Tony Adams’ autobiography ‘Sober’ has been serialised in the Sun recently and this has seen the Arsenal legend say Arsene Wenger ‘could not coach his way out of a paper bag.’
Adams, who returned to management – coach he himself is but boss he’s most certainly not – with Granada in April, but he couldn’t prevent them from being relegated from La Liga. I think he’s lost every game for the Spanish outfit?
Having spent almost two decades at Arsenal as a player, Adams hasn’t been afford a return in a coaching capacity under Wenger, which he doesn’t think would ever change all the while the Frenchman is in charge of the Gunners.
He was quoted by Sky Sports: ‘Perhaps Arsene thought I might be too challenging for him. He seemed to like an assistant such as Pat Rice or Steve Bould, both great club men who were not going to ruffle feathers. Arsene is so dominant that he was probably not going to like it if I said, ‘We’re conceding bad goals, I’m going to take the back four today and organise them’.’
Why wouldn’t Adams, 50, be given this opportunity? Well, he feels due to the fact he would ‘ruffle feathers’ and because the former England captain had previously been quoted with those comments about Wenger and a paper bag.
Adams said: ‘Because Arsene is essentially not a coach – and that is the second reason why I believe he didn’t want me. Back in the day I said in an interview coaching wasn’t Arsene’s strong point. Actually in the original draft, I said he couldn’t coach his way out of a paper bag.’
Those comments were later amended but Adams doesn’t feel they went down well and his unwillingness to hold his tongue would have counted against him.
Adding: ‘And though I modified that in the final article, it didn’t go down well. It all left me feeling that I would never get a chance in any capacity while Arsene was there. Much as I respected him for his long and successful tenure, my occasional willingness to pass comment on him and the team probably counted against me.’
Winner of 10 major trophies at Arsenal after coming into the first team, Adams ended his time in North London with a league and cup double in 2002 but this is where his legacy ended – chances are he’ll never be a Gunners coach?
Adams, without being disrespectful to the likes of Pat Rice, in particular, and Steve Bold, possibly does have a point and his input as a coach could have benefited Arsenal over the years.
His book also saw Adams claim Manchester United interest was shown twice in the 1990s, firstly in 1991 and then again in 1996. However, there was never any interest in leaving for Old Trafford.
Adams said: ‘I turned them down both times because I was Arsenal through and through. At the time, the wages weren’t going to be much better, and I was stuck in my drinking and the London life with my mates and family around me. I wouldn’t have had the tools to cope up in Manchester on my own.’
On the 1996 approach, adding: ‘The second United approach came in 96, in the autumn just five weeks after I had stopped drinking, and in that period of uncertainty when Arsene Wenger was taking over from the sacked Bruce Rioch. I guess Sir Alex [Ferguson] might also have wanted me because, as well as feeling he might be strengthening United, he might be weakening Arsenal.’
