Losing It

Arsene Wenger is the best manager in world football. If you doubt that for a moment, consider what would happen if he suggested that he might like a change of scenery. What he has achieved in the last ten years is far beyond the wildest dreams of the board of Arsenal Football Club when they appointed him, and he is universally respected and admired for his judgement, his intelligence, his loyalty and his dignity.

So what does it take for an articulate, sensitive and civilised man like that to lose it and remonstrate with an opposing manager in scenes that few could have anticipated? Those who know Arsene well appreciate that he hates losing with an intensity that is shared by Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho, but he has lost before without such an extreme reaction and it may well be that it was the injustice of Rob Styles’ failure to award Arsenal a penalty when Spector floored Hleb, coupled with the disappointing performance of some of his players, rather than anything the West Ham manager said or did, that snapped his patience.

It is quite possible that when he sits down quietly to contemplate his actions, he may do some with some regret. After all, Arsene will be well aware that Alan Pardew has had to contend with the pressure of a string of poor results and constant speculation about his job in the face of an expected takeover and in the circumstances the exuberance of his celebration of a last gasp winner in a most challenging game in which his side played well and his tactics were vindicated should be seen as understandable.