch with reality
..and 1 game to watford, and 1 game to swansea and 1 game to everton and 1 game………..
Si,
I’d like to respectfully take polite issue with the utter bollocks that is your comment above. Are you Arsene is diguise?
You are dam right…I can not understand why some of us are so myopic. I keep asking this question in this forum ” what do we really want with this football club”. I have found out that some people are contented with little or no achievement so long as Arsene remains the manger… is it really what we want???? Arsenal football club is bigger than any single individual.
You guys have your own image of Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, and what it actually takes to build a winning team. Arsene Wenger has always said that the moment he feels he’s not getting his message across to his players, the moment he wasn’t able to take his team to the next level then he would step down. That time has come now, it was 100% the right decision to stay on last season and every season he stayed. Maybe the only time he actually should have walked away is when we first moved into the new stadium and were no… Read more »
You really should write a blog or book or sth man
Sory man your cms are so on point. These mor0ns dont know that Arsene Wenger IS Arsenal. All they want is glory and shit. Which we will start winning when this shitheads go support Chelshit.
That’s that then. Wenger wants to continue and it seems very remote that the board will want to change. Regardless of what side of the argument one is, its time to bury all this nonsense about managerial changes and get behind the team.
Totally agree with you ????
Or…believe that you can make change happen. Painful at the moment, but beneficial in the long run.
The only thing to make the board maybe take notice is empty seats but its our club and choice which most find difficult to do. Its more about the pre and post match drinking with mates as most games nowdays are like some kind of frustration torture.
Getting behind the team from what perspective? Pretend we are satisfied to fight for 4th and getting embaresed by other big teams every chance we get and cheer for a manager whomst obviously past it? Or getting behind the “team” and not all thats holding it back?
You think Wenger is happy with top 4 and not winning the league? If you can’t see that it is absolutely killing him and he’s trying everything he possibly can then you’re blind. I think Wenger should step down this summer, and I personally think he knows its over. I personally think he will either step down this summer or sign a one year extension with a plan in place for the next manager to transition into the club without leaving a void. I understand wanting to put the blame on a single person and the manager is always going… Read more »
Agree 100%. The team, the performance and the results are all that matters. Wengers going nowhere soon. So support him and the boys for 90mins each game. We cannot and will not influence him or the boards decisions to do anything ever.?
No sir, your preference should be elsewhere.
So you are allowed to choose to support Arsenal but you won’t allow Wenger the same choice?
Seems more likely to me that he wants the France job, and take them to a World Cup. It would be a fitting tribute to one of the best French managers the game has ever seen.
Thank you for everything Arsene. We’d still love to see you around this baby you helped take to this level, as a fan.
I want him to stay for another period. Would love to see him back on the top of the table with Arsenal. I believe in Arsene Wenger.
Stay strong Arsene.
I’m erring on the side of not wanting to hear any more talk from Arsene about his future. It’s been almost a decade of this and we all know he’ll go when he wants. I guess he has media commitments and they keep asking him so…..
I’d like to see him stay and be successful, i think he deserves that, but it looks like he’s going to have to do something different somehow to make that happen.
All the negativity going around now isn’t helpful. That would improve if he went. I’m sure he knows that.
That would improve exactly until the new manager loses his 1. game. All these people who do nothing but moan wouldn’t be happy until we win the treble. But that won’t be possible with such a fan base. It’s not Arsene who is responsible for the mental weaknesses of our team it’s the fans and their continued negativity. It’s easy to blame it all on him. If he’d be gone all the hatred would go directly to the players, even more than it can be seen with Rambo, Coquelin and Giroud at the moment. Surely that would help boosting their… Read more »
I think it might last longer than one lost game, but if we don’t win the title fairly soon with the new manager I’m sure it would come back.
If Wenger said he was staying for 3 years that might actually help, since the people complaining would probably just give up.
Was watching Gary Neville being interviewed by Arsenal Fan TV and he said the reason the board don’t listen to you and sack him is probably just because they think you’re wrong …
He pointed out that most of the teams we are trying to compete with have spent close to a billion pounds to get there and we haven’t.
People may not understand but all he has left in his life is Arsenal. He wholeheartedly loves this club and is committed to it 100%. In the club right now he is probably the only one that cares and loves Arsenal as much or even more than the fans. Our owner doesn’t watch or has in interest in the club or football in general where as our CEO is also a City fan. Since David Dein left Arsene has been the only one that has been fighting for the betterment of the club and somehow has managed to keep us… Read more »
It is clear that he will never accept that he is no longer up to the job, so us fans have to continue in this limbo indefinitely. How depressing.
Tgis limbo is better than the limbo that the hundreds of teams lower in the league pyramid than us are living with. We have two FA Cup wins in the last 3 years. That’s two more trophies than 98% of English clubs will ever see. If you think this is a depressing limbo, well, frankly you remind me of an entitled drama queen. It isn’t about you. Nobody cares what you think. Not Wenger. Not Arsenal. Not the FA or the Premier League. Not even the so-called journalists whose only interest is in you as one of millions who they… Read more »
So that’s settled…. he’s staying
Let’s see how the board comes out on this one. I think we need someone like Dein if wenger is going to stay. Gazidis has done a great job but I just think Wenger doesn’t trust him enough. It looks like Wenger has to get on the phone everytime he wants to sign somebody. Ideally that shouldn’t be the approach. We need players to come in to play for Arsenal. Playing under Wenger should just be an additional reason to come here. It doesn’t look like that with Ozil or Sanchez. I doubt pogba or Zlatan would have gone to… Read more »
Get behind this manager and this team or don’t bother at all, scums. If our best leave, it will be because of the way the fans treat this man.
Si your a fuckin dickhead
Comment policy.
Same policy with re to telling people to support other teams
Never done it.
Maybe not but if your pulling people up for some parts of the policy it’s only right you do it with all
Most times folks are called out for that. Sometimes they’re not called out for this. It’s not a perfect system, which is all good and fine. But given how vitriolic things are its a good time for both sides to mind the easy stuff, seems to me.
I will wait hours for THIS comment to be moderated. There are no key words or abusive language policies just a naughty list and good list which is basically a reflection of the split in the fanbase.
And you are: open minded? Reasonable? Democratic? erudite? Well balanced? Intelligent? Articulate? Dignified? Donald Trump?
I don’t get it. I want us to win the PL. I want us to win it with Arsene. Atleast the next title. Period. It’s would be meaningless for me otherwise. He stuck with us through the difficult times and it’s only fair that we celebrate the good times together. That’s how you reward loyalty – with loyalty! Whether he is passed it or not is besides the point. Ffs stop making him look helpless and pathetic in the press conferences.
Its like wanting your Ferrari 308 to be the fastest sport car around again. So nostalgic and of course illusional.
Nah…it’s more like needing a new dad to come to your next year college graduation because your current dad is clearly getting old and loosing it. Even though he is the one who sacrifice everything to makes it possible that you achieve your dream.
THIS. Is exactly what all the baying for Wenger’s blood seems like to me.
‘Whether he is past it or not is besides the point’
Good god. No, that is exactly the point. He is past it. This is arsenal fc not arsene fc.
Sorry Greg just read your reply after i posted mine. But mine will take hours maybe days for moderation so ta.
Whether he is past it or not is EXACTLY the point!! Shame all the board are too!!
I don’t think he’s past it i just don’t think the team is good enough. Arsenal teams of yesteryear would have slaughtered the one we have now.
You don’t think this team would do better with a manager like Carlo Ancelotti or Antonio Conte or Max Allegri behind it?
Just curious.
I don’t think they would be winning the title this season. Certainly not the Champions League.
We don’t have a Viera and a Petit in midfield. We have some good attackers, and some good defenders. We have some decent midfielders but nobody who is that good, except maybe Santi who has been injured all season (different type of player, but still class).
To be fair this lot might still come good. You would expect them to get better.
United, Sp@rs, Liverpool and City wont be winning it either. In fact most of them will probably finish behind us,
It is best you move on somewhere else but not necessarily retire. The best advise anyone who loves you will give you, is to leave now that your reputation is on a high. If you stubbornly continue because you do not get any pressure from the board, you should bear the consequences. Nothing will change in your management style as one never learns to use the left hand in old age.
Clearly doesn’t analyse the situation because it keeps happening
Trying to change the narrative to talk about the next game is avoiding responsibi for the defeat
Wenger loves Arsenal. I love Arsenal. I love Wenger. But I am unhappy and frustrated, so is Wenger and Arsenal too. If this would be an equation (Le Prof would understand), Arsene and the Team would be variable and Frustration would be the result. The only way to change the result is to change the variables with which you operate. Arsene have tried over the years to find the magic formula with the team but failed to do so always achieving the same result. One of the common sense definition of madness is repeating the same course of action, over… Read more »
Over the years? So you’re not a fan of the Invincibles, or our FA Cup wins, or our two doubles?
If you are going to talk about Wenger “over the years” then you should count all of them, not just the ones that fit your argument against him.
Which members of the team have said they don’t trust Wenger? You wouldn’t be lying about that to make it fit your narrative would you?
I don;t think you’re up to this commenting lark any more. You should change the variables with which you operate.
I predict a time, and I think it’ll be soon, when Wenger’s replacement doesn’t produce the expected results and there will be hell for him to pay. Maybe we’ll even see some of the Wenger Out crowd of yesterday go “know what, at least under Wenger blah blah blah…”.
I predict a time, when a new manager is in charge and we aren’t making the same mistakes. We actually have a team with character and some of the wenger in brigade will say, we should have done this ages ago
He has to go at some point you know!
I agree and I keep saying the time has come. But that’s no guarantee we’ll start winning everything. Some people are so convinced he’s the root of all our problems it’s become hysterical to the point of blind faith in anything but him.
There are hysterical reactions on both sides of the argument
I don’t wish the man ill, he’s done amazing things. Football has moved forwards and left him behind. Whilst once an innovator he’s now looking old hat.
Blame the players etc all you want but they are his players. They know he lacks ruthlessness. No players would put in those performances for other top managers and think there won’t be consequences
All I’m saying is that the new man, whoever he may be, might not be the quick magic fix some expect. It’s no stretch to suggest some people will get very nasty when the expected trophies don’t happen.
I don’t think he is past it, but just that everyone else has caught him up by mimicking all he did at the beginning of his tenure.
Now Arsenal are in about the right place when considering their finances against the other richer teams.
In or out, I just hope we can have a reasoned debate without falling out with each other.
COYG!
So two people don’t want a reasoned debate judging by the thumbs downs to my comment. Extraordinary scenes Geoff! 🙁
I agree, my gut says the time has come as well, as I’ve said before. I thought he deserved a shot with the finances turned, but it’s not coming off and the club leadership aren’t so far showing the kind of outlays of our rivals. But I am not looking forward to the transition. The thought of missing even one St Totteringham’s day makes me sad. I certainly hope it’s smooth sailing when it happens, but recent examples suggest it might be a bit more tricky than that. Especially with a board that has no experience with the manager-go-round that… Read more »
It was 3-4 years ago I thought Wenger was fatally flawed as a manager, transfers, tactics, contracts, everything. But I gave him time, and time, and time. The frustration you see today is not because we lost one game, or won’t win the title this year, it is years of frustration bubbling over.
Always knew this dictator won’t quit honorably. Such a shame…most dictators start as a hero then overstay their welcome. Fans would have to force him out before he leaves which I doubt we can. A huge chunk of our fan base is as spine-less as a Wenger team…super comfortable to glorify and wallow in mediocrity. We are in a very bad situation. This hurts!
I rather like your comment. Not joking.
Thourough.
Yeah , only thing I’d like to add is no one involved with Arsenal is happy with top four. At least no one except the board.That’s all sour Tottenham and Liverpool supporting pundits can say when we’re laughing at them year after year for having a stinker.
arsene enough is enough for this long run without archiving what we really fight for.
I wish I was paid for supporting Mr Wenger! Don’t you Wengerout scumbags wish the same? It’s becoming tasking….
“Wenger out scumbags” is out of order. People have the right to their own opinions.
It’s a bit like the village fool trying to make a name by killing the king to be remembered for something!!! Other than being a legendary fool!
Its clear your village is looking for you
To have two grammatical errors in one short sentence where you are calling someone a “fool” is careless! 🙂
In other news Blackburn take the lead against Manure!
Come on Blackburn!
Arsenal fans just need to send a good message to the board. Don’t turn at the next home game to show that the fan base rightly demands a change of manager who is no longer able to get the right mentality out of the player when it matters. Leave the stands empty and I bet you the board will hear the message loud and clear.
Gary Neville had something to say about that in his stand off with AFTV. He meant that the board hears and sees more than fans realise and that the fans should consider that what they perceive as not being listened to is rather a case of the board not agreeing with them. I never even considered that myself and it’s food for thought.
That may be true. But when the stands at home games are near empty, the board hears a different message and agrees with the fans. No team wants to play in an empty stadium. That is why it’s still a dreaded punishment to hand down.
The stands at the home games will never be “near empty” as probably 90% of the attendees don’t actually want Wenger out or at least not enough, to not go to the game mate.
Providing it happens. Has it ever happened? And with 90k people in the queue for a season ticket I can see those not renewing their season tickets out of protest being replaced very quickly.
Like he said, with the investment made by the club, which is considerably less than all the other big clubs, the return is more than enough for them to be happy with what they have and to not agree with the people who complain.
I am coming to the belief that Arsene should go largely because I feel he’s damaging his legacy. But it’s worth considering that UTD are the only team to be in a comparable postion regarding the longivity of the manager. And the toil and troubles they’ve been through with ill fitted managers show that ridding ourselves of Wenger will result in likely a exodus of players and a lack of success for several years. Also consider UTD seem far more likely to spend money than us and it leads me to believe that without the proper framework for his departure… Read more »
It’s a slightly unfair comparison for two reasons. 1) Manchester United have won 10 more Premier League titles than Arsenal since the Premier League began. Replacing a manager of that calibre is always going to be a tough job. They also chose the wrong man. (2) Alex Ferguson left the squad in a shambles. With bit-part players, aging legends and new blood with no experience. This squad is much better than the one SAF left for Moyes. Arsenal must also look for a manager who is of the same calibre as the best managers in world football (Allegri, Conte, Mourinho,… Read more »
Just listening to “The Clash” at the moment… 🙂
Interesting draw…
Sutton/Arsenal v Lincoln City
I think we need to get the new deal signed ASAP. Barcelona will be circling big time, they won’t hang about just in case Madrid or Bayern jump in. #arsenein
Looooooooool people actually believe real Madrid, bayern or Barcelona would actually be interested in Wenger as a manager in year 2017? Lmaooo
More likely he may inherit the National job for France.
The problem we had in the financial years of building the stadium Man city had a billionaire turn up and they stole all our good players for huge wage offers,van pricks little boy fucked off,Fab was home sick,but we still managed to get top 4 in all the diversaties that were thrown at us and won a few FA cups,FFP fell flat on its face and never gave us a level playing field,going by the quotes from AW and the rumour of a new 2 year deal on the table he still has arsenal DNA in his blood definately runs… Read more »
Absolutely. Following the invincibles, he was a bit caught cold by CHelsea’s emergence. But during 2007-09, we should have won at least one of those titles. He persisted too long with a weakened team over the years we built the stadium. We bought some sub par players (as do most clubs) but Fergie was able to wring that little bit more out of these poor players than Wenger. When Wenger realised (2010) his youth project wasn’t going to cut it for him, he started to rebuild with experience beginning importantly with Per and Arteta. But by that stage, we were… Read more »
Please sign a new deal Arsène!
Yes ideally he would like to go four more years and retire at 71yrs ala Fergie. It would mark a quarter of a century in which we are more than likely to have achieved more than say Liverpool (25 seasons without the title despite all sorts of managers like Rodgers) or Psurs (Harry says it will be within four years but old twitchy and so many other genius managers like AVB have yet to even repeat qualfiying to CL which is our MINIMUM standard) But likely, I think given the inability to push hugher, the writing is on the wall.… Read more »