I read this on www.dailymail.co.uk and thought should share it with everyone. Its a letter from Arsene Wenger to one of the Gunners fan. Hope you like it
1 June 2011
Dear...
Thank you for your letter and your observations which have been noted and I certainly take your comments on board. I prefer not to discuss individual players in private correspondence and, although I cannot reply to each point you made, I have given my thoughts below on the season.
In contrast to some of our competitors at home and abroad it is true Arsenal has, in the interests of its financial stability and independence, operated under the discipline of a self-sustaining model. I believe this is the best route to sustainable long-term on-field success.
Within the constraints of that discipline, which ensures affordable debt and non-reliance on ownership, we have also invested in keeping key players here by extending their contracts. For me we have done well but now, of course, people become impatient. I can understand that completely because I am impatient as well.
That is why you see me agitated. Our target was to build a new stadium without dropping from the top. We knew it would be a difficult period for four or five years so we had to make a decision on how we can stay at the top level with less money available.
We have shown that we have the technical quality to win the league but certainly not the defensive solidity to do it. We have learned that we have the quality, despite what everybody is saying, but of course we need to gain some strength in some areas of the team.
We are frustrated and disappointed but we should not go overboard. We just have to rectify things in the areas that we need to improve. Mentally, of course, I hope that the team has learned a lot this season because we could not cope with the number of games, nor the pressure in the important moments of the season.
I felt they lost confidence and you can see that there has not been the same sharpness on the mental front. You never want to forget anything because it is also the season that we produced our best games ever – but in the end it was difficult to get over the line.
You could see that the disappointment of the team came out in the recent games and the belief has gone down. Unfortunately the last disappointment against Aston Villa has cost us the third place. In the end, we felt fourth place was disappointing because we were in a position to win the league.
I think I am responsible for the results and I am very disappointed. The players have had an outstanding attitude. We have accumulated disappointments that have had a big impact on the morale of the team. We have played 58 games. Fabregas has played 22 games, Van Persie 18 or 19 games and Vermaelen has played four or five games.
In decisive moments we have never had the whole team together. We have to rectify some things in our squad and we will try to do it. But it is not easy, even with money. We will try to do the right thing. I don’t know how much we have spent in recent years. We will try to buy the right players. The amount of money is not always linked with the quality of the player.
We will spend the needed money but you first have to find the right players and then turn up with the money. If we find the right players we will spend the money. I think it is the responsibility of a football manager to behave in a responsible way. It is a situation for the fans which I completely understand.
But we are in a job where other clubs do not respect the basic rules of any other company and we have to live with that. You cannot think that if there is not enough money to run the company then someone else will come in and give his money.
That is not how we want to run the company. In England it is a bit more difficult because player inflation is higher than everywhere else. When you have only a few players at many clubs, the price is too high.
Of course, the economic situation is difficult for people and for us as well. But we demand some understanding because we have to fight against clubs which have unlimited resources. They put pressure on our wages. How can we deal with it? We need to add, of course, and we will do, but we have a strong base.
We have enough quality to beat anyone in the world, even with the current squad. You had a Champions League final and only one team has beaten both of them and that is Arsenal.
Our fans have been outstanding all season and we would like to thank them. They are not happy, I am not happy, and we have to accept that. But we are not to go overboard. Maybe one year people will realise it is not easy to finish in the top four every time.
Even if people say we have to spend money, we have to be realistic. We cannot buy players for £50million and, even if we try to strengthen our team and spend money if needed, that is fact.
I wish you a pleasant summer and thank you again for taking the time to write and for your comments.
Kind Regards,
Arsene Wenger
