Are the Arsenal board right to back Arsene Wenger?

Arsenal have made their worse start to a league campaign in 29 years.

There is no hiding the fact that Arsenal are struggling in this season and morale is low at the Emirates Stadium. Even the bookies are losing faith, with Arsenal now placed below Tottenham and Liverpool in football betting for a Top 4 finish.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is now coming under the greatest pressure he ever has in club management.

Wrong

Everything about Arsenal is wrong at the moment and everything that can go wrong has gone wrong in North London. Despite everything that has happened Gunners Chief Executive Ivan Gazidis has came out and backed the boss.

Asked if chairman Stan Kroenke was set to sack Wenger, Gazidis told Sky Sports News: “No, he shouldn’t be worried. What I think Arsene is concerned about is what we have to do to set our course straight on the pitch.

“Arsene and Stan and I have been working very closely together, there is no division between us, and there is a collective responsibility for what happens at the club.

“Arsene has been an incredible manager for this club, he is one of the most in-demand managers in the world, and we are very fortunate to have him tied down to a long-term contract. We are lucky to have someone who cares about the responsible development of the club.

“ Obviously in sport you always have ups and downs and the important thing is to keep focused on what we have to do and make sure we take the steps to turn around this season, but also that Arsenal can stay, as it has for the last 14 years, at the top of the game. We can then look ahead to next year and five to 10 years from now. I am convinced that we have a really solid platform to do that”

Confidence

At any other club it would be a bad sign getting the dreaded vote of confidence. However it seems that Gazidis believes in what he is saying. The question is how long can the Arsenal board back the Frenchman while the team are struggling so badly in the Premier League?

Early

Its still very early in the season and Arsenal still have time to turn it around and attempt to claim a European place. However what if the club are still struggling after 10 games or 20? Will the Gunners board still be backing Wenger?

Legend

Arsene Wenger is an Arsenal legend. He has done wonders for the club that’s why he is currently receiving such backing. The fact he has done so much for the club has bought him some time. A lot of other clubs would have sacked Wenger by now but not every club is as well run as Arsenal.

Wenger has played a key role in helping the club progress as a whole. That is why it will be so hard for the Arsenal board to get rid of the Frenchman.

Capable

Arsene Wenger has not become a bad manager or coach overnight. He might be really stubborn and set in his ways. He is still a top boss though. The players at his disposal are just not as good as the ones he’s previously had. Some might say that its his fault because he’s bought those players in.

However, at the moment Arsenal can’t compete financially with the likes of Chelsea and the two Manchester clubs. Yet they are expected to compete with the best. When the Gunners signed Mikel Arteta from Everton he apparently had to take a wage cut to join.

The fact that Arsenal are paying lower wages than Everton says it all about what is going on at the club. Everton are struggling financially and yet can pay higher wages than the Gunners.

Board

I believe some of the blame for the Arsenal strugglers should be laid at the door of the current Gunners board. I am one of the growing number of people who think that David Dein is sorely missed at Arsenal behind the scenes.

Dein was the person behind the scenes that allowed Wenger to do his job to the best of his ability. Dein was always there to offer Wenger support. As far as I know there isn’t anybody on the current Arsenal board who offers the Frenchman the same support.

Recovery

I have no doubts that Wenger will turn the situation around. However the Gunners fans may need to drop their expectations for awhile, as Wenger doesn’t currently have the team or backing to challenge for the Premier League title.

Is Arsene Wenger completely to blame for Arsenal’s current predicament?