Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has reflected on his 11 years at the club and talked of why they are the club for him.
Arsene Wenger signed a new contract with Arsenal last Friday, and has talked to the official club website, in an interview, about his time in North London.
Asked what he recalled of his first day as Arsenal manager, Wenger replied:
"My first day? I remember landing at the airport and having my first press conference. That was my first day. I saw this press conference again recently and I thought my English is really terrible so at least I have improved that since."
In response to a question about whether there was any moment that convinced him Arsenal were the right club for him, Wenger said:
"Yes. I have had many moments when I have felt down because we have lost a big game but I never ever had any doubts that I did not have the support of the club. When I first arrived many people talked badly about me and I never had the feeling that there was any lack of trust or support from the board. I have never felt disappointed on that front. As for all the rest well you are ready to suffer and work very hard for your success. This job is difficult without the support of everyone at the club. Without that you have no chance."
Had his ideas about Arsenal before he arrived changed since doing the job?
"I had the vision of a very traditional and very efficient club. A very stylish club. What has changed? We have always tried to respect the values of the club. It was like that when I arrived but afterwards we have tried to adapt to the modern game. That means there is more of a foreign influx and we have been open to outside influences. We have become more international and more sophisticated in our approach to the game. But we try to keep that way of believing in our strength to integrate the sophisticated approach that you need for the modern game."
Wenger also told www.arsenal.com: "I have had many surprises but perhaps the biggest one is how big the potential is for this club. That is was shown when we played that Champions League game against AIK Solna. It was the first time we had gone to Wembley and we were sold out against a Swedish team. That was when you realised how big the potential was at this club. That was my biggest surprise."
Asked how Arsenal had influenced him, Wenger replied:
"It has changed me certainly. How? First of all I have worked very hard in the last 10 years. I must say I feel much more mature than when I arrived. They helped me mature because of the huge responsibility that I have. It also strengthened my belief in what is important in the game. I could check my beliefs because the club gave me that kind of freedom. That is very important in the life of a manager."
Has he influenced Arsenal? The Frenchman said: "I am not in the best position to answer that question. I hope in a very positive way. We want to make happy the people who live the club and I hope that I contributed to that."