Wenger vs British journalism – what is really going on

Wenger communicates.

That may not be a big surprise – he is articulate, intelligent and a linguist.  But there are two big reasons why, if we didn’t know, we might have assumed he would not communicate.   And those reasons are, the British press and the action of other managers.

The British Press 

When Wenger came to the Arsenal he was followed by a totally outrageous untrue story that he had been involved in something very dubious in his personal life in Japan.   There was no evidence, nothing supporting this, no one saying anything about it in Japan – it was a story which sprung up from… well where?

It has been suggested that the Japanese did it – but there is no evidence anywhere of this.  And why would they?  Wenger was honourable beyond even the Japanese meaning of the word, not leaving his job until the contract ended – which is why he started late in the season.   More likely malicious gossip among the UK press or supporters of other clubs was to blame.

But to its eternal shame the British press took up the story.  Clearly, since they had no facts at all to go on, no witnesses, no one willing to say a word, they could not do the usual trick of quoting someone else “in the public interest”.  There was no statement because everything was untrue.

So they went to the usual Plan B.   They camped outside Arsenal.

Wenger was bemused, according to reports, having never seen the press behave in this way before.   The solicitors were called in, the police were there, but day after day the press just camped there.  If they caught a glimpse of Wenger they shouted “do you have a comment to make Arsene?”

Eventually, with the club and its solicitors telling him to keep his head down, Wenger did the opposite.   He took matters into his own hands and went out to meet the press.

“Do you have a comment?” they howled.

“What about?” Wenger asked.

“Do you have a comment?” they repeated.

“Ask me a question,” he said.

“Do you have a comment,” they repeated, “about the allegations?”

“What allegations?” he said.

There was some rumbling.   They hadn’t banked on this utterly simple tactic.   People being interviewed answered, or ran away or shouted and got annoyed.  What they didn’t do was smile and ask them questions.

Mr Wenger repeated the question, again, and again.   The trick of course was that if any journalist ever once mentioned the allegation then Wenger and the club could sue, and they would win so handsomely the paper would  probably have to fold, because  there was nothing they could put up by way of evidence.  These were internal rumours only.

After ten minutes of this, the club latched onto the tactic, sent out a spokesman, who said, “if you don’t have a question then you should disperse.”   When they didn’t Arsenal officially asked the police to move them on, and the police did.   It finished.

And despite that communication continued 

In an era when it is becoming normal for managers to stop talking to journalists (Ferguson leading the way because the BBC supposedly said something he didn’t like about his son, being copied by The Special One for no reason anyone could quite work out, and the Bolton manager doing something similar) Wenger talks to everyone.

What’s more he says interesting things.   While the norm is for journalists to say “how special was that win?” (probably the silliest question of all time, but used more than any other) Wenger talks to his would-be tormenters.   He tells jokes.  He pulls their collective legs.  Just compare the level of laughter at an Arsenal press conference with that at a Ferguson hate-in.   Wenger comes up with wonderful phrases such as “we just had to hope they would get tired with kicking us” (on Blackburn after the most cynical display ever seen in a cup semi final).

Wenger is always there – always ready to talk if asked, giving his opinion if asked, but never forcing it if not asked.

And what goes unnoticed in the UK, and indeed unreported, is that when we don’t see him and hear him, he is working on French, German or Japanese TV, doing co-commentaries and the like.

So it continues.  In the era when the average Ferguson comment is a snarling sneer (“when I was at Rangers we went all season unbeaten, and then lost the final game – its not over yet” (just before the final match in the unbeaten season – as if the Scots league could ever be compared to the Premiership) Wenger has taken commentary to a new level for managers.  True, he will not comment negatively on his own players, but he rarely comments negatively on anyone.   He knows more about players in world football than anyone, and I think it amuses him that the pathetic journalists who ask “how important was that for you” are asking such rubbish, when in fact they could  be saying, “tell us about the Peruvian back four – I hear you have been watching them in recent videos.”

That’s it = in an era when managers communicate less and less, in a life where he would have every reason not to communicate, Wenger communicates more than ever.

And what does the media do in return?  Do they ever apologise for the way they hounded him when he arrived?  Do they ever report the disgusting and appalling chants that Man U fans have against him, and demand that Man U clean their act up?  Do they acknowledge what he does in talking to them when Chelsea Man U and Bolton shut up shop?   Of course not. They make jokes about  his eyesight.  Which tells you everything you need to know about the state of British football journalism.