It’s time to wave goodbye

IT was supposed to be the one aspect of the Premier League this season that maintained intrigue until the final day of the season … although with the elite sides flexing their muscles against weaker opposition, the three sides chasing the two Champions League positions remained in situ.

It meant that, for the first time in 20 years, Arsenal have finished outside the top four and have failed to qualify for the top European competition.

Arsene Wenger can perhaps class himself unlucky to finish in fifth position with a total of 75 points – the first time this has occurred in the history of the league. Indeed, it is three more points than last season when they finished second!

Now after two decades at Arsenal, 15 trophies and over GBP700m spent on players, he is one match away from his least successful season for years which all adds to the continuing debate about his managerial future.

Arsene and Arsenal have seemed like a perfect fit for so many years – and not simply because of their names! For many years while facing austerity measures as the owners saved for a new stadium, Wenger kept The Gunners amongst the elite of English football.

He is the most successful foreign manager in the English game whose overall record is bettered only by Sir Alex Ferguson (we’ll count him as being homegrown, despite being Scottish).

Wenger secured his first Premier League title in 1998 and then repeated the feat in 2002. His side made history in 2004 when they completed the entire league campaign undefeated, being dubbed ‘The Invincibles’ on the way to securing a third crown. He was voted manager of the year in each of those seasons.

And yet his tenure in recent years has been undermined by calls from loyal fans for his departure – the sporting equivalent of Brexit that is equally divisive. 

If he were to be dismissed should he resign on his own terms, particularly as his contract expires after the FA Cup Final on Saturday, a decision epitomised by the epic hit from the Clash: ‘Should I stay or should I go?’

The stay campaigners point to the chaos that typically follows the fall of a dynasty, a la Manchester United. The Frenchman’s myopic detractors should be careful what they wish for. 

On a more positive level it is frequently argued that his record demands loyalty. It is not simply the trophies that he has won but also the methodology he brought.

As only the third manager from overseas he helped transformed the English game, introducing new training methods and diets, extending the careers of many of his senior players such as Tony Adams and Dennis Bergkamp.

Arsenal fans have the luxury of being fatigued by consistently high performances, becoming obsessed by perceived blemishes and failing to see the qualities of the sides produced over the years.

However, his detractors will point out that he has failed to deliver a league title since 2005, enduring a sequence of nine years without a trophy of any description. 

They argue that he is too loyal to certain underperforming players, particularly those in whom he has invested lots of time and energy in. He appears satisfied with simply good rather than striving for excellence, maintaining a squad without adding genuine star quality.

Aside from their league position there have been some worrying other signs, particularly the 10-2 Champions League aggregate humiliation at the hands of German champions Bayern Munich, unsurprisingly at the quarter-final stage for the seventh successive season.

It shouldn’t mean as much but local rivalries can count for more than results.  This will be the first time in his Arsenal career that Wenger’s side will have finished below Tottenham, meaning St Totteringham’s Day, sometimes appearing as early as March, has been deleted from the calendar, perhaps for the foreseeable future.

Wenger says his ‘professionalism or commitment’ cannot be questioned but the uncertainty over his future contributed to Arsenal failing to qualify.

“I have said no to every club in the world,” said the Frenchman, 67. “Psychologically the atmosphere was absolutely horrendous. It has been difficult, yes, and certainly my personal situation has contributed to that but you can never question my professionalism or commitment.

“We do our job and you are professional and part of the job is being professional when the environment is not positive.”

Wenger also said it was ‘very sad’ Arsenal will not be playing in Europe’s top competition next season. Some Arsenal fans also voiced their frustration at the club’s majority owner Stan Kroenke.

Frenchman Wenger is in his 21st year at the north London club and even preventing Chelsea from winning the double may not be enough to save his position.

It is time for him to go … in fact it probably was a few years ago. His original record has rightly insulated him from the firing line although his deposit of good faith has run dry.

Ask yourself the question: is there anyone who could do better? Jurgen Klopp and Pochettino have achieved more on fewer resources. If Arsenal cannot win the prizes they most desire then they need to change.

There are even suggestions that Wenger believes he should not be under scrutiny. If that megalomania exists then he should have gone the moment it set in. Lovers of TV’s Blackadder will recall General Melchett uttering the phrase: ‘if nothing else works then a total pig-headed refusal to look facts in the face will see us through’.

In his time at Arsenal, the Gunner’s four main competitors have notched up 44 managers between them – it is time to start redressing the balance!