The Soccer Blog: Happy Birthday, Arsene Wenger; Looking Ahead to Manchester City

Monday 25 October 2010

Happy Birthday, Arsene Wenger; Looking Ahead to Manchester City

By: Martin | October 22nd, 2010

Not too much going on today ahead of this weekend’s clash with Manchester City:

First off, though, happy birthday to le boss, who turns 61 today. I would say I hope he has a good birthday, but knowing what an obsessive he is, I expect he’ll be watching old UEFA Cup match tapes. I previously wrote about what Wenger means to the club, and to me as a fan of the club, here, so check that out if you want a more in-depth tribute.

It is pretty amazing how Wenger and Ferguson are still kicking around, though. Wenger’s been at Arsenal for over 14 years, now. Fergie has been at United a staggering 24 years. Beyond those two, and David Moyes, who’s been at Everton for 8 seasons, it’s pretty shocking how Premiership managers just don’t seem to stick around that long:

Aston Villa – Houllier (1st season)
Birmingham – McLeish (4th season)
Blackburn – Allardyce (3rd season)
Blackpool – Holloway (2nd season)
Bolton – Coyle (2nd season)
Chelsea – Ancelotti (2nd season)
Fulham – Hughes (1st season)
Liverpool – Hodgson (1st season)
Manchester City – Mancini (2nd season)
Newcastle – Hughton (2nd season)
Stoke – Pulis (5th season)
Sunderland – Bruce (2nd season)
Tottenham – Redknapp (3rd season)
WBA – Di Matteo (2nd season)
West Ham – Grant (1st season)
Wigan – Martinez (2nd season)
Wolves – McCarthy (5th season)

So if you’re looking for a stable, long-term job, football manager isn’t your game, eh? Fully 60% of the Premiership managers are either in their first or second years with their current clubs, and only 25% of managers have spent more than 4 years with their current clubs — Ferguson, Wenger, Moyes, Pulis, and McCarthy. There’s an old debate about whether Arsenal and Manchester United have been so successful because they stuck with their managers and have that vision and stability, or whether they simply found great managers that were worth sticking with. I tend to think it’s a combination of the two — having the support and backing of the front office and fan base does allow them to implement their vision of what the football team should be, and also makes them more attractive to potential players, who associate them with that club, respect them, and want to play for them. That having been said, there’s no point in sticking with a terrible manager for the long-term, so they have earned it by being excellent managers. But it does put into perspective just how remarkable such a long tenure at one club at such a high level really is. Happy Birthday, boss.

Wenger also spoke at the AGM and said that he expects Cesc to stay at the club for many years to come. Oh lord, not this again. Look, it’s all well and good, and I hope he’s right. But until I hear it from Cesc himself, it doesn’t mean that much to me — and Cesc’s recent comments about how he was interested in leaving for Barca but was convinced to stay by Wenger, he didn’t mention anything about staying at Arsenal for the long term. I still think he wants to leave for Barca, and I think there’s a pretty good chance it happens this summer.

But you know what? I don’t care about that right now. We’ll deal with that tedious nightmare again next summer when it pops up. Right now, I just want to beat Manchester City, and don’t really care about comments about Cesc’s future.

Speaking of the rudder, apparently they’ve done some sort of tv special that’s set to air in the next couple of days that’s basically “A Day in the Life of Cesc Fabregas,” where they follow him around for a day. Here’s the trailer (in Spanish):

I don’t understand any of it, but it’s neat to see him at home and in the gym, etc., and supposedly he talks about how much he likes living in London.

This weekend, of course, we travel to the Eastlands to take on Manchester City. It’s a place that has not been kind to us in past seasons, as we’ve taken several lashings there. We seem to have a lot of problems with them, tactically, and for whatever reason have really struggled there (I would say over the past couple of seasons our performances there have been worse than anywhere else, including Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford). We’ll see if we can turn it around on Sunday.

Our old friend Emmanuel Adebayor scored a hat trick for Manchester City in the Europa League yesterday, and Mancini has announced that Adebayor could be in the starting XI against us on Sunday. Not all that surprising, given that he does seem to have a chip on his shoulder against Arsenal and we seem to bring out the best in him. Hopefully we’ll see the worst of him, though — 7-10 offside calls, sloppy giveaways, etc.

Maybe he and Arshavin can actually have a “jog off” — whoever covers the least ground or spends the least time running gets the prize (a lovely gold-plated sleeping turtle). Bonus points are awarded for: (a) more than 10 consecutive seconds spent walking during open play; (b) throwing their hands up or shrugging in exasperation at one of their teammates who has been busting his ass all game for failing to deliver them an inch-perfect pass because they couldn’t be bothered to actually get open; and (c) opting to take an off-balance shot from a poor angle far away from the goal which goes a good 10-15 yards high or wide instead of passing to a wide open teammate in a better position. Honestly, I wouldn’t know who to favor in this competition, they’re neck in neck. But it should be exciting. Kind of. In a way.

That’s it for me — I’m moving this weekend so I won’t be around. It’s just as well given how pessimistic I am about this one, and I generally find the Manchester City matches amongst the least exciting we play all season. I will be able to watch the match, though, so I’ll probably drop in on Sunday and bless you with my thoughts. Have great weekends.

************

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Category: Arsenal News, Arsene Wenger, Cesc Fabregas, Manchester City

Tags: Arsenal News, Arsene Wenger, Cesc Fabregas, Manchester City
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Homey_MillsI just read that Wenger said that his team is "close to something special." Isn't that the same as "we're building a team for the future"?sandra350"it’s pretty shocking how Premiership managers just don’t seem to stick around that long:"

The PL is actually better in this regard than the continent or South America, where managers last even less time. In Brazil, it's not uncommon for a club to have 3 different managers in the same season. They fire managers the way Greedybayor gets flagged offside.Gigi_manHappy BDay boss, or...Joyeux anniversaire Chef!
Proud, I am. I love th man, sometimes I get agry at him, but he is a symbol ARSENe ARSENal!!
I agree about Cesc, I think it will happen this summer, still dont understand the guy though, I still think that even when Xavi is not there, and hhe wont be a Bencher, the momentum is imortant, and aside from Madrid in 55-60 with Di Stefano I havent seeen or recall any momentum that lasted more than 2 years....

In any case, I think we have material for midfield....Jacky , Ramsey if fit...goood future for us.

I am a bit nervous for ManC so wont comment on that much.Gigi_manfunny thing, how do I edit after I logged out? or I cant?

Any way, 2 things: during the day for fun I will watch the video and if anything interesting, your official Spanish translator will deliver! (i hope if cesc leaves that a Spaniard comes along to keep the job haha

And, Sagna back for Mn C, what would be your best pick for defence?JETrooney signs new man utd deal... now i feel like i wasted my past week follwoing the stupid dilemmaGigi_manGuess le boss was right, he did comment on some site or the official one, and concluded that Rooney was Rooney and that Manu was his club and he would re sign....I guess le Boss isnt only right when ot comes to our players :) In le Boss we fait confiance!!Perry S.In Arsène We Trust...will raise a glass to the professor this evening.blog comments powered by Disqus

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Monday 25 October 2010

Happy Birthday, Arsene Wenger; Looking Ahead to Manchester City

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