Bard
Those of us who have followed football for a long while are familiar with the ‘madness dressed up as reason’ approach to the game. A quick trawl though Wenger’s press conferences over the last few years will give any doubters a good feel for what I mean.
If the rumours are to be believed Arteta heads the list of favoured candidates to take over the management of Arsenal. What is astounding about this news is that bar being a good coach he has absolutely no other meaningful credentials.
In order to make his candidacy sound more creditable we get the ‘he knows the club inside out’ argument. True but largely irrelevant. ‘He has a thirst for coaching knowledge’ is another one. Really... most of the Premier League coaches fall into that category. Surely it would be a prerequisite for any aspiring coach to be vaguely interested in their job.
How about the long list of don’t knows:
Is there any evidence that he can manage a big club? Answer, no.
Is there any evidence that he can mould a group of players into a formidable team? Answer, no.
Is there any evidence that he can make the big, difficult decisions and keep the team on track? Answer, no.
Is there any evidence that he can install mental toughness into the team? Answer, no.
Management is much more than astute coaching and while it’s true Arsenal are desperately in need of decent coaching the malaise surrounding the playing side presents a formidable psychological obstacle. The club is full of underperforming players who seem unable to put in a proper shift week in week out. Our highest paid player turns up (literally) when he wants.
In short this isn’t a job for someone who is currently part of the coaching staff at another club and has no experience whatsoever in managing a team or a club. The Arsenal spin is that they are, to coin a phrase, ‘leaving no stone unturned’. In what other multi-million pound profession would you consider appointing a total novice as the head honcho?
