I’m a newer fan who only started watching the club over the past 2 seasons. I’ve been trying to learn the history of the club, and I’m confused why there was hate for Wenger at the end of his career. I learned that he lead the invincible’s, and that amazing squad from the early 2000s, he gave us the only champions league final appearance in club history, and even after that he seem to do an amazing job. Heck he even got a new Stadium that is really nice. He seemed to be loved. By all accounts he should be a Saint to the gooners but then I look forward a few years, and they were all these Wenger out protests. What led to such a fall from grace.
You had to have been there to understand. He did good in the beginning but fell off hard!!! At the end
The guy wouldn’t spend any money in the market to compete with other teams for titles but gave himself a pay rise every year. Ridiculous stuff he needed to go
You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. A legend of the club and of the footballing world, who unfortunately probably stayed at the club 2 or 3 years too long.
A lot of fans supported him till the end tbh. But at the time, his presence had divided the fan base so much that his walking away seemed like the best decision.
However, he literally built the modern Arsenal. That’s why as soon as he walked away, everyone in our fanbase was again chill with him
I’d argue there is too much hate and anger in football as a general principle.
People are stupid. The media never liked him so they were ready to jump on any opportunity. Arsenal content creators realised they could get clicks big being ungrateful and started an ugly campaign againsy him. It all kind of snowballed into one disrespectful horror show. Arsenal fans really let themselves down in that period.
Arsene Wenger made miracles every year.
It wasn’t because of the media.
He may have made miracles but his stubbornness to keep players who failed him constantly was so poor from Wenger.
I don’t think I’ll ever love a man as much as I love Wenger, I’ll also never fully understand what was going on at the club, I just settle on we had 2 billionaires and the majority holder wasn’t too interested in funding when there was another billionaire. Since KSE is now the sole owner they have spent much better and had a staff reshuffle after the Raul fiasco.
Wenger is Arsenal to me, he’s the reason I fell in love with football.
I’ve been a fan since 1998, watched many managers come and go in the league. Here’s why there was hate:
- Our fanbase was crap. Most of the old fans and AFTV manufactured narratives around Wenger not doing tactics and not following stats. Both were repeatedly debunked.
- We targeted our own players. Giroud, Ramsey, Özil, Elneny, Walcott, Szczesny etc were at the end of hate campaigns by our own fanbase. Again, AFTV at the center of it for allowing racist remarks against players like Elneny.
- We were delusional. The Kroenke’s did not have full power/will to invest and yet we wanted to win the league. Who took the blame? Wenger. People actually believed Wenger wouldn’t splash the cash despite him having spent well when he could.
- Our fans were shortsighted and didn’t count the implications of a stadium move on our ambitions. Wenger managed to resurrect a team that won several FA Cups and shields. The spurs moved stadiums recently too, what have they won in the last decade?
- Silverware began to be classified. The FA Cup wasn’t a ‘major’ trophy according to some bimbos including the ones with mics on YouTube. The oldest cup competition in football FFS!
- Sven Mislintat was looked upon as the saviour from Wenger’s ‘autocratic and old youth spotting system’. And Sven turned out to be a power-hungry disaster. His recruits were hit and miss.
Wenger is one of the greatest managers to grace the game. He should’ve left earlier not because he wasn’t competitive, but because our fanbase deserved someone who’d take us to the depths of the bottom half of the league. He could’ve won any trophy on offer at a big club. Bayern, Man Utd, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, all wanted him not for nothing.
I don’t know if hate is the way to describe it, anyone who hated the man is an idiot, but there was real anger because we had stagnated for too long and it felt like he was the root cause of a lot of the problems on the pitch.
When your ticket prices are the highest on average in the league people expect bigger and better, especially when higher ups had promised us that the stadium move would allow us to compete with Europe’s elite clubs.
Wenger resisted a lot of changes (ironic given how he revolutionised the English game), he would never have had someone like Edu working with him and generally the club structure was very outdated.
I think we are in a better position now for sure, but Arteta and Edu are standing on the shoulders of a very big giant.
Why was there hate over Wenger, well it’s kinda like the #ArtetaOut people with the keeper situation.
Difference is when Arsene came into the league foreign managers were not common, you can argue Arsenal/Arsene created that wave.
He came in unknown, the press loved him and loved to hate him.
Wenger basically pulled a Babe Ruthe and said Arsenal could go undefeated in a season then they did it.
Arsenal won some doubles, won the league then made it to a Champions League final and were robbed by corruption. They loose to Barcelona than the Barca wave in Europe starts, we loose Titi to Barcelona then move into a new stadium.
A new cycle starts defined by the stadium debt servicing and Arsene cannot buy players or extend contracts outside of the financial agreements the club signed off on for the loans.
Arsenal gradually and slowly became less competitive in Europe and domestically. The club was in decline a managed decline on the pitch and Arsene carried the blame.
That’s why fans wanted him out, IMO.
For me it was a shameful time, I’m glad to see that statue for Arsene. If Saka is like our son, Arsene is like our Dad.
When you see stuff like AFTV today remember they lost total respect in the streets because they pumped up the Wenger Out movement for clicks.
Honestly he was thrown to the wolves by the leadership who wanted everyone to think the teams failure was Wenger being old instead of not enough resources.
Things changed when the Kronkes took ownership. Thats the turning point.
I have been going to Arsenal since 1963. I worked for the club at the new stadium for 10 years. I have met several players, and hundreds of fans. We all loved Arsene Wenger. I HAVE NEVER MET ANYONE WHO HATED HIM.
When you play every rival and get battered 4/5/6-0 every away game sooner or later even the die hard fans are going to have enough of you.
He would have died for our club. Maybe he stayed too long? But ultimately faith was a one way street. Van Persie who we subsidised on the treatment table leaving as soon as he has one good season. Nasri leaving after half a good season. Adebayor with his Beyonce speech. And infuriatingly considering his status, Fabregas meaning we didn’t get much money by making his move a one club only option.
The excuse players made of “leaving to win trophies”. Well you were invested in. Do better, and repay the faith shown. Not to mention Sanchez, Hleb, Song all realising the grass wasn’t greener.
Because he overstayed his welcome, as hard as it is to admit, it’s what happened
There wasn’t much ‘hate’ for Wenger, it was a small pocket of fans riled up by Fat cunt Robbie and the group of Mentally fragile people he would exploit (one until they killed themself).
Most people were fed up but pretty sad about him needing to go.