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Over the past decade, EPL has been witness to probably the greatest foreign manager in England, Arsene Wenger. Right from the time Arsene Wenger, with his huge glasses, first came to the Premier League to manage Arsenal FC in 1996 and disrupted Manchester United‘s dominance in England with immediate effect, the Premier League has been a roller-coaster ride for the supporters of Arsenal FC since then. His rivalry with Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson is highly celebrated. Both managers have taken some serious verbal jibes at each other over the years, some so catchy that they have become a part of football folklore in England. For instance, quite famously in May 2002, Sir Alex Ferguson took a pot shot at Wenger’s Premier League winning side saying,”They(Arsenal FC) are scrappers who rely on belligerence-we are the better team.” Ferguson’s rant was met with a cheeky, yet catchy reply from Wenger: “Everyone thinks they have the prettiest wife at home.”
In 2008, acclaimed Hollywood director, Christopher Nolan gripped the imagination of millions of Batman fans, by introducing to the world another gripping personality – ‘The Joker’ in his superhero classic movie ,’The Dark Knight’. However outrageous it may sound, I found a lot of similarities between Arsene Wenger and the Joker. How are they similar? Lets take a look!
“It’s Not About The Money, It’s About Sending A Message! ” ~ Joker
In an iconic scene in theDark Knight, the Joker burns a huge heap of cash notes saying that Gotham City deserved a better class of criminals. Well, it seems familiar doesn’t it? Arsene Wenger is quite frustratingly, a stubborn man who just wouldn’t spend money to buy star players at any cost! In fact, the highest transfer fee he has accepted in his entire career as manager of Arsenal FC was just 15 million pounds for Andrei Arshavin! It’s clear that just like the Joker, he too wants to give the EPL a better class of his own breed, in his case – managers. It’s just not about the money, is it?
“What Would I Do Without You? You And Me, We Are Destined To Do This Forever. You Complete Me!” ~ Joker
In an epic confrontation between Batman and Joker, the above dialogue takes place . Back in 2002, there was a huge talk about Wenger’s greatest rival, Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement. However, the Scot thought he still had a lot to give to the Red Devils and overturned his initial decision to retire and stayed on as Manchester United’s manager! In response to the whole situation, this is what Arsene Wenger had to say, “What would I do if Sir Alex wasn’t around? I would have no one to keep me on my toes and to fight! So of course I’m pleased he changed his mind. I enjoy our rivalry. It’s good for Arsenal, good for Manchester United and good for both of us.”
Eerily similar don’t you think.
“Can’t Rely On Anyone These Days, You Have To Do Everything Yourself!” ~Joker
This quote fits perfectly with the plight Wenger has had to face in times of key departures by players from the club. Thierry Henry left Arsenal to join FC Barcelona. The same route was taken by another Arsenal fan, Cesc fan favourite, Fabregas a few years later. Shortly after a few days, Samir Nasri was seen leaving his mentor club for Manchester City with title aspirations and money on his mind! And then if that wasn’t enough, Patrick Vieira- Arsenal’s former ‘captain fantastic’ joined Manchester City as Football Development Executive instead of contributing to the club where he spent the best times as a football player. With fresh rumours linking Robin van Persie with a summer move to the Etihad, Arsene Wenger will be left, feeling – “You really can’t rely on anyone these days!”
” Let’s Not Blow This Out Of Proportion”
Arsenal fans please forgive me for saying this, but somehow I visualize this scene in my head every season after Arsenal goes trophy-less. Is this the reason why Arsenal’s senior heads fail to sack Arsene Wenger? (Not that I want him to get sacked!) Could it be that Wenger scares the club’s senior executives by threatening to blow up the whole place?
The Villain Whom Everybody Loves
No this is not another quote by the Joker but the biggest similarity between the two men. Arsene Wenger has somehow turned out to be a ‘villain’ among a few Arsenal fans, thanks to his stubborn attitude regarding the style of play, spending money, sticking with youngsters no matter what, etc. etc. But one thing that you cannot deny, we all love him! We love his expressions in happiness and in sorrow, we love his ways, we love his attitude! Seriously, how many of you have supported Arsenal before Arsene Wenger took over or watched the ‘Dark Knight’ to watch anyone else but the Joker….think about it!
