Features
Feature: Royal accolade for a man of honour
By Jason Hogan
Jun 15, 2003, 8:52am

A couple of weeks ago I was reading the old current bun when I saw a piece that claimed that Arsene Wenger will be awarded an honorary OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

Knowing the usually phlegmatic manner of “Le Boss”, the chances are that his immediate reaction to the award was far more understated than mine.

I was really chuffed for Wenger and when I think about it, the award of an OBE is pretty apt one. Whilst he will officially become an honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire, I’m sure that many a fellow Gooner would agree if I was to describe him as an Organiser of the Biggest Evolution that Arsenal Football Club has seen perhaps (if anything) since the days of Herbert Chapman in the 30’s.

Think about it. When Wenger came into Highbury, he inherited a relatively average side and, in the eyes of the press and the media, a supposedly ageing back four that was past it’s sell by date. It would have been easy for him to be influenced by the press and media over here. Instead, he consulted people within the club who told him, in no uncertain terms, not to tamper with the back four.

The fact that Wenger decided to concur with the views of those inside the Marble Halls proved to be an inspired decision because (as wells as Seaman and Keown), Messrs Adams, Bould, Winterburn, Dixon helped the Gunners to their first title in seven years. They then helped the Gunners go on to win their first domestic Double for 27 years.

From that moment, Wenger had carved his name permanently in the annals of English Football folklore. In just one full season, Wenger became not only the first manager born outside the British Isles to win the title he became the first non-British manager to ever win the Double. Sensational can only be the word to describe that – in anyone’s language.

Of course, it wasn’t just the fact that Wenger managed to win the Double that was eye opening, it was the manner in which it was achieved that made people sit up and take notice.

I don’t really need to tell you all that the style of football Arsenal played under Wenger’s predecessors rarely evoked any wide critical acclaim but that all changed under Wenger.

In that 1998 double winning season, no moment captured the essence of the newly evolved footballing philosophy Wenger had instilled more than when Tony Adams burst through on to a pass from Steve Bould in the final league match against Everton to smash home an unstoppable volley. The thought of that sort of thing happening in the George Graham era would almost have been absurd.

Despite the initial impact Wenger had made and the general excellence of the football that Arsenal have played ever since, four years had somehow flown by without the Gunners gaining any silverware. That all changed, of course, in 2002.

By this time some of the old guard had moved on. The likes of Nigel Winterburn, Steve Bould and Ian Wright had gone, whilst other influential players from the 1998 side like Overmars, Petit and Anelka had also moved on to pastures new.

In had come the likes of Sylvain Wiltord, Robert Pires and Thierry Henry. Whilst those three made huge contributions it was Freddie Ljungberg who became the talisman-like figure when it came down to the business end of the 2002 season. The Swede had been signed by Wenger back in the summer of 1998 for £3 million and not only did he repay his investment with interest, he became a genuine folk hero to the faithful at Highbury in the process.

Above all, Wenger proved that he was not only capable of reinventing his side but taking into account the records that his side broke in that season, creating a side that has arguably surpassed what was achieved by many of the great teams Arsenal had in the past.

Sadly this year, when in a position to repeat the achievements of 1998 and 2002, Arsenal just fell short though we did manage to become the first team in 20 years to retain the FA Cup.

Deep down, I’m sure Wenger knows exactly where things went wrong but would you rule out the possibility of Wenger putting Arsenal back where they belong next season? I wouldn’t.

People are questioning his loyalty to Arsenal but even in times when his trust has been slightly misplaced and when things have not quite gone the way they should, you only have to ask any of the players who have worked with him to know that he is a man of honour.

He knows that there is a lot of unfinished business to deal with at the club. For example, he has always said that winning the Champions League with Arsenal would mean more than winning it with Real Madrid or Bayern Munich.

If he ever managed to do that with Arsenal, then it’s highly likely that his impending appointment with the Queen will not be his last.

© Copyright 2001 Boring Boring Arsenal, all rights reserved