If Arsenal’s current plight needed to be explained, it would surely be seen as a case of sustained negligence and if it were, for reasons of artistic license, to go to court, the list of those responsible would be quite extensive.
Arsene Wenger is seen as the main offender, seemingly allowing this tragedy to unfold in front of our very eyes but there are others who at present hide behind him, unwilling to accept any responsibility.
First to give evidence would be Ivan Gazidis, the Arsenal CEO. Someone that one suspects is rather enjoying the detonation of the club so that he can extend his slippery tentacles further into the underbelly of the organisation and cement his position by surrounding himself with a boardroom full of nodding dogs.
Gazidis has presided over this sorry saga since 2009 and although vocally supportive of the Arsenal boss, he has never facilitated a change to relieve the insufferable pressures of modern day football management. It was only last season when fans were on the hunt for sizeable scalps that Gazidis suddenly woke up, smelt the coffee and made a series of appointments, notably that of chief Scout Sven Mislintat for approximately £1.8 Million.
However, Gazidis had been quite content to remain inactive until the unrest reached its climax last May. He was happy to leave Wenger to it even in the transfer market and of late, apart from Ozil and Sanchez, the Frenchman has been way off target with his purchases.
Gazidis is a marketing and commodities salesman and understands little about the passion associated with a club like Arsenal. His background is entrenched in the American MLS and in 1994, he joined the founding management team of Major League Soccer and in 2001 he became deputy commissioner. He ran the rule over the MLS’s key strategic and business decisions and its marketing arm, Soccer United Marketing, of which he was president.
So, in the land of tinsel and burgers, Gazidis was seen as a big cheese but since he came to Arsenal 2009, he has achieved very little apart from a steady stream of sponsorship revenue. His ultimate aim was to slip into the shoes of David Dein to become Mr. Arsenal but with one key difference, the supporters actually loved and respected Dein.
Next to the stand, if he were to show up, would be absent owner Stan Kroenke, the majority shareholder, who allows the club to function on a daily basis without his presence. Stan has long arms and his wrist must ache from signing off documents from over the pond which have reached him via Gazidis. He occasionally shows up at the Emirates but he is another individual that is versed in the MLS and is more interested in brands rather than winning trophies.
He no doubt thinks that a recognisable brand will always show a healthy financial return, even if it fails in its main objective of winning trophies because fans have invested heavily into the ‘franchise’. It’s an American term that they use in the film industry for a series of films, many of which get worse as they go on but the theory is that once you have seen one, you feel obliged to see them all, presumably through blind loyalty.
At present, Stan is busy trying to hand over to son Josh, and has packed him off to learn all about the club and the League. Yet another novice from the MLS tasked with saving the club.
Next to the dock would be Wenger’s players, not his latest acquisitions but those he has relied on for so long and persevered with even though they didn’t deserve it. Koscielny, Mustafi, Ramsey, Cech, Ospina, Bellerin, Welbeck, Xhaka, Ozil, Elneny and Chambers, to name but a few. All of which have paddled through games, displaying minimal effort levels. The fans have witnessed inconsistency of the highest order but seen no evidence of resilience or spirit.
There are some that have even left the club such as Coquelin, Walcott and the biggest culprit of all, Alexis Sanchez, that offered up occasional promise on an infrequent basis and assumed that one outstanding performance every 12 games was sufficient repayment for a hefty salary.
All of the above are guilty of neglect. Wenger will be seen as the guilty man but those around him have presided over the calamity, knowing that they would remain in their respective positions or find new avenues to swindle a football club.
When Wenger has gone, the current squad will be torn apart, the inadequacies are no longer tolerable or excusable and the combined failures at all levels including the board will need to be scrutinised by someone that equates change to trophies, not measure success by way of endorsements or burger sales
