Arsène Wenger Arsène Wenger Wenger during the first Champions Le semi-final leg match in 2009 again Manchester United Personal information Date of birth 22 October 1949 (a Place of birth Strasbourg , Fran Height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Playing position Midfielder [2] Club information Current team Arsenal (manag Youth career 1963–1969 FC Duttlenhei 1969–1973 Mutzig Senior career* Years Team App 1969–1973 Mutzig 1973–1975 Mulhouse 1975–1978 ASPV Strasbourg 1978–1981 RC Strasbourg Total Teams managed 1984–1987 Nancy-Lorrain 1987–1994 AS Monaco 1995–1996 Nagoya Grampus 1996– Arsenal * Senior club appearances and go counted for the domestic league o † Appearances (Goals). Arsène Wenger, OBE, (French pronunciation: [aʁsɛn vɛŋ(ɡ)ɛʁ] ; born 22 October 1949) is a French football manager and former player. He has been the manager of Arsenal since 1996, where he has since become the clubs longest- serving manager and most successful in terms of major titles won. Football pundits give Wenger credit for his contribution to the revolutionising of football in England in the late 1990s through the introduction of changes in the training and diet of players. Wenger was born in Strasbourg and raised in Duttlenheim . He was introduced to football by his father, the manager of the local village team. After a modest playing career, in which he made appearances for several amateur clubs, Wenger obtained a managers diploma in 1981. Following an unsuccessful period at Nancy which culminated in his dismissal in 1987, Wenger joined AS Monaco; the club won the league championship in 1988 . In 1991, Wenger guided Monaco to victory in the Coupe de France , but their failure to regain the league title in later seasons led to his departure from the club by mutual consent in 1994. He briefly coached Japanese J. League side Nagoya Grampus Eight , which won the Emperors Cup and Japanese Super Cup during his stint. In 1996, Wenger was named manager of Arsenal and two years later the club completed a league and FA Cup double. He led Arsenal to appearances in the 2000 UEFA Cup Final and 2001 FA Cup Final , and a second league and cup double in 2002. Arsenal retained the FA Cup in 2003 and a year later regained the league title, becoming the first club to go through an entire league season undefeated since Preston North End, 115 years previously. The team later eclipsed Nottingham Forest s record of 42 league matches unbeaten and went seven more matches before losing in October 2004. Arsenal made their first appearance in a Champions League final in 2006, though they lost to Barcelona . During his tenure, Arsenal moved to a new training centre and relocated to the Emirates Stadium in August 2006, after 93 years at Highbury. In March 2014, Wenger became the fourth manager in English football to oversee 1,000 matches with a single club. The nickname Le Professeur is used by fans and the British media to reflect Wengers studious demeanour. His approach to the game emphasises an attacking mentality, with the aim that football ought to be entertaining on the pitch. Wengers Arsenal teams are often criticised for their indiscipline; his players received 100 red cards between September 1996 and February 2014, though the team has won awards for sporting fair play. At Monaco, Wenger earned a reputation for spotting young talent, and he has remained focused on developing a youth system ; his clubs develop young players instead of buying expensive, experienced ones. Early life Wenger was born on 22 October 1949 in Strasbourg, Alsace , to Alphonse and Louise Wenger. Arsène was the third of their three children. He lived in Duppigheim during the 1950s, but spent most of his time in the neighbouring village of Duttlenheim, 10 miles south- west of Strasbourg. [3][4] Alphonse, like many Alsatians, was conscripted into the German army by force ( incorporé de force ) following the annexation of Alsace- Lorraine during the Second World War.[5] He was sent to fight on the Eastern Front in October 1944, at the age of 24. [5] The Wengers owned an automobile spare parts business and a bistro titled La croix dor .[6] It meant they had difficulty minding their children, but Duttlenheim was a village where everyone looked after the young; Wenger made a comparison in later years to a kibbutz.[6] Before Wenger started school at the age of six, he expressed himself in the local Alsatian dialect of Low Alemannic German .[7] The primary school where Wenger attended was run by the Catholic Church.[8] As one of their brightest students he later was accepted into a secondary school in Obernai .[9] According to his father, who also managed the village team, Wenger was introduced to football at about the age of six.[10] He was taken to games in Germany, where he held an affection for Borussia Mönchengladbach .[4] Alsace was an area steeped in religion; Wenger and the village boys often needed to seek permission from the Catholic priest to miss vespers (evening prayers) in order to play football. [11] Playing career Because the population of Duttlenheim was short in numbers, it proved difficult to field a team of 11 players of equal ages; Wenger did not play for FC Duttlenheim until the age of 12. [12] Claude Wenger, a team-mate of Arsène noted his lack of pace as a player. Marcel Brandner, president of FC Duttlenheim said Wenger had an ability to guard the ball ... he seemed to have a complete vision of the pitch and he certainly had an influence among his team-mates. [5] As a young teenager he was called Petit ; the nickname ceased when he had a growth spurt and broke into FC Duttlenheims first team, aged 16. [13] The team did not have a coach to prepare the players tactically, rather a person who supervised training sessions. [14] Wenger took it upon himself to manage the side – Claude recalled: Arsène wasnt the captain and yet he was. It was You do this, you do that, you do this you do that. He was the leader.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 07:31:15 +0000
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