Ron Atkinson has warned Arsenal fans they must be careful what they wish for as calls for Arsene Wenger to be axed grow.
There has been bubbling discontent among Gunners supporters in recent years with their inability to challenge for the Premier League title challenge, continuous capitulation in the Champions League and failure to land top transfer targets at the centre of their frustration.
There has been even more vexation directed at Wenger following Arsenal’s meek 3-0 surrender in the League Cup final to Manchester City last Sunday, while the Emirates Stadium was noticeably empty as the same side recorded a win by the same scoreline in the Premier League encounter on Thursday.
But while Atkinson knows fans want change, the former Manchester United and Aston Villa chief insists replacing the club’s most successful manager isn’t a guarantee success will return.
“I’m a huge Wenger fan,” Atkinson told Sport360 after steering England Legends to a 7-4 victory over Scotland Legends at the JA Centre of Excellence and on Friday.
“Maybe because of all the criticism he’s getting, and I don’t see why, although I guess it comes with the territory, the only way to turn it round is with results.
“Unfortunately, the team he has at the moment doesn’t bear comparison to some of the great sides he’s had, like the Invincibles.”
Atkinson, who won two FA Cups with United in the early 1980s and also managed Atletico Madrid for a short stint, was speaking as part of both team’s stay at the Jebel Ali Golf Resort where they appeared at a dinner on Thursday.
Ron Atkinson feels Arsenal fans will miss Arsene Wenger when he’s gone.
And he added that Arsenal fans would do well to remember that even during some relatively lean years, Wenger has still delivered silverware.
Atkinson added: “It gets overlooked what he’s won in the last few years, three FA Cups in four years. On the reverse side of that is the fact that the best side to watch in the Premier League at the moment outside Man City are Tottenham.
“But Tottenham haven’t won anything in a long time, and they have to win something. Tottenham, if they’d won three FA Cups and finished in the top four, fans would be eulogising.
“But the fact Wenger’s won doubles in the past and the Invincibles, that’s where he’s being judged. And the longevity. You never know what might happen. Whoever comes to replace him might have to wait a long time for success.”
Critics have commented that Wenger’s legacy at the Emirates is being eroded due to a lack of competition with their big rivals, both for silverware and in transfer markets.
It’s been 13 years since Wenger and Arsenal last lifted the Premier League trophy and in the intervening time they have finished runners-up just twice – most recently in 2015/16 when neither they or Tottenham could capitalise on dire campaigns for rivals United, City and Chelsea and prevent Leicester City from securing the most remarkable title triumph.
In those seasons they finished second, they did so at a distance – 10 points behind the Foxes two years ago and 12 points adrift of Chelsea in 2004/05.
In 13 barren years since, there have been some close calls – they finished third and just four points behind champions United and runners-up Chelsea in 2007/08, while they were fourth but only seven points off champions City four years ago.
However, in 11 of the previous 13 campaigns, they have trailed the champions by double digit figures – the biggest margin was the 24-point gap to Chelsea in 2005/06 as they finished fourth – something that has happened in six of the 13 campaigns.
Eighteen points was the gap to top spot a year ago, while they also missed out on the top four for the first time in Wenger’s 22-year reign.
Despite the fact the majority of fans want him gone, Atkinson is adamant he will only be truly appreciated once he has departed.
Arsenal have been beaten by Man City 3-0 twice in the space of five days.
“I think what will happen is he’ll finish this year or next. I think when he goes he’ll still be revered. Fans will look back and think ‘he made an impact on our club’,” said the 78-year-old.
“I think deep down they appreciate him now and what he’s done for them. But because everything’s got to be instant know, and with other clubs winning, they look at it and feel they’re falling the other way.
“I don’t think Arsenal now have anywhere near the number of top players they’ve had in the past. They’ve got a lot of run of the mill players, for a club with their hopes.
“Obviously if they’d have done better in the League Cup, they would have been looking at another trophy. But when they look back and see his reign, they’ll see it as the best reign of any manager they’ve ever had.”
