Will Wenger ever win a trophy again?

From Mike : does Arsene Wenger have the ability to ever win again?

Morning Myles,

Hope you’re enjoying the weekend.

Last week I questioned Arsenal’s true transfer targets, but today I have another concern.

It has been so long since Arsene Wenger and Arsenal have won a trophy, so the big question is – does Arsene have it in him to win another trophy?

http://www.afc4life.co.uk/2013/06/16/does-arsene-wenger-still-have-it-in-him-to-win-another-trophy/

We might have a £70 million “war chest” and we might be bringing in Rooney, Higuain and Jovetic but what about the Arsenal set-up?

We’ve had 8 seasons where 4th spot is good enough. Even if we vastly improve the squad this summer, the other Top 6 sides will be doing the same and how does Arsene suddenly change the mentality and instil a winning mentality?

You’ve mentioned the Colney Creche several times and would we need to change our manager to change the philosophy at the club?

Myles says:

It would take years  to erase his culture and his “philosophy”.

He fails but  he makes money every year.

He could never fail for eight years at  Juventus or Bayern or Dortmund or  Milan or Inter or Barcelona. Or even at Liverpool.

Arsenal’s elderly board didn’t just  give  him a job, they gave him the whole club.

So far, nothing has happened.

The only signing has been Sir Chips Keswick,72, as chairman.

His family control Jardines of Hong Kong, who are big in China.

However, it’s just conceivable that Wenger could sign Fellaini and Higuain and then extend his contract by three years  off the back of  buying those two stars.

That is my nightmare.

And also my prediction: his biggest signing will be himself.

Face it  : The biggest star at Arsenal is Wenger, who  could  be there for further decades.

Right now, Wenger is more interested in extending his contract than in winning a trophy.

My advice? Stop hoping. Just give up and become happy again.

From Alexander Tovey: right not to trust Arsenal

Depressing as it sounds, fans and even players are right not to trust Arsenal because of their penchant for double speak and absent action.

Remember when we were sold the best young team the EPL had ever seen? This team was led by Bendtner, Djourou, Denilson and co.

This team failed to materialise and suddenly the promises changed.

Now we were not building for the future but we were allowing the team to bed down before clicking and being the best squad Arsenal had ever had. Again, materialising failed.

Then it was positioning for FFP, something most of Europe don’t seem to give a jot about.

This was followed by maturing of financial foundations, something we are promised the results of now.

I am certain the next set of rhetoric involves ‘It takes time to select the worlds best players’ then ‘We will be building this new Arsenal over a number of seasons’ then back to ‘We will have the best young team ever’.

I simply don’t buy it until real players actually turn up.

And it seems that our best players don’t believe these words either.

Will Wenger ever win the Champions League?

From Ash : How awful is his record in Europe?

1 Final and 1 semi, I think, in 15 years.

Too many tactical changes for him to adapt to.

We’re light years behind the big teams now but should have done better between 98-2004.

We definitely had the players to win it but weren’t flexible enough tactically. We improved with Cesc but maybe if we played like 2006 from a couple of years earlier we would have won it.

Pires could have been used in Cesc’s role for the games we were outplayed by the likes of Ajax and Deportivo.

Myles says :

That’s the nightmare all Gooners are trapped in: Wenger won’t leave till he’s won it – but he’ll never win it.

Don’t remind me  about Deportivo in 2002-03.

At half-time at Highbury, with Arsenal 2-0 down and already beaten, I told my friend Stewart Joseph, “You’ll never win the Chmpions League with this manager. And you’ll never win it with Thierry Henry as your main striker.”

Before that, Wembley was a  cardinal error.

A historical blunder Arsenal made once, then twice. They had to repeat the folly of giving up home advantage, a familiar ambience, two seasons in a row.

Two years at Wembley crippled their learning curve.

On a smaller pitch, Arsenal’s style would have worked.

Vieira &  Petit would have got fewer yellow cards.