Harsh Truths about Arsenal’s “Decline” « Untold Arsenal: Arsenal News. Supporting the Lord Wenger; coach of the decade
Nick Tolhurst
Harsh Truths about Arsenal’s “Decline”
Forget debates about whether Arsène Wenger is too miserly, stubborn or just plain wrong in the transfer market – the truth is far simpler.
So another summer ends and, despite the best efforts of Tony and Untold Arsenal; the media, the pundits and of course the assorted “collectible season guides and previews” are, as every year, confidently predicting doom and gloom and that Arsenal will of course finish outside the top 4, indeed some are even doubting the club’s ability to snatch a place in the top 6. Quite amusing when you consider that no Arsenal team under Mr Wenger has finished below 4th.
And yet without wishing to sabotage the good work of this website it does seem as if there is something in the air in North London that points to the fact that maybe, just maybe, this year will be different.
Maybe it was the disappointment of falling away after coming close on the heels of United last season. Perhaps the loss of talismanic Cesc coupled with the rather ungainly protracted departure of Samir Nasri; or perhaps it’s once again down to the new signings which many supporters immediately pigeonholed as “ones for the futures” rather then well established “stars” who will give the team the final momentum to reclaim the Premier League title.
But, faced with this situation it is worth looking a bit more at the circumstances of Arsenal’s supposed “problems” and indeed at what the possible alternatives are.
Critics of Arsenal and Arsène over the last 6 years often draw some kind of distinction between Arsène’s supposed first “free spending phase” from 1996-2005 where he brilliantly took Arsenal to the heights of English football with the second phase where a miserly approach and obsession with youth wrecked the arsenal juggernaut just as it was about to dominate English and, perhaps even, European football.
More sympathetic commentators argue that the new stadium construction effectively tied Arsène’s hands in the transfer market and that the rather modest long-term commercial deals necessary for financial stability while building the Emirates meant that Arsenal was forced to adopt a more conservative transfer policy – investing in youth and selling off stars.
At the other end of the scale the more extreme “Arsène sceptics” even argue the case that the French manager “has lost it” and that he has become some kind of slightly potty speculator – gambling ever higher amounts on unproven if potentially talented teenagers in some Holy Grail like pursuit of a winning football lottery ticket – that a couple of Messis, a Zidane and a Claude Makélelé will one day turn up and he’ll have the last laugh.
In fact, while the first two positions have some merit, they don’t explain in any meaningful way what has happened either to Arsenal or football in general. Indeed, if there is one manager who has been constant over the last 20 years it is Arsène Wenger. While other clubs have ditched managers, strategies and 5 year plans, Arsène has followed exactly the same strategy whether at Arsenal or at Monaco.
It is easy now looking back to assume that some things which work out were meant to be or that what is obvious now was obvious to all then, but lets consider Arsène’s transfer and youth policy. At Monaco Wenger brought young players into a team which (unlike today) was lavishly subsidised. He was arguably responsible for the careers of such luminaries as, amongst others, Youri Djorkaeff , Emmanuel Petit, Lilian Thuram, and Thierry Henry.
In terms of ability to bring through young players like this is a quite remarkable collection. Whether a young player has cost nothing or 10 million Wenger has not been afraid to play him against the prevailing wisdom – I can still recall the controversy about selling (another Wenger discovery) a proven Anelka and investing the money – 11 Million! – on some “failed French player who couldn’t hack it in the slow Serie A (and of course took some months to finally get scoring properly). Space is too short here to list all the incredible deals Arsène Wenger picked up along the way but one only needs to add up the cost to Arsenal of Viera, Petit, Overmars, Fabregas, Anelka, Toure, Adebeyor, Clichy, Henry (and potentially Bendtner, Nasri etc.) and compare it with the revenue these brought in to work out the debt (quite literally) that Arsenal owes Arsène Wenger.
And yet I can sense already some will argue that this all in the past – that buying unproven youth is all fine and well when it works but for the last 5 years it “hasn’t worked” – we’ve won nothing! What I’m arguing here, is that Arsène Wenger hasn’t changed – the football world has. It is not just that certain clubs have unlimited funds it is that they have changed the way they operate.
The harsh truth for Arsenal fans is that if the owners of Man City and Chelsea want to spend a billion pounds on players they will, even if this means hoarding many in the reserves on contracts twice the amount Arsenal pay to their top 1st team players. These reserve players remain on the books of these super rich clubs as much to stop other clubs buying them as for the good of the squad.
If you don’t believe me look at the squad players of the big four teams in the late 90s compared with now – a sea change has taken place which has fundamentally changed the Premier League. At this point critics will argue that Arsenal have enough money or could borrow “just a little bit extra” as we are a sound business model etc. The harsh truth is that if Arsenal had tried to outbid the Arab oil rich club’s 40 million offer for, say, Agüero, City could simply have bid 80 million. There is simply no point in even attempting this game. The cost of the stadium is a red herring – trying to outbid City or Chelsea is like playing poker with a millionaire – he has nothing to lose, so it doesn’t really matter what cards you have in your hand.
So far, so depressing, or is it? Right now the only sensible way for Arsenal to compete is; firstly, to go after players that are simply not on the billionaire’s club’s radar. Secondly, to sign up these players to long contracts and thirdly, to use Arsène’s proven skill at blooding in young players – in other words exactly what Arsène Wenger has been doing for more than two decades now.
In a strict business sense Arsenal have had no real right to finish in the top four since several years now – given other club’s immense spending power. The fact that we do is down to Arsène Wenger’s acumen and skill in capturing and developing players like Cesc. Incidentally contrary to widely held opinion, Cesc Fabregas didn’t leave because he was a disloyal mercenary – if he was he could and would have joined City last year and doubled his wages. He chose to return after 8 years to his family’s hometown on lower wages leaving behind a fat transfer fee and (I believe) the best part of his playing days. His loyalty and behaviour during his time with Arsenal reflects well upon him and the club that raised him from boy to man. But as Cesc leaves Wilshere, Ramsey and perhaps another player you may not even have heard of will fill his place.
So where does this leave us for this season? I wouldn’t say Arsenal is a hot favourite for the 2011/12 Premier League title – although I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we sneaked it at least once in the next three or four years). What I am certain is that Arsenal under Wenger is leading the only team in a major European league which consistently gives the other clubs funded by unlimited oil wealth, dodgy oligarchs and corrupt and/or unsustainable bank practices a run (quite literally) for their money.
On radio talk shows and through pages and pages of newsprint the constant complaint of unsustainable and mercenary practices is heard and read and yet when one club consistently plays at the highest level of European football by doing things the right way commentators, and its only fair to say a smattering of Arsenal supporters too, seemingly can’t wait to knock the club, team and manager. Given the current world economic climate, given the debauched state of sport administration and given the quite frankly obscene waste of wealth by dodgy owners I can honestly say I have never been prouder to be an Arsenal fan. And you know what, whisper it quietly, but, well I’ve got this strange feeling that we are going to lift a trophy again this year.
Nick Tolhurst
The writer is a Germany based Arsenal fan and author of numerous articles and books on sustainable business, including most recently “Responsible Business” (Wiley 2010).
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