It’s open season on Arsene Wenger at the moment as Arsenal complete another season without a trophy. The press have been having a go at him for some time and there was a cacophony of complaint from Arsenal fans on 606 last night.
It’s open season on Arsene Wenger at the moment as Arsenal complete another season without a trophy. The press have been having a go at him for some time and there was a cacophony of complaint from Arsenal fans on 606 last night.
Two of them argued that the move from Highbury to the Emirates had been a mistake. I found this a surprising argument given that it is recognised that the income that a large stadium provides from gate money, and especially from corporate boxes, is a key ingredient in success. Manchester United have already achieved it at Old Trafford, North London rivals Spurs are desperate to get a bigger stadium and Liverpool are deciding if they can enlarge and reconfigure Anfield.
In the case of the Emirates, Arsenal have made a considerable amount of money from building housing at Highbury and have three other locations in the vicinity that could be developed when the economy recovers. Arguably more of the money should have been spent on buying players rather than developing young ones, but that is not an argument for not raising the money in the first place.
One of the better arguments made was that too much power had been concentrated in Wenger’s hands and that things had been better when David Dein was there and able to have a quiet word.
This article argues that fans will vote with their feet if things don’t change, but the Arsenal brand is too strong for that happen. Many fans at other clubs suffer a lot worse than a consistent top four finish.
One thing that is clear is that when Stan Kroenke takes charge he won’t get rid of Wenger. They have worked too closely together. But he might do Arsenal a favour by bringing David Dein back.