WENGER MADE MARK THAT FEW CAN MATCH
SO, AFTER spending nearly as much time in the throne as Queen Elizabeth, Arsene has finally agreed to call it a day at Arsenal and the ‘Wenger Out’ brigade have at last got what they wanted.
However, there’s been no sense of either jubilation or despair as those who shouted loudest for his exit have begun to lavish praise on the Frenchman for the good old days, while the others are all too aware that the time for a change is long overdue.
It’s been 14 years since Arsenal’s last title win and they are as far off the pace in the Premier League at present as some of the lapped also-rans merely making up the numbers on the Formula One grid.
Wenger, like an overlooked wedge of brie that has been hidden in the recesses of the fridge, is well past his best before date.
The braver of us might chance a nibble, but in reality it should have been discarded long ago.
The heinous cracks have been appearing in his teams for years and although many would like to have seen him stepping aside long before then, last season’s FA Cup win kept him in the hot seat, allowing him to further tarnish his reputation this term.
There’s no doubting his legacy has been slightly damaged because of Arsenal’s below-par efforts in the league in recent seasons, culminating in this year’s tame effort that will see them finish outside the top five.
Mercifully Gunners fans rightfully seem to be focusing on the postives at present, conveniently forgetting the fact that they have vehemently been calling for his head for quite a while.
Arsenal fans have become well accustomed to second half of the Premier League season slumps and last 16 exits from the Champions League in recent years, but this time their top flight race was over barely after exiting the stalls and they had to make do with the indignity of Thursday night football in Europe.
That said, the previously scoffed at Europa League could turn out to be their one saving grace after a season of one hard-to-stomach disaster after another.
When Wenger first came to prominence in England 22 years ago he was famed for his brilliant tactical brain and most of all for his ability to pluck previously unheralded players from obscurity and turn them into world stars.
There’s no doubting that he has been an exceptional manager for Arsenal, winning three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups, and in his pomp he pieced together some of the finest teams England has ever seen, conducting everything in a controlled, cool, business-like fashion both on and off the pitch.
The problem is in recent years the entire Arsenal operation has morphed into a business before football model and Wenger’s intellect has been utilised more in keeping the money men happy at the club than in crafting success on the field of play.
However, there’s no excuses for some of his failures. Every man and his dog can see the lack of heart and leadership in the Arsenal players so it’s a mystery why an outstanding football man like Wenger has failed to address it time and time again.
It’s not that he doesn’t recognise the make-up of a proper blood and guts footballer.
After all, he had the likes of Patrick Vieira, Martin Keown and Ian Wright under his tutelage.
A word of caution for any Gooners thinking a different manager will bring an instant upturn in their fortunes and get them back to challenging for league titles again.
Although you’d imagine the new man at the helm would get considerable financial backing from the board, they’ll be a long way off the big Manchester duo in terms of financial clout and the gaping chasm that exists at present will be hard to bridge.
Back to the present, I firmly believe Wenger should have bowed out on a high after shocking double-seeking Chelsea to win the FA Cup last May but a mixture of misplaced ambition and inherent stubbornness scuppered that glorious swansong.
He still has one last opportunity to end with a bang and I’d genuinely love to see him finish his time with Arsenal with the trophy he deserves by winning the Europa League, and who knows, maybe if he goes elsewhere to take up the managerial reins he’ll re-ignite the joie de vivre that he oozed in his early years in London.
He’ll always be remembered in England for his success, particularly in the early years, that was intertwined with a balletic style of play, and most of all for the 2003’04 invincibles.
He made an indelible mark on the game that few others can match.
Au revoir Monsieur Wenger.