During his tenure as an Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger often used clever waysto dodge inconvenient questions. One of them was to playfully state that one dayhe would write an autobiography and share everything there.
Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson returns to Old Trafford for the first time after brain surgery in May SIR ALEX FERGUSON’S surprise return to Old Trafford for the Wolves game is. Popular videos. Sir Alex Ferguson has paid tribute to his former rival Arsene Wenger as the Frenchman announced his departure from Arsenal after 22 years at the helm. Wenger’s arrival was the first great challenge to the dominance of Ferguson’s Manchester United in the Premier League era and they shared many battles. Alex ferguson wenger poker Layout The imprint on the craps table marked with different betting areas. Sandholm has already licensed much of the poker technology developed in his lab to two startups: Strategic Machine and Strategy alex ferguson wenger poker Robot.
Well, this day is finally arriving! The Professor’s book will be released inthe fall of 2020 under the name “My Life in Red and White.” It’s a clever title,considering that all four of the clubs he managed play in those colors.
As a lifelong fan of English soccer and the Premier League, I can’t wait.Love him or hate him, Arsene Wenger is one of the most influential managers inthe country. I have to admit that the Frenchman is a personal hero of mine. Hechanged the game for good and had one of the most entertaining rivalries withanother legend, Sir Alex Ferguson.
Wenger is the only modern manager to go unbeaten for a full season in theEPL, and his teams played breathtaking soccer for large periods of his tenure.
The Professor was also involved in many controversial moments. The shove ofJose Mourinho, the Battle of the Buffet, his last couple of years at the helm ofArsenal… there’s so much the man could share.
In this post, I will speculate about some of the chapters in Arsene Wenger’supcoming autobiography. Most of my expectations are related to his time atArsenal, but not exclusively. Wenger also had a strong career in France andvisited Japan, so his autobiography should cover more than just his time inEngland.
Arsenal won the English Premier League without losing a single game in the2003-2004 season, earning the nickname “The Invincibles.” The team entered thenext campaign as the favorite for the EPL crown.
The title defense started well, and the Gunners didn’t lose a match untilOctober. Their unbeaten streak was stretched to 49 games, which was unthinkableat the time. In fact, Arsene Wenger was largely mocked by the press afterstating a few years earlier that his side could go through an entire seasonwithout losing.
But Arsenal did it and looked set to dominate English soccer in the nextcampaign. The main rivals were the uprising Chelsea under Jose Mourinho, backedby the millions of Roman Abramovich, and the old foes Manchester United.
The Invincibles had to face Sir Alex Ferguson and his Red Devils late inOctober, full of confidence that they could win at the Old Trafford. Arsenalstarted the match better but missed several opportunities. What was even worseis that the referee Mike Riley missed a number of brutal fouls by the hosts.
Jose Antonio Reyes was targeted by the Man Utd players on many occasions,while both Rio Ferdinand and Ruud van Nistelrooy should have seen red cards. TheDutchman’s challenge against Ashley Cole was abysmal and brought him aretrospective ban for three games later on.
The visitors’ rhythm was disrupted by the atmosphere on the pitch, and thegame became mostly a physical battle. Manchester United were dangerous in thesecond half and received a controversial penalty that pretty much decided thematch.
Van Nistelrooy converted, and Wayne Rooney added another goal in the lastminute to seal Manchester United’s victory. Arsene Wenger and his men werefurious with the thuggish behavior of the hosts and the lack of action by MikeRiley.
Their frustration led to an alleged brawl in the tunnel of Old Trafford, andsomeone even threw pizza at Sir Alex.
We don’t know much more about the incident, but I believe that ArseneWenger’s book might shed some light on the events surrounding the match dubbedthe Battle of the Buffet.
The Bribery Scandals in the French Ligue 1
Many forget that Arsene Wenger had an excellent career as a Monaco managerbefore moving to Japan and then England. He led the team to the title in hisdebut season at the helm, signing players like Glenn Hoddle, Patrick Battiston,and Mark Hateley.
The club was among the French elite for several years but failed to winanother championship, despite playing exciting soccer. Wenger’s Monaco was alsoa force in the French Cup and in Europe, reaching the later stages of the UEFAtournaments frequently.
It was all going well until 1994 when the ugly head of one of the biggestscandals in the history of the sport emerged. It turned out that the presidentof Olympique de Marseille, Bernard Tapie, had been bribing players, clubs, andreferees both in Europe and in France.
Arsene Wenger was devastated to learn about it and lost his passion to managein France. His Monaco had a bad start to the 1994-95 season, and the Professorwas released from his position in September. He was disgusted by the corruptionand decided to leave Europe altogether, traveling to Japan to manage the localNagoya Grampus Eight.
It’s a painful chapter of Wenger’s career, and he has never shared too manydetails about it. I believe we will learn more in 2020 when Wenger’s “My Life inRed and White” is released.
I don’t think that anyone expected to see Arsene Wenger at the helm ofArsenal in 1996. The English giant was looking for a new manager, and theposition was desired by many specialists both from the country and abroad.
There were many speculations about some of the biggest names in the soccerworld. According to some of them, the legendary Johan Cruyff was poised tobecome the Gunners’ next manager. And then, all of a sudden, Arsene Wenger wasannounced.
The relatively unknown French guy that looked like a math teacher to many wasmocked by the English press. Headlines like “Arsene Who?” dominated the localpapers, but the country was about to learn that the man was no joke.
Former Arsenal chairman David Dean was the guy who brought Wenger to England.We already know his take of the story. It would be interesting to see whatArsene himself has to say about one of the most surprising appointments inEnglish soccer.
The Departures of Robin van Persie, Cesc Fabregas, and Other TalismanicPlayers
Many believe that the Arsenal tenure of Arsene Wenger can be split into twomain periods — before and after the Emirates, the stadium that the Frenchmandesperately wanted to build. The Professor believed that it would elevate theclub for decades and risked his whole legacy on the monumental project.
One of the results was that Arsenal lacked the funds to compete withManchester United and the emerging Chelsea and Manchester City, both backed bybillionaires. Wenger tried to stay at the top of English soccer with youngstersand limited resources.
Arsene Wenger Bayern
He was painfully close but failed to win a trophy for almost a decade after2006. One of the main reasons was that many of the best Arsenal players left theclub in this period. The likes of Cesc Fabregas, Alexander Hleb, and Robin vanPersie forced their moves when they reached the peak of their abilities.
Wenger heroically kept the club in the top four despite their departures butnever managed to win another EPL title again. The Professor never showed hisemotions and never said a bad word about his former players.
And yet, I can’t help the feeling that he was betrayed by the very people henurtured to the status of world-class players. I would love to see Wenger’s truethoughts on those transfers, although the Frenchman is the kind of gentlemanthat would probably stay respectful.
We all know that the largest clubs in Europe are often chasing the sametalented youngsters. It’s not uncommon to hear that guys like Cristiano Ronaldowere close to joining multiple teams. In fact, Arsene Wenger almost signed bothhim and Lionel Messi early in their careers.
Those two are just some of the players that were on the brink of joiningWenger’s Arsenal. The likes of Didier Drogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and many othericonic athletes were on Arsene’s radar at some point. It would be interesting tounderstand more about them, and I feel we will in Wenger’s autobiography.
The Rivalries With Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho
The rivalry between Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson is one of the mostepic ones in the history of English soccer. Both men led their clubs to multipletitles and electrifying clashes on and off the pitch for years.
The legendary Scottish manager has admitted multiple times that his foepushed him to reinvent himself and Manchester United on many occasions. In away, neither man could have reached the heights they did without each other.
I believe that this duel that lasted for close to a decade will be touched onmany times in Wenger’s autobiography. The Frenchman will probably be mostlyrespectful toward Ferguson, as both men have shown nothing but tremendousadmiration for each other lately.
I’m not so sure that will be the case when it comes to Jose Mourinho. ThePortuguese manager teased Wenger often during his several tenures in Englishsoccer, even calling him “a specialist in failure.” The relationship between thetwo men got so bad that the notoriously classy and calm Frenchman actuallyshoved Mourinho on the sidelines during an Arsenal vs. Chelsea match.
In the past several years, it seems that both men have buried the hatchet, asMourinho has spoken highly about his rival a couple of times. However, I stillbelieve that Wenger might have something to say about the self-proclaimed“Special One” in his book.
The Final Years at Arsenal
Arsene Wenger Wife
Many believe that Arsene Wenger should’ve left Arsenal earlier. The fan basewas strongly divided in the Frenchman’s final years at the helm, and we even sawprotests against the manager. It was a toxic atmosphere that impacted theperformances on the pitch as well.
In the most difficult moments of his career, Arsene Wenger consistently tookall the blame. He refused to put it on the players, and he never publiclycriticized the board. He was always the one facing the cameras after everyfailure, while the likes of Ivan Gazidis and Stan Kroenke were cowardly lettinghim take hit after hit.
Arsene Wenger's Daughter Lea Wenger
At the same time, I don’t think that Arsene received enough help. He operatedunder limited budgets and was left with too many responsibilities. Many wouldsay that it’s his fault, but I’m not entirely sure that’s the case.
In my opinion, Arsene Wenger was betrayed and abandoned by the Arsenal boardin his last years. He didn’t receive a proper backing in any aspect of his work,which is one of the main reasons for the decline on the pitch.
I would love to see what the Professor has to say about it. I don’t expecthim to point fingers and accuse people directly, but he’s intelligent enough todescribe the nature of the situation in a subtle way. Perhaps some of thismaterial could make it into Wenger’s autobiography.
We often mention Arsene Wenger’s time in Japan, but I must admit I don’t knowmuch about it. I know that he found some success on the pitch and was influencedby the local culture, but that’s it. I would love to learn more details abouthis experience in the country and how it changed him as a man and as a manager.
After all, Arsene spent almost two years in Japan right before joiningArsenal. Those years certainly had an impact on the iconic manager, and it wouldbe interesting to read more from the man himself.
His Philosophy About Life
I mentioned in the intro of this post that Arsene Wenger is a personal heroof mine, and it’s not only because of soccer. Sure, the thrilling style heimposed at Arsenal and his achievements are admirable, but I’ve always beenfascinated with the Frenchman as a human being.
Daily Express
His intelligence and education are evident in every interview that goesbeyond the game of soccer. Wenger’s sensible views of the modern world,economics, religion, and other topics of a similar magnitude show a greatknowledge of human nature and a kind heart.
An excellent example is one of his interviews with the French magazine L’Equipe. You can find itin English here, and I strongly recommend it as an excellent read.
It will give you a taste of Arsene’s worldview and character. I’m lookingforward to reading more about them in “My Life in Red and White.”
As you probably sensed by now, I’m looking forward to Arsene Wenger’sautobiography, and I believe it will be a fascinating read.
Do you have some favorite moments from the Frenchman’s career that you wouldlike to learn more about that I have missed? Let me know in the comments sectionbelow.
Also, if you liked this article and are interested in learning more aboutother great soccer managers, feel free to visitourpage that’s dedicated to legendary coaches from the sport.
ALEX FERGUSON admitted his old sparring partner Arsene Wenger drove a hard
bargain in negotiations over Robin van Persie.
So much so that the legendary Scot reckons the Gunners boss may be in the
wrong profession.
Arsene Wenger Wife
Fergie grinned: “He could run a poker school in Govan. He’s got a great price.”
Arsenal claim the deal they struck could eventually be worth £24million — not
bad when United’s opening bid was around half that.
It was a personal phone call from Ferguson to Wenger at the beginning of the
week which finally got the wheels in motion.
The United boss said: “Arsene knew the boy wanted to leave and wanted to come
here so that made it easier. But it didn’t make it easier in terms of trying
to reduce the fee. But we’re also happy to have signed him and the matter is
now sorted. With Arsene it was never a problem at all — it was amicable.”
Ferguson said last week he was growing increasingly frustrated with Arsenal’s
stance over their efforts to sign the Gunners skipper.
Arsene Wenger Affair
But the ace up his sleeve was that RVP had set his heart on a switch to Old
Trafford.
Alex Ferguson Arsene Wenger Poker Online
Fergie added: “The boy wanted to come, he turned down various other clubs. If
he hadn’t told Arsenal he wanted to go to United then the transfer would not
have happened.”
Signing a 29-year-old represents a change of policy for Ferguson, who in
recent years has preferred young players.
He added: “It has given everyone a lift. We never thought we could get Van
Persie, even if you go back six months I couldn’t see us getting him. I
didn’t think Arsenal would let him go.
“We needed a finished player. We’ve had several players who have been that
sort of catalyst, starting with Eric Cantona.”