There is something sad about a great man's decline. Arsène Wenger deserves better than to watch his first-team players labour to defeat against the fourth best team in League Two. Wenger revolutionised English football when he joined Arsenal in 1996. Johan Cruyff had been the favourite for the job and not many were impressed by the club's appointment.
The Evening Standard ran the headline "Arsène Who?" to greet the new Arsenal manager and even Tony Adams was sceptical: "At first, I thought: What does this Frenchman know about football? He wears glasses and looks more like a schoolteacher. He's not going to be as good as George Graham. Does he even speak English properly?"
Lee Dixon was equally uninspired: "He arrived unnoticed at the training ground. A meeting was called, the players filed in and in front of us stood this tall, slightly-built man who gave no impression whatsoever of being a football manager."
Wenger gave little impression of being a football manager, but he proved everyone wrong. The players, fans and press were won round by his ideas and results. His teams played beautiful football, he produced the Invincibles and took Arsenal to the Champions League final in 2006.
But this all feels like history. Arsenal have not won a trophy since they scraped their way into a penalty shootout in the 2005 FA Cup final. Wenger's team were awful that day. They had one shot on target in 120 minutes of football. But Manchester United couldn't score and Arsenal held on for the lottery of penalties. Paul Scholes missed his kick and Arsenal won the trophy.
Things have gone downhill in the past seven years. The rising costs of season tickets and the extended period of time without a trophy has angered fans. Arsenal's defeat to Birmingham City in the 2011 League Cup final was a turning point for some Wenger loyalists. That day could have been a chance to turn things around, but now he has hit a new low in the same competition.
Wenger says Tuesday night's defeat to Bradford City cannot be considered an embarrassment as his player "gave everything". Is such a lack of ambition wanted at Arsenal or should Wenger move on?
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