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Wenger still a winner
Inspirational Frenchman can bring Arsenal more trophies
It would be wrong to say that Arsene Wenger's record 13-season tenure at Arsenal has been anything other than a massive, massive success story.
When he was appointed back in 1996 and David Dein announced Arsene's name, it's fair to say that my reaction - like that of most of the rest of the footballing world - was 'who?'
That's not to belittle his previous achievements because Arsene has admitted himself that the club took a huge gamble in picking him. That they did and that 13 years on he is still there, is a huge testament to Arsene 'the man' and 'the coach'.
Stature
He arrived at Highbury at a time when Arsenal had drifted a bit and weren't really going anywhere. After George Graham's hasty exit they struggled to find anyone capable of threatening to do what George did - that is win trophies.
Plenty to smile about: Wenger's numerous qualities have fostered success
When you take over as a coach you always want one of your first signings to be impressive and important - one that defines your coaching ability and your managerial skills and there's no doubt that the arrival of Patrick Vieira did that for Arsene.
It was another occasion when I thought 'I'm not quite sure, but I'll wait and see'.
Back then Arsene was a manager who was interested in buying players if they were talented and big of stature. He had a very large side with Emmanuel Petit alongside Vieira in midfield - powerful central midfielders, the total opposite of what he has today.
That was exactly what was needed at that time. When you do sign someone like Vieira who is an instant success, it helps you to settle in. You don't want you first three or four buys to be failures because the fans then start to question your judgement.
Stability
Yes, Arsene wanted to change the mentality at Arsenal but what helped him enormously when he took over - and I'm sure he would accept this - was what was there already. I'm talking about a goalkeeper and four or five defenders who knew the art of playing together and keeping clean sheets.
He had that in Lee Dixon, Steve Bould, Martin Keown, Tony Adams and Nigel Winterburn and David Seamen in goal and used it well for a few years. That was the bedrock for him to go on and tinker with the rest of the side. Without that back five, I don't think they would have won the Premier League title and FA Cup in his second year.
Stability was crucial but of course that side was also awesome to watch. It was a team of great pace - Nicolas Anelka and Marc Overmars were lightning quick and troubled everyone.
And what hasn't been said about Dennis Bergkamp? I'm not sure I can add any more to the glowing tributes that have already been paid to the guy. He was quite simply one of the most talented and skilful footballers we've had in this league. Although it was Bruce Rioch who signed Bergkamp in 1995, it was Arsene who got the best out of the Dutchman.
Evolve
Just as Sir Alex has done at Manchester United, Arsene has proved himself adept at helping his sides evolve. He's done it subtly and so effectively that, for the most point, it has been tough to spot the joins.
Overmars and Anelka moved on and as Keown, Adams and Bould grew old at the same time Arsene realised that he had to change. Players like Ashley Cole started to get a game, he was coming through, and Sol Campbell arrived from Spurs.
He actually had some difficulty finding a suitable partner for Campbell and tried a couple of combinations before settling on one that worked.
His manipulation produced a team that was untouchable at times in the 2001/02 season. Arsene took a guy like Thierry Henry, someone who many knew little about, and turned him into one of the best and frightening frontmen around with his amazing pace and coolness in front of goal.
They weren't a machine - Arsene would never like one of his sides described like that because it would be an insult to the way they play - but they knew what was required to get results. He managed to move the side on by blending experience and fresh talent.
Capable
The same was true of the side that went through the 2003/04 season without defeat, putting together a 49-game unbeaten sequence that finally came to an end at Old Trafford.
Runs like that prove a team possesses many qualities because of the range of problems it can encounter along the way.
This was a team capable of winning five or six-nil, going head-to-head with a club and beating them 4-3 in an open and exciting game, or winning 1-0 if it needed to in a stuffy, horrible contest.
It was a special side that always came up with the goods, even if sometimes it left it late, and embodied Arsene's determination and resilience.
Those are just two of his numerous qualities. Arsene's personality suits Arsenal to a tee and he has a fantastic eye for young talent - no-one can doubt that. I don't think we've seen a better man for pulling young talent from obscurity and turn it into multi-million pound players.
He treats his players as people as well as footballers, which is first-class, and he seems a very calm man who always likes his players to think he's in control. Ok, he has lost it a couple of times in his career but that's no surprise having been in this league for 13 years!
Arsene has always had a belief in his own ability and a conviction that his own ideas are right. He's unswerving in that. Now that may be a weakness in the sense that once he's made his mind up about something, that's it.
It's almost as people call on him to spend money he goes the other way and doesn't. The more people tell him to do something, the more Arsene seems to go the other way! But he has a mind that is always thinking ahead, never thinking about yesterday too much, but always thinking about today and tomorrow because they are the most important times for Arsenal and that's why he keeps moving the team on.
Praise
The one thing that will trouble him is that his team hasn't won a piece of silverware in four years. For all the talent and ambition he has at his disposal, he hasn't been able to turn all of that into silverware. They've come close on many occasions but this will still annoy Arsene. He knows that they have to put some silverware back on the table sooner rather than later.
In the cold light of day you are remembered for what you win. I do think Arsene's current side is good enough to win trophies again but IF he didn't I don't think Arsenal fans would let that overshadow what he has achieved in the last 13 seasons.
A handful of Arsenal fans may look around, see other teams spending vast sums of money and question Arsene's belief and almost bloody mindedness that his way is the best way and that he won't be swayed from it. But that is the way he is.
If he went another couple of years without winning a trophy and ended up with nothing to show for six years, there will of course be dissenting voices. But they will still be lost amid the praise that should rightly come Arsene's way.
Inspirational Frenchman can bring Arsenal more trophies
It would be wrong to say that Arsene Wenger's record 13-season tenure at Arsenal has been anything other than a massive, massive success story.
When he was appointed back in 1996 and David Dein announced Arsene's name, it's fair to say that my reaction - like that of most of the rest of the footballing world - was 'who?'
That's not to belittle his previous achievements because Arsene has admitted himself that the club took a huge gamble in picking him. That they did and that 13 years on he is still there, is a huge testament to Arsene 'the man' and 'the coach'.
Stature
He arrived at Highbury at a time when Arsenal had drifted a bit and weren't really going anywhere. After George Graham's hasty exit they struggled to find anyone capable of threatening to do what George did - that is win trophies.
Plenty to smile about: Wenger's numerous qualities have fostered success
When you take over as a coach you always want one of your first signings to be impressive and important - one that defines your coaching ability and your managerial skills and there's no doubt that the arrival of Patrick Vieira did that for Arsene.
It was another occasion when I thought 'I'm not quite sure, but I'll wait and see'.
Back then Arsene was a manager who was interested in buying players if they were talented and big of stature. He had a very large side with Emmanuel Petit alongside Vieira in midfield - powerful central midfielders, the total opposite of what he has today.
I don't think we've seen a better man for pulling young talent from obscurity and turn it into multi-million pound players.
Andy Gray That was exactly what was needed at that time. When you do sign someone like Vieira who is an instant success, it helps you to settle in. You don't want you first three or four buys to be failures because the fans then start to question your judgement.
Stability
Yes, Arsene wanted to change the mentality at Arsenal but what helped him enormously when he took over - and I'm sure he would accept this - was what was there already. I'm talking about a goalkeeper and four or five defenders who knew the art of playing together and keeping clean sheets.
He had that in Lee Dixon, Steve Bould, Martin Keown, Tony Adams and Nigel Winterburn and David Seamen in goal and used it well for a few years. That was the bedrock for him to go on and tinker with the rest of the side. Without that back five, I don't think they would have won the Premier League title and FA Cup in his second year.
Stability was crucial but of course that side was also awesome to watch. It was a team of great pace - Nicolas Anelka and Marc Overmars were lightning quick and troubled everyone.
And what hasn't been said about Dennis Bergkamp? I'm not sure I can add any more to the glowing tributes that have already been paid to the guy. He was quite simply one of the most talented and skilful footballers we've had in this league. Although it was Bruce Rioch who signed Bergkamp in 1995, it was Arsene who got the best out of the Dutchman.
Evolve
Just as Sir Alex has done at Manchester United, Arsene has proved himself adept at helping his sides evolve. He's done it subtly and so effectively that, for the most point, it has been tough to spot the joins.
Overmars and Anelka moved on and as Keown, Adams and Bould grew old at the same time Arsene realised that he had to change. Players like Ashley Cole started to get a game, he was coming through, and Sol Campbell arrived from Spurs.
He actually had some difficulty finding a suitable partner for Campbell and tried a couple of combinations before settling on one that worked.
His manipulation produced a team that was untouchable at times in the 2001/02 season. Arsene took a guy like Thierry Henry, someone who many knew little about, and turned him into one of the best and frightening frontmen around with his amazing pace and coolness in front of goal.
They weren't a machine - Arsene would never like one of his sides described like that because it would be an insult to the way they play - but they knew what was required to get results. He managed to move the side on by blending experience and fresh talent.
Capable
The same was true of the side that went through the 2003/04 season without defeat, putting together a 49-game unbeaten sequence that finally came to an end at Old Trafford.
Runs like that prove a team possesses many qualities because of the range of problems it can encounter along the way.
This was a team capable of winning five or six-nil, going head-to-head with a club and beating them 4-3 in an open and exciting game, or winning 1-0 if it needed to in a stuffy, horrible contest.
It was a special side that always came up with the goods, even if sometimes it left it late, and embodied Arsene's determination and resilience.
Those are just two of his numerous qualities. Arsene's personality suits Arsenal to a tee and he has a fantastic eye for young talent - no-one can doubt that. I don't think we've seen a better man for pulling young talent from obscurity and turn it into multi-million pound players.
He treats his players as people as well as footballers, which is first-class, and he seems a very calm man who always likes his players to think he's in control. Ok, he has lost it a couple of times in his career but that's no surprise having been in this league for 13 years!
Arsene has always had a belief in his own ability and a conviction that his own ideas are right. He's unswerving in that. Now that may be a weakness in the sense that once he's made his mind up about something, that's it.
It's almost as people call on him to spend money he goes the other way and doesn't. The more people tell him to do something, the more Arsene seems to go the other way! But he has a mind that is always thinking ahead, never thinking about yesterday too much, but always thinking about today and tomorrow because they are the most important times for Arsenal and that's why he keeps moving the team on.
Praise
The one thing that will trouble him is that his team hasn't won a piece of silverware in four years. For all the talent and ambition he has at his disposal, he hasn't been able to turn all of that into silverware. They've come close on many occasions but this will still annoy Arsene. He knows that they have to put some silverware back on the table sooner rather than later.
In the cold light of day you are remembered for what you win. I do think Arsene's current side is good enough to win trophies again but IF he didn't I don't think Arsenal fans would let that overshadow what he has achieved in the last 13 seasons.
A handful of Arsenal fans may look around, see other teams spending vast sums of money and question Arsene's belief and almost bloody mindedness that his way is the best way and that he won't be swayed from it. But that is the way he is.
If he went another couple of years without winning a trophy and ended up with nothing to show for six years, there will of course be dissenting voices. But they will still be lost amid the praise that should rightly come Arsene's way.