YOU DECIDE

                                         

The growing debate about whether arsene should stay or go has reached end point atimes this season, due to their consistent inconsistent displays(see what i did there?). when it comes to Arsene Wenger, there's always that ‘exception to the rule’ privilege afforded to him by supporters and the press alike. But the million naira question is, how long can he get away with all the excuses that he has been giving, or the ones that have been afforded to him?. There are obviously two sides to the argument as there are to a coin. Theres one corner with the financial stability and organised running of the club; and then theres the often-talked-about trophy drought.

So the question posed here is....is it about which factor outweighs the other.....or which one makes more sense for a footballing institution like Arsenal. Is it okay for a club of the Gunners’ stature to go so long without a trophy(the cobwebs in the cabinet are literally reproducing). Well, in this article question ill try to ask a few questions.....and well  ‘attempt’ to answer them myself.

Is there really any money to spend?

We have heard over the years that Arsene has refused to spend the ‘ enormous’ amount of money in the club bank, but in reality how true is this?. Of-course there usually isnt any smoke without fire, but this smoke is increasingly looking like one from a stick of matches(in-case you didnt get that part,i mean its hard to believe). It doesnt just seem logical that with all the problems hes having with his squad ,he wouldnt want to invest; but then again this is arsene Wenger.

Have his recent buys been below par?

I sincerely think his last four buys have been very good business, although the ones before that have a questionable few. The jury’s still out on Giroud though, but i can only see him getting better. Monreal has fitted seamlessly into the team, and i believe he was a quality addition. My only concern is were the buys enough to make this team a championship winning team?...based on current evidence,it would have to be a big NO.

Do the players feel its okay by the club’s standards to just compete for a champions league spot?

This is a big concern for the fans; especially hearing the manager repeatedly defending his proud champions league record. It now seems that is our benchmark for success; because in all honesty the first eleven(or even fourteen), look very good on paper. I keep asking, would this team be in this position if motivational managers like sir Alex, or ‘the only one’ were in charge?.......thats for you to decide.

Are his backroom imposing themselves enough?

Its been ‘common’ knowledge that the arsenal back room staff have always been ‘yes’ men. The arrival of steve bould  was supposedly going to change things. It seemed to be the case for the first few weeks of the season, but we have steadily reverted to type at an alarming rate. Dennis bergkamp, has been touted to join the team, but is he going to oppose his former manager?. Do the club need stronger characters in the back room to challenge Wenger when they dont agree with some of his ideas?......once again,you know what to do.

Has he tried to justify his buys?

This is one area most managers are guilty in....but sometimes the arsenal manager takes it a bit too far. Dont get me wrong, this approach has given rise to some of the best players arsenal has seen, but the difference between then(when we won things), and now(well,you know), is now putting faith in growing talent has a bigger say in our results than it did then. At that time we had a buffer of world class players, and very few ‘young bloods ‘ were thrust into the action without due process. We have put too much faith in some certain players at the expense of our success, and the irony those same players leave the club claiming they want to win things(life huh?).

So ill stop there. That is not to say he doesnt have his many good sides. Even the current squad is showing signs of stability. The normal thing to say would be , we just need to add 2 or 3 world class players and we would have a complete team, but we've said that so many times in the past that theres no point. Our priorities these days are to keep our quality players, rather than adding to them. When one comes in, another goes out....we are always a team in transition. So in the end is Wenger still worthy to oversee this club?is he past his ‘sell by’ date?should we still have faith in him because of his history with us? Are arsenal fans over reacting?......you decide

Till next time......