END OF AN ERA
Arsenal legends reflect on Arsene Wenger’s epic reign and wonder if his time is nigh
Alan Smith says 'it has got stale...I don't think Wenger is happy,' while Thierry Henry insists: '12 years without a title isn't right'
ARSENAL legend Alan Smith claims Arsene Wenger’s 20-year reign must end because the club has become “stale”.
Manager Wenger is under increasing pressure from some hostile fans to quit the Emirates at the end of the season.
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And Smith, who won five major trophies under former boss George Graham in the late 1980s and early 90s, totally agrees.
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Smith, 54, said: “I think we have reached the end of a natural cycle.
“There is an increasing number of fans who aren’t happy — and I don’t think Wenger is happy.
“Everyone needs to feel loved and valued and at the moment that isn’t the case.
“It’s bound to wear you down. It’s probably time for change.
“Now it is time for the club to look towards a different manager.
“The same voice for 20 years is an awfully long time.
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“It has got stale here, there is no doubt about it. You may have to be prepared to take one step back to take two steps forward.
“But the club’s owner Stan Kroenke seems fairly happy with just qualifying for the Champions League every year.”
Wenger, 67, has won three Premier League titles and six FA Cups since taking over in October 1996 and masterminded the move from Highbury to the plush 60,000-seater Emirates stadium.
But the Londoners have not been crowned champions since the famous 2003-04 Invincibles.
Calls for the Frenchman to go intensified after successive defeats to Watford and Chelsea all but ended their title dreams for another season.
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Wenger’s contract is up at the end of the season and he has refused to confirm whether or not he will sign a new one.
And Smudge, who scored 115 goals in 347 games for the Gunners, told Sky Sports: “The offer of a two-year contract is on the table but I wouldn’t be surprised if he decided to go.
“The argument is look at what happened to Manchester United when Sir Alex Ferguson left after 26 years.
“Arsene does wield an amazing amount of power here.
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“But more and more fans are getting pretty fed up — and they pay a lot of money to turn up here.”
However, fellow Arsenal legend Thierry Henry insists the players have to take their share of the blame.
The unconvincing 2-0 victory over Hull merely papered over the cracks.
And former Arsenal striker Henry, 39, said: “The way Arsene managed this club has been amazing, unreal, second to none.
“But we are talking about right now.
“Twelve years without winning the league doesn’t look right for a club like Arsenal.”
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Henry, who was a member of the title-winning Invincibles, insists if Wenger does stand down, there should be a place for him upstairs or on the club’s board.
The SunSport columnist told : “Arsene has a contract in front of him And I think he needs to be at the club forever.
“But the players need to show up. The team has quality but the players need to perform in every minute of every game. It is a mental problem they are having at the moment.
“And Arsene has to go out of his way to address this.
“He is a hell of a coach but he won’t be in your face.
“You can be the best chef in the world but if you don’t bring the ingredients, how can you cook?”
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The comments from Smith and Henry come after fellow Gooners hero Ian Wright claimed Wenger had told him he is ready to leave.
Wrighty spoke to the Frenchman at an Emirates corporate event on Thursday and said: “He actually mentioned it’s coming to the end. I’ve never heard him say that. I get the impression that’s it.”
And Martin Keown, a member of Arsenal’s famed defence that Wenger inherited, said: “Ian Wright is a reasonably good judge of where Arsene Wenger is.
“If Arsenal do exit the FA Cup to Sutton and don’t make it into the Champions League, then there’s only one way for Arsene Wenger to go and that’s out of the club.
“When he goes is a huge decision for the football club.
“He won’t let go lightly but all great leaders know when it’s time to leave. Arsene Wenger is now coming to his time.
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