Firstly, it is important to say Mr David Wagner has not kicked the bucket, he has not shuffled off this mortal coil, nor has he run down the curtain and joined the choir invisible. No, he has “chosen” to leave his club.

Wagner seems a good chap; honest, passionate. hard working and highly intelligent. Importantly, when he talks he is understandable – could one of our problems lie in the awful English spoken by Emery? I don’t understand him so why should the players?

His departure highlights just how difficult and pressurised a job being a PL manager is, it also highlights just how resilient Mr. Wenger is/was. Wagner has been the most successful manager of Huddersfield Town since Herbert Chapman (almost), yet he clearly feels he is failing his team and club.

If you massively over-achieve in your first season, as keeping H’field in the PL must be considered, when you are unable to repeat this miracle should you leave “by mutual consent”? Surely it makes sense to set yourself and your team reasonable and achievable goals. Competing with teams who have a bigger budget, fanbase, squad etc etc.is inevitably difficult, there are always 3 losers.

Will bringing in one of the usual candidates  – Fat Sam, Pulis, Moyes, Hughes etc etc – help? No, it won’t. H’field are doomed.

Has Wagner received a better offer? A mid-table club in Spain/Germany who need a mid-season boost? It seems unlikely because he seems to be an honourable man, as such it must be the pressure. I cannot imagine how one copes. A PL manager must be obsessive, totally focussed, committed to a 24/7 working week, have a strong constitution added, of course, to the necessary football and man-management requirements.

Why am I writing this on an Arsenal blog? Because the loss of Wagner takes away one of our recent in-house jokes, though he may return!

Also, it gives an insight into the pressures Mr. Emery must suffer on a daily basis.  Mr. Emery must know that millions of fans around the globe question his relationship with Mr. Mesut Ozil, do you think it is easy for him?

David Wagner, I hope you return to the PL, in the meantime, I wish you well and thanks for the jokes.

written by BR