Arsene Wenger's 10 Greatest Achievements At Arsenal.

Arsene Wenger took the role as manager of Arsenal in October 1996, and now almost 15 years later he still holds the post. When he was first appointed he was a relative unknown in England despite his successes at Monaco in France. He is now the club's longest serving manager, and his legacy is there for all to see.

He introduced a style of play to Arsenal which their fans could only have dreamed of previously, and the club also play in a modern state-of-the-art stadium thanks to him. Things may not have gone as well as he may have hoped in recent years, but he has written his name in the history of the club. I'll attempt to list what I think are his 10 greatest achievements at the club in this article.

Arsenal's Style Of Play:
 

When Arsene Wenger arrived at Arsenal it was only 20 months after the sacking of George Graham for receiving an "unsolicited gift" from a football agent. Graham had played a dour defensive game with emphasis on hard work and it could easily have been described as "long ball" football. His successor was Bruce Rioch, but he only lasted 14 months in the job.

Rioch had tried to change the Arsenal style of play gradually, and he was the man responsible for signing the legendary Denis Bergkamp. When Wenger arrived he heralded a new era for Arsenal, as he encouraged his team to play a continental style of football. The Arsenal fans were quick to warm to the new style, and amazingly so were the English core of the team.

Arsenal's defence had a reputation for being very good at defending, but never daring to actually play football. Wenger managed to get players like Tony Adams, Martin Keown, Steve Bould, Lee Dixon and Nigel Winterburn to play a game which had seemed alien to them previously. The new players Wenger introduced complimented the core which he kept, and Arsenal's new style was a revelation in the Premier League.

The First Double:
 

Wenger's first full season in charge at Arsenal was 1997/8, and he went on to complete a domestic double in that season. Arsenal had only just failed to finish second the previous season, and they managed to improve considerably to claim the their second double. Manchester United had dominated English football since the advent of the Premier League, but Arsenal emerged as their first sustained threat in that season.

They had not performed too well up until the turn of the year, but they went on a magnificent run which blew every other team away. The crunch game for Arsenal was their visit to champions United in the middle of March, and Marc Overmars scored the only goal to give them a deserved victory. That game was in the middle of a run of 11 consecutive victories which climaxed with a 4-0 home victory over Everton to clinch the title.

The sight of Tony Adams striding forward to volley home Arsenal's final goal from a Steve Bould pass will live forever in the hearts of Arsenal fans. They rounded off their season with a comfortable FA Cup final victory over Newcastle United a week after the league season had ended. It had been a great season for Arsenal and more was to come under Wenger.

The Second Double:
 

Arsenal had come so close to winning other trophies since their domestic double in 1998, but they had just fallen short. In the 2001/2 season they managed to climb to the summit of English football with yet another Premier League and FA Cup double. Their closet rivals in the league were yet again Manchester United, and Arsenal managed to take the trophy off them at Old Trafford too.

Arsenal finished the season by winning their final 13 league games in a row to win by seven points from Liverpool who overtook United right at the end to claim the runners up spot. Arsenal clinched the FA Cup with a 2-0 victory over Chelsea, and four days later they went to Old Trafford and won the league title with a goal from Sylvan Wiltord. Not only were Arsenal champions, but they had also scored in every game and were unbeaten away from home.

The future looked like it belonged to Arsenal, but they relinquished their league title to United the next season. They did manage to retain the FA Cup though with a 1-0 win over Southampton in their third final appearance in a row.

Thierry Henry:
 

Wenger signed Thierry Henry from Juventus in August 1999 after he had only joined them the previous January. He had managed Henry at Monaco and he had always considered him to be a central striker despite the fact that he was usually deployed in a wide role. When Henry signed for Arsenal Wenger deployed him in that central role, and he went on to become the club's record goalscorer.

Henry managed to score more than 20 league goals in each of the five seasons between 2002 and 2007 and he managed 226 goals in all competitions for Arsenal. At his best Henry was simply unstoppable, and he was one of the reasons why Arsenal won the double in 2002 and went unbeaten in 2004. It's sometimes easy to forget exactly how good Henry was, and how difficult it was for Arsenal to replace him.

Wenger's vision and belief in Henry's ability transformed him into one of the stars of world football after he had such a hard time at Juventus. To this day Henry still supports Arsenal, and he wants to come back and work at the club one day when he retires from playing.

The Invincibles:
 

Arsenal achieved possibly their greatest feat under Wenger in the 2003/4 season when they went through the whole Premier League season unbeaten. It's a record which had not been achieved by any English club in over 100 years, and the chances are it will never be achieved again. As well as going unbeaten in the Premier League and winning the title Arsenal also played at a level other teams simply couldn't cope with.

Arsenal had won the double in 2002 and early in the next season Wenger was asked by a journalist if his team could go through a whole season unbeaten. He gave an honest reply and said that he thought it was possible, but the media slated him when Arsenal did lose a game. They probably should have won the league that season too, but they came back the season afterwards to prove what the manager had said was actually possible.

It was a fantastic time to be an Arsenal fan, and there were some real highlights in the season. The 0-0 draw away to Manchester United early in the season was a game filled with controversy, as United missed a last minute penalty to keep Arsenal's record intact. The game which summed the whole season up was the 4-2 win at home to Liverpool when a Thierry Henry hat-trick helped them come from 2-1 down.

To make matters even better for Arsenal fans the league title was clinched on the ground of their arch rivals Tottenham Hotspur with a 2-2 draw.

49 Continious League Games Unbeaten:
 

Arsenal finished the 2003 season in second place in the Premier League, but it also heralded a run of 49 unbeaten league games which spanned three seasons. The run started in with a 6-1 win over Southampton at Highbury and it spanned all of the next season and the first nine games of the season after that too. It finally came to an end in Arsenal's attempt to remain unbeaten for 50 league games away to Manchester United.

The bad blood between the two teams from the previous season continued into this game, and it wasn't helped by Wayne Rooney's dive to win a penalty which was scored by Ruud van Nistleroy. A late second goal was scored by Rooney as Arsenal tried to get an equaliser, but as usual refereeing at Old Trafford had gone the way of the home team. It was a bitter blow for Arsenal and by the end of the season the title had gone to Chelsea, as the invincibles were breaking up.

Arsenal played some magnificent football during the 49 game unbeaten run, and they were a joy to behold. The goalposts have been moved in English football since then with the huge amounts of money invested in both Chelsea and Manchester City. The chances of any club beating Arsenal's are very slim, and Wenger will always be remembered for his magnificent feat.

Arsenal's New Stadium:
 

Arsenal were one of the best teams in England and in Europe too, but Wenger recognised that they needed to expand to keep pace with the other big clubs in the game. He was the driving force behind the club's decision to move from Highbury to Ashburton Grove in 2006. It may have been a very short distance for the club to travel, but it came at an enormous cost.

It cost the club almost €500 million to build the new stadium, and huge loans had to be taken out to cover those costs. The land the club owned in the surrounding area was redeveloped, and the profits from the property sales have helped to ease the burden on the club. It was a big risk for Arsenal to take, as they received no public funding for the project and Wenger had to cut back on player purchases as a result.

It led to Wenger putting even more emphasis on the club's youth policy, and it's seen as the main reason Arsenal haven't won a trophy since 2005. The capacity and income earning capability of the new stadium should help to keep Arsenal at the very top of the tree in club football, but it's a difficult time for the fans as they try to get there. There is no doubt that Arsenal's finances would be in a much worse state if they had stayed in the much smaller Highbury, but it's never easy for fans when their team aren't winning trophies.

When Wenger eventually calls it a day at Arsenal the magnificent new stadium will be part of his legacy which will never be forgotten.

14 Consecutive Seasons Of Champions League Football:
 

Since Wenger took the reins at Arsenal he has managed to qualify for the Champions League for the last 14 seasons in a row. The only time Arsenal didn't qualify for the Champions League under him was after his first season, but he wasn't the manager for all of that season. During that time Arsenal have reached the final only once when they lost 2-1 to Barcelona in 2006.

The money generated by all of those years in the Champions League has been one of the reasons why Arsenal have remained a force in English football. They have a real challenge to retain that place this season, but Wenger has brought in players at the end of the transfer window who will hopefully make it 15 years in a row. Some of the best teams in Europe have failed to qualify for the tournament in those years, but Wenger manages to deliver for Arsenal time after time.

Unfortunately Wenger's success has also created a stick for some of the fans to beat him with, as Champions League qualification is no longer seen as enough by many of the Arsenal supporters.

Arsenal's Youth Policy:
 

When Wenger arrived at Arsenal he very quickly realised that Arsenal needed to develop their own talent if they were going to compete at the very top. He set about setting up a system to help to scout the best young talent in England and throughout the rest of the world too. Gradually young players have worked their way through the ranks at Arsenal and into the first team too.

The young players aren't always a success, but quite often they can be sold for a very healthy profit if they don't succeed at Arsenal. The current Arsenal squad is sprinkled with players who have come through from a very young age, or have been scouted from other teams at an age when they can be purchased at a reasonable price. The biggest success of Arsenal's scouting network was probably Cesc Fabregas, but sadly he is no longer at the club.

The move to the Emirates has made the need for youth even more important, and thankfully the system set up by Wenger is paying dividends as players come through to the first team.

Money Making Ability:
 

During his time at Arsenal Wenger has had the uncanny ability to buy players at a reasonable price and sell them on for a huge profit. Nicholas Anelka was one of the first players that Arsenal made a huge profit on when he was signed for a small fee from Paris Saint Germain, and sold to Real Madrid for over €20 million. Over the years he has been followed by many others who usually thought they were going on to bigger and better things,

The amount of players who have actually gone on to better things has been minimal, as invariably their careers have nose-dived when they left Arsenal. There have been exceptions to that rule, but the profits made from the sales of Anelka, Marc Overmars, Emmanuel Petit and Emmanuel Adebayor among others were all great business for Arsenal. He even managed to make a profit on the sales of Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira after getting the best years out of them.

This summer Arsenal made huge profits on the sales of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, but both of those players look likely to have a very bright future in the game. Wenger's ability to correctly reinvest those profits could have a huge bearing on the future of the club, but it will be next January or even next summer when he will get the chance to spend it.

And Finally:
 

That's what I see as Arsene Wenger's 10 greatest achievements as Arsenal manager, but of course it's only my opinion. I'm sure there will be Arsenal fans and others who agree and disagree with me on many of my points, but I can only call it as I see it. Feel free to point out any glaring omissions or any of my list of achievements which should not be there.

That's it for today.

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Arsenal's 10 Worst Moments Under Arsene Wenger.

Arsene Wenger took over the reins at Arsenal in 1996, and now 15 years later he faces what is probably his toughest challenge at the club. Arsenal are already three games into the new season, but the squad is simply not strong enough to cope with all the challenges ahead of them. He has eight days left to bring some new faces into the club, or possibly write off a whole season as early as September.

There are rumours of a rift between Wenger and the board over the the club's future transfer and wages policies, and if they are true the whole club is paying the price. It has to be remembered that Wenger brought a style of football to Arsenal which was alien to them under George Graham, and he has delivered a fair share of trophies too. He was also the driving force behind their move to their new stadium, and the benefits of that will be felt in years to come.

If he can do the business required to strengthen Arsenal's team in the next eight days all will be rosy again, but as the days go by the fans are growing more restless. Champions League qualification is far from certain, and Arsenal are already five points off the early pace in the Premier League. Arsenal fans have suffered disappointments under Wenger before, and they will again I'm sure.

In this article I'll attempt to recall Arsenal's 10 worst moments under Wenger, and give my own perspective on them.

1999 FA Cup Semi Final vs Manchester United:

Arsene Wenger led Arsenal to the double in 1998, and the following season they looked destined to repeat that feat. It was all going to plan until a last minute penalty miss by Arsenal legend Denis Bergkamp in the FA Cup semi final against Manchester United. The game went to extra time, and it was eventually won by a wonder goal by Ryan Giggs for United.

He seemed to beat almost half of the Arsenal team in a mazy run before finishing into the roof of the net past a hapless David Seaman. The goal was enough to give 10 man United the victory, and they went on to win not only the FA Cup but the Premier League and the Champions League too. It was a season of absolute glory for United, but if that penalty had gone in things probably would have been so different.

The goal by Giggs is still replayed to this day, and it still hurts as an Arsenal fan to see it 12 years later.

Leeds United 1-0 Arsenal May 1999:

Arsenal had lost their hold on the FA Cup only a few weeks earlier when a stunning Ryan Giggs goal helped United to beat them in the FA Cup semi final. They were still favourites to lift the Premier League title though, and with two games left they were on top of the table. They travelled to Leeds United on a midweek night knowing that a win would put them in the driving seat, but their hopes were in tatters by the end of the match.


Nigel Winterburn had to go off injured with only 10 minutes left, and he was replaced by Nelson Vivas in the Arsenal defence. With only a few minutes remaining Vivas failed to pick up Jimmy Floyd Hasslebaink at the far post, and the Leeds centre forward scored the goal to break Arsenal hearts. Only a few weeks earlier Arsenal had seemed destined for yet another double, but they ended the season without a trophy.

Arsenal won their final game against Aston Villa, but United beat Tottenham Hotspur on the same day to set up their most glorious season ever. It was a season of what might have been for Arsenal, and they had to wait another three years before they won another trophy.

2000 UEFA Cup Final vs Galatasaray:

Arsenal had fallen behind Manchester United on the domestic front by the end of the 1999/2000 season, but they had a chance for glory in the UEFA Cup Final against Turkish side Galatasary. Arsenal were favourites going into the game, but it was a fairly even contest up until extra time. With no goals in 90 minutes the game went into an extra half hour with penalties to follow if the teams couldn't be separated.

Early in the first period of extra time the pendulum swung in Arsenal's favour when Galatasaray's Gheorghe Hagi was sent off. He was their star player, and Arsenal took the chance to pour forward in search of a winner. Their attempts were in vain as they missed chance after chance, and the game went to penalties.

In the penalty shoot out Galatasaray went first and scored each of their first three penalties. Davor Suker missed Arsenal's first effort before Ray Parlour scored, but when Patrick Vieira missed the third one their chances were all but gone. Galatasaray dispatched their fourth effort and Arsenal finished as the runners-up yet again.

2001 FA Cup Final vs Liverpool:

Arsenal played Liverpool in the 2001 FA Cup final, as they tried to end a run of three years without a trophy. As the match progressed Arsenal eventually took the lead through Freddie Ljungberg, and they looked destined to win their third trophy under Wenger. It had been a controversial game at that stage, as twice Liverpool players had handled the ball to prevent Arsenal scoring.

As the game wore on and Arsenal missed chances their fans hoped they wouldn't pay the price. However, two goals in the final ten minutes from Michael Owen turned the tide in Liverpool's favour and Arsenal somehow lost a game they should have easily won. It was a bitter blow for them, but the team recovered from it very well and came storming back the next season to win the double yet again.

2006 Champions League Final vs Barcelona:

Arsenal had a pretty poor season domestically in 2006, but they reached the final of the Champions League for the first and only time so far in the club's history. Their defensive record in reaching that final was quite fantastic, as a makeshift defence kept ten clean sheets in a row. They had to play Barcelona in the final and it was always going to be a very tough game for them.

Early in the game Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was sent off for taking down a Barcelona player outside the box and Robert Pires was withdrawn to enable Manuel Almunia to play in goal. Arsenal took the lead against the odds when Sol Campbell headed home a free kick before half time, and the dream was still alive. In the second half Thierry Henry had a great chance to kill the game off, but he missed from close range and the tide turned in Barcelona's favour.

Barcelona equalised with fifteen minutes left, and then took the lead with ten minutes to go. Arsenal had worked very hard to stay in the game, but the ten men struggled to find a way back against a very good team. The game ended 2-1 to Barcelona and Arsenal fans could only imagine what might have been if Lehmann had stayed on, or if Henry had taken his golden opportunity.

 2007 Carling Cup Final vs Chelsea:

Arsenal had used a mixture of fringe players, young players and more experienced players throughout their Carling Cup campaign in 2006/07. It was a policy which was continued in the final as Armand Traore, Justin Hoyte, Denilson, Jeremie Aliadiere and Julio Baptista all started the game. Arsenal took an early lead through a very young Theo Walcott, but the lead was soon cancelled out by Chelsea's Didier Drogba.

Drogba struck again for Chelsea with only six minutes remaining, and Arsenal were unable to find a way back in the 13 added minutes played. The game continued for such a long time firstly because Abou Diaby had knocked John Terry out with a kick to the face while clearing the ball, and then because of a mass brawl in added time. Three players were sent off after the brawl, and Arsenal finished the game with nine players on the field.

It was a game where Drogba yet again proved to be the scourge of Arsenal, and Philippe Senderos in particular. Despite a very good performance from an inexperienced side they just didn't have enough on the day to meet the power of Chelsea.

Birmingham City 2-2 Arsenal February 2008:

Arsenal had sold Thierry Henry to Barcelona in the summer of 2007, and they appeared destined to fall behind in the battle for trophies in England. However, they more than held their own in that season, and headed the table when they paid a visit to Birmingham City on Saturday February 23rd. Arsenal started brightly, but after less than 10 minute the incident which ruined their season occurred.

Eduardo was crudely cut down by Birmingham's Martin Taylor, and the injury he suffered seemed to greatly affect the Arsenal players. It was an horrific injury from which he has not really fully recovered to this day, and he's a player who had such a bright future ahead of him at Arsenal. Birmingham took the lead, and Arsenal looked like it was all too much for them at that stage.

In the second half Theo Walcott struck twice to put Arsenal ahead and it looked like the points would be theirs. They had a legitimate penalty claim turned down, and then in the final minute the referee gave Birmingham a penalty. Gael Clichy dithered when clearing the ball and he was almost robbed, but he managed to react just in time.

However, the referee saw things differently and Birmingham took their chance to grab a draw. Arsenal captain William Gallas lost the plot and threw a major sulk instead of trying to support his teammates. Arsenal's league season then fell apart, as they took only seven points from their next seven games.

That run included defeats to both Manchester United and Chelsea who were the only teams to finish above them that season. In the end Arsenal put together a run of four wins in a row to finish the season, but they finished four points behind the eventual winners Manchester United. It was a season which could have ended so differently except for that fateful afternoon.

2009 Champions League Semi Final vs Manchester United:

Arsenal had qualified for the Champions League semi final in 2009, and when they drew Manchester United there was some real hope of another appearance in the final. Arsenal went to Old Trafford for the first leg and emerged with only a 1-0 defeat despite being completely outplayed. They needed to turn things around in the home leg, and to do so they had to be at their very best.

After only 11 minutes of the game at the Emirates Arsenal's chances were in tatters, as United led 2-0 through goals from Ji-Sung Park and Cristiano Ronaldo. Arsenal again failed to turn up when it mattered most, but they eventually managed a late consolation from Robin Van Persie after United had gone three up. Questions were asked of the Arsenal players' big game temperament, and those questions are still being asked now two years later.

Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Arsenal April 2010:

Arsenal had not been beaten by their local rivals Spurs in over 10 years in the Premier League when the two teams met in April 2010. Arsenal were still just about challenging for the Premier League title, but they had to win to keep their chances alive. Arsenal had quite a few injury problems, but they still had a fairly strong team on the night.

Spurs scored an early goal when Manuel Almunia failed to deal with a long range effort from Danny Rose, and Gareth Bale doubled their lead early in the second half. Arsenal suffered more injuries during the game, but when Robin Van Persie was introduced midway through the second half the tide turned in their favour. Nicklas Bendtner pulled a goal back for them late on, but it was too little too late, and another season ended in disappointment.

The bragging rights for north London also disappeared that night, and Arsenal have not beaten Spurs in two league encounters since that game despite having a two goal lead in each game.

2011 Carling Cup Final vs Birmingham City:

Arsenal hadn't won a trophy in six years when they met Birmingham City in the 2011 Carling Cup final at the end of last February. They were clear favourites going into the game, as they were challenging for the Premier League title and Birmingham were fighting a battle against relegation. Arsenal had to do without the services of the injured Cesc Fabregas, but they still had enough quality players to win the game.

Birmingham took the lead after half an hour, but Robin Van Persie equalised shortly before half time. During the second half Arsenal looked the most likely to grab a winner, but Ben Foster had his best game of the season in goal for Birmingham. Arsenal were a little shaky at the back, and in the very last minute calamity struck.

Wojciech Szczesny came to collect a simple ball into the box, but Laurent Koscielny swung wildly at it and the ball fell to the feet of Obafemi Martins. He rolled it into an empty net and Birmingham saw out the last few minutes to claim a trophy for the first time in a very long time. It's impossible to tell whether Szczesny called for the ball or not, but if he did the mistake was all Koscielny's.

It didn't really matter whose fault it was though, as Arsenal had fallen at the final hurdle yet again.

Arsenal face into the new season with a team which looks weaker than at any other time under Wenger. If they are to finally end their trophy drought some new players must be added in the next eight days, or it could be a very tough season for them. They have some excellent young players coming through, but they need to add some quality and experience to the team to enable those players to progress.

That's it for today.

It's not too late to join over 650 teams in my Fantasy League and there are prizes for the top three teams at the end of the season. Just go to the site and use the code 125540-42785 to join my league when your team is set up.

To join the predictions league just go to the site and set up your predictions. Then use the code F688F-JCO to join my league. I'll update the league table in my predictions every week.

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See You Tomorrow.