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Arsene Wenger: Thank you for everything – a tribute
After 22 years Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has decided to step down from his position at the end of the season. Here is my tribute to a manager who has played such an important role in my life.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has finally called it quits after 22 years managing the club and maybe now is the right time to look back at his remarkable career as the boss of the North London team. Through the ups and downs of his tenure, many will always remember his ups more so than his downs.
The ups consisted of winning the Premier League trophy 3 times within his first 8 years at the club, winning the title undefeated, an achievement that has never been done in the Premier League and probably wont happen for many, many years.
Apart from 3 league titles, the Frenchman was also able to win a total of 7 FA Cups, the most of any manager in history, and 7 Community Shields which total 17 pieces of silverware in 22 years. That total would have been higher had Arsene Wenger not settled for runner up in 1 Uefa cup final, 1 UEFA Champions League final, 1 FA cup final, 3 EFL cups finals and finishing second best in 6 seasons of the Premier League.
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His downs mainly consisted of falling out with fans, with the Gunner faithfuls believing he overstayed his welcome. Many would protest his stay and would express and voice their opinions about the situation. With success being hard to come by in recent years and enduring a 9 year trophy drought, results started to dip and many were unhappy with the lack of investment injected in his team.
But through all the downs, he still had the support from a number of fans, players and fellow managers. It speaks volumes that he is so well liked within the game and has such an influence in the field.
I could go on about how he qualified the team for 20 consecutive years of Champions League football (even with a squad containing Chamakh, Senderos and Squillaci ect), how he has developed world class players, how he financed the construction of The Emirates Stadium, and also spoiling the fans for 22 years of beautiful attacking football and some great rivalries to accompany the football, but lets face it, his legacy is much more than that.
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His legacy is much more than changing the face of English football or inspiring other managers to take up his tactics and work ethics. His legacy consists of being a father like figure to many players, nurturing them to do the best they possibly can, being a grand father figure to many fans who have grown up knowing only the Arsene Wenger Arsenal, including myself, and also allowing fans to witness many years of joy and a countless number of results that many will cherish for many years of their lifetime.
I understand times have been tough during the last couple of seasons, almost unbearable compared to the high standards that Wenger set for himself, so I do believe the time was right for him to leave, but now that he has announced his departure, it is a very bittersweet moment. A very knowledgeable, well respected, well spoken character who genuinely loved the club and the game, deserves to be sent off on a high. It’s just unfortunate that he couldn’t be sent off with a Premier League or a Champions League trophy.
There are many things I would like to say to Arsene Wenger if I ever met the man who played such an important role in me supporting the club. There are also many things I would like to thank him for such as turning down offers from enormous clubs to commit to the Gunners, having such an incredible Premier League record compared to Tottenham’s overall Premier League record and for gracing us with players such as Henry and Van Persie.
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But I believe, myself and most Arsenal supporters would like to thank him for his time and commitment to the club the most because we all know deep down, there will never be another like him.