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English Football Legends Series

Renowned for the attractive, attacking brand of football he advocates, Arsene Wenger is widely regarded as one of the world's best coaches, and is the most successful manager in the history of Arsenal FC.

Arsene Wenger

Clubs Managed:
Nancy, Monaco, Grampus Eight, Arsenal

Honours:
Premier League, 3
FA Cup, 4
Ligue 1, 1
French Cup, 1

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* League appearances and goals only

Early career

Wenger enjoyed a modest playing career as a defender at, first ASPV Strasbourg, and then RC Strasbourg.

While at RC in 1981, he obtained a manager's diploma and was appointed coach of the club's youth team.

In 1983, he moved to Cannes as assistant manager, and got his first management job at Nancy a year later.

He enjoyed little success at Nancy, and during his third season in charge the club were relegated to Ligue 2.

Monaco

In 1987, he moved to Monaco, where he won the Ligue 1 title in his first season.

It was during this spell that Arsene Wenger developed a reputation as a football purist. This of course was helped by being at a club that had the resources to attract the likes of Glenn Hoddle, George Weah and Jurgen Klinsmann.

In 1994, Wenger was shortlisted for the managerial role at Bayern Munich, but Monaco's board refused the Germans permission to interview him. A few weeks later, after the Bayern post was filled, Wenger was released from his Monaco contract.

Nogoya Grampus Eight

He moved next to Japan, where he had a successful 18-month spell as manager of J. League side Nagoya Grampus Eight.

Wenger arrived in Japan with the team in the bottom three, and managed to take them to a second place finish. That first season he also won the Emperor's Cup - Japan's national cup competition.

He was J. League Manager of the Year in 1995, and in 1996 led Grampas Eight to the J. League title.

Arsenal

Wenger had in the meantime become a friend of Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein, and when Bruce Rioch was sacked in August 1996, Arsenal offered him the job.

His appointment at Highbury was confirmed on 28 September 1996, and he officially took over on 1 October.

Arsene Wenger was a virtual unknown in the UK at the time, and his appointment caused quite a stir, The Evening Standard memorably leading with the headline 'Arsene Who?'

At Arsenal, Wenger found a more than useful squad, especially in defense, where the famed back four of Adams, Keown, Dixon and Winterburn, was in place.

He added a number of his own signings, including Patrick Vieira, Emmanuel Petit, Marc Overmars, and teenage striker Nicolas Anelka.

Wenger also reformed the training and dietary regimes, ridding the club of a drink and junk-food culture.

His first match was a 2-0 away victory over Blackburn Rovers on 12 October 1996. Arsenal finished third in Wenger's first season, missing out on a Champions league slot on goal difference.

The Double

The following season (1997/98), Arsenal made up a 12-point deficit to overhaul Manchester United in the Premier League. They then beat Newcastle United 2-0 in the FA Cup final, to complete the second Double in the club's history.

The next few campaigns were less successful for the Gunners as they had to endure a number of near misses.

In 1998/99, they lost the Premier League title to Manchester United by a single point and were also eliminated by United in the FA Cup semi-final.

The next season they lost the UEFA Cup final on penalties to Galatasaray, and in 2001 they were beaten 2-1 by Liverpool in the FA Cup final.

After this defeat Wenger resolved to strengthen his squad, and brought in a number of new recruits, including Freddie Ljungberg, Robert Pires, and Thierry Henry

There was also the controversial signing of out-of-contract former Tottenham captain, Sol Campbell.

Despite the signing of Campbell, there was criticism of Wenger's preference for signing French based players.

Second Double

However, the new signings provided the impetus Arsenal needed to propel them to a second title under Arsene Wenger, made that much sweeter because it was secured at Old Trafford, in the second last game of season.

In the FA Cup, Arsenal progressed to the final, where they beat Chelsea 2-0 to once again complete the double.

Arsenal made a strong start to the 2002/03 season, but lost form in the title run-in and conceded the title to Manchester United. They were able to retain the FA Cup though, beating Southampton 1-0 at the Millennium Stadium.

The Invincibles

2003/04 was a historic season in English Football, as Arsene Wenger's Arsenal completed their entire 38-game roster without losing a game, becoming the first top-flight team to manage the feat since Preston North End in 1888/89.

Arsenal took that unbeaten run into the next season and extended it to a record 49 league games before a 2-0 defeat at Manchester United in October 2004.

The game is also remembered for the infamous "Pizzagate" incident when members of the Arsenal side allegedly threw food at United players and officials, including Sir Alex Ferguson, in the tunnel after the match.

Following defeat to United, Arsenal were knocked off the top of the table by Chelsea, and the Blues cantered to the title, with Arsenal second.

They found some consolation in the FA Cup, beating Man United on penalties after a scoreless 120 minutes.

However, after that FA Cup win the trophy haul dried up for Wenger.

By their standards, Arsenal had a poor league campaign in 2005/06, finishing fourth. They did however reach the Champions League final, where the faced Barcelona.

The game got off to the worst possible start for the Gunners when keeper Jens Lehman was sent off after just 18 minutes. Arsenal still took the lead, but eventually lost the game 2-1.

In 2006/07, they again finishing fourth, and lost another final, this time in the League Cup, where Chelsea beat them 2-1.

They reached the semi-final of the 2008/09 Champions league but were comprehensively beaten 4-1 on aggregate by Man United.

Then in the 2009/2010 Premier League campaign they looked capable of mounting a challenge, but once again lost momentum.

Throughout this trophy-less period, Arsene Wenger maintained steadfastly to his philosophy of playing entertaining, attacking football, although his teams have often been criticised for lack of a killer instinct.

He also received criticism in the media for his failure to strengthen his side in key areas, notably goalkeeper and in central defense.

Despite this though, the Arsenal fans remain firmly behind their man.

Supporters regularly display banners claiming "Arsene knows" and "In Arsene we trust" at the Emirates, where they believe its only a matter of time before Wenger again leads them to silverware.

And he will have done it on his own terms.

Honours

Arsene Wenger was awarded France's highest decoration, the Legion d'Honneur, in 2002.

In 2003, he received an honorary OBE for services to British football in the Queen's Birthday Honours List.

Wenger was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2006, recognizing his achievements as a manager in the English game.

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