Arsenal update: Has Arsene Wenger lost the support of Arsenal fans?

So does Arsene still know? After seven trophy-less seasons and the exodus of many of the team’s highest profile players many Gunners fans aren’t so sure.

The Daily Mirror reports that a group of Arsenal fans think it is time for Wenger to change his approach or leave the club. In fact nearly 50% of them want him to go now.

The survey was undertaken by the Black Scarf Movement who have been active in the last few months in expressing their dissatisfaction with both the board and the manager, so those figures, while not too shocking, are actually probably fairly unrepresentative of Arsenal supporters as a whole.

Raj Patel, of the group told the Mirror: “We are not an anti-Wenger group, but we are responsible for what our fans want and what they are thinking.

“The overwhelming thing for us is that the percentage of fans who want a change of board is in the 90s and the same goes for those who want [share-holder] Alisher Usmanov to have a place on the board.

“Our members, from this survey, clearly feel that the current board is achieving financial stability without being able to compete on the pitch – football is all about what you do on the pitch.”

The survey can be seen here

Even if they aren’t necessarily paid up of members of the ‘Arsene Go’ club there is clearly a huge amount of dissatisfaction among the fan at the way the club is being run.

As an Arsenal fan at the moment I see a club lurching from crisis to another with a manager who has a nasty habit of saying things that enrage the Arsenal fans.

Van Persie slip

The latest slip is in The Sun and concerns the incredible form of the Emirates’ favourite Robin Van Persie.

Wenger said.

“It is painful to see Manchester United so far in front of us.”

“You know when you sell Robin van Persie to United that will be the case. He is one of the best strikers in the world and you know he will score goals. He got 30 for us in the league last year.”

These sound like the words of a man who had nothing to do with the sale of the player six months ago to one of Arsenal’s direct rivals. Had Arsenal held Van Persie to his contract, or sold the player to a club out side the Premiership then United would not be that far ahead of Arsenal. Of course the club would be £22 million worse off but…

Also painful is the protracted contract negotiations with Theo Walcott. I know these things can take time, but the team really should have had this wrapped up prior to the transfer window. If Walcott does decide to leave then Arsenal will need some reinforcements and quick and a last minute scramble – like the undignified mess of August 2011 – would be a nightmare.

Then there’s the lack of activity in the transfer market. Arsenal have a fixture run in January which is going to stretch their resources, and yet while our rivals have strengthened their squads, Arsenal seem a long way away from buying the striker, defensive midfielder and left back they so desperately need.

To cap it all The Sun has a story about how the Arsenal 2013 diary features one Robin Van Persie. Ok it is a small thing, but it seems to reflect the chaos that engulfing the club.

Things may be calm and ordered at The Emirates and we might even go on to finish third and scrape a trophy or two (but I don’t really believe that either), but that isn’t the impression of the way things are the moment.

Personally I think, along with probably the majority of Arsenal fans, that Arsene has half a season to sort things out. If Arsenal don’t qualify for the Champions League at the very least, then it might be time to have a re-think, and that may or may not include Arsene at the helm.