The vote is clear: Wenger must go

A SURVEY of the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust has found that 88 per cent of fans want Arsene Wenger out at a time when director Josh Kroenke is calling for “victory through harmony”.

The results of the survey conducted at the organisation’s AGM will be presented in a private meeting to chief executive Ivan Gazidis.

But Kroenke, son of majority shareholder Stan Kroenke and a hot tip to take over as the club’s chairman, is still calling for calm.

The 37-year-old American has been in London over the past month getting a closer appreciation of how the club is run, at a time when Arsenal are enduring their worst run of results for 16 years after four successive defeats.

But while Kroenke believes that “harmony” is the key, he also acknowledges the need for realism, with Wenger adamant he has earned the right to see out his contract, despite the current implosion of form amid turmoil in the dressing room.

“We have a saying over at Arsenal – victory through harmony,” Kroenke said. “That can take a lot of different meanings, but for me it comes from communication.

“You’ve got to have open and honest dialogue about the reality that we are in, because if we are sugar-coating anything about ourselves, about our team, about our direction, we’re only going to be worse off for it in the long run.”

The Supporters’ Trust certainly appear concerned about the direction of the club, with the damning survey result coming after canvassing their 1,000 members.

The group held a similar vote 12 months ago, when 78 per cent of respondents called for no new contract to be offered to Wenger. But after winning the FA Cup the Frenchman was rewarded with a new two-year deal.