A decade of Wenger « Untold Arsenal: Arsenal News. Supporting the Lord Wenger; coach of the decade
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Victory Through Harmony
Nitesh Padhi
As our dear Gaffer prepares to receive the Manager of the Decade Award 2001-2011 this May, I thought we would have a close look at how Arsenal have fared under him during this period.
| Season | Played | Games Won | Games Drawn | Games Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Total Points | Final Position |
| 2000-2001 | 38 | 20 | 10 | 8 | 63 | 38 | 25 | 70 | 2 |
| 2001-2002 | 38 | 26 | 9 | 3 | 79 | 36 | 43 | 87 | 1 |
| 2002-2003 | 38 | 23 | 9 | 6 | 85 | 42 | 43 | 78 | 2 |
| 2003-2004 | 38 | 26 | 12 | 0 | 73 | 26 | 47 | 90 | 1 |
| 2004-2005 | 38 | 25 | 8 | 5 | 87 | 36 | 51 | 83 | 2 |
| 2005-2006 | 38 | 20 | 7 | 11 | 68 | 31 | 37 | 67 | 4 |
| 2006-2007 | 38 | 19 | 11 | 8 | 63 | 35 | 28 | 68 | 4 |
| 2007-2008 | 38 | 24 | 11 | 3 | 74 | 31 | 43 | 83 | 3 |
| 2008-2009 | 38 | 20 | 12 | 6 | 68 | 37 | 31 | 72 | 4 |
| 2009-2010 | 38 | 23 | 6 | 9 | 83 | 41 | 42 | 75 | 3 |
| 380 | 226 (59.47) | 95 (25%) | 59 (15.53%) | 743 (1.95 goals scored per game) | 353 (0.93 goals conceded per game) | 390 | 773 (77.3 points per season) | ——- |
As you can see, Arsenal were always around the top of the pile in the first 5 seasons of the decade, alternating with Manchester United for bragging rights. Then, in the 2005-2006 season, we saw the first signs of Arsenal weakening. This was due to a number of factors. The Invincibles were nearing the end of their prime, the arrival of the ‘Special one’ (!) at Chelsea and the megalomaniacal bucks starting to flow, and of course the impending move to Ashburton Grove.
People will argue that these are just excuses, but they are pretty big excuses if so {although I leave that to the AAA clan}. The move to the Emirates cost a pretty large sum of 390 MILLION POUNDS. That would be a sum large enough to make the Oil Arabs at Manc C hesitate before splashing out! Now that that storm has been weathered, people are saying it was a masterstroke on Arsenal’s and indeed Wenger’s part, and other clubs are looking to emulate the same. During this part, due to there being limited funds to get players in, Arsene turned to his youth academy, promoting it vigorously. He also started on his mission to get players in young and reap the benefits when they grow older. A prime example of this is Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri. Fabregas, of course joined when 16 in 2003 and Samir joined the club in 2008. Both cost next to nothing, and both will be worth infinitely more now. But that’s not that we are selling.
But now, because this is an award for the best in the world, I thought of comparing the result with that of other teams. I decided to take only Premier League teams you really cant compare between two different leagues.
| Team | Games | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points |
| Man U | 380 | 253 | 67 | 60 | 751 | 306 | 445 | 826 |
| Chelsea | 380 | 236 | 86 | 58 | 713 | 294 | 419 | 794 |
| Arsenal | 380 | 226 | 95 | 59 | 743 | 353 | 390 | 773 |
| Liverpool | 380 | 204 | 94 | 82 | 625 | 330 | 295 | 706 |
| Tottenham | 380 | 149 | 91 | 140 | 529 | 506 | 23 | 538 |
| Man C | 342* | 117 | 84 | 141 | 438 | 452 | -14 | 435 |
*Man C were relegated in the first season of the decade and spent the 2001-02 season in the championship.
Well, that was a shock. I knew Man U would be first but I never expected Chelsea to creep ahead of us in the table. Just goes to show that sometimes, just sometimes, you can buy your way to success.
Man U came first. Would kind of been embarrassing for them had they not done so. Of course they pay something like millions of pounds to the referees to buy them off. Where else did they get their 770 M debt from? Of course, their insane amounts paid for and to the players also helped.
How can I speak about insane amounts without mentioning Chelsea? The arrival of the Special One coupled with the Oligarch taking over the club sparked a period of absolutely mad spending. Meanwhile, Arsenal took a backseat, silently shifting their base to the Emirates. Arsenal’s total spending during the period 2004-08 was below 30 M. Compare this to Man U’s 100+M and Chelsea’s 300+.
See this and we wonder that Arsenal managed to remain competitive throughout. Of course, I am not accounting for the Misery brigade. They want Arsenal to win every trophy. Losing anything will prove that Arsene has lost it and needs to go. After all, he didn’t buy the world class player there was available. A few extra mil wouldn’t have hurt, would it? Well, leaving that aside, we must now concentrate on what Arsene did to deserve this award. Why not Ferguson? Why not Mourinho? They won everything there is to win. But these are all things that can be seen on the outside. None of them really was successful on the inner jobs. Mourinho, of course, acted as if his main aim was to get immediate success and then leave the club when the debt collectors came calling. Ferguson played his role in the massive debt piled up for the club. Supporters only seem to blame the Glazers, but the manager also plays a hugh role.
People need to have a high level of intellect to see what Arsene did during the past decade. I never expected Fifa officials to have any kind of intellect, so has someone been hacking the computers to tip a few extra votes in? If so, I take my hat off to them, or whatever I happen to be wearing whenever you read this.
PS
Go easy on me, please. This is my first article and at 15, I have a whole life ahead of me, doing the thing I love, supporting the club I love. 
Nitesh