My fellow Arsenal fans can be most fickle at times. Depending on the team’s last two results, they float between campaigning for Manager Arsene Wenger’s departure or insisting that he must stay. They love him or loathe him depending on what is currently happening.
It’s evident that Arsenal is having their greatest start to a Barclays Premier League season in nearly a decade but I am still not convinced that the Frenchman should remain in charge for much longer and here are my reasons.
It’s been nearly a decade since I experienced a transfer window and felt satisfied with what Wenger had done. Since our last trophy in May 2005, the club has let go of some of the greatest and often most promising players to ever set foot in the English Premier League.
They range from Thierry Henry, to Cesc Fabregas and from Samir Nasri to Robin van Persie. We can even go beyond ten years to the days we let Nicholas Anelka go. We disposed of Alexandre Hleb when he was on the rise, not to mention Mathieu Flamini who we now hold so dear to our hearts. Please note that I am judging these players by the form they were in when they left Arsenal.
The list is much longer than what I have put down but I think you get the picture. The fact is our dear Arsene Wenger would arguably have had the strongest team in the league over the past dry eight years if he had made wiser decisions over the years.
Over the dry years Arsenal has often still been in four competitions come February and yet they have failed miserably to win any silverware in eight. A good manager would at least have won the League Cup in those years. The name Birmingham comes to mind when I talk about this.
The trading of players among the top teams in England is a no-no, especially if the player is worth his salt. The only player Sir Alex Ferguson ever gave Arsenal was Mikel Sylvestre who was, in my opinion. a spent force. The only player Chelsea ever gave Arsenal was William Gallas, who wasn’t all that bad until you remember that it was in exchange for Ashley Cole.
Yet the ‘French Tactician’ gave Emmanuel Adebayor, Samir Nasri, Kolo Toure and Gael Clichy to Manchester City, with the worst episode coming with the sale of RVP to Man United. Even when there were rumours of Arsenal going for Wayne Rooney, it was evident that the club would never sell him to Arsenal, not as long as Sir Alex had a say. We all can remember the Luis Suarez episode. I kept hoping that Wenger had hung on to RVP the way Liverpool refused to let Suarez go. Surely!
Wenger is a great manager judging by his achievements in London pre-2005 but hasn’t won anything in eight years in order to re-earn my respect. He needs to right the poor decisions he has made over the years.
Despite the good league start this season, real tests against Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea have exposed the team’s weaknesses.
A good manager can tackle the best of teams on any given day but the first real big tests this season and Arsenal stumbles.
A win this week against Dortmund and another against Man United this weekend will soften my heart but until I see real silverware, I will continue to chant that Wenger must go! By real silverware, I mean the league title or the Champions League.
I think it’s a shame that Jose Mourinho was sacked by Chelsea, went to Italy and won a quadruple and then won La Liga with Real Madrid, and in that time, Wenger won nothing!
So all those football fans thinking that I am now singing Wenger must stay over a couple of good league results, you’re wrong.
If Wenger wins the league this season then I will consider him back on the path to greatness but I really believe you must win a Champions League to truly be considered a great manager. That my friends is what I am waiting for!
If, and only if, Arsenal wins the Champions League this season, will I begin to change the lyrics to my chant. For now, Wenger must still go!
