Mr Wenger

[MK Gould]

No one person is more important than Arsenal. Not Wenger, not Henry or Bergkamp or Kronke or Dein...or Hill-Wood. And Arsenal is so important to us that we should be very choosy over who we entrust with its future.

And talking of trust, we've all invested a good deal of time & money over the last couple of seasons following a team in transition. We don't get a discount for that. Our faith is built on the belief that next season, or the season after that, we will reap the reward of having so many superb young players coming good at the same time. The 3rd great Wenger team!

But what if Wenger left at the end of the season? Its likely that Cesc & god know's who else would follow him? Quite literally, the last 3 years would have been a waste of our time & money.

Now, if the Arsenal board had done everything in its power to keep him, but Arsene just felt that the time was right - then so be it. But is that likely? Say there was something - anything - that the Board could do to keep the big man happy then don't you think they should do it?

This is a man who (fairly much single handedly!!) has turned boring Arsenal into everyone's favourite team to watch. He was also instrumental in the development of a state of the art training centre. He was also instrumental in the decision to move to the Grove. He's is also the very reason for a good number of people on this forum supporting Arsenal!! He's taken us from being a rival of Spuds & Villa, to being on a par with Real, Milan & Barca!

So while I don't think that Arsene is bigger than Arsenal, I have no doubt that he is bigger & more important to our future success than Hill-Wood, Fizsman & that lady who isn't even keen on football.

We all have opinions about TH, but the fact is that if Arsene wanted to keep him - then we should have kept him. If he wants Dein back, then we should get him back. Are we prepared to sacrifice the best Manager in the world to save the face of an old etonian who should have thought about the consequences in the first place?

So what do I want? I want Hill-Wood to think before he speaks & to say something which shows respect for the fans & respect for Arsene Wenger. But more than anything, I want Arsene to talk to us. To tell us the truth. If he is definitely staying then say so now (and get the contract sorted!). If he is undecided (or has already decided to leave!) then tell us why. This really is something which is too important to leave in the hands of the Board & to just keep our fingers crossed throughout 2007/08.

This posting was prompted by hearing about Atletico Madrid fans taking to the streets in protest at the potential sale of Torres. We didn't have the opportunity to protest over the sale of Henry. Hopefully we will over the potential loss of our Manager!!!

[Chopper]

Fantastic post MK. Think it seems up how we all feel at the moment.

If only Messrs Wenger and Hill-Wood read this forum and in particular this post of yours. They've got our season ticket money now, so should begin to share the truth or at least their estimation of how the next couple of seasons are going to pan out.

They have a duty to everyone connected with the club, be it players, officials, supporters or fans to serve in the best interests of the club, and with so much perceived disharmony within the club (whats our motto again...?) it is in nobodys interests to keep things close to their chest.

It doesn't help Arsene to attract players, it doesn't help the current players feel settled, all it is doing is causing confusion to everyone.

Now is the time to send out a message of intent out to all of us, everyone at the club, and the whole football world. This is why things are happening, this is where we are going to be and so on.

Victoria concordia crescit....if you remember what that means Mr PHW.

[MK Gould]

I remember the Man Utd chairman, Martin Edwards, always seemed to have a problem with Alex Ferguson. It was like he resented him & the more successful he was then the more he seemed to do things to annoy him. Maybe like having an employee with more power than the boss? The result? Ferguson is still United's Manager & Edwards has long gone.

I wouldn't promote Ferguson to the same heights as Wenger, but maybe Hill-Wood sometimes feels the same way about his servant? Hopefully Wenger & Hill-Wood can live happily ever after, but if one had to go......

[Chopper]

If one had to go it's a no contest.

Having said that it seems either Dein or PHW had to go and that one doesn't appear to have worked out well.

[I Hate Hleb]

THERE IS NOTHING STOPPING FANS WRITING TO THE CLUB, AND THE BOARD MEMBERS IN PARTICULAR, TO LET THEM KNOW THE CONCERNS WE, THE SUPPORTERS, HAVE.

NOT SURE IT WILL HAVE THAT MUCH AFFECT BUT I WOULD CERTAINLY BE UP FOR PARTICIPATING IN SOME FORM OF PETITION/DISPLAY/PROTEST.

IT'S EITHER THAT, OR WE JUST SIT AT HOME WITH OUR FINGERS CROSSED!! THE DIRECTION IN WHICH THE CLUB NOW GOES CAN BE
INFLUENCED BY US, IF WE MAKE A BIG ENOUGH EFFORT.

THE QUESTION ALL GOONERS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO ASK THEMSELVES IS: CAN WE TRUST THE BOARD TO TAKE US FORWARD OR DO WE NEED TO REMIND THEM OF WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO US - THE FANS - BEFORE THEY SCREW THINGS UP?

[GunnerTino]

At last the worm appears to be turning!
I've thought for a long time that Hill-Wood
and his cronies have needed a good kick
up the arse,hopefully the thought of actually
having to lose the greatest manager in the clubs
history could be it.That "Old Etonian" crap has never
washed with me,as for the others on the board,well
I guess they're looking after themselves rather than
than the club,and before the uproar I'll get about how they were all instrumental in the move to the Grove and all that,don't forget they all paid themselves nice little bonus completing the move!
Nice work if you can get it!!

[Drone]

Yes they need to talk with us, we support the Club, i fill bad when we loose something, what does Mr. Hill think, haw can he just turn things down like that. If Henry wanted to leave coo, but if he dident than you misters have something to explain to us about, that goes for the board and for Mr. Weneger as well. But specially for the board, Henry is gone but Weneger, we definnitely will protest about that, i'm for protesting, i protested against armed occupators for my fridom i will come to London and protest for the team i support fur sure, so dont make me do that cause i'm damn sure that i will, and many sa i will follow me.

[Eboue Can't Defend]

Now if the above post from KAQAK doesn't get the Arsenal Board to change their ways, I feel sorry for them!!!

[augie]

I think the contest over who had to leave the board earlier this year was between David Dein & fitsman and the board sided with the man who is awaiting his tax exile status. Bad bad move. I have been a critic of the board since the DD sacking and even then i knew what lay ahead. I would totally support any form of a protest against the current board as i do think that we need to publicly show the board how we feel and if that doesn't sit right with our old etonian then tough. Do we really expect a man like Arsene to come out and make public statements about his intentions when it is just not his style ? I would like for him however to come out publicly and state that he is willing to sign a new contract only if DD is restored to the board and then we would have some fun. At a guess I'd say 99% of Gooners would demand DD's reinstatement if it meant wengers commitment to our future so the board would have a right pickle on their hands - would they be willing to risk a total revolt from the fans if they refused to agree to Arsene's terms ?

[LadyGooner07]

Count me in! I've never felt so frustrated with the team i love. I'm 24 and i know i have been very lucky being able to watch such amazing football every week for the last 10 years. My dad always reminds me that it wasn't always like that, but i'm not prepared to sit and watch my beloved team slip back 10 years because the board aren't prepared to put there pride to one side and admit they made a mistake letting DD leave.

[Galasso]

Augie

You're right. I think that Arsene Wenger would no doubt welcome back David Dein with open arms, although I am not sure his future is contingent upon it.

And, if Arsene Wenger said that if all Arsenal fans punched themselves in the face and shaved their heads he would stay, then 99% of fans would do it to keep him at the club.

I would like to see David Dein back and I predict that Stan Kroenke is not going to be silent for too much longer.

[Red Carpet]

I'm not sure it is all quite as simple as that ... David Dein's departure was a decision made in the boardroom and should Arsene Wenger really feel that unsettled without him (which I doubt, given that the two biggest decisions the club have faced in the last ten years, being the move to the new ground and selling the club to the Yank, they completely disagreed on) then "getting Dein back" just to appease Wenger would be a complete farce and a show of no confidence in the Board as a whole.
Yes we all want to see the club being a success on the pitch but the argument that because its an expensive hobby we should have a God given right to success is unrealistic, just ask supporters of the likes of West Ham and Spurs, who's hard earned money is just as good as ours.
I for one am not yet willing to see the club sell out just because I can't wait any longer for a trophy, and selling out is the only possible circumstance we will see Dien back at the club.

[T.S]

What has Wenger ever done for us?

[Galasso]

Red Carpet

I think you prove that there are so many angles at which to look this situation. This is mainly due to the lack of hard facts available.

As I said, I don't think that Arsene Wenger's future in contingent on Dein's return to the club, as many other factors may play a part when the time comes.

The worry for most people it seems is that Dein was the link between the Manager and board, and had the complete confidence in football matters of Wenger. As you correctly said, we have no god given right to success and if it would be dangerous to rush into a panic driven sell-out.

Its just that when you have experienced 10 years on near constant stability, these unstabling incidents give people the shits. Like job-loss or separation.

[Red Carpet]

That is a fair point. My worry is I hear alot of panic from Arsenal fans about our current situation and yes Dein leaving hasn't helped peoples anxiety, but I think selling the club would be very much a knee jerk reaction and it would appear, although we don't know for certain, that it is on that matter that Dein's departure was based.
Henry's comments haven't helped, why what goes on at board level should overly concern a player is beyond me.
There isn't a manager in world football I would rather have than Wenger and the board have given him autonomy in all football matters, which he wouldn't get anywhere else. A wise move by them I believe.
How many other Managers would be given the power to personally choose a replacement for the role that Grimandi now fills at the club ??.
That was a very significant piece of business that should not be overlooked.
I just think we need to show a bit of patience at this stage. Spurs fans are notoriously lacking patience, which has resulted in their club making bad decisions year in year out to please them.
We are better than that surely ?!?.