Kevin Whitcher
In June 2012, Ivan Gazidis was asked at a supporters’ Q&A event, “Who is Arsene Wenger accountable to?” He responded, “the fans”. I received a text from our podcast host David Oudot just before the end of yesterday evening’s match which read -
Two men thrown out of block 100 for singing ‘Wenger Out’. Not Munich fans, not p*ssed, just singing ‘Wenger Out’. We are the USSR
Wanting clarification, I responded ‘What stage of the game was this at? Was it inciting violence?’ The response -
Seven minutes from time. Didn’t appear to be inciting violence. Took a while to get them out though. Not through violence but they rightly refused to leave as they were not doing anything wrong
Reports that North Korea will be a stop off on the Summer 2013 Asian tour are yet to be confirmed.
Ah well, let’s talk about the football. Bayern Munich demonstrated the chasm in quality that now exists between Arsenal and Europe’s top teams. The club moved stadium specifically to keep pace with the cream of the crop, but somewhere, something hasn’t quite gone to plan. In Europe, there have been occasional nights of drama and excitement, but ultimately, over two legs, the Gunners perennially fall short against the teams that their UEFA ranking suggest are their peers. They will need to score three at the Allianz Arena in the second leg to even have a chance of progressing from the tie. The bottom line is that the German side – majority owned by its supporters (and unfunded by petrodollars) – handed out a football lesson to Arsene Wenger’s players.
Aside from being more organised (apart from Podolski’s goal, I can only recall the Bayern goal being seriously threatened once), the German team seemed to work harder all round. Their harrying was reminiscent of Barcelona, ironic given Pep Guardiola will be their coach next season. They created far more danger and for 70 minutes of the match, seemed in complete control. Arsenal had a 20 minute spell during the second half when they scored and Giroud came on and almost equalised. But you would have to say that 3-1 was a fair scoreline.
The strange thing watching the match was how dispassionate I felt. I was not even annoyed when the visitors scored. The feeling has kind of gone because I think, deep down, I realise that Arsenal are not equipped to win this competition, even if somehow they managed to dispense with Bayern. And at the moment, I am not even certain I care about them making the top four. What difference will it make? The club have been selling their best players in the recent seasons that they have been in the Champions League anyway. And if Arsenal were in it next season, it’s not as if they would have any chance of winning the thing, assuming a non-tactician remains at the helm. Just the formality of group stage qualification and exit as soon as a big boy comes out of the UEFA goldfish bowl. I was able to completely relax during the 90 minutes and just appreciate Bayern’s football. If you told me top four would mean more money for a new manager to spend, then I could get excited about the race for that 4th place trophy again. Something to look forward to. As it is 2012-13 is just another groundhog day season to add to those since the club moved home. More will follow until Arsene Wenger is sacked (unlikely), resigns (unlikely), retires (maybe) or dies (a certainty).
For Wenger himself, it was a terrible night. The Champions League is his obsession. He really wants to win it to put himself of a par with the great managers who have done so. It is a glaring absence on his managerial CV. For all his talk of faith in his players, he knows, deep down inside, that tactically, he is not at the races, but stubbornly refuses to allow others to assist him in this area of weakness. It is just possible that one reason he might leave the club is to improve his chances of winning the cup with the big ears if, for example, he was offered at job with PSG or Real Madrid. His stock isn’t exactly sky high at the moment, although he may privately tell suitors that the decline in his team’s achievements has been dictated by the board’s parsimony. It’s a story his supporters choose to believe, but Wenger is a de facto board member and totally integrated with the decision making over the club’s money. Inside sources have several times indicated to me that he does have money to spend, but chooses not to.
Stan Kroenke attended the game last night. He even stayed to watch the second half unlike the last home match he attended v QPR. He’s happy with the state of affairs at the club as long as profit is being delivered. His other sports concerns back up the idea that winning trophies is not a priority. The stories of Arsene Wenger being offered a two year extension in the press earlier this week may have been mischievous, but it is likely to happen for real in the summer. The board and the owner regard him as a real asset, hence his salary, including bonuses, reputedly being the highest in the Premier League. Because the man delivers on the objectives he is set. Some fans want more, some fans are happy with what they are getting.
It has been mentioned several times that the increasing bitterness between supporters who still back Arsene and those who would like to see change has created a very unhealthy atmosphere amongst fans at games. Certainly, there is fighting amongst Gooners in the stands at matches both home and away. Freedom of expression at Arsenal matches now comes at a price. You’d think we were in Syria or something. People being ejected by the club for making their views felt does not aid the feeling of intimidation amongst those that want change, should they wish to voice their views. What has become of our football club that people can no longer express different opinions without fear of a fist in the face? Is anyone allowed an opinion if it’s not the same as your own? It’s a desperately sad state of affairs. Over to you Messrs Gazidis and Kroenke. As Ivan says, “Our fans are very important to us”. So why are they being thrown out for expressing desire for a change?
The current issue of The Gooner will be on sale this Saturday for the home match against Aston Villa. It can also be bought online here. There is also an e-version of the issue available to read on your ipad/tablet/iphone/android. The app is free and you can download the first few pages of each issue as a taster before deciding whether or not to purchase the whole thing.
