London that night, the Deins took Wenger along to a friendâs dinner party where the unexpected guest endeared himself to everyone by the panache he brought to an after-dinner game of charades. At the time, his English was only passable, but he immediately impressed David Dein with his intelligence and the Arsenal vice-chairman made a mental note of the fact that here was a different species of football man. âOne for the future,â Dein recalls thinking.
Having a yacht moored at Antibes on the Côte dâAzur, just along the road from Monaco, Dein became an increasingly frequent spectator at the Stade Louis II, where the post-match tradition of dinner with the Monaco coach was inaugurated and his admiration subsequently increased by leaps and bounds. Dein was convinced that if ever the Arsenal leopard was going to change its spots, he had the answer in waiting.
Although the club did not announce that Arsène Wenger would be coming until some weeks into the 1996/97 season, it became the worst kept secret in football. Rioch was dismissed days before the first league match of the new season and Stewart Houston was once again asked to take charge until Wengerâs arrival. Houston then received an offer from Queens Park Rangers and jumped ship before the new number one arrived, ironically recruiting Bruce Rioch to assist him at Loftus Road in a reversal of their roles at Highbury (though apparently Houston couldnât rid himself of the habit of, from time to time, referring to Rioch as âBossâ).
Pat Rice took charge for the remaining matches until Wenger had completed his obligations to Grampus 8 in Japan. His first sight of his team in the flesh was their late September elimination from the UEFA Cup by Borussia Mönchengladbach in Germany. His first match in charge was a 2â0 victory away to Blackburn two and a half weeks on. By that time, Arsenal fans had already seen the debut of a young midfielder signed on Wengerâs recommendation before his arrival had been officially confirmed. (âI had to be quick because he was on the verge of signing for Ajax,â he recalls. âI intercepted him when he was in Holland.â) Probably only footballing francophiles were aware of the 20-year-old before he joined, but Patrick Vieiraâs evident talents indicated that the new boss certainly had an eye for a player.
CHAPTER THREE
A BREAK FROM THE PAST
On 12th October 1996 Arsenal took the field at Ewood Park to face Blackburn Rovers in an auspicious Premier League encounter. Auspicious because it marked Arsène Wengerâs first match as the manager of Arsenal Football Club. His starting line-up that Saturday afternoon consisted of nine Englishmen, a Welshman and a Frenchman. His five substitutes were all English.
Fast forward to Sunday lunchtime on 12th August 2007. Wenger is still in his post (the second longest serving Premier League manager after Alex Ferguson) and Arsenal are about to play their opening fixture of that seasonâs Premier League campaign, albeit in their very own 60,000-seater stadium a world away from Highbury in every sense apart from distance. The 11 starters are totally devoid of any British presence, although there is room for just one Englishman, Theo Walcott, to be squeezed onto the bench. (In fact, Arsenalâs use of foreigners is the highest by far of any club from the major European leagues.)
How did it come to this? One of the great clubs of English football unable to find a place in the team for anyone from the country in which they play? The search for an answer reveals how Arsène Wenger went about creating the modern Arsenal, one so far removed from the regime during the fading years of the George Graham era that only the red shirt with white sleeves would be recognisable to those who watched the team in the early 1990s. It is the story of how Arsène Wenger built three distinct Arsenal sides, assimilating past, present and future,
Having a yacht moored at Antibes on the Côte dâAzur, just along the road from Monaco, Dein became an increasingly frequent spectator at the Stade Louis II, where the post-match tradition of dinner with the Monaco coach was inaugurated and his admiration subsequently increased by leaps and bounds. Dein was convinced that if ever the Arsenal leopard was going to change its spots, he had the answer in waiting.
Although the club did not announce that Arsène Wenger would be coming until some weeks into the 1996/97 season, it became the worst kept secret in football. Rioch was dismissed days before the first league match of the new season and Stewart Houston was once again asked to take charge until Wengerâs arrival. Houston then received an offer from Queens Park Rangers and jumped ship before the new number one arrived, ironically recruiting Bruce Rioch to assist him at Loftus Road in a reversal of their roles at Highbury (though apparently Houston couldnât rid himself of the habit of, from time to time, referring to Rioch as âBossâ).
Pat Rice took charge for the remaining matches until Wenger had completed his obligations to Grampus 8 in Japan. His first sight of his team in the flesh was their late September elimination from the UEFA Cup by Borussia Mönchengladbach in Germany. His first match in charge was a 2â0 victory away to Blackburn two and a half weeks on. By that time, Arsenal fans had already seen the debut of a young midfielder signed on Wengerâs recommendation before his arrival had been officially confirmed. (âI had to be quick because he was on the verge of signing for Ajax,â he recalls. âI intercepted him when he was in Holland.â) Probably only footballing francophiles were aware of the 20-year-old before he joined, but Patrick Vieiraâs evident talents indicated that the new boss certainly had an eye for a player.
CHAPTER THREE
A BREAK FROM THE PAST
On 12th October 1996 Arsenal took the field at Ewood Park to face Blackburn Rovers in an auspicious Premier League encounter. Auspicious because it marked Arsène Wengerâs first match as the manager of Arsenal Football Club. His starting line-up that Saturday afternoon consisted of nine Englishmen, a Welshman and a Frenchman. His five substitutes were all English.
Fast forward to Sunday lunchtime on 12th August 2007. Wenger is still in his post (the second longest serving Premier League manager after Alex Ferguson) and Arsenal are about to play their opening fixture of that seasonâs Premier League campaign, albeit in their very own 60,000-seater stadium a world away from Highbury in every sense apart from distance. The 11 starters are totally devoid of any British presence, although there is room for just one Englishman, Theo Walcott, to be squeezed onto the bench. (In fact, Arsenalâs use of foreigners is the highest by far of any club from the major European leagues.)
How did it come to this? One of the great clubs of English football unable to find a place in the team for anyone from the country in which they play? The search for an answer reveals how Arsène Wenger went about creating the modern Arsenal, one so far removed from the regime during the fading years of the George Graham era that only the red shirt with white sleeves would be recognisable to those who watched the team in the early 1990s. It is the story of how Arsène Wenger built three distinct Arsenal sides, assimilating past, present and future,
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