Imagine Starting a job. You are not very experienced at the job. And you are in training. It is a part time role so you work a second job alongside it.
After your training, you are ready to move on to the next level. A promotion of sorts. Another 2 years of training. But this time you have to go full time.
You knock on your managers door, go in, ask him if you can remain part time, as you do not want to give up your second job. This despite your first job needing full time commitment. What will you boss say? Probably tell you to F off.
And that is what has happened with Thierry Henry.
He is in training to become a fully qualified coach. Arsenal and Arsene have supported him so far. But the next stage needed some commitment from Henry. It needed Henry to give up his job at Sky. To show that he was fully committed to the under 18 team and to be a full time coach.
Henry turned it down. He wanted to change the terms. And Wenger did the right thing not bowing down to his demands.
This morning the club will get a lot of criticism from fans who just do not really understand. They will read an inflammatory, borderline libellous article by The Telegraph.
I will come onto the article in a bit.
But I fully support Arsenal’s stance on the matter.
https://twitter.com/MJ_Boh_/status/752750820689575936
And that is what Henry is doing. Treating coaching like a hobby. Something to do with his spare time. Something to keep him relevant perhaps? Does he really want to become a coach? A manager? If he did, show the commitment, leave Sky. Take up a full time position.
Instead he wants to split the two.
So what happens on a mid week game? Or a Champions League game (do they still have the Champions League?) where Henry would be missing from training 2 days a week.
And what happens when a game clashes with his Sky duties. What takes precedent? Clearly he has indicated Sky does. So Henry does not turn up for the game. At the extreme, imagine if Arsene Wenger had a job with French TV, so was unable to be on the touchline for games?
Henry offered to be assistant to Kwame Ampadu. Again, the extreme, imagine if Steve Bould was unable to be on the touchline for Saturday evening games as he had to work his second job in a Weatherpoons in Stoke?
It happens at all levels of football.
One of my work colleagues daughter plays football (she is about 13). Her sides manager was relieved of his duties over the summer. The reason being was that his daughter had been recruited by a better club, and, understandably, he wants to watch her play. This meant he could not be there on the touchline on game day. He offered to coach the girls twice a week, mid-week, but on a Saturday he would not be anywhere to be seen.
This was deemed unacceptable by the parents of the other children. They did not want a part time coach. They did not want someone who was not fully committed to their girls. And he was told he would not be managing the girls next season.
As for The Telegraph article. It is a load of Bull. Where to start.
“Sources around Arsenal believe Wenger does not want anybody at the club’s London Colney training ground who may be prepared to challenge him or be seen as a possible threat to his position in the future.”
Who is your source? Where is your quote? Or is your source Twitter rumours?
“Vieira was not allowed a senior role at Arsenal under Wenger even though he did not have any other commitments…Vieira accepted a youth development role at Manchester City.”
Again, another miss truth. Patrick Vieira was a Manchester City player when he was encouraged to retire with a year left on his contract. He took a job at Manchester City on the same terms as his player contract. Something that Arsenal would have been ludicrous to match.
“It is still a source of embarrassment to many people who work at Arsenal that Vieira has played a key role in City becoming a fierce rival of the Gunners.”
Is it really? Who is your source? Where is your quote? Or is your source Twitter rumours?
“Wenger stalled over how he could fit Arteta into his staff, allowing Guardiola to make him a first-team coach.”
This is the first I have heard of this. From what it looked like, Arteta had worked under Wenger for 5 years, and wanted to continue his development under a different manager, to make himself a more rounded coach.
It was only natural that Guardiola would be his choice. A great coach, like Wenger, and Guardiola needed someone in his set up who he has known for 2 decades and knows the English game. It was not a case of Arsenal rejecting Arteta, but Arteta moving to continue his development.
“Bergkamp turned down an offer to scout.”
Anyone who has read Dennis Bergkamp’s autobiography will know that once his playing days were over, he planned to return to Ajax to coach. His beyond club whom he joined at 11 years old. To continue the work of his idol, Johan Cruyff. Are we really criticising Arsene Wenger or Arsenal for a player wanting to return home?
“…Overmars also went back to Holland.”
So another former Ajax player went home to coach Ajax. Overmars spent 5 years at the Dutch club. He spent 3 at Arsenal before forcing through a move to Barcelona. Did Overmars reject us? Did we reject him? Or was there simply no interest from either party?
It feels at this point they are trying to fill out an article by searching for players who are coaching at other clubs who were not offered a job by Arsene Wenger.
Steve Bruce never coached at Manchester United. Neither did Bryan Robson. Or Roy Keane. Or Paul Ince. Was an article ever written about Sir Alex Ferguson not giving a chance to former players?
Ryan Giggs and Manchester United have just parted ways. Where is the articles slamming Jose Mourinho for letting a club legend leave?
It is starting to feel like an agenda.
“Wenger has allowed a number of his old players back to Arsenal in temporary roles and working with the junior teams, but only former defender Steve Bould has managed to hold down a long-term position in his backroom staff.”
A great player does not make a great coach. That is fact. Look at Tony Adams as an example.
There are many former players currently in the club set up. One is Ryan Garry.
Garry is a former academy graduate who was forced to retire at 27 due to a knee injury. He is currently the clubs under-13 head coach. He is well thought of within the club. Working his way up. Showing commitment. Doing his badges.
Garry is a perfect example of a player who has had an average career, but could go on to be a top manager. And he is a former player.
Arsenal wanted commitment from Henry. Henry did not show that commitment to the club. Henry is not bigger than Arsenal, and he has now learnt that.
I will leave the last words to friend of the site @AFC_Glen:
Keenos
Follow @KeenosAFC
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