Sunday the 6th of May will be the last home game at the Emirates when Arsène Wenger’s team will come out in front of the fans. No doubt the loyal Arsenal faithful will stay after the game to congratulate this manager for what he has achieved at the club since his arrival 22 years ago. Already the tributes are pouring in and superlatives are being used that ignore the current mood at the club. Why can they not be seen for what they really are? Overstated, tongue in cheek and often ignoring the truth. Why must we be forced to listen to commentator after pundit line up to eulogize about the Frenchman who’s single greatest achievement was to divide our great club. I cannot recall any time in the few years before his arrival in 1996 that Gooners have physically attacked each other in the stands. However in fairness, despite his tainted legacy let me recount a couple of the times that I have felt proud to be a Gooner under his tenure. I recall the pride after the Champions League Final in Paris. The Invincible season 2003/4 was absolutely awesome. Yet among those highs were many lows, the litany of ritual humiliation at the hands of teams which should have been prevented.

“Be careful what you wish for” has been the phrase most banded about in connection with the prospect of Wenger’s departure. Now the day is nigh upon us, what exactly do we all wish for? There is the likelihood that as Stan Kroenke retains ownership of the club, the next manager will have precious little money to spend. The shortfall from Champions League broadcasting revenues will hit the club hard and this will no doubt be held up by the AKB’s as evidence of why Wenger should have stayed at the club. It is clear that Stan Kroenke as a businessman could see the bottom line consequences of staying loyal to his manager. The regular televising of increased numbers of empty seats exposed the lie of the Emirates attendance figures. The £37,000 per share price of Arsenal has been riding an impossible high, and shares can also go down after being up. The timing of the announcement will also be unsettling for the team as they face Atletico Madrid in the Europa League semi-final.

Is it true to say that Arsène Wenger was our greatest ever manager? In recent times of course yes. But if you look at the archives pre the Second World War, there was an Arsenal dynasty being built by arguably an even greater visionary than the Frenchman. Herbert Chapman made several innovative changes to the game of football. He introduced new football formations, playing floodlit games, the numbers on the back of shirts just to name a few. The irony of it all is that Huddersfield Town was the team that saw Herbert Chapman move on to better things, so on May 13th the same club will see the sun set on another great footballing icon. Herbert Chapman’s life was cut short in 1934 when he succumbed to pneumonia. His death was untimely as it was unwelcome. Herbert Chapman achieved what Arsène Wenger never did, and that was to win the league in successive years 1923 to 1925 with Huddersfield Town. Herbert Chapman’s legacy and style of football ensured that from 1930 onwards Arsenal Football were either winners or runners up in Cup and League standings.

The departure at the end of the season will herald a massive shock to the Goonersphere. The devil however is in the detail. Who will replace him? How many players will jump ship during the uncertainty? The upcoming ticket renewals will depend upon the plans for the succession. This will be shrouded in mystery and will overshadow the rest of the season. Surely now there will be emphasis just on Wenger and his post Arsenal plans rather than the team. Also what if he joins the Board? What if he becomes a director of football? I cannot believe that Arsène Wenger will go quietly. What about the plans of Stan Kroenke? Will he now make a push to take the club into private ownership? The stewardship under Stan Kroenke has seen the club lose its soul. Which Arsenal legend will now return to help rebuild the club? There is talk that Josh Kroenke is impressed by Thierry Henry, there is also talk of Patrick Vieira returning. So how will you celebrate the passing of Arsène Wenger? Which manager should take over? In taking so long to arrive at this decision we have lost out on the majority of good tried and tested winning managers who are now settled at other clubs. So let’s not stop here and we must realise that we need a cull within the club if we are to save its soul! Until Kroenke and Gazidis leave, Arsenal Football Club will never be great again.

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Ed's note - Editorial on AW's departure to follow 8am on Saturday