g88ner wrote:26may1989 wrote:
Not good to answer a question with a question, but who would replace Wenger?
I'm not advocating that Wenger should go - far from it! - but I really don't like that question.
When Rioch was sacked in '95, most fans would have listed plenty of names to be the next manager... but who - apart from Dein - would have suggested Wenger?
not many.
We simply do not know what managers are out there, and who could take over from Wenger... so it's an unfair question, that some on here - not necessarily you, 26may1989 - use to undermine someone else's argument.
However, the fact is... under Wenger, we have won 1 trophy in 4 years.. the FA Cup. In that time we have finished 3rd, 4th, 4th and 3rd.
- Now, with that record, I don't think it's wise to ask who could do a better job, because it really isn't all that impressive, is it?
Despite what I've said... I do not want Wenger to leave Arsenal! I have not lost faith in him, and I really believe we are good enough to win a cup competition this season, and remain in the top 4.. but I also don't believe that Wenger is the only man out there who could bring success to our club.
Don't worry 88, I don't hide from asking who could replace Wenger, whether that's an unfair question or not. In fact, I think that must be capable of being answered before we can think about sacking Wenger. Otherwise, we'll just become like Newcastle.
I understand your point, that we the fans can't literally be expected to know who would replace Wenger. But my point is we should assess whether or not Wenger should be sacked if he doesn't win trophies etc only if there are credible alternatives, regardless of whether one of those replacements is going to be our boss.
Of course there are plenty of excellent coaches around, but I don't think any of them would touch us with a bargepole at this stage in our development and with Wenger sacked. In a couple of years' time, yes, they'll be breaking down the doors, but following a sacking of Wenger I think we would have to assume we would lose Cesc and a bunch of the other players. In that situation, AND without money being immediately available, I honestly don't think we could get a big name coach, and we'd end up with a hopeful young manager (Bilic, Adams etc). That may well mean not just finishing 3rd or 4th, but slipping back in a big way.
And we're not the same prospect that the younger Wenger joined in 1997. Then, it was a no-lose situation for him - great club but underachieving. He could have done much less and we still would have lauded him. Now we're different. We expect CL football as a matter of course, and apparently we expect to win trophies more regularly than at any time since the 1930s. And we probably expect to see good football too. A much more demanding job for an incoming manager.
So I'll continue to ask the question, fair or otherwise!
It used to be a great source for us Gooners that we had never finished outside the top 2 under wenger and now we are saying that we have always finished in the top 4 and qualified for the champs league under him - if this is an indicator from the drop in our ambitions and standards then how soon will we be claiming to have always finished in the top 6 ?? 
