I was never really in the Arsene Knows Best bandwagon
nor was I in the Wenger Out brigade. To be honest, I don’t think anyone
ever really starts in one of these camps. Now though, I am tilting towards the Wenger
Out school of thought.
Wenger has given us some great years and was the perfect
manager for us from the time he took over in 1996 till about 2010 which included
the great trophy winning years followed by the stadium move which tied our
hands down. He truly pushed us to the next level. We needed Wenger’s conservative spending and management which kept us in
European football kicking about with the big boys. Post 2010 though it has been
a different story - rather the same story ironically! All clubs around us had strengthened, started using technology, better scouting networks etc. We now had the stadium
debt well in control and were ready to splash the cash on marquee signings.
This was the time to strengthen in the areas where we longed for world class
talent. We were assured by the manager and the board there was cash to be spent
and we would where needed. We were given hopes, sold the dreams of challenging
for the league but as it turned out it was just that. The seasons started, same
old failings began to surface, same old squad shortages reared their ugly
heads, same old injuries began to haunt us and we fizzled out of the race
around Jan-Feb period.
Not to say we did not sign any great players – we did secure
services of Ozil and Sanchez in two consecutive summer transfer windows (even
Arshavin after he had left Europe gasping with his sublime performances) but we
still left gaping holes in our squad at the same time. We failed to add a top
striker to our rolls for so many years. So much so that recently we Arsenal
fans were longing for Giroud’s return from injury as if he would propel us to
top of the league. Don’t get me wrong he is a decent striker but that’s all he
is - decent. We never really added a solid DM to our folds. We always were ‘those
2-3 players’ short of putting up a realistic challenge for the league. We now rarely rotate unless forced by injury. We run the same players to the ground week-in week-out resulting in injuries, tiredness and also rustiness for those who aren't given game time.
All
these makes one wonder if Wenger has now crossed the thin line between genius
and plain stubborn. A stubborn person out to prove the world wrong.
I think I have had enough of Mr. Wenger’s stubbornness to
address the obvious. We are where we were the year after the stadium move - 2006.
There has been no flexing of our financial muscle (ours isn’t the bulky kind like that of a Sunil Shetty ..cough – Man City or of a Salman Khan..cough – Chelsea;
ours is a fit, strong and sustainable kind like that of an Akshay Kumar, and it can be flexed!!).
Wenger has done great things for the club and will always be
one of the best managers we have had. He rightly has his bust installed at the
club and we will always be thankful to him for the great years, for the
beautiful football, for the term ‘footballistically’, for the Invincibles... but
I think he cannot take us forward anymore. We need someone with new ideas to do
that. It is now time for Mr. Wenger to move on before he ruins his legacy. Au
revoir, Monsieur!
