Rachael Warham
Arsene Wenger's pre-match press conference last Friday had the world of football wondering whether Le Boss would not need sacking at all, but could in fact pull the plug prematurely on his time with the Gunners himself after blaming a "difficult climate" at the Emirates, as the reason why Arsenal were not in the running for the Premier League title.
With a protest lined up against the North London outfit and their lack of achievement this season, the perennially calm Frenchman who usually exudes a sense of serenity, has instead come across as agitated and rattled when queried by the media about his future at the Emirates; a sure sign that he is feeling the heat.
Such questions are understandable though. In a season where Premier League minnows, Leicester City have become Champions, where we suffered another early exit from the Champions League, where we were knocked out of the FA Cup by Watford, and perhaps worst of all, a season where Tottenham have surpassed us in almost every aspect, it would be odd were questions not asked.
Wenger's reign at Arsenal has become almost akin to a dictatorship. With a free lease over every aspect of the club’s management, he has been able to do and say whatever he has wanted without question or accountability and under the knowledge that his position at the club is, as ever, safe.
What has become clear over recent seasons is that Monsieur Wenger's once radical and successful theories on how to run a football club have not only been mirrored but eclipsed by others. Wenger has been unable to adapt to this notion. Moreover, his staunch stubbornness that he knows best has hindered the club’s progress. This was no more true when at Christmas, sat pretty at the top of the table, he chose to decline the opportunity of making additions to the squad that were necessary in order to cement our position at the helm.
However with increasing protests, a building feeling of unrest on the terraces, and the threat of dropping out of the top four for the first time in 18 years, Arsene Wenger's position has never looked so vulnerable.
And so, should the unthinkable happen, and The Gunners fail to make a Champions League spot for the first time in nearly two decades, then it's time to say merci and au revoir to the man that has in years gone by brought much success. Unfortunately, and sad though it is, our failure to make a top four place may be the only way the board will be forced into making a change.
Change is good and should not be feared but welcomed. The club has become stale and in dire need of a fresh impetus. ‘Be careful what you wish for’ is a saying that has been batted around all too frequently of late, highlighting the idea that supporters are anxious about a Wenger-less future. Fans need to stop being so blind and wake up to the realization that they, along with Wenger, are the reason our club has stagnated. There are managers out there who could not only slip into the Arsenal hot-seat but bring back the good old days and have us playing with tenacity that we were once accustomed to. Could Atletico Madrid's Diego Simeone be the answer?
