Wenger to Work his Magic on Torres?

July 1, 2013

When the “Torres to Arsenal” rumours broke yesterday they came as no surprise to regular readers of the comments section of Arsenal Arsenal.

Our well-informed fellow blogger Kelsey revealed weeks ago that we were talking to Chelsea about the Spanish forward and that we had even gone so far as to make an offer.

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To me the story makes a lot of sense.

Higuain may be our number one striker target (although who knows? No-one at Arsenal has commented about the Madrid-based Argentine and I would not entirely rule out the possibility that the whole thing is a newspaper fiction that has taken on a life of its own).

But let’s take things at face value and say we are interested in him. Even so, we would be crazy to have him as our only option to fill the “world class” striker role that is essential for giving extra edge to our attack.

Players change their minds; agents can mess up any deal and if one of the financially doped Oiler teams sets their greedy eye on him we would be out-bid in a heartbeat.

So I both hope and assume that Arsene Wenger has other goal poachers in his sights this summer.

Wayne Rooney may be one. He inspires mixed feelings amongst Arsenal supporters (Gn5 said only yesterday that he could never forgive him for the atrocious dive that helped end our unbeaten streak), but he would undoubtedly strengthen our team and his departure would weaken Manchester United at the same time.

Some people doubt we could afford his wages, but with a big signing on fee and the promise of a free granny flat in the Highbury Square development I reckon we could woo the Roo.

Then there is Torres. At Liverpool he looked like one of the best strikers in the world. Then he went to Chelsea and his career stalled badly.

Maybe he hit a run of bad form; maybe he found it difficult to displace fan favourite Didier Drogba; maybe he is just allergic to Chavmungus scumbags, of whom there are many in the Chelsea dressing room.

Whatever the reason, and despite some signs of recapturing his form from time to time while in West London, there is no doubt that Fernando Torres’s stock is much lower now than it was when he quit the Scousers.

With Mourinho arriving as manager, the Spaniard must be unsure of his place in the Chavs’ future plans.

All of which could make him a perfect Wenger signing. Much of Arsenal’s early success under Arsene Wenger came from players whose careers had stalled or stagnated elsewhere.

Dennis Bergkamp (yes, I know he was signed before Arsene arrived but there is evidence that Arsene advised Dein to buy him) was struggling at Inter Milan. He had been signed from Ajax after his startling skills caught the attention of top clubs throughout Europe. His first season in Milan was so-so, but the following year things started to go wrong. He suffered injuries and wasn’t scoring goals. This is what it says on Dennis’s Wikipedia page: “Off the field, Bergkamp’s relationship with the Italian press and fans became uncomfortable. His shy persona and his propensity to go home after matches was interpreted as apathy. Because of his poor performance on the pitch, one Italian publication renamed their award given to the worst performance of the week, L’asino della settimana (Donkey of the Week) to Bergkamp della settimana (Bergkamp of the Week).”

That last fact makes me want to find a Milanese and punch him in the kisser.

Anyway, thankfully Dennis opted to join us and became a legend.

Then there was Marc Overmars. No-one would touch the flying winger because he was coming back from a traumatic, long-term injury which – according to conventional wisdom – had taken the edge off his speed. Under Arsene he flew once again.

Patrick Vieira: at AC Milan he was languishing in the reserves and played only twice for the first team. Arsene brought him to The Home Of Football where, from his first memorable appearance in the famous red and white, it was clear that we had someone special.

Thierry Henry: yes, already a World Cup winner when we bought him – but only as a wide man used off the bench by Les Bleus. He was not seen as a central striker by anyone except Arsene.

Nwankwo Kanu: like Overmars, untouchable because of injury – in Kanu’s case a dodgy ticker that required major corrective surgery in the US and led to the memorable terrace song “he’s big, he’s black, he’s had a heart attack.” Untouchable, that is, by anyone except Arsene Wenger.

Bobby Pires: unhappy at Marseille and in dispute with the club’s owners when Arsene picked him up.

You can see what I’m getting at. Put in the context of those early Wenger signings, Torres could very easily be the sort of player who could rekindle the highest heights at Arsenal. And unlike the others, he already has comprehensive experience of the Premier League.

When he was at his pomp in Liverpool Torres looked like the heir to Thierry Henry. His speed, his strength and his finishing all reminded one of our great Frenchman. Now, at 29, he should have two or three years of being at the absolute top of his game.

I, for one, would be perfectly happy to see him with a cannon on his chest.

Do you agree?

RockyLives

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Santi Cazorla Shows The Way To Real Madrid

June 28, 2013

There are two ways of being frustrated as an Arsenal fan during transfer windows.

The first and most obvious is the endless parade of “Arsenal on the brink of signing Player X” stories.

But equally distressing can be the stories that purport to show that our stars are wanted by teams elsewhere and, worse, may be interested in upping sticks and leaving.

We know from recent painful experience that these tales sometimes turn out to be true.

santi 1

So when news feeds started reporting earlier this week that Real Madrid had given up monkey-hunting for a while and were interested in our gifted playmaker Santi Cazorla, it will have sent a quiver through the stoutest Arsenal bottom.

But no sooner had the reports emerged than little Santi – many fans’ choice for our player of the season last year – killed them dead in the water.

While on duty with the Spanish national side he told journalists: “I have three years left on my contract and I have not thought of anything like that. My plan is to continue at the club. Arsenal are treating me very well and I want to win a title with them.”

santi 2

There you go. It’s not so hard, is it?

I often wonder why more players don’t instantly put an end to transfer speculation by categorically stating that they are not going anywhere.

Maybe they like to keep their options open: “…you never know, what if Madrid offer me 200k a week?” Or maybe they think being linked with other big clubs will help them get a better deal at Arsenal. Or maybe those mischievous imps of the modern game, their agents, advise them to say nothing.

santi 3

But Santi Cazorla has shown exactly how it should be done. He is clearly happy at Arsenal. He knows the supporters love him and he feels optimistic about our future. So it was perfectly natural for him to do the honourable thing and pledge his loyalty. I remember Thomas Vermaelen doing something similar a year or two ago when linked with Barcelona (something his current detractors might like to reflect on).

What do you think? Do we fans have a right to know what our players’ intentions for their future are? Do have they have an obligation to speak to us and, if they do, are they obliged to speak honestly?

Either way, Santi’s statement is just one more reason to love the little man.

RockyLives

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Tony Adams and Santi Cazorla at Loggerheads

June 24, 2013

There have been two important Arsenal-related statements this week – one from a club legend and one from a legend-in-the-making.

The interesting thing is that the two statements are diametrically opposed to each other.

The established legend – Tony Adams – says Arsenal are “miles off” winning the Premiership title.

The legend-to-be – Santi Cazorla – says the opposite. He reckons we can definitely be among the trophies next year and that our form during last season’s run-in has given the players the confidence they need to push on to glory.

So who is right? Little or Large? Rodders or Adam Sandler?

Both deserve to be listened to. Big Tone because he embodies the spirit of modern Arsenal and he knows what it takes to win the English league title; and little Santi because he knows the strengths and weaknesses of the players around him and, quite possibly, also has an inkling about our summer transfer intentions.

Tony’s exact quote was: “It’s time that Arsenal won something again, even the FA Cup or the League Cup. But, I can’t see it to be honest. They are still not good enough in certain areas of the team. And they are miles off the title.”

We can speculate about what he means by us being not good enough in certain areas. I would imagine he’s referring to not having a world class striker and, possibly, he feels there is still something lacking in our defensive play despite the successful run-in. Maybe a better goalkeeper is also part of his thinking.

Most fans would probably agree with those sentiments. It’s why we’re all anxiously scanning the news every day for the much-anticipated transfer coups which, we hope, will fix those weaknesses.

In fairness to Tony, there was no follow-up question (or at least none reported) asking him whether he thought we could compete if we made two or three good signings.

But his use of the phrase “miles off” suggests that he thinks our shortcomings are not going to be solved by the arrival of some new faces this summer. Interestingly though, he also maintained his backing of Arsene Wenger as the man to lead Arsenal to future glory.

Santi Cazorla, as you might expect from a current player, was more upbeat. He said: “When the team does not win and we do not get the results we want, the collective confidence does drop a little and that is natural.

“Now we have put in a spectacular run-in and you can see the difference in mentality. We have great players. I am sure we will be a better team and improve. This season we hope we can be even better and win trophies and the supporters can enjoy it. That is what Arsenal really wants.”

Cazorla had an outstanding first year in the English Premier League and was many fans’ choice for Player of the Season.

He has seen at first hand what we’re up against in our challenge to win the title next year. He has played against the financially-doped, overpaid stars of the Northern and Southern Oilers and against the referees’ favourite team from the red half of Manchester. He has tasted victory and defeat against our pox-ridden neighbours.

He has also seen what his team mates are capable of: the ability to grind out wins in difficult circumstances and the willingness to work for one another that was so evident in the last 10 or so games of the past season.

So whose word do we believe? Tony Adams’ or Santi Cazorla’s?

For me it has to be Santi – and not just because I am of a generally optimistic outlook regarding where Arsenal is heading.

He has been part of Spain’s all-conquering national side so – like Adams – he also knows a thing or two about winning and if he believes we can do it I am inclined to go along with him.

Tony, on the other hand, has a track record of making odd statements and, occasionally, some pretty negative comments about Arsenal.

For example, as recently as mid April he was slagging off the club’s transfer policy and confidently pronouncing that we would not make Top Four by the end of the season.

I have no doubt that he was speaking from the heart and from a desire to see Arsenal at the top again, but he was wrong about the Top Four (it may have been a squeaky-bum finish, but we did it) and his comments about our transfer policy are reflective of the ill-informed views of many fans (ie, they did not take into account the financial background of the last seven years).

It wasn’t the only occasion in recent seasons on which Tony talked down our end-of-season prospects while we are still in the thick of the fight. In fact he pops up with this sort of negativity as often as your common or garden Redknapp. And like Twitchy, he always turns out to be wrong.

If we make the sort of ambitious signings that we’re all hoping for it would be nice to hear some upbeat words from the big man before the new season begins.

If Tony thinks he should have been made Chairman of the Board at Arsenal after the news of Peter Hill-Wood stepping down, he might well reflect on what one of the principle roles of a chairman is: namely, to be the public flag-bearer of the club; to always talk it up and to keep his more pessimistic thoughts to himself.

Mind you, even if Chairman is a stretch, I think it would be a public relations masterstroke for Arsenal to invite Tony onto the Board as a non-executive director.

RockyLives

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Youth Policy. A waste of Money?

June 23, 2013

What is happening at youth level? Why has Liam Brady who has been Head of our Youth programme decided to resign – and this after spending most of his life at Arsenal?

Is the Youth Policy a waste of Arsenal’s resources?

It must cost a great deal of money to coach all these kids from the age of 8 up to the reserve and first teams – are we getting value for money? Who have we managed to sell from this outlay in order to “balance the books”? Lansbury, Stokes, maybe a few more. And who in today’s first team has made it from the hundreds who have passed through the ranks? Wilshere, Frimpong and ……?

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Academy Team 2013

Gibbs, Ramsey, Cesc, Coquelin, Theo, etc all came to AFC from other team’s youth systems. Perhaps this is the better option – to cherry pick and if this is the new Arsenal way, then why bother with the  little kids?

There has been a cull in the Academy with almost half the squad shipped out. They will be replaced by other young men pursuing their dream. Who knows, one or two of these chaps may make the first team but statistically it is highly unlikely.

However, there is another viewpoint and that is Arsenal in the Community. It is essential that at a local level Arsenal continue to be the pinnacle of youth football in North London. We have a fantastic reputation as educators of good footballers and there are many of our “rejects” who make a decent living in the lower leagues. In these days of balance sheets and “value” it is laudable that the club continues it’s traditions.

Looking back through the Wenger Years I can only think of Ashley and Jack who have risen to the top, perhaps there are others but this is a 30 minute post and I have done little/No research (sorry).

So, the Youth Policy. Value for money …. No, Valuable ….. Yes.

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Direct from the Spurs Youth Policy and Just for Peaches 

written by Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

Do we need Wanyama?

June 14, 2013

Arteta, Wilshere, Cazorla,Ramsey, Rosicky, Frimpong, Coquelin, Oxlade – Chamberlain, Eisfeld. Everyone a midfield player whom I would be happy to see play in most games. Yet ask most fans what is missing and they would say a muscular defensive shield – someone we have lacked since Gilberto Silva.

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But do we really need this player?

The performance of Arteta last season was superb; he kept the team going forward, he worked tirelessly to cut out danger and in tandem with Ramsey proved we can hold onto a one goal lead. The final few games when the defence ensured our progress to 4th showed we can be effective with Ramsey and Mikel working in tandem.

Coquelin and Frimpong? Reports from the trenches are that Frimpong ‘s injuries will severely hamper his aggressive style of play and I expect him to move on following rehab. Coquelin is difficult because I see a quality player in this fellow. He has energy, an eye for a pass and technique. What he lacks is tactical awareness but that can be taught and Francis is still young. Sadly, I expect him to ask for a transfer, though perhaps he is not good enough to become a first choice DM.

The attacking possibilities are so good there is no need for an addition – probably a cull is in order!

Eisfeld is an interesting player who appears to have a big future ahead of him, but will he get any first team chances and if not will he say “Thanks but no thanks”, as he sees a future on the bench.

Who gets dropped if we do sign a quality DM? Ramsey? Arteta? Don’t talk to me about rotation because a settled team is an essential in my eyes and a big money DM will insist upon a first team place.

I have no idea what Mr Wenger will do in summer, nor how he will pick his midfield next season. I cannot tell you who would be my midfield 3 or 4 and would like to hear your opinions.

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A Sad Day at The Arsenal

June 8, 2013

Yesterday was a tough old day for many Arsenal players and ex-players as they saw their contracts come to en end and were released from their clubs.

Some, like Kolo Toure, have the chance to go to a top team and continue their highly successful careers. Others like Connor Henderson are left wondering what happens next?

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Conor

We have released 14 players which compared to last season’s 5 is a huge reduction in staff. It calls into question the efficacy of the youth system and perhaps explains why Liam Brady is retiring.

How must it feel for those young aspirants who have been at Arsenal since they were children?

Imagine: You are thrilled to be asked to join the Arsenal as a child, all your mates are excited for you. Everywhere you go people know you as a future star, your parents are beyond ecstatic and help you in every way, your school hold you up as shining example and you wake up every day as a member of one of the biggest football clubs in the world. You are one of the elite.

You work hard and progress through the youth teams, and have articles written about you. You are top of the Google list for your name; it looks so great and you are planning how to spend your millions. You have an agent who tells you that you are the Dog’s B’s, and have a swarm of willing ladies who follow you. You have access to VIP areas in night clubs because You are Arsenal.

Then you are called in to see Mr Wenger. It can go one of two ways – either you are going to be offered an improved wage and a contract extension or you are out. Imagine the nerves. You sit and listen to what is said, the managers kind introduction and words of consolation, but all you hear is rejection. You walk out of the office in a stunned silence. You have to tell your parents and your friends that you are no longer an Arsenal player – imagine making those phone calls. At the age of just 18/19.

To those young players who today must scramble around and find new clubs and rebuild your careers, please remain strong and resolute. Just getting as far as you have shows there is a future for you. Perhaps not at the top level, as statistically few who are released come back to the Premiership, but a decent living nonetheless.

My heart goes out to you

written by Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

Secret Letters Reveal Arsenal Transfer Plans

June 3, 2013

Yes, it’s that time again: time to find out which of the “transfer target” stories have legs and which don’t, based on an ancient and secret formula for decoding the gossip and separating the silver from the dross.

The key lies in the letters.

No, not letters from Dick Law to various European club presidents saying “Please can we have player X. We will give you lots of money eventually but only after we have haggled until the last second of the transfer window. Go on – please.”

It’s far more mysterious than that.

You see just as astrologers find hidden meaning in the music of the spheres and phrenologists divine whole futures from the bumps on your bonce, so too can skilled observers detect clues from the very letters that make up the names of our purported targets.

I am such a skilled observer so, once again, I can proudly reveal the results of the Arsenal Arsenal Anagramometer. It’s a very simple process: you take the letters of a given target’s name, scramble them into new words – and in those words lie the answers to whether those players are right for the Mighty Arsenal or – in some cases – are definitely heading our way.

For example, a couple of summers ago there was a story linking us with a move for the Wolves and Ireland striker Kevin Doyle. There were even some indications that the Arsenal hierarchy really were looking at him as a stop-gap target man.

However, once the Arsenal Arsenal Anagramometer revealed that when you scramble “Kevin Doyle” you get “Evil Donkey” the club dropped him like a hot potato. And rightly so.

Likewise I could have told you weeks ago that Yaya Sanogo would be joining us after I scrambled his letters and came up with: “As a Goon? Yay!”

So now we move onto this summer’s mooted targets. The secrets that emerge from the anagramometer may surprise you…

Stevan Jovetic

The Montenegran striker currently at Fiorentina has been very strongly linked with us this summer. I don’t doubt his skills, but the letters show that he may be motivated by personal greed and may have an arrogant personality that won’t gel with the rest of the dressing room: “Vain – Covets Jet.”

Gonzalo Higuain

Sometimes the revelations of the letters are clear – sometimes they are more cryptic. Higuain comes into the latter category. The supremely gifted, two-footed Argentinian striker has apparently told Real Madrid that he wants to leave – but will he come to us? His scrambled letters come out as “Laughing In A Zoo.” Now that could be a reflection of how he feels currently in the crazy world of Mourinho’s Madrid. Or it could be a metaphor for him having a happy and successful time in the middle of Arsenal’s menagerie of prize specimens from all over the world. I like Higuain so I hope it’s the latter.

Wayne Rooney

Poor old Wazza. We’ve unscrambled him before and it always just comes out as “Nan Were Yoyo.” The idea of a grannie bouncing up and down on a teenage Wayne is guaranteed to put anyone off their supper. And I’m afraid it guarantees that we will not be seeing Rooney with a cannon on his chest.

Edinson Cavani

If we want someone who is the anti-Rooney, then Edinson – who’s been banging in the goals for Napoli – is our man. It’s all in the letters, you see: “Nice – Avoids Nan.”

Julio Cesar

Another cryptic one. Julio’s letters unscramble as “Jail Course”. I know it looks confusing at first glance, but to the trained eye it’s another story – and one that almost certainly means he’s on his way to our squad this summer. For a start, he has had a course of confinement in the jail that was QPR’s relegation season under chief warder ‘Appy ‘Arry and he is clearly desperate to breathe again the fresh air of freedom. Secondly, the meaning of “jail” in the context of a goalkeeper is “secure, safe.” Basically, we’re going to sign Cesar and he’s going to be great.

Victor Wanyama

Unfortunately the letters in the Celtic defensive midfielder’s name do not reveal whether or not he’s joining us – but they do show that if we  get him, we will be getting a player with oodles of confidence: “I Can Avow My Art.”

Clement Grenier

Arseblogger himself has a little dabble at anagramising Clement’s name yesterday. He came up with “Gentlemen Crier” for the Lyon midfielder. Nice try ‘Blogger, but it takes years of dedication to master this particular art. In fact the true unscrambling of the Frenchman’s name suggests that if we get him this summer, it will only be a loan basis and that he will be very, very good: “Renting Le Crème.”

David Villa

I was gutted when I saw the way the letters fell with the Barcelona and Spain striker Villa. He’s a great player and I was hoping we might get him this summer. But “Advil Valid” suggests that if we do, it will be a headache for all concerned. Steer clear, Arsene!

Lars Bender

Who needs an anagram when you’re called Lars Bender, you might well ask. But even the most amusing names can benefit from a spin cycle in the anagramometer. And when we throw in the young Bayern Leverkusen midfielder we find that he might fit in ever so smoothly with our existing midfielders: “Rare Blends.”

Christian Benteke

If Arsene is tempted by the Aston Villa striker I feel impelled to warn him that it would be an unwise gamble. The naturalized Belgian (he was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo) has had a good season in the Premier League but would be overpriced and may well suffer from second season syndrome. The letters are emphatic on what we should think of Wenger if he signs him: “Arsene In Thick Bet.”

Finally a player with whom we have not yet been officially linked but… you never know. After all, no-one was expecting that Sol Campbell would abandon the swamp dwellers and move to The Home of Football.

Gareth Bale

Let’s just say that if the Welsh Wing Wizard joins us, first he will have to have a “Large Bathe” to remove all traces of N17 pollution… you know, little bits of choke dust, some motes of envy and speckles of spite – all the usual detritus of lingering too long in the shadows.

That’s it.

Thank you for indulging my fondness for anagrams.

If it’s not your thing, no problem – it would still be great to hear what you think are the merits or failings of the above named players with whom we have been widely linked.

RockyLives

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Gervinho: Gooner or Goner?

June 2, 2013

There are persistent rumours in the media that Gervinho is close to the exit door at The Emirates. Should he be sold?

Can you remember a more infuriating player than our spindly Ivorian? Here we have a player with truly consummate skills – he has great pace, can beat 3 players with a shrug, can create space for himself in seemingly impossible situations, can play on both wings and given chances, he scores. So why isn’t The Mekon a first choice player, and why hasn’t he flourished in a team where his talents appear to fit?

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Seems like a Nice Boy

I should start with this statement. I really like Gervinho, he has a wonderful smile, he makes me laugh and he appears proud to wear the shirt. There was excitement when he signed for us at what seemed a reasonable price of £11m; he had just gone through a fine season with Lille, scoring 18 goals in a season where Lille surprisingly won Ligue 1. Gervinho , who scored  28 goals in 68 appearances for Lille was much in demand with Athletico Madrid , PSG and others seeking his talents, but he chose Arsenal – probably thanks to the Mr Wenger attraction in France (and PL money!)

Sent off in his first game for trying to take  a swipe at the hideous Joey Barton (you should have decked him).  His first season was interrupted by a trip to the African CoN but a return of just 4 goals from 26 starts and 11 subs apps was sub-standard. It appeared that if you put Gervinho 3 yards from goal and asked him to shoot he would either miss the ball or miss the target -…… cow’s arse/banjo.

2012/13 was better. His confidence was raised by getting some lucky strikes but the ACoN once again deprived Arsenal of his services. At season’s end Gerv had made 18 starts (+8 subs) scoring 7 goals. An improvement but still unsatisfactory.

Onto the negatives. We are not as solid defensively when Gervinho plays. He does work hard to track back but tackles like a wet paper bag; his crossing is poor – actually worse than poor, his passing is fine at close quarters but not so dusty over distance and his finishing is as clinical as a blind dentist. Mr Wenger seems to have decided that his attacking left sided player is Podolski.

Mr Wenger has tried to play Gervinho on the right, on the left, given him the centre forward role, played him as shadow striker, tried to teach him to defend, tried to teach him to cross – nothing has really succeeded. Gervinho remains an anomaly – good at many trades, master of none.

However, Gervinho has improved; as a substitute remains a positive force giving defenders problems whenever he comes on but is that enough to keep him at Arsenal? In the likely event of Mr Wenger buying a striker what happens to Gerv? Would Arsenal be better off selling him and giving opportunities to O-C, Gnabry,  Myachi etc

For me a Goner and not a Gooner.

Big Raddy

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Arsenal’s Greatest Squad 1st Vote – Greatest Manager

June 1, 2013

This week GN5 has provided us with a review of our greatest ever managers, its been interesting reading and quite illuminating discovering things about our managers, I knew the names I knew some were physios becoming managers, but there was lots of info I had no clue about.

I have known five managers in my lifetime, Terry Neil, Don Howe, George Graham, Bruce Rioch and Arsene Wenger, only two feature in this poll, which makes voting difficult, but GN5 has given me much food for thought as to where my vote should go.

Below is a handy spreadsheet showing the statistical achievements of the candidates, numbers can’t show what the manager did for the club in other ways.

HC GA TW BM GG AW
# Games 336 294 378 420 364 638
Games Won 157 137 171 181 167 368
Games Drawn 84 80 101 115 108 161
Games Lost 95 77 106 124 89 109
Goals For 736 552 677 554 543 1206
Goals For per Game 2.19 1.88 1.79 1.32 1.49 1.89
Goals Against 541 345 509 444 327 601
Goals Against per Game 1.61 1.17 1.35 1.06 0.90 0.94
% of Points Won 59.3 60.2 58.6 56.8 55.6 66.1
League Titles 2 3 2 1 2 3
FA Cups 1 1 1 1 1 4
League Cups 0 0 0 0 2 0
European Cups 0 0 0 1 1 0
Charity Shields 3 3 2 0 0 4

Also have a look at the posts that have been written over the last week:

Chapman and Allison

Whittaker and Mee

Graham and Wenger

So now its over to you:

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Arsenal’s Greatest Manager pt3 – George Graham or Arsene Wenger

May 31, 2013

Continuing our exploration of Arsenal’s Greatest Managers, see the previous 2 day’s posts for parts one and 2 in the series

5. George Graham: 1986-1995

George was born in Bargeddie, Lanarkshire. He was brought up by his mother and was the youngest of seven children who all lived in poverty. While still a youngster George showed considerable promise as a footballer and professional clubs like Aston Villa, Newcastle and Chelsea showed interest in his ability.

On his 17th birthday, in 1961, he was signed by Aston Villa, and later went on to play for Chelsea before being brought to Arsenal by Bertie Mee in 1966. With Arsenal he won a medal in the 1969–70, Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and was a part of Arsenal’s Double-winning side of 1970–71. He was transferred to Manchester United midway through the 1971-72 season and finally finished his playing career in California.

After retiring from playing he coached at Crystal Palace and then later Queens Park Rangers before being appointed manager of Millwall, who were bottom of the old Third Division.

tumblr_ma33knYmO01r7pn9do1_250Arsenal, who had not won a trophy since the FA Cup in 1978–79, appointed him as their new manager in May 1986. Arsenal finished fourth in his first season in charge, and then went on to win the 1987 League Cup. His sides featured tight defensive discipline, embodied by Tony Adams, who along with Lee Dixon, Steve Bould and Nigel Winterburn, formed the basis of Arsenal’s famous defence for over a decade. However, his teams were not only about defence as he had more than capable midfielders such as David Rocastle, Michael Thomas and Paul Merson, plus striker Alan Smith, who regularly scored 20 plus goals per season. In (1988–89), Arsenal won their first League title since 1971.

In the final game of the season against Liverpool at Anfield; Arsenal needed to win by two goals to take the title; Alan Smith scored for Arsenal early in the second half to make it 1–0 and with only seconds to go Michael Thomas surging through the Liverpool defence and lifting the ball over Bruce Grobbelaar and into the net.

The 1994 Cup Winners’ Cup was his last trophy at the club; the following February he was sacked after nearly nine years in charge, after it was discovered he had accepted an illegal £425,000 payment from Norwegian agent Rune Hauge following Arsenal’s 1992 acquisition of John Jensen and Pål Lydersen, two of Hauge’s clients. George was eventually banned for a year by the Football Association for his involvement in the scandal, after he admitted he had received an “unsolicited gift” from Hauge.

George Graham’s league record –

Games 364, Won 167, Drawn 108, Lost 89,

Goals for 543, Goals against 327,

Goals for per game 1.49, Goals against per game .90

Points won = 55.6%.

Average League Position 5.11

Total # of trophies won – 2 League titles, 1 FA Cup, 2 League Cups, 1 Cup Winners Cup.

6. Arsene Wenger: 1996 – Present

Arsene was born in Strasbourg, France and raised in Duttlenheim. He was introduced to football by his father, the manager of the local village team, however his playing career mostly as an amateur, was very modest.

He obtained a manager’s diploma in 1981 and started his management career in 1984 with Nancy; after being dismissed in 1987 he joined AS Monaco who then won the league championship in 1988. In 1991, Monaco also won the Coupe de France, but failed to regain the league title in later seasons and he left the club by mutual consent in 1994. He then coached Japanese J. League side Nagoya Grampus Eight and they won the Emperor’s Cup and Japanese Super Cup during his time with the club.

Manager-Arsene-Wenger-of-Arsenal-holds-the-Pr_1639778In 1996, Arsene was appointed as the manager of Arsenal and two years later the club completed a league and FA Cup double. He led Arsenal to appearances in the 2000 UEFA Cup Final and 2001 FA Cup Final, and a second league and cup double in 2002. Arsenal retained the FA Cup in 2003 and a year later regained the league title, becoming the first club to go through an entire league season undefeated since Preston North End, 115 years previously. The team later eclipsed Nottingham Forest’s record of 42 league matches unbeaten and went seven more matches before losing in October 2004. Arsenal made their first appearance in a Champions League final in 2006, though they lost to Barcelona. During his tenure, Arsenal has moved to a new training centre and after 93 years at Highbury they relocated to the Emirates Stadium.

His approach to the game emphasises an attacking mentality, with the aim that football ought to be entertaining on the pitch. Although he has made big-money signings for Arsenal, his net spend record on transfers is far superior to other leading Premier League clubs. The Arsenal defence, which set a new record in 2006 by going 10 consecutive games without conceding a goal in the Champions League, cost the club approximately £6 million to assemble. He is a strong an advocate of financial fair play in football and has been critical of the approach of teams like Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid for spending more than they take from revenue which he refers to as “financial doping”.

In a league match against Crystal Palace on 14 February 2005, Arsenal fielded a 16-man squad, that featured no British players for the first time in the club’s history, he brushed aside criticism by saying, “When you represent a club, it’s about values and qualities, not about passports”.

In February 1999, Arsene offered Sheffield United a replay of their FA Cup fifth round match immediately after the match had finished, due to the controversial circumstances in which it was won. The decisive goal was scored by Overmars after Kanu failed to return the ball to the opposition when it had been kicked into touch to allow Sheffield United’s Lee Morris to receive treatment for an injury, Arsenal went on to win the replay.

In 2002 he was awarded France’s highest decoration, the Légion d’Honneur and was in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List of 2003. He has also received an honorary OBE for his service to football and was then inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2006. A commissioned bronze bust of Arsene was unveiled as a tribute to him at the club’s annual general meeting on 18 October 2007. An Arsenal fan and astronomer, Ian Griffin, named an asteroid, 33179 Arsènewenger. In January 2011, he was voted “World Coach of the Decade” by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics.

Arsene Wenger’s Premier league record –

Games 638, Won 368, Drawn 161, Lost 109,

Goals for 1206, Goals against 601,

Goals for per game 1.89, Goals against per game .94

Points won = 66.1%,

Average League Position 2.44,

Total # of trophies won – 3 League titles, 4 FA Cup, 4 Charity Shields.

Written by GunnerN5 and compiled by Gooner in Exile

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