1253 And Out – Au Revoir, Not Adieu
May 12th, 2018 by 'holic
Huddersfield Town away, not just the last match of the season. It’s also the last match of an era. The man who has managed our club for over a third of my life, who really brought me back to the club in a big way. In the last of the George Graham years and the Rioch season I made the trip to Highbury a handful of times. The football had become predictable and yes, boring.
Arsene Wenger didn’t transform things overnight. in his first seven months he certainly, with the help of Patrick Vieira, went about changing the minds of the English core of The Arsenal. The football improved and we were there or thereabouts all season but lost home and away to Manchester United and Liverpool. United claimed the title at the death from Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle who would have loved it, loved it, if they could have beat them. We were third on goal difference from the Geordies.
We had seen a preview of what might be, and having seen where we needed reinforcing the ‘Professeur’ had a summer spending spree. Among our eight signings were Alex Manninger, Gilles Grimandi, Manu Petit, Marc Overmars and Chris Wreh. The most notable departure was Paul Merson, a strong message to the other Englishmen that they still needed to further curtail their drinking culture.
The calendar year of 1997 ended quite disastrously. Blackburn won at Highbury, Ian Wright clashed with the crowd outside from the changing room window, and Tony Adams was sent by Arsene to the South of France to gain fitness and strengthen a damaged ankle. We were twelve points behind Manchester United, and still were at the start of March, but an incredible run of ten consecutive victories, including a memorable one nil to The Arsenal at Old Trafford, earned us the title with two matches to spare. To cap it all Newcastle were beaten in the FA Cup Final at Wembley and with a double in his first full season Le Boss had answered the question, “Arsene Who?”
Wengerball mark one had to give way in time as the magnificent defenders he had inherited came to the end of their extended careers. Wengerball mark two was to introduce even more heady times to the club. Wenger didn’t do defences, it was said. Midfielders Lauren and Kolo Toure were switched into the back four with Ashley Cole and the Tottenham captain, Sol Campbell, gloriously poached from the neighbours at the end of his contract for absolutely free. Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Gilberto Silva, and Edu, among others helped create the perfect invincible season having already secured a second double under the Frenchman.
Further variations of the Wengerball era faced different challenges following the stadium move. For a decade we achieved Champions League qualification despite the annual loss, it seemed, of our best players. Only now is the magnitude of that achievement truly sinking in. Now, when for the second season running, we haven’t achieved it. The three FA Cups in four years were great, thank you Arsene, but this seems to be a good time for us, and indeed you, to find a new direction.
On Sunday, with a total of three Premier League titles and a record seven FA Cups to his name, Arsene manages The Arsenal for the 1,253rd and last time. Huddersfield Town have used their social media channels to call for one minute of applause for the visiting manager in the twenty-second minute. I suspect One Arsene Wenger will ring out around the ground many times during the match.
Oh, there’s a match. I nearly forgot. I haven’t a clue who will be playing, and in what formation, for either team. Although we haven’t won an away Premier League fixture this year the result isn’t what tomorrow is about. It will be a day for fond (and sadly some not so fond) farewells. Dean Whitehead, a midfielder we have faced many times, is also retiring to take up a coaching position after a career lasting nineteen years. Hopefully the travelling faithful will accord him a warm hand too.
The ‘holic pound
I’ve been changing my mind every five minutes so decided to just place the bet and pray. I took 20/1 against us winning 2-3 on an entertaining as well as emotional afternoon.
With that it’s time to try and find some music that will calm the soul ahead of what will be a day the like of which we may not experience again. I’m aware that a number of our supporters have only known Arsene Wenger in the hot seat. From the youngest to the oldest Gooners I know from most there will be a final acknowledgement of what the man achieved not just for The Arsenal, but for English football generally in the nineties and noughties.
MERCI ARSENE.
47 Responses to “1253 And Out – Au Revoir, Not Adieu”
Bang
You don’t know what you have until it is gone in many aspects of life. Tomorrow and beyond will confirm that. Forever grateful. Truly very grateful
Cheers H! Lovely stuff.
Thanks Esso. Well said Oh Rocky.
A special tribute Holic. Tomorrow is a special day but after it we must look forward – we’ve slipped far too far behind and the club needs resettting. I’ve already renewed a season ticket that I was considering not bothering to renew if Arsene stayed next year. That’s despite tge entertainment being as good at the Grove in the League as at any time since we moved. But away we have been a disgrace
We owe Arsene a great debt and tomorrow will be about the recognition of that and then…the future.
I hope we can beat a very limited Huddersfield that we thrashed 5-0 about six months ago to give Arsene a win in his last game. He won’t be at the club after next Thursday apparently and our club will seem different but it existed before him and will afterwards. So thanks Arsene and very good luck in the rest of your career and your life .
Very fair TTG. This will be my last year with the ST because of Saturday night football kicking in 19/20. I will revert to silver and red after that to attend the few games I can make again. TV Money is only temporarily helping football. It’s driving the most loyal away. They are killing the Golden Goose.
Looking forward to watching absolute garbage at Swindon for about £400 per annum.
This is a lie.
Lovely tribute, ‘Holic. Like you, TTG, Clive and a bunch of the other old lags in this wonderful establishment, we knew life before AW and we shall know like after it. But the bit in between has been special.
Nonetheless the king is dead. Long live the king.
Ornstein bigging up Arteta’s prospects of taking over, btw:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44094251
At least if you go to Swindon you can abuse Phil Brown every other week. Got to be worth £400, that.
Lovely sentiment, ‘Holic. As for music, how about a little of John Lennon/Beatles “In My Life” ?
Cynic knows. He’ll be sacked next season. W⚓️.
Lovely Stuff H. There are a few that have been spoilt over the years that would do well to read the post.
A new era is just around the corner. A new, and slightly scary era. Until then, let’s hope that Sunday is just one full of celebration and appreciation.
5-0 to the good guys.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHokx2L1wi4
Great preview Guvnor, thank you.
Fancy a 4-1 win meself, a fitting
send off hopefully.
Spot on about Phil Brown too
hahaha.
Spot on about our football in the
late GG/ Rioch time too Guv.
We played some dire stuff in the
league and it became more an
act of faith to go to games than
actual entertainment.
The 10 game winning run was an
amazing turnaround from that and
from the low of the Blackburn defeat
at home. Unforgettable, much like
AW himself, and it forever changed
how I wanted us to play and win
as a club.
Just been back reading.
Oi cba – I’ll have you know I’m
an English twat sonny ??
Boring it nearly never was under Arsene Wenger. More often it was on a knife edge balance and the moments of magic were multitudinous. We have been lucky to witness a most special era.
Excellent piece, Holic. Parting is such sweet sorrow, as someone once said (cba was it? 🙂 ).
Turbulent times ahead to which I look forward with great interest.
Super piece, ‘holic, so many happy memories.
Fingers crossed that we don’t end up regretting this.
It’s a bit harsh to put Rioch’s team in the dire category as he was rebuilding, but the last two years of Gorgeous George were pretty bad.
I would like to see the alternate time line of an Arsenal where Rioch wasn’t sacked. I very much doubt we’d have won the titles of Wenger’s first few years, simply because we would never have had Henry, but I do wonder what might have been.
We may still have won one. Maybe. We might still be at Highbury (a very very good thing IMO). Who knows…
Good piece Holic.
No idea on the score today – would be nice to send the boss off with a goal or four.
See you next season.
NACANFPB
And that, Holic,
is a brilliantly concise summary of The Arsenal under Arsene Wenger – and a little bit before.
I’ve told you many times to get that history book written. You can put me down now for copy GH00002. Assuming your having GH00001. ?
And I absolutely concur with your @6 too.
And Ned @7.
Can’t possibly leave today’s game with the following unsaid ……
she was only the milkmaid’s daughter but she did like her ‘uddersfeeled ?
Little known (and probably cared about) fact about Swindon’s owner Lee Power: as a Norwich City player, he faced Arsenal twice in his 28-game career (ended at 26 after two broken legs), in the Premier League game at Carrow Road in 1993, which he started, and the in the same fixture the following season, when he came on as a 75th minute sub. Both games ended up 1-1 draws. Though he was a striker, he did not score in either game.
The odious Brown played more than 600 league games but never played in the top flight so never faced Arsenal in the league. But he did captain the Bolton Wanderers side managed by Bruce Rioch that knocked George Graham’s cup holders out of the FA Cup in 1994 in a fourth-round replay.
And I concur with Trev @22. Pencil me in for copy GH00003.
Well played ‘H
S’long, au revoir, bon chance Le Prof (essor, it, et etc.)
https://youtu.be/zr5ksOyxZRU
GH00004 please?
Masterful summary of our last quarter century, Holic. Nutshell. Thank you.
Et merci, Arsene.
My over riding memory of the Rioch season was a 1-0 home defeat to Everton on a freezing January afternoon in 1996. Got in a heated row / near fisticuffs with some bloke sitting behind me on the North Bank as I had the audacity to stand up as Wright-y tore in on goal on a rare Arsenal foray forward. It was such a miserable afternoon and the atmosphere so limp that I didn’t go to another game for nearly three years afterwards.
My over riding memories of the AW are many – but one which stands out above them all in my head was a pre Xmas 5-0 thrashing of Newcastle in 2000 as Ray Parlour scored a sublime hat trick ; remember it so clearly finishing under the Highbury lights and hugging complete strangers all around on the North Bank.
For me the contrast between those two games just sums up how much and how quickly AW changed the place.
Merci.
PS – anyone got a decent stream for this afternoon ???
osp
hector, mus, rob, kola
iwobi, ramsey , xhaka, mkhi,
laca, auba
a strong attacking line-up
and a defence that means
there could be a few goals
in this one. no plans to go
out with a 0-0 draw
I think I’ll change my 4-1
prediction to 5-2 🙂
not looking like we mean business
so far but only 10 minutes in
what a miss! lucky he has zero
composure
not dealing with their press at all
Huddersfield are pressing very high and we are so poor defensively that it is a surprise that it is still 0-0. They could have easily scored two by now. Can Huddersfield keep up the high press.
coming into it a little more now
as ksn lucky to be 0-0 20 minutes
in
nice 22 mins hand for the Boss,
generous from their fans
get in Auba!!
That was a lovely goal and Auba’s tenth.
get in Auba are becoming my 3
favourite words
A fella could get used to those words, OM.
We are making it very hard for ourselves now…
Silly mistakes again come on lads let’s put some heart into it
The ref’s dress clashes with ours, crating confusion.
Our passing is worse than Huddersfield’s so far.
he could indeed SG
Laca missed a sitter.
I thought he should have shot anyway ksn
🙂
We could have scored a few more with a slightly better final pass.
OM, hope we hear ‘get in Auba’ throughout the coming season. Looking forward to it already.
Three points for Arsene please lads dig in!
Three away points of 2018, finally. Nice gesture by Huddersfield fans in giving a standing ovation to Wenger. Good open match.
Result matters the most especially for Arsene….!
The football we played not so much enjoyable time and time again we have not changed a thing….
Will miss him though with all my heart feels strange he will not be on that’s touch line next season!
Thank you Arsene!
One Arsene Wenger!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>