I've refrained from posting about Arsene Wenger since the announcement of
his departure. There's been so much stuff flying about, and I wanted to write something
personal when the time was right. Today feels like the right time.
It's my birthday tomorrow. In 2006, Arsenal threw a massive party for me on
my actual birthday - May 7th - to commemorate leaving Highbury. That was a
celebration, in a time of hope, and a time when Arsenal FC were able to compete
with the best that England - and Europe - could offer. But the problem is that
this feels to me, as I type, like something of a wake. Not just for Arsene, but
for a club that through inertia and an unwillingness to face reality finds
itself in something of a mess. And a watershed moment that feels, at the moment, like an opportunity wasted.
There's no doubt that the Manager leaves the club in a better place than he found it. A state-of-the-art stadium and an amazing training facility,
and an impressive infrastructure that has made the club able to compete on a
financial and commercial level with pretty much anybody. All those wonderful moments; and of course the trophies! However we, the fans,
were promised more; we were sold a dream of being able to absolutely compete
with the very best - and boy, we were close in those last few years at
Highbury! The problem is not the infrastructure, but the playing staff. A comparison to 2006 is frankly embarrassing, with hardly a single player in the current group capable of even making the bench of the 2006 team (let alone the 2004 team!). This is damning, and inexcusable.
For me the Manager has been part of, but hasn't been the root cause of the problem. It's
been the inability and unwillingness of those above him to grasp the mettle, to take responsibility instead of abdicating it, and to act on the dream we were
sold that has caused the ructions and resentment amongst the fan base. The
willingness to accept what, for a club who were in Arsenal's position in 2006,
is essentially mediocrity. As long as the money keeps rolling in, eh... I know that fans of most clubs in England would scoff and say we don't know how lucky we are. And that's a fair point. Except that it depends on one's expectations, and we were told to expect much more than what we have.
So Arsene Wenger, whose commitment to the cause and belief in his own
ability cannot be questioned, has been treated poorly by those within whose
power it was to make the big decisions that needed to be made. As he himself
has said: 'If you eat caviar every day, it's difficult to return to sausages'.
Compare that to Ivan Gazidis advising; 'We should be able to compete at a level
like a club such as Bayern Munich'. Well, we've seen how that worked out!
In the early Noughties, Manchester United's sole competition was Arsenal.
This, I maintain, was down to Wenger's recruitment, his willingness to allow those great players to express themselves, and the changes he brought to methods of
training and fitness. At that point the move away from Highbury was intended -
laudably - to build a legacy; a club that would continue to compete with the
very best that England could offer - and for the foreseeable future. And for all
one could say that the arrival of Roman Abramovich and latterly Sheikh Mansour,
plus the way that FIFA, UEFA and the Premier League messed up FFP, created a
perfect storm for Arsenal FC, it's necessary for the club to look inwards to
see what really went wrong. And of course they have finally realised that
action needed to be taken. Now, that is, that there are no less than five clubs currently
ranked above Arsenal - including Tottenham Hotspur.
There's been plenty of revisionism going on, and I
would sincerely hope that people will be able
to take stock of what Arsene achieved in his time at the club. I have to mention at
this point one of my fondest, yet perhaps more indeterminate memories (as I
have no recollection of what game it was, although I reckon it would have been
during the Invincibles season). It's of sitting back comfortably in my seat at
Highbury, actually giggling as I watched Arsenal literally run rings around whoever the
opposition were. We were 3 up at the time, I think. I remember turning round to
my friend Jill, who sat right behind me (and still does at the new ground, as
it happens) saying: 'Sit back and enjoy; it doesn't get any better
than this.' I was right; although I do wish that I was wrong!
And it's pretty easy to be critical of the last 10 years or so - let's face
it, most Arsenal fans have been, especially recently. But we shouldn't lose
sight of the great times, and great teams, that Wenger gave us. The moments like the frisson of excitement as Patrick Vieira made his debut, the magnificent battles with United, winning the league at White Hart Lane and Old Trafford, Henry's slalom goal versus Liverpool, Pires' lobs and goals against Spurs, the Vieira goal against Leicester that wrapped up the Invincibles season, Tony Adams' miracle effort against Everton - they all seem so long ago now. Gone and replaced by a sense of apathy and resignation. And it's inexcusable from Arsenal FC. And not a single member of the current squad comes close to getting into an all-time Wenger XI. The proof of the pudding is, as they say, in the eating.
So I expect that today I will feel, above all else, a sense of overwhelming sadness and disappointment that the legacy of a great man has been tarnished; not only by himself - because he of course has to take some responsibility - but by those who had it in their power to do better by him, and by this great club. I will nonetheless celebrate Arsene Wenger, and remember him in my mind's eye for enabling me to enjoy watching Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Patrick Vieira, Sol Campbell, Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie in their pomp to name just a few; and for moments like the photo montage below gave me and all Arsenal fans. It's this that I want to remember him for.
Adieu, Arsene, et merci pour tous.
