Almost all talk about Arsenal FC in the last two or three years has been about the fact that they haven't won a single trophy since the FA cup in 2005. These voices have been growing louder with each passing season and following Arsenal's dismal start to the Premier League this year, they have reached an almost deafening pitch. As any regular visitor to Arsenal fansites and blogs would know, Arsenal 'fans' have one scapegoat for all of Arsenal's problems, Arsene Wenger. Yes, a new manager seems to be the solution to all problems at the moment, but lets just pause and take a look at some numbers:
Arsene Wenger's year by year record for Arsenal:
Year P W D L F A Win ratio
Surprised?
Yes, despite failing to win a trophy in the last six seasons, the actual playing records have remained fairly similar over Arsene's 15 years at Arsenal. This fact is highlighted when comparing his records at Highbury and Ashburton Grove. Though Arsenal have not won silverware since moving into their new stadium at the beginning of the 2006/07 season, they have a near identical record here (win ratio: 70.3%) compared to Arsene’s time at Highbury (win ratio: 70.6%).
Therefore, the lack of titles is clearly not due to a lower standard of play, a lack of quality or Arsene losing the plot somewhere along the way, but just that winning a title requires a combination of unforeseeable factors to work in your favour including injuries, referee decisions and just that little bit of luck at key moments in important games.
Not to mention that these numbers are by far the best Arsenal have had under any manager in their history, qualification for the Champions League 14 years in a row and the fact that this has all been achieved having the least average transfer and wage budget among today's big five of the Premier League (Arsenal, Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City) such that the club is completely self sufficient financially, putting it in a very strong position when UEFA's Financial Fair Play rule comes into effect in two years time.
Oh and it goes without saying that under Wenger Arsenal have played some of the most attractive football in the history of the Premier League and continue to produce some of the best young players in the Premier League (Has anyone seen Frimpong and Coquelin play this season?).
So yeah, people, especially Arsenal 'fans' who are talking so loudly at the moment that they can't see or hear anything else, maybe if you'd just shut the fuck up for a second, you'll realize that you should show the man a little more respect.
Arsene Wenger's year by year record for Arsenal:
Year P W D L F A Win ratio
| 1996/7 | 36 | 16 | 11 | 9 | 56 | 33 | 44.4% |
| 1997/8 | 54 | 33 | 13 | 8 | 89 | 46 | 61.1% |
| 1998/9 | 54 | 31 | 15 | 8 | 84 | 38 | 57.4% |
| 1999/00 | 59 | 33 | 11 | 15 | 112 | 66 | 55.9% |
| 2000/01 | 59 | 32 | 13 | 14 | 99 | 62 | 54.2% |
| 2001/02 | 60 | 39 | 11 | 10 | 119 | 62 | 65% |
| 2002/03 | 59 | 34 | 15 | 10 | 119 | 58 | 57.6% |
| 2003/04 | 59 | 38 | 14 | 7 | 114 | 48 | 64.4% |
| 2004/05 | 57 | 37 | 13 | 7 | 117 | 51 | 64.9% |
| 2005/06 | 59 | 33 | 11 | 15 | 96 | 43 | 55.9% |
| 2006/07 | 59 | 30 | 17 | 12 | 98 | 53 | 50.8% |
| 2007/08 | 58 | 36 | 15 | 7 | 113 | 52 | 62.1% |
| 2008/09 | 61 | 34 | 16 | 11 | 113 | 54 | 55.7% |
| 2009/10 | 55 | 33 | 8 | 14 | 116 | 63 | 60% |
| 2010/11 | 58 | 31 | 13 | 14 | 119 | 64 | 53.4% |
Surprised?
Yes, despite failing to win a trophy in the last six seasons, the actual playing records have remained fairly similar over Arsene's 15 years at Arsenal. This fact is highlighted when comparing his records at Highbury and Ashburton Grove. Though Arsenal have not won silverware since moving into their new stadium at the beginning of the 2006/07 season, they have a near identical record here (win ratio: 70.3%) compared to Arsene’s time at Highbury (win ratio: 70.6%).
Therefore, the lack of titles is clearly not due to a lower standard of play, a lack of quality or Arsene losing the plot somewhere along the way, but just that winning a title requires a combination of unforeseeable factors to work in your favour including injuries, referee decisions and just that little bit of luck at key moments in important games.
Not to mention that these numbers are by far the best Arsenal have had under any manager in their history, qualification for the Champions League 14 years in a row and the fact that this has all been achieved having the least average transfer and wage budget among today's big five of the Premier League (Arsenal, Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City) such that the club is completely self sufficient financially, putting it in a very strong position when UEFA's Financial Fair Play rule comes into effect in two years time.
Oh and it goes without saying that under Wenger Arsenal have played some of the most attractive football in the history of the Premier League and continue to produce some of the best young players in the Premier League (Has anyone seen Frimpong and Coquelin play this season?).
So yeah, people, especially Arsenal 'fans' who are talking so loudly at the moment that they can't see or hear anything else, maybe if you'd just shut the fuck up for a second, you'll realize that you should show the man a little more respect.
