Tony Adams: Graham was a better coach than Wenger

[Power n Glory]

Which is why Wenger can take all the credit when they are.

We're talking about coaching.

Players like Cesc and RVP walked in the door with great technical ability. It's not as if Wenger coached that into them. We've got guys that have been here a long time and still have fundamental flaws in their game. Guys like Djouoru, Bendtner, Denilson, Diaby, Eboue...they make the same mistakes from game to game without correction. Maybe Wenger thinks they're not progressing because the problem is psychological when it's really a technical issue.

[Özim]

He's kinda right though, AW can't coach for sh*t when it comes to the basics.....as above players can't cross at all, the defense is a shambles, the workrate is poor by some players (and yet he defends them), shooting is not great on the whole (bar one or two), tracking back is again not so good by some players...goalkeeping has been a mess for a while.

AW has his strengths but coaching and motivating aren't really some of them, he's great at getting teams to pass the ball well and linking up well enough, but he's not good at the basics that all the successful teams have.

You only need to look at the current problems and those that have plagued us for 6 years to see he's not good at coaching.

AW seems to need players on the pitch who do the talking for him as in his first few years, when that's not there the results speak for themselves.

His teams are no doubt more technically gifted than George Grahams (in most cases) but there's a lot more to football than that.

[Marc Overmars]

Graham was better at the fundamentals but having heard about how turgid the team was back in the early 90's I think Wenger is a step up.

[Kano]

they cant cross as he puts players that aren't wingers

every manager needs players that do the talking for them on the pitch

[Toronto Gooner]

In most cases, we try to sign players with great technical ability, Wenger can't take all the credit.

Yet, he is given all the blame.

[Toronto Gooner]

I agree with his assertion that Graham's squad under-achieved. That squad should have won more titles and trophies than they did.

You mean to say that the George Graham Arsenal underachieved like some people are accusing Wenger's Arsenal of doing? Surely that cannot be possible, it is only the influx of the namby pamby foreigners that has led to this precipitous decline in Arsenal's fortunes and character.

[Joker]

Graham laid the foundations without which I doubt Wenger would have achieved what he has. For example, Wenger inherited the back 5, so his lack of defensive coaching ability didn't affect us. However, now that Wenger himself has had to construct a defence, we've seen the consequences. Various reports suggest that Wenger barely works on defensive organisation (not just with the back 4, but in terms of midfielders tracking back and coordinating efforts etc) and the repercussions of this is clear whenever you see us concede silly goals through a lack of defensive solidity.
Wenger is very good at the technical side of coaching (in terms of developing a pass and move game, ensuring players are at peak fitness, their diets are optimal etc etc) but he does seem lacking when it comes to the "bread and butter" so to speak. It must also be said that, in recent years, even his much famed ability to develop players has to be questioned. Has he really been able to improve players like Diaby, Denilson, Bendtner, etc as he promised?

[Toronto Gooner]

Graham laid the foundations without which I doubt Wenger would have achieved what he has. For example, Wenger inherited the back 5, so his lack of defensive coaching ability didn't affect us. However, now that Wenger himself has had to construct a defence, we've seen the consequences.

One consequence of Wenger's inability to create a defence was that disastrous Arsenal squad of 2003/04. They were hopeless, despite having two leftovers from the Graham era.

[Mr. Lahey]

Graham laid the foundations without which I doubt Wenger would have achieved what he has. For example, Wenger inherited the back 5, so his lack of defensive coaching ability didn't affect us. However, now that Wenger himself has had to construct a defence, we've seen the consequences. Various reports suggest that Wenger barely works on defensive organisation (not just with the back 4, but in terms of midfielders tracking back and coordinating efforts etc) and the repercussions of this is clear whenever you see us concede silly goals through a lack of defensive solidity.
Wenger is very good at the technical side of coaching (in terms of developing a pass and move game, ensuring players are at peak fitness, their diets are optimal etc etc) but he does seem lacking when it comes to the "bread and butter" so to speak. It must also be said that, in recent years, even his much famed ability to develop players has to be questioned. Has he really been able to improve players like Diaby, Denilson, Bendtner, etc as he promised?

I agree with your post mate.

However I always laugh when people say Wenger came in and changed the fitness and diets of athletes in football. Wenger for one is not a personal trainer nor is he a nutritionist. Did he tell players that he doesnt want them to drink, he probably did but thats down to common sense not being revolutionary when it comes to fitness and training.

[Letters]

You mean to say that the George Graham Arsenal underachieved like some people are accusing Wenger's Arsenal of doing? Surely that cannot be possible, it is only the influx of the namby pamby foreigners that has led to this precipitous decline in Arsenal's fortunes and character.

Wasn't it the influx of the namby pamby foreigners that led to a sack of trophies, records and the best football most of us have seen, certainly at Arsenal?