In the short term somebody could come along, take charge of Arsenal, slap a couple of players around, bring in some familiar faces to numb any unrest and quickly win the club a trophy. Wenger would be forgotten as fans revel in the revolution, high on the fumes of a quick success, their quick fix, dancing and sipping alcohol beneath Highbury and Islington town hall unaware that it won’t last, at least not in the romantic way of building achievements. But then maybe that is the modern football fan, speeding down the outside, arms length a hand on the steering wheel, the other wrapped around an inflatable Premiership cup, singing along to the latest Arsenal Away Boyz and too caught up to think about tomorrow.
Would it last for long? The second season might be another push for the crown, the third being where it all goes wrong, a tragedy swathed in the stomach-ache of Europa League qualification. No quick fix this time but still the itching dependency on it, one which summons the irrationality leading the addicted down any new alley in order to hit upon satisfaction. Another manager arrives, a sudden high, followed by an inevitable low and an anxiety that grows and grows until managers are as frequent as new kits.
Arsenal’s greatness is down to its long history. History is formed by proper stories of club legends and a special tie between the fans, manager and players that only becomes distinguished after many years of friendship defaced by the lows and washed clean by the highs. Songs are formed, YouTube montages are posted. It’s hard to forget the stupidity of your heroes coming out of nightclubs with their trousers around their ankles or the cringe-worthy antics that lead to either smiles or fits of rage. How can all this happen when a club is famous for comers and goers? How can this way of life give deliver legends and history?
Who will remember Phil Scolari at Chelsea? Everybody knows when Wenger took up office at Arsenal and everybody will remember the year he leaves. In ten years time will Chelsea fans be able to name the year Scolari was there? Pub talk will be of Jose Mourinho, not Scolari, probably not even Guus Hiddink. Carlo Ancelotti could yet succumb to the same fate. How about Roy Hodgson’s appointment at Liverpool? OK, there was a dip under Rafa Benitez, but if one man could have turned it around, well, it was probably the devilish Spaniard. Still, the fans got what they wanted; a guy whose signings promise the exotic then on arrival seem counterfeit. Yes, Hodgson is well travelled, though very much like the Brit who goes on summer holiday and eats in McDonalds or returns with a tacky souvenir.
It depends what you want as a fan. Of course, Wenger could leave tomorrow and his name would remain forever. The guy became a legend at Arsenal quicker than anybody else. The method of bringing in a fresh manager every few season could be one that works, but recent evidence places that idea on icy ground. The managerial merry-go-round in England has become such a joke that most of us are actually too busy laughing to even consider how easy it is for a manager to be sacked one week and then employed the next.
Paul Hart has been at four different clubs in two years. Five games into spell at Queens Park Rangers he left the club, replaced by Neil Warnock. Hart then joined Crystal Palace where Warnock had just been. Alan Irvine gets sacked at Preston North End and Darren Ferguson takes over from Peterborough. Ferguson Junior lasts 49 games and goes back to The Posh, while Irvine heads to Sheffield Wednesday to last just 59 games. Gary Megson is the latest manager at Hillsborough having won just two in 12 games. It seems there is a bus route for managers in England who get on and off whenever they like. The problem is they ride for free. And Paul Ince wonders why black managers are few and far between?
Perhaps it is different at the top of the Premier League where foreign managers can be attracted and the richest don’t have to eat from England’s stale platter, although Liverpool have just had has their first taste of rotten goods. I guess what we are talking about is care. A manager might care, but can he really care enough knowing that the next job will just fall into his lap, made all the more relaxing as the sports media arrange relaxing, well paid stocking-fillers.
Nowhere should this be used to cover up Wenger’s latest failures. Losing to Barcelona and Manchester United in two cups isn’t unrealistic, only disappointing watching Rafael and Fabio upend Arsenal’s free-flowing stuff. Tactically Fergie had outdone his biggest foe once again. Wenger didn’t change the game or respond with invention, the medicine wore off reminding the fans of the teams oldest trick; making it seem like everything about the squad had turned the corner only to find it still parked, clamped and fined.
Soon enough Wenger might have outstayed his welcome because a club like Arsenal does need to meet its own expectancies. For the moment, even after so long with little forward momentum, the time hasn’t arrived. The danger is turning into a revolving door like all the rest, filling the cabinet with silverware more regularly but not adding to the endless list of legends and stories that makes Arsenal Arsenal. And when that day comes, you might find Wenger in the fast lane, along the French Riviera, arms length a hand on the steering wheel, the other wrapped around a bottle of Sauvignon and too caught up to think about tomorrow.
JACK WILSHERE
Thinking about Wenger’s unofficial tenureship with the Gunners, it’s hard to look at Jack Wilshere and think the boy is just starting his career at Arsenal. You’ll hear a lot over the next few weeks that Arsenal can’t win the league without Johan Djourou, Theo Walcott, Cesc Fabregas and a quality keeper. With Wilshere in the team mind, I always feel Arsenal can win. It feels like Jack has been a part of these past trophyless six years. He oozes quality and desire, and foremost, that word, care. People like Tony Cascarino were talking about putting too much pressure on him. I don’t but into all that and especially with Wilshere who is handling life at the top like a game of FIFA.
ALEX FERGUSON
The longest serving manager in the Premier League was hit with a five match ban and a £30,000 fine for comments made after defeat to Chelsea. Stand and applaud the FA for finally making an example of Manchester United, or so it may seem. The real punishment would have been to ban Wayne Rooney for cheaply elbowing James McCarthy, something tangible that would have direct effects to United’s season. Plonking Fergie in the stands either side of the interval won’t change a thing and the fine is merely pocket change. It’s the FA’s way of appearing tough, but acting weak.
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