He normally signs a two year extension but his last contract was a three year one. I have a suspicion that it's his last contract. He will be 68 (I think) when this contract is up and you can see he has aged in the last couple of years. I think this contract was given with a longer length with the view to him retiring at the end of it. I think he'll be given the full term of his contract unless we do ridiculously poorly and he will either retire completely or take on a less time consuming or ambassadorial role for the club. I also think we will be having discussions with his possible successor during his current contract (most likely with his input) and have something in place before wenger goes to ensure a smooth handover. Our board are a cautious bunch and like to plan and take there time to get things right (or what they perceive to be right) and I think given the recent fortunes of other clubs after changing managers it'll be a process they take time with and do in an effective way. They are businessmen rather than people who will get all passionately caught up in the football and make rash decisions.
My post is simply what I think will happen based on the boards previous actions and way of thinking. Whether you or others want him gone is irrelevant unless we really, really fail. Wenger has one of the safest jobs in the sport.
That's not a good thing, you need pressure, as in pressure to know you can get fired, you get complacent after.
Well that's a whole debate about leadership styles and motivational theories to be had another time, I was just saying I think he has a very safe job, not any opinion either way whether it is a good thing
What really drives me up the wall is I believe Wenger is capable of still being an elite manager. In order to do that though he has to be adaptable and he has to change his principles. Being constantly attacked by the British media has made Wenger more stubborn than ever. He always has to win 'his way'. It's never just as just simple as 'winning a game' or 'winning a trophy'. Wenger gives himself parameters by which he has to do it within. (i.e. We have to play a certain way etc..) Mangers like Mourinho do whatever it takes to win.. Wenger on the other hand makes it difficult for himself.
I think up till now, majority of fans have supported AW, even though it appears on this board that majority want him out. I think it is the vocal majority. I have not been at a game season (as I managed to fob my season ticket to some poor mug for the season). My kid brother has a ticket and struggled to give Saturday's game away. As you say the owners are business men, and if things carry on the way it is on the pitch, I suspect their hands might be forced. There is some sort of apathy within the Arsenal fans, I also suspect there are rumblings within the rank, but I don't think it has reached the level where Arsene's position is untenable. All he has to do is go on a good run and all his good again. Look at Newcastle....
Thought Usmanov was spot on with his recent comments: "Everybody makes mistakes. He can make mistakes and I know as you age it is more difficult, more challenging to accept one's mistakes. “The potential of the team is there but there is no critical evaluation of mistakes and they need to acknowledge them, because no genius can retain the same level of genius if they do not acknowledge mistakes. "It's only when you admit your mistakes that you can get rid of them. I wish this for my club. "Nothing bad is happening apart from repeating the same result - we keep being in the middle of the Champions League but we only lose the first play-off games. Some may be happy with that but as a share-holder, I am not." Like I said earlier I still believe Wenger has the skills and knowledge to still be a TOP manager. But he refused to acknowledge his mistakes and refuses to adapt. He basically makes it hard on himself.
guys lets not kid ourselves any longer. we fluked the FA Cup win as we were 2 nil down in 10 ****ing minutes, and Hull then threw it away. we played well in Community Shield but not sure if it was City being **** or not caring that made us look good. we are already out of League Cup. we will get knocked out of FA Cup by first semi decent team we play. we have been average to poor in CL, but will scrap through in 2nd place, and will immediately get knocked out having lost both legs in last 16 round. we have been poor to **** in PL. we have scrapped draws against lower teams, we have already lost to Chelsea, and already dropped too many points at home. we are great at "Le Possession", but we never turn it into an end product of a win, our loss against United typifies that. AW hasn't sussed that all teams just let us have possession as they aren't scared of us, and then they hit us with a counter attack when we give ball away with all our players in opponents half !! [see second goal for United against us for example]. our match game tactic is : make lots of passes, make more passes, all players press forward, Ramsey/Wilshre/Santi/Ox/Ozil give ball away in middle of pitch, stand with hands on hips and moan at ref for not giving us a foul, and then watch in amazement as opponents rush at Shezzzer and score. repeat process till end of game. repeat process for whole of season. then don't buy players in positions we need and are crying out for, and that every ****ing media/sports pundit points out that we need ! then hope that "our mental strength is good" and that Diaby will return. and that others aren't injured for too long. blame everyone else but yourself. then finish 4th by scrapping a draw at home against already relegated team on last day of season. repeat process every season as board are very happy with the money thats coming in! **** how the fans feel. or .......... Silent stan sell your ****ing shares to Usminov and let him blow a couple of £billion and buy every ****er that we can {Messi, Ronaldo, Hummels, Reus, Suarez, Bale] and **** FFP and lets be smug ****s like Chavski and ****y fans. or .......... lets be more like Spuds and Loserpool, spend millions every year and never win the league, change manager every season. i know what we are doing at the moment is dog ****, but that is Le Arsenal Way
This is humorous but spot on. Wenger needs to realise that showing mental strength ain't the same as physical strength. Most of the well known critics are saying we are a soft touch and unfortunately this is true. We don't have the steel of the Arsenal winners of a few years ago. Some people seem delighted that we played well and outplayed United but we lost the match. I would prefer us to have been s--t and scraped home 2-1 as United did. We still need the midfield enforcer and the world class striker that we've badly needed for several seasons.
One more thing that really puzzles me is this: What the heck is going at the academy??? Reason I ask is, why we cannot get a young right back to fill in at the back, rather than play chambers there, move him away from his natural position, and then play a Left back as a centre half? Monreal is left back, why continuously play him out of position, are the young players not good enough? Southampton, appear to be growing their players.... I looked at our players out on loan, they can not get a game playing for Borehamwood, Brentford and Concord Rangers, how the heck can they make it the Arsenal?
I've been wondering the same thing. The only defensive players we've brought through is Gibbs, not exactly a great return. The fact that our best defender this season has been Chambers, a Southampton youth product and player that isn't even their best just shows that something isn't going right. We only have two Arsenal players from our youth setup, and Wilshere would struggle to get into our proper first 11 and Gibbs hasn't had one full injury free season. Considering we were desperate for a keeper for ages, a striker, a DM and now defenders, we've produced little. Not one youth prospect is a key player for us, not one. That is indeed a poor return.
We're not going to bring through many defensive players. I'm sure plenty of attacking midfielders emerged though.
Not seen many attacking midfielders emerging mate other than Wilshere. The last time i checked we brought in Ozil, Cazorla, OXO and Sanchez. Unless of course they are infants of course. Our youth academy is full of hype. What ever happened to Jay Emmanuel-Thomas.....
It is worrying, at one point there was an Arsenal academy player in practically every Prem team, whereas now they all seem to end up in League 1! We're going to really struggle to meet our HG and Trained at Arsenal quota if we carry on like this (for CL qualification rules). Were is Zelam and Gnarby? I know Gnarby was injured, but was supposed to have come back before Walcott. We've had no Defenders come through the academy since Djornou who wasn't really a DF, and Bartley can't even get a start for Swansea. Its worrying as its something we always used to be good at, and instead of having a load of youngsters snapping at the senior players heels, we've just replaced the youngsters with older players...
I really do not understand it either.... I wonder whether with our new found financial freedom, we have taken our eye off developing home grown talents, and are looking for quick fix out in the markets. If Nathaniel Clyne had been playing at Arsenal, would he have been given a chance, Southampton know they have to grow the bulk of their players..... So they have to give them a chance.... What message must AW be sending out, I have a defensive crisis, however I do not rate you enough, better play the senior players out of position.... what is the worst that could have happened, we threw away a 3 goal lead, lost at Swansea and at home to United? I believe this could have been a valuable lesson to the kids...
It seems to me when we were in financial constraints, we were more likely to play our youth players. Now, we seem to just buy them. If we had the money then I doubt Wilshere would have made the team. Most of our best youth players were shop bought - Walcott, OXO, Chambers, Ramsey.....
