[h=1]Arsenal legend: This could be the end for Wenger[/h] Published
22:59 29/08/11 By John Cross
http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/new...rs-legend-Frank-McLintock-article793074.html#
Arsene Wenger may
have the backing of the Arsenal boardroom - but now he must convince his own dressing-room that he is still the right man to be in charge.
Wenger's position as Gunners manager has never been under such *scrutiny, and there are serious doubts as to whether the pressure is taking too much of a toll.
He looks gaunt and under extreme stress - and the devastating 8-2 defeat at Old Trafford has thrust his problems right into the *spotlight.
"If he doesn't start addressing the faults that have been there for three years, there's a chance he might be sacked," warned Gunners legend Frank *McLintock, captain of the 1970-71 Double-winning side.
"He's never really been under extreme pressure before. The board have loved him - he's made them a fortune. Most of the supporters love him, but I wonder what's happened in the last two or three years.
"You don't want to see him go. We want to be praising him. I think if Arsenal had two good centre-halves and another centre-forward in the last two years, we would have won the championship.
"Ever since he lost the great back five he [Wenger] inherited from George Graham, they've never really addressed that position.
"Their centre-half position has been really poor and teams recognise it. But somehow Arsenal haven't done anything about it.
"The Invincibles [Arsenal's 2003-2004 team, who won the title without losing a single league game] were a big, physical, strong side, with great technique. They had no weaknesses. When you look at
this Arsenal side, they always look as if they could be bullied out of it.
"The team at Old Trafford were inexperienced all over the pitch and very lightweight - they looked like little boys."
Graham, who built the resolute sides that inspired the supporters' famous "1-0 to the Arsenal" chant, said of Wenger: "He's going through a really bad patch and the Arsenal fans are frustrated.
"A manager is only as good as the players he brings in. In the past, it was fantastic. It's gone off the boil a little bit. It's how he's going to handle all this criticism.
"But it's definitely not time to step down. If he leaves next week, all the top clubs will [want to] snap him up. I just think he has to work through it."
Up to now, Wenger has been untouchable, but the humiliation at United may be a turning point, as it raises questions over whether the players are still behind him.
It was a patched-up team that suffered Arsenal's biggest defeat for more than 100 years, but the lack of fight, determination and passion was there for all to see.
In a turbulent summer, Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri have been sold and the club's senior players want the money from those transfers re-invested in new faces to ensure the club does not slip out of the Premier League's top four.
Robin van Persie, who has succeeded Fabregas as captain, has urged a major spending spree.
Unless Wenger pulls off a last-minute transfer coup, there are serious fears the Holland striker could want out next summer.
Yet despite rumblings of *discontent, Wenger has failed to react and address the problems.
He used to be bright, inspirational and strong around the dressing room. Now there are doubts over whether the old magic is still there.
Arsenal's transfer dealings have been bizarre.
They had £35m in the transfer kitty, sold Fabregas in a £40m deal, and then Nasri for £22m, while securing qualification for the Champions League group stages guarantees about £25m more.
Wenger has spent £12m on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, £11m on Gervinho and £1m on Carl Jenkinson, as well as doing bargain basement deals on Costa Rica forward Joel Campbell, South Korea striker Park Chu Young and Barcelona prospects Jon Toral and Hector Bellerin.
None of those are the replacements needed for Fabregas or Nasri, nor the *defensive backbone so urgently needed.
Graham, who won the Double with Arsenal as a player and brought the club two championships as boss, says Wenger's downfall has been getting it wrong in the transfer market.
"His strength was he bought players who had not made the grade, like [Thierry] Henry, who was a winger at Juventus [and] nobody really knew Vieira or Petit," said Graham. "He polished them up and made them international players and won everything.
"He's trying to do the same with players people don't really know in this country and it's not working as well."
The shambolic negotiations surrounding Bolton defender Gary Cahill only highlighted the problems internally at Arsenal.
The club's transfer negotiator, Dick Law, offered Trotters chairman Phil Gartside £6m plus add-ons for the England international, which was rejected out of hand.
Another example was the Gunners' pursuit of Blackburn defender Phil Jones in January.
They scouted Jones, and offered £8m for him, but Blackburn wanted £10m.
With Wenger dithering and chief executive Ivan Gazidis taking a back seat, Arsenal did not move quickly enough and the transfer window shut.
By the time they went back at the start of the summer, Jones was already on his way to Manchester United - in a £17m deal.
Other deals have also fallen through - Valencia and Spain winger Juan Mata has been bought by Chelsea despite being a target for Arsenal, who have gained a reputation as being indecisive - and have the gaps in their squad to prove it.
Wenger clearly would rather spend big on a teenage winger who has never played above League One than on a tried and tested Premier League centre-half.
That tells you everything about his priorities.
The trouble is that the Premier League has moved on and is now a world away from Wenger's ideals.
Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea have all spent big and are in danger of leaving the rest behind.
It has all left Arsenal players wondering which direction the club is going in - as evidenced by some of the abject performances on the pitch at Old Trafford.
