Arsène Wenger statue to be unveiled at the Emirates

[db10_therza]

If you squint hard enough you can just about make out @Makingtrax hiding out in the bushes

 

[Makingtrax]

If you squint hard enough you can just about make out @Makingtrax hiding out in the bushes

Even just walking up the steps he looks the best manager the Prem has ever had or likely to have. What a man, and his daughter is so beautiful.

 

[TromsoGooner]

Lovely to see . Good to see him with his family and looking happy. And it has to be said, his daughter is drop dead gorgeous.

 

[lomekian]

Yeah why are modern statues so bad ffs?

Not Cristiano “Raoul Moat” Ronaldo level at least. Kind of looks like him.

View attachment 17074

Weird thing is about these statues being crap is that there are lots of people who could make and have made better - both my father and my lovely lady among them if working with a good foundry. It actually makes me angry how crap the faces always are, when I've spent much of my life around skilled sculptors.

 

[lomekian]

In my opinion the second decade was a remarkable achievement and arguably better.

Getting into Europe constantly whilst challenging star studded Chelsea and Man Utd teams for the title, with a team of mostly young players. What coach has performed like this in football?

Greatest manager of all time, in my opinion.

It was only really the last handful of seasons that were a disappointment, as his hit rate in the transfer market and his level of tactical sophistication both were surpassed. That last year particularly damaged his legacy, but tbh the club wasn't ready for him to leave, so the blame is shared. I am always a bit angry at the previous board who didn't really back him when he was a the absolute peak of his powers and reputation but all those that didn't die were happy to make fortunes from their shares (in some cases to Usmanov, which only held the club back further).

 

[HollandGooner]

The only thing i can say its ****ing great to see him with a smile on his face watching this statue.
He deserves everything.

 

[Tnegs]

The boss is ageing like a fine wine he looks so slick in that suit. I hope I look half as good at that age.

 

[albakos]

So glad to see him doing fine and in such a good shape.

One Arsène Wenger !!!

 

[blaze_of_glory]

Missed that "overall" so much more than I realized

 

[Macho]

God bless him, feels like the club has healed with his presence.

 

[Sniper Mik]

Missed that "overall" so much more than I realized

Sad how things ended with him. We need to win something big and have him be a part of the celebrations.

 

[StefanB]

One of the greatest men to ever be involved with Arsenal Football Club. So happy he finally got his statue. It was long overdue!

 

[GoonerJay24]

It was only really the last handful of seasons that were a disappointment, as his hit rate in the transfer market and his level of tactical sophistication both were surpassed. That last year particularly damaged his legacy, but tbh the club wasn't ready for him to leave, so the blame is shared. I am always a bit angry at the previous board who didn't really back him when he was a the absolute peak of his powers and reputation but all those that didn't die were happy to make fortunes from their shares (in some cases to Usmanov, which only held the club back further).

His last three seasons were mainly a consequence of fan division and unrest. You can't tell me that didn't impact player performances.

The team suffered due to a lack of support not Wengers lack of tactics. If Wenger had tactically declined, we wouldn't have had the second best home record I'm 2018 and won the FA Cup in 2017.

 

[CaseUteinberger]

Nice to see the statue being raised and him interviewed by the club and it being a positive message.

 

[lomekian]

His last three seasons were mainly a consequence of fan division and unrest. You can't tell me that didn't impact player performances.

The team suffered due to a lack of support not Wengers lack of tactics. If Wenger had tactically declined, we wouldn't have had the second best home record I'm 2018 and won the FA Cup in 2017.

Its not that he tactically declined, but rather others like Pep & Klopp (and for a while before he started to get found out Conte) etc raised the bar. The fact is late Wenger sides were characterised by capitulations away from home, where the squad's lack of character was married with a reluctance to nulify the opposition and tactical predictability.

The fact is that as well as slight tactical stagnation, particularly in the defensive/transition elements of the game, Wenger stopped recruiting the right personalities. You look at that invincible squad he assembled. All super competitive, all selfless, all massively motivated by self-improvement and all strong under pressure. The first round of project youth lacked experience and sadly had Gallas as leader, but still had a lot of strong and collectively inspired characters. By the end the squad was mostly made up of mentally vulnerable good guys, crocked players on their last legs or selfish/egotistical tosspots. There's a reason only 2 are left and they are both way down the pecking order, and why very few of that squad have been missed either emotionally or performance wise.

As for the milksop idea that the decline was all down to fans, why did we still have such a great home record in 2018 in front of said fans?

I love Wenger and never insulted or abused him anywhere, but he should have gone in 2017 with that last hurrah, as it was obvious a major change was needed. Sadly, we wasted 18 months with Emery - good coach but a bad fit.

 

[GoonerJay24]

Its not that he tactically declined, but rather others like Pep & Klopp (and for a while before he started to get found out Conte) etc raised the bar. The fact is late Wenger sides were characterised by capitulations away from home, where the squad's lack of character was married with a reluctance to nulify the opposition and tactical predictability.

The fact is that as well as slight tactical stagnation, particularly in the defensive/transition elements of the game, Wenger stopped recruiting the right personalities. You look at that invincible squad he assembled. All super competitive, all selfless, all massively motivated by self-improvement and all strong under pressure. The first round of project youth lacked experience and sadly had Gallas as leader, but still had a lot of strong and collectively inspired characters. By the end the squad was mostly made up of mentally vulnerable good guys, crocked players on their last legs or selfish/egotistical tosspots. There's a reason only 2 are left and they are both way down the pecking order, and why very few of that squad have been missed either emotionally or performance wise.

As for the milksop idea that the decline was all down to fans, why did we still have such a great home record in 2018 in front of said fans?

I love Wenger and never insulted or abused him anywhere, but he should have gone in 2017 with that last hurrah, as it was obvious a major change was needed. Sadly, we wasted 18 months with Emery - good coach but a bad fit.

While I respect your viewpoint, I have to disagree with the notion that he declined as a manager. In my opinion, Wenger's tactical acumen and football vision remained strong throughout his tenure. The challenges Arsenal faced could be mainly attributed to external factors, such as fan unrest, which likely affected player performances and added pressure to the manager. If he was declining, why did we still arguably play the best football in Europe during final seasons? In 2017 he beat Conte, Pep and Pochetinno (Not directly) to the FA Cup. Football tactics are multidimensional, complicated and it's the players who decide games; not coaches.

In terms of recruitment, I think he generally identified the right profiles for his teams. Of course there was some questionable transfers, which clearly never worked well for us. In his final years, we bought in the likes of Mertesacker, Arteta, Alexis, Özil, Cazorla, Monreal and Aubamayang; all solid Arse al players who won FA Cups and Community shields. In my opinion; toxicity in the media towards Wenger seaped into our fanbase which led to division. This along with constant injuries to key players, led to his downfall ultimately.

Wenger's legacy at Arsenal goes beyond the late stages of his tenure, and he made significant contributions to the club's success.

 

[lomekian]

While I respect your viewpoint, I have to disagree with the notion that he declined as a manager. In my opinion, Wenger's tactical acumen and football vision remained strong throughout his tenure. The challenges Arsenal faced could be mainly attributed to external factors, such as fan unrest, which likely affected player performances and added pressure to the manager. If he was declining, why did we still arguably play the best football in Europe during final seasons? In 2017 he beat Conte, Pep and Pochetinno (Not directly) to the FA Cup. Football tactics are multidimensional, complicated and it's the players who decide games; not coaches.

In terms of recruitment, I think he generally identified the right profiles for his teams. Of course there was some questionable transfers, which clearly never worked well for us. In his final years, we bought in the likes of Mertesacker, Arteta, Alexis, Özil, Cazorla, Monreal and Aubamayang; all solid Arse al players who won FA Cups and Community shields. In my opinion; toxicity in the media towards Wenger seaped into our fanbase which led to division. This along with constant injuries to key players, led to his downfall ultimately.

Wenger's legacy at Arsenal goes beyond the late stages of his tenure, and he made significant contributions to the club's success.

Your concluding sentence is undoubtedly correct.

I didn't say he declined as a manager but rather he dropped off in relative terms because the level of coaching competition escalated significantly. The same can be said re analytics, scouting and facilities. My greatest criticism of Wenger is that once he had the operational model and staffing in place that he was happy with, he didn't voluntarily refresh it. He retained personal responsibility for too much, including innovation. The club shares culpability in this matter.

Of course fan discontent didn't help, but you have to ask 'why were fans discontent?'. People like to project some sort of mindless entitlement (of which there is always an element), but the stadium is full of those who make significant sacrifices to go week after week, year after year, and who want nothing more than to get behind the team. Towards the end, it was clear that there was a malaise that not even Wenger's genius and self sacrifice could resolve. Some of the football remained breathtaking, and 'on our day' we could beat most teams, but there was an undeniable sense of drift by the end. Sometimes things just have to change. He should have left earlier for his own sake, but the club wasn't ready behind the scenes. He really should have gone out on a high in 2017 rather than suffering the ignominy of the following season.

As fore recruitment, half the players you cite were 6 or more years before he left. For me, he was still overachieving at that point. Of the others, their characters were questionable, bar Monreal (absolutely lovely when I interviewed him). Özil was a genius but not one for the trenches, and his motivation vanished after his big contract/Germany fall out. Sanchez (his last great signing) was brilliant but never meshed with his team-mates and none of them seemed to give a monkey's when he left. Auba was excellent for 3 years but another whose professionalism disappeared after a big contract. However, these are still the better transfers. Too many others weren't at the level either technically or mentally.

Fans aren't blind. They can see when things aren't right in terms of atmosphere, motivation, courage or togetherness. Even the season before last, when we finished 5th, the fans were hugely behind the team because they could see something to believe in. The final 2-3 Wenger seasons and that under Emery, it was all muddled, papering over the cracks to try to keep us hanging on to top 4 with hugely short term thinking. We went from a club that acted cohesively with clear strategies to one that seemed to be thrashing around blindly. And much as we love him, Wenger was part of that at the end.

The club has since recognised that although project youth under Wenger didn't ultimately succeed due to insufficient investment, while it was happening the club was unified and the fans supported, because there was something to believe in. Now we are combining that with big spending. Ultimately its hugely unlikely Arteta will match Wenger's legacy or be as influential for club or league, or even win as many trophies, but he's a better fit for now than end of days Wenger was then.

None of this diminishes Wenger. He was a totally transformative manager who immeasurably impacted both club and league, and pretty much carried the club on his shoulders for decade of criminal under-investment by the board, who ultimately used him to enrich themselves for the most part. There is a reason why He and Herbert Chapman have statues and no one else does. But no-one, no matter how great, is perfect for the same role forever.

 

[HollandGooner]

His last three seasons were mainly a consequence of fan division and unrest. You can't tell me that didn't impact player performances.

The team suffered due to a lack of support not Wengers lack of tactics. If Wenger had tactically declined, we wouldn't have had the second best home record I'm 2018 and won the FA Cup in 2017.

I agreed if Wenger would have been backed like the owners can do now it would have been different.

 

[Blood on the Tracks]

Great statue.
Arsène Wenger is where he deserves to be, home

 

[boonthegoon]

Mikel Arsène