cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
Anonymous User
Not applicable

Arsene Wenger’s ‘handbags at dawn’ with Jose Mourinho during yesterday’s game between Chelsea and Arsenal was not as surprising  as you might have thought. While the Portuguese gaffer may not be backwards in coming forwards with his somewhat antagonistic attitude towards other coaches, it is the Arsenal manager who has a list of previous indiscretions as long as one of his arms.

Here’s a history of fiesty contretemps courtesy of Le Professor…

Wenger and Ferguson go toe to toe.

Wenger v Fergie: Some 18 years ago, the unknown Frenchman came from the footballing backwaters of Japan to take over at Arsenal and turned the game inside out. Sir Alex Ferguson, the ‘Godfather’ of English football, did not take kindly to this ‘upstart’ with his modern ways and a battle for supremacy ensued. The fiesty nature of encounters between Man United and Arsenal are well documented, but it was in the game in which United ended the Gunners’ 49-game unbeaten run in the Autumn of 2004 that things got really tasty.

United had won the hotly disputed game 2-0 and Arsene Wenger was mad as hell. Legend has it that the Arsenal boss had been venting his fury at the ‘cheating’ antics of the United players to all and sundry in the tunnel immediately after the game. Allegedly, Fergie got wind of it and came out of the home dressing room to tell his rival that he was bang out of order, at which point the raging Wenger came charging over with fists cocked shouting: “and what are you going to do about it?!” It would be fair to say that the legendary Glaswegian made his excuses and left the scene pretty sharpish.

Rage Rating: 10/10

Wenger and Pardew in full handbag mode.

Wenger v Pardew: As recent history has shown, Alan Pardew is no shrinking violet and walks a fine line between passion and belligerence. A young manager with something to prove at West Ham, Pards didn’t give two figs for reputation and seemed to have an issue with Wenger’s preference for signing French players over English ones (oh the irony!). Anyway, in the raucous atmosphere of Upton Park in December 2006, the Hammers were holding their own against the big boys from North London.

The game was in its closing stages when Marlon Harewood scored the goal that would win the match and light the blue touch paper. Pardew proceeded to celebrated like a fan right under the nose of Wenger,  who took exception and retaliated by launching himself at the triumphalist West Ham boss. Before things could get out of hand, the fourth official got in the way and separated the two, but Wenger left East London pointless and seething.

Rage Rating: 9/10

jol.jpg

Wenger v Jol: Unlike recent games, the North London Derby used to be - in the words of Danny Dyer - ‘proper naughty’. One such encounter occurred in the Springtime of 2006, where Arsenal were hosting Spurs during their final season at Highbury Stadium. Although the red half of North London were on their way to the Champions League Final that year, they were having a bit of a nightmare in the League, in which trailed their Lilywhite rivals.

In the second half of a close fought game,  an Arsenal player had gone down injured in midfield but Spurs continued to play rather then doing the gentlemenly thing and kick the ball out. When the move subsequently ended with a Robbie Keane goal all hell broke loose. Predictably, Wenger ranted and raved about the perceived injustice of it all to the 4th official. Before you could say ‘calm down, calm down’,  the towering figure of Wenger strode over and put his face into the more ‘rounded’ features of his opposite number Martin Jol. Arsenal eventually equalised through Thierry Henry and the game ended in a draw, but Wenger had already won on points.

Rage Rating: 8/10