Piers Morgan has demanded that Arsenal sack manager Arsene Wenger after the Gunners lost from a winning position once again in tonight’s 2-1 defeat at Swansea.
Five days after surrendering a three-goal lead against Anderlecht, Arsenal travelled to South Wales this evening hoping to get back to winning ways.
And we looked on course to do that after main man Alexis Sanchez fired us into deserved lead midway through the second half, but Gylfi Sigurdsson and Bafetimbi Gomis scored in quick succession to bookend a truly horrific week for the Arsenal.
Morgan is now at the end of his tether with Wenger, but claims that nobody at the club has the courage to dismiss him.
The television host and journalist took to Twitter to post a series of scathing assessments:
Wenger should be fired for his shocking mis-management of our defence alone. But who will have the guts to do it? #afc
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) November 9, 2014
I take no pleasure in being proved right about Wenger. His managerial decay has been very distressing to watch for any Arsenal fan.
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) November 9, 2014
On Tuesday, following that 3-3 draw with Anderlecht, Morgan took it upon himself to try sign Manchester City Vincent Kompany for Arsenal. Here’s the hilarious exchange.
Click here for a list of the greatest Arsenal implosions under Wenger. Unfortunately, it is relevant once again.
Wenger must go. He has no new ideas for the club. He should leave the stage for a more combative manager who will be willing to make a mark. Go Wenger go.
Dear Arsene, I find myself writing this letter not out of anger
but out of frustration. As a fan (not customer, fan) of the
Arsenal I find it hard to get angry with the team’s performances
these days because to be frank, nothing surprises me
anymore. I have seen it all before. Arsenal are, to some extent,
masters of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. So why
am I writing this? As I have touched upon above, it is a letter
borne out of frustration. Frustration that the club, run by you
Mr Wenger is in a never ending cycle of mediocrity when things
can be so much better given the resources at our disposal. If
you love Arsenal as much as you say you do, please do the
best for the club and accept you have taken it as far as you
can, resign and allow another manager to take the club
forward. You can enjoy your legacy of revolutionising English
Football and enjoy the fact you had a hugely successful first 10
years at Arsenal. No doubt you will read this and think “what
does he know? he hasn’t worked 2 minutes in football or won
the FA cup” and you are quite right, I haven’t. That doesn’t
make my opinion any less valid, nor does it prevent me from
having one. I am a pragmatist, to me, to flourish is to adapt, to
be questioned, to be challenged and in top level sport, to win.
Since you have managed the club your style and philosophy
hasn’t changed, hasn’t evolved but English Football has. Failure
to adapt is costing us dear. Failure to address obvious
weaknesses within the squad, the failure to bring in adequate
or superior replacements for those players departing. Failure
to address the lack of discipline in the team, not from a fouling
perspective but from a tactical one, 3-2 up at home and we
have 5 players in an advanced position against a team who by
your own admission are excellent on the counter attack. It isn’t
just this week’s capitulation against Anderlecht that prompts
this letter it is a culmination of events throughout your tenure.
The team do not learn lessons; the defence still make
elementary mistakes. Blaming the players is the easy option
but was the back four the same as last night when we
conceded 4 against Newcastle at St James Park, 8 against
Manchester United, 6 against Manchester City, 4 against
Tottenham at home in 2008. No they weren’t, was the manager
the same. Yes. That isn’t bad luck; it’s a trend, one you haven’t
addressed over the years. There is no doubt you are stubborn,
can that work to one’s advantage? Absolutely but it can also be
detrimental if left unchecked, unfortunately it seems the latter
is true. So you won’t resign, what is next? How do we change
things? How can we ensure mistakes are not repeated? May I
suggest the following? * If Steve Bould isn’t coaching the
defence, let him, if he is then perhaps it’s time to delegate that
away from him or bring in some ex- players who know a thing
or two about defending, Messer’s Keown & Adams would be a
good starting point. * Address the team’s obvious defensive
weaknesses, accept the Wenger way may not be what’s best for
Arsenal FC, not Arsene FC and purchase accordingly. There is a
good reason the saying “you get what you pay for” exists and in
most cases, rings true. There are some excellent defenders in
the Premiership who would love to represent such a
prestigious club like the Arsenal. Winston Reid was a good
example. * Bring in a tactician who can be a pragmatist as an
assistant manager, someone who can offer a different opinion,
challenge you and can set up a team according to the
opponent. That’s not to say attacking football to which we are
known for is compromised, it’s a pragmatic approach to
ensure a good solid defensive foundation is built enabling the
attacking players to express themselves. * Bring in an external
party to evaluate the training methods & playing surfaces in
order to better understand why so many of the players suffer
muscular injuries. Shad Forsythe is an excellent addition; let’s
focus on prevention rather than cure / rehabilitation. * Play
players in their natural position, this sounds simple and it is, a
number 10 (Ozil) is played as a number 10, not as a winger
players who aren’t performing are taken out of the limelight to
regain form (Ramsey) and players who are in form are played
regularly not because they are a favourite of the manager.
(Sanogo over Joel Campbell / Lukas Podolski) Now that may
not be the case, but looking from the outside in, that’s the
impression we get. * Make substitutions based on the needs of
the game. If a player isn’t performing, be a manager, break
your loyalty to that player and take him off at half time rather
than the 70th minute. Be pragmatic, again, using Anderlecht as
an example, if we are 3-2 up, don’t bring on attacking players,
get on the touch line, organise 2 banks of 4 and if you
absolutely have to have an attacking player on, use Walcott to
hit them on the break and / or run into the channels to hold
the ball up and keep possession. * Have a plan and listen to
counsel – Identify the teams weaknesses, identify
replacements and start doing the ground work as much as you
can (within the rules of course) before the transfer window
opens. Pay the asking price, using the Arsenal brand to sell to
the player, get the deal done, the player settled well in time for
pre-season as Manchester City & Chelsea have done in the past
to their benefit. As a manager it is your job to identify the
players you and your coaching staff think we need, not to
negotiate fee’s or argue on what you think a player is worth.
That is for the Chief Executive and Finance Director to worry
about. I have decided not to mention the issues at board level,
I wanted this letter to focus on what can be changed on the
field and training pitches. This is not a personal attack; it is to
raise concerns, to point out flaws, offer constructive solutions.
It may not always seem obvious but the fans criticise because
they care. We like you Arsene, love Arsenal FC. Let’s either see
a change of manager or a change in approach. Being
challenged and admitting mistakes isn’t a weakness it’s a sign
you are prepared to change, prepared to evolve and hopefully
be as successful as you were in the first 10 years as manager
of this great club.
Please make Wenger and the Board read this article. There is no other truth about Arsenal’s present situation than this.This actually represents all Arsenal loving supporters.So if the Board and indeed Mr Wenger love this club and it’s fans, they need to act accordingly and if that means Mr Wenger resigning so be it. Give him another office position if you feel you owe a lot to him than let this great club become a laughing stock.