Piers Morgan, the rent a mouth TV presenter who basks in controversy and self-promotion, is an Arsenal fan that most other fans would transfer to another team.

Brash and outspoken, critical and uncompromising, Morgan has adopted the mantle of unofficial spokesperson for ordinary supporters who don’t own a fast car and can’t spend the night in a VIP bar drinking pink champagne.

He claims to speak from the heart as a man of the people but the truth is that most fans would cross the road to get away from him. He has valid points but they are also destructive and divisive. He doesn’t have any more right than the guy in the street to voice his opinion but he should, at least, try to be slightly more positive and conduct a balanced argument.

With Morgan, it’s either black or white and there seems to be no consideration for a changing landscape and how difficult it has been for the club to adapt off the field whilst trying to compete on it.

We are all aware of Arsenal’s fall from grace, of its defensive weaknesses, it’s inability to compete in a monstrously inflated market whilst remaining financially viable. Morgan, who has a small fortune tucked away from his exploits dishing the dirt on celebrities and tapping phones during his tenure as Mirror editor, earns even more money on the small screen for being judgemental and rude.

He continues to, single-handedly, conduct the ‘Wenger Out’ choir and although I, myself have been calling for change, at least I hold Wenger in high regard for what he has done for the club in the past. Time moves on and even the most die-hard Wenger supporters know that his reign is coming to an end but they are equally nervous, as are we all, at what will follow when he goes.

Manchester United realised how big a task they faced in replacing Ferguson. It proved impossible for the following candidates as each attempted to rekindle past successes and it’s only now, with Mourinho in charge, that they may be able to compete in the future. However, the Mourinho way isn’t always pleasant to watch and can be like trying to eat a cardboard box covered in glass.

As many pundits including Morgan will tell you ‘football is about results’ but at present Mourinho has neither the results or a style of play that puts bums on seats. Ferguson had both, say what you like about the man himself but with the likes of Giggs, Scholes, Beckham and Keane, the Scot had a team which had the belly for a fight and the panache to win handsomely.

The same was true of Wenger’s early sides consisting of Bergkamp, Vieira, Pires and Petite, they occasionally lost but were they entertained in doing so. Morgan will no doubt be elated when Wenger heads through the door but he should realise, as I do, that the void may be deep, very deep indeed and that plugging it will possibly take a few appointments.

What then? Still on the fringes of the major competitions and unable to qualify for the Champions League, what would Morgan recommend next??. Change is sometimes beneficial but it can also make the situation a thousand times worse. The true fans will continue to turn up on a miserable evening to be subjected to either the dizzying heights or deplorable lows of their teams results in the finest league in the World.

Liverpool have been a sleeping giant for years and supporters will tell you how hard it is to watch your team suffer on a weekly basis and crave the success of the past. One fears that Arsenal are now in that position and it may not end anytime soon. Change is coming but be careful what you wish for because ultimately Arsenal will need to kiss a few frogs before finding their Prince.

Perhaps it’s the time of year or the imminent change in the seasons but I’ve been reflecting on the reign of Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger and frankly, I think I’ve gone a bit soft.

I’ve gone from a militant Wenger out figure, to one that is privileged to have experienced the Frenchman’s revolution. This is probably because the end is close and before that moment arrives, I feel that it’s worth considering everything that he has given the club. If we reflect on his tenure in recent years, then it will be tinged with disappointment and underachievement but as a whole, it will be remembered as a golden age for the club.

You will have noticed that I haven’t exactly been pro Wenger recently and my position on his status as manager, seems to have been increasingly negative with every season that sees the club fall short of the impossibly high expectations of its fans and Wenger’s catalog of previous successes.

Yes, Arsenal are in decline and if we are honest, that decline is on a par with Wenger’s own inability to stop the rot. But if we may, let’s take a moment to consider what we may have missed out on, if Wenger had never been part of the club.

He reshaped the club from top to bottom and changed the style and image of the brand around the World. Arsenal, under his guidance, were an exciting, attacking force, that were locked in various battles with all the top clubs, for all the major honours.

He bought in major talent and emerging World class players that gave fans a cocktail of highly addictive, fast-paced, attacking football that were nothing short of mesmerising.
He gave us Pires, Henry, Petite, Viera, Ljungberg, Ozil and Sanchez.

He made sure that even the impartial supporter would wax lyrical about football and become a disciple for his footballing philosophy. In the 2003–04 season, Arsenal regained the Premier League title without experiencing a single defeat. Over the 38 games they played, their league record stood at 26 wins, 12 draws and 0 losses.

This is quite possibly Wenger’s finest achievement along with keeping the club ticking over whilst balancing the books due to the acquisition of a new stadium. This almost certainly handicapped the club for every season after until recently but he managed to keep us on the top six without mounting a worthy challenge. Wenger has also won the FA cup 7 times beating George Ramsey who clocked up 6 trophy wins with Aston Villa.

Despite fans bellyaching, of which I am particularly guilty, Wenger’s win percentage is still an astonishing 57.62% and it’s even more impressive if you consider how long Wenger has been in charge. Since he has been boss, Chelsea have had 17 managers, some of them twice, as the fickle Russian oligarch shuffled the pack to obtain success.

Yet Wenger is like ‘old man river’, rolling along, ignoring trends, disinterested in the media’s games, managers complaints and fans accusations. It will be for each fan to think of what he gave to our most fabulous club. Perhaps you will think of his stubborn streak, blind loyalty to players, inability to change or frugal ways. More likely, you will remember the sublime artists he brought to North London, the silverware, the pride, excitement and universal praise.

Truth be told Wenger is all of the above, an immensely loyal and gifted man but also an uncompromising, belligerent individual. One who had a 20-year love affair with one club.
For that alone, I can forgive him everything in the negative box. In a time where loyalty lasts until the next big offer comes along, where managers and players are dispensed with frequently, Wenger has been completely consistent and given the club stability.

You will never see a manager at the same club for as long as Ferguson and Wenger have been. As the desire for rewards increases so will the desire for change to meet expectations. But who will follow Wenger? How can you step into those shoes that big?

He was known as one of the Worlds finest goalkeepers, a shot stopper and a safe pair of hands between the sticks but cracks are emerging in his armoury. 

Mistakes that are normally made by much lesser players in the position are starting to stack up and so are the questions about his ability to perform at the highest level.

Kicking the ball to the opposition, looking unsure on crosses and seemingly heavy legged, Petr Čech is having a crisis that makes his career in North London look uncertain. It may be that he doesn’t have the confidence in the defence which is clearly suspect or that he is having a crisis of confidence.

Maybe it’s a decline in his judgement and ability which unfortunately comes to all great players when Father Time whispers in their ear. Whichever it is, Wenger has an issue that he must solve if Arsenal are to challenge for major honours.

Back in 2015, The Telegraph sport asked if Chelsea Manager Jose Mourinho had seen a decline and as a result, agreed to sell. It went on to examine the details and noted that ‘Cech’s performances and statistics were in decline.’

Here are few paragraphs from that Telegraph article:

There has been a rise in the number of goals Cech concedes per game, with his best five seasons (in years he was first choice) coming in his first five campaigns at Stamford Bridge between 2004 and 2009.

 

His best in this regard was his first – when Chelsea set a Premier League record low 15 goals conceded in a season – and his numbers have gradually worsened over the years, rising over one goal shipped per game for the first time in 2011/12 and continuing at a poor rate for the following campaign.

 

The 0.29 he conceded per game last season is little more than an anomaly given he managed only seven appearances.

So, concerns were developing in 2015 and those concerns seem to be deepening as each season passes. Mourinho obviously sensed that his keeper was loosing his edge and although he didn’t want to sell him to Arsenal, he did want to sell.

Statistics obviously don’t tell the whole story, fans are the first to notice the diminishing abilities of a player long before many coaches but fans don’t make those key decisions.

At first glance his career record doesn’t appear that bad but having witnessed the performances this season, it’s fair to dismiss the numbers.

Here are the statistics from Premier League‘s official website:

Appearances – 429, Clean Sheets – 199, Wins – 272, Losses – 70, Goals Conceded – 312, Errors Leading To Goal – 22, Own Goals – 2

Saves – 951, Penalties Saved – 3, Punches – 213, High Claims – 569, Catches – 257, Sweeper Clearances – 202, Throw Outs – 1,924, Goal Kicks – 2,719

He has been remarkable for football, more so at Chelsea than Arsenal but perhaps it’s time to go before his reputation is tainted further. Wenger may have to buy in the summer but he knows only too well that talented goalkeepers are hard to come by.