Whilst Stewart Robson was busy telling France Football all the things he usually tells everyone about Arsene Wenger, a few pages later there was another former Arsenal player sharing his feelings about the Frenchman. It was the same magazine and the same lengthy feature on Arsenal's struggles and Wenger's part in them, but what Smith said and particularly the sentiment, couldn't have been further away from Robson's Rants even if it had been planned as such.
Alan Smith had a successful trophy-laden career with the London club and obviously has a fondness for all that's associated with it, and therefore a respect for Arsene Wenger. Whilst Smith doesn't put his fingers in his ears regarding the problems at Arsenal, he doesn't seem to come from an agenda.
So many opinions related to Arsenal and Wenger are now firmly rooted in one camp or the other. It's either 'Wenger In' or 'Wenger Out' and near enough everything said by those so entrenched in either is molded to fit. Former players, pundits, journalists, Arsenal personalities and blogs - there are many so far down their own particular tunnel that they can't see anything else other than the light at the end they are striving for.
To give Alan Smith credit, he's not one of those and can see a more rounded situation. He told France Football:
'Arsene Wenger is still the greatest manager in the club's history. Nobody wants his Arsenal career to end this way. It will be interesting to see what he does this summer regarding investment [in new players]. He needs to improve the quality of the workforce. The question is: 'Will he and the club be able to attract players who will?' Are his scouts as competitive as they once were? Has he the right people around him?
And there are signs that suggest this is not necessarily the case. Americans work at Arsenal, and I'm not sure they are really as critical as they should be. It must change. What must also change, it is the way he [Wenger] works daily at the training center. There is not a coach in the strictest sense, but he has always been surrounded by players who can take their cues by themselves, as Ashley Cole and Sol Campbell did, world-class players.
The quality of the workforce is no longer the same, largely due to economic reasons. He had to let go of players like Fabregas and Van Persie. I do not see how he could keep them, because these players are primarily motivated by their ambition to win titles. Van Persie was not at a club who could offer this possibility. And Wenger has not been able to replace these players.
He found himself in a situation where he was forced to defend the position of [the owners]. Eight years without a trophy is a long time. And these fans have seen their team change its nature during this time. Players have become more fragile, a characteristic more associated to being usual with Spurs!'
Whilst the Tottenham comment is funny, there may be some truth in it. Whereas Arsenal have tended to have hugely competitive players in recent history, they are losing that now. There's not the aggressive and over the top hunger which Wenger enjoyed in his early squads.
Smith says that Wenger's Arsenal career is now being divided into two stages, the first eight years and the second, with a distinct difference in the success of the two halves. The former striker remains polite about Wenger and obviously wants him to do well but his comments suggest he may feel now is the time for Wenger to go.
"As the years pass, we start to doubt. I never stopped believing in Wenger, but he spent a lot of time at the head of one club, and there are not many managers who can maintain their edge that long. There is only one [Alex Ferguson], and he is an exception."
Whilst Arsenal were for so long the London team associated with success, Smith and Wenger wouldn't them taking on some of the characteristics shown by Tottenham so far this season.
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Originally Posted by LDG
