Wenger Arsene. - The Official Arsenal Opus

Published by Opus

INTRODUCTION

Being manager of Arsenal is like a marriage. It just becomes part of your life. You dont imagine yourself anywhere else. In the first years you think: Will it work? But after a while, it just becomes like your family. Thats what Arsenal is to me now.

Arsenal is an amazing mixture of traditional values and yet the Club has had the courage to move into the modern world. It is a Club of tradition, of values, of conservative spirit. But if you look at the actions it has taken, it is one of the boldest clubs in England. It has made amazing decisions, appointing me being one of them. Also the building of Emirates Stadium, the establishment of the training ground at a time when it was not so obvious. Arsenal Football Club is a wonderful mixture of style, tradition and modernity.

People say I have changed Arsenal, but the Club has also transformed me. I used to want to be successful personally; now I want the Club to do well: not for myself, but for the Club itself. It has made me less self-absorbed. I feel like the head of a family.

Yet it has not made me any less passionate. More. The sense of responsibility is more now because expectations are very high. When I first came here I was not conscious of what Arsenal Football Club really represented. Now, when I see the enormous number of people who want this Club to do well, who are sad when we dont do well, I am much more conscious of my responsibility.

My hope for the future is that this young team, on the verge of growing together, fulfils my ambition to become the best in England. We want to win the Premiership again and we know we can win in Europe because we have already been in the Champions League Final. In fact, my ambition is to win the Premiership, again, and the Champions League. Preferably in the same season. And preferably as soon as possible.

I am first for stability. We have had some difficult moments as we have adapted to the new stadium, but it is all part of the growing process. In football, you go through periods when it is a little less easy. We have had some exceptional moments, we have had some disappointing moments. But we showed the mental strength of the team, and we will take that forward as motivation for all the seasons to come.

The Premiership has changed very much since I first arrived. I am very proud that I helped a little bit to contribute to that. I am very proud to be part of the most admired football in the world. People may not realise how popular Arsenal are all over the world. We have built fantastic credibility, but, of course, that only lasts with consistent performances and that is always our target.

I am always excited by building a new team and building new success. My energy level never dwindles. It might one day, but not at the moment. I work hard to be extremely fit. I live like a football player. Maybe even better. I would not be in discos at night. It is compulsory if you want to have a consistent level of motivation and performance. Every day you have to have the energy to respond to all the problems you meet. You need to live like a guy who prepares for a marathon on Saturday.

This job is a massive marathon and demands physical and mental strengths. You can only achieve that if you live a really dedicated and serious life. What refreshes me mentally is my love for the game. I love to be out in nature, on a good pitch, watching the players. There is no better stress cure than that. Sometimes I like reading books, but not much. It is watching football that gives me most pleasure.

This life is beautiful because it is not predictable. What was predictable was that my passion for football could lead me anywhere in the world. I was ready to go anywhere. It amazes me when I think back now, but from a very young age maybe seven or eight I knew I would not live in my village. I always felt myself that I would have an international life. I would go anywhere to visit the world. Thats my character. I wanted to travel, to learn languages, to see other people. I felt my destiny very early was to have a life full of adventures.

I feel I have an affinity with our fans. From the start, they supported me. They were always behind me. There was a special relationship. This showed their amazing courage because they had never heard of me before, and I was French. Sometimes relationships just work.

They understand my feelings, which sometimes I demonstrate on the pitch. I can say now that I am determined to keep my emotions under control, but I cannot guarantee that. I feel that the team is ready to deliver. But when you feel that the team is under threat you become a little bit more nervous. It is difficult. Passion has to be part of the game. If you sit there and dont say a word, people say: Look, he doesnt care. When you come out and want to win, people say: Look, he is too nervous, he should keep every word under control.

Yet I think people in this country understand. It is the character of the nation. You say England, I say passion. You say Germany, I say determination. You say French, I say subtlety. You say Spain, I say pride. So England for me is passion. Its a country of football and music. I think thats what I have in common with the fans.

Football is a sport where you live in the present. But dont think I will ever forget Highbury it will forever be in my heart. It was like my home, my garden. It is 10 years of my life. Exceptional years. And the exceptional soul of that stadium will never leave me.

The last match at Highbury produced high drama on an emotional day for Arsenal supporters, and it was a fitting way to end 93 years of football at the stadium

At the end, there were just a few of us left. Dennis Bergkamp was one of them, in a seat in his box at the Clock End. Silently staring out at a scene he would never see again. The rest were sitting in ones and twos around the stadium, little matchstick figures, drinking deep of the special atmosphere one final, nostalgic, time. Remembering. Last relics of all the crowds down the years, 1913-2006, who had filled the terraces and the seats at Highbury, a stadium, a cathedral, a theatre and our home.