Arsene Wenger will match Sir Alex Ferguson’s record of 810 games in charge when he takes to the dugout this evening for Arsenal’s derby with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
The tally, achieved over the course of 21 years at the helm in N5, is something that makes the boss proud because it reflects both a substantial commitment on his part and that his values and playing philosophy are intimately entwined with the club.
Reflecting on the landmark and what it means to him, Wenger told beIN Sports: “What it means? It’s first a formidable commitment and a sacrifice of my life for this club and the game I love.
“It means as well that I have managed in my life to give substance to the club.
“When I speak of substance I mean the way to play football, the way to behave, the values you want to respect, the influence you can have on the individual careers of the players, the impulse you can give to a club as a complete structure
“I was always ready to fight for that and if needed to lose my job for the values I believe in [that] are right. I believe that I am in accordance with my club for that and I am absolutely proud of that.
“Overall, [after] all the wins and losses and all that what I believe is that this club is respected for its values.”
While Arsenal have been far less successful in the second half of his tenure, something that corresponds to the club’s move to the Emirates, the boss says he has still taken great pleasure from the quality of football produced by some of his squads.
He noted: “The fact that the big pleasure is to share the positive emotions and to be capable to play the football as close as possible to perfect in some parts of the game.”
For all his ideological ponderings, winning trophies still represents a high point for any manager. Wenger is no different, pinpointing success on the domestic front as some of his most treasured memories.
“The first winning of the championship, the FA Cup final last year these big games, big trophies that is what you keep,” he continued.
“In our job you are addicted to the future you don’t look back maybe I will do one day but now you always expect more from the next game.”
A fantastic human being
So was Mother Theresa but I wouldn’t want her to lead the club for the next five years..
I actually started supporting Arsenal because I thought Arsene was such a classy gent. But some decisions in recent years have been indefensible, not getting Cesc back was criminal. The year Leicester won the league Santi missed 23 games and we were playing Coq with Ramsey the rest of the year, what a missed opportunity.
P.S. Mother Theresa was not a good person. Look up “hell’s angel – mother teresa” on YouTube.
I was about to say the same thing about teresa
I love Arsene Wenger, I think he has been huge for Arsenal Football Club. But he should recognize the fact that he isn’t able to win the Championship any more and step down. Its been proven in his actions before big games. He consistently makes genuinely perplexing decisions, stuff that solidifies the hypothesis that he is past his best. There is no shame in that. But that’s life. You can’t stay at the top forever. Like going away to Liverpool, and Man City and dropping your new £60 million striker to the bench. Dropping Kolasinac and moving Bellerin over to… Read more »
There was no way that we could re-employ a player that went ‘on strike’ to get a move away from us. If Cesc hadn’t taken that step then maybe, but re-signing a player that had done that to the club would have made a precedent for other players to follow and cause no end of problems.
You’re wrong about getting Cesc back.
Yes he is. But oh how he should have left before he began tarnishing his legacy.
I don’t really agree to be honest.
I feel like his legacy got another notch.
His humility and willingness to help a plan that gave him far lower chances of glory ADD to his legacy of winning with an amazing team.
Just perspective I guess
Sorry Matt, that would have been a comment I agreed with 4 years ago but that time has passed. We are now into the third phase of Arsene’s time, the 2nd that you’re referring to ended in 2014.
That I agree with but when you see that cu nt in the north who signed the second most expensive player in history and has spent over 300 m in his short spell complain that he needs to spend more to match Pep. Well Arsene’s so called 3rd spell post 2014 has to be seen in it’s true perspective. We are under dogs. We have 3 teams with clearly more resources and thus this expectation that we should be winning the league is nonsense Maybe we should be winning the cups as we are doing and going all out to… Read more »
Not sure who you’re arguing with Gooner in your last paragraph & earlier re: winning the league cos there isn’t any comment on this thread saying he should. We have no given right to win the title obviously……but we haven’t had a serious challenge since 07-08. 10 seasons ago. The fact we didn’t mount one the season all the other big clubs in England imploded & Leicester won it means Arsene has failed. (and please let’s not have people saying we came 2nd that season therefore we challenged, it’s just not true) The other reason he has failed is one… Read more »
man the leicester winning season was really the one we needed to win for anyone to feel like arsene is still capable of winning it again.
I still feel like he’s a lot better than we realise and will only realise if when he’s gone we have a poorer manager in charge
I think gooner makes a very valid point that is often looked over in moments of hyperbole (basically always in football).
Wenger can do better, he wants to do better, I believe the players want to do better. Even Kroenke and co for sure would prefer to be doing better (higher value for them). I find it then strange that so many fans wish him to do badly so he can leave. It makes no sense whatsoever and no one involved with Arsenal wins.
Why Not? Who said they WANT Arsene to do badly? It’s a classic AKB straw man argument. I would give anything for him to do better…but he just won’t.
5 of those seasons we had to sell our best players or the best ones left wanted out knowing our budget was being reduced by an owner who couldn’t see the big picture. Last 5 years is like playing catch up from the previous 5 years. Its still no excuse not getting an attacker or MF when we got Cech only and that being the season of Leicester. I agree just looking at the standing isn’t right. I know like you its how we play during the season. Battling for the title and falling short and staying in the top… Read more »
Leicester did. Monaco did just last year. Dormund did. Even Atletico manages to do it once in a decade. Do the big three prevent us from reaching CL quaterfinals and Dormund and Atletico do it every year ?
Kwame.. you would have agreed 4 years ago? We’ve won 3 FA cups since then and now you disagree? Things could and should be better, we should be challenging for the league. But we’ll miss him when he’s gone, maybe not immediately but his legacy will be up there with the all time great managers.
Yes Fergal. Unsure where the confusion is. I said he should go after 13-14 (note : 2 FA cups since then) because he threw the league away & it was obvious then that the reasons he threw away the league would stop him winning it again. (mainly Arteta as a DM which was an absolute farce…..& the position continues to be one he just will not address) As for the rest of your comments….again more straw man stuff….we know we’ll miss him when he’s gone, we know how great he was…..it will be desperately sad when he leaves…but the longer… Read more »
This year, the man takes his pride from a game we lost against Man U. It tells you he has given up winning.
The man has class no disputing that. Greater manager ever, from a holistic perspective yes. For the last ten years…..that is up for debate. There used to be a time when Wenger could see what other managers couldn’t, he was dynamic and bought to the game what nobody else could. We are now in a time where everyone else appears to be able to see what Arsene cannot. Those who stick by him and genuinely think he can still take this club forward are blinded by the early success of an incredible person. Those who no longer stick by him… Read more »
What was the last time he won Manager of the year or even Manager of the month ?
K mate.
He was ahead of his time and did a great job getting us through the lean (stadium building) years but now he’s like Van Gaal, Fabio Capello, Guus Hiddink and other (former) great managers who are past their best and unable to provide the motivation or tactical nous to be successful in today’s game. Sorry to say he should have retired some years ago.
Like every single human being thats walked this planet he has his faults, but you can’t fault the class of the man. I for one am proud that he’s been the manager of my club. And when he leaves there could be no better man to run the world game
Cannot fault the class of the man? Every fault he has he has blamed on others – the referee, the opposition etc. That is not class – that is a complete lack of humility. He has never once in his entire career at this club come out and said “yes I take responsibility – it was my poor decision making” That would garnish respect and with it the attachment of class but instead he comes across and whining, peevish and pathetic Everyone makes bad decisions – to err is to be human after all. Class comes from admitting those mistakes… Read more »
Are you high on stupid-syrup? Out of all the managers, past and present, Arsene has come out the maximum number of times to take responsibility for his players’ shortcomings. I’m assuming you were born yesterday. Know your facts.
If I had lost to Manchester City over a soft penalty an an offside goal I’d complain too, it was highway robbery! Losing to Stoke over an offside goal from Lacazette that only a computer would see, I’d be fuming just like Wenger. Or the blatant dive when we played Watford? The list goes on and on. Arsenal are a hated football club.
I think the website you are looking for is untold arsenal…anything and everything is someone else’s fault. No mention of any of the soft decisions we got in our favour this year.
Morals and value…yadayada…We’re talking morals and values of a club run by Mr. Walmart that has the ethics of Donald Trump and a Ukranian oil baron who’s own business dealing are borderline criminal. If morals and values are simply adding to their billions then f**k morals and values…
100% agree Dave M. Untold arsenal is an embarrassment beyond words to all rational Gooners. Disgraceful, childish, petty, idiotic stuff.
Big Cheese a regular reader I’m guessing.
our fans can spend hours writing and ranting against Wenger.
maybe if they used this energy against the refereeing and fixing it would be more productive.
Yes, thats right you cannot fault the class of the man. What’s different about him to any other manager is there’s more to him than just a football manager. Granted, he’s made mistakes as a manager, most do, but as a human being he’s a class act.
Mourinho is a serial winner but people dont like him as he’s classless. The board at Utd seem to already be fed up with his classlessness
I didn’t see this comment.
Now that’s class
I give credit – he has given Arsenal a lot in the past. But this is what he represents – the past. No one can argue that change is required at Arsenal and no one can argue that this change requires Arsene Wenger to leave. Arsenal have not improved at all over the last god knows how many years under his stewardship – same tired and predictable tactics, same excuses for failure and never any retrospective thought as to why things have gone wrong just repeating the same mistakes and doing the same things, hoping for a different result. I… Read more »
Lots of people who think that he can still lead Arsenal to the top of the pile again.
I will be interested to know their opinions when we finish outside of the top four once again and we lose Sanchez and Ozil for nothing.
Would they consider that success?
Would they put the welfare of the washed out and over the hill manager before the welfare of the club?
What has it come to that the manager comes before the club..
Only at Arsenal – a club with zero ambitions…
Sorry but Stoke are a club of zero ambition. Some perspective please.
Congratulations on the landmark, but you were done as a top coach in the 2010/11 season. You’ve now been knocked off your top 4 trophy perch. Klopp, Pep, Pochettino Mourinho have all bested you.
Just do the right thing and leave as soon as you can..
Pochettino has a grand total of 0 trophies. How does he best Wenger?
I agree that its time for a change but I’m also wary that in the world of football the solution to everything is change the manager. Liverpool have had six managers during Wengers time at Arsenal and have never won the league. Tottenham, twelve managers (I think) and have not won the league. Chelsea and Man City won titles not because of the managers but because of the very rich men that took them over. Over the years I’ve heard pundits say that Arsenal should have ousted Wenger to get Paul Clement, Eddie Howe, Koeman, Moyes, Martinez and now Marco… Read more »
I would be interested in seeing a former player taking over similar to Guardiola did at Barca. Obviously not expecting the same results but I’m sure seeing someone like Vieria or Henry or even Mikel Arteta taking over will help the transition from Arsene’s departure. I do unfortunately expect the board to mess up the appointment of the future manager in some way though.
Bring back the lego-haired gent.
Absolutely!!! Would love to see Mikel Arteta and Per ake over after Arsene leaves at the end of his contract or even Pep! But will the board be willing to bank roll the transfers/ quality of signings that Pep will definitely demand is the question!
By working with far less resources and building a team that competes at a higher level than us, gets results against top European sides when Wenger has overseen some horrendous results in recent years that won’t be forgotten in a hurry and developing players some would say beyond even their expected. Wenger hasn’t done any of these things in years. He keeps talking of sacrifice which belies his arrogance and attitude. Working in your ideal position with total and utter control, a lack of pressure to win anything and a massive salary that does not match your achievements in the… Read more »
Klopp no
Pochettino no.
Guardiola and Mourinho – Yes. Lets judge them after they spend even 10 yrs in one club.
Does he know who Herbert Chapman is?
Whilst Chapman and Norris are cornerstones of this club, the world and football has changed so dramatically that their legacy could easily have been lost, (as it was to some degree between The Chapman and The Wenger years). They worked in a time when football was different and running a club was very different, with player salary caps, Cash deals and teams that actually owned a player until they let him go (by selling him or releasing him). The legacy of Stan Cullis at wolves has gone, the same with Ramsey at Villa and many more. I’d say that by… Read more »
He’s given substance but he only recognises where he has done so favourably and fails to see or at least acknowledge where he has done so negatively. He shouldn’t on the one hand see all that he has done well for the club but be so blind to all the clubs (the team and the backroom) failings and weaknesses that he is equally culpable for.
Let’s be honest. He’s won the League 3 times in 22 years. Not exactly what I would call a wonderful record.
But you see.
All the negative things regarding Arsenal are always someone else’s fault.
That is why it was never mentioned..
I think Arsene Wenger is grossly over-rated as a manager. A couple of good seasons under his belt and we all praise him as the Messiah. Not trying to troll, just my genuine opinion on the man.
Overrated? Did you see Jamie Vardy releasing a book before the season was over?
I started to support Arsenal one year before Wenger was appointed. We all had doubts where the club was heading. His first 7 years were the best football I had ever seen. Acquiring players from different leagues and making them fan favorites was one of the trait I admire. But after the UCL final loss in 2006, the club started to go down. Yeah, there are stadium finances involved but even after stadium was paid off, we didn’t improve. Wenger started to become stubborn for player additions. He started to gather bunch of school boys. Now, we are suffering in… Read more »
I think the expectation at the club was that there would need to be a holding-on period (Champions League was the aim, and always achieved) while the new stadium was paid for, and then we would challenge again. But the transition period coincided with a tremendous transformation in English football–the incredible financial power of first Chelsea and then Man City unbalanced everything. I think that, much more than any loss of managerial brilliance, explains our recent history.
THIS!
Although as much as I hate it, we are the 5th richest club in the world. So I always struggle with that argument.
Best manager in the world circa 2002 – 2004 but should have left after the champions league final, since then he’s believed his own hype and pursued pet projects at the expense of results and ultimately the club
Tbh, if Wenger had left Arsenal in 2006, everyone would have hammered him for deserting the club as they moved into a new stadium.
But it was right and natural time to part ways.
Since then he taken on a damaging ownership of the club and been treated with a unhealthy deference which is proving very damaging to the long term health of the club.
What does the C stand for?
Yeah yeah, thanks for all that and the memories Arsene but your time is up here. Time to move on
The “substance” now given to the club is Bull****.
Substance only lasts as long as the manager
As always, one win against some weak side (newcastle) and wenger romantics are back in town, priceless. Giving him a credit for what he did 15 years ago its a good thing, using the past successes as an excuse of current downfall really became very boring. I would so much prefer him to tell us what is his diagnosis of the terrible form of our defense, middle of the park not working for years, goals coming less frequent than ever, our overall style being so gutless. And please dont give me this ‚he was asked so he answered!’ Whenether he… Read more »
And falling league position. We now battle for Europa league qualification and half way through the season we are not where we need to be for that!!!
You have also been selfish and authoritarian, holding the club back in the process.
Please quit the philosopher speech and leave at the end of the season!
Arsenal Legend.
The more Wenger carries on in charge the more questions are raised about his abilities and legacy. For the longest time everyone thought he was a magical genius, however, that now seems to be a carefully crafted image. If you actually look at his record and accomplishments over the 22 years in charge you start to wonder how he has stayed for so long. Personally I think he was gifted a team of winners, he added a couple pieces because of his knowledge of the French League at the time and won a couple trophies. If you think about it… Read more »
The man has tunnel vision. He conveniently forgets the embarrassing 8-2 6-0 and 10-2 defeats. The millions of pounds and stability in his personal life the club has afforded him.
Our two best players want out; the profile of the club is now at a recent all time low .
A great manager and human being who has worked so hard to bring success to arsenal. It’s easy to list all the good things he has done and like wise it’s easy to list all his faults. For me the real shame is his unnecessary fall from grace as a club manager maybe it’s as simple as old age but it’s clear no matter how much respect you have for him that he’s been struggling for a while now. I don’t blame or hate him for staying in a job he loves but maybe the board should of been proactive… Read more »
three FA cups in the last 4 yrs. During which so much money has flooded into the premier league…..so many rich moneybags have pumped money into so many clubs. Played the game in the right way. Didnt get no help from owners, FA, fans or referees. Lost Cazorla to injury just when senior players were needed to guide the youngsters. Brought through Coquelin, Bellerin, Iwobi, Wilshere, Ramsey, Chambers, Holding, MaitlandNiles …and Nketiah and Nelson on the way. Bought Ozil, Sanchez, Mustafi, Xhaka for 30-40M …who now form the spine of the team. Bought two good GK like Ospina and Cech… Read more »
The club had values before. He knows this. So I think criticism to that end would be unnecessary, especially given his comments at the AGM. I am a huge supporter of the club. But these values are intangible and he cannot out live them. He cannot wait forever for enough people to come on board to his way of thinking either. It is clear that we will not win a league title under him. And though I appreciate value-orientation is at an all time high in importance given the money In the game and the, in my view, sickening political… Read more »
I truly respect AW! And yes, he did give a substance to the club! But the way this club is being “taken care of” since the Kroenke came is ruining the whole legacy! Unfortunately.
From an article in today’s Guardian:
“The most important thing is to believe in human beings,” Wenger said. “When you are such a long time in the job, you’re not naive. You know all the strengths and weaknesses and how, sometimes, people can be selfish or mean. But you still have to believe that there is a light in every human being that you can get out.”
Which goes some way to explaining why he plays his favourites to the detriment of the team, he’s trying to find the light. Unfortunately Arsene may be an intelligent man but it seems he has zero common sense. You know, the stuff that says buy better players and you get better results, play them in their correct positions and they’re inclined to do better, substitutionas are best made when you can see the team is tired but before the opposition goal goes in. I’m tired of listening to this self-serving drivel when we are getting worse every season and our… Read more »
The worry at the moment is Wenger is unable to even achieve his minimal consistency level of top 4 and is again in danger of failing to make CL. We are now trying to keep up with the likes of Spurts and Liverpuddle for top 4 rather than hitting for the big prize. A couple of seasons past, we had an opportunity to push for the top but instead allowed Leicester the chance to seal it. A couple of familiar issues rear their head that suggest Wenger’s achille’s heel. 1) Failure to add sufficient quality. Whilst he has been spending… Read more »
”It’s first a formidable commitment and a sacrifice of my life for this club and the game I love.”
This is truly a bit delusional. No one cared about you sacrificing your life Wenger. He need to work on his understanding of humans.
The mans lack of being an asshole has actually hindered his management.His ideology is too pure for the world we live in let alone the footballing environment. His resistance to new world order/footballing landscape has to admired in some ways.