The Wenger U Turn

28th August 2011. A day that every Arsenal supporter wants to erase from his or her memory. It was one of the darkest days in Arsenal history; the result of the game held on that day was Manchester United 8 Arsenal 2. The glaring scoreboard at Old Trafford was the final straw for many Arsenal supporters who demanded an immediate change in management. There was no doubt that they would have lost the game and even die hard gooners felt that however spirited their team was, 7 teenagers were not going to beat United at Old Trafford. The press berated Wenger, called him inveterate and stuck in his old ways. With all this tension engulfing the Emirates and with deadline day approaching, Wenger made an astounding decision. During the last two days of the trasfer window, 5 new players were brought in and surprisingly all above the age of 26. The surprise doesn't end there. A shocking statistic reveals that before 2011, Wenger had purchased only two players from the Premier League. This number became 4 on August 31st 2011. This leaves me wondering whether Arsene Wenger calls all the shots now since two days is quite a short time for such a massive change in mindset. My feeling is that the owner Stan Kroenke intervened in the decision making and forced certain transfers through. Now whether or not Wenger was completely or partially involved, its a very positive change from him and at last gooners can look forward to the new season with the hope of silverware.