Wenger Myths debunked: the great developer of Youth

[arsenalmorris]

All wenger is good for is finding players usually in France who are already quite good and bringing them the club and then selling for a large profit when they get showcased better in champs league etc.

Adebeyor
Nasri
Anelka

Even those are prob found by Grimandi.

[OneBardGooner]

I was having a chat with my mate (ok I was talking to myself in the mirror)...
And we were discussing what an inept manager Wenger has been for seven years and mentioning how the media have these antiquated Wengerspeak myths that are, complete bollocks.

One of my pet hates is the notion that Arsene Wenger is this great developer of Youth. I'll keep this short: that is complete bollocks. He isn't.

I believe it is telling that when discussing Wenger success stories with young players over the recent past, AKBs often immediately tend to point towards Henry and Vieira, who were signed in a different century and were known players.

In the past seven years, can anybody please name a single young player that Arsene Wenger has brought through and successfully developed?

I would go as far as to say that in his whole Arsenal tenure, in terms of young players he can take credit for developing and bringing through we can point to: Ashley Cole (left Arsenal for money and gave up on Wenger), and Kolo Toure because he needed development. Please correct me if I am forgetting anybody else but these are the only names I can think of? Most recently Jack Wilshere has emerged and is looking excellent - but that is three players in approaching sixteen years. That's incredibly poor for a man whose reputation is apparently based on givign youth a chance.

More alarming is if you look at recent evidence. Young players are deserting Wenger in droves because they complain of not being given a chance or, become sick of playing under an unambitious manager who stunts their careers. Bendtner is a young player who left because he cannot get a game ahead of some much older, far more useless French crap (Chamak. And yes he is French). Havard Nordveit and Rui Fonte all trumpeted and both moved on. Clichy was a monumental failure. Lansbury should be given a go but since he doesn't speak French will never get the chances Diaby does.

Remember, Ash Cole was almost flogged to Palace until Wenger discovered his passport was dodgy. I am not trying to urinate all over Wenger's legacy, just stating facts.

The players he is often credited with 'developing' are also highly dubious and in some instances, laughable. Thierry Henry for instance? Who knew France's top goalscorer in the year they won the World Cup! Henry was a great player off form and Wenger helped him rediscover it. Kudos for that but he never developed him. Anelka was developed at PSG, everyone knew what a top talent this kid was as he was already ripping it up as a 16 year old in France. Patrick Vieira was snared from Cannes by AC Milan but because of their strict foreigner rules, Wenger was able to snatch him. Again, he couldn't have developed him if Milan had already spotted how good the player was.

I honestly think this reputation Wenger has of bringing through youth has to be re-evaluated against the Facts. Look at Sczesny: Almunia played 4 years in goal and it took a Flappy injury for him to finally get a chance. It happened by accident. Meanwhile look at the time and chances afforded the likes of Shitachi, Cygan, Silvestre and Chamak (see a common theme there? All French!)

Bit long sorry but...Thoughts?

You really are a KNOBBER aren't you.

Great insult. Did mummy teach you this after putting practise today?

Oh! Deep, DEEP Joy! Where does one begin!???

Now then is you sitting comfortably? Gooood...now, now stop playing with yourself, and yes, put those crayons down please....there's a good ickle chappie...

Dear Babytunde,

Now I'm going not going to talk in ickle chappies talk, so you will need to listen Verrrrry caaaarefulllly, okay?

Okay, now firstly there is a difference between practising one's putting on the golf course and taking a dump ..tch tch ...your attempts at humour or what appears to be a put down - are not only very wide of the mark, but severely lacking in the mature department of 'Banter'...which is perfectly fine for a 9 year old btw.

Aaaah! I seeeee, now things are becoming clearer, so THAT is why you say you are a Life Long Gooner.... Gosh it will soon be your first decade well done! ... ooops I actually mistakenly talked at your level then....

It is obvious to myself (and I would guess other Arsenal supporter's that frequent this wonderful forum dedicated to all things Arsenal) that something isn't 'quite right' with the 'facts' you stipulated in what was in all honesty a quite unecessary your introduction and proclamation of yourself and your connection to Arsenal, I mean offering the world and his dog outside for a touch of the ole fisticuffs ....seemed somewhat 'touchy' really, and surely you noticed the majority of reactions to yourself and the manner in which you were posting should "Surely" have informed you that you were probably approaching things in a way likely to ensure avoidance and cause serious alienation, which of course defeats the whole object of expressing a view, other than to pamper one's own ego.

It kind of reminds me of a pupil that attends a new school and because of their fear of being ingnored, starts making all sorts of claims and shouting louldly so that they will at least be noticed, for better or worse.

There is a difference between demonstrative passion and attention seeking.

It is great that you have such fervent energy and actually take the time and effort to air your views, rather than sit on your hands like some of those at the games...but surely if one forces an opinion with no possibilty of re-consideration in that view, and no substance to that opinion other than volume, it will only serve to increase the distance, and end up with 'Isolation'.

In all honesty for someone with such demonstrative and forceful 'fervent' views and opinions, I am surprised you have only just found your way to Onlinegooner...Hmmmmmmmm ...

There again, we all get to where we are meant to be, When we are meant to get there.

And as for not being bothered to read all of this post...which is what you said the last time you and I exchanged views, might I suggest that if you want to argue a point of view, you need to have all the facts, which leaves me with a question..

Why is it you have not answered Frank's question???

May Thouest Know Thy True Self Without Need For A Mirror.

[stg]

Just wondering if Wenger only played/signed players who were 27/30 would this thread be moaning that Wenger doesn't invest in or play younger players.

Wenger has his faults(tactics for me) but what he does is give the youth/younger players a chance. Some clubs have no choice but to throw younger players into their teams due to financial constraints(Arsenal seem to have self imposed finacial restraints). Out of the clubs that have constantly reached the CL(man u, chelsea & l'poo) since Wenger took over at Arsenal how many have brought through younger players that consistently play in the first 11?

After the game on Sunday it was widely reported that Man u's team was a younger age than Arsenals and Fergie is now saying the Manchester united team is all about bringing youth though(some of his comments about it sound very Wengeresc)

You make some valid points in your original post but I think it just turns into a Wenger bashing exercise by the end of it.

[OneBardGooner]

Dash it 4,000 and I could have used it for a Tits thread....

[stg]

I also think Wenger does not nessasary invest in youth but he does invest in potential