Markymark
I thought it would be a good time to offer some counter points to the recent well-received and strongly written articles (such as this one by John Evans) on the onlinegooner website. The reason for this is the idea of fans’ mass culpability causing our own misery. There has also recently been a view gaining traction that Kroenke is an all powerful, unmovable force of nature and though certainly going nowhere for now, radical shifts can happen in just a few years as seen by Trump and Brexit.
For any edifice in the way of change you have to look for the weak point. Attack that and then watch the walls come down. In my opinion the weak point is Wenger. The man who said ‘Judge me in May’ now spends each May in a sulk, prior to winning the FA Cup.
He was agitated, spiteful and nervous before the win against Chelsea in last season’s final, offering a petulant dig at Arsenal supporters. Rumours had built in the run up to previous Cup Finals that a result going the other way could have led him to leaving. Then we have the ‘I haven’t decided on my future yet’ proclamations and the obvious discussions at Board level.
There is not the unity of old and if stories are correct he is bypassing the Board, I suspect that does not make for a happy relationship. In fact to what benefit does this Wenger/Kronke relationship work, if Wenger still feels miserable for a fair percentage of his time? Does anyone think Wenger looks a man rejuvenated?
The second half of this season followed by the looming disaster over contracts next season could really tip the balance. It only takes angry voices from the crowd to see Wenger hide in his dugout, a poor run followed by destabilisation of players moving could be the tipping point.
Kroenke is the bigger challenge, however has he ordered for a stop on funding for new players? Has he continually interfered in the management of the club? Weirdly the things that would often be praised turn to damnation under his stewardship. There are very many things wrong about him, not least his taste for wildlife snuff programmes, but, and here I hold my nose; if Arsenal actually stumbled upon an exciting manager with ambition there may well be few boundaries for a new project, apart from the limit to transfers.
If on the other hand the new manager is a disaster, the Wenger tenure model will have gone and a culling is likely to happen far more quickly. Kroenke’s footballing reputation then becomes linked to each manager in turn and he will appear increasingly hapless. If Arsenal have a Man United moment, sponsors might start the flight away as we do not have the worldwide cache of United. Does Kroenke then take the nearest offer?
To finish I would add that the promise sold of a new stadium allowing us greater opportunity to compete, with a manager at the time still arguably very competent was a strong and persuasive argument, so those who have woken up and smelled the coffee certainly cannot be held accountable. The remaining rump need to look at why they believe in what they do, can you though blame a group of people who may be deluded?
