IT’S V FOR VICTORY
Seaman: Pat’s the one to save Gunners
ARSENAL must go back to the good old days if they want to move forward.
That’s according to club great David Seaman who believes the Gunners need a strong hand, and a former Arsenal one, if they are escape the mess left by Unai Emery.
The north Londoners sank to a 42-year low with defeat by Brighton on Thursday night – a winless run not matched since 1977.
Now Seaman’s first-choice to take over is former Gunners’ midfield general Patrick Vieira.
The France World Cup star studied management at Manchester City under Pep Guardiola, was in charge of their sister club MLS side New York City and is now coach of France Ligue 1 club Nice.
Seaman – who won two Premier League titles under Arsene Wenger and spent five seasons playing alongside interim boss Freddie Ljungberg – also believes there are no quick fixes when it comes to the long-term successor.
He said: “Everyone thought that when Arsene left the standard would move on, but I always said you need to hang on a little bit because the standards he set were so high. I know it tailed off a little bit at the end, but the standard was still very good. He was always going to be a tough follow and I think that has been proved.
“Arsenal have to learn lessons from what has happened at Manchester United and they have to be very careful when it comes to choosing the kind of manager they pick this time.
Personality
“If they go down the same route as Unai Emery, then I don’t know which way things are going to go.
“I want them to get a really strong personality manager. Either that or go totally the opposite way and get someone like Patrick Vieira or Mikel Arteta.
“If I had to choose between those two, then I would choose Patrick because he has had more experience as a manager.
“It’s either that or going out and getting a really strong personality who is going to shake that team up.”
The appointment of Vieira, who spent nine years at the club as a player, would be something of a PR coup for a club that currently finds itself dangerously close to the bottom half of the Premier League table.
It is the kind of position that would have been unthinkable throughout Wenger’s time in charge of the club.
Appointing someone like Vieira, though, might serve to bring some selfbelief back to a club in crisis.
“You’ve seen the reaction that the fans gave when Freddie was appointed caretaker,” said Seaman.
“That was great but it needs to move on. Arsenal need to get better.
“We’re really struggling to get into the top four at the moment, maybe even the top five. That’s miles away from the
Arsenal I used to play for.
“And we can see that Manchester
United in the same boat.
“That’s two massive clubs struggling to get into the Champions
League.
“Two clubs who were once the Kings of the Premier League.”
That crown has well and truly slipped.