Arsene Wenger Deserves the Highest Level of Respect From Arsenal Fans

It’s time to respect and fully appreciate Arsene Wenger, not only for the Invincibles’ season but for over a decade of magnificence and artistry of the kind that was alien to these shores. Of course, the ending wasn’t what any of us had in mind, success was replaced by financial burden, frustration and a failure to compete at the highest level, all of which is covered in the film “Arsene Wenger: Invincible”

It’s a magnificent representation of a time when Arsenal, before Wenger’s arrival, played ordinary and functional football, but he soon changed that by ridding the club of its ‘pie and pint’ mentality. He revolutionised Arsenal in every aspect, from the training methods to the players’ dietary intake, the devil was certainly in the detail.

Arsene Wenger was an advocate for a healthy lifestyle. He looked into every aspect that could improve performance including the way food was chewed, it needed to be absorbed as the ultimate fuel as quickly as possible. He also created a blacklist on which appeared sugar and butter. He replaced them both with water and vitamins.

On his arrival in 1996, Wenger was met by scepticism, hostility and salacious rumours in an attempt to remove him from his job after just seven weeks. The Wenger revolution was shaking the foundations of football and not everyone was in favour. He added a stream of foreign talent that would elevate the club to unimaginable glory and which would turn football into ballet with studs.

Forget the entire ’70s and ’80s, grinding out results, hanging on to a scoreline and enduring unattractive physical battles, technique, finesse and artistry were now standard in N5 and Wenger was now the beacon in the Premier League. There was so much to enjoy in the Wenger period, it was a love story, it was all-consuming, it became obsessive and it was both the happiest and saddest period of the Frenchman’s career.

The film perfectly conveys the hurt of loss, joy, success and failure and shows a man who was immensely driven by self-doubt. He decided to devote himself wholeheartedly to football and lived in the triangle of home, training ground and Highbury. He believed in winning, but he also wanted to give value and entertainment by turning football into art and he achieved all his dreams and aspirations whilst at Arsenal, including the unbeaten season of 2003/04.

Everyone will have their own memories of the Arsene Wenger era, the impact he had on the club, the individual moments of brilliance, the phenomenal talent he managed to bring to our shores and the overriding desire to want more.

Of course, Wenger’s story wouldn’t be complete without Sir Alex Ferguson or Manchester United because they epitomised excellence and the very best of the Premier League. It’s odd watching Ferguson praising his old foe, having seen the pair snarling at each other on the touchline and fighting for every point, but it’s also heartwarming that despite it all, these two adversaries admire and respect each other.

The film affords us the chance to experience the changing landscape of football with the arrival of the oligarchs and the super-rich and ultimately, it shows the sad demise of Arsenal and Arsene Wenger.

You can’t watch this film without being sad, how he lost the ability to win, reinvent the club and achieve success again. It’s tangible and you just wish it could have been different, that as a fan you could have been a bit more positive, cheered a bit louder and showed more belief.

You curse the bad luck, the twists of fate and life’s imbalances because Wenger deserved better, he deserved more glory, more titles and respect, but in the last few years, he cut a haunted figure. He looked occasionally like a tortured and troubled soul who was powerless to hold on to his throne and one who was ushered out by those that once chanted his name.

It’s tough to relive, knowing that you were one of the fans calling for him to leave, but only Wenger was oblivious to the fact his time was over. We loved him, lost him and finally, we gave up on him, that’s our cross to bear, but looking back, he gave us the best times. The most perfect football that we have ever seen.

There’s a statement from Wenger that sums up the trials of his final years: