The obligatory underachievement for the 2015-2016 season is nearly solidified, and the unrest from supporters is growing more visible by the day.  The loudest of them are AKB vs WOB; holding banners toward the manager, and holding pitchforks for the board.  Having never ventured away from the fence, I thought I’d analyze my stance on the Arsene Wenger.

We hear the definition of insanity quoted with the managers name multiple times each season, but how awful is consistency?  Wenger has become a pillar to our amazing club in the eye of public. With the rest of the top four from the 2014/2015 season currently sitting outside of the Champions League spots, being able to sustain in an undoubtedly wild season seems an accomplishment.  In this wild season, Claudio Ranieri has an arguably weaker side sitting clear at the top of the table.

There is no denying that our policies and performance in the transfer market have been subpar for as long as I can remember. We pride ourselves on developing talent, but recent seasons have seen our rivals grow exponentially stronger while we seem to simply maintain. We’re not asking for an overhaul, and we love the likes of Iwobi signing as a child and breaking through, but the repetitive failure to secure the necessary 2-3 players to solidify the side is inexcusable. With technology and our resources, the talent is out there and it’s attainable.

Fear of change is probably my biggest stance for sustaining.  Perhaps, the fear of breaking what we do have out of anticipation.  Wenger keeping us in the top four, as I have mentioned, can not be considered a failure but our anxiety that we could slip is growing each year.  I fear a scenario much like those of Liverpool and United, where the club sees a multi-season dip in the wake of a manager’s exit.  However, the statement that the board and the manager would rather do nothing than risk making a mistake is not acceptable in competition.  Mistakes should be mitigated without much effect to the club.

In writing this, I feel that Wenger should leave at the end of next season.  Our lack of a title or Champions League challenge with the talent at hand is unacceptable.  I have to agree with Ozil’s quotes this week opening that “we screwed up our title challenge.”  The part that saddens me the most is that this side will not see a trophy together.

The manager has done fantastically well to remain consistent through difficult and changing times, and he will be remembered as a hero.  This summer should include a clearing of the players that have leveled out on mediocre performances and begin a next manager’s rebuild one year early.  I think that a mixed team of top Arsenal players and hungry, determined, and talented new signings is the best barrier against a new manager dip.  Let Wenger see out his contract while implementing his values and those of the club on our 2016/2017 squad before handing them over to a title-winner.




See our post questioning the squad’s resolve in the run-in.