Norrie,
This is a well-written piece and you make a number of very valid points, one or two of which are worth further discussion.
1. The point about George Graham laying the foundations for Mr Wenger is very fair and you could be right in suggesting that, had those foundations not been laid, we may not have seen Arsene's arrival. It's worth remembering though that Wenger had very little "stature" in the game ("Arsene Who") at that time and that David Dein deserves immense credit for picking him out at the time.
2. I'm not sure that the "paranoia among supporters" over Wenger's future departure that you talk about concerns Arsenal reverting to the boring past. I feel it's more a case of "will we ever be lucky enough to find anyone as good again?"
3. Clearly you're right in saying that Wenger didn't invent the Club, but bloody hell, it's as close to re-invention as anyone is ever going to get! I'm not sure there is anything comparable in football history - a single manager turning around a club so completely on and off the field.
4. Yes, there are people who see everything in black & white, "Wenger's always right" or "Wenger's lost it" terms, but I don't think there are many of them. Most people are probably like me - willing to give Arsene a lot of slack, given what he's done for us, but over the last couple of seasons starting to question a few decisions. To my mind, more often than not, he's been proved right in sticking by his beliefs and I think he will again.
5. I absolutely don't think he's running out of ideas (I think he's well on the way to creating his third great Arsenal team), but nonetheless you are still right - we need to consider, and start planning for, what comes next.
As someone who's followed the Arsenal for 40 years (and seen far too much rubbish), I just hope it's not too soon.
Angelo
The Arsenal: A study in schizophrenia (31 Jan)
I was about to disagree with the comment of Arsene being the beneficiary of foundations laid by George Graham, however having thought about it maybe you're right. What Arsene inherited from George by way of a concrete back five probably brought him success and trophies quicker than would otherwise have been the case. Having that base already there Arsene him to gradually convert the side to his ways without sacrificing genuine title challenges (something that we've suffered in the past year or so). Winning trophies so quickly immediately bought him the loyalty and respect of the fans which allowed him time when he had to start breaking things up resulting in 3 trophy less seasons.
So although todays Arsenal is unrecognisable from the Arsenal George left behind, be it the stadium, training ground, style of play, nationalities in the squad, diets and training methods; maybe things could have been very different if the squad inherited by Arsene in 1996 hadn't had some of the qualities and character left behind by George.
Arsene didn't invent the club and we all know that 'No man is bigger than the Club'. However I genuinely believe that Arsene has designed and created 'modern day Arsenal'. And all credit to the board in having belief in him, backing him fully and allowing him to get on with it without intervention.
As for running out of ideas, no way in my opinion. To build lasting success takes patience and time. Harking back to George's days, our 89 and 91 title successes were manufactured in the seasons of 86/87, 87/88. The same goes for our 2002 and 2004 seasons - we had 3 relative barren years (99 - 01) but Arsene was building and developing his team in that period culminating in 2002 and 2004's successes. I think that's what we're seeing now. Arsene knows what he's doing and he was fully aware that we maybe had to take a few steps back to eventually make gigantic leaps forward. We had 18 months of stepping back and I now believe the leap forward is beginning. When success arrives once more I think it will be lasting because Arsene has built it slowly but surely to ensure longevity.
And finally lets face it, it's inevitable that we will be weaker when Arsene finbally steps down as boss. How do you ever replace a man like Arsene?
Great debating guys.
So although todays Arsenal is unrecognisable from the Arsenal George left behind, be it the stadium, training ground, style of play, nationalities in the squad, diets and training methods; maybe things could have been very different if the squad inherited by Arsene in 1996 hadn't had some of the qualities and character left behind by George.
Arsene didn't invent the club and we all know that 'No man is bigger than the Club'. However I genuinely believe that Arsene has designed and created 'modern day Arsenal'. And all credit to the board in having belief in him, backing him fully and allowing him to get on with it without intervention.
As for running out of ideas, no way in my opinion. To build lasting success takes patience and time. Harking back to George's days, our 89 and 91 title successes were manufactured in the seasons of 86/87, 87/88. The same goes for our 2002 and 2004 seasons - we had 3 relative barren years (99 - 01) but Arsene was building and developing his team in that period culminating in 2002 and 2004's successes. I think that's what we're seeing now. Arsene knows what he's doing and he was fully aware that we maybe had to take a few steps back to eventually make gigantic leaps forward. We had 18 months of stepping back and I now believe the leap forward is beginning. When success arrives once more I think it will be lasting because Arsene has built it slowly but surely to ensure longevity.
And finally lets face it, it's inevitable that we will be weaker when Arsene finbally steps down as boss. How do you ever replace a man like Arsene?
Great debating guys.
