Arsenala s Arsene Wenger said that while his team has good memories playing at Newcastle, it is always a difficult place to go to.
Arsene said, a We have good memories at Newcastle but they are always very tight, very difficult games. They are in a position where they are not under threat to go down. They always have a very motivated crowd and they always play well against us, which makes it a tight game.a
However, when asked about Newcastlea s interim manager, Arsene hit out at the culture of hiring and firing managers in football.
He said, a John Carver is a permanent manager. The length of our permanence today is very difficult to define. The average life expectancy of a manager in England is 12 months, so it is very difficult to predict how long any of us will be in charge. He has the qualities to do the job.a
Arsene was also asked about his plans to strengthen the squad following the Champions League elimination. He, however, declined to speculate as usual regarding players at the club and those he might want to sign.
Arsene said, a We are not in a transfer period. We just have to continue to focus. Ninety five per cent of the players will still be here next season, and what is important is the attitude of these 95 per cent of the players – and how much we improve and how much we can push on now until the end of the season. We are in the semi-final of the FA Cup, we are in a strong fight in the Premier League. Ita s important to focus on these targets and that we do that straight away on Saturday.a
Arsenal fans would certainly be hoping that the trend of signing at least one high profile signing every season continues, although the options available for the team is very slim. Of course, if they do manage to retain the FA Cup and finish second in the league, they have a good chance of attracting top talent.
Arsene was also asked about the recent incident involving referee Greg Dyke.
a [Greg Dyke] has my complete support. We all have to respect the referees and make their job as easy as possible. Ita s difficult enough today for referees to master the situation because they are criticised a lot as well. I include myself in that as well, we have some improvements to make there.a