The Top 10 Greatest Football Managers Of All Time

Over the years there has been much debate as to who the best football manager of all time is. In this article I will be presenting you with the ten men that I believe are jostling for the right to be called 'the greatest' and the reasons as to why I believe they should be there.

Arsene Wenger: Although the Frenchman has not lifted a trophy in over 6 years with Arsenal, he will still always be remembered as one of the greatest managers of all time. Arriving in England as a relatively unknown manager, he managed to knock Premier League heavyweights Manchester United off of their perch in only his second season in charge to secure a remarkable Premier League and FA Cup double. Wenger is usually a cool composed character and this was evident in many of his great sides performances as they would bide their time with accurate crisp passes before going in for the kill. Much of his success was based on a tight defence which would leave his lightning quick attackers to pounce on any loose balls, allowing them to counter attack and score a picture perfect goal. His biggest achievement undoubtedly came in the 2003/04 season where he guided Arsenal to Premier League glory for the third time without losing a single game, a feat that will surely never be repeated. During this time they had a team which most clubs around the world let alone the Premier League were scared of and they ultimately set the benchmark. Not only did his sides style of play excite the Arsenal fans but it also excited neutrals across the globe and even today Arsenal are known to be one of the most watched teams around the world because of their fluid one touch style of football. He has also presented English football with some of it's greatest players such as Patrick Vieira, Robert Pires and Thierry Henry etc. bringing them to the club when nobody else would give them the time of day - an insight into his ability to be able to see something which other managers wouldn't.

Rinus Michels: A great believer in letting players express their imagination on the field, Michels is the man responsible for the world famous 'total football.' Nicknamed 'The General' for his serious nature he turned an Ajax side which was fighting relegation into a team competing amongst Europe's elite in order to bring home the European Cup. After a highly successful first 6 year spell at Ajax he moved to Spanish side FC Barcelona. In the same year that he led the Catalan club to a Spanish league title - 1974 - he also had the job of managing the Netherlands in the 1974 World Cup. It was with the Netherlands that he made his definitive managerial statement. He had a vision in which he wanted 'creative players with destructive powers' to grace the pitch and to create 'art' in a winning manner. Their could only be one man that shared the same feeling and had the ability to bring this vision to life, one of the finest footballers of all time, Johan Cruyff. Cruyff was the heart of that particular Netherlands side and the pair formed an unbelievable partnership which craved beautiful football. With the famous 'total football' finally being played, Michels' Netherlands team, led by Cruyff,  swept aside Argentina (4-0), East Germany (2-0) and even the holders Brazil (2-1) before remarkably losing 2-1 to West Germany in that year's World Cup final. Although Michels Netherlands side of 1974 will go down as one of the greatest ever, they will also be remembered as one of the greatest sides never to have won a FIFA World Cup. Amongst Michels managerial honours are six Eridivisie titles, one La Liga title, one European Cup, one UEFA European Football Championship (Netherlands), one Copa del Rey, one DFB Kopal and one KNVB Cup.

Sir Alf Ramsey: After earning the title 'Sir' following his remarkable achievement of guiding the English national side to their only ever World Cup triumph in 1966, Sir Alf Ramsey became one of footballs most respected and looked up to managers. Although I agree that this is his finest honour, I also believe that it covers up a lot of his astounding work whilst at Ipswich Town of whom he managed prior to England between 1955 and 1963. In his first season in charge of the Tractor Boys who sat uncomfortably in England's Division three, Ramsey's men scored an overwhelming 106 goals in 46 games but they only managed a 3rd place finish. The following season though he earned them promotion to the second Division where they stayed for three years before being promoted again to the top tier of English football. In their debut season in the top flight, virtually everybody tipped them to go straight back down, what chance did a club that had been playing third division football just five years ago have in the top flight? However with this being said, in what I see as perhaps the most astonishing achievement ever in football, Ramsey's side stunned the nation and were crowned English League Champions in that very same season; 1962-63. After eight transformational years at Portman Road, Ramsey waved farewell to his beloved Ipswich to take up the vacant England manager's job. Sir Alf knew straight away that he had a team of world class players at his disposal and this was the reason that he was so sure of being the man to bring the World Cup back to it's rightful home. He did of course go on to win the World Cup against the nations bitter rivals West Germany in 1966 at London's Wembley stadium. It is an inspirational career as it is one that saw a single man rise up from the third division of English football all the way up to World Cup glory.

Jose Mourinho: Any man that has the confidence to come out and brand himself 'the special one' has to be special, surely? This is certainly the case when discussing the highly entertaining, controversial and charismatic Jose Mourinho. Jose was mentored by Sir Bobby Robson at FC Barcelona which ultimately put him in good stead for the rest of his managerial career. Robson must have liked what he saw in the young Mr Mourinho to as he tried desperately on numerous occasions to recruit him as his assistant whilst managing Newcastle United. Mourinho really hit the ground running when he took over as FC Porto manager in 2002. In his time in Lisbon he won 2 Primeira Liga titles, one Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, one Taça de Portugal, one UEFA Cup and one UEFA Champions League, disposing of Manchester United on his way to getting it. Following his glittering success in Portugal, Mourinho knew it was time for him to prove himself to his audience by managing a club in footballs best league - the Premier League. In 2004 he signed a contract with the men with the money; Chelsea. Here he would turn an almost 'nearly team' into world beaters. After securing 2 Carling Cups, 1 FA Cup and 2 Premier League Titles in West London after just three years, following a public feud with club owner Roman Abramovich, Mourinho and Chelsea went their separate ways much to the disappointment of the Chelsea fans. After taking a one year break from football, he soon found himself amidst one of the games oldest and respected leagues, Serie A, this time managing Inter Milan. Upon winning his first Serie A title in 2009, Mourinho somehow managed to produce a treble winning side for the 2010 season, after an emotional farewell and leaving the Milan club on the highest of all high's, he moved to Spain to take charge of the world famous Real Madrid. Mourinho is still yet to secure a La Liga title as a Madridista, however this is largely due to FC Barcelona's sheer brilliance. He still managed to bring home a Copa del Rey title though and with players such as Mesut Ozil, Xabi Alonso, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo nestling underneath his 'special' wing, the image of Mourinho lifting a La Liga title is not far away.

Sir Matt Busby: If the great Bill Shankly is giving you the title of 'greatest football manager ever' then you can't be half bad can you? Sir Matt Busby is an icon in the managerial world. Throughout his career he has picked up many awards, played fantastic entertaining football and presented us with some of football's finest i.e. George Best. His whole managerial club career was spent at Old Trafford - an example of the mans loyalty and love for one club. His teams ultimately repaid his loyalty to him by winning trophies in the form of two FA Cup's, five English league titles and one European Cup. Busby's side of the 50's were dubbed 'The Busby Babes' due to the amount of young players playing within it. Amongst them were the likes of Duncan Edwards and Bobby Charlton. Away from all of the silverware and the engaging style of football that was played though for me lies Busby's greatest achievement as a manager; the Munich air disaster. As a manager it is your responsibility to make sure that your players are first and foremost performing well, getting along with each other, that your fans are enjoying what they are seeing, that your players respect your fans and that in essence all is well on all fronts regarding the football club as it is yours to take care of. After a disaster such as 'Munich '58' your club is ultimately broken. What you have built over a number of years has been taken away from you within a blink of an eye and the main organs within your club have sadly been shut down. However the determination, the love and the desire to proceed in making Manchester United Football Club a dominating force in football and the refusal to lay down and die is what makes Sir Matt Busby one of the most unique and one of the greatest managers of all time. Evidence of this is that even though the club had tragically lost 7 of their players, he still somehow managed to guide his now even younger, more inexperienced and less talented Manchester United side to the FA Cup Final in the very same season.

Bob Paisley: In order to be the only manager in the history of the game to have won three European Cups you would have to be quite some manager. That's exactly what Bob Paisley was. After his playing career with Liverpool he became a self taught physiotherapist and stayed with the club - in total he would spend almost half a century with Liverpool as either a player, physio, coach or manager. During Bill Shankly's 15 year reign at Anfield Paisley was a coach. He, Joe Fagan Reuben Bennett and Shankly forged a tight relationship which saw Liverpool be transformed into one of Europe's top sides. It is thought that Paisley learned a lot off of Shankly and after the man himself opted to retire in 1974, Paisley made the step up from coach to manager. Although in his first season Liverpool only finished second, the Kop were not to worry. Paisley holds one of the best year to championship records in the world having won at least one trophy in 8 out of his nine seasons in charge. All in all he won three European Cups, one UEFA Cup, one European Super Cup, three League Cups and a staggering six League titles. Paisley's Liverpool sides were always a force to be reckoned with and were ones that were odds on to win the match regardless of who their opponents were. Paisley's achievements would have done mentor Bill Shankly very proud and even though the Kop were not entirely happy with his initial appointment, many see him as an influential character within the clubs history and certainly one that instigated the clubs dominance in the latter part of the 20th century. Although the FA Cup eluded Paisley it will not alter the fact that he was quite simply an amazing manager with an even better trophy record and is without doubt an all time great.

Herbert Chapman: In my opinion this man is one of, if not, the most underrated football manager of all time. During his career as a gaffer he revolutionised the game in so many different ways. Chapman was the first man to take his teams to play abroad in order to implement a more continental, then unseen side of the game into their style of play. He believed in strong physical fitness and invented a host of different activities for his players to do in training that are still used today. He was also the first manager to encourage his players to discuss the game with each other, holding team meetings every week and encouraged them to also socialise with one another in extra curricular activities such as golf to enhance their relationship off of and on the field. The white football and numbered shirts are also things which are a result of his revolutionary mind. On the pitch Chapman's teams played some attractive football and at Arsenal he implemented his winning 'WM' formation which consisted of 3 defenders, 2 defensive midfielders, 2 attacking midfielders, 2 wingers and a centre forward. At Huddersfield Town he secured one FA Cup (1923) and two league titles in 1924 and 1925 before he moved to Arsenal. In his time with the North London club, after vowing to build a team which would win a major trophy after 5 years of him signing with them, he did just that as they lifted the FA Cup in 1930. The following season they secured a league title and repeated this achievement in the 1932-33 season. Chapman unfortunately died in 1934 whilst still managing Arsenal and his death was a huge loss to the footballing world, especially as he was relatively young - dying aged 55. His legacy lived on through the club though as the team that he had created went on to be the main side of the 1930's, winning a further two league titles in 1934 and 1935. Chapman's incredible vision, never ending love for the game and success has led him to be remembered as one of the greatest football managers of all time, and rightly so to.

Brian Clough: Although he was one of England's most outspoken managers who simply said it how it was, there can be no hiding from the fact that Mr. Brian Clough was a master of his profession. 'Cloughie' took over at Derby County in 1967 - a club that had been in England's second division for ten years prior to his arrival, however by 1969 they had been promoted. Following a fourth placed finish in Derby's first season in the top flight, Clough built on the teams success and ultimately ended up seeing his boys crowned champions of England in 1971 after jostling with Liverpool, Manchester City and Leeds United for top spot. This was Derby County's first ever First Division title in their then 88 year history. Although Clough left in typically controversial fashion, a statue of him and Peter Taylor (his right hand man) was unveiled at Pride Park and the Derby fans still love him to this day. Him and Taylor ventured to the South Coast to manage Brighton & Hove Albion and then back up North where he took charge of Leeds United and publicly feuded with the then England manager and former Leeds boss Don Revie. Clough's spells at both Brighton and Leeds are seen as two low points in his career which mounted to no success. In 1975 Clough took over at Nottingham Forest; a team sitting in 13th position of division two. In Clough's first full season in charge of Forest (1976-77) they gained promotion to Division one. This was to be the start of a rapid uphill turn around for the club. In their first season in Division one they won the League Cup and were astonishingly crowned champions, finishing way ahead of their closest rivals Liverpool. In their second season they again won the League Cup but this time swapped positions with Liverpool, finishing second in the league. Despite the heartache of playing second fiddle to Liverpool that season though, Clough's men brought back the European Cup to Nottingham and then done the same thing a year later. During his 18 year reign as Forest manager Clough also won a European Super Cup and a further two League cups. To give you an idea of just how great Brian Clough really was, numerous statues of him can be found around the country in Middlesbrough as well as at Pride Park and in the city of Nottingham where the fans paid for the statue to be erected. His death brought together both Derby County and Nottingham Forest fans to mourn his loss at Pride Park, the two sets of fans are usually the fiercest of rivals. He is also believed to be the greatest English manager never to have managed England.

Bill Shankly: Quite simply one of the most charismatic men to ever walk the earth. How this man never received the honour of being awarded a knighthood is beyond belief. His unique approach to the game whereby he would leave his players walking away from his motivational speeches feeling larger than life led Liverpool to be one of the greatest clubs of the 20th century. His hunger and passion for the game was complimented by his working class background, something that drove him to put everything he had into the game, his players and their fans. He was a strong believer that his players owed his fans everything and that the fans owed his players nothing. He believed that anybody that didn't give 110% was 'a bloody menace' and would often cringe at the thought of the Anfield faithful leaving a match unsatisfied. When Shankly took over at Liverpool in 1959 they were rotting in the second tier of English football, Shankly himself described Anfield as being 'the biggest toilet in Merseyside' when he first arrived and one that was home to a lacklustre underachieving squad. He envisaged Anfield as being a fortress though and wanted it to be somewhere that the opposition would feel intimidated, which is why he put up the 'This is Anfield' sign in the tunnel. Shankly quickly released 24 players immediately after taking over and started to construct a team which would soon see his club reach the first division in 1962. He introduced genius training methods and presented his players with a new improved diet plan. Two years after gaining promotion Shankly's men, to the delight of the Kop, were crowned champions of England. During the 70's Shankly began to revamp the side that proved to be so successful in the 60's by introducing future Liverpool heroes Kevin Keegan, Steve Heighway, Emlyn Hughes, John Toshack and Ray Clemence to the team, all of whom are now considered to be club legends. This new look side won the league title in the 1972-73 campaign and won the clubs first European trophy before Shankly bowed out in style as in his last game he saw his team cruise to a 3-0 victory against Newcastle United to clinch the FA Cup at Wembley. Bill Shankly undoubtedly provided England with some of the greatest sides that the English game has ever seen. Above this though I believe what really makes him one of the greatest managers of all time is his outstanding passion for the game, the hard work he put into it, his overwhelming desire to achieve, his ability to make any player truly believe that they could take on the world and of course the way in which he underlined to each and every one of his players how important football is to us, the real fans.

Sir Alex Ferguson: We all know Sir Alex Ferguson for his legendary achievements with his current club Manchester United. However, what many people seem to sometimes overlook is his remarkable stint at Scottish club Aberdeen. It was at Pittodrie that Fergie made a real name for himself. It was 1978 when he took charge of the team and at this time he was not much older than some of his players which resulted in them having a lack of respect for him. Fergie's raging temper quickly put an end to that though and by 1980 his Aberdeen side had become the first club in fifteen years to win the Scottish Championship other than Celtic or Rangers. Arguably his most noted achievement whilst managing the Dons came in the 1982-83 season as they became only the third Scottish team to win a European trophy by lifting the UEFA European Cup Winners Cup, disposing of European giants Bayern Munich and Real Madrid (in the final) along the way. It was after this that Ferguson felt that he had 'done something worthwhile in his life'. After a further three successful years at Pittodrie, Ferguson turned down job offers from Arsenal, Tottenham and Rangers to replace Ron Atkinson as manager of Manchester United in 1986. In his first season at Old Trafford Ferguson had inherited a group of players that were ultimately taking in too much alcohol and did not possess the levels of fitness that they should have had. Despite this though 'Furious Fergie' turned his players bad habits around and salvaged a respectable 11th place finish considering that they were lying in 21st position when he took over. Fergie brought in players such as Steve Bruce, Viv Anderson, Mark Hughes, Gary Pallister and Paul Ince which saw them bring home the European Cup Winners Cup, beating Barcelona in 1991. By 1993 Fergie had brought to Old Trafford the one thing that had eluded the club since the departure of the great Sir Matt Busby - a league title. Signings such as Peter Schmeichel and Eric Cantona along with the breakthrough of a youthful speedy winger in the form of Ryan Giggs, aided United's title triumph immensely. To date I believe his greatest ever achievement was when he saw his United side collect a hat trick of major trophies in one season 'the treble'. In the 1998-99 season he witnessed his team bulldoze all that came before them as they won the Premier League title, the FA Cup and Ferguson's first ever UEFA Champions League on a dramatic night in Barcelona's Nou Camp. Fergie's illustrious career is a fairytale story that has encountered an enormous amount of hard work, fuming temper tantrums, exquisite players, and a colossal amount of success. Sir Alex has now been at Manchester United for a longer time than the great Sir Matt Busby, something that many thought could never be done, especially in modern day football (25 years). When discussing the greatest managers of all time I'm sure Sir Alex Ferguson is, and always will be a name that automatically comes up. In total he has won one Scottish first division (St. Mirren), four Scottish Cups (Aberdeen), one Scottish League Cup (Aberdeen), one UEFA European Cup Winners Cup (Aberdeen), one UEFA Super Cup (Aberdeen) and four Scottish League Titles (Aberdeen). With Manchester United he has lifted a staggering five FA Cups, four League Cups, one UEFA Cup Winners Cup, one UEFA Super Cup, ten Community Shields, two UEFA Champions League's and twelve Premier League trophies as well as an Intercontinental cup and a FIFA Club World Cup. His record speaks for itself, and his career isn't even over yet.

Whichever way anybody looks at it, all ten of these managers are fantastic in their own right. Can we single out just one and brand them the greatest manager of all time? Personally, I believe simply because of the way he clawed his way up through the Scottish leagues, attaining the success he did there, and then collecting a total of 37 trophies with Manchester United and not ever allowing the game to catch up with him or ever seeming to be content with what he has already achieved; Sir Alex Ferguson is in my eyes the greatest football manager of all time. However, it is all a matter of mere opinion and I'm sure everybody will have voiced their own on the subject at some point in time. Yet what I believe is certain is that my list of the top ten is virtually untouchable and all of the managers deserve bucket loads of hard earned, rightly deserved respect.

Charlie Shanks

Patrick Vieira; a written tribute to a legend of the game.

When I get asked who my favourite player of all time is, the answer remains the same every time - Patrick Vieira. Being an Arsenal fan it is hard to find a reason not to idolise him. Whilst many other football fans will respond with a host of different players ranging from Pele to John Terry, I opt for Vieira simply because he was the man that single-handedly roped me into watching the game that I adore so much today. Despite what 'bit part' supporters say, the Frenchman was the ultimate all round footballer who could play astonishing passes and express incredible technical ability. As a young boy of about 4 years old my only on screen idol was the unforgettable Barney The Dinosaur. I was a little boy who felt so disheartened when his Dad turned his cartoons over in order to watch football and was happy to see the back of it. 1998 was a year that changed all of that though, discarding of my Dad's judgement - a Chelsea fan - I decided to start supporting Arsenal, a team that had at the heart of their midfield a 6 ft 3 and a half inch Senegalese man. The season was one that saw Arsene Wenger's side collect their first Premier League trophy and overhaul a 12 point gap that Manchester United had opened up on them earlier in the campaign, this was a feat that I was happy with although if it were to happen now it would be one that I would be ecstatic with. At the tender age of just 4, watching the game was still very much a learning process for me. However over the years, along with my love for the game, my admiration for Arsenal's number 4 midfielder grew too.

Vieira with former compatriot Emmanuel Petit in his early Arsenal days.

Physique - Standing at 6 ft 3 inches tall, Vieira was a player that at the time would tower over almost any opponent he'd come up against. His sheer physical presence in front of the Arsenal backline was most of the time enough to leave his opponent with their tail between their legs. When he was playing a more offensive role, although not naturally consisting of bundles of pace, his long legs would enable him to get back in time to snuff out the counter attack. His height would also come in handy when he was facing an aerial challenge for the ball. Vieira is a player that will always be remembered for his impeccable defensive ability and the amount of headers won by him in order to clear an opposing set piece is evidence of this, however he was also deadly with his head at the other end of the pitch. Away from his height his strength was another big contributing factor throughout his career, he would use it when hunting down the ball, jostling for a position and of course simply letting his opponent know that he is there.

Vieira heading home against Roma. 

Mentality - Vieira's time in North London led many to believe that he was almost an Englishman - just one with a French accent. He possessed a mentality that had clearly been influenced and enhanced passively by the senior die hard players at the club with him at the time; Tony Adams, Lee Dixon, David Seaman etc. and was one not normally associated with a player coming from France. His passion for the game was on show for all to see, he was never one to come into a game with his head down and no matter what the occasion, always possessed a burning desire to win. Arsene Wenger said that "if he goes to Sheffield United on a Tuesday night or to Real Madrid on a Wednesday night he plays exactly the same game, he is ready to fight to win." From day one of his Arsenal career he displayed an immense amount of courage, he never hid from anybody and would always be there in the thick of things, getting stuck in; showcasing his aggression were a big part of his game. In his time he entertained fans with a number of on field scraps, most notable of all is the annual one he would hold against Manchester United 'hardman' Roy Keane. Vieira was quite simply a gladiator of the game and one who would never back out of a challenge, who thrived on being forced to fight and who did not know the meaning of the word quit, he even asked manager Arsene Wenger to play him when he was injured. He is seen to be one of the last players from the old school, never wanting to extract any outside media attention like so many of the modern day footballers do now, the Frenchman only cared about doing his job, crossing the white line every Saturday afternoon willing to leave a piece of his body on the pitch in order to earn his side three invaluable points.

Vieira involved in a typical scrap with Roy Keane.

Technique & goals - When Patrick Vieira's name is brought up, 'fantastic technical ability', 'good finisher' and 'excellent passer of the ball' hardly ever seem to be brought up with it. However throughout his Arsenal career Patrick displayed quick feet, a range of precise important passes and also stood up when no one else would, tucking away some key goals. Although more well known for his aggression and will to lay into his opponent, Vieira had with him a tremendous sense of composure. Even in his early years he showed a real patience where the average footballer would panic and reassured his team mates, playing good, crisp football - displaying his maturity. Being technically gifted and being able to do your sides dirty work is somewhat of a rarity today and has been since the game began. Vieira also notched up 33 goals in his time with Arsenal, an impressive record for someone who can supposedly only defend. Not only did he score goals but he scored vital ones to, Manchester United, Chelsea and arch rivals Spurs have all conceded to his devastating right boot over the years. As Martin Tyler once said 'well he doesn't get too many goals, but when he does they're usually very special.' This is certainly a part of his game that deserves a great deal of respect and should be spoken about more often. 

Vieira celebrating his goal at Stamford Bride; 2004. 

Captaincy - As I have already mentioned Vieira spent his years in North London possessing a fantastic mentality. This along with his desire, will to win, leadership skills and vocal dominance were the clear reasons as to why Mr Wenger decided to hand him the captains armband when legendary leader Tony Adams retired.  It was the obvious choice, even in the days when he was not captain, Vieira was a player that was regularly leading by example, sorting out positions and was not afraid to shout in order to give the team a lift. He also had formed an incredible friendship with his predecessor Tony Adams, a process in which no doubt Vieira had it drummed into him what it meant to wear the armband and what it required. As captain a higher level of maturity was on display and he was now the main man at the club. The 2003-04 Invincible season was capped off in the most iconic way with Vieira again showing off his technical ability as he rounded the Leicester City 'keeper at Highbury to put away his sides winner and to seal an unbeaten Premier League campaign. After this he was given the nickname 'Captain Invincible' something that I quite clearly agree with. His passion for the club and his understanding of it was underlined to me when new arrival Robin Van Persie turned up to training wearing navy and white tracksuit bottoms, only to be told to change them by his new captain as they were Spurs colours, Van Persie has reportedly never been seen in those same trackies ever since. His final act as captain was rifling the ball high into the Manchester United goal at Cardiff to bring back the F.A Cup, from that kick onwards, his former club have endured 6 and a half seasons without a trophy, coincidence?

Vieira with his mentor Tony Adams. 

Fans - Just like any legend at any club, Vieira had formed a special relationship with the Arsenal fans. Constantly praising them up during post match interviews and rallying them on in games with a simple wave of the arm along with the fact that they knew their hero would give them 110% every single time he put on the shirt is why they idolised him so much. In a recent interview Vieira declared "When you have 50,000 people singing 'Vieira woa-oh... he comes from Senegal, he plays for Arsenal' it's fantastic!" Patrick also gave nine years of his life to the club and almost every single one of those would be followed up by a summer filled with speculation over him moving to Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Milan etc. For all of those years though he was willing to ply his trade in the best league in the world and committed to the club that he loved so dearly. In 2005, when he did finally depart for Italian side Juventus, it came as no suprise that hardly any Arsenal fan was bitter towards him, they had loved him for 9 years, seen him give so much to their football club and because of it had only respect and admiration for him. The respect was mutual, Vieira continued to follow the clubs results and regularly commented on the teams performances as well as always stating that if he were to one day score against his former side, he would not celebrate. The combination of these things plus the fact that the Highbury faithful knew that he never cheated them out of anything and always gave them his best is why he was voted the clubs fifth best player of all time in 2008. Although I love him, I have always felt that it would have been fitting to have seen my idol and Arsenal's last real captain bow out in style after playing his testimonial and waving farewell to the fans in the last ever game to be played on the pitch that he had graced for what would have been a decade, Highbury.

A kiss that was never empty nor deceiving. 

In all honesty, this blog is just a collection of words that have been placed together to try and present people with an idea of just how good my favourite player of all time, Patrick Vieira, really was. In reality, even with the help of YouTube videos, the spark and the real reasons as to why I love him so much can only be experienced with a time machine. It was a feeling that I had developed over a number of years and one that was intensified further somewhat after he had left. He is somebody that reeks of success having won 3 Premier League titles, 5 F.A Cups, 4 Serie A titles, 1 Coppa Itallia, 1 UEFA European Championship and 1 World Cup as well as many other individual honours. For a large part of my life I have tried to adopt his style of football into my style of life, he has taught me to ultimately look after my peers, treat them well, tell them when they need to be doing better, to stand up and fight against any challenge, to be composed and calm when needed, to be successful and to never give up on anything, even a football that looks like it's going out for an opposition throw-in. Patrick Vieira has littered my life with exciting, heart-wrenching, hair raising moments and has left me with memories that are amongst my fondest. Hopefully after reading this, when you are next asked the question 'who is your favourite player of all time?' you will reply '...He comes from Senegal, he played for Arsenal.'

His last kick in an Arsenal shirt; bringing the F.A Cup home. 

Charlie Shanks

Arsene Wenger & Arsenal Football Club; a stale relationship.

An enormous amount of respect is undoubtedly owed by the supporters and anybody else connected to Arsenal Football Club to a man who ultimately forged a good team into a great one; Arsene Wenger. Since prior to the start of World War II when Arsenal were blessed with another revolutionary manager in the form of Herbert Chapman who created a side that would go on to win 4 League championships in the 1930's after securing the club's first ever under the guidance of him, Arsenal were a club who would then endure spells of being on the brink of relegation and who would regularly set their sights on a credible F.A Cup run as oppose to aiming for top spot in the League. The club would only go on to be crowned Champions of England a further 5 times between 1938 up until Arsene Wenger's first Premier League triumph in 1998. Amongst those league title wins were the infamous 1971 double winning side and George Graham's no nonsense 'boring' sides of 1989 and 1991.

Herbert Chapman.

Between George Graham's reign and Arsene Wenger's, Bruce Rioch took charge of the North London side for just one season. After a dismal season in charge, the Arsenal board announced the appointment of Arsene Wenger which had initially come as a shock to fans across the country and more importantly to those who were filling up Highbury every week. Their club who were supposed to be challenging Manchester United for the Premier League title now had a man who had come to London with just one Ligue 1 title to his name after seven years at Monaco and two trophies from Nagoya Grampus of Japan. This was certainly a big risk and one that I'm sure many Arsenal fans were sweating over. However it quickly became apparent that it was a risk that had been well worth taking.

Wenger arriving at Highbury for the first time.

Arsenal still had the key men that bled the clubs colours, who had tasted success and would do everything in their power to prevent the club from going downhill. Amongst those were Arsenal's famous back five; David Seaman, Lee Dixon, Nigel Winterburn, Steve Bould and their iconic captain, Tony Adams. Wenger quickly recognised that he had adopted a defensive formula that should not be disturbed and so kept it in tact. Yet at the time it was not the club's defensive record that was at the forefront of their problems, it was the lack of goals at the other end of the field. Upon this the Frenchman recruited a host of players that would compliment the intelligence and creativity of Dutchman Dennis Bergkamp - the one good thing that Bruce Rioch did bring to the club. Such players were the likes of Nicolas Anelka, Marc Overmars and Patrick Vieira.

Wenger with Petit and Overmars.

After a relatively successful 1996-1997 season which saw the Gunners finish third in the league table, the squad were now more closely gelled together and were ready to get their hands on the club's first ever Premier League title. The 1997-1998 campaign saw Arsenal demonstrate an immense amount of character as they clawed back a seemingly unbridgeable gap between themselves and defending Champions Manchester United. It was also one that saw the back 5 that had served George Graham so well over the years combine with a lethal, un Arsenal like attack which was littered with imagination and frightening speed which Wenger had formed. It was now that the Frenchman had truly earned the respect of the fans by gifting them their first League and F.A Cup double since 1971 whilst in the same season fan favourite Ian Wright broke Cliff Bastin's goalscoring record before departing for West Ham United in the summer of the close season the same year.

Wenger's men enjoying their F.A Cup triumph in '98.

The summer of 1999 cast a shadow over the glory of the previous year as Manchester United again reigned supreme as Sir Alex Ferguson's side bagged the infamous 'treble' and striker Nicolas Anelka said goodbye to the Highbury faithful on bad terms, signing for Real Madrid for a reported fee of £23.5million. This led to yet another signing that the Arsenal fans would be made to sweat over, the £11million capture of French winger/striker Thierry Henry who had undergone a torrid time with Italian giants Juventus. After failing to score in his first eight Arsenal appearances Henry's critics looked to be correct until the 23 year old silenced them with a wonder strike against Southampton at The Dell. This goal would be the first of an impressive 26 that 'Titi' would notch up in his first season with the club which culminated in him collecting a Premier League runners up medal as the Gunners fell short once again only to the ever dominant Manchester United's unbeatable points tally.

Henry reuniting with former manager Arsene Wenger '99.

Moving into the new Millennium saw not much change for the seemingly ice cool Frenchman as his side again played second fiddle to Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United side. Although not much changed in terms of the Gunners' position in the table there were a few significant adjustments taking place in North London. Nigel Winterburn had ended his 13 year love affair with the club whilst Emmanuel Petit and Marc Overmars, two players that had played integral roles in Arsenal's midfield since Wenger's arrival were off to ply their trade in Spain with F.C Barcelona. This left the Arsenal boss dipping into the summer transfer market once again and coming out of it with yet another bargain buy; Robert Pires. Although Arsenal had been playing exciting, hair-raising football they were becoming frustrated at the lack of silverware and early exits in Europe's elite competition the UEFA Champions League.

Man Utd's Roy Keane with Premier League trophy in 2001. 

By the end of the 2001-2002 campaign their hunger had been well and truly fed. On the 8th May 2002 on a glorious night at Old Trafford, Arsene Wenger's most expensive player - Sylvain Wiltord  - tucked home the rebound from Freddie Ljungberg's second half shot to secure a hard fought 1-0 win which saw the club crowned Barclay's Premier League Champions on their fiercest competitors' very own stomping ground. The celebrations were quickly followed by a victory in Cardiff against Chelsea which presented the Gunners with a 3rd double winning campaign. Behind all of the glory and the gallons of champagne though, Arsenal waved farewell to some of their most respected servants in the form of Tony Adams and Lee Dixon which paved the way for Sol Campbell and Lauren to establish themselves as first team players. A season filled with trophies, a flawless away record and rubbing Manchester United's noses in it quickly put 3 disappointing seasons out of sight and out of mind.

Wenger's men celebrating winning the league at Old Trafford.

However just one season after this, Arsenal found themselves back beneath Manchester United in the league table come May although they did manage to bring the F.A Cup back home from Cardiff for a second successive season. The men in red and white were equipped with a manager who was now respected by anyone and everyone associated with the club, a mean defence who's full backs were more than able to contribute in attack, a captain who had played understudy to the club's most recognised captain for a string of years - Tony Adams in Patrick Vieira who had world class players in Gilberto Silva, Freddie Ljungberg and Robert Pires around him in midfield and a red hot strike partnership of Thierry Henry and veteran Dennis Bergkamp. Nonetheless the team suffered a string of woeful results towards the end of the campaign against Bolton and Leeds United and this was ultimately their downfall. Failing to retain the Championship hurt the team and Arsene Wenger, however the Frenchman was determined to set the record straight the following season and instead of searching for new talent that summer he opted to sign his current players down to longer contracts.

Captain Vieira with predecessor and mentor Tony Adams.

The 2003-2004 season is without question Arsene Wenger's and Arsenal's best. Although they were dumped out of the Champions League at the quarter final stage and attained no domestic cup success, the North Londoners managed to end a 38 game Premier League season having not lost a single game, winning 26 and drawing 12. It was an incredible feat, one that will probably never be emulated and is one that saw that particular Arsenal side dubbed quite rightly 'The Invincibles'. I believe that the season was built around the fact that this side had been together for so long, there was such a fluidity about their play that it seemed as if even without looking every player knew where the other one would be. The team were left bitter after coming so close the previous year which I also think enabled them to hit a different gear as they strived to feed their craving for success. Another factor was of course Arsene Wenger, all but one of the first team players had been employees of the Frenchman for a number of years by now and so the level of trust between manager and player was extremely high. All of those factors plus the fact that Arsenal had again assembled one of the meanest defences in the world which conceded a mere 17 goals all season, a midfield led by their inspirational captain Patrick Vieira and an attack which saw Thierry Henry notch up a remarkable 30 league goals and 20 assists meant it was almost impossible for them not to be successful.

The Invincibles of 2003-04.

On the contrary, the unbeaten streak followed into the 2004-2005 season and it had almost become an obsession amongst the team, the manager and the fans not to let it go. A number of close shaves came before the Gunners finally surrendered their 49 game unbeaten streak to rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford after a controversial penalty decision and a late Wayne Rooney strike. In my mind the obsession and the unbeaten run left the Arsenal players forgetting what it feels like to lose a league game, heads fell so low after this which led to vital points against Southampton, Liverpool and Crystal Palace being given away cheaply, had the team switched their attentions away from the unbeaten record I think that such results would not have materialised and Arsenal would have retained their title, instead, a new look Chelsea side lifted the league title under the guidance of Jose Mourinho. The team did bring back the F.A Cup back to Highbury though, however in the same game legendary captain Patrick Vieira had kicked his last ball in an Arsenal shirt, signalling the end of an era as well as a trophyless streak which is still going today, 6 and a half seasons later.

Vieira's last kick for Arsenal won them the '05 F.A Cup.

As Arsenal moved into their final season at Highbury, their home for the past 93 years, players such as Freddie Ljungberg, Robert Pires and Sol Campbell had either entered the stage of their careers where injuries were starting to plague them or they had lost a yard of pace which made them such a threat in years gone by. Arsene Wenger surely must have realised this, yet failed to properly deal with the problem. Philippe Senderos failed to impress whilst in the first team, new signing Alex Hleb had an awful debut season whilst new signings Abou Diaby and Emmanuel Adebayor performed at an average level at best when on the field. These problems were evident as Arsenal slumped to 4th in the League table capping off Wenger's worst league season in charge. Cesc Fabregas did deliver some hope for the Arsenal fans though, it was the Spaniards first full season as a player in the starting line up and his performances stunned many and came as a pleasant suprise for Wenger. Fabregas' contribution was also invaluable in the clubs Champions League campaign which ended in a narrow defeat to F.C Barcelona in Paris.

The 2006 Champions League final.

The clubs move to the impressive 60,000 seater stadium in Ashburton Grove proved to be a costly one in the 2006-2007 season as many of their home games either ended in defeat or pitiful draws. Sol Campbell, Jose Reyes, Pascal Cygan, Lauren, Robert Pires and Ashley Cole, all members of the 2004 'Invincibles' left the club, only to be replaced by Tomas Rosicky, a player with numerous injury problems, William Gallas and Brazilian flop Julio Baptista. 6 relatively high profile names out, 3 players in, just one of whom looks worthy enough of wearing the Arsenal shirt - Gallas. With these high profile departures and lacklustre signings, it was inevitable that Arsenal would again not mount a serious title challenge and would again be jostling for 4th position, which they narrowly finished with. At this point, many saw the decline as just a 'blip' whilst others blamed the fact that they side needed to adapt to their new home; the Emirates Stadium.

Highbury with the new Emirates Stadium in the distance.

After a second successive woeful Premier League season, things on the pitch did see an improvement. Togolese front man Emmanuel Adebayor finally came to life and bagged 30 goals for his side. Bacary Sagna was brought in to replace Lauren from French side Auxerre, Lassana Diarra was pinched from Chelsea on deadline day and Eduardo da Silva was added to the squad from Dynamo Zagreb. Following these arrivals though, more players left the club, this time in the form of Freddie Ljungberg and Arsenal's top goalscorer of all time and captain Thierry Henry. Lassana Diarra also left the club after just 5 months at the Emirates. The next job for Wenger was to present somebody with the captains armband. Gilberto Silva had been the makeshift captain for the large part of the 2006-07 season when Henry was injured, he was one of the senior members of the club and had filled in at centre back on numerous occasions without complaining once so he seemed the obvious choice to everybody. Instead, Wenger chose to give the armband to William Gallas, a player that had been at the club for little over a year, a plan that would later backfire. The club looked to be in pole position for the title at one stage of the season, yet after newboy Eduardo suffered an horrific leg break in February at St. Andrew's, Arsene Wenger's toddlers never recovered and subsequently ended the season in third place. Wenger's choice of captain William Gallas cried like a baby that day and publicly criticised his team mates which of course ruffled a few feathers within the Arsenal dressing room, a saga that could have been avoided had Wenger valued his loyal 32 year old Brazilian Gilberto Silva more?

Eduardo's horrific ankle break at St. Andrew's.

The summer of 2008 was a strange one for all Arsenal fans. They witnessed their manager who had brought in players such as Emmanuel Petit, Marc Overmars, Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, Freddie Ljungberg, Robert Pires etc. now bringing in players like Amaury Bischoff and Manchester United reject Mikael Silvestre. Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey and French starlet Samir Nasri were both brought in however they were again 'future prospects' and Arsenal fans were growing impatient with the lack of success. Wenger further angered the Emirates faithful as he allowed fan favourite and another member of the Invincibles, Gilberto Silva, to leave the club. Behind him packing their bags were Jens Lehmann, Alex Hleb and Mathieu Flamini, a player who's cry for a new contract the summer before was ignored by Wenger as he was trying to persuade Thierry Henry to stay. In the same season William Gallas was finally stripped of his captaincy and the pressure of the armband would now be felt around the left arm of the timid 20 year old Cesc Fabregas. The club were now looking very fragile, they had started the season with a captain who was not particularly liked and were left with one who commanded little respect vocally; they had virtually no leaders. Ultimately they were a bunch of kids with enough talent to put on a show, but not enough experience to deliver any sustained success, the team again finishing the season in 4th place.

Manchester United reject Mikael Silvestre parading his new Arsenal shirt.

Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor both jumped ship to big spenders Manchester City in the summer of 2009 after much speculation that they were both the cause of a lot of the negativity coming from the Arsenal dressing room. Thomas Vermaelen was brought in from Ajax and was an instant success, bringing stability to the Arsenal backline as well as chipping in with a few goals. As a whole though the defence were playing too high up the pitch, not focussed enough, were vulnerable and in reality conceded far to many goals - especially from set pieces. This could only mean one thing; the return of Sol Campbell. Yes, at the ripe old age that Sol was, after proving to be a disaster at Notts County the previous season, Arsene Wenger decided to bring him in to fix the clubs so broken defence, unsurprisingly a familiar story hovered over the club though. They played entertaining football for a large part of the season, collected big results at the beginning yet pleated out towards the end, Campbell's addition made almost no difference and the team did not possess any of the necessary skills apart from raw talent in order to seriously contend Manchester United or Chelsea for the title. It was another year without a trophy for the club and one that was starting to really test the patience of some fans.

Sol Campbell on his Arsenal return 2010.

As boring as it is, Arsenal again finished 4th in the 2010-11 season. Their only signings came in the form of Marouane Chamakh, a striker from Bordeaux who had only managed 78 goals in 8 years in Ligue 1, Laurent Koscielny who was playing Ligue 2 football in France just a season earlier and Sebastien Squillaci, an experienced central defender who turned out to be yet another hopeless flop who causes further heart ache for the Arsenal defence and it's loyal followers. Jack Wilshere had moved into the limelight and his performances were one of the few bright things that stemmed from this campaign. Aside from Wilshere it was a familiar season all round, upset fans, a deluded manager that speaks constantly of his teams 'fight and mental strength' but never tells of any concrete examples of it, a defence that could make water seem solid and an attack which seems reluctant to shoot. At one stage the team were going quite well, however another defensive howler in the dying moments of the Carling Cup Final which allowed Obafemi Martins to clinch the Cup for Birmingham changed all of that. Once more the Emirates crowd were watching a team who's confidence had been shot to bits and one that has nobody that is ready to step up and take a drawing game by the scruff of its neck and convert it into a win for his side. Could things get any worse?

The fatal error that gifted Birmingham the Carling Cup.

Apparently so, the clubs only remaining player from the Invincible side, Gael Clichy, left to join former Arsenal team mate Kolo Toure at Manchester City. Samir Nasri, a player who had enjoyed his best season with the club in 2010-11 followed his fellow countryman up to the blue half of Manchester and the clubs captain and Spanish playmaker returned home to play for boyhood club F.C Barcelona. So, you lose 3 of your best players, get around about £70million for them, how do you spend it? Well, if you're Arsene Wenger you turn down signing Valencia midfielder Juan Mata so that he can join Chelsea instead and you wait until the last 3 days of the transfer window to sign overweight, attacking left back Andre Santos from Fenerbahce, Park Chu Young from Ligue 2 side AS Monaco and narrowly manage to tie down Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta who is now 29 years old just seconds before September 1st along with 6ft6inch defender Per Mertesacker. A lack of experience, a few unfortunate injuries and a real absence of confidence/desire led Arsenal to one of the clubs worst league starts in years. The team got hit for 8 at Old Trafford, and no I don't mean the cricket ground, the game ended 8-2 and was one of the most embarrassing days of any Arsenal fans life no doubt. The bad results continued as the Gunners lost at home to Liverpool, away to Blackburn and away to arch rivals Tottenham. The side currently sit in 12th in the Premier League table and at the moment will be lucky to be there come May. Arsene Wenger looks as if he is powerless to do anything and doesn't seem to realise that he is a big part of the problem.

Arsenal players after the 4-3 defeat away to Blackburn.

We have just seen how a football club, under the reign of one manager has managed to somehow go from being at the helm of world football, to being 12th in their domestic league, struggling for wins and having a group of players that 1. do not look like they want to play the game and 2. do not look like they know how to. The reality of it is that without striker Robin Van Persie, who is not the most reliable in terms of playing every game and goalkeeper Woijcech Szczesny, the club would probably be a lot closer to the bottom of the league.

Striker Van Persie dragging his side to a victory against fellow struggler's Sunderland.

Do I think Arsene Wenger is a good manager? Yes. Do I think he is the right man for the job right now? No. My reasons for this is because he has ultimately become very stale and has failed to move on with the game. Firstly I'd like to comment on his physical attitude. In years gone by Arsene was known to be a very laid back, relaxed and reserved manager. If the team had just gone through a spell of hitting the post ten times in two minutes you would have been lucky to have extracted any type of facial expression from him. The reason he was so reserved was to reassure his side that they have time and that they should not panic nor should they rush their next attack. Today, and for the last 3-4 years we have seen him jumping up and down the touchline like an absolute lunatic, kicking bottles, squaring up to opposition managers and having numerous arguments with the 4th officials. This type of irrational behaviour, especially when managing a young side such as Arsenal's will transmit through to the players. In a situation where their nerves need to be simmered down, they will be set off, forcing unnecessary errors all over the pitch. The players will become frustrated very easily, again leading to further mistakes. We used to see Arsenal attacks that were very patient, very precise and calculated whereas today we are becoming ever more familiar with seeing the team eagerly trying to play it through to Robin Van Persie to no avail. If Wenger were to implement a few more world class players who possess winning mentality's and experienced heads, this would not be such a huge factor, however given the lack of quality and experience in the squad, having a manager that is very animated on the touchline will not help them.

Wenger kicking yet another bottle.

My second point is that I feel he has become quite isolated. In the early days Arsene had a friend that he could rely on. A friend that would put his arm round him when the tide was rough. That friend was called David Dein. Dein was the man that brought Wenger to the club and the pair had maintained a strong relationship ever since. The maths was simple, if Wenger has spotted a player that he thought would become world class i.e. Patrick Vieira/Thierry Henry, Dein would consult the board about it and the deal would 9 times out of 10 be completed very quickly. Wenger does not now have that assurance at Arsenal since Dein left the club, it looks like he does not have that friend to go and speak to and sometimes he looks very lonely, which makes me wonder, is it his confidence that has gone? It seems to me as if in his head there are only a minority of fans that truly believe that he is a world class manager, and this hurts him. With Dein no longer there it almost seems that the Arsenal board are happy to have Wenger in place just so that their bank accounts are able to stay healthy. I believe that the myth that Wenger is 'tight' with money is partially true as he does not like to break his financial structure however I do not think that the board have any queries over this as they are quite happy to see the team suffer instead of their pockets. Dein on the other hand was a true football man and cared more about the welfare of his club rather than the notes in his wallet.

Close friends: Wenger and Dein.

Furthermore his ability to coach a defence must come under scrutiny. It is very true that Arsenal were very tight under Wenger in the early years. But was this his defence? No, it was a defence assembled together by George Graham, did Wenger improve these defenders? He improved their ability to play on the ball, the evidence is in Tony Adams' iconic volley against Everton in 1998. However, defensively he did not have to teach them a thing, they were already a defence which were hard to break down, were positioned fantastically and possessed great ball winning ability as well as a true desire to simply defend their goal. People will then argue that the defence of 2004 only conceded 17 goals and they were assembled by Arsene Wenger. I agree, however, Kolo Toure, Sol Campbell, Ashley Cole and Lauren were the first choice back four for that season and every one of those defenders were at the club the same time that the likes of Tony Adams, Nigel Winterburn and Martin Keown etc. were. It is clear that the players of 2004 were shown how to defend properly by the senior players which is ultimately why they were so good. Pascal Cygan was French defender of the year when he arrived at Arsenal yet when he played, he almost always failed to impress, why? because he had arrived after Adams & co had left the club. The same principle applies for players such as Philippe Senderos, Igor Stepanovs and today's bunch i.e. Kieran Gibbs/Squillaci/Djourou etc. This leads one to think that if Arsene Wenger had not inherited the famous back 5 of Arsenal all those years back in 1996, would he have been as successful as he was? Was he just very fortunate to stumble across a defence which was already sorted out for him? Judging by the past 7 years this could well be the case as so many of the teams issues have stemmed from the incompetent backline and their ability to leak goals.

George Graham celebrating success with main defender Tony Adams.

On the contrary Arsenals attack has not been looking to menacing either. They used to be a side feared by all due to their array of creative players and devastating speed on the counter attack. Today we see Wenger's sides hardly ever playing on the counter attack like they used to. Manchester United have been able to exude so much success from playing on the break, especially against the bigger teams yet Arsene Wenger seems to have abandoned the tactic. I can also recall numerous goals from the likes of Pires, Henry, Bergkamp & co. flying in from outside of the box. If you watch an Arsenal game today you will count at least 10-20 openings for a midfield player to have a shot yet he will opt to play a non-threatening square ball to a team mate. Arsenal have been guilty of making one pass too many in recent years instead of getting someone to put their foot through the ball and making the 'keeper work, it seems that Wenger is more worried about the possession statistic as oppose to the all important 'goal' one.

Diagram of a classic Arsenal counter attack.

One of his most notable problems is his current inability to recruit world class players. Some of Arsenals finest players of all time were signed by him, Patrick Vieira, Sol Campbell, Thierry Henry...the list goes on. Yet now it looks as if he is settling for second best. He is bringing in average players that in reality would had not have had a hope in hell of playing for Arsenal 5 or 6 years ago i.e. Chamakh/Santos/Jenkinson/Djourou/Park/Diaby, sadly, again, the list goes on. In the years where he was most successful he had a mix between experience and youth, something that Sir Alex Ferguson employs time and time again at Manchester United and it clearly works. Wenger though seems defiant on proving to the world that you can win a Premier League title with a team made up of youth. This will sadly for Arsenal fans never be proved though as it is simply not true, time again we see his sides lacking in quality. The Premier League is a marathon, not a sprint and a team made up of 11 young players do not and will not consist of the necessary attributes in order to reach the finishing line in this one, the evidence lies in the past 6 seasons where Arsenal have fallen short not at the beginning, but towards the end of the race. Another issue is that he seems to sell more than he buys, or fails to replace what he lets go. This season he saw the back of Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy, he replaced those players with Andre Santos, Yossi Benayoun and Mikel Arteta, hardly 'replacements' in my eyes. Wenger's biggest omission though was failing to replace the members of the Invincibles, Cesc Fabregas was the only world class player that emerged after those years whilst there was a huge void left by those such as Pires, Ljungberg, Campbell, Gilberto and Henry.

Juan Mata: Wenger let him slip through his hands and into Chelsea's.

This brings me over to my next point. The players I listed above could all easily have been tied down to contracts which would have seen them stay with the club for a lot longer than they did. Fergie kept the likes of Giggs, Scholes and Neville etc. at United for such a long time partially because they are quality players, as are Pires, Henry & co. but he also kept them so that the younger players coming through would have someone to look up to and aspire to be like. Arsenal don't have any type of role model what so ever within the squad and I strongly believe that if they had kept the likes of Vieira, Pires and Gilberto for longer than they did, players such as Theo Walcott, Alex Song and Denilson would have developed a lot quicker than they have done, they would have learned more and would be better equipped in a high pressure situation. This would also have taken a part of the pressure off of Wenger's shoulders as it does with Fergie as he would have been comfortable for the senior players to advise the younger ones without him having to spoon feed them himself everyday. Consequently today we witness an Arsenal team without any real leader, sure Van Persie is leading by example but realistically he is not a true captain. Also, despite what he says he still hasn't signed a new contract with the club and is forcing them to sweat, a great example to let the other players follow.

Ryan Giggs: Still collecting medals.

Wenger's philosophy of playing this brand of 'total' football, trying to walk the ball into the net and doing it with youth has become extremely stale. Every time anybody tunes in to watch an Arsenal game they know what to expect, some good possession play, fatal defensive errors and an attack that only looks threatening if Theo Walcott is running at thin air or if the ball is at Robin Van Persie's feet. The fact of the matter is that Wenger has done two things at Arsenal, he came and made them a force who play attractive football whilst achieving results, yet he has also now formed that once glorious side into one that leaves people branding them as a 'nearly' team, for Arsenal fans the sight is all too familiar and it is frankly boring.

Arsene Wenger: Nearly, but not quite.

Finally I believe that the manager is far too comfortable. The reality of it is that he has only won 7 major trophies in his 15 years with the club, yet there is not even a remote threat from the board to him concerning his position as manager. I think that he is a manager that is partially living in the past as well as one that over complicates things in such a way that he is oblivious to the obvious problems. The game has adapted a lot since Arsenal galloped through an entire league season unbeaten, teams such as Villa, Sunderland, Stoke, Newcastle etc. are no longer pushovers, buying average players and expecting to be handed the time to develop them whilst still proving to be a success is an impossibility. World class players will seemingly only play for world class pay and if Arsene Wenger wants to remain as Arsenal manager for the foreseeable future he will have to break into his lucrative war-chest and splash the cash, breaking the clubs wage cap along the way. Football is a results business and the harsh reality is that if you don't cough up the cash, the top players will not come and the results for a club of Arsenal's stature will be terrible.

Wenger with Arsenal Chairman Peter Hill-Wood.

Although many idolise him, the statistics speak for themselves. Out of Wenger's 15 years in the box seat at Arsenal, 10 have ended trophyless. I'm certain that at any other dominant club around Europe that would be a record that would merit a sacking, especially if in the 15th season your team finds itself in 12th place in the league. Isn't it ironic that a club in it's 125th year of existence, who's badge says for one season only 'Forward' look as if they are going backwards? As I said at the start, Arsene Wenger is a great football manager and the clubs fans and anybody else associated with them owe him a huge amount of respect for the success and exciting times that he has gifted them all with. However it seems to me that he has become like a boxer that doesn't know when to quit, always in search of that next fight even though unfit. It would be a shame to remember the great Arsene Wenger battered and bruised after suffering a knock-out from a virtual nobody just as we did the great Mike Tyson, wouldn't it?

Arsenal's new 125 year 'Forward' badge.

Charlie Shanks