Wenger's title tilt

[Karl]

Wenger's title tilt

Domestic superiority means more, says Gunners great

Last updated: 11th March 2010


Wenger: wants the title, says Wilson

Believe me, the order of priority is winning your league, winning the Champions League, qualifying for the Champions League, FA Cup, Carling Cup - and I honestly believe that's Arsene's order of priority, right or wrong.

Bob Wilson


// A bit of a hack but it works // The article snippet is wrapped onto a second line, even when #article-sub is empty if( $("div#article-sub").children().length == 0 ) { $("div#article-sub").remove(); } Arsenal legend Bob Wilson insists the Premier League is Arsene Wenger's priority.



The Gunners swept into the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League thanks to stunning demolition of FC Porto at The Emirates.
Wenger revealed afterwards that he would love to face an English side in the last eight having seen his young side come unstuck against Chelsea and Manchester United in the league this season.


And former goalkeeping coach Wilson, who won the Double with the Gunners in 1971, believes that is confirmation of where the Frenchman's main focus will be for the remainder of the season.


"I think deep down he'd rather be champions of England than champions of Europe because to be champions in your country, playing over 38 games, is far more difficult," he told skysports.com.


"In Europe, you need the luck of the draw. It's a cup competition, it's totally different, you depend on who you draw, when you draw them home and away but in the league you play everyone home and away and you've got to play brilliantly over a season.


"I would love them to win the Champions League as well but who else has been there for 11 years qualifying (for the knockout stages) every year like he has? I find it incredible that there are some sections of fans, these doubting Thomas's, still.


"People have a go at me, but I say 'would you rather win the Carling Cup or qualify for the Champions League? Would you rather win the FA Cup or be in the Champions League? and on both those it's the Champions League.
"Believe me, the order of priority is winning your league, winning the Champions League, qualifying for the Champions League, FA Cup, Carling Cup - and I honestly believe that's Arsene's order of priority right or wrong."

Feasible

The Gunners are currently level on points with Chelsea (who have a game in hand) and are two behind leaders United, having won all four Premier League games since back-to-back defeats at the hands of their rivals.
They bounced back to beat Liverpool and having been much further off the pace earlier in the season, Wilson says this campaign could well follow the same pattern as that famous Double-winning year 39 years ago - right down to a crucial game at White Hart Lane, where Arsenal head on April 10.
"Ok after the Man United and Chelsea games, it was a huge downpoint for the club, the team and for Arsene," he said.


"But I was lucky enough to see him a couple of days later before the Liverpool game and I reminded him just how good his team were.
"I said then there are 13 games left, the run-in I think, is as good as you could wish for and I would remind you that 39 years ago, we'd just been beaten really badly by Brian Clough's Derby side - this is our double side of 1970-71 - and we had 13 games to go.



"I think we were 11 or 12 points behind Leeds United and everyone said we were out of it, that Leeds might as well start celebrating and we might not even finish second.



"But we won 11, drew one, lost one and won the championship by one point. What I am saying it is absolutely feasible, because if we did it these boys can do it as well.


"We didn't have a particularly comfortable run-in and we had to play at Tottenham in the last game which was very difficult, and I think this year that is really probably the most difficult game for them - but look at Man United and Chelsea's have got to do - and these are two teams that at one stage, were eight or nine points ahead.



"It drives me mad when people write them off because we're talking about three points for a win, when in my day we were 12 points behind and it was two points for a win. Everybody said they're done, stuffed. (Alan) Hansen, (Gary) Lineker, the Match of the Day boys, the Sky boys; everybody was saying that is that."

Massive

Willis was also at pains to play tribute the part his old club has played in raising funds for his charity, The Willow Foundation, set up 11 years ago to provide special days for seriously ill 16 to 40-year-olds.


They were Arsenal's charity of the year in their first season at The Emirates and although he admits that didn't go as well as it might have, he revealed the club has been "brilliant".


"As for the individual players, Thierry Henry gave his Golden Boot £27,000 to us; Dennis Bergkamp gave £75,000 from his last game to us.
"All people hear about is their massive salaries but Dennis gave the majority of the money of his last ever game to charities in Holland, but the charity he gave £75,000 was Willow."


The Willow Foundation's next charity event is a medieval banquet on Thursday, March 25, 7.15pm at St Katharine's Dock, London.
Tickets: £45 per adult, £30 per child (ages 4-14) with all proceeds to the Willow Foundation.


The ticket price includes four-course banquet with beer and wine, two hours of entertainment, an open bar, music and dancing until 11.30pm.

To book tickets email carol@willowfoundation.org.uk or telephone 01707 259777.

[T.K.]

Karl why do you Arsenal fans torture yourselves like this every year? You know that you don't have a chance of winning anything yet you still hold cling to the idea? Listen boss man it is out of love that I say this....let it go son...let it go....You will never win the Premiership. There is a reason it is called PREMIER. It is not just any fool fool side that can lift that trophy. The title is meant for men....gladiators....not little boys who twinkle toes around the field playing hop scotch. - T.K.

[Twan]

Karl why do you Arsenal fans torture yourselves like this every year? You know that you don't have a chance of winning anything yet you still hold cling to the idea? Listen boss man it is out of love that I say this....let it go son...let it go....You will never win the Premiership. There is a reason it is called PREMIER. It is not just any fool fool side that can lift that trophy. The title is meant for men....gladiators....not little boys who twinkle toes around the field playing hop scotch. - T.K.

I have a BIG BOX fi yuh In MAY !!

[T.K.]

I have a BIG BOX fi yuh In MAY !!

Thanks Twan. We need another BIG BOX to hold all the trophies we are going to win this season. - T.K.

[Gamma]

why di man call out warlord suh?

[Karl]

Karl why do you Arsenal fans torture yourselves like this every year? You know that you don't have a chance of winning anything yet you still hold cling to the idea? Listen boss man it is out of love that I say this....let it go son...let it go....You will never win the Premiership. There is a reason it is called PREMIER. It is not just any fool fool side that can lift that trophy. The title is meant for men....gladiators....not little boys who twinkle toes around the field playing hop scotch. - T.K.

See if there is anything in the following article about Premier League trophies?
Take your time!

----------------

The Wenger Years - Overview

Short-term tenures for Stewart Houston and Bruce Rioch followed George Graham’s departure but Arsenal were still in need of a long-term answer. This would be emphatically delivered in the form of a relatively unknown Frenchman who would change the Club forever.

Arsène Wenger arrived at Highbury in September 1996 after notable success at Monaco and a stint in charge of Japanese side Grampus Eight. He was the Club’s first boss from outside the UK.

Arsenal finished fourth that season but the new manager would officially announce his arrival in his first full campaign at the helm. At one stage in 1997/98 the Gunners trailed leaders Manchester United by 12 points. However, imperious form throughout the second half of the campaign saw Arsenal crowned Premier League champions with two games to spare. Within two weeks, the Gunners had added the FA Cup, securing the Double

The Double

As well as transforming Arsenal on the pitch, the new manager set about revolutionising his players’ lives away from the pitch, implementing cutting-edge training regimes and dietary systems. The Frenchman was meticulous in his squad construction, adding the likes of Patrick Vieira, Emmanuel Petit and Marc Overmars to a team already boasting Arsenal institutions like David Seaman, Tony Adams and Dennis Bergkamp.

Another Highbury stalwart who continued to flourish under Wenger was Ian Wright. Already closing in on Cliff Bastin’s all-time goalscoring record when the Frenchman arrived, Wright finally scored his magical 179th goal against Bolton Wanderers on September 13, 1997. In the end, perhaps Wenger’s finest signing to date – Thierry Henry - would eclipse Wright’s tally a little over eight years later.

Henry signed in August 1999, after Arsène Wenger’s side had been denied back-to-back titles by one point by Manchester United in the previous May. At first, the Frenchman’s ability to adapt to the rough-and-tumble of the Premier League was questioned, but after failing to score in his first eight games, the former Juventus star plundered an impressive 26 goals that term. Final defeats in the Uefa Cup and FA Cup meant that Henry was still without any Highbury silverware. But not for long.

In 2001/02, Arsène Wenger’s side would surge to a spectacular Double, finishing 12 points clear of Liverpool in the Premier League. They sealed the title with a win over Manchester United at Old Trafford, just days after dispatching Chelsea 2-0 in the FA Cup Final.

Despite lifting the FA Cup once more in 2002/03, back-to-back titles would again elude the Gunners. But they made up for that disappointment in the season that followed, completing an unbeaten title campaign and going on to eclipse Nottingham Forest's long-standing run of League games without defeat. Played 49, Won 36, Drawn 13, Lost None - that Arsenal side was truly 'Invincible'.

Wenger had conquered England but Europe still evaded him. A Quarter-Final defeat against Chelsea in 2004 was the closest Wenger’s Arsenal had come to the biggest prize in European football but that would all change in May 2006 when they went all the way to the Champions League Final in Paris.

Arsenal were quickly becoming one of the most revered sides in Europe. And they underlined their ambition when, in February 2004, construction began on the Gunners' new state-of-the-art home at Ashburton Grove, a stone’s throw from Highbury. The new Emirates Stadium officially opened its doors in the summer of 2006 - a bold step into the future for a Club with a glittering past.

[Dunny]

See if there is anything in the following article about Premier League trophies?
Take your time!

----------------

The Wenger Years - Overview

Short-term tenures for Stewart Houston and Bruce Rioch followed George Graham’s departure but Arsenal were still in need of a long-term answer. This would be emphatically delivered in the form of a relatively unknown Frenchman who would change the Club forever.

Arsène Wenger arrived at Highbury in September 1996 after notable success at Monaco and a stint in charge of Japanese side Grampus Eight. He was the Club’s first boss from outside the UK.

Arsenal finished fourth that season but the new manager would officially announce his arrival in his first full campaign at the helm. At one stage in 1997/98 the Gunners trailed leaders Manchester United by 12 points. However, imperious form throughout the second half of the campaign saw Arsenal crowned Premier League champions with two games to spare. Within two weeks, the Gunners had added the FA Cup, securing the Double

The Double

As well as transforming Arsenal on the pitch, the new manager set about revolutionising his players’ lives away from the pitch, implementing cutting-edge training regimes and dietary systems. The Frenchman was meticulous in his squad construction, adding the likes of Patrick Vieira, Emmanuel Petit and Marc Overmars to a team already boasting Arsenal institutions like David Seaman, Tony Adams and Dennis Bergkamp.

Another Highbury stalwart who continued to flourish under Wenger was Ian Wright. Already closing in on Cliff Bastin’s all-time goalscoring record when the Frenchman arrived, Wright finally scored his magical 179th goal against Bolton Wanderers on September 13, 1997. In the end, perhaps Wenger’s finest signing to date – Thierry Henry - would eclipse Wright’s tally a little over eight years later.

Henry signed in August 1999, after Arsène Wenger’s side had been denied back-to-back titles by one point by Manchester United in the previous May. At first, the Frenchman’s ability to adapt to the rough-and-tumble of the Premier League was questioned, but after failing to score in his first eight games, the former Juventus star plundered an impressive 26 goals that term. Final defeats in the Uefa Cup and FA Cup meant that Henry was still without any Highbury silverware. But not for long.

In 2001/02, Arsène Wenger’s side would surge to a spectacular Double, finishing 12 points clear of Liverpool in the Premier League. They sealed the title with a win over Manchester United at Old Trafford, just days after dispatching Chelsea 2-0 in the FA Cup Final.

Despite lifting the FA Cup once more in 2002/03, back-to-back titles would again elude the Gunners. But they made up for that disappointment in the season that followed, completing an unbeaten title campaign and going on to eclipse Nottingham Forest's long-standing run of League games without defeat. Played 49, Won 36, Drawn 13, Lost None - that Arsenal side was truly 'Invincible'.

Wenger had conquered England but Europe still evaded him. A Quarter-Final defeat against Chelsea in 2004 was the closest Wenger’s Arsenal had come to the biggest prize in European football but that would all change in May 2006 when they went all the way to the Champions League Final in Paris.

Arsenal were quickly becoming one of the most revered sides in Europe. And they underlined their ambition when, in February 2004, construction began on the Gunners' new state-of-the-art home at Ashburton Grove, a stone’s throw from Highbury. The new Emirates Stadium officially opened its doors in the summer of 2006 - a bold step into the future for a Club with a glittering past.

And for all the red eye dem weh a eye up we boss read below;-


Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has told Real Madrid they would be wasting their time if they launch another attempt to lure him to the Bernabeu.
Reports in Spain suggest that Real manager Manuel Pellegrini is on the brink of the sack after the Primera Liga leaders were dumped out of the UEFA Champions League by Lyon to fail to reach the quarter-finals for a sixth successive year.
Pellegrini was already under pressure, with suggestions he does not have the support of president Florentino Perez after more than £200million of summer investment, and Wenger has been a long-term target.
The Spaniards tried to capture the Gunners boss before appointing Pellegrini last June and they are expected to renew interest in the Frenchman if they begin a new search for a fresh manager.
No guarantee

But Wenger has strongly stated his intentions, saying: "Leave me alone. I am always going to stay to the end of my contract and I am going (to stay at Arsenal) until 2011. There is no way I am going to break it.
"For me, it is the worst possible moment to come back on that. At the moment my focus is fully on Hull City (on Saturday) they may be less glamorous than Real Madrid, but they are much more important in my life at the moment."
He added: "It shows that £240million does not necessarily buy you the Champions League and that in Europe you have no guarantee of success.
"If you can spend that kind of money every year, you will get there in the end, but at the moment it is difficult for them to take.
"In the last five years we have been in the final, a semi-final and two quarter-finals in England we don't rate that as an achievement any more because we are used to it, but that consistency is not easy to achieve."

[Jangle]

"In the last five years we have been in the final, a semi-final and two quarter-finals in England we don't rate that as an achievement any more because we are used to it, but that consistency is not easy to achieve."

DAMN!!!!!! That's not even a fyah box..........that's Wegner spitting in his hand miggle and then shetting Real Madrid one big box 'cross them face!!!!! Dem deh box dey twist face!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[T.K.]

See if there is anything in the following article about Premier League trophies?
Take your time!

Karl do you have any accomplishments that happened after the invention of the wheel? Thanks in advance. - T.K.

[Karl]

Karl do you have any accomplishments that happened after the invention of the wheel? Thanks in advance. - T.K.

The prettiest and most enjoyable to watch football on the planet!
...and that is some title!

[T.K.]

The prettiest and most enjoyable to watch football on the planet!
...and that is some title!

LOL..well you got me with that one. I must admit Arsenal are an absolute joy to watch when they are playing well. I won't even lie about that one. They and Barcelona are my two favorite teams to watch when they're at their best. It is the way the game the should be played.

Now see what you've done Karl? Pretty soon I am going to be kicked out of the Empire because of you. I should have just left this damn thread alone when I had the chance. *Kiss teet* - T.K.