Quote Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn View Post
Very much so, when all it really did (in conjunction with other activity) was bloat the share price and make it ripe for a pay day for the scummy shareholders. No other manager in the world could have met the expectations of that board so precisely. But you have to give Wenger credit for keeping us near the top of the table too because there are plenty who would have got us relegated under the operating conditions of the last five years. It's all down to one man now, Stan. If he's in this for the money AND the sport we are in a position to kick on (certainly thanks in part at least to Wenger, e.g. Koscielny, Jack, Ox, persisting with Theo, shifting RvP), but if he's in it just for the MONEY then expect another 5 years of gloom and Wenger to leave next year to be replaced by possibly a 100% business focused manager. Fact is our fate rests in the hands of an American who knows nothing about and seems to care nothing for the game.
You make Wenger sound like some kind of victim, the guy gets 7 odd million a year to do this, he's just as big a part of this problem as the board. A manager interested in winning wouldn't have sold out like he has, noone has forced him to stay and if he wasn't happy and really is the victim as you seem to suggest then why wouldn't he leave.

As for no other manager meeting their expectations, you're probably right because other than someone greedy they'd have probably not been happy with settling for 3rd/4th and would have demanded more from the board and maybe left by now.

Any manager with any real pride and a hunger for success would never have lasted 7 years being happy with a top 4 place.