Atlanta Soccer News: Art, Music and Culture: Should the Gunners be rid of their manager, Arsene Wenger?

Arsenal: Sacrebleu!

Such was the aching nadir of Arsenal's last week that the following question is now being asked in earnest: should the Gunners be rid of their manager, Arsene Wenger?

It appears that something surely must give, or at least certainly will if the forthcoming matches end in further woe. Having been humiliated by AC Milan in the Champions League, Wenger's boys, despite reportedly receiving a verbal dressing down from their boss that contained even swear words, slumped at Sunderland in the FA Cup to all but end this season's quest for a first trophy since 2005. Next follow Tottenham, Liverpool, Milan again, and then Newcastle.

The Emirates Stadium this season has at times been a bitter environment as fans who were hit with a 6.5% ticket price increase last year vent their spleen over the lack of commensurate progress on the pitch. And one must fear just how volatile the atmosphere might be if Arsenal suffer the unthinkable on Sunday: a damning defeat to Tottenham. It only worsens the angst that their arch-rivals' stock has risen as the Gunners' has waned in recent times, with Harry Redknapp's side playing the type of blistering football his Gunners counterpart had once made his own.

The mediocrity of this Arsenal side has been simmering below an anaemic surface since a head-scratching set of transfer deals last summer, with only Robin van Persie ensuring they kept their heads above liquid. Of late, though, the displays have done nothing to ease supporters' anxieties that the current squad is well short of the quality it once oozed under Wenger. Whether the buck stops at the coach, the board or both is debatable, but while it can be awfully knee-jerk to clamour for signings when times are hard, here only investment will do. Otherwise watch the disillusionment grow, for fans do not place the same fundamental emphasis as owners with regards to the operation of a successful business model. Ultimately, those at the top of the hierarchy must realise matters on and off the field are interlinked, and without Champions League football and quality footballers, income and pride will read negative on the balance sheet.