Originally Posted by Nasri Scoreng
Listening to some pundits on 5 Live discussing who should manage West Ham now, I was struck by the unanimity in fans saying that he should be someone who has played for the club and understands its traditions.
When I look back on the past 6 seasons, I honestly can't say that I have seen players whose heart and soul is in the club (Wilshere apart?).
Wenger inherited this quality when he first arrived. His Invincibles played with players who knew what it meant to play for Arsenal.
We are all agreed that this is what is missing now, when our players, though capable enough, will not fight that extra bit. It has been thrown into sharp relief with the CC final and following debacle this season.
Could it be that Wenger, never a really succesful player, simply doesn"t understand that this is the extra 2%? And never will.
There are two things in this initial post that have to be commented on.
(1) It is fine and dandy for Wet Sham fans to be united in their desire to have a manager who "who has played for the club and understands its traditions" but coming from a team that has just got relegated and has never won the top division (3rd being the highest), they are not looking for a successful manager.
(2) "Could it be that Wenger, never a really succesful player, simply doesn"t understand that this is the extra 2%?" So, only a successful player can appreciate what is necessary for players they manage to be successful? You had better tell Alex Ferguson that he will never make it as a successful manager because his playing career was so crap.