Arsene Wenger vs. Alex Ferguson: Why the Frenchman Doesn't Even Come Close

I found it somewhat distressing when, the other day in the pub, I overheard a debate between two friends over who was the better manager; Arsene Wenger or Alex Ferguson. I will say, the chap defending Arsenal's under-fire head coach was clearly a man who stood firm in his beliefs, and for that, there must always be recognition and praise. Well done, pal. 

However, your argument had more holes than a golf course, and I'll point out why. Success in sport is measured in one value—trophies.

When I hear Arsenal fans chirping about how little Wenger has spent on his squad, I feel a frustration that almost leads to rage. Why would you be happy that your manager has kept your team on the periphery of success when money was available to take it that one step further?

Sir Alex has undeniably also had money to spend, but I don't think any self-respecting football fan would claim that the great man has bought his achievements. Ferguson has reared some of the finest youth footballers into world-class professionals and backed them up with signings when necessary.

Wenger inherited the finest back four in English football from his predecessor, and when the time came, he replaced them with Sol Campbell and Kolo Toure. No one would question the sense in those signings. However this summer, after a season when Arsenal's defensive frailties were so grossly exposed, it took a public backlash at a pathetic start to the season to shore up this weakness. That too, with a defender who few had heard of.

Pride can be a dangerous thing in a manager, and sadly, it is this ugly trait that is now tainting Wenger's reputation. He got it right around a decade ago by assembling a squad around the super talents of Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Dennis Bergkamp, adding such stars as Robert Pires and Cesc Fabregas (one of the finds of the century surely!). Riding the waves with this team, Arsenal fans witnessed some of the finest football our league had seen.

When things went wrong, a host of young talent was brought in, e.g., Theo Walcott, Aaron Ramsay, Carlos Vela, Nicklas Bendtner etc. While Walcott and Ramsay have shown glimpses of what they can do, collectively, this group has not had anything like the impact they would have hoped for.

In that same period, Rooney, Nani, Hernandez, Fletcher, Rafael and Fabio have shown and continue to show that youth blended with the experience of Ferdinand, Evra, Vidic, Giggs and Berbatov can be a devastating mix. Trophies are following.

Wenger has had to admit that his plan has not worked (you know the one..."building for the future" and all that jazz). What is sad for himself and Arsenal fans is that the acceptance did not come on his own terms. Over time, big players should have been persuaded to stay while slowly the scouting system could have brought in the right players of experience and quality to back up the youth.

Instead, a rush-job on the final transfer deadline day has brought in questionable signings, and at a stage where it appears the damage may have been done. Arsenal FC have fallen a long way behind the rest of the pack, and it will take a lot more than Mikel Arteta and Yossi Benayoun to fix that.