1 Thing for Arsenal Fans to Fix the Gunners That Is Not Sacking Arsene Wenger

Right now, it feels like Arsenal fans view the departure of Arsene Wenger as the sole solution to all of their problems. Every defeat, every setback is met with a furious outcry calling for the end of his two-decade reign.

However, the reality is that there is no great appetite among the Arsenal board for change. As far as they are concerned, Wenger is a safe bet in an otherwise volatile game. If they can find a way to keep him at the helm, they will.

So if you rule out the possibility of removing Wenger, what other ideas do Arsenal fans have to end the malaise at the Emirates Stadium? We asked for suggestions from Arsenal fans, and in this piece we discuss the merits of six of the most sensible suggestions and grade them on how much they might help the Gunners back to the summit of English football. We kick off with the idea of a change to the coaching staff.

1. Hire a new assistant coach

Arsenal would surely benefit from some new tactical insights. The team have become painfully predictable, and the opposition seem to exploit their weaknesses with ease. If Wenger is to remain in charge, it would make sense to have a coaching staff prepared to challenge his authority—and, who knows, perhaps eventually succeed him.

Sir Alex Ferguson benefited enormously from regularly changing his assistant. It was one of the secrets of his longevity—new personnel brought a fresh approach and ensured he stayed ahead of the competition.

Verdict: It’s an interesting idea—the problem would be getting Wenger to accept it. Steve Bould and Boro Primorac are his main assistants at Arsenal, and both have been there for some time. A new coach would be a valuable addition. The question is whether they would have sufficient authority with Wenger still at the club.

Grade: B

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2. Appoint a new director of football

This was probably the most frequent suggestion that we saw. It’s widely acknowledged that there’s a lack of football expertise on the Arsenal board. Interestingly, plenty of fans even named the man they want to see brought in.

It’s certainly true that Wenger and David Dein enjoyed a fruitful working relationship, and there’s a clear correlation between his departure and Arsenal’s fall from grace. Bringing him back could be a way to reinvigorate the manager.

Verdict: It would surely be beneficial for Arsenal to appoint a director with the football knowledge to challenge Wenger on strategic decisions, particularly in the transfer market. It would also help allow the club to manage the eventual transition away from Wenger’s autocratic management style. However, Arsenal fans should let go of the idea of Dein returning. The former director is now 73, and the club needs to let go of the past and look to the future.

Grade: A

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3. Evict Stan Kroenke

In recent years, Wenger has acted as a lightning rod for criticism. Remove that possibility, and suddenly the owner comes into sharp focus. Stan Kroenke seems content with the status quo, seemingly unperturbed by the club’s failure to challenge for the Premier League and Champions League. A section of the Arsenal fanbase would like to see him replaced by an owner who feels real affinity with the club and is motivated by silverware rather than profit.

Verdict: A new owner could transform Arsenal. The success of Manchester City and Chelsea shows what’s possible when investors are interested in sporting success rather than pure economics. The issue here is feasibility—Kroenke paid a steep price for his Arsenal shares, and finding someone with the capacity to buy him out would be mightily difficult.

Grade: B+

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4. Improve the atmosphere

The atmosphere (or lack thereof) at the Emirates Stadium is regularly mocked by the away fans. There does seem to be a palpable anxiety around the ground. The slightest setback can see the supporters turning on their own team, with howls of frustration greeting every misplaced pass. The club must find a way to try to generate a more positive ambiance for home games.

Verdict: This is definitely something Arsenal should be looking to do. Rising prices at the Emirates Stadium threaten to alienate all but the wealthiest fans, and a more democratic approach to pricing could help install some atmosphere in a ground that, in relative terms, is still in its infancy. However, a noisier stadium is not going to solve all the team’s problems.

Grade: B

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5. Change training methods

By lasting 20 years at the top, Wenger has shown a measure of adaptability. However, he has not been able to keep pace with modern methods sufficiently to ensure Arsenal remain ahead of their competition. The team’s preparation could certainly be an issue, and the Gunners should leave no stone unturned in their attempts to ensure they can physically match their rivals.

Verdict: This is an interesting suggestion that could certainly help with the club’s physical preparation. Furthermore, while Chelsea have looked sharper for most of the campaign, much of that can surely be attributed to the fact that they’re not playing European football and thus can focus their energy on domestic competition.

Grade: B-

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"

@gunnerblog @br_uk 5 at the back? Build from stable defence/more competition for places in front of that to light fire up underperformers

— Ciarán Dowd (@Ciaran_Dowd) February 23, 2017"

6. 3 at the back

This is a change that Wenger could implement right away with little problem. Arsenal are a team in need of some tactical tinkering, and emulating Chelsea’s success with three at the back could be the way forward.

It would certainly solve some of Arsenal’s on-field issues. Shkodran Mustafi would look much more comfortable with an extra centre-half alongside him, while Hector Bellerin is surely a natural wing-back in the making. Furthermore, the new formation would allow Wenger to cram an extra central midfielder in. Arsenal aren’t short of playmakers, and this could allow the Frenchman to include two alongside a ball-winner.

While Wenger has used four at the back for the vast majority of his reign, he did use three at the back when he first joined the club. Perhaps he would consider implementing the system once again.

Verdict: This would be an intelligent way for Arsenal to switch things up between now and the end of the season. One of the Gunners’ biggest problems is that they spring so few surprises—the opposition invariably know how they will play. Introducing a second formation, even occasionally, would give them some much-needed flexibility.

The worry here is that Arsenal need to ensure they are ahead of the times rather than merely following the fashion. Who knows how long the back three will remain successful in the Premier League? Leicester City developed a unique tactical approach in 2015/16, but by the time this season rolled around it appeared to have been found out.

Grade: B+

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and will be following the club from a London base throughout 2016/17. Follow him on Twitter here.