“It’s very difficult because the level of expectation is very high. People want to see Lionel Messi. They don’t want to see a promising guy.”
That was Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, in a recent interview with The Guardian newspaper, commenting about how, because of pressure from scouts and fans to bring in big names, it is becoming more difficult for the north London club to sign potential stars of the future.
To me, it sounds like a copout. Wenger is making excuses. Arsenal is a big club, and expectations are bound to be high.
Get over it.
There’s no denying that the Frenchman is under tremendous pressure, and prone to a gaffe or two, but that is not without cause.
Don’t get me wrong, “Le Professeur” has been a fantastic manger for Arsenal. He is both the Gunners most successful manager in its history, in terms of trophies won, and its longest serving, after joining in 1996.
The 1997-1998 and 2001-2002 League and Cup doubles will live long in the memory of Arsenal fans.
The 2003-2004 season was a particular highlight – the league title and a record 49 games in the league unbeaten. The ‘Invincibles’ were a joy to watch, full of flowing football, attacking thrust and French flair with the likes of Thierry Henry, Patrick Viera and Robert Pires, not to mention the goal-scoring potency of Dennis Bergkamp.
So stylish and wonderful to behold, even for the neutrals. It will never be forgotten.
Arsene’s place in English football history is secure.
But it has been nearly eight years since Arsenal won a trophy. They have slipped behind the pack of Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea.
They are struggling to qualify for the Champions League this season and they lose more star players every year.
And they continue to suffer embarrassing defeats, with the penalty shootout League Cup capitulation to Bradford City, the 2-0 defeat to Swansea and the 2011 season’s 8-2 pumping by Manchester United coming to mind.
Questions are being rightly asked about how long Wenger’s reign at the Emirates should continue. Gunners fans are split between those loyal to what the man from Strasbourg has given the club in the past, and those who want to splurge in the transfer market like big spenders Manchester City and Chelsea and contend for trophies again.
Arsene’s focus on youth development and shrewd transfer signings has had its successes. Jack Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs are just two of the current crop to have come through the club’s ranks, while Alex-Oxlade-Chamberlain, Aaron Ramsey and Theo Walcott were astute youth buys from rivals that have flourished in red and white.
You can add the development of past heroes like Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie and Samri Nasri to the mix.
The club has made a lot of money off development. Arsenal has kept its wage bill down and its finances secure. It is well run and its future is bright.
But this policy of developing young players and uncovering gems in the transfer market has not been built upon, not to the extent where a trophy can be won. Progress has been frittered away.
Too many of Arsenal’s best and brightest have been allowed to leave the club, flourish elsewhere and not be replaced. You only need to look at the recent Manchester derby to see former Gunners Clichy, Van Persie, Nasri and Kolo Toure on display and imagine what might have been.
Wenger’s attempted replacements have flopped. His once seemingly golden touch in the transfer market seems to have disappeared. Marouane Chamakh anyone? Park Chu-Young? Emmanuel Frimpong?
Wenger himself says, in The Guardian piece, that this is because supporters want big names and scouts are being more cautious. Sure, fans do want big names, that is true.
But most would be happy if the club hung onto some of the big names it has produced. And blaming the scouts is pure folly.
If they are not doing their job, then sack them, and replace them with better people.
The issue is that, where Wenger was once a trailblazer in the transfer market, he has now been left behind. Other clubs have lifted their game on the scouting front.
Wenger and Arsenal have often relied on plucking bargains from France in the past, but French football is not firing on this front as it has once has.
Places like Germany and Spain are in vogue, not to mention Asia and Africa, and Arsenal has yet to mine these locations effectively.
Arsenal are suffering from a lack of quality in their squad, and it seems as though Arsene Wenger is unwilling or unaware of what needs to be done to bring silverware back to the Emirates.
The 63-year old’s time in the red half of north London has been fruitful, but eventually it must end, like all things do. Just ask Herbert Chapman or George Graham.
Whether it ends sooner or later is the question on everyone’s lips.
Follow John on Twitter @johnnyddavidson
Disco
Roar Guru
Frimpong wasn't a signing.
KenGoooner
Guest
Struggling to qualify? Yes we are. We were two or three Ben Foster cock ups from no champions league spot if anybody actually remembers the final day and on recent performances when compared to other top four challengers, it's looking unlikely. Everton and Tottenham appear to be playing better football and getting better results. Whether or not the failure to keep top players is the club's players is the board's fault is a question we may never have an answer to (although the BSM might be able to change that). However, Wenger still has to be doing the best he has with what he has. Wenger has the final say on what signings go through, super super quality signings like Chamakh, Park, Gerivnho, Squillaci, when better players are undoubtedly out there for similar money: Michu 2m, Ba 7m, Berbatov 4-6m, Koscielney was similar money and he is a good footballer. Wenger has mostly lost his touch in the market but still unearths the odd gem. Remember when it was the other way round? *ahem* Cygan. Tactically, we're making the same errors time and time again. Two centre halves attacking the same ball, allowing for a large gap in behind. Pushing too high, time and time again do we see goals conceded because we try and hold such a high line. Set pieces, do we even practice these things? Defensively everybody knows we're frail, offensively it's rare that we see goals from them despite having strong headers of the ball (Giroud, Mertesacker, Vermaelan, Kos). Offensively, it doesn't look like we go out with a plan. The fast, flowing days of counter-attacking football has almost disappeared in favour of tiki-taka with players who aren't capable of it, in a league it won't thrive in. We look mainly impotent apart from some moments of magic which won't come as often as it did with the likes of RVP, Nasri, Fabregas and co. Look at Gary Neville (twat of a player, quality pundit) for a good analysis of our current attacking failures, it's interesting stuff. Of course, you can read that and say "well if you know what you're doing, then why don't you become the manager." I know, you know, that's a cop out. I'm just a regular fan, who gets up at irregular times to watch a regularly inconsistent team and I, just like any other supporter, notices a few things and wants to change them. Time for Wenger to go? Pressure certainly needs to be applied but the question of who replaces him will still be up in the air. David Moyes could be another great Scottish manager for us, Jurgen Klopp has done wonderful things with Dortmund and Pep Guardiola, a name who players want to be managed under- much like it was with Wenger some time ago, is rumoured to be far more interested in managing Arsenal than taking Chelsea's annual vacancy in the manager's office. I enjoyed the article, regardless of the Frimpong mistake. PS. I actually like Frimpong, he plays well when he gets his chance. A proper English player. More of those please Mr Wenger.
dz
Guest
There are some factual inaccuracies in the above article. Struggling to qualify? They already HAVE qualified and are in the last 16 - unlike Chelsea and Manchester City. If you're referring to the next Champnions league campaign, they're only 4 points off fourth place and have a game in hand (against West Ham, I might add). Emmanuel Frimpong came thorugh the Arsenal Academy with Jack Wilshere and wasn't transferred to the club. He is also only 20 years old and can hardly be called a 'flop' (yet). Most clubs in the EPL suffer the same problems as Arsenal regarding the transfer market. United and City and Barcelona have bought Arsenal's best players, using financial clout rather than some kind of Midas touch in the transfer market. Wenger still has signed some quality (Carzola comes to mind) and some flops - that is true. But other clubs do this all the time. Getting value for money is hard and arguably Arsenal have done a lot better than say Liverpool (Henderson? Downing?!) and Spurs and a host of other clubs. Swansea and Newcastle have proved astute buyers recently. Even United have had flops (De Gea and Kagawa still are not convincing - and also the fact that Scholes had to come out of retirement to pump up their midfield). I'm not saying that Wenger should escape blame for not performing up to his own standards, but until there is a viable option for a better manager (which the WengerOut brigade conveniently never actually articulate) Wenger is the best for Arsenal. I would like to see some changes at board level personally, and perhaps a slight loosening of the purse strings, but I'm glad to see that Arsenal is a well run club that still regularly performs well on a budget much less than many poorer teams in the EPL.
mike
Guest
Badly written article. bush league. Also frimpong came up through the system, wasnt a "flop signing"
Bondy.
Guest
Theres been a sisemic shift in english and european football with new players such as Man Cty @ PSG dolling out the chequebook like theres no tomorrow,most of Arsenals players even from two years ago are no longer there there at city united real madrid or barca ,so its safe to assume Arsenal are just now a feeder club for real and city. Arseanl supporters now know that its Wenger who will not financially bolster and continues with hes's policy of young or cheap,the concern Arsenal supporters have is that he truly has a football brain unlike most managers throughout europe I.E. who would you prefer to manage your squad Wenger or Mancini ?, strangely I support Wenger or I dont want a stupid manager manageing my club. Good effort John ,the angst continues for the loyal gunners.
Andyroo
Guest
There's been a lot of senior aged players signed lately and some gave worked out while a lot haven't. Arsharvin plays well in the middle of the park but was used out wide by Wenger. Park hardly got a game but he is doing ok in Spain. It seems the reverse of the Henry and Viera signings where Arsene showed faith in players that weren't getting a fair go at their then current clubs. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download it now [http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/the-roar/id327174726?mt=8].
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
Arsenal are still paying e Emirates stadium, hence the fact they can't attract/ retain top players. Agree that Wenger has made some mistakes, mostly coaching ones. He didn't really gave his chance to Chamack did he? I think he is the kind of coach who quickly sidelines a player if he is not performing as he would like to. But when you look at Arsenal roster compare to others, 4-8 is where they belong at the moment.