One managerial change a month for the last 16 years – and Arsène Wenger is still there « Untold Arsenal: Arsenal News, supporting the club, the players and the manager

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Ordinary is Pointless

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By Cameron Wolfe

 WE all know that Arsenal’s manager has been around for a long while – just as Sir Alex F.  But what about the other managers?

Arsène Wengerjoined the club back in October of 1996. He brought with him new ideas of how the game should be played but more importantly he revolutionised the training and scouting systems. Largely copied now by every other club.

He is without a doubt our most successful Manager.  (See The Managers’ Index for a complete comparative guide to all the managers Arsenal has ever had). Yet every other week when things aren’t going according to plan. Certain sections of the supporters call for him to go. So I wondered from when Arsène took charge, how many Managers has he seen come and go at other clubs in the top league?

From October 1996 not taking into consideration caretakers (there’s been 46 of them) the total number of managers who have come and gone in the Premier League is one hundred and sixty five (165).

I know it’s something that you don’t think about. In reality it works out to basically just under one a manager change month for the last sixteen years.

Now I could show you a table with all the clubs and managers who have come and go but I thought I’d just list a few of the interesting ones.

Firstly there are exceptions to the big turnover.

Stoke. Only one manager all the time they’ve been in the EPL. Obviously has a very good relationship with the owner. Although he was sacked by him then reinstated at a later date.

Man. U. They’ve only had one since the EPL started and yes he’s been very successful.

Chelsea. They’ve had ten. Some good some not so. I can’t personally stand Jose but he was their best manager by far.

With Chelsea when egos collide I think we all know who’ll win: The Boss. They’re all under the owner’s scrutiny and I’m sure Di Matteo will be judged on a game by game basis. Will he be there come next summer? Who knows.

Tottenham. They’ve had nine. The latest one is AVB. Well I think it’ll be interesting to see what happens there. He’s obviously untried in the EPL and for whatever reason Abramovich decided not to keep him, even after spending £27 million in compensation and wages. Watch this space.

Man. City. They’ve had five so far. Again I have the feeling that the manager is scrutinised on a weekly basis.

Liverpool. They’ve had six. They need stability but I’m sure that already personnel will be on the move both ways – and it is interesting that in the past Liverpool were known as the stable club who always promoted from within.

Newcastle. Have had eleven. Another club now at the mercy of a single owner.

So apart from Arsenal and Man. U the other top teams have chosen not to stick with a Manager for too long.

You can see definitely see a pattern with clubs solely owned and controlled by an individual.

Yes they maybe owned by Companies in the Cayman Islands but at the end of the day one or two people control those Companies and so have the last say in what happens on and of the field. No one will ever convince me other wise that Abramovich or the Glaziers don’t have a say in what happens when it comes to the playing staff, tours, sponsorship wage structures or whether the Manager stays.

The point being that if your club is in the hands of one or two people making the big decisions then you can only hope that they have the clubs best interest at heart and not their own.

So not exactly a stable employment environment for a manager unless you’re very successful. That said I’m sure that if SAF didn’t agree with what was going on then I’m sure he’d be gone as quick as any other manager.

So why do Arsenal stick with Arsène?

Some would argue that he’s lost his touch. His best days are behind him etc etc.  I disagree. I think he’s a visionary and he still has a vision for Arsenal. A long term vision. One that includes stability at the club for many years ahead. A largely youthful team which when it clicks will be a dominate force for many a year.

He also helps run the club as it should be these days. Now some supporters will argue that the footballing side is the most important issue here but I disagree slightly. Football’s a huge business these days owning and running a top flight football needs to run as first and foremost a successful business. That gives us stability. Leeds anyone? The collapse a few years back of Liverpool?  Portsmouth?  Even Barcelona to a degree. If they didn’t keep on getting bailed out they wouldn’t be able to survive.

Arsène does what he does best for the club by keeping on finishing in the top four with CL football year on year, even when there are two teams for whom money is no object and while the club are having also to pay attention to the building of the new stadium.   Now he gives us the ability to plan ahead. That should be our priority. Of course it would be great if we were winning the league and a cup every year. What fan doesn’t want that from their team? That’ll come.

If the board did decide to let Arsène go the big question would be: Who replaces him? I think it was only last summer that AVB was being touted as Arsène’s natural replacement.   So glad he went to Chelsea.

But seriously, who would be a great next manager for Arsenal, someone who would deliver the trophies some people crave, while keeping us solvent, without actually having a dip that would take us out of Europe for a year or two?