Wenger Passed on Real

[Coach_McGuirk]

http://msn.skysports.com/skysports/article/0,,7-1125392,00.html

Apparently, "Le Boss" said "Le No" to Real last summer.

Best quote: "...becoming a national coach does not interest me. What does, is trying to win the Champions League against 20 clubs - 18 of which have bigger budgets."


Give 'em hell. Arsene!!!

[BayouGooner]

Our entire team has passed on Real at some point in time--some on numerous occasions. It's good to be the envy of the football world.

[AmericanGunner]

The title should read 'Wenger passed gas on Real'.
RM are so arrogant. Our stars have turned them down. Wenger, Henry, Vieira. They can go...pound sand.

[kaberon10]

How bout you guys hold off on the Real bashing until, say, you win something in Europe. You guys are good, but until you either can consistently beat the best in Europe, I'd hold off on the "envy of the world" talk for a little bit. Real may have made passes at some of your top names, but no Arsenal player, Viera if anyone, would start on Real. Perhaps this year Henry may have started some games over Raul due to Raul being off of top form so far, but he certainly wouldn't start over Ronaldo. Pires? Nah, I'd rather have Beckham. ACole? RCarlos is better in every single area. Reyes would have made a good Real signing, though, but I'd rather have Joaquin - who Real are supposedly talking to.

But I digress. Until you win a CL (not to mention 9), I'd hold off on the envy of the world business.

[billyho96]

Originally posted by kaberon10
Real may have made passes at some of your top names, but no Arsenal player, Viera if anyone, would start on Real.



OK got us,you've had a better run in Europe, no argument. But the above is stupid, espcially if we are just talking this season.

Everyone on our back line would start for Madrid, except for Cole. Vieria would start and obviously Henry would.

[Coach_McGuirk]

One thing I thought about today is bothering me: how long is Wenger going to stay once his goals have been reached? Say that we've won the CL, and we've spent a year in the new stadium: is Wenger going to pack his bags and move on to the next challenge? Or will he look to continue to grow Arsenal so his eptitaph to the game will be "Forged the Largest Club in the World from Humble Beginnings"?

I fear it will be the former, that once the CL is won and the stadium move is done, our friend Mr. Wenger will begin the search for his next chance to create a mountain from a molehill, and there are few clubs that won't be offering him a job when he does go looking.

[BayouGooner]

Why would you think he would leave? He's already been at Arsenal longer than any of his previous clubs and he's going to be staying on for at least 3 more years. Wenger is no journeyman--if I'm not mistaken he's only been the head coach of 3 other clubs. It's obvious that AW has built something special here, and he knows it would be extremely difficult for him to replicate that with another club. AW's getting older and he's already said he doesn't see himself coaching past 60. Arsenal are already letting on that he could have any job in the front office, perhaps even chairman, when he doesn't want to coach any longer.

Besides where would he go....MLS?

[Coach_McGuirk]

The reason I think he might leave is in his quote on why he didn't take the Real job: "There's no spice in it". That, and the fact that he relishes winning the CL with the second lowest budget in the competition.

I don't question his loyalty: far from it. What I do question is his interest in coaching a giant. It seems to me he derives more pleasure from building a "giant" than coaching one. He has shown that he has what it takes to take a club to the next level, even with funding that pales in comparison to his competition. Perhaps he might be bored with Arsenal after he has achieved his goals and he may set out to find a new challenge, i.e. turning a small club into a big one his way.

[Martin Daoust]

It appears Wenger is staying at least three more seasons now for certain, which gives us plenty of time to 1)Secure Wenger's place at the club beyond then or 2)Find and groom an adequate replacement. I think the situation will require both, actually. I believe that while Wenger may not relish the challenge of managing itself anymore, I can see and Board members have said several times, there is still a place for Wenger at Arsenal even if he relinquishes the manager's role. Most recently I think it was even suggested he could receive a place on the Board, and that wouldn't surprise me. Wenger's statements indicating he was a driving force behind the Ashburton Grove Project to me suggest he is already more than just a manager now. This also ensures him having a role in matters such as selecting his successor and team-building. If he leaves Arsenal for another club it will likely be because he misses managing at some point. More likely, despite his latest words, the lure of taking France to another World Cup win to complete his managing CV might lead him to take a leave at some point...

[Coach_McGuirk]

I think at this point Wenger is a de facto member of the board as it is. His requests are usually not denied as he is comfortable working within the framework of the budget the board has set. I can think of only one or two times when he has siad to the media his hands were tied, and funds seemingly came available rather quickly in both cases.

Does he want a role on the board? I think that's the big question...

[BayouGooner]

I guess he could do both...manage France and be on Arsenal's board.

[BayouGooner]

Oh I think AW would love a role on the board. Look at his involvement in the Ashburton Grove project. Look at the way he interacts with the members of the board in regards to transfers and budget concerns. Look at his degree in economics. Look at how the board hold AW in the highest esteem.

Like you said before, he's already pretty much a board member. Most coaches tend to stay out of stadium and general budget matters, regularly defering to the board. AW deals closely with the board in regards to budget matters, and I think it's part of the reason he loves Arsenal so much. The board allows AW a great deal of input and autonomy when it comes to running the team. I've heard he even decides the meals himself.

[ZonaGunner]

Wenger would never fit into Real Madrid. His savy approach to player moves would instantly clash with the culture of buying the biggest stars every year, rather than plugging the holes where you actually need new players. If Real Madrid wasn't hugely subsidized by the city of Madrid, etc., they couldn't afford to be so profligate. I will always root against Real Madrid as long as they are so heavily subsidized. I'm no ManU fan, but at least they don't rely on subsidies to buy big players. They go out and market and earn money. But Wenger's whole culture and approach to soccer wouldn't fit the glitzy Real Madrid approach. Just not a good fit and I'd guess Arsene recognized this.

[442]

So, are biggest problem is that after giving us a brand new stadium and a Champions League title, our manager may depart for a new challenge?

If these events were to transpire (no guarantee of that), I would be the first to say, "Monsieur Wenger, thank you and best wishes in your future endeavors."

Would I want him to leave? Absolutely not. My first inclination would be to wrap myselft around his left leg, sobbing "please don't go." But any Arsenal fan that would begrudge Wenger anything he wants would be petty.

Without Wenger you and I are basically rooting for Spurs in red and white. I firmly believe no one person is bigger than the club, and by that I mean I'd still be a fan of Arsenal if we didn't have Wenger and were mid-table, but let's be honest, Wenger has been so instrumental in Arsenal's fortunes that he deserves a large share of the credit.

No, if for some reason he wanted to leave, I can't do anything more than wish him well. Unless he totally stabbed Arsenal in the back on the way out, but I can't imagine him doing that. Loyalty doesn't mean staying at one place forever, it means giving 100% while you are there.

[655321]

Originally posted by kaberon10
...no Arsenal player, Viera if anyone, would start on Real

Absolutely incorrect. Real Madrid fans say this about EVERY player who is rumored to be signing for Real. Almost every single RM fan on bigsoccer said this for months about Beckham. Which brings us to this dandy of a statement...

Originally posted by kaberon10
...Pires? Nah, I'd rather have Beckham.

:rolleyes:

[BayouGooner]

Originally posted by 442
Without Wenger you and I are basically rooting for Spurs in red and white

Hey, at least we won the league once in a while

[Martin Daoust]

Originally posted by BayouGooner
I guess he could do both...manage France and be on Arsenal's board.

Agree completely. Winning the World Cup is still the Ultimate Prize in football even if you prefer club to international football, so it wouldn't surprise me after winning several more Premierships at least one or two European Cups, a couple of more FA Cups a Toyota Cup (or World Club Championship-oh god)and even a Carling Cup that Wenger might feel that the World Cup is all that is left to add to his resume. Agree also that he is all but on the Board now, so I wouldn't worry anytime soon. My guess is he'll manage to 2008 or 2009 then consider taking over the French NT in team for the 2010 World Cup, otherwise he'll manage to 2010 then take an official place on the Board...

[ZonaGunner]

One of the recent articles I read quoted Wenger as saying he has no interest in coaching national teams. I see no reason to not think he was serious in saying that. Of course he could get bored after Arsenal run off a half dozen straight EPL titles, so maybe then he'd change his mind! :)

[kaberon10]

Originally posted by billyho96
OK got us,you've had a better run in Europe, no argument. But the above is stupid, espcially if we are just talking this season.

Everyone on our back line would start for Madrid, except for Cole. Vieria would start and obviously Henry would.

Maybe Sol would start over Pavon, but Salgado, Carlos, and Helguera are all proven internationals for the top 2 or 3 countries in the world. Obviously, Henry wouldn't start unless Real changed formations; Ronaldo is the best goal scorer in the world, by far, and Raul plays the forward position about as Henry (although this year he's a little off form), and also represents Real Madrid to the world. Viera, like I said, would start. Thats it.


[i]Originally posted by ZonaGunner
some garbage about Real being helped out financially by the gov't

Ummmm, where should I start. Real bought some property in Madrid for dirt cheap, held onto it while it gained value, and then sold it back to the city. Good business does not mean that they are cheating or being subsidized or that Elvis is alive or any of these other childish ideas.

The reason we said Beckham wouldn't fit is because we had Makalele when that was being discussed. If we had Makalele, it would be tough to fit everyone, when healthy, into the midfield. When Makalele left, Beckham's spot opened up. As for Pires, Figo is better in every aspect of the game (I'd say their diving is about the same :) ), Zidane obviously is in a different class, Guti and Solari are similar but better acclimated to Real's style of play, and Beckham can hit a better free kick/long ball, gets stuck in as a holding midfielder better, and doesn't need as much of the ball.


Arsenal are getting better, no doubt. I dislike ManU just as much as the next guy, and you guys are doing big things with not much money. But Arsenal are not Real Madrid, and it will take more than winning the EPL once or twice to convince me that Arsenal should even be taken seriously on a world stage for years to come. Obviously they are playing well now, and Bentley, Aliadierie, Reyes, Clichy, etc. are looking like they will be serious players, though, so I am by no means dismissing Arsenal. But Real have won two of the last four competitions and are favorites again this year, while Arsenal have yet to even play in a semi-final.

[BayouGooner]

Originally posted by kaberon10
[B]Maybe Sol would start over Pavon, but Salgado, Carlos, and Helguera are all proven internationals for the top 2 or 3 countries in the world.[B]

OK, you're obviously a Spain Nat'l team and Real fan because you have no clue about defending. The Spanish National team has been a disappointment for years, and Real's defense is anything but strong.

Salgado is decent, but he's not been 1st choice for Spain for some time. That spot is Puyol's for years to come. Sol's one of the most respected defenders in Europe as and he's on the shortlist for European player of the year. Pavon and Raul Bravo (yes they guy who couldn't even start at Leeds last year) haven't even sniffed this list.

Raul is a great player, but over-rated in my opinion. I think you'd be hard pressed to find coaches and fans outside of Madird that would take Raul over Henry. I think quite a few would take Henry over Ronaldo as well.

Amd why do you say that Figo is better that Pires? Figo skills are obviously on the decline. I think you won't be defending Figo when he's not playing for Real next year. Pires has shown no signs of slowing down after recovering from his injuries. He is a vital part of Arsenal's success, scoring and setting up many goals.

Henry, Vieira, Pires, and Sol would walk into ANY starting 11 in Europe. Yes even the great Real Madrid.