Arsenal: Arsene Wenger has a point on ‘disunity’

Arsene Wenger stated that the disunity at Arsenal football club hurt him and was one of the reasons why he decided to leave. While some more sensationalist headlines have suggested he has blindly just attacked the fans, he actually has a point.

The sensationalist press always frustrates me, especially as an Arsenal fan, a club that tends to rile up the wrong headlines.

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While I concede myself that I have written sensationalist headlines before and recognise its importance in regards to the media business earning its money, something that comes through an advertising model that puts a great stress on numbers and page views, that does not mean that I do not find it frustrating when it happens, especially when someone is misquoted.

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That is what is currently happening with Arsene Wenger. It is not all that surprising, if I am honest, and it is totally unacceptable and twisting of the English press. Here is what Wenger actually said:

"“Personally, I believe this club is respected all over the world, much more than in England. The fans did not give me the image of unity I want all over the world and that was hurtful because I think the club is respected. I’m not resentful and I do not want to make stupid headlines. I’m not resentful with the fans, I just feel if my personality is in the way of what I think our club is, for me that is more important than me. That is what I want to say, it is nothing to do with the fans. The fans were not happy – I can understand that. That is my job and I have to live with that, I can accept that.”"

And here are the headlines, provided that lovely fellow could Piers Morgan:

The worst thing about all this is that I actually, to an extent, agree with Wenger: The representation of Arsenal football club to the world over the past few years has been extremely sad.

Wenger, rightly, does not solely blame the fans, though he does say that there is some responsibility for some sections to be dished out. He admits that he is partly responsible for not making the fans happy, something that he later says he would suffer for. He simply states that the image of the club is what has driven him to this decision.

And he’s right. There is a school of thought that he jumped before he was pushed, and I do agree with that. But Wenger still needed a reason to leave, or at least an element of motivation to offer his resignation. And this is a perfectly fair one.

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So don’t just read the headlines. Don’t just assume that what the Sun presents as the truth is the truth. Actually read what Wenger said. You never know, you might end up agreeing with him.