Originally Posted by
I am invisible
For me, it feels more like any long-term relationship that's run it's course: there's no one specific moment that you can point at - one day you just wake up and know that it's done. After that, every minute spent on it just feels like wasted time, and that's where the frustration and resentment starts to build up - every little, minor thing starts to bug you because you feel trapped by it and want out.
If I had to pick any one thing that's brought it all into focus, I'd say it's been watching what Leicester and spufs have been doing this year - it really has washed away the last of the "reasonable" excuses, and laid bare just how much the big clubs and the "top coaches" in this country have been underperforming, given their pull and resources. I could mentally write-off finishing 3rd or 4th to Chelsea and the Manchester clubs every year - irritating as it was, there was no shame in it. You could justify it on some level. This season has been an utter embarrassment though, and not just for us - Ranieri, Pochetino, and even guys like Bilic and Howe, have really shown up all the Wengers, and Mourons, an van Gaals, and Klopps etc in the league.
I think it was Le Grove who made the point the other day that a lot of the smaller clubs have actually been outperforming the bigger clubs for years now, in terms of coaching, tactics, fitness management, scouting and youth development - they've had to! It just hasn't really been that noticeable because the same old clubs always finished at the top every year, largely because of the wealth divide - if any of the smaller clubs did well, they'd have their squad picked apart by the big boys in the summer, and would be back to square one again by the start of the next season. Now the money has started to level out a bit though, and the smaller clubs are better able to keep their squads together (and supplement them with a few decent signings of their own), I think we're starting to see a noticeable difference in innovation and output?
On the plus side, the club do at least seem to be aware of a lot of these short-comings - we refreshed the fitness team last summer (work in progress), brought Jonker in to overhaul the academy, and look to have been on a massive youth-recruitment drive since then, and we've just raided Leicester for one of their scouts (or was it two?)... the only thing holding this next stage back is the role of the head coach!
I don't know... I don't hate Wenger or anything - I could never hate the man who's given me the greatest Arsenal sides and the most entertaining football that I've ever seen (and probably ever will see) - it just feels like his time at management level is done, and I'm starting to get a little bit despondent about the time we're wasting. Quite frankly, I don't know why the club or Wenger himself are still persisting with it? The whole reason we did all of this was to make the club self-sustaining, and free from the influence of any one person, yet right at the last minute, when everything is finally in place, the club seem scared to let go of Wenger's hand, and Wenger seems scared to leave? It's got to happen sooner or later though. Even if he was at the absolute top of his game, he's still going to be a pensioner in October - this is something we're going to have to deal with, whether anyone is ready for it or not! I just wish he'd walk away, and take some pride and satisfaction in watching what comes next - all of his work has been about building this fantastic legacy, but he's never going to be able to enjoy that legacy until he steps away.