John Evans
It seems pretty clear to me that Arsenal as a club changed direction at the time of deciding on the stadium move. Whilst at Highbury we tried to compete and always aimed for number one spot even if we came up short on a number of occasions. The decision to move stadium changed the club ethos from top to bottom, all of a sudden the target of the club became to attempt to stay competitive from a financial point of view.
Now let us make one thing very clear, this ethos change had to happen as without the financial support from Champions League money rolling in every year the stadium move could have become something of a disaster. Spending the amount we did to make the move a reality and saddling the club with the level of debt we had to take on meant something had to give in the short term. What gave was the clubs ambition to always try and be the best. If fourth place meant financial security during a time of financial hardship then so be it.
Arsene Wenger bought into the new ethos and was handsomely rewarded on a financial level for doing so. I also think that Arsene enjoyed the role of having to unearth talent on a budget and compete against the ‘financial doping’ of clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City. There was always a ready made excuse for failing to land any of the top honours so his job in affect was a safe one as long as the annual top four spot was secured which it was to be fair.
We had some struggles, we had to endure some last day needed victories to secure the lucrative top four spot but with wins secured at West Brom and Newcastle we did achieve the goal of keeping the money rolling in during the hard times after the stadium move.
The problem that has now become crystal clear is that the ethos of financial security and that fourth place will suffice runs through the entire DNA of the club from top to bottom. From the club owner, to the board of directors, to the manager and the playing staff. They have all focused 100% on the aim of the club and all seem unable to cope with any higher ambition.
The manager has stated openly in the past that a second place finish for the next 20 years would be deemed as a success. The club owner recently stated that if he wanted championships he would never have got involved in the first place. The players instantly look like rabbits in the headlights as soon as a title bid looks likely come January/February. Can you blame them when the club from top to bottom is simply not set up to achieve that goal. It is not the clubs goal at the start of any season to win the league. Anything above fourth place is a complete bonus to the club so why burden yourself with expectation as a player when you don’t need to? It just creates more pressure for no real gain, much better off sticking to the plot and hanging around in a distant 3rd or 4th.
If you look at the side’s points to games ratios it always gives you a clear indication of who has the mentality of would be champions. Every single time that Arsenal have been in with a shot of the title since the stadium move the points to games ratio has dropped off after January. This season we were on course to average around two points per game or just above which would have seen us finish with mid to high seventies come the season end. This ratio has now dropped well under two. The only time our points to games ratio improves after January is if we have no chance whatsoever to win the league and we need to improve just to finish fourth. It really is that simple.
If you take a look at Leicester they were on target for low to mid seventies around the turn of the year but have upped their game and are now looking at a points tally of 80+ as they are now averaging above two points a game. This is a sign of a team with a winners mentality. Arsenal are the opposite and have been for around a decade or so. If a title bid is in sight we crumble and the ratio drops. The only way it ever rises come the turn of the year is if we are out of sight from the leaders and need a charge for fourth.
It is as though the bar has been set at fourth since the stadium move and the whole club has been setup from top to bottom to hit this target but never anything more. Would a change of manager help this cause?
Well it can’t do a lot of harm if the right kind of person is then given the job, but would that be likely to happen? Can you really imagine the decision makers at the club going after a Simeone type or even a Mourinho? Could you possibly imagine a more likely scenario playing out whereby Arsene takes a seat upstairs as a director football and has a big say in who takes over, possibly Thierry Henry? I certainly would not rule that scenario out myself come next summer.
I feel pretty confident that the men with the power at the club would be perfectly happy for a similar type character to take over the reigns when Arsene does decide that he has had enough. If Arsene took a seat upstairs and had a big say over who takes the hot seat would that be much better than Arsene staying on as manager himself? I would predict not.
For me the problem lies with the ethos of the club being stuck just as the same as it was back when we needed it in 2006. Even though we are now on a very secure financial footing the ethos has not shifted with the times. But that ethos lies not with just one individual. It is not as simple as get rid of Arsene and all will be well with the club again.
If your life depended on Arsenal winning the title next season what pairing would you go for Usmanov and Simeone or Kroenke and Wenger?
I know who I would go for but I certainly would not hold my breath for it to happen anytime soon. That for me is the reason why I have decided to not put any more money into the clubs coffers until a change happens. I gave up my season ticket years ago but have now cancelled down three red memberships as well. The difficult thing personally is that this decision means my five year old son won’t be able to go to any matches as he is yet to visit the stadium but for me I could not justify paying into a system that I simply do not agree with.
