The Official Arsenal Opus

921 Pages·2016·3.41 MB·English

by  Wenger Arsene.

Contents

Title Page
Copyright
Introduction by Arsène Wenger
1. The final salute

Sun sets on Highbury
An art deco jewel
Memories flood back
2. New horizons

Dennis, thank you...
'One of the game's greats'
Emirates Stadium takes off
Interview: On tour with Raddy
3. The French revolution

Arsène's Arsenal
Interview: Wenger on Wenger
Interview: Two of a kind
Interview: Seriously competitive
The Invincibles
Interview: King Henry
Interview: Minder in the middle
Interview: We've got Dennis Bergkamp
Simply the best
4. Glory days return

The dapper revolutionary
Graham takes charge
Interview: Captain courageous
Interview: No doubting Thomas
Interview: The fan's favourite son
Interview: The Romford Pelé
Interview: Leading Seaman
'One-Nil to the Arsenal'
Interview: The fab four
5. A little local affair

The rivalry with Spurs
Interview: The best of enemies
Interview: A boot in both camps
6. Friends reunited

The Irish influence
Interview: The magician
Interview: Home from home
Interview: Changing times
7. The stuff of dreams

The ultimate team selection
Safe hands
Simply the best
Captain fantastic
Mr Arsenal
Ever dependable
Boy Bastin
Chippy
Unrivalled
The ringmaster
DB10
Thierry
The big man
Spider
Perpetual motion
Geordie
Indestructible
Ian Wright Wright Wright
Others we have loved
8. Mee and the double

Enter Mee the disciplinarian
Interview: The driving force
Profile: A Ray of sunshine
Interview: Bob's iconic moments
In memory of Anna
Profile: A top coach, and Howe
Profile: The King of Highbury
9. A cup heritage

A record to be envied
1927 - 2005
10. European nights

Arsenal in Europe
The road to Paris: Champions League 2005/2006
11. Chapman's legacy

The secret of success
Profile: Mercer the magnificent
Profile: A Boy's Own fantasy
Gentleman Jack takes up the challenge
Matthews amazes Highbury faithful
Profile: The rebel with a cause
Profile: An accidental Englishman
Profile: The Wright attitude
12. The innovator

Chapman: the early years
From challengers to champions
Profile: The buccaneer
Profile: Chapman's captain
Allison into the hot seat
Profile: James's genius
Captured on film
13. The men in charge

Best of the best
14. Total teamwork

Interview: The young ones
Interview: A Bould move
Profile: Rocky remembered
'Rocky, we'll miss you'
Interview: World wide web
Interview: Training days
Interview: A man of many talents
Interview: The backroom boys
15. A slice of history

Arsenal: the early years
Our Highbury home
Interview: Highbury's family affair
Highbury goals: the top 25
For Club and country
Cooper v Ali: the world watches Highbury's heavyweight clash
16. The spirit of Highbury

The North Bank
Highbury's historical landmarks
A face in the crowd
Crown jewels go under hammer
17. Pastures new

Interview: Shape of the future
Ground-breaker
18. End matter

Contributors
Postscript
The Official Arsenal Opus
eBook Edition

Contributors
Sue Mott
Alan Smith
David Miller
Introduction by Arsène Wenger
Opus eBook Editions

Published by Opus
First published in 2007 by Kraken Sport & Media.
This edition published 2011 by Opus Media Group.
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INTRODUCTION
‘I feel like the head of a family’

Being manager of Arsenal is like a marriage. It just becomes part of your life.
You don’t imagine yourself anywhere else. In the first years you think: Will it
work? But after a while, it just becomes like your family. That’s what Arsenal is
to me now.
Arsenal is an amazing mixture of traditional values and yet the Club has had
the courage to move into the modern world. It is a Club of tradition, of values, of
conservative spirit. But if you look at the actions it has taken, it is one of the
boldest clubs in England. It has made amazing decisions, appointing me being
one of them. Also the building of Emirates Stadium, the establishment of the
training ground at a time when it was not so obvious. Arsenal Football Club is a
wonderful mixture of style, tradition and modernity.
People say I have changed Arsenal, but the Club has also transformed me. I
used to want to be successful personally; now I want the Club to do well: not for
myself, but for the Club itself. It has made me less self-absorbed. I feel like the
head of a family.
Yet it has not made me any less passionate. More. The sense of
responsibility is more now because expectations are very high. When I first
came here I was not conscious of what Arsenal Football Club really represented.
Now, when I see the enormous number of people who want this Club to do well,
who are sad when we don’t do well, I am much more conscious of my
responsibility.
My hope for the future is that this young team, on the verge of growing
together, fulfils my ambition to become the best in England. We want to win the
Premiership again and we know we can win in Europe because we have already
been in the Champions League Final. In fact, my ambition is to win the
Premiership, again, and the Champions’ League. Preferably in the same season.
And preferably as soon as possible.
I am first for stability. We have had some difficult moments as we have
adapted to the new stadium, but it is all part of the growing process. In football,
you go through periods when it is a little less easy. We have had some
exceptional moments, we have had some disappointing moments. But we
showed the mental strength of the team, and we will take that forward as
motivation for all the seasons to come.
The Premiership has changed very much since I first arrived. I am very
proud that I helped a little bit to contribute to that. I am very proud to be part of
the most admired football in the world. People may not realise how popular
Arsenal are all over the world. We have built fantastic credibility, but, of course,
that only lasts with consistent performances and that is always our target.
I am always excited by building a new team and building new success. My
energy level never dwindles. It might one day, but not at the moment. I work
hard to be extremely fit. I live like a football player. Maybe even better. I would
not be in discos at night. It is compulsory if you want to have a consistent level
of motivation and performance. Every day you have to have the energy to
respond to all the problems you meet. You need to live like a guy who prepares
for a marathon on Saturday.
This job is a massive marathon and demands physical and mental strengths.
You can only achieve that if you live a really dedicated and serious life. What
refreshes me mentally is my love for the game. I love to be out in nature, on a
good pitch, watching the players. There is no better stress cure than that.
Sometimes I like reading books, but not much. It is watching football that gives
me most pleasure.
This life is beautiful because it is not predictable. What was predictable was
that my passion for football could lead me anywhere in the world. I was ready to
go anywhere. It amazes me when I think back now, but from a very young age –
maybe seven or eight – I knew I would not live in my village. I always felt
myself that I would have an international life. I would go anywhere to visit the
world. That’s my character. I wanted to travel, to learn languages, to see other
people. I felt my destiny very early was to have a life full of adventures.
I feel I have an affinity with our fans. From the start, they supported me.
They were always behind me. There was a special relationship. This showed
their amazing courage because they had never heard of me before, and I was
French. Sometimes relationships just work.
They understand my feelings, which sometimes I demonstrate on the pitch. I
can say now that I am determined to keep my emotions under control, but I
cannot guarantee that. I feel that the team is ready to deliver. But when you feel
that the team is under threat you become a little bit more nervous. It is difficult.
Passion has to be part of the game. If you sit there and don’t say a word, people
say: ‘Look, he doesn’t care’. When you come out and want to win, people say:
‘Look, he is too nervous, he should keep every word under control’.
Yet I think people in this country understand. It is the character of the nation.