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Brown’s a dead ringer for Wenger
REGARDING your recent articles on the disappointing position of Arsenal, I could not help thinking of the remarkable similarities between Arsene Wenger and Gordon Brown.
One is, of course, leading a football club, the other a country. But from a management style point of view, they are of the same cloth. Both have been in their respective positions for a long time – if you equate being chancellor as almost the same as Prime Minister – and both have had considerable success, but some years ago.
Perhaps, most revealingly, as practising managers both suffer from three very damaging handicaps to their effectiveness.
Both whinge a lot and blame their current misfortunes on others; referees and bullying opponents on the one hand and bankers and Tony Blair on the other.
Both are pathologically unable to accept that they have made mistakes and neither can accept constructive criticism or advice.
They both also have a worrying belief that they are always right.
Intriguingly they also may be about to suffer the same fate in 2010. For Brown it is facing the electorate at a general election, while for Wenger it is the Arsenal board with a larger overseas ownership. Both the electorate and the Arsenal board want success.
So will it be the chop for both? And will this have been brought about largely by their similar failings in managerial style?
CHRIS BULFORD, N1
Gooners, they think it’s all over
AT last, silence from Richard Osley. With your beloved Arsenal torn asunder by Man United, you couldn’t bring yourself to write your usual arrogant Crow column about the Gooners.
Left the field to Pip Wroe, eh Richard? We will accept no excuses about being at the match, as with the game being all but over after 11 minutes you could easily have joined the rest of the Arsenal fans who walked out with half an hour to go. That gave you plenty of time to send your copy in.
JAMES HENNESSY, NW6
Where were you Mr Pip?
I WAS amused to read Pip Wroe’s column about Arsenal’s Champions League defeat to Man United.
The main thrust of it: how dare those spoilt Gooners leave early when they are 4-0 down on aggregate at home and their season’s hopes are up in smoke.
Erm, excuse me for pointing it out Mr Wroe, but cast your mind back to the evening of October 29 last year.
The same venue, and Arsenal are leading top-four Tottenham 4-2 with 88 minutes gone. The impossible happens and Spurs come back and snatch a 4-4 draw.
Meanwhile most Tottenham fans have streamed out of the ground, and their end of the ground is no more than a third full as their fourth goal goes in.
I doubt Mr Wroe was there. Well, certainly not at the end of the game, just like most of their fans.
MICHAEL HAMILTON, NW5 |
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