Arsene Wenger—The Final Judgement Read online

  ARSENE WENGER

  First published in Great Britain by Simon & Schuster UK Ltd, 2015

  A CBS COMPANY

  Copyright © 2015 by John Cross

  This book is copyright under the Berne convention.

  No reproduction without permission.

  All rights reserved.

  The right of John Cross to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.

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  The author and publishers have made all reasonable efforts to contact copyright-holders for permission, and apologise for any omissions or errors in the form of credits given. Corrections may be made to future printings.

  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

  Hardback ISBN: 978-1-4711-3791-4

  Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4711-5339-6

  Ebook ISBN: 978-1-4711-3793-8

  Typeset in Caslon by M Rules

  Printed and bound by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY

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  Football is a comfort, even through the hard times in life.

  My dad introduced me to football, Arsenal and the love of the game.

  When Arsenal were losing the FA Cup final 2-0 to Hull in May 2014, I could almost my hear my dad – who passed away just two days earlier – look down in exasperation and say: ‘Can’t you do this for me just this once?’

  Of course, Arsenal did it for him. And the magical part about Arsene Wenger is that he has done it so many times for so many people.

  I couldn’t have done this book without the support of my family. I would like to dedicate it to my dad. I miss talking to him so very much.

  CONTENTS

  Introduction

  1. What’s in a Name?

  2. French Revolution

  3. Adopted Englishman

  4. The Glory Game

  5. The Invincibles

  6. European Meltdown

  7. Flirting

  8. The Barren Years

  9. Deserting the Ship

  10. Old Foes

  11. Press Relations

  12. The Intelligent One

  13 Fan Unrest

  14. A New Dawn

  15. FA Cup Win 2014

  16. Training and Tactics

  17. The Summer of 2014

  18. Final Judgement

  Index

  List of Illustrations

  INTRODUCTION

  ARSENE WENGER IS HARDLY a run-of-the-mill football manager – and the Frenchman is proud to be different.

  As if to prove it, on Monday, 1 September 2014, Wenger flew with agent Leon Angel to Rome for a charity football match. While the rest of football was glued to a telephone or watching transfer deadline day unfold on television, Wenger went to the Vatican to meet Pope Francis.

  Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis was desperately trying to complete a deal to sign Danny Welbeck from Manchester United. Gazidis was struggling to get hold of his manager on the phone and eventually he got through to Angel, only to be told that Wenger was talking to the Pope. Later in the day, the Welbeck deal was completed and Wenger got his man. But it just goes to show this is no ordinary football manager.

  Wenger does not like getting drawn into transfer auctions. He attended a convention in Geneva while Arsenal went on their crazy supermarket sweep on deadline day in 2011 and that perhaps illustrates where his priorities lie. He plays by his own rules, is determined to win with style, would rather shun the money-mad transfer market and yet always ensures that he and his own players get very well paid.

  Wenger breezed into Arsenal, the most English of football clubs in 1996, as a relative unknown but soon established himself as a genius, a football revolutionary. The beautiful style of his teams, combined with his charm and unexpected wit, was destined to make him one of the Premier League’s all-time greats and the most successful manager in Arsenal’s long and illustrious history.

  When Wenger arrived, Manchester United were reigning champions, Newcastle their closest challengers. Arsenal had finished fifth the season before under Bruce Rioch and Wenger’s greatest achievement over the next two decades was to bring trophies and a consistency that would ensure standards would never drop as low again.

  Wenger delivered a style of football and quality of player which had rarely been seen at Arsenal before. He introduced new training methods, new diets and mastered the French transfer market. His brilliant one-liners ensured he made the headlines, and his jousting with Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson – both on and off the pitch – established one of English football’s great rivalries.

  But, just at the time Arsenal were breaking records and enjoying the most successful period in the club’s history, they were hit with a double whammy which would push the club to the brink and test Wenger’s management skills to their very limit.

  Roman Abramovich’s Russian revolution bankrolled Chelsea from 2003, while Manchester City’s new-found wealth also emerged as a major factor in the Premier League, just at a time when Arsenal were having to borrow heavily to move to the Emirates Stadium. Wenger was left fighting with both hands tied behind his back – and yet continued to deliver Champions League places every year, challenged for the title and, by 2015, had emerged out the other side, winning back-to-back FA Cups to become the first post-war manager to win the trophy six times.

  Wenger still does not like spending ‘stratospheric’ money, as he calls it, but two world-class signings in Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez have helped change Arsenal’s dynamic, ambition and outlook.

  Perhaps more than any other recent big game, Wenger was able to bring it all together in the 2015 FA Cup final when they beat Aston Villa 4-0. The mixture of pace, power and movement showed Arsenal at their best. They had struggled under the pressure of expectation, the slow, heavy Wembley pitch and being favourites in previous games against Wigan, Hull and Reading. But here, finally, was what Arsenal were about under Wenger.

  Ozil glided across the pitch, Sanchez revelled in the big-match occasion, Santi Cazorla orchestrated the play, while Theo Walcott’s pace stretched Aston Villa’s defence to its limit. Arsenal didn’t just win, they won with style, which is so important to Wenger. There is always a debate in football about whether it really matters how you win – just as long as you win. Pragmatists such as Jose Mourinho or Rafa Benitez put winning before everything and, when they are lifting trophies, that seems to be all that matters. But Wenger believes it goes deeper than that and, talking in May 2015, he gave a fascinating insight into why he believes it is important to entertain as well as win.

  ‘Let’s not forget you can win and lose playing with different styles,’ said Wenger. ‘I believe the big clubs have a responsibility to win – but to also win with style. I believe our sport has moved forward a lot on the physical side, tactical side but we must not forget the values that it carries through the generations. One of them is the vibe coming out of the team going into the stand doesn’t lie.

  ‘I always like to think that the guy who wakes up in the morning after a hard week of work has that moment, that fraction of a second, when he opens his eyes
and says: “Oh, today I go to watch my team.” I like to think it makes him happy, he thinks he can maybe see something special. We can’t guarantee that, but we have to try . . . It’s amazing the effect you can have on people’s lives.’

  That seemed to come together again in 2015. There have been many highs and some lows during Wenger’s reign at Arsenal. The Premier League and FA Cup Doubles in 1998 and 2002, followed by the history-making Invincibles season in 2003/04 when they won the title unbeaten, were some of the best moments.

  After that, however, Wenger became as much accountant as football manager during the move to the Emirates but, through all the disappointments and frustrations of the years that followed, he kept the vision of a glorious sunny day in May as the inspiration through the dark times.

  His philosophy may frustrate some – indeed, it often annoys and upsets his own players. But Wenger sets up to attack and win; he rarely goes into games to defend and stop the opposition. When Arsenal lose, it looks naive and foolish, and he rightly gets criticised. But when Arsenal win, Wenger gets the plaudits. And when they play the beautiful game and win, Wenger gets hailed as a genius.

  Over the last two decades Wenger has, without question, revolutionised Arsenal, changed the face of English football and established himself as one of the biggest characters in the Premier League. He provokes strong opinions, but that’s the life of a football manager. It’s an unforgiving profession when sometimes even your own fans don’t appreciate you.

  But that only goes to prove why Arsene Wenger’s career in English football has been a fascinating ride right from the start. There has always been drama, entertainment, success and disappointment.

  What follows tries to get to the heart of his achievement and assesses his methods. Based on detailed insight from players, backroom staff and the boardroom, as well as many years reporting on the club and following its every move, it places his remarkable story at the heart of the football revolution.

  CHAPTER 1

  WHAT’S IN A NAME?

  TO UNDERSTAND THE JOB Arsene Wenger has done, you first need to understand the club he was walking into back in 1996. And only then can you begin to appreciate the scale of his achievement and the transformation he has made.

  In 1996, Arsenal was a club resistant to change despite having been rocked by a string of scandals, from bungs to a destructive drinking culture and a dressing-room revolt. It was a club steeped in tradition, with Highbury’s Marble Halls a reminder of the past, but also perhaps a symbol of why the club could not go forward. With a capacity of around 38,000, the stadium’s listed buildings were subject to restrictions in terms of improvements and expansion. And in the boardroom, which lived up to the Old Etonian stereotype, port and cigars were the order of the day. It was a club known as the Bank of England. That was the nickname given to Arsenal in the 1930s because it had wealthy ownership, broke transfer records and gave big contracts. The Bank of England tag stuck into the 1990s, not because of the club’s big expenditure but more because of tradition, being old school and very British.

  Appointing a foreign manager in those days was still a rarity. Perhaps surprisingly, the first foreign manager in English football’s top flight did not arrive until Dr Jozef Venglos took over at Aston Villa in 1990. The Czech manager lasted a year. His appointment was seen as the exception to the rule, a bold and brave move that didn’t work. That perhaps explains why Arsenal actually rejected the chance to appoint Wenger in 1995.

  Arsenal were looking for a new manager after one of the most turbulent periods in the club’s history. George Graham, a member of Arsenal’s 1971 Double-winning team, was sacked in February 1995 after a bung scandal, following revelations that he had taken unsolicited payments on transfers. Graham had won two league titles, cups and brought back success to Arsenal. But his nine-year reign ended in disgrace and finished with a team in decline, a difficult dressing room run by egos, and a squad used to playing dull football which had revelled in the fans’ chant: ‘One-nil to the Arsenal.’

  But the fans gradually fell out of love with Graham’s cautious approach, which proves that success is not always enough. Arsenal needed a change, a different direction and new hope. The one member of the board who enjoyed being seen as different, a revolutionary, a mover and shaker in European football’s corridors of power, was their vice-chairman David Dein. And the first meeting between Wenger and Dein – who remain as close as ever – tells you everything you need to know about Arsenal’s history and traditions. Little did they realise then, but 2 January 1989 was to become a pivotal date in the history of Arsenal Football Club.

  Wenger, then manager of Monaco, was at Arsenal to watch a game during a break in the fixtures in France. He had stopped off in London after a match in Turkey. An agent, Dennis Roach, had got him a ticket in the directors’ box to see Arsenal take on Tottenham in the north London derby. Arsenal beat Spurs 2-0 and went on to win the title that season. Amusingly, the main thing that sticks in Wenger’s mind about that game was the appearance of Arsenal’s ginger-haired substitute. Perry Groves can be proud that he made such an impression on Wenger, even if it was more to do with the colour of his hair. Dein recalls:

  [Arsene] was passing through London and stopped off to see a game at the old Highbury stadium. We had a boardroom, which on match day was the domain of the directors and their privileged guests, and next door was the cocktail lounge, which hosted managers, scouts and generally football people from within the game.

  Since, in those days, women had limited access to the boardroom – that soon changed! – my wife and one of her friends camped in the cocktail lounge. She managed to get word to me that the manager of Monaco was there. At half-time, I introduced myself to this elegant man, wearing a long trench coat and what looked like bad National Health glasses. He really didn’t look a typical football manager.

  I asked him how long he would be staying in London and he said: ‘Overnight.’ I then asked him what he was doing that evening. He said: ‘Nothing.’ One of my favourite sayings is the motto of the turtle: ‘You never get anywhere unless you stick your neck out.’ I then enquired whether he would like to join my wife and me at a friend’s house for dinner. The answer changed our lives and I guess the lives of every Arsenal supporter. ‘Yes, I’d like that,’ he replied.

  Wenger stayed the night at their house in Totteridge, having been persuaded to go along to a small party being hosted by Dein’s friend Alan Whitehead, who played drums in the 1970s pop group Marmalade. They had an evening of buffet food, small talk and rounded it off with a game of charades. Dein continues:

  Arsene didn’t speak English that fluently at the time, which was just as well since it’s a mime game! Within a few minutes he had the courage to act out A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I thought to myself that he was not the usual football manager, an ex-player who has left school at 16. Arsene spoke four languages, went to Strasbourg University and had a degree in economics.

  During the evening I saw this vision written in the sky: ‘Arsene for Arsenal!’ It’s destiny, it’s fate, it’s going to happen. Of course, at the time, George Graham was our manager and we were about to win the league at that unforgettable game at Anfield. But Arsene and I became good friends, and from time to time I would go to Monaco to watch their matches. I could see how he interacted with the players, the press, the supporters and his board. He didn’t realise that he was auditioning for Arsenal.

  That fateful meeting changed everything, and over the course of the next few years they cemented their friendship: Dein would courier a video tape of Arsenal’s latest game to Wenger and they would talk, as friends, and analyse every performance. So when the Arsenal job became available in 1995, there was only ever one man as far as Dein was concerned. But, although Dein was hugely influential on transfers and the running of the club day-to-day, the rest of the board ignored his advice.

  Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood met Wenger in his favourite Italian restaurant, Ziani’s, just off the King’s
Road in London. Hill-Wood recalls being impressed with Wenger, but had major concerns about him largely because he was foreign. ‘I actually had cold feet about employing a foreigner at that time,’ Hill-Wood said. ‘Because we had a tricky squad, and one or two of them had personal problems, I wasn’t too sure he would understand it. I liked him immediately. I was just nervous, and I think some of my colleagues were as well, whether we were ready for a French coach. We decided we weren’t ready for it. We had a fairly difficult team. I was wrong, of course.’

  Hill-Wood was later forced to admit that the man they eventually went for, Bruce Rioch, who left Bolton to take over at Arsenal, was ‘not up to the job really’. But ironically – given the board’s reservations about Wenger – the players were very mixed about him. Dennis Bergkamp was signed during Rioch’s reign and the Dutchman speaks fondly of him, even expressing sadness that he left. And Martin Keown credits him for helping him start to become more expansive as a player.

  But Rioch struggled with other big names and characters. The players used to laugh at him, particularly his habit of never wearing a belt on his trousers. Little things often amuse players, and if a bit of mickey-taking over not wearing a belt was all Rioch had to worry about then he would have been fine. But perhaps his biggest clash of personalities came with Ian Wright, the Arsenal fans’ favourite and leading goalscorer. Their relationship hit such a low point that the striker put in a transfer request after getting fed up with either being played on the left wing or being dropped to the bench.

  Just before the start of the 1996/97 season, growing unrest in the dressing room plus a dispute over transfer funds brought about the demise of Rioch. So, in the space of 18 months, Arsenal, a club renowned for stability and caution, had sacked a manager amid a scandal, sacked another after dressing-room problems and were suddenly thinking about bucking the trend by going for a relatively unknown Frenchman.

  These were the days before social media, before foreign managers were well known on these shores, and no one was championing Wenger’s cause – apart from Dein. Since their meeting back in 1989, Wenger’s career had suffered highs and lows, which left him questioning his very future in the game. He had managed Monaco between 1987 and 1994, but had constantly become frustrated, repeatedly finishing second best to Marseille. The frustration came in the shape of Marseille’s match-fixing scandal. He felt cheated by Bernard Tapie, the Marseille president, and his attempts to bribe opposing players, officials and the game’s rulers. Marseille reached the 1993 European Cup final against Milan and only a few days before that needed to beat Valenciennes to win the French league title.