Arsenal, yet again, stand on the brink of exiting a European competition. They need to beat Atlético Madrid in Spain, (or draw by a score of 2-2 or greater), to progress to the final of the Europa League.
For a club which likes to think of itself as one of Europe’s biggest, their record in the European trophy department is absolutely pathetic. In all of Arséne Wenger’s 22 years at the club they have made it to the final of the Champion’s League ONCE, in 2006 when they were beaten by Barcelona.
In 2009 they got to the final of the UEFA Cup but were beaten by Galatasaray.
For a team which used to qualify for the top European tournament EVERY year you would think that their manager would have worked out how to play in it by now. He obviously hasn’t and proof that Wenger’s powers were deteriorating came in heavy defeats to Bayern Münich in the last Champion’s League and is now evident in the naive way his team failed to beat Atlético at The Emirates despite the visitors being down to ten men for 80 minutes of the match!
Whilst it is also true to say that the great Sir Alex Ferguson didn’t have a particularly brilliant record in Europe, he did at least win two Champion’s Leagues and appeared in another two finals. He had also won the European Cup Winner’s Cup in 1983 whilst manager of Aberdeen, beating the great Real Madrid in the final.
Over a period of 26 years this was a pretty poor return and he himself speaks of how the club should have been competing in the final more often.
Arséne Wenger will leave Arsenal at the end of the season lauded as the greatest manager in the club’s history. Purely from a silverware point of view this, unfortunately, says more about the lack of quality in some of their other managers than it does about the quality in the Frenchman.
Wenger was, and still is, a scout/coach dressed in a mangers’s clothes.
From Liverpool to Glasgow…..?
Steven Gerrard – Could he take his famous Scouse accent to take on that famous Irish accent in Glasgow, famous for a Scottish accent!
Rangers are confident that Liverpool’s former captain Steven Gerrard will become their next manager in the very near future.
Gerrard is currently overseeing the development of the youth players at Anfield but it is thought he is looking to move into top flight management. As this is unlikely in his first appointment since retiring the Rangers post could fill the void until a real job becomes available.
Of course, his progression on the managerial ladder will depend very much on results achieved with the Scottish club and, given that there is only one serious opponent in the SPL, (who, unfortunately for Gerrard, is much better than Rangers at present), he should be able to further enhance his CV in the next couple of years.
He will also be able to renew acquaintances/hostilities with former boss Brendan Rodgers who has had things far too easy since being employed by Celtic.
Good luck to him and, as with Gary Neville with Sky, we look forward to seeing him back in the BT studios in the next year or so.
Wembley for sale…..
Good! Maybe if the ground is sold to Shahid Khan then the FA Cup final will only be played there when it involves two London clubs. His thinking is that he can play NFL football there between May and September during which time any England international games can be played at other grounds around the country.
The “other” grounds should refuse to participate in this little arrangement as the FA couldn’t care less about them until it is in their own interest to do so.
For sale – Football ground, one careless owner, situated on prime land in, unfortunately, London – £500m ono (Could be used for other activities with a little imagination)
They won’t refuse, of course, because it is a nice little earner and there are enough drum-beating patriots prepared to go and fill Old Trafford or St. James’ Park whenever the “best of the Premier League reserve teams eleven” is playing.
Our opinion on the subject of Wembley is, by now, quite well publicised. It could all fall down tomorrow and not an eyelid would we bat. It would be a case of “goodbye and good riddance”.
And finally…..
José Mourinho is learning to be patient with injuries. This time last year he had eight players out for one reason or another and he even suggested, totally seriously, that some should play through the pain when their club needs them.
Now, having nursed the likes of Paul Pogba back to full fitness rather than rushing him back, he is reaping the benefits and has no serious injuries of which to speak.
The old saying, “patience is a virtue”, seems to be appropriate on this occasion.
WHY SAY ANYTHING? 