The chants used to be “…boring, boring Arsenal!” or “1-0 to the Arsenal!” Then in October 1996 in came their new manager in the form of an almost unknown Arsene Wenger…
Before people start yawning I do realise the topic of Arsenal has been done to death a little and I may not be saying anything new but from what I have read not many have been sticking up for the man that is Arsenal through and through – their manager Arsene Wenger, so I thought I might!
With the upcoming visit of Tottenham this weekend it is a massive opportunity for Arsenal to prove to their fans they can still compete with the best around.
Wenger is a man who transformed the team, the way they played, their playing philosophy and most importantly the way he got them winning trophies. Not just filling up the trophy cabinet but succeeding with a brand of football all teams and fans admired, envied and loved to watch!
However, in recent years a downward spiral has occurred – so where has it all started to go wrong? No trophies in seven years, no title challenge, a fight on their hands to stay fourth and worst of all they have been overtaken, in so many aspects, by their biggest and bitter rivals Spurs!
This may be easy to say as I do not support The Gunners and I can also understand the fans are frustrated and want a swift return to former glories; but it is going to take time, now surely that is something Wenger has earned the right to with everything he has done for the club, surely? It is also a valid argument that he probably wants to turn it around himself, providing a new challenge from a personal point of view and for the club!
After all, this is a man whose brand of football would be welcomed at most clubs and with his scouting ability and eye for young talent it could be argued that he would be able to walk into most of footballs top managerial jobs.
Thierry Henry was a young left winger when he joined Arsenal and Arsene turned him into one of the best strikers the Premier League has ever seen and also into the clubs all time record goalscorer! He thrived from Wenger’s man management skills, football mentality and from the way the team around him played.
What Arsenal fans have to consider is all of the clubs success has been done with the manager working on a budget that the top clubs, he is trying to compete with, would find laughable. This meaning progress has stopped, hence so has attracting top players to the club, which is a vicious cycle that sees your best players wanting to leave!
Arsenal 5 Spurs 2. To be honest the most I hope was a 1-1 draw.Two goals down after 30 min I feared the worst. The thing is can the gunners keep up this performance in every game until the end of the season.If they can,third place could not be ruled out or for that matter beating Inter to force extra time.
I still believe once the defence is more organised then the defence will stop conceding goals .
Btw Spurs were due a blip and with some tough games coming up,the gunners could even overturn the seven point gap. To do this the players must believe they can do it.
As for myself I am so happy I can hardly stop jumping up and down. I have to rein myself in or I will have a cardiac arrest. So I am of to the pool for a dip.
Had we lost, you might have been saying somthing different. The unthinkable may still happen; Arsenal behind Spurs in the Premiership. Next up, Liverpool at Anfield. With Chelsea, Newcastle and Man City still to play, we need to consistantly repeat the performances against Spurs and Blackburn.
Have the Venga out brigade got 606 on speed dial,BT must have been
preparing for melt down at half time during the Spurs game, anyway who would replace him he must be in the top 5 managers in Europe and the only thing keeping Arsenal from mid table mediocrity. Please keep Arsene in his job if only for the tortured expressions he pulls on motd