Okay, You Think You Could Do Better Than Arsene?

I'll be gone and then you'll be sorry.

I’ve been going back and forth on what my next piece would be. I was originally thinking about a critical assessment of the farce that is the FA’s new “home grown” rule. This is a rule in it’s essence is a lazy attempt to make the clubs under the FA’s purview pay for it’s inability to develop youth talent for the national team. The other option for a piece was a look at the season ahead andfairly determine where Arsenal could wind up in the table. That will still come in this interlull.

Where I wound up was a taking an early look at who the replacement’s for Arsene Wenger would be if Arsene were to leave the club. Let me first caveat this story is . . . I am not starting an article that adocates the removal of Arsene from his position. I am merely hypothesizing who would the candidate list be if as some people argue for – Arsene were to go.

I am also not going to take the tack that there is noone out there to replace Arsene. Within the next 3-4 years we are going to be faced with having to replacing the greatest manager in Arsenal history. One of the two following events will happen to precipitate that:

• Arsenal underperform and fail to secure silverware and a spot in the Champion’s league
• Arsene runs the length of his current contract extension and retires

Those are the only two ways I see Arsene going and as I said they are the likely scenarios we could face here.  There will always be someone to replace “legends” at clubs. Rafa Benitez was a Liverpool legend, much beloved by their fans but he has been replaced, Whether Woy Hodgson is the wight won to weplace him is a different story, Rafa was replaced. Much to every Manc’s chagrin, Sir Alex will be replaced when and if he ever decides to step down. Heck even the Special One was replaced – three times. The point is there is always someone to replace a manager.

Now for those that would lambast those who think there isn’t anyone to replace Wenger – that statement comes from understanding what Arsene has done for this club on and off the pitch and his effect on it. Even with the current silveware drought Arsene is the most successful manager ever. It is hard to understand what it would be like at the club with him given his presence here. And while I know he will likely be replaced within the next few years, I just can’t imagine what the club will be like then. He is such an iconic figure to the club that he will cast a long shadow on whomever takes the leadership role from him.

So who replaces him? Well, let’s assume we are in 2014 Arsene at 65/66 years of age has fulfilled the terms of his contract and decides its time for him to move to another chair in the club and he vacates his managerial duties.

The Internationals:

Fabio Capello: Regardless of what is going with his group of English miscretants, Fabio’s club managerial success can’t be denied – Serie A winner 7 times (Milan, Roma, Juve), La Liga 2 times (Real Madrid), Suppercoppa Italia 3 times, Champion’s League 1 time, European Super Cup 1 time, Coppa Italia Primavera 1 time. No matter how you shake it this guy wins at the club level. He is a disciplinarian and has professed on a couple of occassions a respect for Arsenal’s system. Given that regardless of what he does in Euro 2012 he will be out of a job by the time Arsene retires – he would be a the first big name choice to replace Le’ Professeur.

Jose Mourinho: The man all Arsenal fans love to hate. Why? Because hwas such a thorn in our side and after the invincibles run if the EPL title didn’t have Sir Alex’s name on it – it had his. Regardless of what you think of the man, he simply doesn’t lose. Granted enduring a Jose managerial tenure means suffering through his ego and slow, boring, defencive style football. But hey he does win.

Guus Hiddink: After Chelsea floundered with the likes of Avram Grant and Phillipe Louis Scolari, they turned to Russian National Team coach Guus Hiddink, to give the team structure and carry it out of the doldroms they were going through. Hiddink did just that and while the club wasn’t completely reformed he did manage to guide to an FA Cup win. Since Guus is an international kind of guy he might actually like Arsenal with all of its international flavor.

Roberto Martinez:  I actually refer to Martinez as Arsene junior. Not because he is transforming English football but because he is committed to an attacking, flowing style of football and seems to be one of the few managers that continually supports Arsene in many of his attacks on the FAs awful refereeing crop. While not a big type manager in the mold of the managers listed above he does show promise and has done a good job with trying to develop a system at Wigan despite its talent.

Quique Sanchez Flores:  The current manager of Atletico Madrid is be marked as a rising star in the managerial ranks having immediately turned around the fortunes of the Spanish club. He is outstanding at working with talented youngsters having been a manager in Barcelona’s youth system. He’s won the Portugese league with Benfica and took Atletico Madrid to win the Europa Cup (v Fulham) and the UEFA Super Cup (v Inter).

Josep “Pep” Guardiola: Next to Jose he is arguably the best manager in football right now. His first season as manager of the Catalan side saw the squad win an unprecedented 6 trophies in one year. He won additional 3 trophies the year after that. He has transformed a club that was wallowing for a while. He took the talent pool and has gotten the best out of it. Like Fabio he has an affinity for Arsenal – as evidenced by his club’s unethical pursuit of Cesc Fabregas.

The English Candidates: (I use the term loosely)

Owen Coyle: The Scottish-Irish international who made Championship side Burnley roar and now leads Bolton. He believes that that the hard tackle ways of Sam Allardyce or Tony “I’m So Sensitive” Pulis, are the wrong ways to play football. While not exactly mimicing the flowing style of Arsenal, he is trying to develop an attack minded club that relies on passing and movement of the ball to attack his opponents.

David Moyes: I just wonder what he could with real talent. He keeps Everton competitive every year and while the talent is good it is not top class and will not get them over the hump of mid table, Europa Cup qualified.

Fat ‘Arry Redknapp: Okay, I’m just kidding – Stop laughing (or screaming) – I don’t want this fat arsed lout any where near my beloved club.

The Arsenal Candidates:

 Pat Rice: Shouldn’t the man who has been playing second fiddle since 1996 be given a chance to put the club through it’s paces as its leader?

Neil Banfield: The reserves and youth system have been vastly successful under Neil and he knows a lot of our current crop of talent having worked and devleoped them as youngsters.

Whomever is the annoited successor of Arsene it will happen in the next 4 years – at some time. The club will look different regardless. Whether that ois bad or good is open to debate. I merely wanted to hyopthesize who what would the candidate pool look like. Personally, I like Arsene. He has done so much for this club and while I would never tell fans they can’t question his recent behavior – I do believe his past success and what he has done for the club warrant more than a modicum of respect. Yes, we should question his in ability to secure a new goal keeper. Yes, his over reliance on youth to fill his time while applausable, still should be questioned when we lack trophies.

We are victims of the success of his early years right up to the invincible season. We no longer accept failure and demand winning. Again whether that is fair or not is not the point of this piece – though I am sure it will come up in the subsequent discussion. I personall believe that clubs are cyclical and some clubs cycles take longer than others. Barcelona didn’t just become the super club it has – it took time. There were some pretty horrendous years at Barca right up until 2008. Some clubs are better at managing their cycles – Man U for instance is always in the hunt because it has managed even its lean years better than most – though I think that is going to be tested in the coming years.

Arsenal unfortunately are going through their own cycle and it hasn’t been fun. Many things have moved this cycle along – but Arsene is the driver. I am inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt as I believe we are in the start of an upswing (yes, I know some of you disagree with that). Again, I think honours are forthcoming and they will come under Arsene.