Arsenal vs Leicester City April 26th 19:45 KO

It’s easy to understand why the Board would show loyalty to Wenger and not fire him. It’s not inexplicable and especially not when you’ve come to the above conclusion about Wenger. Also, I think there is a wide assumption that an offer is still on the table. I don’t know how true that is now because a lot has changed and we’ve had three official statements from senior members and none have shown outright support for the manager. Wenger’s blasé, ‘I’ll make a decision’ comments may just be another example of him underestimating a situation and being delusional.

Also, if we’re going with the assumption that the Board still want Wenger to stay despite the piss poor season, potentially dropping out of the top four and despite the financial consequences, why would they still support him? Besides assuming incompetence, I can only assume they’re showing some sort of loyalty to a long serving manager. Who can’t understand that here? Wenger’s long lost the ‘cash cow’ tag if he drops out of the top four, blows record transfer fees and wages all whist fans are raging and staying away from games.

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Originally Posted by Delusions of Grandeur

It’s easy to understand why the Board would show loyalty to Wenger and not fire him. It’s not inexplicable and especially not when you’ve come to the above conclusion about Wenger. Also, I think there is a wide assumption that an offer is still on the table. I don’t know how true that is now because a lot has changed and we’ve had three official statements from senior members and none have shown outright support for the manager. Wenger’s blasé, ‘I’ll make a decision’ comments may just be another example of him underestimating a situation and being delusional.

Also, if we’re going with the assumption that the Board still want Wenger to stay despite the piss poor season, potentially dropping out of the top four and despite the financial consequences, why would they still support him? Besides assuming incompetence, I can only assume they’re showing some sort of loyalty to a long serving manager. Who can’t understand that here? Wenger’s long lost the ‘cash cow’ tag if he drops out of the top four, blows record transfer fees and wages all whist fans are raging and staying away from games.

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Although i said the word employers plural, it should really be singular

It's quite possible the board are no longer happy with Wenger but that it will count for nothing anyway

At best though they have been asleep at the wheel, the club's current financial position has less to do with Wenger than it might have done a few years ago. He's kept us on an even footing for a long time for sure, but the tv money is the reason for our current share value and despite our chief executive being the only one who seems to offer any kind of resistance to Wenger's total control of things in a football sense he hasn't especially been great at that (although how much of it is his responsibility can only be speculated at) and he hasn't been great at marketing the club where we trail chelsea, man united, man city and liverpool by some way.

If we are saying that they are showing loyalty to a long serving manager that is in contradiction to our assumption that these are money people because it's hard to think as you say that people staying away from games and the loss of champions league revenue wouldn't have a depressing effect on share values, so it could be argued that such a decision would not be beneficial from a football or a financial standpoint.

For a long time the decision to keep faith with Wenger has made perfect sense in terms of stability and financial growth, now you have to wonder.....

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Originally Posted by Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie

Although i said the word employers plural, it should really be singular

It's quite possible the board are no longer happy with Wenger but that it will count for nothing anyway

At best though they have been asleep at the wheel, the club's current financial position has less to do with Wenger than it might have done a few years ago. He's kept us on an even footing for a long time for sure, but the tv money is the reason for our current share value and despite our chief executive being the only one who seems to offer any kind of resistance to Wenger's total control of things in a football sense he hasn't especially been great at that (although how much of it is his responsibility can only be speculated at) and he hasn't been great at marketing the club where we trail chelsea, man united, man city and liverpool by some way.

If we are saying that they are showing loyalty to a long serving manager that is in contradiction to our assumption that these are money people because it's hard to think as you say that people staying away from games and the loss of champions league revenue wouldn't have a depressing effect on share values, so it could be argued that such a decision would not be beneficial from a football or a financial standpoint.

For a long time the decision to keep faith with Wenger has made perfect sense in terms of stability and financial growth, now you have to wonder.....

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I'm speculating but that's exactly my point. It's not beneficial to them financially or in a footballing sense. But then to compare that position to what you’ve written about Wenger’s position….who looks worse or more selfish?

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Originally Posted by Delusions of Grandeur

I'm speculating but that's exactly my point. It's not beneficial to them financially or in a footballing sense. But then to compare that position to what you’ve written about Wenger’s position….who looks worse or more selfish?

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My point is that i personally were I in Wenger's position would probably be just as selfish.....there is definitely no question that he's being selfish. But i can understand why he'd want to stay, but unless they are not looking at the bigger picture and just kicking things into the long grass it's hard to understand the board or the majority shareholder either from a football or financial perspective wanting this to carry on.

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Originally Posted by Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie

My point is that i personally were I in Wenger's position would probably be just as selfish.....there is definitely no question that he's being selfish. But i can understand why he'd want to stay, but unless they are not looking at the bigger picture and just kicking things into the long grass it's hard to understand the board or the majority shareholder either from a football or financial perspective wanting this to carry on.

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I get that, but if looking from the other side of the coin and taking a more personal perspective, as done with Wenger, I can understand why they’d not want to see him leave under these circumstances. I think most people around football can. With Wenger, I can understand staying for the money but he’s spent years building his reputation as a man with principles and a purist. A man that loves football and not money. From that perspective, I would have thought he’d have moved on to a club like Madrid, Barca or even PSG and try to win the CL. Lesser managers have won that trophy as discussed with Barca and Madrid. Why take the flack here where not wanted and try to spend your last couple of years going for the ultimate prize?

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Originally Posted by Delusions of Grandeur

I get that, but if looking from the other side of the coin and taking a more personal perspective, as done with Wenger, I can understand why they’d not want to see him leave under these circumstances. I think most people around football can. With Wenger, I can understand staying for the money but he’s spent years building his reputation as a man with principles and a purist. A man that loves football and not money. From that perspective, I would have thought he’d have moved on to a club like Madrid, Barca or even PSG and try to win the CL. Lesser managers have won that trophy as discussed with Barca and Madrid. Why take the flack here where not wanted and try to spend your last couple of years going for the ultimate prize?

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Because he's not stupid, he knows he wouldn't be given the time or the carte blanche to control things that he has at Arsenal

He's not deluded but he's arrogant enough to believe he can win over the fans as well

Destroying a legacy and reputation it’s taken decades to build is pretty stupid and especially if it’s just to accumulate a bigger pile of cash. He’s 67 years old.

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Originally Posted by Delusions of Grandeur

Destroying a legacy and reputation it’s taken decades to build is pretty stupid and especially if it’s just to accumulate a bigger pile of cash. He’s 67 years old.

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I don't understand what Wenger's getting out of this any more.
Money, obviously, but he's already a multi-millionaire. He doesn't want for anything. I don't think he's too fussed about the money actually, I think he'd do it for free - he's addicted to the whole buzz of it.
But as things turn more sour with the fans and results increasingly get worse it clearly takes a toll on him Surely someone close to him should be saying "Come on, fella, you've had a good run - time to call it a day".
I think if he went at the end of the season, win the FA Cup or not, in time when people have calmed down they would appreciate his legacy. The longer this drags on the more damage it does to that. Shame.

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Originally Posted by Delusions of Grandeur

Destroying a legacy and reputation it’s taken decades to build is pretty stupid and especially if it’s just to accumulate a bigger pile of cash. He’s 67 years old.

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I'm not so sure it's about money, it's about the fear of having nothing else left.

He is according to so many people the first one at London Colney and the last one to leave, managing Arsenal FC is the totality of his existence there is nothing else.

Looking at it from an outside perspective it's easier to look at it rationally and objectively and say "i don't get what he gets out of this". The answer is because this is all he has, now do I think that's anyone else's fault but his own? No of course not. But putting myself in his shoes I would think i've given this club everything and I'm owed this.
Looking at it dispassionately no he's not owed anything, he was given three years with more money to make some improvement and there's been none.

So I'm clear on this, it's not that i'm saying Wenger deserves any less stick than the board. It's just saying from Wenger's point of view there is more rationale for wanting to stay than there is for the board wanting him to stay.

It's a bit like how some footballers dread retiring because they're late 30s and it's all they've known since they were in their teens, so what is left? What can replace the buzz of the big game?