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ARSENE WENGER has laid into ungrateful Arsenal fans, telling them to shut up and show more respect.
The Gunners boss is still fuming after being mauled by disappointed supporters at a shareholders' meeting last week.
And he made it clear he will not put up with their constant sniping following an approach from Real Madrid.
Wenger said: "I was very disappointed by what was said at the shareholders' meeting because, of all the people at the club, they certainly cannot complain.
"You only have to compare the share price now to what it was when I arrived to see how far forward I have taken this club.
"In October 1996, one Arsenal share must have been worth about £400. Now it is nearer to £10,000.
"So I'm not responsible for bankrupting our shareholders."
Wenger was particularly upset by the hostile tone of questioning he was forced to face after four years without winning a trophy.
The Frenchman, whose side finish their season at home to Stoke tomorrow, said: "I can always accept criticism but I will never accept disrespect.
"It seems the shareholders want everything and that does not shock me at all. But what I didn't like was the disrespect shown to my players.
"Now what we need is for everyone in the club to shut up, stop talking and start working.
"In any job it is always the minority who come out with the loudest voice. I cannot ignore some people are unhappy but I am doing as well as I can. Believe me, I cannot work any harder."
Wenger refused to elaborate on the recent meeting between his representatives and prospective Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.
But he made it clear he will not be packing his bags for the Bernabeu any time soon and could not resist a dig at the Spanish giants.
Wenger said: "Real waste a lot of money and have gone out in the last 16 of the Champions League for the past five years.
"I have had many, many contacts with other clubs during my time at Arsenal but I am still here. No one can question my commitment to this club.
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"If I needed a divorce I would have called a lawyer. But I haven't called anyone. So, no, I am not leaving."
Wenger dislikes the perception he is stubbornly refusing to strengthen his squad by spending big in the transfer market.
He said: "Do people really think I am stupid enough to have £100million at my disposal but keep it in the bank because I am scared to spend it?
"I am never afraid to spend the money when I find the right man. When we bought Andrey Arshavin in January I decided to do it in one day."
But Alex Hleb warned Arsenal's rigid pay structure could force stars to leave.
The midfielder quit the Emirates last year to double his money to around £60,000 a week at Barcelona while Mathieu Flamini was quids in after joining AC Milan.
Hleb said: "Finances are always an issue at Arsenal. Players arrive at the club, have a good season and get a lot of better offers from other teams.
"A football life is short. You want to enjoy football but you also need to earn money."
The Gunners boss is still fuming after being mauled by disappointed supporters at a shareholders' meeting last week.
And he made it clear he will not put up with their constant sniping following an approach from Real Madrid.
Wenger said: "I was very disappointed by what was said at the shareholders' meeting because, of all the people at the club, they certainly cannot complain.
"You only have to compare the share price now to what it was when I arrived to see how far forward I have taken this club.
"In October 1996, one Arsenal share must have been worth about £400. Now it is nearer to £10,000.
"So I'm not responsible for bankrupting our shareholders."
Wenger was particularly upset by the hostile tone of questioning he was forced to face after four years without winning a trophy.
The Frenchman, whose side finish their season at home to Stoke tomorrow, said: "I can always accept criticism but I will never accept disrespect.
"It seems the shareholders want everything and that does not shock me at all. But what I didn't like was the disrespect shown to my players.
"Now what we need is for everyone in the club to shut up, stop talking and start working.
"In any job it is always the minority who come out with the loudest voice. I cannot ignore some people are unhappy but I am doing as well as I can. Believe me, I cannot work any harder."
Wenger refused to elaborate on the recent meeting between his representatives and prospective Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.
But he made it clear he will not be packing his bags for the Bernabeu any time soon and could not resist a dig at the Spanish giants.
Wenger said: "Real waste a lot of money and have gone out in the last 16 of the Champions League for the past five years.
"I have had many, many contacts with other clubs during my time at Arsenal but I am still here. No one can question my commitment to this club.
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//Retrieve Blue Lithium & Bull frog Cookie Valuevar blueLithium = "No";blueLithium = get_cookie("BL")==null?"No":get_cookie("BL");var RStag = "";try{RStag = segQS;}catch(e){RStag = "";}document.write('');function ebStdBanner1_DoFSCommand(command,args){try{command = command.replace(/FSCommand:/ig,"");if((command.toLowerCase()=="ebinteraction" ) || (command.toLowerCase()=="ebclickthrough"))gEbStdBa nners[1].handleInteraction();}catch(e){}}try{ebStdBanner1_ DoFSCommand(command,args);}catch(e){}
"If I needed a divorce I would have called a lawyer. But I haven't called anyone. So, no, I am not leaving."
Wenger dislikes the perception he is stubbornly refusing to strengthen his squad by spending big in the transfer market.
He said: "Do people really think I am stupid enough to have £100million at my disposal but keep it in the bank because I am scared to spend it?
"I am never afraid to spend the money when I find the right man. When we bought Andrey Arshavin in January I decided to do it in one day."
But Alex Hleb warned Arsenal's rigid pay structure could force stars to leave.
The midfielder quit the Emirates last year to double his money to around £60,000 a week at Barcelona while Mathieu Flamini was quids in after joining AC Milan.
Hleb said: "Finances are always an issue at Arsenal. Players arrive at the club, have a good season and get a lot of better offers from other teams.
"A football life is short. You want to enjoy football but you also need to earn money."
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