Arsenal FC: Why We Must Blame the Arsenal Board and Not Just Wenger

Once, a god. Now, an error prone manager whose best days are long gone.

That is the current perception of Arsene Wenger, Arsenal’s longest serving and most successful manager, a man who has been at the helm of Arsenal for the past 15 years.

Chants like “In Wenger we trust” have transformed into “In Wenger we rust” as the number of Wenger doubters have not just increased these days, but also look to have trumped even the number of pro-Wenger fans.

Two years back such a scenario wasn’t even on the horizon, but two seasons and no trophies later, frustration is spreading among the Arsenal fans who are desperate for the club to end their trophy drought.

Last season the Gunners were ever so close to winning a trophy after reaching the Carling Cup Final. But an error from Wojciech Szczesny and Laurent Koscielny condemned Arsenal to a shocking 2-1 defeat against Birmingham City, who were later relegated.

That match ended up as the turning point for the Gunners; they were eliminated from the Champions League in controversial fashion and lost to a severely weakened Manchester United side in the FA Cup.

Heading into the Carling Cup Final, the Gunners were second in the league and looked to be the only real challengers for United’s crown. Many even gave them a great chance of winning the league for the first time since the Invincibles.

But a mixture of poor defending and poor ruthlessness in front of goal, combined with their inability to bounce back from disappointments, meant that the Gunners had to settle for fourth place; Chelsea and Manchester City trumped them in the table, something that seemed near impossible around February.

Following Arsenal’s miserable run towards the end of the season that saw them win just two Premiership games since March, there have been calls from Arsenal supporters for Wenger to sign proven talent and experienced players in an attempt to finally win a trophy.

Wenger’s statements also indicated that he would do business this season. Considering that Cesc Fabregas has already left and Samir Nasri is on the verge of an exit, Arsenal are in desperate need of signing a proven centre-back to complement the underrated pair of Laurent Koscielny and Thomas Vermaelen.

Simply put, they need to sign a midfielder who can fill the void left by Fabregas and add some much needed creativity.

Recently Wenger has come under intense fire from all corners. The tendency of the media to launch a tirade against Wenger at every opportunity hasn’t helped decrease the amount of pressure on him. With the media always quick to pounce on Wenger, with little if any respect being shown to one of the world’s best managers and with his own fans doubting his every move, Wenger has come under immense pressure unlike any before in his 15-year tenure.

Even in July people were quick to say that Arsenal would collapse. People weren't hesitant to label Arsenal’s season a disaster, a season which hadn’t even started at that point. The critics only intensified after Arsenal’s draw with Newcastle, failing to make any mention of the fact that the Gunners were down to 10 and were denied a clear penalty.

Even Liverpool and Chelsea, who both drew their respective matches last weekend with the former drawing at home to Sunderland, didn’t receive the amount of criticism that Arsenal received.

I get the feeling that we are not giving the man the credit he requires. Every mistake is being attributed to him and him alone. I don’t want Wenger to be exonerated and neither do I intend that he is blameless.

We all know that no one is perfect, let alone Arsene Wenger.

But to blame Wenger solely for the trophy drought is wrong and it is ignoring the faults of others at the club.

During the offseason and transfer window, Wenger has come under severe criticism for not signing the right players. While most clubs have finished their spending before the season has started (namely Liverpool and Manchester United), the Gunners are yet to make any truly major signing—save for Gervinho, who looks to be a great buy.

Wenger has been accused of being too slow in the transfer market and there is no doubt that the club has been too slow in capturing the players. In the ideal world, the Gunners should have hopefully signed Gary Cahill, either of Eden Hazard or Juan Mata and either Karim Benzema or Radamel Falcao by now.

But that is not the case.

It is interesting to note that even Wenger indicated that he would have liked the transfers to be done and dusted before the start of the season.

So why isn’t that the case?

In my opinion the board has to be blamed for Arsenal’s poor transfer showing, especially in regards to the Juan Mata and Gary Cahill transfers.

It amazes me that people hardly take any notice to the board’s huge shortcomings and instead focus all the frustration on Wenger, who I feel is being made the scapegoat in this case.

Usually the fans are frustrated with the Gunners in the transfer marker because Wenger shows too much faith in his players. He rarely buys more than a couple of players and always believes that the squad has more quality than it actually does.

The best example was Wenger not choosing to buy a centre-back during the January transfer window last season. When it was painfully obvious to everyone that Squillaci was suited to the Premier League, and with Vermaelen injured indefinitely, even Wenger admitted that he might sign a centre-back.

But eventually he trusted Squillaci and chose not to sign a defender, ultimately affecting Arsenal as their defense looked lackluster and failed to inspire any confidence in the fans.

But this summer that has not been the case. Wenger has indicated that he wants to spend and has reiterated time and time again that the club is still in the transfer market. But despite reaching the last two weeks of the transfer window, Arsenal still haven’t strengthened their roster.

They also appear to lack depth, especially in midfield with Fabregas’ departure leaving a huge void. I do believe that Nasri can be replaced far more easily than Fabregas, simply because Fabregas is one of the world’s best midfielders while Nasri in nowhere near being that quality.

Despite Wenger’s intentions, Arsenal’s squad isn’t good enough to win the league—yet.

I believe that the board has to be blamed for the club not signing Mata from Valencia. After a superb performance from the Spaniard in the Under-21 World Cup this summer, the Valencia midfielder was one of the hottest prospects in La Liga. It was reported that Arsenal, among other Premier League teams, were interested in signing the 23-year-old.

It was also reported at one point that the Gunners were in sole position to sign him. It was even said that his representatives had come to England. When nothing further materialized, it was reported that his €25m (£22m) buyout clause had expired.

It was later reported that the Gunners had a bid rejected, but the player’s father was hopeful that the North London club would make another offer. Despite that, nothing further materialized and Wenger then stated in a press conference that Arsenal would not sign the player.

Mata was a person that I am sure every Arsenal fan would have loved to see at the club. With plenty of talent and creativity, he would have added some much needed quality to the Arsenal midfield.

From all the speculation, it was clear that the Gunners were extremely interested in signing the Valencia winger. Unlike at Chelsea, at Arsenal it is always Wenger who decides the transfer targets.

Considering the fact that Arsenal made a bid, and based on reports that indicated that a deal was even in place, it is obvious that Wenger wanted the Spanish player in his squad.

But reports are now emerging that Chelsea are close to a deal with Roman Abramovich, lining up a bid for the player.

It is usually the board and Ivan Gazidis that are involved in the negotiations.

Recently Wenger’s critics have been quick to criticize him for lacking ruthlessness when it comes to closing out transfers, but that can be attributed to the lax nature of the board when it comes to acting in the transfer window.

It is widely reported that Mata will soon sign Chelsea, further strengthening Arsenal’s London rivals. If and when the deal goes through, there will be no doubt that the critics will descend on Wenger and lambast him for missing out on the Spanish midfielder.

But before we start criticizing Wenger, we must realize that the board is also playing their part and aren't helping Wenger in any way. Right now, with the fans turning against him and with Arsenal’s flaws painfully obvious, there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that even Wenger can see the flaws that haunt his team.

In such a situation, where his career is also on the line, Wenger has nothing to lose by spending the money that is in the coffer. Mata at one point looked to be a priority for Wenger, especially since he could add the much needed quality and creativity in the post-Fabregas era. But I blame the board for making a hash of the entire signing.

Mata should have been an Arsenal player by now, but instead he will most probably join Chelsea in a move that will leave Arsenal ruing their missed opportunity.

Gary Cahill is another player that Arsenal really should have taken. While Arsenal’s defense is far more stable than what most people actually indicate, the Gunners still need another solid defender to add depth and improve quality.

There have been several reports linking the player to Arsenal and there was even news that the player hoped to move to Arsenal.

But with Arsenal unable to negotiate a fee, it looks like Liverpool might sneak ahead of the Gunners in an attempt to capture the English international, who is widely considered one of the best English defenders in the game right now.

Some see Cahill’s price as being a little too steep and while that may be true, there are umpteen advantages in signing an English defender who is proven in the English Premier League and slowly maturing into one of the league’s best defenders. That, combined with his interest in moving to Arsenal, would make him an invaluable asset.

Cahill is valued at £17 million and while some see him as just another overrated English player, he is indeed a great defender who will add spine and strength to the Arsenal team. The hitch in the signing is that the teams have been unable to agree to a fee, with Arsenal negotiating for a lower fee.

Just imagine the current Arsenal team with both Juan Mata and Gary Cahill. The loss of Fabregas and Nasri would be diminished to a great extent and the defense would have the required quality to last the full season.

With Wenger under immense pressure, Arsenal fans need to get behind him, for the sake of the team at least. By criticizing Wenger at every turn, we are creating a no-win situation. I have no doubt that Wenger will be gone if the Gunners don’t win a major trophy.

Running a football club and being the manager is no easy task and we must realize that Wenger is under immense pressure.

Arsenal’s intentions have been right all summer. Players like Eden Hazard, Jagielka, Benzema, Mata, Cahill and Samba have all been the centre of immense speculation regarding Arsenal. Yet the club finds itself desperately searching for the right player with time running out.

The board has to be blamed for missing out on Mata and Cahill.

There is still time left, but signing a player during the preseason is the best move possible.

People often lament that ever since David Dein left the club, Arsenal have lacked ruthlessness in the transfer market. With Dein at the club, Wenger had the perfect foil, a man who would put the transfers into motion and add ruthlessness when it came to acquiring the targets.

The club needs to reacquire that ruthless streak if they are to bring the super quality players Wenger desires.