Arsene Wenger was incredible the way he reinvented his Arsenal teams like Alex Ferguson rebuilt Manchester United sides – let’s hope he stays in the game

WHEN I played at Stoke City we had a fair few rumbles with Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal sides.

And the matches weren’t always pretty. To the extent that the Frenchman dubbed us a team that used “rugby tactics”.

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That didn’t bother me one bit. In a way it was a back-handed compliment.

If we’d never given his team any problems, he wouldn’t have said that.

We couldn’t compete with some of his teams in an artistic way so we used other methods.

And his teams were so easy on the eye. They played some lovely football.

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What he has done for Arsenal and the Premier League has been incredible. And to do it over such a long period of time too.

He was like Sir Alex Ferguson in that sense, able to recreate new teams time and again.

As a Manchester United fan, I loved watching those battles between Ferguson and Wenger. That was a superb rivalry.

If a manager leaves a club in a better state than he found it he has done a great job.

HIRE AND FIRE Arsenal board split on Wenger replacement with ex-Barcelona manager Luis Enrique in running alongside Patrick Vieira

And Wenger has certainly done that – with the new stadium, numerous titles and FA Cups.

Yes, he has not enjoyed the success of late that he did early in his Arsenal career but now is not the time for that.

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After careful consideration and following discussions with the club, I feel it is the right time for me to step down at the end of the season

Arsene WengerArsenal manager

Now is the time to reflect on what he did with the club as a whole.

Hats off to him. He has been a remarkable manager.

I hope he stays in the game and enjoys more success in the future.