How Good Is Wenger?

[Letters]

Gaah! He makes my head spin, he really does.

We've had a £9m net spend on transfers over the last 10 years, built a new stadium and paid off a lot of the debt, continually asset stripped and prioritised profit over ambition, bought a load of mediocre players and paid them far too much and yet...he's done it again. Top 4 trophy every single year. This year it really looked like it was game over but a brilliant run over the last couple of months and he's done it again. Top 4 secured. More points than last year, far fewer goals conceded and only 2 fewer league goals scored than last year despite selling the PL's best striker.

No trophies again of course and 8 trophyless years for a club of our stature isn't good enough. But to finish top 4 every year despite some of the money other clubs are throwing around to try and achieve it, it's pretty impressive.

Will we push on now some of the financial restraints have apparently been eased? Do we trust Wenger to make the right signings any more? Would someone else do better? Plenty of other managers would do worse.

[WMUG]

Let his contract run out, if we make a decent push at a trophy next season then renew it short term, if we push on, then keep it going.

Obviously, if it's same old, even without the financial restrictions that apparently existed and have now been lifted, then he has no excuse.

[Marc Overmars]

He's very good, particularly when you see how much clubs below us have spent in order to have a crack at the top 4 trophy. I don't know how he does it, his nack of keeping our heads above water is very baffling.

I'd like to think we'll make a splash in the transfer market but I'll believe that when I see it.

I'm hoping next year will be his last because while he's great at what he does, I really don't think he can move us up a level anymore. The current side is probably the least Wenger-like side he's ever had, barely able to string a decent passage of play together. One thing he's always managed to do is find the right players to suit his style but he's arguably losing a grasp on that now. He's not very flexible with his squad either, it took our season reaching it's nadir for him to bring in players we'd be calling for for months.

I want a change because I want to believe in something again, while Wenget is here I struggle to comprehend us being anything more than 4th place trophy contenders, CL also rans, and suckers for tame cup exits.

[Letters]

I want a change because I want to believe in something again, while Wenget is here I struggle to comprehend us being anything more than 4th place trophy contenders, CL also rans, and suckers for tame cup exits.

I think that's a good point. Most of us don't believe he can deliver trophies any more. The 4th place trophy isn't just coveted by Arsenal, you saw the Spurs' fans reactions when they missed out yesterday (although that was in part because they finished below us again), but it's not enough. Not for a club like Arsenal.

For about 4 years now we've said "this is a big summer for Wenger" and every year we've been disappointed. We need a marquee signing. The squad needs it, the fans need it. We need some belief back, something we can get excited about.

PS: It's "knack", dammit!

[LDG]

Well, he's not a bumbling idiot, if that's what you're getting at.

I don't believe for one second he thinks he has the prettiest wife, and I don't think he's stupid enough to think we don't need a higher quality squad.

The question has always been, "What is really going on behind the scenes", as nobody can say for sure whether he is restricted, financially, or choses to operate that way.

As the lines are very blurred, I would avoid that question entirely and look at his managerial performance over the last four years, in terms of the players he actually has had at his disposal.

I don't believe he has gotten tha best out of the players he had (see Nasri, Fabregas, RVP etc etc) when we should have won the league. Poor tactics, poor man-management and pure stubborness cost us a great deal, and that should have spelled the end for him, on a purely football basis.

What the last 10 games has shown us, is that he can motivate and drill a team to play above the level they are.

I think now that he only has the one year left, he should be allowed to see it through, and if he goes the right way, by all means give him a new contract (should he want it).

I don't think anyone is fooled anymore, therefore, he has to go big. I'd put a few quid on Cesc coming home.

[The Emirates Gallactico]

Unlike Ferguson the core problem with Wenger is that he really hasn't adjusted well to the influx of money into the PL and rise of the billionaire clubs. He's too stuck in his old ways and isn't flexible enough.

He has his faults: teams with a shit defence (apart from this one), wage system that is a joke that rewards too many mediocre players and doesn't pay top talent enough, too stubborn, too reactive and not proactive, doesn't analyse opponents weaknesses, thinks games can be won simply by us doing our "thing", bringing through players with weak mentalitys that collapse when the slightest bit of pressure is on them, relying on injury prone players, not replacing players, etc etc etc

But despite all that he's done well considering the only teams we've finished behind are two teams artificially there due to heavy outside investment and one because they have the best manager in the world and are a giant of a global football club. This despite spending little to no money on transfers (wages are a different matter) and building and almost fully paying of a new stadium ensuring us a steady stream of revenue for the foreseeable future.

Now that it's almost confirmed that we have a shedload of money coming our way with the new sponsorship deals, there shouldn't be any excuse not to spend money and with the three teams above undergoing managerial changes it'd be very interesting to see whether we can finally push on and perhaps return to our previous glory days. I think he's capable of it - I mean he's a very intelligent man, he's just been too stubborn to change his ethos. But our team this season has been different, they've actually been quite good defensively and that's the foundation of any title winning team. Sure they've been dire up front, but that's more then easily rectified with a couple of quality attacking signings. So perhaps, finally he's realised it's not the worst thing in the world to try out different ideas?



Still, I wouldn't mind seeing a change but only and only if we can get someone clearly better or potentially as good. The last thing anyone wants is to replace Wenger with someone terrible .... like an Allardyce or heck I remember when people were suggesting Owen Coyle.

[Grebbo]

If he was 10 years younger he'd have been Man Utd's fist choice replacement for Fergie.

[Munchies]

He's perhaps one of the only managers who could get us top 4 with this mediocre squad, its a combination of Tottenham bottling it and our team going on a title-winning team run which they deserve credit for.

Our defence has shored up with kicking out Vermaelen, a bold move which should have happened earlier. See him leaving in the summer.

Not to sugar coat anything, but we've not beaten United/Cheslea/Man City this season, and we are pretty far behind them, I know we're close to Chelsea but thats because they didn't have a stable management due to a **** owner. Thing with Chelsea, is at their core, they have word-class players who are able to get results either way.

I hope we actually strengthen this squad, we've been on these forums for so many years crying out for certain signings, like a CDM since Flamini left, but what have we had ? Song promoted then shipped out, Diaby breaking down again, Arteta playing in the role when its clear as day he can't do it. And then putting in Oxlade (who has been shit this season tbf) into the spot, in one of the biggest games of our season, we've needed someone in this spot since Flamini left, around 5 years ago ! .

With Wenger , he might go out and say we're going to strengthen, but that could be a ploy to get season tickets renewed, and then do fuck all till the end. We need to do alot of rebuilding this summer, getting rid of players who don't want to be here, like Sagna,Vermaelen,Squilachi,Denilson,Bendtner,Chamak h,Santos. Those are from the top of my head, but every squad area needs to be looked at.

[selassie]

He's a good manager, a very good manager...but as stated his "principles" and "pride" IMHO get in ther way of him pushing on and being the very best.

There is no doubting that when push comes to shove Arsene is able to push this team to the limit, our end of season run to achieve top 4 was very very good, a championship winning run TBF and you would be hard pushed to find any other manager in Europe let alone the League that could of got this team on a run like we have just had.

We do have the basis of a very good team IMHO, it most definitely needs upgrading in places and the squad on the whole needs upgrading. However, if Funds are available and Arsene/The Board become more pragmatic in there approach to improving the team and I mean improving the team PROPERLY then we have the basis of a sound future.

It's all "ifs and buts" and I remain very skeptical given our past history.

Edited to add: Arsene organised the team very well post Spurs, we geninuely look pretty solid and well drilled, this needs to remain and he needs to supliment this with top top quality additions. Essentially our offence needs to improve, as does Central Midfield.

[Power n Glory]

Credit to Wenger but I think Steve Bould should have stepped in years ago. There has been a massive improvement to the defence and we haven’t looked as solid and focussed like that in years. I put that down to Bould’s presence and advise. If we’d have defenced like this years ago whilst we had Fab and RVP, we’d have surely won something. We’ve got to build on this foundation. It was good to see Wenger making a call on Verm too. He had to be dropped from the squad.

The medical staff have improved as well. We haven’t had as many injuries but Wenger really needs to use the team better and stop risking half fit players. Playing Arteta was unnecessary and he did the same with Wilshere. He needs to avoid doing that because it’s more costly than it’s worth.

We have a massive opportunity next season and if Wenger can pull it off, he’ll get serious plaudits. It’s all about the execution now.