Arsene deserves all the accolades
THE Football League is not the Premier League – no insight there, huh, and no prizes to me for noticing! However, football is football and no columnist can write about our phenomenal game this weekend without mentioning Arsene Wenger.
The great man has overseen an incredible era of success in north London and I'm sure that every Tottenham fan will be pleased to see him leave.
Three Premier League titles, seven FA Cups, 20 successive Champions League qualifications, an 'Invincible' season and a Champions League final.
It was all achieved in an age when the club sold Highbury and invested in the fantastic London Colney training ground and the Emirates Stadium.
Arsene Wenger did not have the most significant resources. He used intelligence, forward thinking and courageous vision to achieve his successes.
Those who should know talked on Friday of his ability to improve the physical well-being of players, the tactical skills of players, the confidence levels of players, the ambition of players and the sense of family with them and between them.
Extraordinary
His training techniques were unique in their day and his knowledge was extraordinary. He was described in tributes as being professor- like, a father figure and a caring guide for younger people.
I am sure that I do not stand alone in wishing that the great man is rewarded with a Europa League victory this year.
It would be a fine end to his Arsenal reign to secure his first European trophy and to place the club back into the Champions League.
I had the 'pleasure' of standing in the dugout at Highbury against Arsene Wenger in 2003. My ten-man Farnborough part-timers lost 5-1 in an FA Cup third round tie which I remember most for the moment when we were 2-0 down midway through the second half and Arsene ruthlessly sent on Dennis Bergkamp and Sylvain Wiltord to teach us a lesson!
Knowing what to do, how to do it, when to do it; in future years, there will be many Arsenal fans who will realise just how good Arsene Wenger has been.
For now, it's just essential the players and fans do all they can to thank him and reward him and the club with that Europa League success.