Jump to content

Arsene Wenger


JohnS

Recommended Posts

Greatly saddened to hear the news of Arsene Wenger leaving Arsenal.  I do hope Arsenal manage to win the Europa Cup which would be a fitting way to mark the end of an extraordinary 22 years.  He revolutionised football, not just at Arsenal, with his approach to training, preparation, diet, exercise, tactics and skill.  He leaves an extraordinary legacy.  I was going to say definitely 'not ballet' but at its best there are remarkable similarities with the training, dedication, celebration of striving for perfection and occasionally getting glimpses of it.

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

His face will be missed as I assume he wouldn't take on another team now after Arsenal.

Well today everything is centred around winning and winning and then winning again!! I think some at Arsenal think the team will be better with a new manager now but I'm not so sure!! They could be going into some wilderness years which sometimes happens after a long serving manager ....but probably not for long. They are the nearest ground to where I lived when in London and my dad often used to wander down to see them play when visiting. 

My team is Liverpool but I wish both Arsenal and Wenger well.

 

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

There was a wonderful tribute to him on Sky News yesterday, from of all people, Jeremy Corbyn, a closet Arsenal fan.  He spoke very warmly about Arsene, mostly as a manager but also mentioned how he would find time in his busy schedule to talk to local children on the importance of learning languages.  Football has changed radically in my lifetime from being pretty basic to big business with eye watering sums involved.  Arsenal hasn't had the spending power of some other clubs and it will be  interesting to see how the club fares under another manager.  I don' think Wenger will mange another club, but I think it's more than possible he will take on a national team.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Many thanks MAB.  I don't think Jeremy Corbyn has ever made any secret of his passionate support for Arsenal, unlike one alleged supporter whose lifetime of discretion and service would certainly rule out any public display!

 

I recall Arsenal many years ago.  They had an ex Rugby Union footballer as centre half and he would sometimes take a free kick, seemingly aiming for touch near the opponent's corner flag.  What a transformation there's been in the whole approach to football and levels of skill.  Arsene Wenger has made a colossal contribution, with Arsenal respecting financial fair play rules.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A slight aside but when they were at the old ground in Gillespie Road I used to teach not far from there.

There is a delightful little Nature Reserve ( hope it's still there) may have been called Gillespie Park and you could take classes there on Nature Study trips.

Well on one of these the class had just had a lovely talk from one of the teachers there and then we were all outside on the hunt.

Suddenly a little voice piped up "cor Miss look!" I went over to the boy thinking he had discovered something amazingly interesting and following his eyeline saw I was looking at the Arsenal Football Ground!! It definitely had the wow factor for this little boy so of course I had to be amazed too!! 

Local schools did benefit from Arsenal's outreach programmes which were very good.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I reckon the Wenger out brigade, will be singing his praises now, some of them can be so fickle. He always made me laugh to myself, when he used to say "I never saw it" when asked about a clear cut penalty to the opposition. One thing for sure, managers like him don't come along that often.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...