As a former History student I have always been fascinated with revolutions. Arsenal are currently facing exactly that.
When learning about revolutions, teachers always told us the most important factor was; how did they get into a circumstance under which a revolution was needed and plausible?
Arsene Wenger is the fallen Emperor in this situation. An Invincible man who had the whole world in his hands 12 years ago is now in an untenable position due to a decade of poor results.
The phrase “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain” seems appropriate.
The 8-2 defeat at the hands of Manchester United, for me, is crucial to the rise of dissent, the game when Arsenal fans started asking questions about Wenger. Fans asked how could a football professor lose 8-2 to one of their biggest rivals?
Over the years, results like this have been commonplace, losing to Liverpool 5-1, Chelsea 6-1 and the recent 5-1 defeats to Bayern Munich.
Those matches, alongside the almost decade long trophy drought, showed Wenger was maybe not invincible anymore.
Another undercurrent is the transfer policy. Around 2007, Arsenal had a really young side and the felling was he was going to build his next great team around Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie.
The 2-1 win against Barcelona was a significant moment. It was indication that Arsenal has finally come close to another great team. The talismanic Fabregas, the lethal Van Persie, silky Samir Nasri , Rosicky, Arshavin and the young stud Wilshere; Arsenal had a top attack. However, there were still holes in that team, holes which all fans could see. Wenger did not listen to the fans cries for a holding midfielder, a new goalkeeper, better squad players and to spend money to finish of the puzzle.
However, Wenger’s persisted with players like Bendtner, Eboue,Denlison, Fabianki,Djorou and Almunia. Players who were not at the same calibre as Van Persie, Clichy, Fabregas etc.
What ended up happening was those young players were now approaching their prime and desperate for success as well as a higher wages.
Wenger supported the board’s decision to implement a wage structure when clubs like Manchester City were trigger happy with their money. Just like that, the team that could’ve been great was gone. The fans were not ready to wait another 5/6 years for a top team again!
Van Persie leaving was another significant moment that led to Wenger’s current predicament, he stayed while Fabregas and Nasri left and he carried the team to top four. He became the best striker in the whole league but he wanted titles. He joined Man Utd who made him the highest paid player and they won the title at a canter due to him. How could you sell your best player and hand your rivals the league regardless of the price offered?
However, perhaps most damaging has been how cosy Wenger has been with owners. Unless you are Chelsea or Manchester City, the owners are always pantomime villains (in Arsenal’s case, fairly). Not spending money, keeping in line with the wage structure without opposition, happy with fourth, which was only helping the club’s finances because Arsenal were not spending on players. Fans care about trophies not balance sheets!
Most fatally, he did not provide any assistance to Arsenal fans and their resistance to the ridiculous ticket prices at the Emirates. You are either with the fans or against them. Fans will always be the most important part of any club.
Fans still angry leaving their spiritual home Highbury, who are being fleeced of their money to watch a team that too often embarrassingly capitulates against any decent side.
It feels as though with another season effectively ending in February, with another pitiful display in Europe, things have finally come to a head.
That Arsenal fans are protesting against Wenger, the club’s most successful manager of all time, it shows how bad the last 10 years have been.
The atmosphere around the club feels poisonous. There is a massive split in the fan base and the infighting between supporters is a sad predicament for any football club.
It is really sad to see a great like this look so helpless. The club is approaching an end of an era, the Wenger era.
A revolution looks to be on the horizon with a new man to lead the Gunners back to where they belong competing at the top.
Hopefully, history (and Arsenal fans) remembers Wenger the invincible.
