Arsène Wenger

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Arsène Wenger
Personal information
Full name Arsène Wenger
Date of birth October 22, 1949 (age 57)
Place of birth Strasbourg, France
Nickname The Professor
Position Manager
Club information
Current club Arsenal
Professional clubs*
Years Club Apps (goals)
1978-81 RC Strasbourg  ? (?)
Teams managed
1984-??
1987-94
1994-96
1996-		 AS Nancy
AS Monaco
Nagoya Grampus Eight
Arsenal

* Professional club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only.

Arsène Wenger, OBE (born October 22, 1949 in Strasbourg) is a French football manager, who is currently managing Arsenal, where he has become the club's most successful manager, in terms of trophies, and the longest-running manager, and in terms of matches played (over 550, as of September 2006).

Wenger is the only foreign-born manager to win the Double in England, having done so twice, in 1998 and 2002. In 2004, he became the only manager in FA Premier League history to go through the entire season without a loss.

Wenger has a degree in Engineering from Strasbourg University and a master's degree in economics [1] and is fluent in French, German (especially its Alsatian dialect) and English and knowledgeable in Italian, Spanish and Japanese.[2]

Contents

[edit] Playing career

Wenger's playing career was relatively inauspicious. He began playing amateur football as a defender or sweeper for various minor French clubs, while at the same time studying at the Robert Schuman University, where he completed a master's degree in Economics in 1974.

Wenger turned professional in 1978, signing for RC Strasbourg, and making his debut against Monaco. Although Strasbourg won the French league in 1979, Wenger did not feature prominently in the team, playing only three times. In 1981, he obtained a manager's diploma and was appointed the coach of the Strasbourg youth team.

[edit] Managerial career

After an unsuccessful spell at Nancy, Wenger's managerial career took off when he became the manager of AS Monaco in 1987. He was initially successful with the club, winning the league in 1988 and the French Cup in 1991, and signing high-calibre players such as Glenn Hoddle, George Weah and Jürgen Klinsmann. However, he was sacked in 1994 after Monaco finished ninth in the league. Wenger, who had refused an earlier proposal by Bayern Munich out of loyalty for Monaco, moved on to a successful 18-month stint with the Japanese J. League team Nagoya Grampus Eight, with whom he won the prestigious Emperor's Cup.

Wenger had in the meantime become a friend of Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein, after the two had met when Wenger attended a match between Arsenal and Queens Park Rangers in 1988.[3] After the resignation of Bruce Rioch in August 1996, there was much speculation in the English press that Wenger would take over. Gérard Houllier, the then technical director of the French Football Federation, recommended Wenger to David Dein in the summer of 1996.[4] Arsenal confirmed his appointment on September 28, 1996 and he officially took up the reins on October 1. Wenger was Arsenal's first manager from outside Great Britain or Ireland, and at the time a relative unknown in England, although he had been previously been touted as a potential Technical Director of the Football Association.[5]

Even before he formally took control of the team, he had already started to shape it in his own way, having requested that the club sign midfielders Patrick Vieira and Rémi Garde. His first match in charge was a 2-0 win over Blackburn Rovers on October 12, 1996, and in his first season at the club, Arsenal finished third and missed out on Champions League qualification on goal difference.

In his second season in charge (1997-98), Arsenal won both the Premiership and FA Cup, the second Double in the club's history; it came after Arsenal made up a twelve point deficit to win the League title with two games to spare. Key to the success was the inherited back four of Tony Adams, Nigel Winterburn, Lee Dixon and Martin Keown, as well as Wenger's new midfield signings of Vieira, Emmanuel Petit and Marc Overmars, and teenage striker Nicolas Anelka's partnership with Dennis Bergkamp.

The following few seasons were comparatively barren, although Arsenal did come close several times. In 1999, they lost the Premiership title to Manchester United by a single point, and United also eliminated Arsenal in extra time of an FA Cup semi-final replay. This was followed by losing the UEFA Cup final to Galatasaray on penalties and the 2001 FA Cup final to Liverpool 2-1. Wenger resolved to bring new players to the squad, and with the controversial signing of Tottenham's Sol Campbell as well as first-team players such as Fredrik Ljungberg, Thierry Henry and Robert Pirès.

Although the new signings took a little time to adapt, they made sure that Wenger's Arsenal would achieve the double once more in the 2001-02 season. The crowning moment was the penultimate game of the season, against Manchester United; Sylvain Wiltord scored the only goal in the match to win the title. It was the club's third double, and Arsenal were undefeated ina record 23 matches away from home. That run was finally ended at Goodison Park in October 2002, when Arsenal lost to Everton, thanks to a goal by teenage prodigy Wayne Rooney.

After an incredible start to the 2002-03 season, Arsenal had looked as though they were going to retain the Premiership crown for the first time in their history. The team contributed and combined some irresistible, attacking football with pace and visionary skills. However, Manchester United overhauled the Gunners in the latter stage of the season to win the title, as Arsenal threw away a two-goal lead against Bolton Wanderers to draw 2-2 and then surrendered the title at home to Leeds United.

Arsenal were compensated with a FA Cup win in 2003, and the following season made history by winning the 2003-04 Premiership title in 2004 without a single loss, the first top-flight team to manage this feat since Preston North End in 1888-89. A year earlier, Wenger had been derided for saying it was possible Arsenal could go unbeaten in an entire season.[6]

With another FA Cup win in 2005, in all, Arsenal have won three Premier League titles and four FA Cups under Wenger, making him Arsenal's most successful manager in terms of trophies. However, the UEFA Champions League title still eludes him; the closest Arsenal have come was when they reached the final in 2005-06, the first time in club history, which they lost 2-1 to FC Barcelona.

In October 2004, he signed a contract extension that will keep him at Arsenal through the 2007-08 season. Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein has said Wenger has a "job for life" at Arsenal, and plans to offer Wenger a role on the Arsenal board once he has retired as a manager.[7]

[edit] Achievements and plaudits

Wenger has a reputation as a shrewd talent scout and developer of young players' skills. At Monaco, he brought George Weah from Africa who later became FIFA World Player of the Year with AC Milan. In his time at Arsenal, Wenger has signed young, relatively unknown players such as Patrick Vieira, Nicolas Anelka, Francesc Fàbregas, Kolo Touré and Robin van Persie, and transformed them all into world-class players. In particular, the defence which set a new record, after going ten consecutive games without conceding a goal on route to the UEFA Champions League 2005-06 final, cost Arsenal less than £5m to assemble.

Although Wenger has made some big-money signings for Arsenal, thanks to his talent-spotting ability, and the sale of several players for large fees after they had become established, his net spending record compares favourably with the large spending of some other leading Premiership clubs; according to Peter Hill-Wood, Arsenal chairman, "Arsène's basically spent, since he's been with us, £4m to £5m a year net." A notable example of this ability was the purchase of Nicolas Anelka from Paris St Germain for only £500,000 and his subsequent sale to Real Madrid just two years later for £22.3m. The money was used to buy three players — Thierry Henry, Robert Pirès and Sylvain Wiltord, who all played a significant role in the Double of 2001-02 and the league title win of 2003-04.

As well as finding new talent, he has also rejuvenated the careers of several established players who had lost form. Dennis Bergkamp, who had been signed by Arsenal a year before Wenger joined, reached his peak under Wenger's management. Wenger stood by captain Tony Adams after the latter admitted his alcoholism in 1996. Wenger's support was a key factor in Adams' rehabilitation and return to form, which extended his career by several years, and was rewarded as Adams led the club to two Doubles. Besides Adams, Wenger's training and dietary regime have also prolonged the careers of the other back four defenders Nigel Winterburn, Lee Dixon and Martin Keown; Wenger initially was planning to replace them but later realized that he did not need to. Similarly, Wenger also resurrected the career of his former protégé at Monaco, Thierry Henry, who had struggled to cope at Juventus but at Arsenal he became the club's all-time top scorer and captain.

Wenger has also reformed the training and dietary regimes, ridding the club of its drinking and junk-food culture. Wenger had a direct input into the design of the Gunners' new Emirates Stadium and its move to a new training ground at London Colney. He enjoys a great deal of popular support from among the Arsenal fanbase; the club's fans have put tremendous faith in the manager and his vision over the long term, as characterised by the popular saying among Gunners supporters — "Arsène Knows" — which is emphatically repeated many times on the banners seen in the Highbury crowd.

For Arsenal's valedictory campaign at Highbury in 2005-06, supporters showed their appreciation for the manager by choosing "Wenger Day" as one of various "Themed Matchdays" proposed by the club in celebration of the team's move away from their historical ground. Wenger Day was held on his 56th birthday on October 22, 2005, during a match against Manchester City.[8]

Wenger reached his landmark 10th anniversary at the club in October 2006

David Dein, the vice-chairman of Arsenal, has described Wenger as the most important manager in the club's history: "Arsene's a miracle worker. He's revolutionised the club. He's turned players into world-class players. Since he has been here, we have seen football from another planet."[9]

[edit] Controversies

Wenger's sides have often been criticized for their indiscipline, after they received 52 red cards between 1996 and 2003.[10] However more recently, the Arsenal team's behaviour has been totally transformed; in 2004 and 2005 Wenger's Arsenal won the Premier League's Fair Play League tables for sporting behaviour.[11][12] In 2006 Arsenal finished second, behind Charlton Athletic.[13]

In 1999, Wenger offered Sheffield United F.C. a replay of their FA Cup 4th round game immediately after the match finished after Arsenal's winning goal scored by Marc Overmars had resulted from Kanu failing to return the ball to the opposition after it had been kicked into touch to allow a Sheffield United player to receive treatment for an injury. Arsenal won the replayed game 2-1.

He is also well known for his rivalry with Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, as Arsenal and United were arch-rivals for the Premiership and FA Cup throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s. This rivalry reached its culmination in the infamous "Pizzagate" incident at Old Trafford in October 2004 after a 2-0 defeat, where after the match his Arsenal side threw food at the opposition in the tunnel, though Wenger claimed not to have seen it.[14] Ferguson is widely accepted to be a master of mind games. However, arguably, Ferguson subsequently met his match in mind games with Wenger.[15] Wenger was fined £15,000 for calling United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy "a cheat" in a post-match television interview. After he was fined he again called Van Nistelrooy a cheat, proving that, despite a fine, he firmly believed his claim.[16] Both managers have since agreed to tone down their words in an attempt to defuse the rivalry.[17]

During October and November 2005, Wenger became embroiled in a war of words with Chelsea manager José Mourinho. Mourinho accused Wenger of having an "unprofessional obsession" with Chelsea; he went as far as labelling Wenger a "voyeur",[18] and was quoted as saying, "He's worried about us, he's always talking about us - it's Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea". Wenger responded by pointing out he was only answering journalists' questions about Chelsea, and described Mourinho's attitude as "disrespectful". Mourinho has since been quoted as saying that he regrets the "voyeur" comment, and Wenger has accepted his apology.[19]

Wenger has often been criticised by other Premiership managers for not fielding many English players, particularly in the Champions League. West Ham United manager Alan Pardew said that Arsenal's Champions League success was "not necessarily a triumph for British football".[20] Wenger saw the issue of nationality as irrelevant: "When you represent a club it's about values and qualities, not about passports.".[21] Other pundits, including Trevor Brooking, the FA's Director of Football Development, defended Wenger; Brooking noted that a lack of English players in one of England's most successful clubs was more of a reflection of the talent pool in England rather than Wenger himself.[22]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

He was involved in further controversy during a Premier League match with arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur on 22 April 2006. Two Arsenal players collided during a Tottenham attack and went down injured. The referee waved play on leading to Spurs continuing play and scoring a goal. Wenger felt the ball should have been kicked out of play. When questioned later about the incident, Spurs manager Martin Jol claimed not to have seen the incident, in the manner that Wenger has often done when his own players are in trouble. Wenger subsequently refused to shake Jol's hand and accused him of being a liar.[23]

On November 5, 2006, Wenger was also involved in a touchline bust-up with West Ham manager Alan Pardew in a Premier League match. After Marlon Harewood put West Ham ahead in the 89th minute, Pardew pumped his fist towards the Arsenal bench and ran into the Arsenal technical area to celebrate the goal but Wenger clearly took exception to his counterpart's reaction. Pushing and shoving ensued. Wenger refused to shake Pardew's hand at the end of the match and did not partake in the post-match interviews, heading straight for the team coach instead. [24] He subsequently stated that he regretted reacting to the 'provocation' and that he accepted Alan Pardew's apology but he did not explicitly make his own apology. [25]

[edit] Awards

Wenger was awarded the Légion d'Honneur, France's highest decoration, in 2002. He was awarded an honorary OBE for services to British football in the Queen's Birthday Honours List of 2003, along with fellow Frenchman and Liverpool manager at the time, Gérard Houllier.

In 2006, Wenger was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his achievements as a manager in the English game. He was the second foreign manager to be inducted to the Hall of Fame, after Italian-born Dario Gradi of Crewe Alexandra.

[edit] Honours

[edit] Career honours

[edit] France RC Strasbourg

Winner

[edit] Managerial honours

[edit] England Arsenal

Winner

Runner Up

[edit] Japan Nagoya Grampus Eight

Winner

[edit] France AS Monaco

Winner

Runner-Up

[edit] Managerial stats

Team Nat From To Record
G W L D Win %
Arsenal England September 30, 1996 Present 581 334 104 143 57.48

[edit] References

  1. ^ A few things you may not know about Arsène Wenger. football365.com.
  2. ^ Amy Lawrence Q&A on Arsène Wenger. bbc.co.uk.
  3. ^ Ten Years of Wenger: a week of celebration. Arsenal.com. Retrieved on 2006-10-09.
  4. ^ Regrets? I've had more than a few, says title-chasing Wenger. Times Online. Retrieved on 2006-10-23.
  5. ^ Press at a glance: Tuesday 7 December 1998. ANR. Retrieved on 2006-10-09.
  6. ^ Wenger's actual quote was: "It's not impossible. I know it will be difficult for us to go through the season unbeaten. But if we keep the right attitude it's possible we can do it." From: Lipton, Martin. "We Won't Lose One Match", The Mirror, September 21, 2002, pp. 78-79.
  7. ^ Dein: Wenger has job for life. Sky Sports.
  8. ^ It's Wenger Day at Highbury!. Arsenal.com.
  9. ^ Arsenal sign Wenger with expert timing. Daily Telegraph.
  10. ^ Wenger has no back-up plan. Irish Examiner.
  11. ^ Fair Play to Gunners. The Football Association.
  12. ^ Fair Play to Arsenal could see Spurs in Europe. BreakingNews.ie.
  13. ^ Barclays Premiership 2005/06 Fair Play League. Premierleague.com.
  14. ^ Wenger: I didn't see tunnel fracas. Football365.
  15. ^ Wenger wins mind games. BBC Sport (8 May 2002).
  16. ^ Wenger fined over Ruud outburst. BBC Sport.
  17. ^ Wenger and Ferguson to end feud. BBC Sport.
  18. ^ Mourinho labels Wenger a 'voyeur'. BBC Sport.
  19. ^ Mourinho regrets 'voyeur' comment. BBC Sport.
  20. ^ This was no English victory says Taylor. The Guardian.
  21. ^ Arsenal vs Liverpool: Wenger defends his foreign legion. The Guardian.
  22. ^ English kids are technically inferior, claims Brooking. Soccernet.
  23. ^ Wenger in a rage over Spurs 'liars'. Daily Telegraph.
  24. ^ Wenger rages at Pardew as Harewood goal stuns Arsenal. The Independent.
  25. ^ Wenger 'provoked' in Pardew row. BBC Sport.

[edit] External links

Preceded by:
Pat Rice (caretaker)		 Arsenal manager
1996 –		 Succeeded by:
Incumbent
Preceded by:
Sir Alex Ferguson		 Carling Manager of the Year
1998		 Succeeded by:
Sir Alex Ferguson
Preceded by:
George Burley		 Barclaycard Manager of the Year
2002		 Succeeded by:
Sir Alex Ferguson
Preceded by:
Sir Alex Ferguson		 Barclaycard Manager of the Year
2004		 Succeeded by:
José Mourinho


Arsenal F.C. - Current Squad

1 Lehmann | 2 Diaby | 4 Fàbregas | 5 Touré | 6 Senderos | 7 Rosický | 8 Ljungberg | 9 Baptista | 10 Gallas | 11 van Persie | 12 Lauren | 13 Hleb | 14 Henry | 15 Denílson | 16 Flamini | 17 Song | 19 Gilberto | 20 Djourou | 21 Poom | 22 Clichy | 24 Almunia | 25 Adebayor | 27 Eboué | 30 Aliadière | 31 Hoyte | 32 Walcott | Manager: Wenger
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../a/r/s/Ars%C3%A8ne_Wenger_1f59.html"