Frenchman says managers forced to gamble on players' off-pitch antics...
1 Nov 2009
By Edward Pearce
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has spoken about the risks managers face when recruiting talented but temperamental players in a fiercely competitive market.
Marlon King's conviction for assaulting a woman in a nightclub and subsequent sacking by Wigan Athletic has once again highlighted the need for players to show discipline on and off the pitch, especially away from the gaze of their managers.
Alex Ferguson was once famous for driving round his players' homes to check up on their partying, but Wenger admitted that it can be difficult to gauge a player's social habits, especially in the race to secure a signing.
"You can't be in management as long as I have and not have that dilemma," he told the News of the World.
"I can give you a list of big names who I have faced this problem with. It is not always because they are bad guys, it can be because they are sometimes weak guys," said the famously transfer-shy Frenchman.
"They go out and they don't know where to stop. They do not master their life. In London it's impossible to keep track of a player's every move.
He added, "Let's say you have a guy who drinks. He can drink at home, so how can you control that? He can have parties at home. Twenty years ago, the players went to the pub on a Tuesday and so on but now it's not so public.
"In ideal conditions no boss would make a mistake. It was always a race against time with opponents who may also want to sign the player.
"Sometimes you have to go blind and play poker."
Wenger's remarks throw fresh light on his well-known reluctance to gamble on big-money signings - and who can blame him when a King can turn player and quickly go bust?
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has spoken about the risks managers face when recruiting talented but temperamental players in a fiercely competitive market.
Marlon King's conviction for assaulting a woman in a nightclub and subsequent sacking by Wigan Athletic has once again highlighted the need for players to show discipline on and off the pitch, especially away from the gaze of their managers.
Alex Ferguson was once famous for driving round his players' homes to check up on their partying, but Wenger admitted that it can be difficult to gauge a player's social habits, especially in the race to secure a signing.
"You can't be in management as long as I have and not have that dilemma," he told the News of the World.
"I can give you a list of big names who I have faced this problem with. It is not always because they are bad guys, it can be because they are sometimes weak guys," said the famously transfer-shy Frenchman.
"They go out and they don't know where to stop. They do not master their life. In London it's impossible to keep track of a player's every move.
He added, "Let's say you have a guy who drinks. He can drink at home, so how can you control that? He can have parties at home. Twenty years ago, the players went to the pub on a Tuesday and so on but now it's not so public.
"In ideal conditions no boss would make a mistake. It was always a race against time with opponents who may also want to sign the player.
"Sometimes you have to go blind and play poker."
Wenger's remarks throw fresh light on his well-known reluctance to gamble on big-money signings - and who can blame him when a King can turn player and quickly go bust?
http://goal.com/en-gb/news
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